bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rapidly progressive amnestic syndrome with psychiatric and autonomic features: extending the spectrum of GFAP-astrocytopathies and autoimmune dementias?
Authors: Friedrich Maximilian , Hartig Johannes , Prüß Harald , Ip Chi Wang , Volkmann Jens 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Objective Autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein astrocytopathy (GFAP-A) is a steroid-responsive meningoencephalomyelitis, sometimes presenting with atypical clinical signs such as movement disorders or psychiatric and autonomic features. Diagnosis relies on clinical presentation, detection of GFAP autoantibodies in CSF as well as ancillary MRI biomarkers. We aimed to characterize two patients seropositive for GFAP antibodies in CSF presenting with a highly atypical clinical picture of isolated neurocognitive and autonomic features resembling neurodegenerative dementia in absence of cranial MRI abnormalities.Methods Semiquantitative, clinicoradiological, serologic and immunohistochemical analysis of two cases with longitudinal observation over a time course of 18–24 months.Results Both patients had rapidly progressive amnestic syndromes in absence of other focal neurologic signs. Cranial MRI was grossly unremarkable while functional neuroimaging showed cortical and subcortical metabolic changes. Tissue-based assays (TBA) of CSF confirmed GFAP-specific astrocytic binding patterns in rat corpus callosum and hippocampus in both cases. Incomplete steroid response prompted therapy escalation to B-cell depletion, which improved or stabilized disease courses over the observation time.Conclusions These cases suggest that rapidly progressive amnestic syndromes with psychiatric and autonomic features may be a novel phenotype of GFAP astrocytopathy as well as a potentially underrecognized mimic of neurodegenerative dementia amenable to immunomodulation. We recommend including GFAP-AB screening using TBA in the work-up of rapidly progressive dementias especially when autoimmune etiologies are suspected.
The Effects of Cancer Survivor Support Service on Distress in South Korea: A Nationwide Prospective Pilot Study
Authors: Lee Hyun Jeong , Kim Young Ae , Ryu Seong Yeob , Chun Mison , Yim Chang-Yeol , Kang Hee-Taik , Kang Jung Hun , Huh Jung-Sik , Kim Jong-Heun , Lim Kyu-Hyoung , Jung So Youn , Kwon Hyoung-Cheol , Goh Eurah , Lee Yeon-Seung , Ju Hee Young , Yun E Hwa , Chang Yoon Jung 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background: To investigate the characteristics of cancer survivors and the effects of the services of the Korean Cancer Survivorship Center Pilot Project launched by the South Korean government on distress.Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was performed in cancer survivors who completed primary treatment. Cancer survivors’ distress and symptoms such as fatigue, pain, depressive mood, anxiety, and insomnia were evaluated by well-trained nurses. Regarding to their needs, medical and psychosocial support services were provided. Results: This study included 1,921 cancer survivors, with a mean age of 57.3 years (68.7% females). The breast cancer was most common, followed by stomach and colorectal cancer. Psychosocial and medical support decreased the percentage of the high-distress group from 50.9% to 30.5% and decreased the percentage of cancer survivors with high scores in fatigue, pain, anxiety, depressive mood, and insomnia. The independent predictors of a low distress level after the use of the services were older age, the relief of fatigue, pain, and insomnia.Conclusions: This study showed that psychosocial and medical support is associated with the lower distress and physical and mental symptoms of cancer survivors. Psychosocial and medical support could contribute to distress relief in cancer survivors. Further management strategies for fatigue, pain, and insomnia are required.
Challenges in implementation of Competency Based Medical Education – A Cross Sectional survey among medical faculty in India
Authors: kandasamy sangeetha , Catherine A.Precilla , Gopalakrishnan Shivkumar 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background. In India, Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) is gaining foothold to transform the medical student into a doctor fulfilling community and societal needs. With that end in view the teaching faculty are getting sensitized and trained by the National Faculty Development Program (FDP). Objectives. To assess the awareness about FDP among teaching faculty in medical colleges. To study the attitude & perceived barriers to implementation of CBME. Methods. This questionnaire based multicentric cross sectional study was conducted among teaching faculties in Indian medical institutes. Electronic media [Google forms] was used to disseminate the questionaire. Attitudinal and perceptional differences were internally compared among the faculties.Results. Among 251 participants 90.2% faculties from private institutes had undergone FDP significantly more than those from Government sector (p=0.008). We observed that 92.4% were aware, 80.2 % had undergone Curriculum Implementation Support Program (CISP) and 95.2% did agree that CBME will improve the medical education system.Major challenges perceived were high student to faculty ratio (67.7%), ill developed infrastructure (41.4%) and difficulties in assessment (41.1%). The popular solutions suggested were to increase faculty strength (73.7%), improve infrastructure (69.3%), extra remuneration (35.9 %) and increase administrative support (30.7%). There were significant difference of opinions between teaching faculty of government and private sector (p=0.017).Conclusion. Most of the medical faculty are aware of the need and have acquired a positive attitude to enforcement of CBME. However significant barriers do exist in the form of manpower and resources which need to be addressed.
