bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rural and racial disparities in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in South Carolina, 1996 – 2016
Authors: Adams Swann Arp , Zahnd Whitney E. , Ranganathan Radhika , Hung Peiyin , Brown Monique J. , Truman Samantha , Biesecker Claire , Kirksey Victor C. , Eberth Jan M. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPurposeColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer mortality among men and women in the United States and South Carolina (SC). Since SC has one of the highest proportions of Black (27.9%) and rural residents (33.7%), the purpose of this investigation was to describe the burden of CRC on racial disparities in rural populations.MethodsCount data from 2012 to 2016 were obtained from the state central cancer registry using an online data retrieval system. Rural‐urban status was determined using Urban Influence Codes (1‐2 = urban; 3‐12 = rural). Chi‐square tests were calculated to examine differences in CRC stage by rurality and race. Annual percent change and annual average percent change (AAPC) were calculated to examine trends in incidence and mortality rates across rural‐urban and racial groups between 1996 and 2016.ResultsAreas with high mortality‐to‐incidence ratios tended to be in rural counties. Furthermore, rural residents had higher proportions of distant stage CRC compared to urban residents, and Black populations had higher proportions of distant stage CRC compared to White populations (22.7% vs. 26.3% and 29.3% vs. 23.7%, respectively; P value < 0.05). From 1996 to 2016, Black and White urban‐dwelling residents experienced a significant decline in incidence. Urban White, urban Black, and rural White populations experienced significant declines in mortality (AAPC = −2.6% vs −2.4% vs −1.6% vs −0.9%, respectively).ConclusionsDespite improvements in CRC screening in recent decades, focused evidenced‐based interventions for lowering incidence and mortality among rural and Black populations in South Carolina are necessary.
Denominational Differences in Obesity Among Black Christian Adults: Why Gender and Life Stage Matter
Authors: Bentley‐Edwards Keisha L. , Robbins Paul A. , Blackman Carr Loneke T. , Smith Imari Z. , Conde Eugenia , Darity William A. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractReligiosity is a potential social determinant of obesity risk among black Americans, a group that tends to be highly religious and disproportionately suffers from this disease. Although religious engagement differs within this group, researchers often classify black Protestants into broad categories, making it challenging to determine which subgroups experience the worst outcomes. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, this study investigated whether black adults from various Christian denominations had comparable odds of having obesity and if these findings were consistent across life stage (i.e., young, middle, and late adulthood). Results suggest that for middle‐aged Pentecostal women, and men and women who attend church most frequently, the odds of having obesity were comparably higher than their respective counterparts. These findings indicate that, even when denominational consolidation is appropriate in other religious research contexts, researchers should consider diaggregating black Christians by denomination when examining the relationship between religion and health.
Partitioned beta diversity patterns of plants across sharp and distinct boundaries of quartz habitat islands
Authors: Eibes Pia Maria , Oldeland Jens , Irl Severin David Howard , Twerski Alina , Kühne Nicole , Schmiedel Ute 
Published: May 2021

AbstractQuestionsHabitat islands are often characterized by the presence of more or less sharp boundaries to adjacent matrix habitats. However, knowledge on boundaries of natural habitat islands is scarce, especially regarding patterns of beta diversity and its two underlying components: species turnover and nestedness. We therefore aim to quantify the effects of fine‐scaled and sharp boundaries of quartz islands (quartz gravel‐covered soils) on the different components of plant beta diversity and how they are linked to different soil environmental drivers.LocationKnersvlakte, Western Cape, South Africa.MethodsWe sampled plant species richness in 56 fine‐scale transects of 6 m × 1 m plots across eight different boundary types (four quartz island to matrix, four between habitats on quartz islands). Soil depth and chemistry (pH, electrical conductivity) were analyzed for each 1 m2 plot. Differences in the two beta diversity components (turnover and nestedness) for each boundary type were tested by t tests. We used linear models to test relationships between species and environmental dissimilarity.ResultsAll boundary types showed high beta diversity. Species turnover was the prevailing component for six boundary types, the nestedness component was only important for two boundary types. We found a significant linear increase of species dissimilarity with increasing dissimilarity in soil pH and distinct plant communities for the habitat types, but no significant increase for electrical conductivity or soil depth.ConclusionsThe spatial distinctiveness of the quartz islands leads to sharp boundaries, which result in high beta diversity, mainly through species turnover. This reflects the high levels of diversification and adaptation of the local plant communities. Nestedness occurred at two boundaries to the matrix, indicating that the latter does not necessarily represent an impermeable boundary for all species of the respective ecosystem. Studying diversity patterns across boundaries contributes to the question of applicability of island biogeography theory to habitat islands.
