bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
C‐type lectin receptors MR and DC‐SIGN are involved in recognition of hemocyanins, shaping their immunostimulatory effects on human dendritic cells
Authors: Villar Javiera , Salazar Michelle L. , Jiménez José M. , Campo Miguel Del , Manubens Augusto , Gleisner María Alejandra , Ávalos Ignacio , Salazar‐Onfray Flavio , Salazar Fabián , Mitchell Daniel A , Alshahrani Mohammad Y , Martínez‐Pomares Luisa , Becker María Inés 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHemocyanins are used as immunomodulators in clinical applications because they induce a strong Th1‐biased cell‐mediated immunity, which has beneficial effects. They are multiligand glycosylated molecules with abundant and complex mannose‐rich structures. It remains unclear whether these structures influence hemocyanin‐induced immunostimulatory processes in human APCs. We have previously shown that hemocyanin glycans from Concholepas concholepas (CCH), Fissurella latimarginata (FLH), and Megathura crenulata (KLH), participate in their immune recognition and immunogenicity in mice, interacting with murine C‐type lectin receptors (CLRs). Here, we studied the interactions of these hemocyanins with two major mannose‐binding CLRs on monocyte‐derived human DCs: MR (mannose receptor) and DC‐SIGN (DC‐specific ICAM‐3–grabbing nonintegrin). Diverse analyses showed that hemocyanins are internalized by a mannose‐sensitive mechanism. This process was calcium dependent. Moreover, hemocyanins colocalized with MR and DC‐SIGN, and were partly internalized through clathrin‐mediated endocytosis. The hemocyanin‐mediated proinflammatory cytokine response was impaired when using deglycosylated FLH and KLH compared to CCH. We further showed that hemocyanins bind to human MR and DC‐SIGN in a carbohydrate‐dependent manner with affinity constants in the physiological concentration range. Overall, we showed that these three clinically valuable hemocyanins interact with human mannose‐sensitive CLRs, initiating an immune response and promoting a Th1 cell‐driving potential.
Buckyball as an Electron Donor in a Dyad of C60 and Xanthene Dye
Authors: Kano Haruka , Matsuo Kyohei , Hayashi Hironobu , Kato Kosaku , Yamakata Akira , Yamada Hiroko , Aratani Naoki 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe successfully achieved the synthesis of C60‐xanthlium, X60_NTf2, where fullerene is an electron donor and xanthlium is an electron acceptor. When the precursor compound X60‐OH was excited at 550 nm, the C60 emission was observed at 715 nm. On the other hand, the fluorescence of X60_NTf2 was completely quenched under the same conditions, suggesting that photo‐induced intramolecular electron transfer (ET) occurred from the singlet excited state of C60. The electrochemical measurement proved that the X60_NTf2 is exothermically possible of ET reaction from 1C60* to xanthylium to form C60.+. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations support the acceptor ability of the xanthylium by showing that the coefficients of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) were on xanthene moiety. This is a well‐arranged model compound to investigate the properties of transiently generated fullerene radical cations.
Serum levels of soluble B and T lymphocyte attenuator predict overall survival in patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for solid malignancies
Authors: Gorgulho Joao , Roderburg Christoph , Heymann Felix , Schulze‐Hagen Maximilian , Beier Fabian , Vucur Mihael , Kather Jakob N. , Laleh Narmin Ghaffari , Tacke Frank , Brümmendorf Tim H. , Luedde Tom , Loosen Sven H. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractTherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can lead to durable tumor control in patients with various advanced stage malignancies. However, this is not the case for all patients, leading to an ongoing search for biomarkers predicting response and outcome to ICI. The B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) is an immune checkpoint expressed on immune cells that was shown to modulate therapeutic responses. Here, we evaluate circulating levels of its soluble form, soluble B and T lymphocyte attenuator (sBTLA), as a biomarker for the prediction of treatment response and outcome to ICI therapy. Serum levels of sBTLA were analyzed by multiplex immunoassay in n = 84 patients receiving ICI therapy for solid malignancies and 32 healthy controls. BTLA expression was evaluated on peripheral blood mononuclear cells in a subset of patients (n = 6) using multicolor flow cytometry. Baseline sBTLA serum levels were significantly higher in cancer patients compared to healthy controls. Importantly, circulating sBTLA levels were an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS). As such, patients with initial sBTLA levels above the calculated prognostic cutoff value (311.64 pg/mL) had a median OS of only 138 days compared to 526 for patients with sBTLA levels below this value (P = .001). Uni‐ and multivariate Cox regression analyses confirmed the prognostic role of sBTLA in the context of ICI therapy. Finally, we observed a significant correlation between sBTLA levels and the frequency of CD3 + CD8 + BTLA+ T cells in peripheral blood. Thus, our data suggest that circulating sBTLA could represent a noninvasive biomarker to predict outcome to ICI therapy, helping to select eligible therapy candidates.