Enhance embodiment of a virtual prosthesis through a training protocol using an EMG-based human-machine interface: a case series
Authors: Rodrigues Karina Aparecida , Moreira João Vitor da Silva , Pinheiro Daniel José Lins Leal , Dantas Rodrigo Lantyer Marques , Santos Thaís Cardoso , Nepomuceno João Luiz Vieira , Nogueira Maria Angélica Ratier Jajah , Cavalheiro Esper , Faber Jean 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background: The embodiment of a prosthesis can bring a series of benefits during the rehabilitation of people with amputation, such as improvement of motor control and sense of agency, in addition to optimizing the training process with the prosthetic limb. New therapeutic strategies capable of enhancing prosthesis embodiment are, therefore, a key point for better adaptation to and acceptance of prosthesis use. In this study, we developed a system and a new rehabilitation protocol using an EMG-based human-machine interface (HMI) to induce and enhance the embodiment of a virtual prosthesis.Methods: This is a case series with seven people of both sexes with unilateral transfemoral traumatic amputation without previous use of prostheses. Participants performed a training protocol with the EMG-based HMI during the preprosthetic rehabilitation phase, composed of six sessions held twice a week, each lasting thirty minutes. This system was composed of myoelectric control of the movements of a virtual prosthesis immersed in a 3D virtual environment. Additionally, vibrotactile stimuli were provided on the participant’s back corresponding to the movements performed. The objectives were to evaluate the virtual prosthesis embodiment, to investigate motor learning during training with EMG-based HMI, and to determine whether vibrotactile stimuli could facilitate the perception of virtual limb movements. The embodiment was investigated from a set of physiological and behavioral measurements and reports before and after the training. Motor learning was assessed through performance analysis. To investigate the use of vibrotactile stimulation to guide virtual prosthesis movements, the performance was assessed during the virtual prosthesis control test without adding vision.Results and conclusions: The different features evaluated throughout the protocol training consistently showed the induction and enhancement of virtual prosthesis embodiment and increased motor control. Therefore, this protocol using EMG-based HMI was shown to be a viable option to achieve the embodiment of a virtual prosthetic limb and to train motor control. Furthermore, the participants were able to guide the prosthesis based on vibrotactile stimuli, showing that this method can be used as an alternative sensorial path to be implemented in new therapeutic strategies and neuroprostheses to facilitate the movement perception of a prosthetic limb.
COVID-19 Versus Applied Infection Control Policies in a Major Transplant Center in Iran
Authors: Shafiekhani Mojtaba , Niknam Tahmooress , Tara Seied Ahmad , Mardani Parviz , Jahromi Khatereh Mirzad , Jafarian Sedigheh , Arabsheybani Sara , Negahban Halimeh , Hamzehnejadi Majid , Zare Zahra , Ghalini Khadijeh Ghaedi , Ghasemnezhad Ali , Akbari Mahmoud , Shahriarirad Reza , Malek‐Hosseini Seyed Ali 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
With the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, evaluating the incidence of infection in major health centers and assessing the employed protocols is necessary for the management of the disease.
Aim
Since Shiraz Transplant Center is one of the major transplant centers in Iran and the Middle East, this study was conducted to evaluate outcomes of the applied policies on COVID-19 disease detection and management.
Methods
During 4 months from March to June, patient's data diagnosed with the impression of COVID-19 were extracted and evaluated based on demographic and clinical features, along with the length of hospital stay and expenses.
Findings:
Our data demonstrated that a total of 190 individuals, with a median age of 58, were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the mentioned period. Among these, 21 patients had a positive PCR test and 56 patients had clinical symptoms in favor of COVID-19. Also, 113 (59%) patients were classified as mild based on clinical evidence and were treated on an outpatient basis. Furthermore, 81 out of 450 cases (18%) of the healthcare workers at our center had either PCR of clinical features in favor of COVID-19. The mortality rate of our study was 11% and diabetes mellitus, hypertension were considered risk factors for obtaining COVID-19 infection
Conclusion
Based on the reported data, our transplant center was able to provide early detection for COVID-19 and apply necessary treatment and prevention protocols to safeguard the patients under its coverage.
Lactococcus lactis Administration Modulates IgE and IL-4 Production and Promotes Enterobacteria Growth in the Gut from Ethanol-Intake Mice
Authors: Athayde Letícia Antunes , de Aguiar Sarah Leão Fiorini , Miranda Mariana Camila Gonçalves , Brito Ronize Viviane Jorge , de Faria Ana Maria Caetano , Nobre Sergio Avelino Mota , Andrade Mariléia Chaves 
Published: July 2021