Chronic hepatic involvement in the clinical spectrum of A20 haploinsufficiency
Authors: Deshayes Samuel , Bazille Céline , El Khouri Elma , Kone‐Paut Isabelle , Giurgea Irina , Georgin‐Lavialle Sophie , Martin Silva Nicolas , Dumont Anaël , Ollivier Isabelle , Amselem Serge , de Boysson Hubert , Aouba Achille 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackground & AimsSecondary to tumour necrosis factor‐alpha induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3) mutations, A20 haploinsufficiency (HA20) is a recently described autoinflammatory disease with clinical features similar to those of Behçet's and Crohn's diseases but with a constantly expanding clinical spectrum. Here, we describe HA20 liver involvement in three new patients from the same family.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed clinical, biological and/or histological findings for eight patients over three generations of the same family with heterozygous mutations in the TNFAIP3 gene (c.259C > T, p.Arg87*).ResultsThe eight patients exhibited the following: aphthous ulcers (8/8, bipolar in 7), autoimmune features (6/8, including 5 with definitive autoimmune disease diagnoses, ie, type I diabetes, Hashimoto thyroiditis, pernicious anaemia, and/or 5 with antinuclear antibodies ≥320), pustulosis/folliculitis (5/8), abdominal pain (4/8), arthralgia (3/8), enlarged cervical lymph nodes (3/8) and pericarditis (1/8). In addition, three patients (twin sisters and their grandmother aged 23 and 70 years, respectively) exhibited persistent mild hepatic cytolysis associated with splenomegaly (n = 3), hepatomegaly (n = 1) and/or liver atrophy (n = 1) on echography. We could not detect any other causes of chronic liver diseases. Liver biopsies from three patients displayed hepatic fibrosis, hepatocyte injury and/or CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte infiltration, and patterns of inflammatory cells and NLRP3 or NF‐κB immunostaining differed from the predominant neutrophil infiltration observed in skin or some digestive tract biopsies.ConclusionsThis study reinforces the dual involvement of innate and adaptive immunity in HA20 according to both acute and chronic injury and the organ involved and widens its clinical spectrum to include chronic hepatic involvement.
Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir for 8 weeks in patients with compensated cirrhosis: Safety and effectiveness data from the German Hepatitis C‐Registry
Authors: Klinker Hartwig , Naumann Uwe , Rössle Martin , Berg Thomas , Bondin Mark , Lohmann Kristina , Koenig Bettina , Zeuzem Stefan , Cornberg Markus 
Published: May 2021

AbstractGlecaprevir/pibrentasvir, a pangenotypic, direct‐acting antiviral combination approved for chronic hepatitis C virus treatment, has limited real‐world evidence supporting 8‐week therapy in compensated cirrhosis. We investigated effectiveness and safety of 187 hepatitis C virus‐infected, treatment‐naïve, patients with compensated cirrhosis receiving 8‐week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir therapy in the German Hepatitis C‐Registry between 2 August 2017 and 1 January 2020. Sustained virologic response was 98.4% (127/129) in the per‐protocol analysis (excluding patients lost to follow‐up or who discontinued treatment due to compliance) and was 85.8% (127/148) in patients with data available in an intention‐to‐treat analysis. Nineteen patients were lost to follow‐up; nine genotype 3 patients, nine nongenotype 3 patients and one mixed genotype patient. One patient relapsed, and one died, unrelated to treatment. Adverse events (>5%) were fatigue and headache. Two serious adverse events occurred; no adverse events resulted in drug discontinuation. An 8‐week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir therapy was effective and well‐tolerated in this real‐world analysis.
