bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic approach for intermittent hydronephrosis caused by primary ureteral fibroepithelial polyps in children
Authors: Chu Han , Cao Yongsheng , Deng Qifei 
Published: March 2021

ObjectiveTo summarize the diagnosis and treatment experience of children with intermittent hydronephrosis caused by ureteral fibroepithelial polyp (UFP).MethodsFrom 2017 to 2020, cases of hydronephrosis caused by ureteral polyp in Anhui Provincial Children’s Hospital were retrospectively enrolled for investigation. Demographic data, clinical manifestations, operation details, pathology and outcomes were collected from patients’ medical data for analysis.ResultsAll seven cases of UFP were boys, including six cases on the left side of the ureter and one case on the right side, at the median age of 7.1 years (3–14 years), with abdominal intermittent pain as the first symptom. All cases underwent laparoscopic pyeloureteroplasty. All the operations were completed successfully; postoperative pathology indicated the presence of primary UFP. Postoperative follow-ups of 1–30 months showed satisfactory recovery and relief from hydronephrosis.ConclusionsLaparoscopic pyeloureteroplasty or ureteroureterostomy is one of the optimal treatments for ureteral polyp at present. The surgical method should be determined according to the number of polyps, the length and the diameter of the affected ureter, and also the status of renal function of the patients.
Serum galactomannan level for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Meta-analysis
Authors: Wuniqiemu Tulake , Nabijan Mohammadtursun , Cui Jie , Teng Fangzhou , Lv Zexi , Wei Ying , Dong Jingcheng 
Published: March 2021

Background: The serum galactomannan (GM) assay is used to diagnose invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the overall accuracy of the serum GM test for detecting IPA in critically ill COPD patients. Methods: The web of science, Pubmed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, Weipu (VIP) Science China databases were searched for all the eligible studies, including randomized controlled trials and prospective studies up to February 2019. We selected and assessed articles that reported diagnostic data related to serum GM for diagnosis of invasive fungal disease in hospitalized COPD patients. Additionally, pooled sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), true positive (TP), false positive (FP), true negative (TN), false negative (FN) were estimated for summarizing overall test performance. Results: Of 1104 articles screened, 14 studies were involved in the meta-analysis with 1127 patients in the COPD serum sample. The pooled serum GM assay results with cutoff value of 0.5 were as follows: DOR: 15 (95% CI, 6–38), sensitivity: 0.57 (95% CI, 0.37–0.75), specificity: 0.92 (95%,CI, 0.85–0.96), and the SROC was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.86–0.91). When the cutoff value was 1, the results were as follows: DOR: 33 (95% CI, 15–70), sensitivity: 0.57 (95% CI, 0.39–0.73), specificity: 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93–0.98), and SROC was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.92–0.96). Conclusion: Serum GM can be used to assist in diagnosis of IPA in critically ill COPD patients. When cutoff value was set as 1, serum GM had better diagnostic value compared to those with cutoff of 0.5.
Shudi Pingchan Decoction combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease with sleep disorders
Authors: Ye Qing , Chen Xiqun , Hu Yuqing , Zhou Jie , Gao Chen , Liu Zhenguo 
Published: March 2021

Objective: To investigate the effects of “Shudi Pingchan Decoction” combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on sleep disorders in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: A randomized, single-blind, placebo/sham-controlled trial was performed on 144 PD patients with sleep disorders. Participants were randomized into rTMS (rTMS with placebo decoction), Chinese medicine (Shudi Pingchan Decoction with sham stimulation), or Shudi Pingchan Decoction combined with rTMS group over a 12-month course. The efficacy was evaluated by Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) I–IV scores, cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) sleep quality assessment, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Results: (1) After 12 weeks of treatment, rTMS treatment group showed markedly improved UPDRS I score, whereas Chinese medicine treatment group reported improved UPDRS II and UPDRS III scores than rTMS. At the same time, combined therapy improved the UPDRS I–III scores. (2) CPC sleep quality assessment showed that compared with baseline before treatment, sleep latency was significantly shortened after 12 weeks of Chinese medicine treatment. In the rTMS group, the scores of sleep awakening period were significantly decreased after six weeks and 12 weeks of treatment. The total sleep time was significantly extended after six weeks and 12 weeks of treatment in both groups. The sleep-improving effect was stronger in combined treatment group than the single treatment groups after 12 weeks of treatment. (3) Compared with baseline before treatment, the HAMD scores of rTMS group were significantly lower at six weeks and 12 weeks, the HAMA scores of Chinese medicine treatment group were significantly lower at 12 weeks, and the combined treatment resulted in stronger effects. Conclusion: The combined treatment of “Shudi Pingchan Decoction” with rTMS has significant curative effect on PD complicated with sleep disorders, and the combined therapy has complementary advantages.
