bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nucleus accumbens projections: Validity and reliability of fiber reconstructions based on high‐resolution diffusion‐weighted MRI
Authors: Rusche Thilo , Kaufmann Jörn , Voges Jürgen 
Published: September 2021

AbstractClinical effects of deep brain stimulation are largely mediated by the activation of myelinated axons. Hence, increasing attention has been paid in the past on targeting white matter tracts in addition to gray matter. Aims of the present study were: (i) visualization of discrete afferences and efferences of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), supposed to be a major hub of neural networks relating to mental disorders, using probabilistic fiber tractography and a data driven approach, and (ii) validation of the applied methodology for standardized routine clinical applications. MR‐data from 11 healthy subjects and 7 measurement sessions each were acquired on a 3T MRI‐scanner. For probabilistic fiber tracking the NAc as a seed region and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), amygdala (AMY), hippocampus (HPC), dorsomedial thalamus (dmT) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) as target regions were segmented for each subject and both hemispheres. To quantitatively assess the reliability and stability of the reconstructions, we filtered and clustered the individual fiber‐tracts (NAc to target) for each session and subject and performed a point‐by‐point calculation of the maximum cluster distances for intra‐subject comparison. The connectivity patterns formed by the obtained fibers were in good concordance with published data from tracer and/or fiber‐dissection studies. Furthermore, the reliability assessment of the (NAc to target)‐fiber‐tracts yielded to high correlations between the obtained clustered‐tracts. Using DBS with directional lead technology, the workflow elaborated in this study may guide selective electrical stimulation of NAc projections.
Nuclear αvβ3 integrin expression, post translational modifications and regulation in hematological malignancies
Authors: Weisz Avivit , Abadi Uri , Mausbach Lisa , Gurwitz David , Ellis Martin , Ashur‐Fabian Osnat 
Published: September 2021

Abstractαvβ3 integrin, a plasma membrane protein, is amply expressed on an array of tumors. We identified nuclear αvβ3 pool in ovarian cancer cells and were interested to explore this phenomenon in two rare and aggressive types of leukemia, T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T‐ALL) and Mast cell leukemia (MCL) using Jurkat and HMC‐1 cell lines, respectively. Moreover, we collected primary cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL, n = 11), the most common chronic adult leukemia and used human lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) generated from normal B cells. Nuclear αvβ3 integrin was assessed by Western blots, confocal microscopy, and the ImageStream technology which combines flow‐cytometry with microscopy. We further examined post translational modifications (phosphorylation/glycosylation), nuclear trafficking regulation using inhibitors for MAPK (U0126) and PI3K (LY294002), as well as nuclear interactions by performing Co‐immunoprecipitation (Co‐IP). αvβ3 integrin was identified in all cell models within the nucleus and is N‐glycosylated. In primary CLL cells the β3 integrin monomer is tyrosine Y759 phosphorylated, suggesting an active receptor conformation. MAPK and PI3K inhibition in Jurkat and CLL cells led to αvβ3 enhancement in the nucleus and a reduction in the membrane. The nuclear αvβ3 integrin interacts with ERK, Histone H3 and Lamin B1 in Jurkat, Histone H3 in CLL cells, but not in control LCL cells. To conclude, this observational study provides the identification of nuclear αvβ3 in hematological malignancies and lays the basis for novel cancer‐relevant actions, which may be independent from the membrane functions.
