bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of heavy metal and oil removal from synthetic saline oilfield produced water by electrocoagulation
Authors: Mehri Mahdieh , Fallah Narges , Nasernejad Bahram 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn the present study, an electrocoagulation process was applied to treat saline oilfield-produced water. The kinetics of simultaneous heavy metal and oil removal in the saline environment under different conditions including four-electrode materials of copper, zinc, iron, and aluminum, aeration and agitation rate, oil content, and salinity was investigated. The nature of the electro-generated species and possible abatement mechanisms were explored and compared by using FE-SEM/EDS, FTIR, XRD, and BET analyses. At low and high salinities, cadmium adsorption followed Langmuir and Freundlich models, suggesting the transformation of identical adsorption sites to heterogeneous ones. Cadmium removal efficiencies of 99/73% were obtained at low/high salinity with iron and 99.9 and 82% using copper and zinc electrodes in a saline environment. The cadmium adsorption capacity of different anode materials exhibited the order of copper > zinc > iron > aluminum. The adsorption capacity was considerably reduced in saline condition due to more crystalline structure and lower surface area and porosity of the particles while it was enhanced by the oil, caused by structural changes including more uniform pores, the elevated surface area, and porosity. The COD removal yield of 89% for low salinity and 80/73% at high salinity with/without aeration were achieved by iron. The highest COD removal yield of about 95% was achieved by the aluminum electrodes, compared to 85 and 87% for copper and zinc electrodes. The main removal mechanisms were outer- and inner-sphere complexation, and surface precipitation.
PacBio sequencing output increased through uniform and directional fivefold concatenation
Authors: Kanwar Nisha , Blanco Celia , Chen Irene A. , Seelig Burckhard 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAdvances in sequencing technology have allowed researchers to sequence DNA with greater ease and at decreasing costs. Main developments have focused on either sequencing many short sequences or fewer large sequences. Methods for sequencing mid-sized sequences of 600–5,000 bp are currently less efficient. For example, the PacBio Sequel I system yields ~ 100,000–300,000 reads with an accuracy per base pair of 90–99%. We sought to sequence several DNA populations of ~ 870 bp in length with a sequencing accuracy of 99% and to the greatest depth possible. We optimised a simple, robust method to concatenate genes of ~ 870 bp five times and then sequenced the resulting DNA of ~ 5,000 bp by PacBioSMRT long-read sequencing. Our method improved upon previously published concatenation attempts, leading to a greater sequencing depth, high-quality reads and limited sample preparation at little expense. We applied this efficient concatenation protocol to sequence nine DNA populations from a protein engineering study. The improved method is accompanied by a simple and user-friendly analysis pipeline, DeCatCounter, to sequence medium-length sequences efficiently at one-fifth of the cost.
An integrated analysis of mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis involved in bovine endometritis
Authors: Sheybani Negin , Bakhtiarizadeh Mohammad Reza , Salehi Abdolreza 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn dairy cattle, endometritis is a severe infectious disease that occurs following parturition. It is clear that genetic factors are involved in the etiology of endometritis, however, the molecular pathogenesis of endometritis is not entirely understood. In this study, a system biology approach was used to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of endometritis. Forty transcriptomic datasets comprising of 20 RNA-Seq (GSE66825) and 20 miRNA-Seq (GSE66826) were obtained from the GEO database. Next, the co-expressed modules were constructed based on RNA-Seq (Rb-modules) and miRNA-Seq (mb-modules) data, separately, using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) approach. Preservation analysis was used to find the non-preserved Rb-modules in endometritis samples. Afterward, the non-preserved Rb-modules were assigned to the mb-modules to construct the integrated regulatory networks. Just highly connected genes (hubs) in the networks were considered and functional enrichment analysis was used to identify the biological pathways associated with the development of the disease. Furthermore, additional bioinformatic analysis including protein–protein interactions network and miRNA target prediction were applied to enhance the reliability of the results. Thirty-five Rb-modules and 10 mb-modules were identified and 19 and 10 modules were non-preserved, respectively, which were enriched in biological pathways related to endometritis like inflammation and ciliogenesis. Two non-preserved Rb-modules were significantly assigned to three mb-modules and three and two important sub-networks in the Rb-modules were identified, respectively, including important mRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs genes like IRAK1, CASP3, CCDC40, CCDC39, ZMYND10, FOXJ1, TLR4, IL10, STAT3, FN1, AKT1, CD68, ENSBTAG00000049936, ENSBTAG00000050527, ENSBTAG00000051242, ENSBTAG00000049287, bta-miR-449, bta-miR-484, bta-miR-149, bta-miR-30b and bta-miR-423. The potential roles of these genes have been previously demonstrated in endometritis or related pathways, which reinforced putative functions of the suggested integrated regulatory networks in the endometritis pathogenesis. These findings may help further elucidate the underlying mechanisms of bovine endometritis.
