bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and performance assessment of novel machine learning models to predict pneumonia after liver transplantation
Authors: Chen Chaojin , Yang Dong , Gao Shilong , Zhang Yihan , Chen Liubing , Wang Bohan , Mo Zihan , Yang Yang , Hei Ziqing , Zhou Shaoli 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Pneumonia is the most frequently encountered postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), which cause high morbidity and mortality rates. We aimed to develop a model to predict postoperative pneumonia in OLT patients using machine learning (ML) methods.

Methods
Data of 786 adult patients underwent OLT at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2015 to September 2019 was retrospectively extracted from electronic medical records and randomly subdivided into a training set and a testing set. With the training set, six ML models including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and gradient boosting machine (GBM) were developed. These models were assessed by the area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic on the testing set. The related risk factors and outcomes of pneumonia were also probed based on the chosen model.

Results
591 OLT patients were eventually included and 253 (42.81%) were diagnosed with postoperative pneumonia, which was associated with increased postoperative hospitalization and mortality (P < 0.05). Among the six ML models, XGBoost model performed best. The AUC of XGBoost model on the testing set was 0.734 (sensitivity: 52.6%; specificity: 77.5%). Pneumonia was notably associated with 14 items features: INR, HCT, PLT, ALB, ALT, FIB, WBC, PT, serum Na+, TBIL, anesthesia time, preoperative length of stay, total fluid transfusion and operation time.

Conclusion
Our study firstly demonstrated that the XGBoost model with 14 common variables might predict postoperative pneumonia in OLT patients.
Microbiome analysis reveals gut microbiota alteration of early-weaned Yimeng black goats with the effect of milk replacer and age
Authors: Li Aoyun , Yang Yan , Qin Songkang , Lv Shenjin , Jin Taihua , Li Kun , Han Zhaoqing , Li Yongzhu 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Colonization of intestinal microbiota in ruminant during the early life is important to host health, metabolism and immunity. Accumulating evidence revealed the ameliorative effect of milk replacer administration in the gut microbial development of early-weaned ruminants. Yimeng black goats (YBGs) inhabiting Shandong, China show a complex intestinal microbial ecosystem, but studies of their gut microbiota are still insufficient to report. Here, this study was performed to investigate how the gut microbiota develops in weaned YBGs with the effect of age and milk replacer.

Results
Results indicated that both age and milk replacer were important factors to change the gut microbiota of YBGs. Although the alpha diversity of gut microbiota did not change with the age of YBGs, the taxonomic compositions significantly changed. The relative abundance of some beneficial bacteria such as Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Ruminiclostridium, Eubacterium and Barnesiella significantly decreased and subsequently increase with age, which contributes to maintain the stability of intestinal environment and realize the diversity of intestinal functions. The relative abundance of Porphyromonas, Brevundimonas, Flavobacterium, Stenotrophomonas, Propionibacterium, Acinetobacter, Enterococcus and Clostridium belong to pathogenic bacteria in milk replacer-treated YBGs was significantly decreased. Additionally, some beneficial bacteria such as Ruminococcus, Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae and Ruminiclostridium also display a trend of decreasing first followed by gradually increasing.

Conclusions
This study first revealed the gut bacterial community alterations in YBGs with the effect of age and milk replacer. This study also characterized the gut microbial distribution in YBGs with different ages and provided better insight into microbial population structure and diversity of YBGs. Moreover, milk replacer may serve as a good applicant for improving gut microbial development in early-weaned YBGs.
Identification of potential plasma biomarkers in early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma-derived exosomes based on RNA sequencing
Authors: Zheng Wei , Ye Wangzhong , Wu Zijie , Huang Xinyi , Xu Yuanji , Chen Qinyan , Lin Zhizhong , Chen Yanyu , Bai Penggang , Chen Chuanben 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is vital to improve the prognosis of these patients. However, early diagnosis of NPC is typically challenging. Therefore, we explored the pathogenetic roles and associated mechanisms of exosomes in plasma of patients with early-stage NPC.

Methods
Exosomes in plasma were extracted by ultra-high-speed centrifugation. Western blot and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to verify the purity of exosomes. The sequencing data (6 plasma samples from healthy volunteers vs. 6 NPC plasma samples) were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), DESeq2, gene ontology (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), and TargetScan. The differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were obtained from the dataset (GSE118720) downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository. Additionally, the datasets downloaded from the GEO database (GSE12452, GSE13597, GSE53819, GSE64634) were used to predict the target genes and functions of hsa-miR-1301-3p. qPCR was applied to verify the differences in the expressions of hsa-miR-1301-3p between 10 normal plasma and 10 NPC plasma samples.

