bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Primary Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor of the Mandible: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: zhou jiayu , Li Qingling , Luo Baihua , Fu Xiaodan , Ou Chunlin , Gao Xiaomei , Feng Deyun , Yang Keda 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a sporadic, highly malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. The abdomen and pelvis have been reported as the primary localization sites. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are few reports on primary DSRCT in the mandible.Case presentation: We have reported a case of a 26-year-old Chinese man who presented with a mass in the right mandible. Imaging studies showed a hypoechoic mass in the right mandibular region. Intraoperative pathology revealed that the tumor tissue was composed of small round tumor cells and a dense desmoplastic stroma. On immunostaining, the tumor cells showed markers of epithelial, mesenchymal, myogenic, and neural differentiation. The EWSR1 gene rearrangement was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Based on the overall morphological features and immunohistochemical findings, a final diagnosis of DSRCT was made. The patient was treated with comprehensive anti-tumor therapy mainly based on radiotherapy and chemotherapy.Conclusions: DSRCT is a very uncommon disease in which mandibular involvement is rare. Considering DSRCT in the differential diagnosis of small round blue cell tumors, even in extraperitoneal locations, is beneficial for a precise diagnosis. Full recognition of the clinicopathological features will help to better diagnose this disease.
Nomogram Predict Overall Survival of Patients with Thymic Epithelial Tumors After Surgery
Authors: Huang Yang-Yu , Wu Lei-Lei , Liu Xuan , Liang Shen-Hua , Ma Guo-Wei 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Hematological indicators and clinical characteristics play an important role in the evaluation of the progression and prognosis of thymic epithelial tumors. Therefore, we aimed to combine these potential indicators to establish a prognostic nomogram to determine the overall survival (OS) of patients with thymic epithelial tumors undergoing thymectomy. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 167 patients who underwent thymectomy between May 2004 and August 2015. Cox regression analysis were performed to determine the potential indicators related to prognosis and combine these indicators to create a nomogram for visual prediction. The prognostic predictive ability of the nomogram was evaluated using the consistency index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and risk stratification. Decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the net benefits of the model. Results: Preoperative albumin levels, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), T stage, and underlying diseases (with hypertension and/or diabetes) were included in the nomogram. In the training cohort, the nomogram showed a stronger prognostic predictive ability than the T staging (C index: 0.886 vs 0.725). Calibration curves for the overall survival (OS) were in good agreement with the standard lines in cohorts. The net benefit of the nomogram was higher than that of the T staging model. Conclusions: The nomogram showed better performance in predicting the prognosis and survival of this patient population than the T staging prediction model. And it has potential to identify high-risk patients at an early stage. This is a relatively novel approach for the prediction of OS in this patient population.
Evaluation Of The Parents’ Anxiety Levels Before And After The Diagnosis Of Their Child With A Rare Genetic Disease: The Necessity Of Psychological Support
Authors: Kolemen Ayse Betul , Akyuz Enes , Toprak Ali , Deveci Erdem , Yesil Gozde 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background

The diagnosis of the rare genetic disease has great importance in treating multi-systemic conditions, preventing potential complications, and estimating disease risk for family members. The duration of getting genetic test results is variable. The demand of learning the diagnosis of a possible untreatable illness is a double-edged sword between obscurity and a lifetime chronic disease. The current uncertainty of their child's condition and the long duration time of diagnosis may increase the parents' anxiety level and causes difficulties to a continuation of diagnostic procedures in some families. This study aimed to investigate the pre-diagnosis and the post-diagnosis anxiety levels of parents who have a child with a rare genetic disorder.
Results

The state anxiety levels of parents decreased significantly after learning the diagnosis. However, there was no statistically significant decrease observed in trait anxiety levels.
Conclusion

Data from this study revealed that informing parents about their child's disease and properly explaining to them expected difficulties might help to reduce their anxiety levels. Psychological support from the hospital should be provided to help them cope with the stress before and after the diagnosis. Increasing the number of samples, interviews, and psychological inventory are recommended for future studies.
