bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distinct characteristics of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in Poland
Authors: Ludwikowska Kamila Maria , Okarska-Napierała Magdalena , Dudek Natalia , Tracewski Paweł , Kusa Jacek , Piwoński Krzysztof Piotr , Afelt Aneta , Cysewski Dominik , Biela Mateusz , Werner Bożena , Jackowska Teresa , Suski-Grabowski Catherine , Kursa Miron Bartosz , Kuchar Ernest , Szenborn Leszek ,   MOIS CoR Study Group, Barszcz Marta , Berdej-Szczot Elżbieta , Brzuszkiewicz Sebastian , Buda Piotr , Czajka Alicja , Czech Agnieszka , Czerwińska Ewa , Figlerowicz Magdalena , Firek-Pędras Małgorzata , Gawlik Aneta , Gowin Ewelina , Izdebska Olga , Januszkiewicz-Lewandowska Danuta , Kiepuszka Justyna , Koczwara Agnieszka , Koszałko Danuta , Kośmider-Żurawska Magdalena , Książyk Janusz , Kucińska Beata , Kukawska Martyna , Lackowska Anita , Łapacz Katarzyna , Maliszak Agnieszka , Mania Anna , Mańdziuk Joanna , Mazur Artur , Mazur-Melewska Katarzyna , Niszczota Cezary , Opalińska-Zielonka Paulina , Pałyga-Bysiecka Ilona , Rojewska Katarzyna , Rożnowska-Wójtowicz Anna , Siewert Bartosz , Sobiczewska Paulina , Stopyra Lidia , Stroba-Żelek Agnieszka , Stryczyńska-Kazubska Joanna , Szatkowski Tomasz , Szczepańska Barbara , Szczukocki Maciej , Szylo Robert , Tyc Filip , Wielgos Katarzyna , Wołowska Ewa , Wysocki Jacek , Zacharzewska Anna , Zaniew Marcin , Zielińska Marzena , Zięba-Glonek Katarzyna 
Published: December 2021

AbstractDuring the winter months of 2020/2021 a wave of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) emerged in Poland. We present the results of a nationwide register aiming to capture and characterise MIS-C with a focus on severity determinants. The first MIS-C wave in Poland was notably high, hence our analysis involved 274 children. The group was 62.8% boys, with a median age of 8.8 years. Besides one Asian, all were White. Overall, the disease course was not as severe as in previous reports, however. Pediatric intensive care treatment was required for merely 23 (8.4%) of children, who were older and exhibited a distinguished clinical picture at hospital admission. We have also identified sex-dependent differences; teenage boys more often had cardiac involvement (decreased ejection fraction in 25.9% vs. 14.7%) and fulfilled macrophage activation syndrome definition (31.0% vs. 15.2%). Among all boys, those hospitalized in pediatric intensive care unit were significantly older (median 11.2 vs. 9.1 years). Henceforth, while ethnicity and sex may affect MIS-C phenotype, management protocols might be not universally applicable, and should rather be adjusted to the specific population.
Counterfactual time series analysis of short-term change in air pollution following the COVID-19 state of emergency in the United States
Authors: Dey Tanujit , Tyagi Pooja , Sabath M. Benjamin , Kamareddine Leila , Henneman Lucas , Braun Danielle , Dominici Francesca 
Published: December 2021

AbstractLockdown measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic produced sudden behavioral changes. We implement counterfactual time series analysis based on seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average models (SARIMA), to examine the extent of air pollution reduction attained following state-level emergency declarations. We also investigate whether these reductions occurred everywhere in the US, and the local factors (geography, population density, and sources of emission) that drove them. Following state-level emergency declarations, we found evidence of a statistically significant decrease in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in 34 of the 36 states and in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in 16 of the 48 states that were investigated. The lockdown produced a decrease of up to 3.4 µg/m3 in PM2.5 (observed in California) with range (− 2.3, 3.4) and up to 11.6 ppb in NO2 (observed in Nevada) with range (− 0.6, 11.6). The state of emergency was declared at different dates for different states, therefore the period "before" the state of emergency in our analysis ranged from 8 to 10 weeks and the corresponding "after" period ranged from 8 to 6 weeks. These changes in PM2.5 and NO2 represent a substantial fraction of the annual mean National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 12 µg/m3 and 53 ppb, respectively. As expected, we also found evidence that states with a higher percentage of mobile source emissions (obtained from 2014) experienced a greater decline in NO2 levels after the lockdown. Although the socioeconomic restrictions are not sustainable, our results provide a benchmark to estimate the extent of achievable air pollution reductions. Identification of factors contributing to pollutant reduction can help guide state-level policies to sustainably reduce air pollution.