AngioNet: a convolutional neural network for vessel segmentation in X-ray angiography
Authors: Iyer Kritika , Najarian Cyrus P. , Fattah Aya A. , Arthurs Christopher J. , Soroushmehr S. M. Reza , Subban Vijayakumar , Sankardas Mullasari A. , Nadakuditi Raj R. , Nallamothu Brahmajee K. , Figueroa C. Alberto 
Published: September 2021

AbstractCoronary Artery Disease (CAD) is commonly diagnosed using X-ray angiography, in which images are taken as radio-opaque dye is flushed through the coronary vessels to visualize the severity of vessel narrowing, or stenosis. Cardiologists typically use visual estimation to approximate the percent diameter reduction of the stenosis, and this directs therapies like stent placement. A fully automatic method to segment the vessels would eliminate potential subjectivity and provide a quantitative and systematic measurement of diameter reduction. Here, we have designed a convolutional neural network, AngioNet, for vessel segmentation in X-ray angiography images. The main innovation in this network is the introduction of an Angiographic Processing Network (APN) which significantly improves segmentation performance on multiple network backbones, with the best performance using Deeplabv3+ (Dice score 0.864, pixel accuracy 0.983, sensitivity 0.918, specificity 0.987). The purpose of the APN is to create an end-to-end pipeline for image pre-processing and segmentation, learning the best possible pre-processing filters to improve segmentation. We have also demonstrated the interchangeability of our network in measuring vessel diameter with Quantitative Coronary Angiography. Our results indicate that AngioNet is a powerful tool for automatic angiographic vessel segmentation that could facilitate systematic anatomical assessment of coronary stenosis in the clinical workflow.
Development and validation of a discrimination model between primary PLA2R-negative membranous nephropathy and minimal change disease confirmed by renal biopsy
Authors: Wu Feng , Zhang Yiding , Cui Wen , Dong Yijun , Geng Yingyang , Liu Changhao , Li Zemeng , Xie Yandong , Cai Xiaojing , Shang Jin , Xiao Jing , Zhao Zhanzheng 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMembranous nephropathy (MN) and minimal change disease (MCD) are two common causes leading to nephrotic syndrome (NS). They have similar clinical features but different treatment strategies and prognoses. M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) is considered as a specific marker of membranous nephropathy. However, its sensitivity is only about 70%. Therefore, there is a lack of effective and noninvasive tools to distinguish PLA2R-negative MN and MCD patients without renal biopsy. A total 949 patients who were pathologically diagnosed as idiopathic MN or MCD were enrolled in this study, including 805 idiopathic MN and 144 MCD. Based on the basic information and laboratory examination of 200 PLA2R-negative MN and 144 MCD, we used a univariate and multivariate logistic regression to select the relevant variables and develop a discrimination model. A novel model including age, albumin, urea, high density lipoprotein, C3 levels and red blood cell count was established for PLA2R-negative MN and MCD. The discrimination model has great differential capability (with an AUC of 0.904 in training group and an AUC of 0.886 in test group) and calibration capability. When testing in all 949 patients, our model also showed good discrimination ability for all idiopathic MN and MCD.
