bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Anti-Angiogenic Agent Lenvatinib Induces Tumor Vessel Normalization and Enhances Radiosensitivity in Hepatocellular Tumors
Authors: Une Norikazu , Takano-Kasuya Mayumi , Kitamura Narufumi , Ohta Mineto , Inose Tomoya , Kato Chihiro , Nishimura Ryuichi , Tada Hiroshi , Miyagi Shigehito , Ishida Takanori , Unno Michiaki , Kamei Takashi , Gonda Kohsuke 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The evaluation of angiogenesis inhibitors requires the analysis of the precise structure and function of tumor vessels. The anti-angiogenic agents lenvatinib and sorafenib are multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitors that have been approved for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the different effects on tumor vasculature between lenvatinib and sorafenib are not well understood. In this study we analyzed the effects of both drugs on vascular structure and function, including vascular normalization, and investigated whether the normalization had a positive effect on a combination therapy with the drugs and radiation using micro X-ray computed tomography with gold nanoparticles as a contrast agent, as well as immunohistochemical analysis and interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) measurement. In mice subcutaneously transplanted with mouse HCC cells, treatment with lenvatinib or sorafenib for 14 days inhibited tumor growth and reduced the tumor vessel volume density. However, analysis of integrated data on vessel density, rates of pericyte-covering and perfused vessels, tumor hypoxia, and IFP measured 4 days after drug treatment showed that treatment with 3 mg/kg of lenvatinib significantly reduced the microvessel density and normalized tumor vessels compared to treatment with 50 mg/kg of sorafenib. These results showed that lenvatinib induced vascular normalization and improved the intratumoral microenvironment in HCC tumors earlier and more effectively than sorafenib. Moreover, such changes increased the radiosensitivity of tumors and enhanced the effect of lenvatinib and radiation combination therapy, suggesting that this combination therapy is a powerful potential application against HCC.
Wind speed persistence at the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, Brazil
Authors: Silva Allan Robert , Stosic Tatijana , Stosic Borko 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The use of wind energy has been growing worldwide continuously over the last years due to global efforts to combat climate change. The modern turbines are becoming ever more cost effective, and are gaining features that aim to reduce further the impact on the environment, such as reducing noise or increasing the height. In this context, the current study investigates the persistence of wind in Fernando de Noronha archipelago, an important Brazilian ecological site, using hourly wind speed data at 100m height. To this end, data from Era5 reanalysis were used, as they present high resolution and good performance in estimating meteorological data, and two well-known methods were applied to quantify wind persistence: duration curve and conditional probability. In addition, a novel method is proposed regarding persistence probability of periods of viable energy generation. The results obtained show that Fernando de Noronha archipelago presents rather high wind persistence on a monthly scale, with considerably long intervals of wind speed useful for wind power generation.
Intensification and Northward Extension of Northwest Pacific Anomalous Anticyclone in El Niño Decaying Mid-Summer: An Energetic Perspective
Authors: Tang Haosu , Hu Kaiming , Huang Gang , Wang Ya , Tao Weichen 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The Northwest Pacific (NWP) anomalous anticyclone (AAC) intensifies and extends northward from El Niño decaying early to mid- summer despite the dissipating sea surface temperature anomalies in the North Indian Ocean, North Atlantic and tropical NWP. The present study investigates these two intraseasonal variations of AAC from the perspective of energetics. The efficiency of dry energy conversion from background mean flow to perturbations in the El Niño decaying mid-summer is high and well explains the intensification of El Niño-induced circulation anomalies over the East Asia (EA)-NWP. The baroclinic energy conversion plays a more dominant role in this process than barotropic energy conversion. Besides, mean state changes over the EA-NWP from early to mid- summer are found in favor of the northward shift of the preferred latitude of the circulation anomalies. Thus, the El Niño induced circulation anomalies over the EA-NWP are more northward-extended in the later period. Empirical orthogonal function analyses further confirm that the northward extension of El Niño-induced circulation anomalies over the EA-NWP stems from local optimal mode change from early to mid- summer.
Soluble ST2 and Risk of Cognitive Impairment after Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Zhu Yinwei , Fang Chongquan , Zhang Qi , Lu Yaling , Zhang Rui , Wang Aili , Bu Xiaoqing , Zhang Jintao , Ju Zhong , Zhang Yonghong , Xu Tan , Zhong Chongke 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background: Soluble suppression of tumorigenesis-2 (sST2) was reported to be associated with cognitive performance and risk of incident stroke. However, the impact of sST2 on cognitive function after ischemic stroke is unclear. We aimed to assess the association of sST2 and cognitive impairment at 3 months in acute ischemic stroke patients.Methods: Baseline plasma sST2 levels were measured in 619 ischemic stroke patient (mean age: 60.0 ± 10.5 years) from 7 participating hospitals of the China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were used to assess cognitive status. Cognitive impairment was defined as a MoCA score <23 or MMSE score <27. The association between sST2 and cognitive impairment was evaluated by logistic regression analysis.Results: 325 (52.5%) or 323 (52.2%) participants developed cognitive impairment according to MoCA or MMSE. After adjustment for age, sex, education, and other covariates, the odds ratio for the highest vs lowest quartile of sST2 was 2.35 (95% CI, 1.41-3.94) and 1.77 (95% CI 1.07-2.95) risk of cognitive impairment defined by MoCA and MMSE score, respectively. Incorporation sST2 into a model containing conventional risk factors significantly improved discrimination and reclassification.Conclusions: Elevated plasma sST2 levels were significantly associated with post-stroke cognitive impairment.
