bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A deeper exploration of the relation between sulfonation degree and retanning performance of aromatic syntans
Authors: Sun Qingyong , Zeng Yunhang , Wang Ya-nan , Yu Yue , Shi Bi 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIt is well-known that the sulfonation degree (DS) of aromatic syntan is an important factor affecting its retanning performances. But the quantitative relation between DS and syntan property and the influencing mechanism of DS on syntan property are not clarified. In this work, five phenolic formaldehyde syntans (PFSs) with the same polymerization degree but varying DS were prepared to investigate the effect of DS on the properties of syntan and crust leather. It was found that the absolute value of zeta potential and the particle size of PFS decreased with increasing DS in aqueous solution. Molecular dynamic simulation results proved that the DS of PFS was a major contributor to electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding in the PFS–water system and greatly affected the aggregation and dispersion of PFS in aqueous solution. The PFS with a low DS was prone to aggregate to large particles in aqueous solution because of low intermolecular electrostatic repulsion and less hydrogen bonds and therefore can be used to increase the thickness and tightness of leather. The PFS with a high DS presented a small particle size with more anionic groups in aqueous solution, thereby sharply decreasing the positive charge of leather surface and facilitating the penetration of the post-tanning agents into the leather. These results might be scientifically valid for rational molecular design of syntans and more productive use of syntans in leather making.
Graphical Abstract
Sweet sorghum for phytoremediation and bioethanol production
Authors: Xiao Ming-Zhao , Sun Qian , Hong Si , Chen Wei-Jing , Pang Bo , Du Zhi-Yan , Yang Wen-Bin , Sun Zhuohua , Yuan Tong-Qi 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAs an energy crop, sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) receives increasing attention for phytoremediation and biofuels production due to its good stress tolerance and high biomass with low input requirements. Sweet sorghum possesses wide adaptability, which also has high tolerances to poor soil conditions and drought. Its rapid growth with the large storage of fermentable saccharides in the stalks offers considerable scope for bioethanol production. Additionally, sweet sorghum has heavy metal tolerance and the ability to remove cadmium (Cd) in particular. Therefore, sweet sorghum has great potential to build a sustainable phytoremediation system for Cd-polluted soil remediation and simultaneous ethanol production. To implement this strategy, further efforts are in demand for sweet sorghum in terms of screening superior varieties, improving phytoremediation capacity, and efficient bioethanol production. In this review, current research advances of sweet sorghum including agronomic requirements, phytoremediation of Cd pollution, bioethanol production, and breeding are discussed. Furthermore, crucial problems for future utilization of sweet sorghum stalks after phytoremediation are combed.
Graphical Abstract
Utility of transient elastography in evaluation and follow-up of Budd-Chiari syndrome patients after endovascular intervention
Authors: Ebada Hend Elsaied , Montasser Mohamed Fawzy , Barakat Eman Fathy , Abdelhakam Sara Mahmoud , Ghazy Mohamed Shaker , Elganzory Ahmed Talaat 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Background
Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient elastography (TE) is a common noninvasive method for assessing hepatic fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to show the utility of LSM in the evaluation and short-term follow-up of Budd-Chiarri syndrome (BCS) patients as well as to investigate the relationships between LSM, hepatic venous pressure, and liver fibrosis. We conducted a prospective cohort study in which 25 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of primary BCS underwent endovascular intervention for BCS treatment. All patients had pressure gradient changes across the stenosed hepatic veins/inferior vena cava (HV/IVC) measured before and after the procedure, a transvenous liver biopsy during the procedure, and LSM (using Transient Elastography 3 days before and 3 months after the intervention as a short-term follow-up). Comparisons and correlations were made between liver stiffness, hepatic venous pressure, and fibrosis.

Results
The HV/IVC pressure gradient measured immediately before and after the intervention had a direct proportionate correlation with the LS measured 3 days before and 3 months after the intervention (r = 0.41 & 0.44, p: 0.04 & 0.03, respectively). LSM drops significantly 3 months after intervention (from 51.62 ± 22 kPa to 28.80 ± 19.25 kPa (p: 0.001)). There is a significant improvement in LSM post-intervention among patients with moderate to severe fibrosis (METAVIR scores of ≥ F2 before intervention (p: 0.001).