Addition of admission lactate levels to Baux score improves mortality prediction in severe burns
Authors: Steinvall Ingrid , Elmasry Moustafa , Abdelrahman Islam , El-Serafi Ahmed , Sjöberg Folke 
Published: September 2021

AbstractRisk adjustment and mortality prediction models are central in optimising care and for benchmarking purposes. In the burn setting, the Baux score and its derivatives have been the mainstay for predictions of mortality from burns. Other well-known measures to predict mortality stem from the ICU setting, where, for example, the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS 3) models have been found to be instrumental. Other attempts to further improve the prediction of outcome have been based on the following variables at admission: Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (aSOFA) score, determinations of aLactate or Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (aNLR). The aim of the present study was to examine if estimated mortality rate (EMR, SAPS 3), aSOFA, aLactate, and aNLR can, either alone or in conjunction with the others, improve the mortality prediction beyond that of the effects of age and percentage total body surface area (TBSA%) burned among patients with severe burns who need critical care. This is a retrospective, explorative, single centre, registry study based on prospectively gathered data. The study included 222 patients with median (25th–75th centiles) age of 55.0 (38.0 to 69.0) years, TBSA% burned was 24.5 (13.0 to 37.2) and crude mortality was 17%. As anticipated highest predicting power was obtained with age and TBSA% with an AUC at 0.906 (95% CI 0.857 to 0.955) as compared with EMR, aSOFA, aLactate and aNLR. The largest effect was seen thereafter by adding aLactate to the model, increasing AUC to 0.938 (0.898 to 0.979) (p < 0.001). Whereafter, adding EMR, aSOFA, and aNLR, separately or in combinations, only marginally improved the prediction power. This study shows that the prediction model with age and TBSA% may be improved by adding aLactate, despite the fact that aLactate levels were only moderately increased. Thereafter, adding EMR, aSOFA or aNLR only marginally affected the mortality prediction.
Inducible and tunable gene expression systems for Pseudomonas putida KT2440
Authors: Sathesh-Prabu Chandran , Tiwari Rameshwar , Kim Doyun , Lee Sung Kuk 
Published: September 2021

AbstractInducible and tunable expression systems are essential for the microbial production of biochemicals. Five different carbon source- and substrate-inducible promoter systems were developed and further evaluated in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 by analyzing the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter protein. These systems can be induced by low-cost compounds such as glucose, 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3HP), levulinic acid (LA), and xylose. 3HP-inducible HpdR/PhpdH was also efficiently induced by LA. LvaR/PlvaA and XutR/PxutA systems were induced even at low concentrations of LA (0.1 mM) and xylose (0.5 mM), respectively. Glucose-inducible HexR/Pzwf1 showed weak GFP expression. These inducer agents can be used as potent starting materials for both cell growth and the production of a wide range of biochemicals. The efficiency of the reported systems was comparable to that of conventional chemical-inducible systems. Hence, the newly investigated promoter systems are highly useful for the expression of target genes in the widely used synthetic biology chassis P. putida KT2440 for industrial and medical applications.
Two-photon excitation fluorescent spectral and decay properties of retrograde neuronal tracer Fluoro-Gold
Authors: Miller Matthew Q. , Hernández Iván Coto , Chacko Jenu V. , Minderler Steven , Jowett Nate 
Published: September 2021

AbstractFluoro-Gold is a fluorescent neuronal tracer suitable for targeted deep imaging of the nervous system. Widefield fluorescence microscopy enables visualization of Fluoro-Gold, but lacks depth discrimination. Though scanning laser confocal microscopy yields volumetric data, imaging depth is limited, and optimal single-photon excitation of Fluoro-Gold requires an unconventional ultraviolet excitation line. Two-photon excitation microscopy employs ultrafast pulsed infrared lasers to image fluorophores at high-resolution at unparalleled depths in opaque tissue. Deep imaging of Fluoro-Gold-labeled neurons carries potential to advance understanding of the central and peripheral nervous systems, yet its two-photon spectral and temporal properties remain uncharacterized. Herein, we report the two-photon excitation spectrum of Fluoro-Gold between 720 and 990 nm, and its fluorescence decay rate in aqueous solution and murine brainstem tissue. We demonstrate unprecedented imaging depth of whole-mounted murine brainstem via two-photon excitation microscopy of Fluoro-Gold labeled facial motor nuclei. Optimal two-photon excitation of Fluoro-Gold within microscope tuning range occurred at 720 nm, while maximum lifetime contrast was observed at 760 nm with mean fluorescence lifetime of 1.4 ns. Whole-mount brainstem explants were readily imaged to depths in excess of 450 µm via immersion in refractive-index matching solution.