A population based expression atlas provides insights into disease resistance and other physiological traits in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)
Authors: Ogbonna Alex C. , Ramu Punna , Esuma Williams , Nandudu Leah , Morales Nicolas , Powell Adrian , Kawuki Robert , Bauchet Guillaume , Jannink Jean-Luc , Mueller Lukas A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractCassava, a food security crop in Africa, is grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. Although cassava can provide high productivity in suboptimal conditions, the yield in Africa is substantially lower than in other geographies. The yield gap is attributable to many challenges faced by cassava in Africa, including susceptibility to diseases and poor soil conditions. In this study, we carried out 3’RNA sequencing on 150 accessions from the National Crops Resources Research Institute, Uganda for 5 tissue types, providing population-based transcriptomics resources to the research community in a web-based queryable cassava expression atlas. Differential expression and weighted gene co-expression network analysis were performed to detect 8820 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs), revealing similarity in expression patterns between tissue types and the clustering of detected DEGs into 18 gene modules. As a confirmation of data quality, differential expression and pathway analysis targeting cassava mosaic disease (CMD) identified 27 genes observed in the plant–pathogen interaction pathway, several previously identified CMD resistance genes, and two peroxidase family proteins different from theCMD2gene. Present research work represents a novel resource towards understanding complex traits at expression and molecular levels for the development of resistant and high-yielding cassava varieties, as exemplified with CMD.
Energetic and reproductive costs of coral recovery in divergent bleaching responses
Authors: Leinbach Sarah E. , Speare Kelly E. , Rossin Ashley M. , Holstein Daniel M. , Strader Marie E. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMass thermal bleaching events are a primary threat to coral reefs, yet the sublethal impacts, particularly on energetics and reproduction, are poorly characterized. Given that the persistence of coral populations is contingent upon the reproduction of individuals that survive disturbances, there is an urgent need to understand the sublethal effects of bleaching on reproductive output to accurately predict coral recovery rates. In 2019, the French Polynesian island of Mo’orea experienced a severe mass bleaching event accompanied by widespread coral mortality. At the most heavily impacted sites, we observed Acropora hyacinthus individuals that were resistant to bleaching, alongside colonies that bleached but showed signs of symbiont recovery shortly after the bleaching event. We collected fragments from A. hyacinthus colonies five months post-bleaching and, using energetic assays and histological measurements, examined the physiological and reproductive consequences of these two distinct heat stress responses. Despite healthy appearances in both resistant and recovered corals, we found that recovered colonies had significantly reduced energy reserves compared to resistant colonies. In addition, we detected compound effects of stress on reproduction: recovered colonies displayed both a lower probability of containing gametes and lower fecundity per polyp. Our results indicate that bleaching inflicts an energetic constraint on the concurrent re-accumulation of energy reserves and development of reproductive material, with decreased reproductive potential of survivors possibly hampering overall reef resilience. These findings highlight the presence of intraspecific responses to bleaching and the importance of considering multiple trajectories for individual species when predicting population recovery following disturbance.