Italian operators' response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Candela Massimo , Prado Antonio 
Published: March 2021

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments introduced several social restrictions. As of 18 March 2020, more than 250 million people were in lockdown in Europe. This drastically increased the number of online activities. Due to this unprecedented situation, some concerns arose about the suitability of the Internet network to sustain the increased usage.
Italy was severely hit by the first wave of the pandemic and various regions underwent a lockdown before the main country-wide one. The Italian network operators started sharing information about improvements carried out on the network and new measures adopted to support the increase in Internet usage. In this report, by means of a questionnaire, we collect information and provide a quantitative overview of the actions undertaken by network operators in Italy. The attitude of Italian operators was synergic and proactive in supporting the changed market conditions caused by the public health emergency.
Abstract P01: Development of a TMB classifier on NSCLC H&E images
Authors: Jerusalmi Alan 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
A number of immunotherapy treatments in cancer can be guided by a patient’s tumor mutation burden (TMB) status. However typical TMB determination is performed via next generation sequencing which is problematic due to its high cost, low availability worldwide and operational challenges. The ability to screen patients for TMB determination using alternative methodologies is of interest, particularly in the use of H&E slides which are readily available for most cancer patients. Bio-AI Health has developed a machine learning (ML) classifier model capable of identifying TMB status in patients using H&E slides only. Our automated model is unique in that it uses an enriched signal from samples consisting of tumor region only while generating unique visualizers that provide an insight into the performance and mode of action of the model itself. This visualizer allows the pathologist a unique view into the ML performance therefore eliminating the black box concept and providing a crucial QC step to ensure proper algorithm performance. This test can increase the sensitivity of detection providing significant clinical utility. The dataset for model development was obtained from TCGA cohort and TMB status was calculated using whole exome sequencing data. We further developed automated ML segmentation models to accurately segment the tissue into multiple compartments and filter our all necrotic and non-neoplastic tissue regions. Taking into account only tumor regions, the classifier ML model uses an ensemble approach which integrates the prediction of multiple convolutional network probabilities and achieves an accuracy of 0.76 with a sensitivity of .79 and F1 score of .82 towards the classification of the tissue as TMB high or Low.
Citation Format: Alan Jerusalmi. Development of a TMB classifier on NSCLC H&E images [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P01.
Abstract P06: Anticancer agent 3-deazauridine has the potential to be effective against COVID-19 due to its inhibition of replication of RNA viruses
Authors: Momparler Richard 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
3-Deazauridine (3DU) is a nucleoside analogue that was investigated for its antineoplastic activity in cancer patients. 3DU after its phosphorylation in cells to its 5’-triphosphate is a potent inhibitor of CTP synthetase. Inhibition of this enzyme results in a reduction in cellular CTP and inhibition of RNA synthesis. This action of 3DU can also inhibit RNA synthesis since the viral RNA polymerase requires CTP for replication of RNA. 3DU was reported to inhibit the in vitro replication of the RNA influenza virus at concentrations in the range of 40 µM (1) and should also have the potential to inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2. In a pilot clinical study, we treated a patient with acute lymphoid leukemia with 3DU at doses ranging from 120 to 360 mg/kg using a continuous intravenous infusion ranging from 40 to 72 hr. (2). The objective of the study was to determine if 3DU could enhance the antileukemic action of the inhibitor of DNA methylation, decitabine, and overcome the problem of drug resistance to this deoxycytidine analogue. Partial responses were observed indicating that pharmacological action of 3DU could accomplish this objective. There were minimal signs of toxicity in this clinical study on 3DU which exhibited plasma concentrations of this analogue in the range that inhibit RNA virus replication. This observation suggests that it would be safe to use 3DU in patients with COVID-19. 3DU has a rapid onset of action with a significant sign of antineoplastic action observable after a 4 h in vitro treatment of human leukemic cells. This pharmacological property rapid action of 3DU may be very important in patients with advanced COVID-19 to inhibit the virus is during its rapid replication phase and prevent progression of the disease to acute lung inflammation. It would be interesting to test this hypothesis in advanced COVID-19 patients at high risk for disease progression. For an initial pilot study I recommend a 36 h infusion of 3DU at a total dose of 120 mg/kg. It is possible that therapy with 3DU may have the potential to rescue patients with advance COVID-19. References 1. Shannon, W.M., Arnett, G., Schabel, F.M., Jr., 1972. 3-Deazauridine: inhibition of ribonucleic acid virus-induced cytopathogenic effects in vitro. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2, 159–163. 2. Raynal, N.J., Momparler, L.F., Rivard, G.E., Momparler, R.L., 2011. 3-Deazauridine enhances the antileukemic action of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and targets drug-resistance due to deficiency in deoxycytidine kinase. Leuk. Res. 35, 10-118.