Safer outcomes for placenta accreta spectrum disorders: A decade of quality improvement
Authors: Hobson Sebastian R. , Kingdom John C. P. , Windrim Rory C. , Murji Ally , Milligan Natasha , Pacheco Jessica F. , Lu Catherine , Steckham Katherine E. , Kajal Dilkash , Pantazi Sophia , Carvalho Jose C. A. , Parks W. Tony , Allen Lisa M. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the evolution and evaluation of protocol‐based multidisciplinary quality improvement (QI) in women undergoing cesarean hysterectomy for radiologically suspected and pathologically confirmed placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders.MethodsA single‐center, retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients undergoing cesarean hysterectomy for PAS disorders between March 2009 and June 2018. Two distinct periods were defined to compare outcomes: 2009–2011 (initial period) and 2017–2018 (current period). Primary outcomes included blood loss and administration of blood products. Secondary outcomes included perioperative levels of hemoglobin, adverse events and complications, time to mobilization, and length of hospitalization.ResultsAmong the 105 consecutive patients identified, there were 26 in the initial period and 32 in the current period. With the implementation of all QI care bundles, median estimated surgical blood loss halved from 2000 ml in the initial period to 1000 ml in the current period, and fewer patients required allogenic blood transfusion (61.5% vs 25%). Patients in the current period demonstrated improved postoperative levels of hemoglobin compared to those in the initial period (101 g/L vs 89 g/L) and had a shorter median postoperative hospital stay (3 days vs 5 days).ConclusionThese results support the implementation of a multifaceted QI and patient care initiative for women with PAS disorders.
A nontoxic dose of chrysotile can malignantly transform Met‐5A cells, in which microRNA‐28 has inhibitory effects
Authors: Zhang Fangfang , Yuan Xiuyuan , Sun Hongjing , Yin Xianhong , Gao Yanan , Zhang Min , Jia Zhenyu , Yu Min , Ying Shibo , Xia Hailing , Ju Li , Xiao Yun , Tao He , Lou Jianlin , Zhu Lijin 
Published: April 2021

AbstractChrysotile, which is classified as a class I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has extensive application in the industry and can lead to lung or other cancers. However, whether chrysotile causes malignant mesothelioma and its molecular mechanism remain debatable. Thus, this study aimed to demonstrate the mesothelioma‐inducing potential of chrysotile at the mesothelial cellular level and the function of microRNA‐28 in malignantly transformed mesothelial MeT‐5A cells. MeT‐5A cells malignantly transformed by a nontoxic dose of chrysotile were named Asb‐T, and miR‐28 expression was downregulated in Asb‐T cells. Restoration of miR‐28 expression inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of Asb‐T cells. We verified that IMPDH is a putative target of miR‐28. The expression of IMPDH was significantly higher in Asb‐T MeT‐5A cells than in control cells, whereas the opposite trend was observed with miR‐28 overexpression. Additionally, inhibition of IMPDH had similar effects as miR‐28 overexpression. After miR‐28 was elevated or IMPDH was inhibited, Ras activation was reduced, and its downstream pathways (the Erk and Akt signalling pathways) were inhibited. Surprisingly, the content of miR‐28 in the blood of mesothelioma patients was higher than that in control subjects. Overall, nontoxic doses of chrysotile can cause malignant transformation of MeT‐5A cells. Moreover, miR‐28 inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of Asb‐T MeT‐5A cells, negatively regulates the expression of IMPDH through the Ras signalling pathway and may be an important therapeutic target.