Social and emotion dimensional organizations in the abstract semantic space: the neuropsychological evidence
Authors: Wang Xiaosha , Li Guochao , Zhao Gang , Li Yunqian , Wang Bijun , Lin Ching-Po , Liu Xinrui , Bi Yanchao 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAn essential aspect of human cognition is supported by a rich reservoir of abstract concepts without tangible external referents (e.g., “honor”, “relationship”, “direction”). While decades of research showed that the neural organization of conceptual knowledge referring to concrete words respects domains of evolutionary salience and sensorimotor attributes, the organization principles of abstract word meanings are poorly understood. Here, we provide neuropsychological evidence for a domain (sociality) and attribute (emotion) structure in abstract word processing. Testing 34 brain-damaged patients on a word-semantic judgment task, we observed double dissociations between social and nonsocial words and a single dissociation of sparing of emotional (relative to non-emotional) words. The lesion profiles of patients with specific dissociations suggest potential neural correlates positively or negatively associated with each dimension. These results unravel a general domain-attribute architecture of word meanings and highlight the roles of the social domain and the emotional attribute in the non-object semantic space.
Projecting seismicity induced by complex alterations of underground stresses with applications to geothermal systems
Authors: Cacace M. , Hofmann H. , Shapiro S. A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSeismicity associated with subsurface operations is a major societal concern. It is therefore critical to improve predictions of the induced seismic hazard. Current statistical approaches account for the physics of pore pressure increase only. Here, we present a novel mathematical model that generalises adopted statistics for use in arbitrary injection/production protocols and applies to arbitrary physical processes. In our model, seismicity is driven by a normalised integral over the spatial reservoir volume of induced variations in frictional Coulomb stress, which—combined with the seismogenic index—provides a dimensionless proxy of the induced seismic hazard. Our model incorporates the classical pressure diffusion based and poroelastic seismogenic index models as special cases. Applying our approach to modeling geothermal systems, we find that seismicity rates are sensitive to imposed fluid-pressure rates, temperature variations, and tectonic conditions. We further demonstrate that a controlled injection protocol can decrease the induced seismic risk and that thermo-poroelastic stress transfer results in a larger spatial seismic footprint and in higher-magnitude events than does direct pore pressure impact for the same amount of injected volume and hydraulic energy. Our results, validated against field observations, showcase the relevance of the novel approach to forecast seismic hazards induced by subsurface activities.
Quantum deep reinforcement learning for clinical decision support in oncology: application to adaptive radiotherapy
Authors: Niraula Dipesh , Jamaluddin Jamalina , Matuszak Martha M. , Haken Randall K. Ten , Naqa Issam El 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSubtle differences in a patient’s genetics and physiology may alter radiotherapy (RT) treatment responses, motivating the need for a more personalized treatment plan. Accordingly, we have developed a novel quantum deep reinforcement learning (qDRL) framework for clinical decision support that can estimate an individual patient’s dose response mid-treatment and recommend an optimal dose adjustment. Our framework considers patients’ specific information including biological, physical, genetic, clinical, and dosimetric factors. Recognizing that physicians must make decisions amidst uncertainty in RT treatment outcomes, we employed indeterministic quantum states to represent human decision making in a real-life scenario. We paired quantum decision states with a model-based deep q-learning algorithm to optimize the clinical decision-making process in RT. We trained our proposed qDRL framework on an institutional dataset of 67 stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated on prospective adaptive protocols and independently validated our framework in an external multi-institutional dataset of 174 NSCLC patients. For a comprehensive evaluation, we compared three frameworks: DRL, qDRL trained in a Qiskit quantum computing simulator, and qDRL trained in an IBM quantum computer. Two metrics were considered to evaluate our framework: (1) similarity score, defined as the root mean square error between retrospective clinical decisions and the AI recommendations, and (2) self-evaluation scheme that compares retrospective clinical decisions and AI recommendations based on the improvement in the observed clinical outcomes. Our analysis shows that our framework, which takes into consideration individual patient dose response in its decision-making, can potentially improve clinical RT decision-making by at least about 10% compared to unaided clinical practice. Further validation of our novel quantitative approach in a prospective study will provide a necessary framework for improving the standard of care in personalized RT.