Results
Western blot, TEM, and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis showed adequate purity of the extracted exosomes. RNA-seq analysis revealed 21 upregulated miRNAs, and 10 downregulated miRNAs in plasma exosomes of early-stage NPC patients. GO analysis showed that the target genes of DEmiRNAs were mainly enriched in DNA synthesis and transcription regulation. KEGG analysis revealed that DEmiRNAs were mainly enriched in PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathways. Moreover, the expression of hsa-mir-1301-3p was verified to be significantly upregulated in enlarged samples of plasma exosomes.

Conclusions
We identified several DEmiRNAs extracted from tumor-derived exosomes between normal plasma and early-stage NPC plasma. Bioinformatics analyses indicated that these DEmiRNAs may be related to NPC development. Our study may provide novel insights into underlying biomarkers and mechanisms of plasma exosomes in early-stage NPC.
Elevation of miR-302b prevents multiple myeloma cell growth and bone destruction by blocking DKK1 secretion
Authors: Wu Zheyu , Zhang Yufeng , Yang Zhiqiang , Zhu Yufan , Xie Yuanlong , Zhou Fuling , Cai Lin 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Myeloma bone disease (MBD) is a severe complication of multiple myeloma (MM) mainly due to an imbalance between enhanced osteoclast activity and reduced osteoblast function. Previous studies have demonstrated that miRNAs play a vital role in the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in MM. However, the value of miR‑302b in MBD remains to be further elucidated. The aim of this study is to explore the role of miR‑302b in the regulation of MBD osteogenic differentiation and evaluate the potential of a new therapeutic strategy for the clinical treatment of MBD.

Method
Our previous research demonstrated that MiR-302b belongs to the miR-302 cluster and is able to inhibit tumor growth and osteolysis in an orthotopic osteosarcoma xenograft tumor mouse model. In this study, we first transfected miR-302b mimics, miR-302b inhibitor, and miR-302b NC into MM1.S and RPMI8226 MM cells to detect the correlation between miR-302b expression in the pathological specimens and the clinicopathological features by qPCR, the target correlation between miR-302b and DKK1 by immunohistochemistry, qPCR and Western blot, and the correlation between miR-302b and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by Western blot. The effect of miR-302b on osteoblastogenesis was also studied in a subperiosteal tumorigenesis model of NOD/SCID nude mice.

Results
We found that increased miR-302b suppressed cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in RPMI 8226 and MM1.S cells. TargetScan online bioinformatic analysis predicted that miR-302b is able to bind to 3′UTR of DKK1 mRNA. Target binding of miR-302b to DKK1 was demonstrated by dual-luciferase reporter assay, qPCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry, indicating that miR-302b is able to degrade DKK1 in RPMI 8226 and MM1.S cells. The model of co-culturing MM cells with preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells showed that miR-302b inhibits MM-induced suppression of osteoblast differentiation. Western blotting showed that miR-302b promotes the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in MM cells. Micro-CT and immunohistochemistry results showed that miR-302b suppresses myeloma bone destruction in vivo.

Conclusion
miR-302b is able to target DKK1 and promote the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in MM.
Ensemble deep model for continuous estimation of Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III
Authors: Hssayeni Murtadha D. , Jimenez-Shahed Joohi , Burack Michelle A. , Ghoraani Behnaz 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackgroundUnified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale-part III (UPDRS III) is part of the standard clinical examination performed to track the severity of Parkinson’s disease (PD) motor complications. Wearable technologies could be used to reduce the need for on-site clinical examinations of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) and provide a reliable and continuous estimation of the severity of PD at home. The reported estimation can be used to successfully adjust the dose and interval of PD medications.MethodsWe developed a novel algorithm for unobtrusive and continuous UPDRS-III estimation at home using two wearable inertial sensors mounted on the wrist and ankle. We used the ensemble of three deep-learning models to detect UPDRS-III-related patterns from a combination of hand-crafted features, raw temporal signals, and their time–frequency representation. Specifically, we used a dual-channel, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for hand-crafted features, 1D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-LSTM for raw signals, and 2D CNN-LSTM for time–frequency data. We utilized transfer learning from activity recognition data and proposed a two-stage training for the CNN-LSTM networks to cope with the limited amount of data.ResultsThe algorithm was evaluated on gyroscope data from 24 PwP as they performed different daily living activities. The estimated UPDRS-III scores had a correlation of$$0.79\, (\textit{p}<0.0001)$$0.79(p<0.0001)and a mean absolute error of 5.95 with the clinical examination scores without requiring the patients to perform any specific tasks.ConclusionOur analysis demonstrates the potential of our algorithm for estimating PD severity scores unobtrusively at home. Such an algorithm could provide the required motor-complication measurements without unnecessary clinical visits and help the treating physician provide effective management of the disease.
Changing men or changing health systems? A scoping review of interventions, services and programmes targeting men’s health in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Beia Thierry , Kielmann Karina , Diaconu Karin 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Sex and gender have been shown to influence health literacy, health seeking behaviour, and health outcomes. However, research examining the links between gender and health has mainly focused on women’s health, which is a long-standing global health priority. We examine literature focused on the ‘missing men’ in global health research, in particular empirical studies that document interventions, programmes, and services targeting men’s health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within these studies, we identify dominant conceptualisations of men and men’s health and how these have influenced the design of men’s health interventions and services.