Conclusions
LSM in BCS patients reflects congestion rather than fibrosis stage. TE can be used for the short-term monitoring of patients with BCS following the endovascular intervention as a noninvasive tool.
BRE12-158: A Postneoadjuvant, Randomized Phase II Trial of Personalized Therapy Versus Treatment of Physician's Choice for Patients With Residual Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Schneider Bryan P. , Jiang Guanglong , Ballinger Tarah J. , Shen Fei , Chitambar Christopher , Nanda Rita , Falkson Carla , Lynce Filipa C. , Gallagher Christopher , Isaacs Claudine , Blaya Marcelo , Paplomata Elisavet , Walling Radhika , Daily Karen , Mahtani Reshma , Thompson Michael A. , Graham Robert , Cooper Maureen E. , Pavlick Dean C. , Albacker Lee A. , Gregg Jeffrey , Solzak Jeffrey P. , Chen Yu-Hsiang , Bales Casey L. , Cantor Erica , Hancock Bradley A. , Kassem Nawal , Helft Paul , O'Neil Bert , Storniolo Anna Maria V. , Badve Sunil , Miller Kathy D. , Radovich Milan 
Published: December 2021

PURPOSEPatients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have high risk of recurrence with prior data suggesting improved outcomes with capecitabine. Targeted agents have demonstrated activity across multiple cancer types. BRE12-158 was a phase II, multicenter trial that randomly allocated patients with TNBC with residual disease after NAC to genomically directed therapy versus treatment of physician choice (TPC).PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom March 2014 to December 2018, 193 patients were enrolled. Residual tumors were sequenced using a next-generation sequencing test. A molecular tumor board adjudicated all results. Patients were randomly allocated to four cycles of genomically directed therapy (arm A) versus TPC (arm B). Patients without a target were assigned to arm B. Primary end point was 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) among randomly assigned patients. Secondary/exploratory end points included distant disease-free survival, overall survival, toxicity assessment, time-based evolution of therapy, and drug-specific outcomes.RESULTSOne hundred ninety-three patients were randomly allocated or were assigned to arm B. The estimated 2-year DFS for the randomized population only was 56.6% (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.70) for arm A versus 62.4% (95% CI, 0.52 to 0.75) for arm B. No difference was seen in DFS, distant disease-free survival, or overall survival for the entire or randomized populations. There was increased uptake of capecitabine for TPC over time. Patients randomly allocated later had less distant recurrences. Circulating tumor DNA status remained a significant predictor of outcome with some patients demonstrating clearance with postneoadjuvant therapy.CONCLUSIONGenomically directed therapy was not superior to TPC for patients with residual TNBC after NAC. Capecitabine should remain the standard of care; however, the activity of other agents in this setting provides rationale for testing optimal combinations to improve outcomes. Circulating tumor DNA should be considered a standard covariate for trials in this setting.
Inequity in Adoption of Advanced Diabetes Technologies Among Medicare Fee-for-service Beneficiaries
Authors: Wherry Kael , Zhu Cyrus , Vigersky Robert A 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Context
Health inequity is often associated with race-ethnicity.

Objective
To determine the prevalence of insulin pump therapy and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) among Medicare beneficiaries with type 1 diabetes (T1D) by race-ethnicity, and to compare diabetes-related technology users with nonusers.

Design
The prevalence of technology use (pump, CGM) was determined by race-ethnicity for enrollees in coverage years (CY) 2017-2019 in the Medicare fee-for-service database. Using CY2019 data, technology users were compared with nonusers by race-ethnicity, sex, average age, Medicare eligibility criteria, and visit to an endocrinologist.

Setting
Community

Patients or Other Participants
Beneficiaries with T1D and at least 1 inpatient or 2 outpatient claims in a CY.

Intervention(s)
Pump or CGM therapy, visit to an endocrinologist.