Hepatic macrophages: Key players in the development and progression of liver fibrosis
Authors: Cheng Da , Chai Jin , Wang Huiwen , Fu Lei , Peng Shifang , Ni Xin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHepatic fibrosis is a common pathological process involving persistent liver injury with various etiologies and subsequent inflammatory responses that occur in chronic liver diseases. If left untreated, liver fibrosis can progress to liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and eventually, liver failure. Unfortunately, to date, there is no effective treatment for liver fibrosis, with the exception of liver transplantation. Although the pathophysiology of liver fibrosis is multifactorial and includes the activation of hepatic stellate cells, which are known to drive liver fibrogenesis, hepatic macrophages have emerged as central players in the development of liver fibrosis and regression. Hepatic macrophages, which consist of resident macrophages (Kupffer cells) and monocyte‐derived macrophages, have been shown to play an intricate role in the initiation of inflammatory responses to liver injury, progression of fibrosis, and promotion of fibrosis resolution. These features have made hepatic macrophages uniquely attractive therapeutic targets in the fight against hepatic fibrosis. In this review, we synthesised the literature to highlight the functions and regulation of heterogeneity in hepatic macrophages. Furthermore, using the existing findings, we attempt to offer insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotypic switch from fibrogenic macrophages to restorative macrophages, the regulation of heterogeneity, and modes of action for hepatic macrophages. A better understanding of these mechanisms may guide the development of novel anti‐fibrotic therapies (eg macrophage subset‐targeted treatments) to combat liver fibrosis in the future.
Evaluation of cardiovascular events in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib in the clinical practice. The CARDIO‐SOR study
Authors: Carballo‐Folgoso Lorena , Álvarez‐Velasco Rut , Lorca Rebeca , Castaño‐García Andrés , Cuevas Javier , González‐Diéguez María Luisa , Martín María , Álvarez‐Navascués Carmen , Cadahía Valle , Morís César , Rodríguez Manuel , Varela María 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackground and AimsThe effectiveness of systemic treatment in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) depends on the selection of patients, management of cirrhosis complications and expertise to treat adverse events. The aims of the study are to assess the frequency and management of cardiovascular events in HCC patients treated with sorafenib (SOR) and to create a scale to predict the onset of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).MethodObservational retrospective study with consecutive HCC patients treated with SOR between 2007 and 2019 in a western centre. In order to classify cardiovascular risk pre‐SOR, we designed the CARDIOSOR scale with age, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and peripheral vascular disease. Other adverse events, dosing and outcome data were collected during a homogeneous protocolled follow‐up.ResultsTwo hundred ninety‐nine patients were included (219 BCLC‐C). The median overall survival was 11.1 months (IQR 5.6‐20.5), and duration of treatment was 7.4 months (IQR 3.3‐14.7). Seventeen patients (6%) stopped SOR due to cardiovascular event. Thirty‐three patients suffered MACE (7 heart failure, 11 acute coronary syndrome, 12 cerebrovascular accident and 8 peripheral vascular ischemia); 99 had a minor cardiovascular event, mainly hypertension (n = 81). Age was the only independent factor associated to MACE (HR 1.07; 95% CI 1.03‐1.12; P = .002). The CARDIOSOR scale allows to identify the group of patients with higher risk of MACE (sHR 3.4; 95% CI 1.4‐6.7; P = .04).ConclusionThe incidence of cardiovascular events in HCC patients treated with SOR is higher than expected. Multidisciplinary approach and clinical tools like CARDIOSOR scale could be helpful to manage these patients.