Methods
This is a scoping review of published and grey literature. Following comprehensive searches, we included 56 studies in the review. We conducted a bibliographic analysis of all studies and used inductive methods to analyse textual excerpts referring to conceptualizations of men and service design. An existing framework to categorise services, interventions, or programs according to their gender-responsiveness was adapted and used for the latter analysis.

Results
From the included studies, we distinguished four principal ways in which men were conceptualized in programs and interventions: men are variously depicted as ‘gatekeepers’; ‘masculine’ men, ‘marginal’ men and as ‘clients. Additionally, we classified the gender-responsiveness of interventions, services or programmes described in the studies within the following categories: gender-neutral, −partnering, −sensitive and -transformative. Interventions described are predominantly gender-neutral or gender-partnering, with limited data available on transformative interventions. Health systems design features – focused mainly on achieving women’s access to, and uptake of services – may contribute to the latter gap leading to poor access and engagement of men with health services.

Conclusion
This review highlights the need for transformation in sub-Saharan African health systems towards greater consideration of men’s health issues and health-seeking patterns.
Nanoscale microenvironment engineering for expanding human hair follicle stem cell and revealing their plasticity
Authors: Chen Peng , Zhang Feifei , Fan Zhexiang , Shen Tianding , Liu Bingcheng , Chen Ruosi , Qu Qian , Wang Jin , Miao Yong , Hu Zhiqi 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Periodically regenerated hair follicles provide an excellent research model for studying tissue regeneration and stem cell homeostasis. Periodic activation and differentiation of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) fuel cyclical bouts of hair regeneration. HFSCs represent an excellent paradigm for studying tissue regeneration and somatic stem cell homeostasis. However, these crucial studies are hampered by the lack of a culture system able to stably expand human HFSCs and regulate their fate.

Results
Here, we use layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly with gelatin/alginate to construct a nanoscale biomimetic extracellular matrix (ECM) for an HFSC population. The LbL coating provides ECM and mechanical support for individual cells, which helps to maintain the CD200+α6+ HFSC population to a certain extent. Addition of key signal molecules (FGF-7 and VEGF-A) simulates the minimum essential components of the stem cell microenvironment, thereby effectively and stably expanding HFSCs and maintaining the CD200+α6+ HFSC population. Subsequently, BMP2 loaded to the nanocoated layer, as a slow-release signal molecule, activates BMP signaling to regulate HFSCs’ fate in order to obtain a purified CD200+α6+ HFSC population.

Conclusion
This system can minimize the microenvironment of HFSCs; thus, stably amplifying HFSCs and revealing their plasticity. Our study thus provides a new tool for studies of hair follicle reconstruction and stem cell homeostasis.
High efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA treatment in patients with comorbid migraine and depression: a meta-analysis
Authors: Affatato Oreste , Moulin Thiago C. , Pisanu Claudia , Babasieva Victoria S. , Russo Marco , Aydinlar Elif I. , Torelli Paola , Chubarev Vladimir N. , Tarasov Vadim V. , Schiöth Helgi B. , Mwinyi Jessica 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Migraine and depression are highly prevalent and partly overlapping disorders that cause strong limitations in daily life. Patients tend to respond poorly to the therapies available for these diseases. OnabotulinumtoxinA has been proven to be an effective treatment for both migraine and depression. While many studies have addressed the effect of onabotulinumtoxinA in migraine or depression separately, a growing body of evidence suggests beneficial effects also for patients comorbid with migraine and depression. The current meta-analysis systematically investigates to what extent onabotulinumtoxinA is efficient in migraineurs with depression.

Methods
A systematic literature search was performed based on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science from the earliest date till October $$30{th}$$

30

th

, 2020. Mean, standard deviation (SD) and sample size have been used to evaluate improvement in depressive symptoms and migraine using random-effects empirical Bayes model.