Main Outcome Measure(s)
Diabetes-related technology use by race-ethnicity groups.

Results
Between 2017 and 2019, CGM and insulin pump use increased among all groups. Prevalence of insulin pump use was &lt; 5% for Black and Other beneficiaries yet increased from 14% to 18% among White beneficiaries. In CY2019, 57% of White patients used a pump compared with 33.1% of Black and 30.3% of Other patients (P &lt; 0.001). Black patients were more likely than White patients to be eligible because of disability/end-stage renal disease or to be Medicare/Medicaid eligible (both P &lt; 0.001), whether using technology or not. Significant race-ethnicity differences (P &lt; 0.001) existed between technology users and nonusers for all evaluated factors except visiting an endocrinologist.

Conclusions
Significant race-ethnicity associated differences existed in T1D management. The gap in diabetic technology adoption between Black and White beneficiaries grew between 2017 and 2019.
Convolutional Neural Network-Based Computer-Assisted Diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis on Ultrasound
Authors: Zhao Wanjun , Kang Qingbo , Qian Feiyan , Li Kang , Zhu Jingqiang , Ma Buyun 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Purpose
This study investigates the efficiency of deep learning models in the automated diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) using real-world ultrasound data from ultrasound examinations by computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) with artificial intelligence.

Methods
We retrospectively collected ultrasound images from patients with and without HT from 2 hospitals in China between September 2008 and February 2018. Images were divided into a training set (80%) and a validation set (20%). We ensembled 9 convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as the final model (CAD-HT) for HT classification. The model’s diagnostic performance was validated and compared to 2 hospital validation sets. We also compared the accuracy of CAD-HT against seniors/junior radiologists. Subgroup analysis of CAD-HT performance for different thyroid hormone levels (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and euthyroidism) was also evaluated.

Results
39 280 ultrasound images from 21 118 patients were included in this study. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the HT-CAD model were 0.892, 0.890, and 0.895, respectively. HT-CAD performance between 2 hospitals was not significantly different. The HT-CAD model achieved a higher performance (P &lt; 0.001) when compared to senior radiologists, with a nearly 9% accuracy improvement. HT-CAD had almost similar accuracy (range 0.87-0.894) for the 3 subgroups based on thyroid hormone level.

Conclusion
The HT-CAD strategy based on CNN significantly improved the radiologists’ diagnostic accuracy of HT. Our model demonstrates good performance and robustness in different hospitals and for different thyroid hormone levels.
Capillary Endothelial Insulin Transport: The Rate-limiting Step for Insulin-stimulated Glucose Uptake
Authors: Williams Ian M , Wasserman David H 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The rate-limiting step for skeletal muscle glucose uptake is transport from microcirculation to muscle interstitium. Capillary endothelium poses a barrier that delays the onset of muscle insulin action. Defining physiological barriers that control insulin access to interstitial space is difficult because of technical challenges that confront study of microscopic events in an integrated physiological system. Two physiological variables determine muscle insulin access. These are the number of perfused capillaries and the permeability of capillary walls to insulin. Disease states associated with capillary rarefaction are closely linked to insulin resistance. Insulin permeability through highly resistant capillary walls of muscle poses a significant barrier to insulin access. Insulin may traverse the endothelium through narrow intercellular junctions or vesicular trafficking across the endothelial cell. Insulin is large compared with intercellular junctions, making this an unlikely route. Transport by endothelial vesicular trafficking is likely the primary route of transit. Studies in vivo show movement of insulin is not insulin receptor dependent. This aligns with single-cell transcriptomics that show the insulin receptor is not expressed in muscle capillaries. Work in cultured endothelial cell lines suggest that insulin receptor activation is necessary for endothelial insulin transit. Controversies remain in the understanding of transendothelial insulin transit to muscle. These controversies closely align with experimental approaches. Control of circulating insulin accessibility to skeletal muscle is an area that remains ripe for discovery. Factors that impede insulin access to muscle may contribute to disease and factors that accelerate access may be of therapeutic value for insulin resistance.
Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury Is Associated With Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease Independent of Severity
Authors: Privratsky Jamie R. , Krishnamoorthy Vijay , Raghunathan Karthik , Ohnuma Tetsu , Rasouli Mohammad R. , Long Thorir E. , Sigurdsson Martin I. 
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND:
Both postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) and preoperative chronic kidney disease (CKD) are associated with significantly worse outcomes following surgery. The relationship of both of these conditions with each other and with CKD progression after surgery remains poorly studied. Our objective was to assess if there was an interaction between preoperative kidney function estimated by preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)/CKD stage, postoperative AKI, and eGFR/CKD progression within 1 year of surgery. Our hypothesis was that AKI severity would be associated with a faster time to eGFR/CKD stage progression within 1 year of surgery in a graded-fashion, which would be exacerbated by preoperative kidney dysfunction.

