bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification of a Hypoxia-Related Gene Signature for Predicting Systemic Metastasis in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Xia Haoran , Wang Jianlong , Guo Xiaoxiao , Lv Zhengtong , Liu Jingchao , Yan Qiuxia , Liu Ming , Wang Jianye 
Published: October 2021

Background: Systemic metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with prostate cancer. It is necessary to establish a more accurate model to distinguish and predict patients with a high risk of metastasis to optimize individualized treatment.Methods: In this study, it was determined that hypoxia could affect the metastasis-free survival of patients with prostate cancer, and a hypoxia-related gene signature composed of seven genes for predicting metastasis was established and verified in different cohorts. The study further evaluated the effects of ALDOB expression on the proliferation and invasion of the LNCaP and DU145 cell lines under hypoxia and finally constructed a nomogram containing specific clinical characteristics of prostate cancer combined with the hypoxia gene signature to quantify the metastasis risk of individual patients.Results: The hypoxia-related gene signature was identified as an independent risk factor for metastasis-free survival in patients with prostate cancer. The expression of ALDOB increased under hypoxia and promoted the proliferation and invasion of LNCaP and DU145 cells. In addition, patients with a high risk score showed therapeutic resistance and immunosuppression. Compared with other parameters, the nomogram had the strongest predictive power and net clinical benefit.Conclusion: The study established a hypoxia-related gene signature and a nomogram to distinguish and predict patients with a high risk of prostate cancer metastasis, which may help to optimize individualized treatment and explore possible therapeutic targets.
Cytotoxicity, Antimicrobial, and In Silico Studies of Secondary Metabolites From Aspergillus sp. Isolated From Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. Ex Kunth Leaves
Authors: Elsayed Heba E. , Kamel Reem A. , Ibrahim Reham R. , Abdel-Razek Ahmed S. , Shaaban Mohamed A. , Frese Marcel , Sewald Norbert , Ebrahim Hassan Y. , Moharram Fatma A. 
Published: October 2021

Endophytes are prolific producers of privileged secondary metabolites with diverse therapeutic potential, although their anticancer and antimicrobial potential still have a room for further investigation. Herein, seven known secondary metabolites namely, arugosin C (1), ergosterol (2), iso-emericellin (3), sterigmatocystin (4), dihydrosterigmatocystin (5), versicolorin B (6), and diorcinol (7) were isolated from the rice culture of Aspergillus sp. retrieved from Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth leaves. Their anticancer and antimicrobial activities were evaluated in MTT and agar well diffusion assays, respectively. The cytotoxicity results showed that metabolite 3 displayed the best viability inhibition on the MCF-7 breast cancer cells with IC50 = 225.21 µM, while 5 on the HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells with IC50 = 161.81 µM. 5 demonstrated a 60% apoptotic mode of cell death which is virtually correlated to its high docking affinity to Hsp90 ATP binding cleft (binding score −8.4 Kcal/mol). On the other side, metabolites 4 and 5 displayed promising antimicrobial activity especially on Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC = 125 μg/ml. The observed effect may be likely related to their excellent in silico inhibition of the bacterial DNA-gyrase kinase domain (binding score −10.28 Kcal/mol). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report the promising cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of metabolites 3, 4, and 5 which needs further investigation and renovation to therapeutic leads.
Clinical and Immunological Characteristics of Patients With Adenovirus Infection at Different Altitude Areas in Tibet, China
Authors: Wang Bowen , Peng Mengjia , Yang Li , Li Guokai , Yang Jie , Yundan Ciren , Zeng Xiaohua , Wei Qianqi , Han Qi , Liu Chang , Ding Ke , Peng Kaige , Kang Wen 
Published: October 2021

