bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biological Network Inference with GRASP: A Bayesian Network Structure Learning Method Using Adaptive Sequential Monte Carlo
Authors: Yu Kaixian , Cui Zihan , Sui Xin , Qiu Xing , Zhang Jinfeng 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Bayesian networks (BNs) provide a probabilistic, graphical framework for modeling high-dimensional joint distributions with complex correlation structures. BNs have wide applications in many disciplines, including biology, social science, finance and biomedical science. Despite extensive studies in the past, network structure learning from data is still a challenging open question in BN research. In this study, we present a sequential Monte Carlo (SMC)-based three-stage approach, GRowth-based Approach with Staged Pruning (GRASP). A double filtering strategy was first used for discovering the overall skeleton of the target BN. To search for the optimal network structures we designed an adaptive SMC (adSMC) algorithm to increase the quality and diversity of sampled networks which were further improved by a third stage to reclaim edges missed in the skeleton discovery step. GRASP gave very satisfactory results when tested on benchmark networks. Finally, BN structure learning using multiple types of genomics data illustrates GRASP’s potential in discovering novel biological relationships in integrative genomic studies.
High Central Venous Pressure and Right Ventricle Size are Related to Increased Stroke Volume to Negative Fluid Balance in Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Hua Zhao , Wang Xiaoting , Dawei Liu , Xin Ding 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
BackgroundThis study aimed to determine whether a negative fluid balance can increase stroke volume (SV) and the relationship between changes in hemodynamics variables.MethodsThis prospective study included patients with high central venous pressure (CVP) (≥8 mmHg) treated in the Critical Medicine Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Patients were classified into two groups based on their right to left ventricle diastolic dimension (RVD/LVD) ratio using a cutoff value of 0.6. The hemodynamic and echo parameters of the two groups were recorded at baseline and after negative fluid balance. ResultsThis study included 71 patients: 35 in Group 1 (RVD/LVD≥ 0.6) and 36 in Group 2 (RVD/LVD <0.6). Of all patients, 56.3% showed increased SV after negative fluid balance. Cox logistic regression analysis suggested that a high CVP and RVD/LVD ratio were significant independent risk factors for SV increase after negative fluid balance in critically patients without underlying cardiac disease. The AUC of CVP was 0.894. A CVP> 10.5 mmHg provided a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 77.4%. The AUC of CVP combined with the RVD/LVD ratio was 0.926 ,which provided a sensitivity of 92.6% and a specificity of 80.4%. ConclusionHigh CVP and RVD/LVD ratio were identified as independent risk factors for RV volume overload in critically patients without underlying cardiac disease. A reduced intravascular volume may increase SV for these patients.
Newcastle Disease Virus Expressing an Angiogenic Inhibitor Exerts an Enhanced Therapeutic Efficacy in Colon Cancer Model
Authors: Meng Fanrui , Cao Yukai , Su Han , Tian Limin , Yang Jiarui , Xiao Wei , Li Deshan 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Numerous studies demonstrate that the NDV-mediated gene therapy is a promising new approach for treatment of cancer. VEGF-Trap plays a vital role in anti-angiogenesis. Therefore, we hypothesize that a recombinant NDV (rNDV) expressing VEGF-Trap would be an ideal agent for the colon cancer therapy. In this study, VEGF-Trap gene was incorporated into the genome of rNDV (named rNDV-VEGF-Trap). rNDV-VEGF-Trap reduced cell growth ratio by 85.37% and migration ratio by 87.9% in EA.hy926 cells. In vivo studies, treatment with rNDV-VEGF-Trap reduced tumor volume of CT26-bearing mice by more than 3 folds and tumor weight by more than 4 folds. Immunohistochemistry analysis of CD34 showed rNDV-VEGF-Trap significantly decreased the number of vascular endothelial cells in the tumor tissues of the tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, Western blot analysis demonstrated that treatment with rNDV-VEGF-Trap significantly decreased the phosphorylation levels of AKT, ERK1/2 and STAT3 and increased the expression levels of P53, BAX and cleaved caspase-3 in the tumor tissue. In addition, to evaluate the toxicity of VEGF-Trap, serum chemistries were analyzed. The results showed that rNDV-VEGF-Trap caused insignificant changes of creatinine levels, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). Futhermore, administration of rNDV-VEGF-Trap did not cause the diarrhoea，decreased appetite, weight decrease and haemorrhage of the experimental mice. These data suggest that rNDV-VEGF-Trap exhibits an enhanced inhibition of CT26-bearing mice by enhancing anti-angiogenesis and apoptosis. rNDV-VEGF-Trap is a potential candidate for carcinoma therapy especially for colon cancer.