Restless Legs Syndrome among patients receiving antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs
Authors: Elrassas Hanan Hany , Elsayed Yasser Abdel Razek , Abdeen Mai SeifElDin , Shady Mostafa Mohamed , Shalash Ali , Morsy Mahmoud 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundPatients with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) experience psychological distress and diminished quality of life. Antipsychotics and antidepressants are known to be linked to RLS.AimsThis study aims to investigate the presence of RLS in psychiatric patients who receive antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs and to determine potential risk factors for its occurrence.MethodsTwo hundred patients who received antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs for more than 1 month were recruited from two tertiary psychiatric centers in Cairo, Egypt. One hundred apparently healthy volunteers were also included. All patients and controls were screened using the four‐items questionnaire (Arabic version) for RLS. RLS severity was scored according to the validated Arabic version of International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group rating scale (IRLS). Mimicking conditions were carefully investigated and excluded.ResultsForty‐one percent of the patients who receive antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs were found to have RLS. Family history, past history and smoking are potential risk factors. Trazodone and haloperidol were less associated with RLS.ConclusionsAlthough limited by its cross‐sectional design, these findings suggest that patients who receive antipsychotic and antidepressant are susceptible to RLS. However, these results need to be replicated on a wider scale.
A single dose of the Biontech/Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine protected elderly residents from severe COVID‐19 during a SARS‐coronavirus‐2 outbreak in a senior citizen home in Germany
Authors: Schwarzer Rolf , Freys Sabine D. , Neuwinger Nick , Beikert Nina , Eberspächer Bettina , Edelmann Anke , Zuchowski Marta , Slothouwer Inga , Stein Angela , Theil Kathrin , Menzel Peter , Hofmann Jörg 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackground: A total of 62/66 (93.9%) residents in a senior citizen home in Bremen, Germany, received the first dose of the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine BNT162b2 on December 27th 2020. After routine severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) antigen tests showed positive results on January 5th, all residents and staff were tested by RT‐PCR.Results: Nine staff members and 23 residents had a positive result. PCR positive staff members reported mild to severe COVID‐19 symptoms, one was hospitalized. None of them had been vaccinated. In contrast, the vaccinated residents reported no or only mild symptoms. Sequencing of the SARS‐CoV‐2 genomes of infected individuals revealed a monophyletic origin of the outbreak within the PANGO lineage B.1.177.86.Conclusions: In summary, our data show that partial vaccination prevented severe COVID‐19 among the residents during this local SARS‐CoV‐2 outbreak, suggesting a high effectiveness of even a single vaccine dose, but also emphasize that asymptomatic individuals might still be carriers/spreaders.
Tubo‐ovarian abscess: A proposed new scoring system to guide clinical management
Authors: Yongue Gabriella , Mollier Josephine , Anin Sheba , Ibeto Linda , Ross Claire , Ayim Francis , Guha Sharmistha 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo create a risk scoring system comprised of clinical and radiological characteristics that can predict the likelihood of antibiotic treatment failure of tubo‐ovarian abscesses. The score should guide clinicians in identifying patients to whom early intervention should be offered instead of a prolonged trial of antibiotics.MethodsA multicenter, retrospective cohort study carried out between January 1, 2013 and September 30, 2019, identified consecutive patients with tubo‐ovarian abscess. Using a chronological split, patients were allocated to two groups for the development and subsequent validation of the postulated scoring system. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to identify statistically significant variables for the failure of intravenous antibiotic treatment.ResultsIn total, 214 consecutive patients with tubo‐ovarian abscesses were identified. Data from the first 150 patients were used for the development of the postulated scoring system; data from the subsequent 64 patients were used for validation. Statistically significant clinical features between those having successful and unsuccessful management were: temperature (median = 37.1℃ vs 38.2℃, P = 0.0001), C‐reactive protein (151 mg/L vs 243 mg/L, P = 0.0001), and tubo‐ovarian abscess diameter (6.0 cm vs 8.0 cm, P = 0.0001). These parameters were used to create a risk prediction score. A score of four or more was predictive of requiring surgical/radiological intervention of tubo‐ovarian abscess (P < 0.001). The score had a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 88%, with area under the curve (AUC) = 0.859.ConclusionCurrently, there is no guidance for clinicians on when to operate on a tubo‐ovarian abscess. Our prediction score is simple, using only three easily obtained clinical characteristics.