BackgroundThe severities of human adenovirus (HAdV) infection are diverse in different areas of Tibet, China, where a large altitude span emerges. Serious consequences may be caused by medical staff if the clinical stages and immunological conditions of patients in high-altitude areas are misjudged. However, the clinical symptoms, immunological characteristics, and environmental factors of HAdV infection patients at different altitude areas have not been well described.MethodsIn this retrospective, multicenter cohort study, we analyzed the data of patients who were confirmed HAdV infection by PCR tests in the General Hospital of Tibet Military Command or CDC (the Center for Disease Control and Prevention) of Tibet Military Command from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, and epidemiological data were collected from medical records system and compared among different altitude areas. The inflammatory cytokines as well as the subsets of monocytes and regulatory T cells of patients were also obtained and analyzed in this study.ResultsSix hundred eighty-six patients had been identified by laboratory-confirmed HAdV infection, including the low-altitude group (n = 62), medium-altitude group (n = 206), high-altitude group (n = 230), and ultra-high-altitude group (n = 188). Referring to the environmental factors regression analysis, altitude and relative humidity were tightly associated with the number of infected patients (P &lt; 0.01). A higher incidence rate of general pneumonia (45.7%) or severe pneumonia (8.0%) occurred in the ultra-high-altitude group (P &lt; 0.05). The incubation period, serial interval, course of the disease, and PCR-positive duration were prolonged to various extents compared with the low-altitude group (P &lt; 0.05). Different from those in low-altitude areas, the levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IP-10, MCP-1, TNF-α, TNF-β, and VEGF in the plasma of the ultra-high-altitude group were increased (P &lt; 0.05), while the proportion of non-classical monocytes and regulatory T cells was decreased (P &lt; 0.05).ConclusionsThe findings of this research indicated that patients with HAdV infection in high-altitude areas had severe clinical symptoms and a prolonged course of disease. During clinical works, much more attention should be paid to observe the changes in their immunological conditions. Quarantine of patients in high-altitude areas should be appropriately extended to block virus shedding.
Antithrombotic Therapy With Ticagrelor in Atrial Fibrillation Subjects After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Lu Wenbin , Wang Yu , Chen Lijuan , Li Yongjun , Zhang Rui , Chen Zhongpu , Yan Jinchuan , Yang Mingming , Han Bing , Wang Zhirong , He Shenghu , Chen Lianglong , Wu Xiang , Zeng Hesong , Ma Likun , Shi Guoping , Yin Jianrong , Chen Jiyan , Ma GenShan 
Published: October 2021

Background: Warfarin, along with aspirin and clopidogrel, has long been recommended for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with a drug-eluting stent (PCI-DES). However, this triple therapy has been known to increase the risk of bleeding complications. Meanwhile, there is no evidence from prospective trials on the use of ticagrelor in a dual therapy. We here aimed to compare the antiplatelet drug ticagrelor as a dual antithrombotic agent to aspirin and clopidogrel in bleeding events.Methods: In this multicenter, active-controlled, open-label, randomized trial, patients with AF taking warfarin who had undergone PCI-DES were randomly assigned to the ticagrelor therapy group (Dual group) or the clopidogrel plus aspirin therapy group (Triple group). The primary and secondary endpoints were overall bleeding events and major bleeding events, respectively, according to the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) criteria at 6 months. Cardiovascular events [re-PCI, surgical bypass, myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, rehospitalization due to angina pectoris, stent thrombosis and death due to cardiovascular causes] at 6 months were also recorded.Results: A total of 296 patients from 12 medical centers in China were randomized after PCI-DES to either the Dual therapy group (n = 148) or the Triple group (n = 146) for 6 months. The overall incidence of bleeding events at 6 months was 36.49% in the Dual therapy group and 35.62% in the Triple group [hazard ratio, 0.930; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.635 to 1.361; P = 0.7088]. The incidence of the secondary endpoint over 6 months was 4.73% in the Dual therapy group and 1.37% in the Triple group (hazard ratio, 0.273; 95% CI, 0.057 to 1.315; P = 0.1056). Cardiovascular event occurrence was also comparable in both groups at 6 months (18.24 vs. 16.44%; hazard ratio, 0.845; 95% CI, 0.488 to 1.465; P = 0.5484).Conclusions: The incidence of total bleeding events in AF patients treated with ticagrelor was comparable to that in patients treated with clopidogrel plus aspirin at 6 month; Meanwhile, the incidence of cardiovascular events were also comparable between the groups.Clinical Trial Registration: MANJUSRI, ClinicalTrials.gov# NCT02206815, 2014, August 1st
Defects and Safety of NiTi Root Canal Instruments: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yon Madeline Jun-yu , Tang Mark Ho-yeung , Cheung Gary Shun-pan 
Published: October 2021