Background:It is well known that alcohol can trigger inflammatory effects in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), interfering with mucosal homeostasis.Objective:This study evaluated the effectiveness of Lactococcus lactis treatment in controlling the increase in molecular biomarkers related to allergic inflammation and the effect on the diversity and abundance of the Enterobacteriaceae family in the GIT after high-dose acute administration of ethanol.Methods:Mice received ethanol or saline solution by gavage for four consecutive days, and 24 h after the last administration, the animals were given L. lactis or M17 broth orally ad libitum for two consecutive days. The animals were subsequently sacrificed and dissected.Results:L. lactis treatment was able to restore basal levels of secretory immunoglobulin A in the gastric mucosa, serum total immunoglobulin E, interleukin (IL)-4 production in gastric and intestinal tissues, and IL-10 levels in gastric tissue. L. lactis treatment encouraged the diversification of the Enterobacteriaceae population, particularly the commensal species, in the GIT.Conclusion:This research opens a field of studies regarding the modulatory effect of L. lactis on immunological and microbial changes induced after alcohol intake.
γ-AApeptides as a New Class of Peptidomimetics: Design, Synthesis, and Applications
Authors: Su Ma , Zhu Yifan , Wang Wei , Liu Feng , Li Huanqiu 
Published: July 2021

:
Peptidomimetics are studied for medicinal application because of their ability to mimic
hierarchical structures of peptides and proteins. To break the limitation and expand the peptidomimetics
family, a new class of peptidomimetics based on peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) backbone
- “γ-AApeptides” was developed. Compared with previous peptidomimetics, γ-AApeptides
possess prominent advantages such as resistance to proteolytic degradation, enhanced chemodiversity,
good selectivity and outstanding bioactivity. The synthesis of γ-AApeptides is carried out using
a ‘‘monomer building block’’ strategy which is facile and efficient.

:
γ-AApeptides are able to mimic primary and secondary structures of therapeutic peptides, which
make them promising candidates for molecular probes and potential drug leads. In the past decade,
several interesting structures and applications of γ-AApeptides have been developed by different
approaches such as structure-based design, combinatorial library screening, and peptides selfassembly
and folding. By following the mechanism of host-defense peptides (HDPs), antibiotic γ-
AApeptides showed broad-spectrum activity. At the same time, γ-AApeptides can be used for combinatorial
library screening because of their structural stability and their chemodiversity. Anticancer
agents, anti-T2DM (Type 2 diabetes mellitus) agents, anti-HIV (human immuno-deficiency
virus) agents and anti-Alzheimer’s disease agents were developed by combinatorial screening and
rational design. Furthermore, γ-AApeptides as biopolymers, nanomaterials, supramolecular structures
and self-assembly architectures were studied due to their unique backbone structures. Therefore,
γ-AApeptides may play an important role in the development of peptidomimetics.
Oxyprenylated Secondary Metabolites as Modulators of Lipid and Sugar
Metabolism
Authors: Fiorito Serena , Epifano Francesco , Marchetti Lorenzo , Palumbo Lucia , Orhan Ilkay Erdogan , Sharifi-Rad Majid , Genovese Salvatore 
Published: July 2021