Relationships between dimensions of emotional experience, rumination, and nonsuicidal self‐injury: An application of the Emotional Cascade Model
Authors: Hatzopoulos Katerina , Boyes Mark , Hasking Penelope 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectiveThe Emotional Cascade Model posits that nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) functions to distract from cascades of intense negative emotion and rumination. We investigated the moderating role of rumination in the relationships between reactivity, intensity, and perseveration of emotion and NSSI.MethodUniversity students (N = 992) completed self‐report measures of self‐injury, emotional reactivity, intensity and perseveration, and rumination.ResultsTogether, the dimensions of negative emotion were associated with NSSI, but none contributed unique variance. For positive emotion, reactivity was negatively associated with history of self‐injury and perseveration was negatively associated with frequency of the behaviour. Rumination was associated with NSSI, but did not moderate associations between the dimensions of negative emotion and self‐injury. Rumination moderated the relationship between perseveration of positive emotion and history of NSSI, such that it was only significant at high levels of rumination.ConclusionFindings highlight the importance of dimensions of positive emotion in understanding self‐injury.
Exploring exposure to intertwined community violence among Uruguayan adolescents using a mixed‐method approach
Authors: Mels Cindy , Lagoa Leticia , Cuevasanta Diego 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBuilding on the case of adolescents (aged 12–16 years) from underprivileged neighborhoods in Montevideo, two studies explore patterns of exposure to community violence among understudied South American youth. Applying a mixed‐methods approach, the first study (n = 117) used principal component analysis to examine response patterns on a self‐reported exposure to community violence scale. The second study examined subjective experience, drawing from focus group discussions with adolescents (n = 27) and their teachers (n = 22). Events were clustered into three components: indirect violence, traumatic violence, physical/verbal abuse, and robbery. Participants described the severity of violence in relation to chronic exposure, processes of naturalization, and permeable boundaries among the neighborhood, school, family, and social media networks. Violence chronicity and potential threats to life appear to be central dimensions in community violence reporting. Delimitating the study of community violence based on the setting or perceptual closeness has limited socioecological relevance.
Exploring the potential of highly efficient graphite/chitosan–PVC composite electrodes in the electrochemical degradation of Reactive Red 4
Authors: Mohd Halim Nadhra H , Adnan Rohana , Lahuri Azizul H , Jaafar Nur F , Nordin Norazzizi 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDPrevious reported studies revealed that composite electrodes are effective and suitable for wastewater treatment applications owing to their high porosity and increased electrochemical active area. However, the critical challenges to the wider adoption of composite electrodes for environmental applications are the need to reduce the cost of electrode materials, and to improve both their long‐term stability and electrocatalytic performance. This study aims to investigate the efficiency and stability of low‐cost graphite/chitosan‐polyvinyl chloride (C/Chi‐PVC) composite electrodes for Reactive Red 4 (RR4) degradation. Toxicity of the treated RR4 wastewater also was investigated using a seed germination test.RESULTSA cyclic voltammetry study conducted revealed that C49/Chi21‐PVC30 (49% C, 21% Chi, 30% PVC) showed better electrochemical behaviour for hypochlorous ion (OCl−) formation, which is responsible for RR4 degradation via indirect electrochemical reaction. Owing to the synergistic effect of both materials, high colour, total organic carbon (TOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals of 99.61%, 89.68% and 76.35%, respectively, were achieved with less electrode damage at optimum electrolysis parameters. The treated RR4 solution displayed low toxicity after 14 days of exposure to the water sample. The electrode stability in the aggressive OCl− solution was studied by characterization of fresh and used electrodes using field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (FESEM‐EDX). This showed no significant difference in surface roughness and elemental composition; the reusability test confirmed that the electrode can be applied in repeated electrolysis.CONCLUSIONOverall, the fabricated electrode in this study showed high efficiency with robust and durable characteristics for wastewater treatment applications. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Diverse plasma membrane protrusions act as platforms for extracellular vesicle shedding
Authors: Rilla Kirsi 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPlasma membrane curvature is an important factor in the regulation of cellular phenotype and is critical for various cellular activities including the shedding of extracellular vesicles (EV). One of the most striking morphological features of cells is different plasma membrane‐covered extensions supported by actin core such as filopodia and microvilli. Despite the various functions of these extensions are partially unexplained, they are known to facilitate many crucial cellular functions such as migration, adhesion, absorption, and secretion. Due to the rapid increase in the research activity of EVs, there is raising evidence that one of the general features of cellular plasma membrane protrusions is to act as specialized platforms for the budding of EVs. This review will focus on early observations and recent findings supporting this hypothesis, discuss the putative budding and shedding mechanisms of protrusion‐derived EVs and their biological significance.