Image Quality Assessment of Fetal Brain MRI Using Multi‐Instance Deep Learning Methods
Authors: Largent Axel , Kapse Kushal , Barnett Scott D. , De Asis‐Cruz Josepheen , Whitehead Matthew , Murnick Jonathan , Zhao Li , Andersen Nicole , Quistorff Jessica , Lopez Catherine , Limperopoulos Catherine 
Published: April 2021

BackgroundDue to random motion of fetuses and maternal respirations, image quality of fetal brain MRIs varies considerably. To address this issue, visual inspection of the images is performed during acquisition phase and after 3D‐reconstruction, and the images are re‐acquired if they are deemed to be of insufficient quality. However, this process is time‐consuming and subjective. Multi‐instance (MI) deep learning methods (DLMs) may perform this task automatically.PurposeTo propose an MI count‐based DLM (MI‐CB‐DLM), an MI vote‐based DLM (MI‐VB‐DLM), and an MI feature‐embedding DLM (MI‐FE‐DLM) for automatic assessment of 3D fetal‐brain MR image quality. To quantify influence of fetal gestational age (GA) on DLM performance.Study typeRetrospective.SubjectsTwo hundred and seventy‐one MR exams from 211 fetuses (mean GA ± SD = 30.9 ± 5.5 weeks).Field Strength/SequenceT2‐weighted single‐shot fast spin‐echo acquired at 1.5 T.AssessmentThe T2‐weighted images were reconstructed in 3D. Then, two fetal neuroradiologists, a clinical neuroscientist, and a fetal MRI technician independently labeled the reconstructed images as 1 or 0 based on image quality (1 = high; 0 = low). These labels were fused and served as ground truth. The proposed DLMs were trained and evaluated using three repeated 10‐fold cross‐validations (training and validation sets of 244 and 27 scans). To quantify GA influence, this variable was included as an input of the DLMs.Statistical TestsDLM performance was evaluated using precision, recall, F‐score, accuracy, and AUC values.ResultsPrecision, recall, F‐score, accuracy, and AUC averaged over the three cross validations were 0.85 ± 0.01, 0.85 ± 0.01, 0.85 ± 0.01, 0.85 ± 0.01, 0.93 ± 0.01, for MI‐CB‐DLM (without GA); 0.75 ± 0.03, 0.75 ± 0.03, 0.75 ± 0.03, 0.75 ± 0.03, 0.81 ± 0.03, for MI‐VB‐DLM (without GA); 0.81 ± 0.01, 0.81 ± 0.01, 0.81 ± 0.01, 0.81 ± 0.01, 0.89 ± 0.01, for MI‐FE‐DLM (without GA); and 0.86 ± 0.01, 0.86 ± 0.01, 0.86 ± 0.01, 0.86 ± 0.01, 0.93 ± 0.01, for MI‐CB‐DLM with GA.Data ConclusionMI‐CB‐DLM performed better than other DLMs. Including GA as an input of MI‐CB‐DLM improved its performance. MI‐CB‐DLM may potentially be used to objectively and rapidly assess fetal MR image quality.Evidence Level4Technical EfficacyStage 3
Development of reverse dispersion liquid crystal film to improve “halo” of high‐dynamic‐range LCDs
Authors: Iwasaki Tatsuya , Nakamura Yuki , Sumi Toshikazu , Ohmuro Katsufumi , Suzuki Masaaki , Ito Yoji 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe have developed a new reverse dispersion retardation film with a thickness of 4 μm for IPS panels, which achieves excellent viewing angle performance, notably for oblique contrast ratio and color. HDR‐IPS panels applied this reverse retardation film could achieve a significant improvement of the halo viewing from oblique angle.
Plant litter crust role in nutrients cycling potentials by bacterial communities in a sandy land ecosystem
Authors: Liu Xiaozhen , Huang Ze , Havrilla Caroline A. , Liu Yu , Wu Gao‐Lin 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPlant litter is most important in mediating soil functioning during ecosystem recovery. In sandy ecosystems, the formation of a plant litter crust plays a crucial role in the process of restoration. This research explored the influence of the plant litter crust on sandy soil properties and the bacterial community, and the effect of the bacterial taxa on soil functions through driving sandy soil nutrients cycling and multienzyme activities. Our study focused on a range of litter crust ages and depths and used high‐throughput sequencing of the V4‐V5rRNA gene region. Our results show that the composition and diversity of bacterial communities in the plant litter crust relate to litter crust depth especially in the top sandy soil layer. We found strong correlations between soil bacterial community composition and most soil properties. Further analysis showed that Chloroflexi was important in the nutrients cycling and enzyme activities; Proteobacteria contribute to the cycling of most nutrients; Firmicutes contribute to most enzyme activities during the formation of plant litter crust in sandy ecosystems. In summary, our findings provide evidence that plant litter has significant positive impacts on soil functioning within dryland ecosystems through the contribution of bacterial taxa to soil nutrients cycling and multiple enzyme activities. The study further underlines the roles of plant litter in sandy ecosystems and the importance of sandy soil properties and microbial communities in sandy plant litter crust formation and function.