METHODS:
This was a retrospective cohort study at Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland, which serves about 75% of the population. Participants included adults receiving their first major anesthetic between 2005 and 2018. Patients with CKD stage 5, undergoing major urologic procedures, or having missing creatinine values for follow-up of eGFR stage were excluded from analysis. The primary exposure was postoperative AKI stage within 7 days after surgery classified by the kidney disease improving global outcome (KDIGO) criteria. The primary outcome was time to progression of CKD by at least 1 eGFR/CKD stage within 1-year following surgery. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard of eGFR/CKD stage progression, including an interaction between AKI and preoperative CKD on eGFR/CKD stage progression.

RESULTS:
A total of 5548 patients were studied. In the multivariable model adjusting for baseline eGFR/CKD stage, when compared to patients without AKI, postoperative AKI stage 1 (hazard ratio [HR], 5.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.34–8.05), stage 2 (HR, 3.86; 95% CI, 1.82–8.16), and stage 3 (HR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.49–8.74) were all independently associated with faster time to eGFR/CKD stage progression within 1 year following surgery, though increasing AKI severity did not confer additional risk. The only significant interaction between the degree of AKI and the preexisting renal function was for stage 1 AKI, where the odds of 1-year eGFR/CKD stage progression actually decreased in patients with preoperative CKD categories 3a, 3b, and 4.

CONCLUSIONS:
KDIGO-AKI was independently associated with eGFR/CKD stage progression within the year following surgery after adjustment for baseline eGFR/CKD stage and without an interaction between worse preoperative kidney function and higher stage AKI. Our observations suggest that further studies are warranted to test whether CKD progression could be prevented by the adoption of perioperative kidney protective practices.
Temporal Summation Predicts De Novo Contralateral Pain After Cordotomy in Patients With Refractory Cancer Pain
Authors: Treister Roi , Honigman Liat , Berger Assaf , Cohen Ben , Asaad Israa , Kuperman Pora , Tellem Rotem , Hochberg Uri , Strauss Ido 
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND:
Percutaneous cervical cordotomy (PCC), which selectively interrupts ascending nociceptive pathways in the spinal cord, can mitigate severe refractory cancer pain. It has an impressive success rate, with most patients emerging pain-free. Aside from the usual complications of neurosurgical procedures, the risks of PCC include development of contralateral pain, which is less understood.

OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate whether sensory and pain sensitivity, as measured by quantitative sensory testing (QST), are associated with PCC clinical outcomes.

METHODS:
Fourteen palliative care cancer patients with severe chronic refractory pain limited mainly to one side of the body underwent comprehensive quantitative sensory testing assessment pre-PPC and post-PCC. They were also queried about maximal pain during the 24 h precordotomy (0-10 numerical pain scale).

RESULTS:
All 14 patients reported reduced pain postcordotomy, with 7 reporting complete resolution. Four patients reported de novo contralateral pain. Reduced sensitivity in sensory and pain thresholds to heat and mechanical stimuli was recorded on the operated side (P = .028). Sensitivity to mechanical pressure increased on the unaffected side (P = .023), whereas other sensory thresholds were unchanged. The presurgical temporal summation values predicted postoperative contralateral pain (r = 0.582, P = .037).