Lung Ultrasound in Patients With SARS‐COV‐2 Pneumonia: Correlations With Chest Computed Tomography, Respiratory Impairment, and Inflammatory Cascade
Authors: Fratianni Gerardina , Malfatto Gabriella , Perger Elisa , Facchetti Luca , Pini Laura , Bosco Miriam , Cernigliaro Franco , Perego Giovanni B. , Facchini Mario , Badano Luigi P. , Parati Gianfranco 
Published: September 2021

ObjectivesLung ultrasound (LUS) might be comparable to chest computed tomography (CT) in detecting parenchymal and pleural pathology, and in monitoring interstitial lung disease. We aimed to describe LUS characteristics of patients during the hospitalization for COVID‐19 pneumonia, and to compare the extent of lung involvement at LUS and chest‐CT with inflammatory response and the severity of respiration impairment.MethodsDuring a 2‐week period, we performed LUS and chest CT in hospitalized patients affected by COVID‐19 pneumonia. Dosages of high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (HS‐CRP), d‐dimer, and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) were also obtained. The index of lung function (P/F ratio) was calculated from the blood gas test. LUS and CT scoring were assessed using previously validated scores.ResultsTwenty‐six consecutive patients (3 women) underwent LUS 34 ± 14 days from the early symptoms. Among them, 21 underwent CT on the same day of LUS. A fair association was found between LUS and CT scores (R = 0.45, P = .049), which became stronger if the B‐lines score on LUS was not considered (R = 0.57, P = .024). LUS B‐lines score correlated with IL‐6 levels (R = 0.75, P = .011), and the number of involved lung segments detected by LUS correlated with the P/F ratio (R = 0.60, P = .019) but not with HS‐CRP and d‐Dimer levels. No correlations were found between CT scores and inflammations markers or P/F.ConclusionIn patients with COVID‐19 pneumonia, LUS was correlated with both the extent of the inflammatory response and the P/F ratio.
Density‐dependent modulation of copepod body size and temperature–size responses in a shelf sea
Authors: Corona Stefano , Hirst Andrew , Atkinson David , Atkinson Angus 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBody size is a fundamental trait in ecology, and body size reduction with increasing temperature has been termed the third universal response to climate warming. Although effects of temperature and food on phenotypic plasticity of zooplankton adult body size have been investigated, density‐dependent effects have been neglected. We measured seasonal changes in the prosome length of 7098 adult females of 7 dominant copepod species in 13 yr spanning a 27‐yr period of warming at the L4 time series off Plymouth, UK. The seasonal temperature–size (T–S) response varied greatly among species, from reductions of 2.93% of carbon mass °C−1 for Paracalanus parvus to 10.15% of carbon mass °C−1 for Temora longicornis. Evidence for a long‐term T–S response was detected in at least two species, supporting the hypothesis that climatic warming leads to smaller adult sizes. April was a crucial month for determining the strength of the T–S response. During this month, body size related negatively to total zooplankton abundance. We suggest that the mechanism for this density dependence is via competition for food and/or intraguild predation, since spring was also the period when the ratio of food biomass to zooplankton biomass was at its lowest. Our study is among the first in situ demonstrations of density‐dependent effects on the body size of marine zooplankton and shows the need to consider the effect of top‐down as well as bottom‐up factors on body size in a warming climate.