Citation Format: Richard Momparler. Anticancer agent 3-deazauridine has the potential to be effective against COVID-19 due to its inhibition of replication of RNA viruses [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P06.
Abstract P07: Inhibition of androgen-regulated TMPRSS2 and lipogenic enzymes in prostate and lung carcinoma cell lines by a cisplatin prodrug
Authors: Guin Subham , Surnar Bapurao , Basu Uttara , Dhar Shanta 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The main causative agent for the global pandemic of COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Developing therapeutic strategies to stop the virus is the hour of need. According to the recent clinical reports, it is seen that an androgen-regulated host cell serine protease TMPRSS2 acts on the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which interacts with the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and enters the host cell to cause the infection. Reports also suggest that TMPRSS2 is regulated by androgen present in prostate cells and it is highly expressed in PCa patients. Our lab has recently synthesized a new cisplatin prodrug which is a conjugate of lauric acid and cisplatin that potentially works very effectively in various androgen dependent and independent prostate cancer (PCa) cells. The cisplatin prodrug unlike other conventional platinum drugs is involved in inhibition of one of the major metabolic pathways of the PCa cells. Preliminary results show that, the prodrug in combination with the anti-androgen bicalutamide has an increased inhibition on the expression of TMPRSS2 in androgen dependent PCa and lung carcinoma cells along with down-regulation of some the lipogenic enzymes in-vitro. Here, we propose that the prodrug inhibits one of the mitochondrial metabolic pathways making the PCa cells sensitive towards cisplatin-based chemotherapy along with reducing the expression of TMPRSS2. Once completed, our work will provide an inside story of cisplatin prodrug mediated alteration of lipogenesis of cells in PCa tumor microenvironment resulting in a platform that has the potential to reduce the burden of cancer aggressiveness in both androgen dependent and independent PCa and also can be used as a potent chemotherapeutic agent against COVID-19.
Citation Format: Subham Guin, Bapurao Surnar, Uttara Basu, Shanta Dhar. Inhibition of androgen-regulated TMPRSS2 and lipogenic enzymes in prostate and lung carcinoma cell lines by a cisplatin prodrug [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P07.
Abstract P20: Continuity of oncology clinical trials during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 pandemic in Korea
Authors: Ahn Hee Kyung , Lee Soohyeon , Jang Seon-A , Kim Ji-Yeon , Ahn Jin Seok , Park Yeon Hee 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Coronavirus-19 outbreak caused concern of lowering performance of clinical trials, including delays in initiation, lower enrollment, or more frequent deviations related with visit schedule change. Korea, with the sixth largest number of industry-sponsored interventional drug trials in the world, has been controlling COVID-19 outbreak rather successfully and maintaining daily medical practice in most areas of the country. We investigated performance of oncology clinical trials before and after COVID-19 in Korea. We retrospectively identified and reviewed the files, notes, and source documents of ongoing breast cancer clinical trials during January to May 2019 and January to May 2020 in a single cancer center conducting oncology trials in Korea. Number of enrolled patients, drop-outs, protocol deviations including study visit delay or visit omission were measured. We investigated 77 ongoing studies from January to May 2020, and 67 from the same period in 2019. The numbers of newly initiated trials and new enrollment were not decreased during COVID-19 outbreak period. After outbreak of COVID-19, number of onsite monitoring was decreased, however total number of monitoring was maintained as remote monitoring was increased. Remote monitoring comprised 44% of all monitoring visit in 2020, and found 30%(15/50) of protocol deviations detected by all monitoring visit. Of the 26 study visit related protocol deviations during February to May 2020, 10(38%) cases were COVID-19 related. Thirteen percent(3/24) of study drop out cases were COVID-19 related, from subjects’ demand due to fear of visiting hospital. Although monitoring access was limited, vigorous countermeasures successfully maintained performance of oncology clinical trials during COVID-19 outbreak in Korea. Remote monitoring visits successfully complemented restricted onsite monitoring. COVID-19 related protocol deviations and drop-out cases were noted, mostly from subjects’ concerns about travel. Future regulations and guidelines should pursue developing alternatives of face-to-face contact visit as needed.
Citation Format: Hee Kyung Ahn, Soohyeon Lee, Seon-A Jang, Ji-Yeon Kim, Jin Seok Ahn, Yeon Hee Park. Continuity of oncology clinical trials during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 pandemic in Korea [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P20.