Aim: To review the reported defect and fracture rates of various NiTi instrumentation systems and identify factors that may influence the chance of NiTi file separation clinically.Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS with controlled vocabulary and keywords in various combinations to identify articles that reported on the defects and/or fracture of NiTi instrument used clinically (Jan 1980 till Aug 2021), with additional search manually by going through the list of references of the initially screened articles. Those satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria were entered into the analysis.Study Eligibility Criteria, Participants, and Interventions: All studies from the said databases reporting on NiTi root canal instruments that were deformed or separated during normal clinical use.Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: Studies with data available and suitable for meta-analysis were grouped according to the general design of the NiTi instruments for comparison. Safety quotient value was calculated based on the rate of instrument distortion and fracture.Results: Various instrument designs exhibited different incidences of distortion and fracture, hence a different “safety quotient” (ratio of the amount of deformed instruments to that of fractures in use). Heat-treated files showed the highest safety quotient value. All brands of NiTi file demonstrated a statistically significantly lower incidence of fracture, if treated as disposable instruments after clinical use in a patient.Limitations: Inclusion of articles written in English only, and grouping of file systems into general design types in the analysis.Conclusions and Implications of Key Findings: NiTi endodontic files should be scrutinized for defects before being used in the root canal. Disposing the NiTi instruments after clinical use in a patient (so-called “single use”) is recommended for minimizing fracture clinically. Certain instrument designs tend to show discernible deformation before they should fracture in the next use.
Artificial Ground Freezing Impact on Shear Strength and Microstructure of Granite Residual Soil Under an Extremely Low Temperature
Authors: An Ran , Zhang Xianwei , Kong Lingwei , Gong Jianwu , Lei Xuewen 
Published: October 2021

The Artificial Ground Freezing (AGF) method, which is widely used in tunnel excavations, significantly affects the properties of geotechnical materials in frozen walls under extremely low temperatures. In order to simulate the AGF process, the freezing treatment with a temperature of −30°C and thawing treatment temperature of 25°C were performed on natural specimens of granite residual soil (GRS). Subsequently, triaxial (TRX) tests were conducted to evaluate mechanical properties and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Image (NMRI) tests were applied to detect pore distributions of GRS. To clarify variations of microstructure after freezing-thawing, the relaxation time (T2) distribution curves and T2-weighted images from NMRI results were thoroughly analyzed from the perspective of quantization and visualization. Results show that the shear strength as well as the cohesion of GRS are reduced sharply by the AGF process, while the internal friction angle decreases gently. The pore size distribution (PSD) converted from the T2 curve is constituted of two different peaks, corresponding to micro-pores with diameters from 0.1 to 10 µm and macro-pores with diameters from 10 to 1,000 µm. Under the AGF impact, the expansion in macro-pores and shrinkage in micro-pores simultaneously exist in the specimen, which was verified from a visualized perspective by T2-weighted images. The frost heaving damage on shear strength is attributed to the microstructural disturbance caused by the presence of large-scale pores and uneven deformations in GRS, which is subjected to the AGF impact under an extremely low temperature.
The Association Between Triglyceride-Glucose Index as a Marker of Insulin Resistance and the Risk of Breast Cancer
Authors: Panigoro Sonar Soni , Sutandyo Noorwati , Witjaksono Fiastuti , Siregar Nurjati Chairani , Ramli Ramadhan , Hariani Ririn , Pangarsa Eko Adhi , Prajoko Yan Wisnu , Puruhita Niken , Hamdani William , Bayu Dimas , Madjid Mardiana , Yulidar Dedy , Fransiska Jane Estherina , Widyawati Retno , Tripriadi Effif Syofra , F. W. Wiwit Ade , Yunda Dewi Krisna , Pranata Raymond 
Published: October 2021