Experimental liver models: From cell culture techniques to microfluidic organs‐on‐chip
Authors: Polidoro Michela Anna , Ferrari Erika , Marzorati Simona , Lleo Ana , Rasponi Marco 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe liver is one of the most studied organs of the human body owing to its central role in xenobiotic and drug metabolism. In recent decades, extensive research has aimed at developing in vitro liver models able to mimic liver functions to study pathophysiological clues in high‐throughput and reproducible environments. Two‐dimensional (2D) models have been widely used in screening potential toxic compounds but have failed to accurately reproduce the three‐dimensionality (3D) of the liver milieu. To overcome these limitations, improved 3D culture techniques have been developed to recapitulate the hepatic native microenvironment. These models focus on reproducing the liver architecture, representing both parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells, as well as cell interactions. More recently, Liver‐on‐Chip (LoC) models have been developed with the aim of providing physiological fluid flow and thus achieving essential hepatic functions. Given their unprecedented ability to recapitulate critical features of the liver cellular environments, LoC have been extensively adopted in pathophysiological modelling and currently represent a promising tool for tissue engineering and drug screening applications. In this review, we discuss the evolution of experimental liver models, from the ancient 2D hepatocyte models, widely used for liver toxicity screening, to 3D and LoC culture strategies adopted for mirroring a more physiological microenvironment for the study of liver diseases.
Extensive pollen‐mediated gene flow across intensively managed landscapes in an insect‐pollinated shrub native to semiarid habitats
Authors: González‐Robles Ana , García Cristina , Salido Teresa , Manzaneda Antonio J. , Rey Pedro J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractOur knowledge of the impact of landscape fragmentation on gene flow patterns is mainly drawn from tropical and temperate ecosystems, where landscape features, such as the distance of a tree to the forest edge, drive connectivity and mating patterns. Yet, the structure of arid and semiarid plant communities – with open canopies and a scattered distribution of trees – differs greatly from those that are well‐characterized in the literature. As a result, we ignore whether the documented consequences of landscape fragmentation on plant mating and gene flow patterns also hold for native plant communities in arid and semiarid regions. We investigated the relative contribution of plant traits, pollinator activity, and individual neighbourhood in explaining variation in mating and gene flow patterns of an insect‐pollinated semiarid arborescent shrub, Ziziphus lotus, at three sites embedded in highly altered agriculture landscapes. We used 14 SSRs, seed paternity analyses, and individual mixed effect mating models (MEMMi) to estimate the individual mating variables and the pollen dispersal kernel at each site. Individual spatial location, flower density, and floral visitation rate explained most of the variation of mating variables. Unexpectedly, individual correlated paternity was very low and shrubs surrounded by the most degraded matrix exhibited an increased fraction of pollen immigration and a high effective number of pollen donors per mother shrub. Overall, our results reveal that an active pollinator assemblage ensures highly efficient mating, and maintains pollen‐mediated gene flow and notable connectivity levels, even in highly altered landscapes, potentially halting genetic isolation within and between distant sites.
On Physics, Metaphysics, and Metametaphysics
Authors: Arenhart Jonas R. Becker , Arroyo Raoni Wohnrath 
Published: May 2021

AbstractNonrelativistic quantum mechanics (QM) works perfectly well for all practical purposes. Once one admits, however, that a successful scientific theory is supposed not only to make predictions but also to tell us a story about the world in which we live, a philosophical problem emerges: in the specific case of QM, it is not possible to associate with the theory a unique scientific image of the world; there are several images. The fact that the theory may be compatible with distinct ontologies, and that those ontologies may themselves be associated with a plurality of metaphysical approaches, gives rise to the problem of metaphysical underdetermination. This paper concludes that the available metametaphysical criteria fail to deliver objectivity in theory choice, and it puts forward its own criterion based on a tension between two methods of metaphysical inquiry: one that is closely related to science and another that is not.
A Perturbed Markovian process with state‐dependent increments and measurement uncertainty in degradation modeling
Authors: Oumouni M. , Schoefs F. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn structural reliability, the Markovian cumulative damage approaches such as Gamma process seem promising to model a nonreversible deterioration that involves gradually over time with small time increments. However, in many degradation phenomena, its evolution depends on the level of the degradation rather than the increments of time. Further, the measured data are usually collected with random error whose dispersion depends on the current degradation level. Therefore, the deterioration model should take in consideration such dependency and uncertainty for more accurate prediction. In this paper, a new statistical, data‐driven state‐dependent and perturbed model is proposed to model the state dependence (hidden level‐degradation) both in temporal increments and measurement uncertainty. The construction of the degradation model will be discussed within an application to the pitting corrosion and synthetic data. Numerical experiments will later be conducted to identify preliminary properties of the model in terms of statistical inferences. Algorithm and estimates are proposed to compute the parameters of the model, the hidden state, and failure probabilities.