Assessment of the Design Spectrum with Aggravation Factors by 2D Nonlinear Numerical Analyses: A Case Study in Gemlik Basin, Turkey
Authors: ÖZASLAN BİLAL , Iyisan Recep , Hasal Emre Murat , Khanbabazadeh Hadi , Yamanaka Hiroaki 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The response spectra of multidimensional analyses are compared with the one-dimensional (1D) local models to couple the irregular soil stratification effect in a site. In recent studies, the surface motion spectra ratios of 2D/1D or 3D/1D are defined as spectral aggravation factors for each region in a site. Particularly in alluvial basins, where the soil media is typically formed by fault ruptures or topographic depressions filled with sediments, the inclination of the rock outcrop in the edge of the basin has a considerable effect on the site response, and such effect has not yet been taken into consideration of recent seismic building codes and general engineering applications. In this study, the natural alluvial basin near the North Anatolian Fault in Gemlik, Maramara Region, Turkey, was investigated by 40 seismic site tests and 4 validation borings. The 2D and 1D nonlinear response history analyses in north-south and east-west directions of the Gemlik basin were performed by numerical model on finite difference scheme considering nonlinear elasto-plastic material behaviors and geometric discontinuities. 22 strong ground motions recorded on rock site are excited vertically as SH waves. The numerical results exhibited the narrow basin effects are derived not only by reflection, refraction, and shifting behavior but also by focusing and superposition of the seismic waves propagating from both opposite basin edges. As a result, the site-specific spectral aggravation factors, SAF2D/1D defined by the ratio between the 2D and 1D acceleration response spectra for each period and any location on the site, were proposed for the Gemlik basin. The variations of the aggravation factors were observed as increasing values to 1.2–2.2 on the near edge and basin center.
Transcription Elongation Factor A-like 7 is a Stemness-Related Prognostic Factor in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Qian Haisheng , Gao Xin , Ma Rui , Li Wenjie , Yang Zhen , Zhang Guoxin , Li Xuan 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Stemness is described as the potential for self-renewal and differentiation from the cell-of-origin. A previous study calculated the mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) based on a one-class logistic regression machine learning algorithm for describing stemness features of cancer. We aim to identify stemness-related prognostic genes in gastric cancer (GC) based on mRNAsi using bioinformatics analysis.Methods: The WGCNA analysis was performed to find the relevant gene modules to mRNAsi. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathways annotation analysis were performed on genes in blue module. The overall survival analysis, univariate Cox regression analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model were used to identify prognostic genes highly associated with survival. The multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to analysis prognostic factors. The nomogram was constructed according to the result of multivariate analysis. qPCR, Western Blot and IHC staining were appliedResults: The mRNAsi of tumors is higher than normal tissues, and there was a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the high and low mRNAsi GC groups. TCEAL7 was selected to be the key gene associated with mRNAsi and prognosis according to the result of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression. The expression level of TCEAL7 was lower in tumors than in normal tissues, but high TCEAL7 level group showed a worse OS than low TCEAL7 level group in GC. Based on the result of multivariable Cox regression analysis which including TCEAL7 and clinical characteristics, a nomogram for predicting GC 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival was established. The C-index and the AUC (Area Under Curve) of the model indicated that the model has a good discrimination ability. Additionally, the calibration curves of 3- and 5-year OS rates showed the model fits well. The experimental validation of the expression of TCEAL7 in GC and normal tissues were consistent with the above.Conclusions: In summary, we verified mRNAsi was associated with the prognosis of GC patients. And TCEAL7 was finally identified as the key gene correlated with stemness features and prognosis in GC.
Pressure Infiltration of Molten Aluminum for Densification of Environmental Barrier Coatings
Authors: Dong Lin , Liu Mei-Jun , Zhang Xiaofeng , Zhuo Xueshi , Fan Jiafeng , Yang Guan-Jun , Zhou Kesong 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) effectively protect ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) from harsh engine environment, especially steam and molten salts. However, open pores inevitably formed during deposition process provide transport channels for oxidants and corrosives and lead to premature failure of EBCs. This work proposed a pressure infiltration densification method that blocked these open pores in the coatings. Results showed that it was difficult for aluminum to infiltrate spontaneously, but with the increase of external gas pressure and internal vacuum simultaneously, the molten aluminum obviously moved forward, but finally stopped infiltrating at a depth of a specific geometry. Based on the wrinkled zigzag pore model, a mathematical relationship between the critical pressure and the infiltration depth and the pore intrinsic geometry was established. Infiltration results confirmed this relationship, indicating that for a given coating, a dense thick film can be obtained by adjusting the internal and external gas pressures to drive the melt infiltration.
Studies of the Seasonal Prediction of Heavy Late Spring Rainfall Over Southeastern China
Authors: Zhang Shouwen , Wang Hui , Jiang Hua , Ma Wentao 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The late spring rainfall may account for 15% of the annual total rainfall, which is crucial to early planting in southeastern China. A better understanding of the precipitation variations in the late spring and its predictability not only greatly increase our knowledge of related mechanisms, but it also benefits society and the economy. Four of the current models participating in the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) were selected to study their abilities to forecast the late spring rainfall over China and the major sources of this heavy rainfall from the perspective of the sea surface temperature (SST) field. We found that the models have better abilities to forecast the heavy rainfall over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River region (MLYZR) with only a 1-month lead time, but they failed for a 3-month lead time since the occurrence of the heavy rainfall was inconsistent with the observations. The observations indicate that the warm SST anomalies in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean are vital to the simultaneously heavy rainfall in the MLYZR in May, but an El Niño event is not a necessary condition for determining the heavy rainfall over the MLYZR. The heavy rainfall over the MLYZR in May is always accompanied by warming of the northeastern Indian Ocean and of the northeastern South China Sea (NSCS) from April to May in the models and observations, respectively. In the models, El Niño events may promote the warming processes over the northeastern Indian Ocean, which leads to heavy rainfall in the MLYZR. However, in the real world, El Niño events are not the main reason for the warming of the NSCS, and further research on the causes of this warming is still needed.