Marginal Transplantation Dose Study for the Treatment of Insulin-independent Type 1 Diabetes After Allogeneic Islet Transplantation in Macaca Fascicularis Monkeys
Authors: Kim Geun Soo , Cho Chan Woo , Lee Jong Hyun , Shin Du Yeon , Lee Han Sin , Lee Kyo Won , Yang Heung-Mo , Kim Sung Joo , Park Jae Berm 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Many groups are working to improve the results of clinical allogeneic islet transplantation in a primate model. However, few studies have focused on the optimal islet dose for achieving normal glycemia without exogenous insulin after transplantation in primate models or on the relationship between rejection and islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) expression. We evaluated the dose (group 1/10,000, group 2/20,000, and group 3/>25,000 islet equivalents (IEQ)/kg) needed to achieve normal glycemia without exogenous insulin after transplantation using eleven cynomolgus monkeys, and we analyzed the characteristics exhibited in the islets after transplantation. Group 1 (n2) failed to control blood glucose level, despite injection with the highest dose of exogenous insulin, and group 2 (n5) achieved unstable control, with a high insulin requirement. However, group 3 (n4) achieved normal glycemia without exogenous insulin and maintained it for more than 60 days. Immunohistochemistry results from staining islets found in liver biopsies indicated that as the number of transplanted islets decreased, the amount of IAPP accumulation within the islets increased, which accelerated immune cell infiltration. In conclusion, the marginal transplantation dose for achieving a normal glycemia without exogenous insulin in our cynomolgus monkey model was >25,000 IEQ/kg, and the accumulation of IAPP early after transplantation, which depends on the transplanted islet dose, can be considered one factor in rejection.
The Effects of Caffeine and Pre-Workout Multi-Ingredient Performance Supplement on Reactive Agility and Countermovement Jump Height
Authors: Kaczka Piotr , Kubicka Katarzyna , Batra Amit , Maciejczyk Marcin , Jastrząb Rafał , Kopera Edyta , Bira Justyna , Zakliczyńska Halina , Zając Tomasz 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this investigation was to examine the acute effects of a commercially available multi-ingredient performance supplement (MIPS) in comparison to caffeine, on reactive agility and jump height, in recreationally-trained handball male players. MethodsThe study followed a randomized double-blind, crossover design. Twenty-four individuals were treated with placebo, caffeine or multi-ingredient performance supplement (MIPS). Dosage of caffeine in caffeine supplement and MIPS contain the same amounts of caffeine for each subject (5 mg/kg) . All subjects attended a familiarization session 1 week before testing. Participants underwent reactive agility test (Y-test: 1-1-2 test) on three separate days with 72 h apart between test days. Just after accomplishing of each repetition of reactive agility tests participants were asked to perform countermovement jump (CMJ; 2 repetitions separated by one minute break) to establish the average height of jump, that is directly related to lower body power. To assess the significance of differences between the groups studied, Friedmann ANOVA test was used, the chi-square value (χ2) calculated and the p value of statistical significance estimated. ResultsThe research indicated significant inter-group differences in 1-1-2 agility test (p=0.04). The time was significantly shorter for MIPS supplement group in comparison to placebo (-3.4%; p=0.02) and to caffeine (-2.8%; p=0.004) group. Significant improvements (p<0.01) were observed in jump height for MIPS supplement group in comparison to placebo (+5.2%; p=0.001) and caffeine (+5.1%; p=0.001) groups, but not in caffeine to placebo comparison (p=0.84). ConclusionsThe results of these study may contribute to the assessment of the usefulness of multi-ingredient performance type supplementation in comparison to the ingestion of identical amounts of caffeine only in enhancing reactive agility and jump performance.
SEM-EDX Analysis of Heavy Metals in Anal Papillae of Hydropsyche Angustipennis Larvae (Trichoptera, Insecta) as a Support for Water Quality Assessment
Authors: Tszydel Mariusz , Błońska Dagmara , Jóźwiak Piotr , Jóźwiak Małgorzata 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Anal papillae of caddisflies are peripheral organs responsible for osmoregulation and detoxification. Investigation of morphological abnormalities in the anal papillae of Hydropsyche angustipennis enriched with using SEM-EDX analysis (scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis), was used to assess heavy metal pollution levels in urban streams receiving surface runoff. Heavy metal ions not previously detected in water and tissue samples were detected using SEM-EDX method. Morphological irregularities were most frequently observed in larvae from the most contaminated streams. Heavy metals were almost 10 times more concentrated in darkened papillae than in pale, normal-shaped papillae. The present study confirms that SEM-EDX microscopy is an effective method as a support of standard heavy metal bioassays, especially if there is a necessity to detect trace elements in very low concentrations or incidental appearance of some ions in the water.
Post-Traumatic Exogenous Endophthalmitis Caused By Nocardia Farcinica
Authors: Burdová Marie Česká , Donátová Kateřina , Mahelková Gabriela , Chrenková Vanda , Dotřelová Dagmar 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
A case report of post-traumatic exogenous endophthalmitis caused by Nocardia farcinica, including treatment procedures, microbiology examination, and systemic medications. A 23-year-old male suffered a penetrating corneal injury that was treated with sutures. The sutures were individually removed during the 4th and 5th months after surgery. On the thirteenth day after the final suture was removed, an anterior uveitis developed and progressed to whitish, plump, nodular, and tufted exudates within the anterior chamber over the next 10 days; this led to an indication for intraocular surgery. Anterior chamber lavage and resection of solid fibrinous exudates (using a vitrectomy knife) for a complete microbiological examination were performed. Nocardia farcinica was identified. Systemic medications were chosen according to sensitivity, and a fixed combination of sulfamethoxazole 400 mg/trimethoprim 80 mg was administered long-term (months). After a complicated course, the final visual acuity was 0.5. In this case, accurate, early detection of an atypical infectious agent and determination of its sensitivity to antibiotic treatment enabled effective treatment that achieved the best functional and anatomical results under the circumstances.
Dietary Calcium Intake and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Loma District, South West Ethiopia, 2020
Authors: Tofu Adisu Hailu , Kassa Yibeltal , Amamo Damene Darota 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: Low dietary calcium intakes could cause harmful effects to the pregnant woman by influencing pregnancy outcome. Adequate intake of dietary calcium during pregnancy reduces the risk of complications and aids in improved birth outcome. Many researchers focus on urban areas to address the issue and our study was focused on rural community. Hence the study is aimed at assessing dietary calcium intake in rural communities.Objective: To assess the dietary calcium intakes and associated factors among pregnant women in Loma, south west Ethiopia from May to July, 2019Methods: -A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Loma district, Dawuro zone, southwest Ethiopia. Data were collected from 398 pregnant women after random selection from nine kebeles. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select study subjects. Socio-economic and demographic, and health related data was collected using structured, interviewer administered, and pre tested questionnaire. The 24 hr dietary recall was used for three different days with seven days interval as per the recommendation. When dietary data is collected, often it was converted into nutrients, especially the calcium intake by using Ethiopian food composition table. Collected data was checked for completeness, and entered in to Epi Data version 3.02 for data clearance and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. AOR with 95% C.I results of multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the statistical significance of associations between independent and dependent variables. The level of statistical significance was declared at p <0.05.Result: The median calcium intake was 543mg per day. From 398 participants, 265(66.6%) were at risk of inadequate intake of calcium. Greater than half 249 (62.6%) respondents had practiced avoiding calcium rich food during their pregnancy. The finding of this study identified that nutritional counseling have strong statistical association with dietary calcium intake of mothers during pregnancy. The chance of dietary calcium intakes during pregnancy who were received nutritional counseling 2.4 times higher than those who were not received nutritional counseling (AOR=2.432 95% CI: 1.072-5.517).Conclusion and recommendation: From the present study, it can be concluded that, majority of pregnant mothers 265(66.6%) had a poor dietary calcium intakes during their pregnancy. It is recommended that consumption of enough calcium and dairy products should be included and emphasized in the nutrition education component of maternal health programs.
Prediction of GOLD Stage in Patients Hospitalized with COPD Exacerbations with Blood Neutrophils and Demographic Parameters as Risk Factors
Authors: Chen Jing , Liquan Guo , Daxi Xiong , Qun Yuan , Zhao Yang 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background

Patients hospitalized with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are unable to complete the pulmonary function test reliably due to poor health status. Creating an easy-to-use instrument to identify the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage could offer valuable information that assist clinicians to choose appropriate clinical care to decrease the mortality in these patients. The objective of this study was to develop a prediction model to identify the GOLD stage in the hospitalized exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) patients.
Methods

This study involved 155 patients hospitalized for ECOPD. All participants completed lung function tests and the collection of blood neutrophils and demographic parameters. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to confirm the disease severity predictive ability of blood neutrophils and demographic parameters. A support vector regression (SVR) based GOLD stage prediction model was created in the training set (75%) and applied to the testing set (25%).
Results

The percentage of neutrophils (NEU%) combined with the demographic parameters was associated with a higher risk to severe episode of ECOPD. The area under the ROC curve was 0.84. The prediction model could predict the GOLD stage with acceptable prediction accuracy. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the forced expiratory volume in one second as the percentage of the predicted (FEV1%pred) was 8.84%. The accuracy of the GOLD stage prediction was 90.24%.
Conclusions

The NEU% and demographic parameters are associated with the pulmonary function of the hospitalized ECOPD patients. The established prediction model could assist clinicians to diagnose GOLD stage and establish appropriate clinical care.
Assessment and Documentation of Indigenous and Introduced Soil and Water Conservation Measures in Some Parts of Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Kanito Dawit , Bekele Tsegaye , Dawit Tesfaye , T/yohannes Seyfu 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
BackgroundIn Ethiopia, soil and water conservation activities were started after the famines of 1973 and 1985. Following this, different conservation measures were implemented by the government, non-government organizations, and the community to facilitate the optimum level of production from a given area of land while keeping soil loss below a critical value. This study was conducted at Wolaita, Hadiya, Kambata Tambaro, and Dawro Zones of Southern Ethiopia. It was designed to identify indigenous and introduced soil and water conservation practices, measure and describe identified practices, and document the identified practice for further reference. ResultsThe result revealed that three types of soil and water conservation practices namely biological, physical, and agronomical were implementing in the study areas. The result from the technical evaluation showed that soil bund and fanya juu has channel depth and embankment height lower than the recommended dimension. The result also indicated that less attention was given to indigenous soil and water conservation practices. Besides, the sustainability gap in constructed conservation practices was widely perceived.ConclusionsFarmers in the study area are well acquainted with soil erosion, its cause, and consequent reduction in land productivity. They confirm that implementing SWC measures are insurance to sustain and boost soil fertility and land productivity. In southern Ethiopia government and peoples were invested much more time, money, knowledge, and manpower to construct SWC measures. But, year by year structures get damage and yet seem not substantial to achieve the sector of sustainable agriculture. Besides, the study revealed that identified practices such as traditional cutoff drain, fanya juu, soil bund, stone-faced soil bund, fanya juu, brushwood, and gabion check-dams have technical, social, and institutional difficulties. The major gap observed with indigenous conservation practices is, it had been taken less attention by different stakeholders including GOs, NGOs, and research institutes. As a result, their respective dimension was not modified, effective measures were not up-scaled and circulated to other areas having similar agroecology and farming system. Thus, apparently, traditional conservation measures are aggravating soil erosion and their construction did not consider the downstream effect on dwelling community, water bodies, and aquatic lives.
Clinical characteristics and outcome of IgG4-related disease with hypocomplementemia: a prospective cohort study
Authors: peng linyi , Lu Hui , Zhou Jiaxin , Zhang Panpan , Li Jieqiong , Liu Zheng , Wu Di , Zhang Shangzhu , Yang Yunjiao , Bai Wei , Wang Li , Fei Yunyun , Zhang Wen , Zhao Yan , Zeng Xiaofeng , Zhang Fengchun 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background
Immunoglobulin G4 related disease (IgG4-RD) is a newly recognized systemic, immune-mediated and fibro-inflammatory disease. Hypocomplementemia was found in part of IgG4-RD patients especially in the setting of active disease.
Objectives
This study aimed to clarify the clinical features, treatment efficacy and outcome in IgG4-RD patients with hypocomplementemia.
Methods
312 IgG4-RD patients were recruited in our prospective cohort conducted in Peking union medical college hospital. Patient’s demographic data, clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters, treatment and outcome were analyzed.
Results
Hypocomplementemia was identified in 65(20.8%) cases of untreated IgG4-RD patients at baseline. The average age of hypocomplementemia group was 55.85±10.89 years, with male predominance (72.3%). Compared with normal complement group, patients with hypocomplementemia were likely to have more involved organs,higher IgG4-RD responder index (IgG4-RD RI), higher laboratory parameters such as counts of eosinophils, inflammatory markers༌immunoglobulin G(IgG), IgG1, IgG3, IgG4 and IgE. In addition, lymph nodes, lacrimal gland༌submandibular gland༌parotid gland༌paranasal sinus༌bile ducts and prostate gland were more commonly affected(p < 0.05). Serum C3 and C4 were negatively correlated with the number of involved organs, IgG4-RD RI, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), IgG, IgG1, IgG3 and IgG4. 64(98.5%) patients responded quickly to initial therapy at 3-month follow-up. Fifteen (23.1%) patients relapsed during follow-up with mean recurrence time of 14.2±13.8 months. Compared with normal complement group, there was no significant difference of relapse rate in two groups (P = 0.7559).
Conclusions
Clinical characteristics of IgG4-related disease with hypocomplementemia differs from normal complement group.Serum C3 and C4 at baseline before treatment could be biological markers for disease activity. IgG4-RD with hypocomplementemia responded well to treatment and had no significant difference of relapse rate in IgG4-RD with normal complement.