Investigation of Arsenic-Resistant, Arsenite-Oxidizing Bacteria for Plant Growth Promoting Traits Isolated From Arsenic Contaminated Soils
Authors: Laha Aritri , Bhattacharyya Somnath , Sengupta Sudip , Bhattacharyya Kallol , GuhaRoy Sanjoy 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The menace of arsenic (As) pollution being severe warrants opting for low cost microbial remediation strategies. The present study of identifying suitable bacterial strains led to isolation of eleven As-tolerant strains from the As contaminated rhizosphere soils of West Bengal, India. They were found to oxidize/reduce 55%-31.6% of 5 mM As(III) and 73%-37.6% of 5 mM As(V) within 12 hrs. The four isolates (BcAl-1, JN 73, LAR-2 and AR-30) had high level of As(III) oxidase activity along with higher level of As(V) and As(III) resistance. The presence of aoxB gene was observed in these four As(III) oxidizing isolates. Evaluation of plant growth promoting characteristics revealed that BcAl-1 (Burkholderia cepacia), JN73 (Burkholderia metallica), AR-30 (Burkholderia cenocepacia) and LAR-2 (Burkholderia sp) had enormous plant growth-promoting characteristics (PGP), including ability to solubilize phosphate, siderophore production, indole acetic acid like molecules production, ACC deaminase production and nodule formation under As stressed condition. BcAl-1 and JN73 emerged as the most promising traits in As removal as well as plant growth promotion.
The Medial Tangent of the Proximal Tibia Is a Suitable Extra-articular Landmark in Determining the Tibial Anteroposterior Axis
Authors: Lee Hyunho , Sumino Takanobu , Suzuki Takashi , Sano Yutaka , Endo Noriyuki , Chang Yingshih , Fujimaki Hirohisa , Ryu Keinosuke , Nakanishi Kazuyoshi 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background: Tibial rotational alignment in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is generally determined based on intra-articular structure, and can be difficult to ascertain in some cases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the medial tangent angle of the tibia (MTAT) could be useful in determining the anteroposterior axis of the tibia.Methods: This study was performed on 103 lower limbs in 53 patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty. The selection criteria for our study were based on the assumption that knees in patients undergoing THA exhibit fewer degenerative changes than knees in patients undergoing TKA. Using computed tomography images, the MTAT, comprising the medial tangent of the proximal tibia and the anteroposterior (AP) axis of the tibia, was measured on three horizontal planes: at the distal edge of the tibial tubercle (A), at 5 cm distally (B), and at 10 cm further distally (C). The tibial medial surface was grouped into three classes according to shape: valley type, flat type, and hill type. The percentage at which these shapes were observed in each group was also calculated. Measurement reliability was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient.Results: The angles were 45.2° (interquartile range: IR 43.0-47.7) at A, 42.7° (IR 38.7-45.9) at B, and 42.4° (IR 38.2-45.9) at C. Intra-rater reliability and inter-rater reliability was 0.982 and 0.974 at A, 0.810 and 0.411 at B, and 0.940 and 0.811 at C, respectively. Regarding the tibial medial surface, the valley type was observed in all cases at A, and the hill type was observed in the highest percentage of cases at B and C.Conclusions: The MTAT was approximately 45° at level A, and reproducibility was the highest among the three groups. The two points forming the valley on the tibial medial surface were bony ridges. Therefore, the medial tangent of the tibia at level A could be easily determined. Because the distal edge of the tibial tubercle exists at the surgical area and the extra-articular area, it can be a suitable intraoperative, extra-articular landmark in determining the tibial AP axis, even for revision TKA.