Erythrocyte morphological symmetry analysis to detect sublethal trauma in shear flow
Authors: McNamee Antony P. , Simmonds Michael J. , Inoue Masataka , Horobin Jarod T. , Hakozaki Masaya , Fraser John F. , Watanabe Nobuo 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe viscoelastic properties of red blood cells (RBC) facilitate flexible shape change in response to extrinsic forces. Their viscoelasticity is intrinsically linked to physical properties of the cytosol, cytoskeleton, and membrane—all of which are highly sensitive to supraphysiological shear exposure. Given the need to minimise blood trauma within artificial organs, we observed RBC in supraphysiological shear through direct visualisation to gain understanding of processes leading to blood damage. Using a custom-built counter-rotating shear generator fit to a microscope, healthy red blood cells (RBC) were directly visualised during exposure to different levels of shear (10–60 Pa). To investigate RBC morphology in shear flow, we developed an image analysis method to quantify (a)symmetry of deforming ellipsoidal cells—following RBC identification and centroid detection, cell radius was determined for each angle around the circumference of the cell, and the resultant bimodal distribution (and thus RBC) was symmetrically compared. While traditional indices of RBC deformability (elongation index) remained unaltered in all shear conditions, following ~100 s of exposure to 60 Pa, the frequency of asymmetrical ellipses and RBC fragments/extracellular vesicles significantly increased. These findings indicate RBC structure is sensitive to shear history, where asymmetrical morphology may indicate sublethal blood damage in real-time shear flow.
A 10-year monitoring of soil properties dynamics and soil fertility evaluation in Chinese hickory plantation regions of southeastern China
Authors: Jin Jin , Wang Luoqi , Müller Karin , Wu Jiasen , Wang Hailong , Zhao Keli , Berninger Frank , Fu Weijun 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMonitoring the temporal and spatial variation of soil properties is helpful to understand the evolution of soil properties and adjust the management method in time. Soil fertility evaluation is an urgent need to understand soil fertility level and prevent soil degradation. Here, we conducted an intensive field investigation in Chinese hickory (Carya cathayensis Sarg.) plantation to clarify the spatial and temporal variation of soil properties and its influencing factors, and to evaluate the change of soil fertility. The results showed that the soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC) significantly increased from 2008 to 2018, while available nitrogen (AN) significantly decreased from 2008 to 2018. The semi-variance revealed that except available phosphorus (AP), the spatial dependencies of soil properties increased from 2008 to 2018. An increasing south-north gradient was found for soil AN, AP, available potassium (AK) and SOC and a decreasing south-north gradient was found for soil pH. The average soil fertility in the whole area was increased from 2008 to 2018. Our findings demonstrated that the changes of the management measures were the reason for the change of soil properties from 2008 to 2018. Therefore, rational fertilization strategies and sod cultivation are recommended to maintain the long-term development of the producing forest.
A 52 weeks dupilumab treatment for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in Korea: long-term efficacy and safety in real world
Authors: Jang Dong Hyek , Heo Seok Jae , Kook Hyung Don , Lee Dong Heon , Jung Hye Jung , Park Mi Yeon , Ahn Jiyoung 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPreviously, we have reported short term effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in Korea. In this study, we are trying to report the long-term effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in Korea. Ninety-nine patients with moderate to severe AD were analyzed. They were evaluated using Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Patient Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) at baseline, week 16, 32 and 52. Efficacy outcomes showed higher improvement at 52 weeks compared with 16 weeks; high percentual reductions in EASI (88.1%), peak pruritus NRS (65.6%), POEM (67.2%), and DLQI (69.0%) compared to baseline. Proportion of patients achieving EASI 75 and 90 were 90.2% and 53.7%. POEM and DLQI had high correlation with clinical measured outcomes. In the analysis for the factors affecting achievement of EASI 90, female gender (OR 2.5), eosinophilia (OR 0.2) and elevated LDH (OR 0.07) were significantly associated. Most frequent adverse events included facial erythema (19.2%) and conjunctivitis (17.2%), which were mild/moderate and resolved during treatment. In conclusion, dupilumab treatment for 52 weeks in Korean patients with moderate-to-severe AD confirmed long term effectiveness and safety.