Stress Hormone Response to Instrumented Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery
Authors: Repo Jussi P. , Neva Marko , Häkkinen Keijo , Pekkanen Liisa , Metso Saara , Häkkinen Arja 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate stress, anabolic and catabolic hormonal levels and their association with interleukin 6 (IL-6) cytokine in patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion (LSF) surgery. Blood samples were collected preoperatively, and at 1, 3, 42 and 90 days postoperatively (POD) from 49 LSF patients with a mean (SD) age of 62 (11) years. Serum concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and IL-6 were analyzed. In women, cortisol concentration rose above baseline values despite a fall in ACTH levels. GH showed a decrease on PODs 1 and 3 whereas IGF-1 levels remained stable. In males, SHBG increased, and both testosterone and free testosterone showed a decrease during PODs 1-3. The other hormone concentrations had returned to normal by PODs 42 or 90, except for IGF-1, which remained above the baseline value on PODs 42 and 90. IL-6 correlated significantly with cortisol (p <0.001) level on POD 1. The results suggest that hypercortisolism after operative stress is caused by cytokine-induced non-ACTH-driven cortisol production or reduced cortisol breakdown suppressing the production of ACTH via feedback inhibition. Furthermore, GH levels decrease rapidly.
Plasma Membrane Effects of Sphingolipid-Synthesis Inhibition by Myriocin in CHO Cells: A Biophysical and Lipidomic Study
Authors: Monasterio Bingen G. , Jiménez-Rojo Noemi , García-Arribas Aritz B. , Riezman Howard , Goñi Félix M. , Alonso Alicia 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Two main strategies for establishing the cellular effects of a given enzyme activity suppression are (a) the use of a stably mutated cell line that lacks a functional gene, or (b) treating the wild type with an inhibitory compound that affects the same gene-product protein. In this work, myriocin was used to block the serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) enzyme of CHO cells and the subsequent biophysical changes in membranes were measured and compared with results obtained with a genetically modified CHO cell line containing a defective SPT (the LY-B cell line). Similar effects were observed with both approaches: sphingomyelin values were markedly decreased in myriocin-treated CHO cells and, in consequence, their membrane molecular order (measured as laurdan general polarization) and mechanical resistance (AFM-measured breakthrough force values) happened to be lower than in the native, non-treated cells. Cells treated with myriocin reacted homeostatically to maintain membrane order, synthesizing more fully saturated and less polyunsaturated glycerophospholipids than the non-treated ones, although they achieved it only partially, their plasma membranes remaining more fluid and less penetrable than those from the control cells.
Neuro-Oncology Clinicians’ Attitudes and Perspectives on Medical Assistance in Dying
Authors: Climans Seth Andrew , Mason Warren P , Edelstein Kim , Variath Caroline , Bell Jennifer A H 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
IntroductionMedical assistance in dying (MAiD), also known as physician-assisted death, is currently legal in several locations across the globe. Even more jurisdictions are considering legalizing MAiD. Brain cancer or its treatments can lead to cognitive impairment, which can impact decision-making capacity. In most jurisdictions patients are assessed for mental capacity to inform MAiD eligibility. We sought to explore worldwide neuro-oncology clinicians’ attitudes and perspectives on MAiD, including interpretation of decision-making capacity for patient MAiD eligibility.MethodsAn online survey was distributed to members of national and international neuro-oncology societies. We asked questions about decision-making capacity and MAiD, in part using hypothetical patient scenarios. Multiple choice and free-text responses were captured.ResultsThere were 125 survey respondents. Impaired cognition was identified as the most important factor that would signal a decline in patient capacity. At least 26% of survey respondents had moral objections to MAiD. Fewer clinicians were willing to support a MAiD decision for patients with lower-grade tumors and better performance status.Conclusionshile there are differing opinions on the moral permissibility of MAiD in general and for neuro-oncology patients, most clinicians agree that capacity must be assessed carefully before a decision is made. Further, some patients with brain tumors are not generally thought to be MAiD-eligible due to the nature of their specific diseases. These results can inform assessments of patient capacity in neuro-oncological practice in jurisdictions where MAiD is legal.