Using the modified frailty index to predict negative outcomes in free‐flap breast reconstruction: A National Surgical Quality Improvement Project‐based study
Authors: Jain Nirbhay S. , Vuong Linh N. , Hickman L. Brian , Chin Patrick , Hill Elspeth J. R. , Buck Donald , Festekjian Jaco H. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundPost‐mastectomy free‐flap breast reconstruction is becoming increasingly common in the United States. However, predicting which patients may suffer complications remains challenging. We sought to apply the validated modified frailty index (mFI) to free‐flap breast reconstruction in breast cancer patients and determine its utility in predicting negative outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study using National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP). All patients who had a CPT code of 19364, indicative of free tissue transfer for breast cancer reconstruction, were included. Data on preoperative characteristics and postoperative outcomes were collected. Patients were separated based on the number of mFI factors present into three categories: 0, 1, and > 2 factors. Preoperative demographics, clinical status, and other comorbidities were also studied. Negative outcomes were compared using multivariate logistic regression.Results11,852 patients (mean age 50.9 ± 9.5) were found; 24.2% had complications, comparable to previous literature. mFI is predictive of all types of negative outcomes. 22.5% of all patients with 0 mFI, 27.7% of patients with 1 mFI and 34.2% of patients with at least two mFI had a negative outcome. The most common factors contributing to the mFI were history of hypertension (24.8%) and diabetes (6.1%). mFI was found to be an isolated risk factor for negative outcomes, along with steroid use, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) classification, body mass index, and immediate, and bilateral operations.ConclusionsThis NSQIP‐based study for patients undergoing free flap breast reconstruction shows that the mFI holds predictive value regarding negative outcomes. This provides more information to properly counsel patients before free flap breast reconstruction surgery.
CARes‐UNet: Content‐aware residual UNet for lesion segmentation of COVID‐19 from chest CT images
Authors: Xu Xinhua , Wen Yuhang , Zhao Lu , Zhang Yi , Zhao Youjun , Tang Zixuan , Yang Ziduo , Chen Calvin Yu‐Chian 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPurposeCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has caused a serious global health crisis. It has been proven that the deep learning method has great potential to assist doctors in diagnosing COVID‐19 by automatically segmenting the lesions in computed tomography (CT) slices. However, there are still several challenges restricting the application of these methods, including high variation in lesion characteristics and low contrast between lesion areas and healthy tissues. Moreover, the lack of high‐quality labeled samples and large number of patients lead to the urgency to develop a high accuracy model, which performs well not only under supervision but also with semi‐supervised methods.MethodsWe propose a content‐aware lung infection segmentation deep residual network (content‐aware residual UNet (CARes‐UNet)) to segment the lesion areas of COVID‐19 from the chest CT slices. In our CARes‐UNet, the residual connection was used in the convolutional block, which alleviated the degradation problem during the training. Then, the content‐aware upsampling modules were introduced to improve the performance of the model while reducing the computation cost. Moreover, to achieve faster convergence, an advanced optimizer named Ranger was utilized to update the model's parameters during training. Finally, we employed a semi‐supervised segmentation framework to deal with the problem of lacking pixel‐level labeled data.ResultsWe evaluated our approach using three public datasets with multiple metrics and compared its performance to several models. Our method outperforms other models in multiple indicators, for instance in terms of Dice coefficient on COVID‐SemiSeg Dataset, CARes‐UNet got the score 0.731, and semi‐CARes‐UNet further boosted it to 0.776. More ablation studies were done and validated the effectiveness of each key component of our proposed model.ConclusionsCompared with the existing neural network methods applied to the COVID‐19 lesion segmentation tasks, our CARes‐UNet can gain more accurate segmentation results, and semi‐CARes‐UNet can further improve it using semi‐supervised learning methods while presenting a possible way to solve the problem of lack of high‐quality annotated samples. Our CARes‐UNet and semi‐CARes‐UNet can be used in artificial intelligence‐empowered computer‐aided diagnosis system to improve diagnostic accuracy in this ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic.