bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Expression of Toll-Like Receptor 4 mRNA in PBMCs Is Upregulated in Smokers and Decreases Upon Smoking Cessation
Authors: Yeh Hsin-Yu , Hung Shou-Hung , Chen Su-Chiu , Guo Fei-Ran , Huang Hsien-Liang , Peng Jen-Kuei , Lee Chung-Sheng , Tsai Jaw-Shiun 
Published: April 2021

BackgroundStudies have shown in vitro that cigarette smoke condensate stimulates monocytes to express toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and enhances their adhesion to the endothelium. However, the same effects of cigarette smoking have not been explored in vivo. This study is to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on their mRNA expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).MethodsA group of 97 smokers and 62 nonsmokers were enrolled. The RNA from PBMCs was assessed with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the levels of ICAM-1, TNF-α, and TLR4. The same markers in PBMCs of 87 quitters were examined before and at one week, one month, and two months after smoking cessation.ResultsOf the 97 smokers, 85 (87.6%) were males, and 30 (48.4%) of the nonsmokers were males (p &lt; 0.0001). The mean (SD) age of the smokers was 43.24 (10.89) years, which was younger than 43.45 (11.41) years of nonsmokers (p &lt; 0.0001). The incidence of cardiovascular diseases was 13.4% in smokers, which was higher than 1.6% in nonsmokers (p &lt; 0.05). Both ICAM-1 and TNF-α mRNA levels in PBMCs were higher among the smokers (p &lt; 0.0001). In addition, TLR4 mRNA levels in PBMCs were statistically elevated in the smokers (p &lt; 0.0001) comparing with those in the nonsmokers. The mRNA levels of TLR4 and TNF-α in PBMCs decreased in those who had quit smoking for 2 months (p &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionsICAM-1, TNF-α, and TLR4 mRNA expression levels in PBMCs increased in smokers and decreased after being on a smoking cessation program for 2 months. This finding suggested that TLR4 expression may mediate the atherogenic inflammatory process induced by smoking.
Aging-Induced Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota as a Risk Factor for Increased Listeria monocytogenes Infection
Authors: Alam Mohammad S. , Gangiredla Jayanthi , Hasan Nur A. , Barnaba Tammy , Tartera Carmen 
Published: April 2021

Invasive foodborne Listeria monocytogenes infection causes gastroenteritis, septicemia, meningitis, and chorioamnionitis, and is associated with high case-fatality rates in the elderly. It is unclear how aging alters gut microbiota, increases risk of listeriosis, and causes dysbiosis post-infection. We used a geriatric murine model of listeriosis as human surrogate of listeriosis for aging individuals to study the effect of aging and L. monocytogenes infection. Aging and listeriosis-induced perturbation of gut microbiota and disease severity were compared between young-adult and old mice. Young-adult and old mice were dosed intragastrically with L. monocytogenes. Fecal pellets were collected pre- and post-infection for microbiome analysis. Infected old mice had higher Listeria colonization in liver, spleen, and feces. Metagenomics analyses of fecal DNA-sequences showed increase in α-diversity as mice aged, and infection reduced its diversity. The relative abundance of major bacterial phylum like, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes remained stable over aging or infection, while the Verrucomicrobia phylum was significantly reduced only in infected old mice. Old mice showed a marked reduction in Clostridaiceae and Lactobacillaceae bacteria even before infection when compared to uninfected young-adult mice. L. monocytogenes infection increased the abundance of Porphyromonadaceae and Prevotellaceae in young-adult mice, while members of the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae family were significantly increased in old mice. The abundance of the genera Blautia and Alistipes were significantly reduced post-infection in young-adult and in old mice as compared to their uninfected counterparts. Butyrate producing, immune-modulating bacterial species, like Pseudoflavonifractor and Faecalibacterium were significantly increased only in old infected mice, correlating with increased intestinal inflammatory mRNA up-regulation from old mice tissue. Histologic analyses of gastric tissues showed extensive lesions in the Listeria-infected old mice, more so in the non-glandular region and fundus than in the pylorus. Commensal species like Lactobacillus, Clostridiales, and Akkermansia were only abundant in infected young-adult mice but their abundance diminished in the infected old mice. Listeriosis in old mice enhances the abundance of butyrate-producing inflammatory members of the Ruminococcaceae/Lachnospiraceae bacteria while reducing/eliminating beneficial commensals in the gut. Results of this study indicate that, aging may affect the composition of gut microbiota and increase the risk of invasive L. monocytogenes infection.
A Preliminary Study to Use SUVmax of FDG PET-CT as an Identifier of Lesion for Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Hirata Kenji , Manabe Osamu , Magota Keiichi , Furuya Sho , Shiga Tohru , Kudo Kohsuke 
Published: April 2021

Background: Diagnostic reports contribute not only to the particular patient, but also to constructing massive training dataset in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) is often described in daily diagnostic reports of [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) – computed tomography (CT). If SUVmax can be used as an identifier of lesion, that would greatly help AI interpret diagnostic reports. We aimed to clarify whether the lesion can be localized using SUVmax strings.Methods: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study. We investigated a total of 112 lesions from 30 FDG PET-CT images acquired with 3 different scanners. SUVmax was calculated from DICOM files based on the latest Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) publication. The voxels showing the given SUVmax were exhaustively searched in the whole-body images and counted. SUVmax was provided with 5 different degrees of precision: integer (e.g., 3), 1st decimal places (DP) (3.1), 2nd DP (3.14), 3rd DP (3.142), and 4th DP (3.1416). For instance, when SUVmax = 3.14 was given, the voxels with 3.135 ≤ SUVmax &lt; 3.145 were extracted. We also evaluated whether local maximum restriction could improve the identifying performance, where only the voxels showing the highest intensity within some neighborhood were considered. We defined that “identical detection” was achieved when only single voxel satisfied the criterion.Results: A total of 112 lesions from 30 FDG PET-CT images were investigated. SUVmax ranged from 1.3 to 49.1 (median = 5.6). Generally, when larger and more precise SUVmax values were given, fewer voxels satisfied the criterion. The local maximum restriction was very effective. When SUVmax was determined to 4 decimal places (e.g., 3.1416) and the local maximum restriction was applied, identical detection was achieved in 33.3% (lesions with SUVmax &lt; 2), 79.5% (2 ≤ SUVmax &lt; 5), and 97.8% (5 ≤ SUVmax) of lesions.Conclusion: In this preliminary study, SUVmax of FDG PET-CT could be used as an identifier to localize the lesion if precise SUVmax is provided and local maximum restriction was applied, although the lesions showing SUVmax &lt; 2 were difficult to identify. The proposed method may have potential to make use of diagnostic reports retrospectively for constructing training datasets for AI.
Subsequent Acupuncture Reverses the Aftereffects of Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation
Authors: He Xiao-Kuo , Liu Hui-Hua , Chen Shan-Jia , Sun Qian-Qian , Yu Guo , Lei Lei , Niu Zhen-Yuan , Chen Li-Dian , Hsieh Tsung-Hsun 
Published: April 2021

ObjectiveThis study explored whether acupuncture affects the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and the acquisition of motor skills following repetitive sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT) training.MethodsThirty-six participants were recruited. The changes in the aftereffects induced by intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) and followed acupuncture were tested by the amplitude motor evoked potential (MEP) at pre-and-post-iTBS for 30 min and at acupuncture-in and -off for 30 min. Secondly, the effects of acupuncture on SVIPT movement in inducing error rate and learning skill index were tested.ResultsFollowing one session of iTBS, the MEP amplitude was increased and maintained at a high level for 30 min. The facilitation of MEP was gradually decreased to the baseline level during acupuncture-in and did not return to a high level after needle extraction. The SVIPT-acupuncture group had a lower learning skill index than those in the SVIPT group, indicating that acupuncture intervention after SVIPT training may restrain the acquisition ability of one’s learning skills.ConclusionAcupuncture could reverse the LTP-like plasticity of the contralateral motor cortex induced by iTBS. Subsequent acupuncture may negatively affect the efficacy of the acquisition of learned skills in repetitive exercise training.
Longer and Deeper Desaturations Are Associated With the Worsening of Mild Sleep Apnea: The Sleep Heart Health Study
Authors: Karhu Tuomas , Myllymaa Sami , Nikkonen Sami , Mazzotti Diego R. , Töyräs Juha , Leppänen Timo 
Published: April 2021

Study ObjectivesObesity, older age, and male sex are recognized risk factors for sleep apnea. However, it is unclear whether the severity of hypoxic burden, an essential feature of sleep apnea, is associated with the risk of sleep apnea worsening. Thus, we investigated our hypothesis that the worsening of sleep apnea is expedited in individuals with more severe desaturations.MethodsThe blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) signals of 805 Sleep Heart Health Study participants with mild sleep apnea [5 ≤ oxygen desaturation index (ODI) &lt; 15] were analyzed at baseline and after a mean follow-up time of 5.2 years. Linear regression analysis, adjusted for relevant covariates, was utilized to study the association between baseline SpO2-derived parameters and change in sleep apnea severity, determined by a change in ODI. SpO2-derived parameters, consisting of ODI, desaturation severity (DesSev), desaturation duration (DesDur), average desaturation area (avg. DesArea), and average desaturation duration (avg. DesDur), were standardized to enable comparisons between the parameters.ResultsIn the group consisting of both men and women, avg. DesDur (β = 1.594, p = 0.001), avg. DesArea (β = 1.316, p = 0.004), DesDur (β = 0.998, p = 0.028), and DesSev (β = 0.928, p = 0.040) were significantly associated with sleep apnea worsening, whereas ODI was not (β = −0.029, p = 0.950). In sex-stratified analysis, avg. DesDur (β = 1.987, p = 0.003), avg. DesArea (β = 1.502, p = 0.024), and DesDur (β = 1.374, p = 0.033) were significantly associated with sleep apnea worsening in men.ConclusionLonger and deeper desaturations are more likely to expose a patient to the worsening of sleep apnea. This information could be useful in the planning of follow-up monitoring or lifestyle counseling in the early stage of the disease.
Radiation-Induced Soft Tissue Injuries in Patients With Advanced Mandibular Osteoradionecrosis: A Preliminary Evaluation and Management of Various Soft Tissue Problems Around Radiation-Induced Osteonecrosis Lesions
Authors: Ma Chunyue , Gao Weijin , Liu Zhonglong , Zhu Dan , Zhu Fengshuo , Li Xiaoguang , He Yue 
Published: April 2021

ObjectivesRadiation-induced soft-tissue injuries (STIs) in mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN) are not well studied regarding their correlations with nearby bone lesions. The aim of this study is to investigate the severity of radiation-induced STIs in advanced mandibular ORN and its relationship with hard-tissue damage and postoperative outcomes.MethodsA retrospective study was performed in our institution from January 2017 to December 2019. Aside from demographic factors, the associations between the triad ORN variables (irradiation doses, ORN stages, ORN sizes) and radiation-related STI factors, vascular characteristics, and postoperative functional recovery were assessed. In addition, the severity of STI was also compared with treatment outcomes. Such correlations were established via both univariate and multivariable analyses.ResultsA total number of 47 patients were included. The median follow-up reached 27 months. Nasopharyngeal cancer was the histology type among most patients (n = 21, 44.7%). The median irradiation doses reached 62 Gy (range, 40–110 Gy). For STI, the symptom scoring equaled an average of 5.4 (range from 1 to 12), indicative of the severity of STI problems. During preoperative MRI examinations, signs of hypertrophy or edema (n = 41, 87.2%) were frequently discerned. Most patients (n = 23, 48.9%) also had extensive muscular fibrosis and infection, which required further debridement and scar release. Surprisingly, most STI factors, except cervical fibrosis (p = 0.02), were not in parallel with the ORN levels. Even the intraoperative soft-tissue defect changes could not be extrapolated by the extent of ORN damage (p = 0.096). Regarding the outcomes, a low recurrence rate (n = 3, 6.9%) was reported. In terms of soft tissue-related factors, we found a strong correlation (p = 0.004) between symptom scores and recurrence. In addition, when taking trismus into consideration, both improvements in mouth-opening distance (p &lt; 0.001) and facial contour changes (p = 0.004) were adversely affected. Correlations were also observed between the intraoperative soft-tissue defect changes and complications (p = 0.024), indicative of the importance of STI evaluation and management.ConclusionsThe coexistence of hard- and soft-tissue damage in radiation-induced advanced mandibular ORN patients reminds surgeons of the significance in assessing both aspects. It is necessary to take the same active measures to evaluate and repair both severe STIs and ORN bone lesions.
Consolidative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation After CD19 CAR-T Cell Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Xu Xinjie , Chen Sifei , Zhao Zijing , Xiao Xinyi , Huang Shengkang , Huo Zhaochang , Li Yuhua , Tu Sanfang 
Published: April 2021