Dynamics of the fecal microbiome and antimicrobial resistome in commercial piglets during the weaning period
Authors: Suriyaphol Prapat , Chiu Jimmy Ka Ho , Yimpring Nathamon , Tunsagool Paiboon , Mhuantong Wuttichai , Chuanchuen Rungtip , Bessarab Irina , Williams Rohan B. H. , Ong Rick Twee-Hee , Suriyaphol Gunnaporn 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis study aimed to characterize the alteration of the fecal microbiome and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants in 24 piglets at day 3 pre-weaning (D. − 3), weaning day (D.0), days 3 (D.3) and 8 post-weaning (D.8), using whole-genome shotgun sequencing. Distinct clusters of microbiomes and AMR determinants were observed at D.8 whenPrevotella(20.9%) was the major genus, whereas at D. − 3–D.3,Alistipes(6.9–12.7%) andBacteroides(5.2–8.5%) were the major genera.LactobacillusandEscherichiawere notably observed at D. − 3 (1.2%) and D. − 3–D.3 (0.2–0.4%), respectively. For AMR, a distinct cluster of AMR determinants was observed at D.8, mainly conferring resistance to macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin (mefA), β-lactam (cfxA6 andaci1) and phenicol (rlmN). In contrast, at D. − 3–D.3, a high abundance of determinants with aminoglycoside (AMG) (sat,aac(6')-aph(2''),aadA andacrF), β-lactam (fus-1,cepA andmrdA), multidrug resistance (MDR) (gadW,mdtE, emrA,evgS, tolC andmdtB), phenicol (catB4 andcmlA4), and sulfonamide patterns (sul3) was observed. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) plot associatedEscherichia coliwithaac(6')-aph(2''),emrA,mdtB,catB4 andcmlA4 at D. − 3, D.0 and/or D.3 whereas at D.8 associations betweenPrevotellaandmefA,cfxA6 andaci1 were identified. The weaning age and diet factor played an important role in the microbial community composition.
Combined quantitative and qualitative optical coherence tomography angiography biomarkers for predicting active neovascular age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Hsu Cherng-Ru , Lai Tso-Ting , Hsieh Yi-Ting , Ho Tzyy-Chang , Yang Chung-May , Yang Chang-Hao 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTo investigate choroidal neovascularization (CNV) characteristics after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to assess the potential predictive role of combined qualitative and quantitative biomarkers for disease activity. Patients diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 CNV via multimodal imaging who had received anti-VEGF treatment were retrospectively reviewed. Qualitative and quantitative CNV responses on OCTA after serial injections were analyzed. The enrolled eyes were divided into two groups based on treatment intervals during follow-up, including an active group with less than 12 weeks intervals and a stable group with 12 weeks or longer intervals. Fifty-six eyes of 56 patients were included in the study. Twenty-seven eyes (48.2%) were classified as the “active group”, and 29 eyes (51.8%) were categorized as the “silent group”. Qualitative biomarkers of CNV showed significant differences between the two groups (branching capillaries: 48.1% vs 6.9%, p = 0.001; anastomoses and loops: 81.5% vs 13.8%, p < 0.001; peripheral arcade: 40.7% vs 10.3%, p = 0.013, and hypointense halo: 81.5% vs 41.4%, p = 0.002). A significantly higher vessel density was found in the active group (median 39.6% vs 30.5%, p = 0.003). “Anastomoses and loops” and “vessel density” predicted an active CNV status with a probability of 93.7% and achieved the best performance. The combination of two potential biomarkers of CNV on OCTA shows good discrimination for the prediction of recurrent exudation auxiliary to structural OCT that might associate with disease activity.
Factors associated with quality of life in Italian children and adolescents with IBD
Authors: Gatti Simona , Del Baldo Giada , Catassi Giulia , Faragalli Andrea , Aloi Marina , Bramuzzo Matteo , D’Arcangelo Giulia , Felici Enrico , Fuoti Maurizio , Lega Sara , Panceri Roberto , Pastore Maria , Penagini Francesca , Gesuita Rosaria , Catassi Carlo 
Published: September 2021

AbstractImproving the quality of life (QoL) is crucial in the management of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to (1) Validate the IMPACT-III questionnaire in Italian IBD children; (2) explore factors associated to QoL in pediatric IBD. Internal consistency, concurrent validity, discriminant validity and reproducibility of the Italian version of the IMPACT-III questionnaire was measured in IBD children/adolescents in 8 centers. Associations between patient and disease characteristics and the IMPACT-III domains were analyzed through quantile regression analysis. The IMPACT-III questionnaire, collected in 282 children with IBD (median age: 14.8 years; IQR 12.4–16.4) showed a median total score of 76 (IQR 67–83). Female gender, active disease and age were negatively associated with the total IMPACT-III score. Specifically, female gender was negatively associated with the Bowel/Systemic Symptoms, Emotional and Treatment domain scores, while disease activity was significantly associated with Bowel Symptoms and Treatment/Interventions reported QoL. The IMPACT- III showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient = 0.87, 95% CI 0.85–0.89) and reproducibility (Concordance Correlation Coefficient = 0.66, 95% CI 0.57–0.74). In Italian children with IBD active disease, female gender and adolescence are associated to a worse QoL, indicating the need of more attention in this subgroup of young patients. IMPACT-III questionnaire is a reliable instrument to measure QoL in Italian children.