Broadband Terahertz Absorber Using Superimposed Graphene Quantum Dots
Authors: Deljoo Hadi , Rostami Ali 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
In this study, we propose and investigate numerically a broadband THz metamaterial-based absorber, which is composed of superimposed Graphene Quantum Dots. Based on this idea, a new way to engineering the absorption band is introduced. We will show that using the proposed idea, it is possible to design a THz absorber with a given bandwidth. To show the capability of the idea, we consider a three-layer structure, and the top layer is superimposed graphene disks. The middle layer is a lossless dielectric thin layer and eventually gold is placed in the bottom layer. Simulation results reveal a broadband absorption in the range of (5.86THz to 7.57THz), (5.89THz to 7.56THz), and (5.89THz to 7.58THz) while absorption values respectively are above 89%, 88.49%, and 88.32%. The dielectric material is Si3N4 in the proposed structure. Also, the broadband absorption range is 7.47THz to 9.87THz with an absorption value above 80% while the dielectric material is SiO2.
Prevalence of MDR and ESBL producing Gram-negative isolates from various clinical samples from patients visiting a tertiary care hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal
Authors: Shilpakar Aryatara , Ansari Mehraj , Rai Kul Raj , Rai Ganesh , Rai Shiba Kumar 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
BackgroundThe existence of multi-drug resistance organisms, including extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), is on the rise and is becoming a severe problem. Knowledge of the prevalence and antibiogram profile of such isolates is essential to develop an appropriate treatment methodology. This study aimed to study the prevalence of Gram-negative isolates exhibiting ESBL at a tertiary care hospital and study their antibiogram profile.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre, Kathmandu, Nepal, from June 2018 to November 2018. A total of 770 clinical samples were collected and identified by using the conventional biochemical tests following the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed using the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. The screening test for ESBL producers was performed as recommended by the CLSI and the confirmatory test was performed phenotypically using the E-test.ResultsOut of 92 isolates, 84 (91.3%) isolates were multidrug resistant, and 47 (51.1%) isolates were found to be potential ESBL producers. Of these, 16 isolates were confirmed ESBL producers by the E-test. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the predominant isolates and were also the major ESBL producers. Besides polymyxin B (100% sensitive), meropenem and imipenem showed high efficacy against the ESBL producers.ConclusionMultidrug resistance was very high, however, ESBL production was low. Polymyxin B and carbapenems are the choice of drugs against ESBL producers but should be used only as the last line drugs.
The Role of Spatial Frequencies for Facial Pain Categorization
Authors: Charbonneau Isabelle , Guérette Joël , Cormier Stéphanie , Blais Caroline , Lalonde-Beaudoin Guillaume , Smith Fraser , Fiset Daniel 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Studies on low-level visual information underlying pain categorization have led to inconsistent findings. Some are showing an advantage for low spatial frequency information (SFs) and others a preponderance of mid SFs. This study aims to clarify this gap in knowledge since these results have different theoretical and practical implications, such as how far away an observer can be in order to categorize pain. This study addresses this question by using two complementary methods: a data-driven method without a priori about the most useful SFs for pain recognition and a more ecological method that simulates the distance of stimuli presentation. We reveal a broad range of important SF for pain recognition starting from low to relatively high SFs and showed that performance is optimal in a short to medium distance (1.2 to 4.8 meters) but declines significantly when mid SFs are no longer available. This study reconciles previous results that show an advantage of LSFs over HSFs when using arbitrary cutoffs, but above all reveal the prominent role of mid-SFs for pain recognition across two experimental tasks.
Programmable shape-morphing microrobots for localized cancer cells treatment
Authors: Xin Chen , Jin Dongdong , Hu Yanlei , Yang Liang , Li Rui , Wang Li , Ren Zhongguo , Wang Dawei , Ji Shengyun , Hu Kai , Pan Deng , Wu Hao , Zhu Wulin , Shen Zuojun , Wang Yucai , Li Jiawen , Zhang Li , Wu Dong , Chu Jiaru 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Microrobots have attracted great attentions due to their wide applications in microobjects manipulation and targeted drug delivery. To realize more complex micro/nano cargos manipulation (e.g., encapsulation and release) in biological applications, endowing microrobots with shapes adaptability with the environment is highly desirable. Here, designable shape-morphing microrobots (SMMRs) have been developed by programmatically encoding different expansion rate in a pH-responsive hydrogel. Combined with magnetic propelling, the shape-morphing microcrab (SMMC) is capable of performing targeted microparticle delivery, including gripping, transporting, and releasing through claws morphing. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the shape-morphing microfish (SMMF) is designed to encapsulate drug (doxorubicin (DOX)) by closing mouth in phosphate buffer saline (PBS, pH~7.4) and release them by opening mouth in slightly acid solution (pH<7), which realize localized Hela cells treatment in an artificial vascular network. These SMMRs with powerful shape morphing capabilities and remote motion controllability provide new platforms for complex microcargos operation and on-demand drug release.
Lessons from the Past: Comparison of the Disease Burden of the Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic 2009-10 and Seasonal Influenza 2010-2019 in the United States
Authors: Koziol James A 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background

Annual influenza outbreaks constitute a major public health concern, both in the United States and worldwide. Comparisons of the health burdens of outbreaks might lead to the identification of specific at-risk populations, for whom public health resources should be marshaled appropriately and equitably.