:
O-Prenylcoumarins (3,3-dimethylallyl, geranyl-, farnesyl- and related biosynthetic derivatives)
represent a class of rarely occurring natural compounds. Most of these secondary metabolites
have been obtained from plant species belonging to the Rutaceae, Apiaceae, and Fabaceae families,
and from fungi, and bacteria. In the last two decades, prenyloxycoumarins have been found to
possess great potential in terms of pharmacological activities. The aim of this comprehensive review
is to make a survey of the so far reported literature citations about these valuable phytochemicals
and structurally related compounds about their modulatory properties of lipid and sugar
metabolism. Literature data have been acquired from the main Internet database. Several oxyprenylated
secondary metabolites have been surveyed. Among these, prenyloxycoumarins represented
the main group displaying valuable effects as modulators of lipid and sugar metabolism. The title
phytochemicals have been found in common fruits and vegetables already known to have beneficial
effects, thus enforcing the nutraceutical role of these food plants. All compounds outlined in
the present review article have a great potential in future for the prevention and management of
acute and chronic metabolic disorders.
Identifying Critical States of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Single- Sample Dynamic Network Biomarkers Combined with Simulated Annealing Algorithm
Authors: Zhao Hongqian , Gao Jie , Sun Yichen , Wang Yujie , Guan Tianhao , Zhou Gang 
Published: July 2021

Background:
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors.
Due to the insidious onset and poor prognosis, most patients have reached the advanced stage at
the time of diagnosis.

Objective:
Studies have shown that Dynamic Network Biomarkers (DNB) can effectively identify the
critical state of complex diseases such as HCC from normal state to disease state. Therefore, it is very
important to detect DNB efficiently and reliably.

Methods:
This paper selects a dataset containing eight HCC disease states. First, an individual-specific
network is constructed for each sample and features are extracted. In the context of this network, a simulated
annealing algorithm is used to search for potential dynamic network biomarker modules, and the
evolution of HCC is determined.

Results:
In fact, in the period of Low-Grade Dysplasia (LGD) and High-Grade Dysplasia (HGD), DNB
sends an indicative warning signal, which means that liver dysplasia is a very important critical state in
the development of HCC disease. Compared with landscape dynamic network biomarkers method (LDNB),
our method can not only describe the statistical characteristics of each disease state, but also
yield better results including getting more DNBs enriched in HCC related pathways.

Conclusion:
The results of this study may be of great significance to the prevention and early diagnosis
of HCC.
Recognition of CRISPR Off-Target Cleavage Sites with SeqGAN
Authors: Li Wen , Wang Xiao-Bo , Xu Yan 
Published: July 2021

Background:
The CRISPR system can quickly achieve the editing of different gene loci by
changing a small sequence on a single guide RNA. But the off-target event limits the further development
of the CRISPR system. How to improve the efficiency and specificity of this technology and minimize
the risk of off-target have always been a challenge. For genome-wide CRISPR Off-Target Cleavage
Sites (OTS) prediction, an important issue is data imbalance, that is, the number of true OTS identified
is much less than that of all possible nucleotide mismatch loci.

Method:
In this work, based on the sequence-generating adversarial network (SeqGAN), positive offtarget
sequences were generated to amplify the off-target gene locus OTS dataset of Cpf1. Then we
trained the data by a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to obtain a predictor with stronger
generalization ability and better performance.