Results
Our search retrieved 259 studies, eight of which met the inclusion criteria. OnabotulinumtoxinA injections administered to patients with both chronic migraine and major depressive disorder led to mean reduction of $$- \;8.94$$

-

8.94

points (CI [$$- \;10.04, - \;7.84$$

-

10.04
,
-

7.84

], $$\hbox {p} < 0.01$$

p
<
0.01

) in the BDI scale, of $$- \;5.90$$

-

5.90

points (CI [$$- \;9.92, - \;1.88$$

-

9.92
,
-

1.88

], $$\hbox {p} < 0.01$$

p
<
0.01

) in the BDI-II scale and of $$- \;6.19$$

-

6.19

points (CI [$$- \;9.52, - \;2.86$$

-

9.52
,
-

2.86

], $$\hbox {p} < 0.01$$

p
<
0.01

) in the PHQ-9 scale, when evaluating depressive symptoms. In the case of the migraine-related symptoms, we found mean reductions of $$- \;4.10$$

-

4.10

(CI [$$- \;7.31, - \;0.89$$

-

7.31
,
-

0.89

], $$\hbox {p} = 0.01$$

p
=
0.01

) points in the HIT6 scale, $$- \;32.05$$

-

32.05

(CI [$$- \;55.96, - \;8.14$$

-

55.96
,
-

8.14

], $$\hbox {p} = 0.01$$

p
=
0.01

) in the MIDAS scale, $$- \;1.7$$

-

1.7

(CI [$$- \;3.27, - \;0.13$$

-

3.27
,
-

0.13

], $$\hbox {p} = 0.03$$

p
=
0.03

) points in the VAS scale and of $$- \;6.27$$

-

6.27

(CI [$$- \;8.48, - \;4.07$$

-

8.48
,
-

4.07

], $$\hbox {p} < 0.01$$

p
<
0.01

) migraine episodes per month. Comorbid patients showed slightly better improvements in BDI, HIT6 scores and migraine frequency compared to monomorbid patients. The latter group manifested better results in MIDAS and VAS scores.

Conclusion
Treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA leads to a significant reduction of disease severity of both chronic migraine and major depressive disorder in patients comorbid with both diseases. Comparative analyses suggest an equivalent strong effect in monomorbid and comorbid patients, with beneficial effects specifically seen for certain migraine features.
Hypothetical COVID-19 protection mechanism: hints from centenarians
Authors: Guerini Franca Rosa , Cesari Matteo , Arosio Beatrice 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe risk of serious complications and the fatality rate due to COVID-19 pandemic have proven particularly higher in older persons, putting a further strain in healthcare system as we dramatically observed.COVID-19 is not exclusively gerophile (géro “old” and philia “love”) as young people can be infected, even if older people experience more severe symptoms and mortality due to their greater frailty. Indeed, frailty could complicate the course of COVID-19, much more than the number of years lived. As demonstration, there are centenarians showing remarkable capacity to recover after coronavirus infection.We hypothesize that centenarian’s portfolio could help in identifying protective biological mechanisms underlying the coronavirus infection.The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is one of the major genetic regions associated with human longevity, due to its central role in the development of adaptive immune response and modulation of the individual’s response to life threatening diseases. The HLA locus seems to be crucial in influencing susceptibility and severity of COVID-19.In this hypothesis, we assume that the biological process in which HLA are involved may explain some aspects of coronavirus infection in centenarians, although we cannot rule out other biological mechanisms that these extraordinary persons are able to adopt to cope with the infection.
Walking stability in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: an objective assessment using wearable accelerometers and machine learning
Authors: Zhang Yuqian , Wang He , Yao Yifei , Liu Jianren , Sun Xuhong , Gu Dongyun 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common peripheral vestibular disorders leading to balance difficulties and increased fall risks. This study aims to investigate the walking stability of BPPV patients in clinical settings and propose a machine-learning-based classification method for determining the severity of gait disturbances of BPPV.

Methods

Twenty-seven BPPV outpatients and twenty-seven healthy subjects completed level walking trials at self-preferred speed in clinical settings while wearing two accelerometers on the head and lower trunk, respectively. Temporo-spatial variables and six walking stability related variables [root mean square (RMS), harmonic ratio (HR), gait variability, step/stride regularity, and gait symmetry] derived from the acceleration signals were analyzed. A support vector machine model (SVM) based on the gait variables of BPPV patients were developed to differentiate patients from healthy controls and classify the handicapping effects of dizziness imposed by BPPV.

Results
The results showed that BPPV patients employed a conservative gait and significantly reduced walking stability compared to the healthy controls. Significant different mediolateral HR at the lower trunk and anteroposterior step regularity at the head were found in BPPV patients among mild, moderate, and severe DHI (dizziness handicap inventory) subgroups. SVM classification achieved promising accuracies with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.78, 0.83, 0.85 and 0.96 respectively for differentiating patients from healthy controls and classifying the three stages of DHI subgroups. Study results suggest that the proposed gait analysis that is based on the coupling of wearable accelerometers and machine learning provides an objective approach for assessing gait disturbances and handicapping effects of dizziness imposed by BPPV.