Abstract P22: A high-throughput anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing platform for COVID-19
Authors: Du Jinwei , Chu Eric , Zhang Dayu , Lu Chuanyi M. , Zhang Aiguo , Sha Michael 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background: Serology tests for detecting the antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can identify previous infection and help to confirm the presence of current infection. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of a newly developed high throughput immunoassay for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody detection. Results: Clinical agreement studies were performed in 77 COVID-19 patient serum samples and 226 negative donor serum/plasma samples. Positive percent agreement (PPA) was 46.15% (95% CI: 19.22% ~74.87%), 61.54% (95% CI: 31.58% ~86.14%), and 97.53% (95% CI: 91.36% ~99.70%) for samples collected on 0-7 days, 8-14 days, and ≥15 days from symptom onset, respectively. Negative Percent Agreement (NPA) was 98.23% (95% CI: 95.53% ~99.52%). No cross-reactivity was observed to patient samples positive for IgG antibodies against the following pathogens: HIV, HAV, HBV, RSV, CMV, EBV, Rubella, Influenza A, and Influenza B. Hemoglobin (200 mg/dL), bilirubin (2 mg/dL) and EDTA (10 mM) showed no significant interfering effect on this assay. Conclusion: An anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assay with high sensitivity and specificity has been developed. With the high throughput, this assay will speed up the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing.
Citation Format: Jinwei Du, Eric Chu, Dayu Zhang, Chuanyi M. Lu, Aiguo Zhang, Michael Sha. A high-throughput anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing platform for COVID-19 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P22.
Abstract P40: PTSD and levels of general anxiety in Italian oncological patients during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Chichua Mariam , Brivio Eleonora , Oliveri Serena , Guiddi Paolo , Pravettoni Gabriella 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, along with others in Italy, oncological patients had to put their life on hold, adjusting to the new restrictions and complying to the precautionary measures, some of which affected their participation in treatment programs and medical check-ups/health screening tests. The aim of this contribution is to investigate the extent to which the COVID-19 lockdown affected the above-mentioned participation in health screening tests and treatment programs, as well as to study the prodromal levels of PTSD in oncological patients in Italy during the lockdown. A survey consisting of Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R), items related to the diagnosis of patients and items regarding treatment and screening tests was shared across several channels. Five-hundred forty-four patients answered the survey. Compared to the screening tests, treatment programs were less affected by COVID-19 restrictions, only 5% of participants had the treatment postponed or interrupted, for the screening tests this number exceeded 30%. The results of linear regression analysis show that overall the level of distress that oncological patients suffered from represents the probable diagnosis of PTSD, with patients who had to stop their regular screening tests showing a higher level of distress compared to those who continued screening (β = 10.78, SE = 1.85, t = 5.84, p = 0.00). These results indicate the need to provide psychological support for oncological patients during future emergency management of catastrophic events such as a pandemic.
Citation Format: Mariam Chichua, Eleonora Brivio, Serena Oliveri, Paolo Guiddi, Gabriella Pravettoni. PTSD and levels of general anxiety in Italian oncological patients during the COVID-19 pandemic [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P40.
Abstract P42: Construction of a risk map to understand the vulnerability of various types of cancer patients to COVID-19 infection
Authors: He Jian , Meng Mei , Zhao Yiyang 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
COVID-19 is leading to a global pandemic and invades human cells via ACE2. ACE2 was found to abundantly expressed in many organs and cells. However, there is no evidence about the potential risk of various types of cancer patients vulnerable to the infection of COVID-19. To obtain a risk map which indicating the novel coronavirus vulnerability of different types of cancer, so in this work we analyzed the RNA sequencing datasets of cancer patient. By interrogating the datasets, we not only identified the cancer types which vulnerable to COVID-19 attacks, but also we reported that variations in the mRNA expression level of ACE2 correlate to various prognosis phenomenon in different types of cancer cohorts and illustrated the underlying mechanism involved in may be related to lymphocytes infiltration. From these discoveries, we constructed an infection risk map which indicate the vulnerability of different types of cancer to COVID-19 infection, also elucidated the correlationship between ACE2 and the prognosis of cancer. We found that high ACE2 expression levels leading high risk of COVID-19 infection and poor prognosis of BRCA while better prognosis in OV patient cohorts. Moreover, our study demonstrated that this different pattern may correlate with the immune infiltration level.
Note: This abstract was not presented at the conference.
Citation Format: Jian He, Mei Meng, Yiyang Zhao. Construction of a risk map to understand the vulnerability of various types of cancer patients to COVID-19 infection [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P42.