Methods

We examined the disease burden of the 2009-10 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic relating to illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and mortality, compared to influenza seasons 2010 to 2019, in the United States, as compiled by the Centers for Disease Control.
Results

With regard to seasonal influenza, rates of illnesses and medical visits were highest in infants aged 0–4 years, followed by adults aged 50–64 years. Rates of hospitalizations and deaths evinced a starkly different pattern, both dominated by elderly adults aged 65 and over. Youths aged 0 to 17 years were especially adversely affected by the H1N1 pandemic relative to hospitalizations and mortality compared to seasonal influenza; but curiously the opposite pattern was observed in elderly adults (aged 65 and older).
Conclusions

The disease burden of the 2009-10 influenza A pandemic was strikingly unlike that observed in the subsequent influenza seasons 2010 to 2019, in the United States: the past did not predict the future.
A Treatment Recommender Clinical Decision Support System for Personalized Medicine: Method Development and Proof-of-concept for Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
Authors: Verboven Lennert , Calders Toon , Callens Steven , Black John , Maartens Gary , Dooley Kelly E. , Potgieter Samantha , Warren Robin M. , Laukens Kris , Rie Annelies Van 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
BackgroundIndividualised or precision medicine tailors care based on the patient’s or pathogen’s genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. An automated Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) could help translate the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics into optimal treatment and thus facilitate implementation of individualized treatment by less experienced physicians.MethodsWe developed a hybrid knowledge- and data-driven treatment recommender CDSS. Stakeholders and experts first define the knowledge base by identifying and quantifying drug and regimen features for the prototype model input. In an iterative manner, feedback from experts is harvested to generate model training datasets, machine learning methods are applied to identify complex relations and patterns in the data, and model performance is assessed by estimating the precision at one, mean reciprocal rank and mean average precision. Once the model performance no longer iteratively increases, a validation dataset is used to assess model overfitting. ResultsWe applied the novel methodology to develop a treatment recommender CDSS for individualized treatment of drug resistant tuberculosis as a proof of concept. Using input from stakeholders and three rounds of expert feedback on a dataset of 355 patients with 129 unique drug resistance profiles, the model had a 95% precision at 1 indicating that the highest ranked treatment regimen was considered appropriate by the experts in 95% of cases. Use of a validation data set however suggested substantial model overfitting, with a reduction in precision at 1 to 78%. ConclusionOur novel and flexible hybrid knowledge- and data-driven treatment recommender CDSS is a first step towards the automation of individualized treatment for personalized medicine. Further research should assess its value in fields other than drug resistant tuberculosis, develop solid statistical approaches to assess model performance, and evaluate their accuracy in real-life clinical settings.
Combined Detection of Peripheral Blood VEGF and Inflammation Biomarkers to Evaluate The Clinical Response and Prognostic Prediction of Non-Operative ESCC
Authors: Ma Yuanyuan , Su Xinyu , Li Xin , Zhi Xiaohui , Jiang Kan , Xia Jianhong , Li Hongliang , Yan Chen , Zhou Liqing 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Objectives: An association between angiogenesis/inflammation status and tumor has been reported in various types of cancer. This study sought to assess the role of peripheral blood VEGF and some inflammation biomarkers in evaluating clinical response and prognosis in patients with non-operative esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods: Peripheral blood of 143 patients with non-operative ESCC at our institute was dynamically collected at 5 time points including 1 day before radiotherapy, during radiotherapy (15f), at the end of radiotherapy, 1 month after radiotherapy, and 3 months after radiotherapy. VEGF expression in the peripheral blood was detected and related inflammation biomarkers such as GPS, CAR and CLR were counted. Logistic regression and Cox regression were implemented respectively to analyze the correlation of each predictor with clinical response and prognosis. The performance of combined testing was estimated using AUCs. Based on independent predictors, a nomogram prediction model was established to predict the probabilities of 1- and 2-year PFS of patients. The effectiveness of the nomogram model was characterized by C-index, AUC, calibration curves and DCA.Results: VEGF and CLR levels at the end of radiotherapy were independent predictors of clinical response, while VEGF and GPS levels at 3 months after radiotherapy were independent prognostic predictors. The efficacy of combined detection of VEGF and CLR is superior to the single detection in evaluating clinical response and prognosis. The nomogram showed excellent accuracy in predicting PFS.Conclusions: The combined detection of VEGF and CLR at the end of radiotherapy can be used to evaluate the clinical response of patients with non-operative ESCC, and the combined detection of VEGF and GPS 3 months after radiotherapy can be used to predict the prognosis. Implemented by nomogram model, it is expected to provide practical and reliable method to evaluate the clinical response and prognosis of patients with non-operative ESCC tool.