Registration-free workflow for electromagnetic and optical navigation in orbital and craniofacial surgery
Authors: Schreurs R. , Baan F. , Klop C. , Dubois L. , Beenen L. F. M. , Habets P. E. M. H. , Becking A. G. , Maal T. J. J. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe accuracy of intra-operative navigation is largely dependent on the intra-operative registration procedure. Next to accuracy, important factors to consider for the registration procedure are invasiveness, time consumption, logistical demands, user-dependency, compatibility and radiation exposure. In this study, a workflow is presented that eliminates the need for a registration procedure altogether: registration-free navigation. In the workflow, the maxillary dental model is fused to the pre-operative imaging data using commercially available virtual planning software. A virtual Dynamic Reference Frame on a splint is designed on the patient’s fused maxillary dentition: during surgery, the splint containing the reference frame is positioned on the patient’s dentition. This alleviates the need for any registration procedure, since the position of the reference frame is known from the design. The accuracy of the workflow was evaluated in a cadaver set-up, and compared to bone-anchored fiducial, virtual splint and surface-based registration. The results showed that accuracy of the workflow was greatly dependent on tracking technique used: the workflow was the most accurate with electromagnetic tracking, but the least accurate with optical tracking. Although this method offers a time-efficient, non-invasive, radiation-free automatic alternative for registration, clinical implementation is hampered by the unexplained differences in accuracy between tracking techniques.
3D imaging of human organs with micrometer resolution - applied to the endocrine pancreas
Authors: Hahn Max , Nord Christoffer , Eriksson Maria , Morini Federico , Alanentalo Tomas , Korsgren Olle , Ahlgren Ulf 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe possibility to quantitatively study specific molecular/cellular features of complete human organs with preserved spatial 3D context would have widespread implications for pre-clinical and clinical medicine. Whereas optical 3D imaging approaches have experienced a formidable revolution, they have remained limited due to current incapacities in obtaining specific labelling within large tissue volumes. We present a simple approach enabling reconstruction of antibody labeled cells within entire human organs with preserved organ context. We demonstrate the utility of the approach by providing volumetric data and 3D distribution of hundreds of thousands of islets of Langerhans within the human pancreas. By assessments of pancreata from non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic individuals, we display previously unrecognized features of the human islet mass distribution and pathology. As such, this method may contribute not only in unraveling new information of the pancreatic anatomy/pathophysiology, but it may be translated to essentially any antibody marker or organ system.
Anästhesiologisches Management der perioperativen Schmerztherapie
Authors: Dusch Martin 
Published: September 2021

ZusammenfassungNach einem Beschluss des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses im September 2020 sind Krankenhäuser und Praxen zukünftig verpflichtet, Konzepte zum perioperativen Schmerzmanagement vorzuhalten. So soll die Qualität des perioperativen Schmerzmanagements nachhaltig verbessert werden. Zentrale Punkte dieses Beschlusses umfassen u. a. Maßnahmen zur Weiterbildung des Personals, Aspekte der Patienteninformation und -aufklärung sowie einen standardisierten Umgang mit potenziellen Nebenwirkungen der Therapie.
Das Post-Polio-Syndrom in der perioperativen Phase
Authors: Gebauer David , Schittek Gregor A. , Zoidl Philipp , Sandner-Kiesling Andreas 
Published: September 2021

ZusammenfassungIn den letzten Jahrzehnten gab es noch immer zahlreiche Poliomyelitis-Epidemien – und 10 – 30 Jahre nach einer Poliomyelitis-Infektion kann ein Post-Polio-Syndrom (PPS) auftreten. Somit ist auch in Europa mit einem Anstieg der PPS-Prävalenz zu rechnen. Gleichzeitig benötigen PPS-Patientinnen und -Patienten – bedingt durch ihre muskuloskelettalen Erkrankungen – häufig Operationen, bei denen anästhesiologische Besonderheiten zu beachten sind.