Effect and optimization of NaOH combined with Fenton pretreatment conditions on enzymatic hydrolysis of poplar sawdust
Authors: Li Fei , Lu Xiaohong , Li Yiming , Zhou Xia , Zhao Zhezhen , Liu Ping 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this study, the effects and mechanism of pretreatments of three types of chemical reagents combined with Fenton on poplar sawdust were studied and the optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis conditions was conducted using response surface methodology. The results showed that cellulase and hemicellulase had the best hydrolysis effect after NaOH-Fenton pretreatment, which were 63.73% and 29.29%, respectively. The optimal process of poplar substrate was to react in 1% NaOH at 100 ℃ for 1 h, then placed in the Fenton reaction system of 0.2 mmol Fe2+ and 25 mmol H2O2 for 7 h, and finally subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis for 72 h at 52 ℃, with a liquid-solid ratio of 33 and 15 μL/g of β-glycosidase. Under this condition, the enzymatic hydrolysis rates of cellulase and hemicellulase reached 86.65% and 43.9%, respectively. In conclusion, the combination of NaOH and Fenton pretreatment can effectively promote the enzymatic hydrolysis of poplar sawdust, which has great potential in the production of cellulosic ethanol.
Effect of a Structured Checklist on Quality of Intraoperative Change-of-shift Handoffs: A pre-post control study
Authors: Nasiri Ebrahim , Lotfi Mojgan , Mahdavinoor Seyyed Muhammad Mahdi , Rafiee Mohammad hossein 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Objective: Handoff without a structured format is prone to the omission of information and could be a potential risk to patient safety. We sought to determine the effect of a structured checklist on the quality of intraoperative change of shift handoff between scrubs and circulating.Methods: We conducted a pre-post control intervention study on operating room wards of two teaching hospitals from February to November 2020. This research was conducted in three stages as follows: assessing the current situation (as a group before the intervention), performing the intervention and evaluating the effect of using a checklist on handoff quality after the intervention in two groups: with and without checklist. We examined the quality of handoff between scrub and circular personnel in terms of handoff duration and quality, omission of information as well as changes in personnel satisfaction. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 26.Results: A total of 120 handoffs were observed and evaluated. After intervention in the group using the checklist, the percentage of information omission in surgical report was decreased from 19.5 to 12.1% between scrubs (P<0.00) and from 16.8 to 14.1% between circulating (P <0.03). Also, in the role of scrub, the mean overall score of handoff process quality was significantly higher after the intervention (x̄=7±1.5) than before it (x̄=6.5±0.9) (p<0.02). In the role of circulating, despite the positive effect of overall score checklist, no significant difference was observed (p<0.08). The use of checklist significantly increased the handoff duration between scrubs (p<0.03) and circulating (p<0.00).Conclusion: Structured checklist has a positive impact on improving the quality of communication between the surgical team, reducing the information omission rate and increasing the satisfaction.
Climate Smart Agriculture from the intensive vegetable farmers perspectival
Authors: Adusei Frank Yeboah 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) has been identified as the best way forward to contribute to mitigating climate change for enhanced agriculture. The study was conducted in Asokwa Municipal in the Ashanti region of Ghana as a case study with the following objectives; to identify existing CSA practices adopted by vegetable farmers; to evaluate existing institutions and their role in facilitating the adoption of CSA practices and to establish the likely factors that may promote or inhibit adoption of CSA practices. Purposive sampling was used to select twenty-seven participants due to restrictions on COVID-19 and limited resources. The significance of this method is that participants are selected by virtue of their capacity to provide rich-textured information relevant to the phenomenon under study. Results from the field showed that the commonly adopted CSA practices were improved crop varieties, irrigation and manure management scoring 100% each followed by crop rotation (66.7%). The least adopted practices, from the highest to the lowest were agroforestry (12.5%), mulching and rain harvesting (8.3%) each and compost application with 4.2%. The key factors inhibiting the adoption of CSA consist of insufficient information, water scarcities and financial constraints. The conclusion drawn was that the Agricultural sector must become climate-smart to successfully tackle current food security and climate change challenges. Beyond doubt, it will require management and governance practices based on ecosystem approaches that involve multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral coordination and cooperation.
Recovery of autologous sickle cells by hypotonic wash
Authors: Wilson E. , Kezeor K. , Crosby M. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
It is important to isolate autologous red blood cells (RBCs) from transfused RBCs in samples from recently transfused patients to ensure that accurate serologic results are obtained. Typically, this isolation can be performed using methods that separate patient reticulocytes from transfused, older donor RBCs. Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), however, characteristically have RBCs with altered membrane and morphological features, causing their RBCs to take on a sickle-shape appearance different from the biconcave disc-shape appearance of “normal” RBCs. These characteristics enable the use of hypotonic saline solution to lyse normal RBCs while allowing “sickle cells” to remain intact. Because many patients with SCD undergo frequent transfusions to treat their condition, the use of hypotonic saline solution provides a rapid method to obtain autologous RBCs for serologic testing from this patient population using standard laboratory equipment and supplies.
Immunohematology

2018;34: 16–18.