BackgroundThis study aims to evaluate the association and dose-response between triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and breast cancer.MethodThis is a multicenter case-control study conducted in six public referral hospitals in Indonesia. Cases are individuals aged 19 years or above who were diagnosed with breast cancer within 1 year of diagnosis, based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Controls were recruited from corresponding hospitals. TyG index was determined by the formula: ln (fasting TG [mg/dl] × fasting glucose [mg/dl]).ResultsThere were 212 participants in the breast cancer group and 212 participants in the control group. TyG index was higher in patients with breast cancer (median 8.65 [7.38, 10.9] vs. 8.30 [7.09, 10.84], p &lt; 0.001). When compared with TyG quartile of Q1, Q4 was associated with an OR of 2.42 (1.77, 3.31), p &lt; 0.001, Q3 was associated with an OR of 1.53 (1.21, 1.93), p &lt; 0.001, Q2 was associated with an OR of 1.39 (1.12, 1.73), p = 0.002 for the risk of breast cancer. The dose-response relationship was nonlinear (p &lt; 0.001). On univariate analysis, smoking (OR 2.15 [1.44, 3.22], p &lt; 0.001), use of contraception (1.73 [1.15, 2.60], p = 0.008), alcohol consumption (OR 2.04 [0.96, 4.35], p = 0.064), and TyG Index &gt;8.87 (OR 3.08 [1.93, 4.93], p &lt; 0.001) were associated with risk of breast cancer. Independently associated with increased risk of breast cancer included smoking (OR 1.93 [1.23, 3.01], p = 0.004), use of contraception (OR 1.59 [1.02, 2.48], p = 0.039), and TyG Index &gt;8.87 (OR 2.93 [1.72, 4.98], p &lt; 0.001)ConclusionTyG index was associated with breast cancer in a nonlinear dose-response fashion.
Case Report: Lipoma of the Tuber Cinereum Mimicking a Pituitary Gland Abnormality in a Girl With Central Precocious Puberty
Authors: Giacomozzi Claudio , Nicolì Lisa , Sozzi Carlo , Piovan Enrico , Maghnie Mohamad 
Published: October 2021

IntroductionMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the best approach to investigate the hypothalamic-pituitary region in children with central precocious puberty (CPP). Routine scanning is controversial in girls aged 6-8 year, due to the overwhelming prevalence of idiopathic forms and unrelated incidentalomas. Cerebral lipomas are rare and accidental findings, not usually expected in CPP. We report a girl with CPP and an unusually shaped posterior pituitary gland on SE-T1w sequences.Case DescriptionA 7.3-year-old female was referred for breast development started at age 7. Her past medical history and physical examination were unremarkable, apart from the Tanner stage 2 breast. X-ray of the left-hand revealed a bone age 2-years ahead of her chronological age, projecting her adult height prognosis below the mid parental height. LHRH test and pelvic ultrasound were suggestive for CPP. Routine brain MRI sequences, SE T1w and TSE T2w, showed the posterior pituitary bright spot increased in size and stretched upward. The finding was considered as an anatomical variant, in an otherwise normal brain imaging. Patient was started on treatment with GnRH analogue. At a thorough revaluation, imaging overlap with adipose tissue was suspected and a new MRI scan with 3D-fat-suppression T1w-VIBE sequences demonstrated a lipoma of the tuber cinereum, bordering a perfectly normal neurohypophysis. 3D-T2w-SPACE sequences, acquired at first MRI scan, would have provided a more correct interpretation if rightly considered.ConclusionThis is the first evidence, to our knowledge, of a cerebral lipoma mimicking pituitary gland abnormalities. Our experience highlights the importance of considering suprasellar lipomas in the MRI investigation of children with CPP, despite their rarity, should the T1w sequences show an unexpected pituitary shape. 3D-T2w SPACE sequences could be integrated into standard ones, especially when performing MRI routinely, to avoid potential misinterpretations.
Co-Combustion Characteristics of Typical Biomass and Coal Blends by Thermogravimetric Analysis
Authors: Yuan Ye , He Yong , Tan Jiaxin , Wang Yongmeng , Kumar Sunel , Wang Zhihua 
Published: October 2021