Results:
In 10-fold cross-validation, the AUC value of the CNN classifier after SeqGAN balance was
0.941, which was higher than that of the original 0.863 and over-sampling 0.929. In independence testing,
the AUC value of the CNN classifier after SeqGAN balance was 0.841, which was higher than that
of the original 0.833 and over-sampling 0.836. The PR value was 0.722 after SeqGAN, which was also
about higher 0.16 than the original data and higher about 0.03 than over-sampling.

Conclusion:
The sequence generation antagonistic network SeqGAN was firstly used to deal with data
imbalance processing on CRISPR data. All the results showed that the SeqGAN can effectively generate
positive data for CRISPR off-target sites.
Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Therapy in Improving Long-Term Survival of Patients with
Resectable Rectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Xinlong , Li Xiangyuan , Fu Rongrong , Ng Derry , Yang Tong , Zhang Yu , Zhang Mengting , Shi Yetan , Gu Yixuan , Lv Chenhui , Chen Gang 
Published: July 2021

Background:
The impact of neoadjuvant therapy on long-term prognosis of patients with resectable rectal
cancer is currently unknown.

Objective:
This study aimed to explore the long-term prognosis of patients with resectable rectal cancer following
treatment with neoadjuvant therapy.

Methods:
Four major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane library) were searched to identify relevant
articles published between January 2000 and July 2020. The main outcome indicators were the 5-year Overall
Survival (OS) and Disease-Free Survival (DFS).

Results:
The meta-analysis revealed that 5-year OS (HR: 0.88, 95% Cl: 0.83-0.93) and DFS (HR: 0.95, 95% Cl: 0.91-
0.98) were higher in patients with resectable rectal cancer after receiving neoadjuvant therapy than those treated with
upfront surgery. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the long-term survival of patients in Asia and Europe could
benefit from neoadjuvant therapy. The neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy
(CRT) improved the 5-year OS and DFS of patients with stage II-III rectal cancer and mid/low rectal
cancer. Further research found that patients with stage II only had an increase in OS, while patients with stage Ⅲ have
improved 5-year OS and DFS.

Conclusion:
Neoadjuvant therapy improved the long-term survival of patients with mid/low rectal cancer in stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ
(especially stage Ⅲ). Additionally, patients in Asia and Europe seemed to be more likely to benefit from neoadjuvant
therapy. For the treatment, we recommend neoadjuvant SCRT and neoadjuvant CRT for resectable rectal cancer.
Anticancer Effects of Cinnamaldehyde Through Inhibition of ErbB2/HSF1/LDHA Pathway in 5637 Cell Line of Bladder Cancer
Authors: Aminzadeh Zeynab , Ziamajidi Nasrin , Abbasalipourkabir Roghayeh 
Published: July 2021

Background:The growing prevalence of bladder cancer worldwide has become a major concern for researchers, and the side effects of chemotherapy drugs have always been a major problem in cancer treatment. Cinnamaldehyde, the active ingredient in the Cinnamon plant, has long been considered with anti-oxidant and antiinflammatory effects.Methods:Bladder cancer 5637 cell lines were treated with the different concentrations of Cinnamaldehyde. MTT assay was performed to evaluate cell viability at 24, 48, and 72 hours. The concentration of 0.02, 0.04, and 0.08 mg/ml of Cinnamaldehyde was selected. Apoptosis was assessed with Annexin V-FITC/PI and Hochest33258 staining. Cell migration was performed by the scratch test. To evaluate Cinnamaldehyde effect on glycolysis, the gene expression of epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ErbB2), Heat Shock Protein Transcription Factor-1 (HSF1) and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), as well as the protein levels of HSF1 and LDHA, LDH activity and finally glucose consumption and lactate production, were measured.Results:Cinnamaldehyde significantly increased apoptosis rate in the 5637 cells (p<0.05). Furthermore, it significantly reduced the gene expression of ErbB2, HSF1, and LDHA, protein level of HSF1 and LDHA, LDH activity, as well as cell migration, glucose consumption, and lactate production (p<0.05). These changes were dose-dependent.Conclusion:Thus, Cinnamaldehyde induced apoptosis and decreased growth in 5637 cells by reducing ErbB2-HSF1- LDHA pathway.