BackgroundThis study aimed to systematically evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of consolidative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) therapy with non-HSCT in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases were searched for clinical trials. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS), relapse rate, and leukemia-free survival (LFS) as well as overall incidence rates for transplant-related mortality (TRM), acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), and infections were calculated using Stata software.ResultsWe screened 3,441 studies and identified 19 eligible studies with 690 patients. Among the patients who achieved complete remission (CR) after CD19 CAR-T therapy, consolidative HSCT was beneficial for OS (HR = 0.34, 95% CI, 0.17–0.68, P = 0.003), the relapse rate (HR = 0.16, 95% CI, 0.10–0.25, P &lt; 0.001), and LFS (HR = 0.15, 95% CI, 0.08–0.28, P &lt; 0.001). For patients who achieved MRD-negative (neg) CR after CD19 CAR-T therapy, consolidative HSCT was beneficial for OS (0.57, 95% CI, 0.33–0.99, P = 0.045), the relapse rate (0.14, 95% CI, 0.06–0.31, P &lt; 0.001), and LFS (0.21, 95% CI, 0.12–0.35, P &lt; 0.001). Regarding safety, we calculated pooled incidence rates for TRM (8%, 95% CI, 0.02–0.15), aGVHD (44%, 95% CI, 0.23–0.67), cGVHD (36%, 95% CI, 0.17–0.56), and infections (39%, 95% CI, 0.03–0.83).ConclusionsCompared with non-HSCT treatment, consolidative HSCT after CD19 CAR-T therapy for R/R B-ALL patients can prolong OS and LFS and reduce the risk of relapse. The incidence rates for adverse events are acceptable. More high-quality randomized controlled trials are required to avoid bias and further determine the efficacy of HSCT.
Sodium Monoiodoacetate Dose-Dependent Changes in Matrix Metalloproteinases and Inflammatory Components as Prognostic Factors for the Progression of Osteoarthritis
Authors: Bryk Marta , Chwastek Jakub , Mlost Jakub , Kostrzewa Magdalena , Starowicz Katarzyna 
Published: April 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that primarily affects people over 65 years old. During OA progression irreversible cartilage, synovial membrane and subchondral bone degradation is observed, which results in the development of difficult-to-treat chronic pain. One of the most important factors in OA progression is joint inflammation. Both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, as well as extracellular matrix degradation enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), play an important role in disease development. One of the most widely used animal OA models involves an intra-articular injection of sodium monoiodoacetate (MIA) directly into the joint capsule, which results in glycolysis inhibition in chondrocytes and cartilage degeneration. This model mimics the degenerative changes observed in OA patients. However, the dose of MIA varies in the literature, ranging from 0.5 to 4.8 mg. The aim of our study was to characterize grading changes after injection of 1, 2 or 3 mg of MIA at the behavioral and molecular levels over a 28-day period. In the behavioral studies, MIA injection at all doses resulted in a gradual increase in tactile allodynia and resulted in abnormal weight bearing during free walking sequences. At several days post-OA induction, cartilage, synovial membrane and synovial fluid samples were collected, and qPCR and Western blot analyses were performed. We observed significant dose- and time-dependent changes in both gene expression and protein secretion levels. Inflammatory factors (CCL2, CXCL1, IL-1β, COMP) increased at the beginning of the experiment, indicating a transient inflammatory state connected to the MIA injection and, in more severe OA, also in the advanced stages of the disease. Overall, the results in the 1 mg MIA group were not consistently clear, indicating that the lowest tested dose may not be sufficient to induce long-lasting OA-like changes at the molecular level. In the 2 mg MIA group, significant alterations in the measured factors were observed. In the 3 mg MIA group, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-13 levels showed very strong upregulation, which may cause overly strong reactions in animals. Therefore, a dose of 2 mg appears optimal, as it induces significant but not excessive OA-like changes in a rat model.
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Security and Safety Workers Toward the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: AlRasheed Maha M. , Alsugair Abdullah M. , Almarzouqi Hala F. , Alonazi Gadah K. , Aleanizy Fadilah S. , Alqahtani Fulwah Y. , Shazly Gamal A. , Khurshid Fowad 
Published: April 2021