High‐performance vibration isolation technique using passive negative stiffness and semiactive damping
Authors: Shi Xiang , Zhao Fulei , Yan Zhidan , Zhu Songye , Li Jin‐Yang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAmong active, semiactive, and passive vibration isolation methods, active control can provide the best isolation performances. However, high‐energy consumption hinders its wide applications in civil engineering field. This paper proposes a novel vibration isolation technique based on a passive negative stiffness spring (NSS) and a semiactive device (SAD), aiming to achieve an active isolation performance by using a low‐power semiactive technique. Due to its nature of negative potential energy, an NSS enables the semiactive isolation system to provide negative transient power flow that injects power into the structure and avoids the clipping phenomenon of semiactive control forces. Consequently, the combined NSS and SAD isolation system can perfectly generate the theoretical control forces calculated by an active control algorithm and achieve a considerably improved semiactive isolation performance. The prospects and performance advantages of the proposed NSS and SAD isolation system are validated through a series of numerical simulations of single‐degree‐of‐freedom and multi‐degree‐of‐freedom structures excited by various types of ground motions and a benchmark building model excited by seismic ground motions.
A Gaussian sampling heuristic estimation model for developing synthetic trip sets
Authors: Batista S. F. A. , Cantelmo Guido , Menéndez Mónica , Antoniou Constantinos 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we develop a heuristic model based on Gaussian processes to determine synthetic sets of trips in urban networks, considering only supply‐related information. This is an alternative to the benchmark method used in the literature, which consists of repeating several trials of Monte Carlo simulations and therefore requiring a complex calibration task and large computational resources. The developed heuristic model explicitly leverages the probabilistic nature of Gaussian processes and exploits their properties to iteratively select origin–destination (od) pairs of nodes in the city network. The model then determines the shortest trip in distance for the selected od pairs and appends it to the synthetic set. We discuss the implementation and performance of both the benchmark method and the developed heuristic model on two city networks. We show that the presented model is more robust and computationally efficient than the benchmark method. This is evidenced by its ability to determine synthetic sets with much smaller sizes, naturally reducing the computational burden, when compared to the benchmark method. We also discuss how the choice of the kernel function and calibration of the hyperparameters influence the performance of the presented heuristic model.
The global regulator Hfq exhibits far more extensive and intensive regulation than Crc in Pseudomonas protegens H78
Authors: Wang Zheng , Huang Xianqing , Jan Malik , Kong Deyu , Pan Jingwen , Zhang Xuehong 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe biocontrol rhizobacterium Pseudomonas protegens H78 can produce a large array of antimicrobial secondary metabolites, including pyoluteorin (Plt), 2,4‐diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG), and pyrrolnitrin (Prn). Our preliminary study showed that the biosynthesis of antibiotics including Plt is activated by the RNA chaperone Hfq in P. protegens H78. This prompted us to explore the global regulatory mechanism of Hfq, as well as the catabolite repression control (Crc) protein in H78. The antimicrobial capacity of H78 was positively controlled by Hfq while slightly down‐regulated by knockout of crc. Similarly, cell growth of H78 was significantly impaired by deletion of hfq and slightly inhibited by knockout of crc. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that hfq mutation resulted in significant down‐regulation of 688 genes and up‐regulation of 683 genes. However, only 113 genes were significantly down‐regulated and 105 genes up‐regulated by the crc mutation in H78. Hfq positively regulated the expression of gene clusters involved in secondary metabolism (plt, prn, phl, hcn, and pvd), the type VI secretion system, and aromatic compound degradation. However, Crc only positively regulated the biosynthesis of Plt but not other antibiotics. Hfq also regulated expression of genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation and flagellar biogenesis. In addition, Hfq and Crc activated transcription of crcY/Z sRNAs by feedback. In summary, Hfq processes far more extensive and intensive regulatory capacity than Crc and shows small cross‐regulation with Crc in H78. This study lays the foundation for clarifying the Hfq and/or Crc‐dependent global regulatory network and improving antibiotic production by genetic engineering in P. protegens.