Deep Learning‐Based Denoising in High‐Speed Portable Reflectance Confocal Microscopy
Authors: Zhao Jingwei , Jain Manu , Harris Ucalene G. , Kose Kivanc , Curiel‐Lewandrowski Clara , Kang Dongkyun 
Published: April 2021

Background and ObjectivePortable confocal microscopy (PCM) is a low‐cost reflectance confocal microscopy technique that can visualize cellular details of human skinin vivo. When PCM images are acquired with a short exposure time to reduce motion blur and enable real‐time 3D imaging, the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) is decreased significantly, which poses challenges in reliably analyzing cellular features. In this paper, we evaluated deep learning (DL)‐based approach for reducing noise in PCM images acquired with a short exposure time.Study Design/Materials and MethodsContent‐aware image restoration (CARE) network was trained with pairs of low‐SNR input and high‐SNR ground truth PCM images obtained from 309 distinctive regions of interest (ROIs). Low‐SNR input images were acquired from human skinin vivoat the imaging speed of 180 frames/second. The high‐SNR ground truth images were generated by registering 30 low‐SNR input images obtained from the same ROI and summing them. The CARE network was trained using the Google Colaboratory Pro platform. The denoising performance of the trained CARE network was quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated by using image pairs from 45 unseen ROIs.ResultsCARE denoising improved the image quality significantly, increasing similarity with the ground truth image by 1.9 times, reducing noise by 2.35 times, and increasing SNR by 7.4 dB. Banding noise, prominent in input images, was significantly reduced in CARE denoised images. CARE denoising provided quantitatively and qualitatively better noise reduction than non‐DL filtering methods. Qualitative image assessment by three confocal readers showed that CARE denoised images exhibited negligible noise more often than input images and non‐DL filtered images.ConclusionsResults showed the potential of using a DL‐based method for denoising PCM images obtained at a high imaging speed. The DL‐based denoising method needs to be further trained and tested for PCM images obtained from disease‐suspicious skin lesions.
Risk factors for urinary retention after urogynecologic surgery: A retrospective cohort study and prediction model
Authors: Zhang Bei Yuan , Wong Jeffrey Man Hay , A Koenig Nicole , Lee Terry , Geoffrion Roxana 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAimsPostoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a common complication of urogynecological surgery. Our study aimed to identify demographic and perioperative risk factors to construct a prediction model for POUR in urogynecology.MethodsOur retrospective cohort study reviewed all patients undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgeries at our tertiary care center (Jan 1, 2013–May 1, 2019). Demographic, pre‐, intra‐ and postoperative variables were collected from medical records. The primary outcome, POUR, was defined as (1) early POUR (E‐POUR), failing initial trial of void or; (2) late POUR (L‐POUR), requiring an indwelling catheter or intermittent catheterization on discharge. Risk factors were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. A clinical prediction model was constructed with the most significant and clinically relevant risk factors.ResultsIn 501 women, 182 (36.3%) had E‐POUR and 61 of these women (12.2% of the entire cohort) had L‐POUR. Multivariate logistic regression revealed preoperative postvoid residual (PVR) over 200 ml (odds ratio [OR]: 3.17; p = 0.026), voiding dysfunction symptoms extracted from validated questionnaires (OR: 3.00; p = 0.030), and number of concomitant procedures (OR: 1.30 per procedure; p = 0.021) as significant predictors of E‐POUR; preoperative PVR more than 200 ml (OR: 4.07; p = 0.011) and antiincontinence procedure with (OR: 3.34; p = 0.023) and without (OR: 2.64; p = 0.019) concomitant prolapse repair as significant predictors of L‐POUR. A prediction model (area under the curve: 0.70) was developed for E‐POUR.ConclusionsElevated preoperative PVR is the most significant risk factor for POUR. Alongside other risk factors, our prediction model for POUR can be used for patient counseling and surgical planning in urogynecologic surgery.