Aim: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of security and safety workers toward the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and July 2020 using a self-developed structured questionnaire that was randomly distributed online among security and safety employees in government or private sectors.Results: Among the 712 participants, 53.9% were female and the respondents' mean age was 39.43 years. Television was chosen as the most reliable source of information by 75.0% of the participants. Most of the respondents had a sufficient knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic, as the majority of them answered the knowledge questions correctly. The significant predictors for their knowledge were their educational level, age, marital status, parenthood status, and employment sector (private or government). Our study revealed an overall 98.6% positive attitude of safety and security workers toward COVID-19. Majority of the respondents were following good and safe COVID-19 prevention practices.Conclusion: High level of knowledge was reflected in both the attitude and practice of the participants toward the COVID-19 pandemic.
Analysis of Frames with and Without Knee Bracing for Lateral Loads Using Steel Structures
Authors: K Kanishkavya , D Sivakumar , M Velumani 
Published: April 2021

Steel has become the predominate material for the construction of bridges, buildings, towers and other structures. Its great strength, uniformity light weight and many other desirable properties makes steel the material of choice for numerous structures such as steel bridges, high rise buildings, towers and other structures. The advantages in general credited to steel as a structural design material are high strength/weight ratio, ductility, predictable material properties, speed of erection structures, and quality of construction ease of repair, adaptation of prefabrication, repetitive use, expanding existing structures and fatigue strength. Steel structures should be stiff enough to limit the drift and should have enough ductility to prevent collapse. In this steel bracing provides an effective and economical solution for resisting lateral loads in a framed structure. Knee braced steel frame is that of excellent ductility and lateral stiffness. Since the knee element is properly fused, yielding occurs only to the knee element and no damage to major elements In this study, the effect of different types of bracing in comparison with knee braced steel frame are studied and analysed using software.
Pulse duration dependence of dry laser peening effects in the femtosecond-to-picosecond regime
Authors: Nishibata Itsuki , Yoshida Masayuki , Ito Yusuke , Sugita Naohiko , Hirose Akio , Sano Tomokazu 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
We found an optimum pulse duration for dry laser peening in the femtosecond-to-picosecond regime, in which the laser intensity exceeds the air breakdown threshold. A pulse duration of 1 ps produced the most effective peening effects under conditions wherein the laser energy was constant; this was caused by a decrease in the laser fluence due to a beam expansion of less than 1 ps, in addition to an increase in the thermal effect above 1 ps. When the laser intensity exceeds the air breakdown threshold, it is necessary to select the pulse duration while considering laser–air and laser–metal interactions.
mulher preta no mundo do trabalho brasileiro
Authors: Carvalho Mônica , Nascimento dos Santos Winnie 
Published: April 2021

O presente artigo objetiva explicitar o lugar destinado a mulheres pretas na sociedade contemporânea, levando em consideração os papéis por elas ocupados no mundo do trabalho, buscando compreender as similaridades e diferenças vivenciadas por mulheres pretas que realizam trabalhos domésticos, e que ocupam posições de prestígio em cargos de liderança. Essa reflexão gira em torno da forma com a qual, de maneira objetiva e subjetiva, o sistema capitalista se beneficia por manter mulheres pretas em um lugar social de subalternidade a partir da intersecção de múltiplas opressões. Este artigo, articula dados das pesquisas de Carvalho (2019) e Santos (2020) objetivando compreender as violências concretas e simbólicas vivenciadas por esse grupo de mulheres que, considerando a estrutura patriarcal e cisheteronormativa segue, ao longo da história, ocupando a base da pirâmide social, mesmo quando ascendem no mundo do trabalho.