Factor quinolinone inhibitors alter cell morphology and motility by destabilizing interphase microtubules
Authors: Stoiber Patrick , Scribani Rossi Pietro , Pokharel Niranjana , Germany Jean-Luc , York Emily A. , Schaus Scott E. , Hansen Ulla 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFactor quinolinone inhibitors are promising anti-cancer compounds, initially characterized as specific inhibitors of the oncogenic transcription factor LSF (TFCP2). These compounds exert anti-proliferative activity at least in part by disrupting mitotic spindles. Herein, we report additional interphase consequences of the initial lead compound, FQI1, in two telomerase immortalized cell lines. Within minutes of FQI1 addition, the microtubule network is disrupted, resulting in a substantial, although not complete, depletion of microtubules as evidenced both by microtubule sedimentation assays and microscopy. Surprisingly, this microtubule breakdown is quickly followed by an increase in tubulin acetylation in the remaining microtubules. The sudden breakdown and partial depolymerization of the microtubule network precedes FQI1-induced morphological changes. These involve rapid reduction of cell spreading of interphase fetal hepatocytes and increase in circularity of retinal pigment epithelial cells. Microtubule depolymerization gives rise to FH-B cell compaction, as pretreatment with taxol prevents this morphological change. Finally, FQI1 decreases the rate and range of locomotion of interphase cells, supporting an impact of FQI1-induced microtubule breakdown on cell motility. Taken together, our results show that FQI1 interferes with microtubule-associated functions in interphase, specifically cell morphology and motility.
Risk of depression in patients with oral cancer: a nationwide cohort study in Taiwan
Authors: Kung Ling-Yu , Li Tsung-I , Chung Chi-Hsiang , Lee Shiao-Pieng , Chen Gunng-Shinng , Chien Wu-Chien , Tzeng Nian-Sheng 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis study investigates an association between oral cancers and the risk of developing depression. We conducted a total of 3031 patients with newly diagnosed oral cancers and 9093 age-, sex-, and index year-matched controls (1:3) from 2000 to 2013 were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to compare the risk of depression over a 13-year follow-up. Of the patients with oral cancer, 69 (2.28%, or 288.57 per 105 person-years) developed depression compared to 150 (1.65%, 135.64 per 105 person-years) in the control group. The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the adjustment hazard ratio (HR) for subsequent depression in patients with oral cancer diagnosed was 2.224 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.641–3.013, p < 0.001). It is noteworthy that in the sensitivity analysis is the adjusted HR in the group with depression diagnosis was 3.392 and in the oral cancer subgroup of “Tongue” was 2.539. This study shows oral cancer was associated with a significantly increased risk for developing subsequent depression and early identification and treatment of depression in oral cancer patients is crucial.
Changes in the gut microbiota after hepatitis C virus eradication
Authors: Honda Takashi , Ishigami Masatoshi , Yamamoto Kenta , Takeyama Tomoaki , Ito Takanori , Ishizu Yoji , Kuzuya Teiji , Nakamura Masanao , Kawashima Hiroki , Miyahara Ryoji , Ishikawa Tetsuya , Hirooka Yoshiki , Fujishiro Mitsuhiro 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe gut microbiota interacts with infectious diseases and affects host immunity. Liver disease is also reportedly associated with changes in the gut microbiota. To elucidate the changes in the gut microbiota before and after hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication through direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), we investigated 42 samples from 14 patients who received DAA therapy for HCV. Fecal samples were obtained before treatment (Pre), when treatment ended (EOT), and 24 weeks after treatment ended (Post24). The target V3–4 region of the 16S rRNA gene from fecal samples was amplified using the Illumina Miseq sequencing platform. The diversity of the gut microbiota did not significantly differ between Pre, EOT, and Post24. Principal coordinates analysis showed that for each patient, the values at Pre, EOT, and Post24 were concentrated within a small area. The linear discriminant analysis of effect size showed that the relative abundances of Faecalibacterium and Bacillus increased at EOT, further increased at Post24, and were significantly increased at Post24 compared to Pre. These suggest that changes in the gut microbiota should be considered as among the various effects observed on living organisms after HCV eradication.