CONCLUSION:
The development of contralateral pain in patients postcordotomy for cancer pain might be due to central sensitization. Temporal summation could serve as a potential screening tool to identify those who are most likely at risk to develop contralateral pain. Analysis of PCC affords a unique opportunity to investigate how a specific lesion to the nociceptive system affects pain processes.
Predicting Clinically Relevant Patient-Reported Symptom Improvement After Carpal Tunnel Release: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Hoogendam Lisa , Bakx Jeanne A. C. , Souer J. Sebastiaan , Slijper Harm P. , Andrinopoulou Eleni-Rosalina , Selles Ruud W. 
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND:
Symptom improvement is an important goal when considering surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. There is currently no prediction model available to predict symptom improvement for patients considering a carpal tunnel release (CTR).

OBJECTIVE:
To predict using a model the probability of clinically relevant symptom improvement at 6 mo after CTR.

METHODS:
We split a cohort of 2119 patients who underwent a mini-open CTR and completed the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire preoperatively and 6 mo postoperatively into training (75%) and validation (25%) data sets. Patients who improved more than the minimal clinically important difference of 0.8 at the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire–symptom severity scale were classified as “improved.” Logistic regression, random forests, and gradient boosting machines were considered to train prediction models. The best model was selected based on discriminative ability (area under the curve) and calibration in the validation data set. This model was further assessed in a holdout data set (N = 397).

RESULTS:
A gradient boosting machine with 5 predictors was chosen as optimal trade-off between discriminative ability and the number of predictors. In the holdout data set, this model had an area under the curve of 0.723, good calibration, sensitivity of 0.77, and specificity of 0.55. The positive predictive value was 0.50, and the negative predictive value was 0.81.

CONCLUSION:
We developed a prediction model for clinically relevant symptom improvement 6 mo after a CTR, which required 5 patient-reported predictors (18 questions) and has reasonable discriminative ability and good calibration. The model is available online and might help shared decision making when patients are considering a CTR.
Importance of Cobalt-60 Dose Rate and Biologically Effective Dose on Local Control for Intracranial Meningiomas Treated With Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Authors: Huo Michael , Rose Melanie , van Prooijen Monique , Cusimano Michael D. , Laperriere Normand , Heaton Robert , Gentili Fred , Payne David , Shultz David B. , Kongkham Paul , Kalia Suneil K. , Schwartz Michael , Bernstein Mark , Spears Julian , Zadeh Gelareh , Hodaie Mojgan , Tsang Derek S. 
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND:Radiosurgery dose rate and biologically effective dose (BED) are associated with outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for functional neurosurgical conditions and some benign tumors. It is not known if these factors affect the efficacy of SRS for meningioma.OBJECTIVE:To determine the association between cobalt-60 dose rate and BED on outcomes in patients with meningioma treated with SRS.METHODS:A single-institution cohort of 336 patients treated between 2005 and 2018 with cobalt-based SRS for 414 separate meningioma lesions was assembled. BED was calculated using an SRS-specific monoexponential model accounting for treatment time per lesion, assuming α/β = 2.47 Gy. Cumulative incidences of local failure (LF) were reported after considering the competing risk of death, on a per-lesion basis. Multivariable analysis of LF was performed using a proportional hazards model.RESULTS:The most common SRS dose was 12 Gy (n = 227); 140 lesions received 14 Gy. Five-year LF was 15.6% (95% confidence interval 10.4-21.9) and 4.3% (1.4-9.8) in patients who had a dose rate of <2.95 and ≥2.95 Gy/min, respectively (P= .0375). Among 354 grade I or unresected lesions treated with SRS, BED >50 Gy2.47was associated with a lower incidence of LF (P= .0030). Each 1 Gy/min increase in dose rate was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.53 (95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.97,P= .041) for LF. Prescription dose >12 Gy was not associated with a lower incidence of LF.CONCLUSION:Patients with meningiomas treated with lower dose rates experienced a higher incidence of LF than those treated with higher dose rates.