Novel three‐dimensional printing of poly(ester urethane) scaffolds for biomedical applications
Authors: Lores Nayla J. , Hung Xavier , Talou Mariano H. , Abraham Gustavo A. , Caracciolo Pablo C. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractTissue engineering requires highly porous complex structures with interconnected pores and tightly controlled pore sizes, added to customized production. Additive manufacturing (AM) is nowadays one of the most suitable technologies for the preparation of structures with strictly defined complex three‐dimensional architectures. Moreover, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can be employed to obtain personalized medical devices. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most common, easiest, and cost‐effective AM techniques to obtain 3D objects from a wide variety of materials. However, there is a lack of bioresorbable materials that can fit the increasing demand for biomedical applications requiring stiff elastomers. In this work, a series of bioresorbable segmented poly(ester urethanes) (SPEU) with high hard segment content was synthesized and physicochemically characterized. The materials with higher thermal stability were processed into homogeneous filaments by hot‐melt extrusion with no need for additives nor plasticizers. These filaments were evaluated for FDM, and structures with controlled porosity, filament diameter, and in‐plane pore size could be easily obtained by modifying the printing parameters. Regarding SPEU mechanical properties, the obtained scaffolds could be promising for cartilage tissue engineering applications.
Effects of the COVID‐19 lockdown on sleep duration in children and adolescents: A survey across different continents
Authors: Kaditis Athanasios G. , Ohler Adrienne , Gileles‐Hillel Alex , Choshen‐Hillel Shoham , Gozal David , Bruni Oliviero , Aydinoz Secil , Cortese Rene , Kheirandish‐Gozal Leila 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundA parent survey was conducted to assess the sleep habits of children residing in various countries before and during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. It was hypothesized that lockdown would be associated with increased sleep duration.MethodsOutcomes were changes in bedtime, wake time, and sleep duration in the pandemic compared to before. Logistic regression was applied to evaluate the effects of age and covariates on outcomes.ResultsA total of 845 questionnaires completed from May 1 to June 10, 2020 were analyzed (45.8% female; age 3–17 years). During the pandemic, 23.1% of preschoolers, 46.2% of school‐age children, and 89.8% of adolescents were going to bed after 10 p.m. on weekdays compared to 7.1%, 9.4%, and 57.1% respectively before the pandemic, with these proportions being higher on weekends. Likewise, 42.5% of preschoolers, 61.3% of school‐age children, and 81.2% of adolescents were waking after 8 a.m. on weekdays (11.6%, 4.9%, and 10.3%, before) with these proportions being greater on weekends. Sleep duration did not change in 43% of participants on weekdays and in 46.2% on weekends. The 14–17 years group had fourfold increased odds for longer sleep duration on weekdays (p < .01), and children aged 6–13 years had twofold increased odds for longer sleep duration on weekends relative to the 3–5 years age group (p = .01).ConclusionsAlthough lockdown was associated with later bedtime and wake time, this shift did not alter sleep duration in more than 40% of children. Yet, compared to preschoolers, high school‐aged children were more likely to sleep more on weekdays and primary school children on weekends.
Performance analysis for the forward link of multiuser satellite communication systems
Authors: Guo Yuqing , Kong Huaicong , Huang Qingquan , Lin Min , Zhu Wei‐Ping , Amindavar Hamidreza 
Published: April 2021

SummaryBroad‐band satellite communication is an indispensable method to provide seamless connectivity for people especially in remote areas. This paper analyzes the performance of the forward link of a multiuser satellite system operating in Ka band, where a gateway delivers signal to a satellite that forwards the amplified signal to multiple users on the ground. By assuming that satellite links experience double lognormal fading due to rain attenuation and taking the effects of antenna pattern and path loss into account, we first exploit the opportunistic user scheduling (OUS) scheme to obtain the maximal output signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) expression of the satellite system. Then, the analytical expressions for both outage probability (OP) and ergodic capacity (EC) of the considered satellite system are derived. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the validity of the theoretical analysis and the superiority of the OUS scheme in comparison with round‐robin scheme.