In this study, the co-combustion characteristics of coal and biomass blends (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 wt%) were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. All the samples were operated under an oxidative atmosphere, with a heating rate of 20 C/min. The reaction stages, ignition and burnout temperature, maximum weight loss rate, and different combustion indices were determined. When the percentage of biomass in the blends was increased, the maximum mass loss rate was enhanced in the second region, and the ignition and burnout temperature was lowered, indicating the higher reactivity and better combustion performance of the samples. The comprehensive performance index presented an N shape with the increasing biomass blending ratio. Based on various combustion indices, 20% was an optimum percentage for the co-utilization of coal-biomass blends. A significant promoting interaction was observed between corn straw and rice straw blends, while inhibiting effects occurred between rice husk and coal. The kinetic parameters of the blends were evaluated by the Coats and Redfern method using the nth-order reaction model. The value of activation energy and the pre-exponential factor increased with the decreasing biomass percentage in the blends.
Genome-Wide Detection of Genetic Loci and Candidate Genes for Body Conformation Traits in Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire Crossbred Pigs
Authors: Zhang Hui , Zhuang Zhanwei , Yang Ming , Ding Rongrong , Quan Jianping , Zhou Shenping , Gu Ting , Xu Zheng , Zheng Enqin , Cai Gengyuan , Yang Jie , Wu Zhenfang 
Published: October 2021

The Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) hybrid pigs (DLY) are the most popular commercial pigs, providing consumers with the largest source of pork. In order to gain more insights into the genetic architecture of economically important traits in pigs, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the GeneSeek Porcine 50 K SNP Chip to map the genetic markers and genes associated with body conformation traits (BCT) in 311 DLY pigs. The quantitative traits analyzed included body weight (BW), carcass length (CL), body length (BL), body height (BH), and body mass index (BMI). BMI was defined as BMICL, BMIBL, and BMIBH, respectively, based on CL, BL, and BH phenotypic data. We identified 82 SNPs for the seven traits by GEMMA-based and FarmCPU-based GWASs. Both methods detected two quantitative trait loci (QTL) on SSC8 and SSC17 for body conformation traits. Several candidate genes (such as TNFAIP3, KDM4C, HSPG2, BMP2, PLCB4, and GRM5) were found to be associated with body weight and body conformation traits in pigs. Notably, the BMP2 gene had pleiotropic effects on CL, BL, BH, BMICL, and BMIBL and is proposed as a strong candidate gene for body size due to its involvement in growth and bone development. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis indicated that most of the pathway terms are associated with regulation of cell growth, negative regulation of cell population proliferation, and chondrocyte differentiation. We anticipate that these results further advance our understanding of the genetic architecture of body conformation traits in the popular commercial DLY pigs and provide new insights into the genetic architecture of BMI in pigs.
Deciphering the Pyroptosis-Related Prognostic Signature and Immune Cell Infiltration Characteristics of Colon Cancer
Authors: Wei Ran , Li Shuofeng , Yu Guanhua , Guan Xu , Liu Hengchang , Quan Jichuan , Jiang Zheng , Wang Xishan 
Published: October 2021

Background: Colon cancer (CC) remains one of the most common malignancies with a poor prognosis. Pyroptosis, referred to as cellular inflammatory necrosis, is thought to influence tumor development. However, the potential effects of pyroptosis-related regulators (PRRs) on the CC immune microenvironment remain unknown.Methods: In this study, 27 PRRs reported in the previous study were used to cluster the 1,334 CC samples into three pyroptosis-related molecular patterns. Through subtype pattern differential analysis and structure network mining using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), 854 signature genes associated with the PRRs were discovered. Further LASSO-penalized Cox regression of these genes established an eight-gene assessment model for predicting prognosis.Results: The CC patients were subtyped based on three distinct pyroptosis-related molecular patterns. These pyroptosis-related patterns were correlated with different clinical outcomes and immune cell infiltration characteristics in the tumor microenvironment. The pyroptosis-related eight-signature model was established and used to assess the prognosis of CC patients with medium-to-high accuracy by employing the risk scores, which was named “PRM-scores.” Greater inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in tumors with low PRM-scores, indicating a potential benefit of immunotherapy in these patients.Conclusions: This study suggests that PRRs have a significant effect on the tumor immune microenvironment and tumor development. Evaluating the pyroptosis-related patterns and related models will promote our understanding of immune cell infiltration characteristics in the tumor microenvironment and provide a theoretical basis for future research targeting pyroptosis in cancer.