bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations Between Alcohol Use and Liver‐Related Outcomes in a Large National Cohort of Patients With Cirrhosis
Authors: Pearson Meredith M. , Kim Nicole J. , Berry Kristin , Moon Andrew M. , Su Feng , Vutien Philip , Green Pamela K. , Williams Emily C. , Ioannou George N. 
Published: October 2021

Alcohol use can cause hepatic necroinflammation and worsening portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis. We aimed to evaluate the associations between degree of alcohol use and clinical liver‐related outcomes according to etiology of cirrhosis. In this retrospective cohort analysis, 44,349 U.S. veterans with cirrhosis from alcohol‐associated liver disease (ALD), chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were identified who completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption questionnaire in 2012. Based on this score, level of alcohol use was categorized as none, low level, or unhealthy. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess for associations between alcohol use and mortality, cirrhosis decompensation (new ascites, encephalopathy, or variceal bleeding), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). At baseline, 36.4% of patients endorsed alcohol use and 17.1% had unhealthy alcohol use. During a mean 4.9 years of follow‐up, 25,806 (57.9%) patients died, 9,409 (21.4%) developed a new decompensation, and 4,733 (11.1%) developed HCC. In patients with ALD‐cirrhosis and HCV‐cirrhosis, unhealthy alcohol use, compared with no alcohol use, was associated with higher risks of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07‐1.19 and aHR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.08‐1.20, respectively) and decompensation (aHR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.07‐1.30 and aHR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.00‐1.16, respectively). Alcohol use was not associated with HCC, regardless of cirrhosis etiology. Conclusion: Unhealthy alcohol use was common in patients with cirrhosis and was associated with higher risks of mortality and cirrhosis decompensation in patients with HCV‐cirrhosis and ALD‐cirrhosis. Therefore, health care providers should make every effort to help patients achieve abstinence. The lack of association between alcohol use and HCC merits further investigation.
High resolution diffusion tensor imaging of the hippocampus across the healthy lifespan
Authors: Solar Kevin Grant , Treit Sarah , Beaulieu Christian 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThe human hippocampus is difficult to image given its small size, location, shape, and complex internal architecture. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown age‐related hippocampal volume changes that vary along the anterior–posterior axis. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides complementary measures related to microstructure, but there are few hippocampus DTI studies investigating change with age in healthy participants, and all have been limited by low spatial resolution. The current study uses high resolution 1 mm isotropic DTI of 153 healthy volunteers aged 5–74 years to investigate diffusion and volume trajectories of the hippocampus (whole, head, body, and tail) and correlations with memory. Hippocampal volume showed age‐related changes that differed between head (peaking at midlife), body (no changes), and tail (decreasing across the age span). Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean, axial, and radial diffusivities (MD, AD, RD) yielded peaks or minima, respectively, at ~30–35 years in all three subregions of the hippocampus. Greater magnitude changes were observed during development than in aging. Age trajectories for both volume and DTI were similar between males and females. Correlations between tests of memory and FA and/or volume were significant in younger subjects (5–17 years), but not in 18–49 year olds or 50–74 year olds. MD was significantly correlated with memory performance in 18–49 year olds, but not in other age groups. Given the diffusion‐weighted image contrast and resolution, head digitations could be examined revealing that the majority of subjects had 3–4 (48%) or 2 (32%) bilaterally with no effect of age. One millimeter isotropic DTI yielded high quality diffusion‐weighted maps of the human hippocampus that showed regionally specific age effects and cognitive correlations along the anterior–posterior axis from 5 to 74 years.
Following the curve? Reviewing the physical basis of the SCS curve number method for estimating storm runoff
Authors: Kirkby Mike , Cerdà Artemi 
Published: October 2021

AbstractLess attention has been paid to runoff generation from semi‐arid than from humid‐temperate catchments. The SCS curve number approach is simple to apply and widely used, but lacks physical underpinning. Here output from a runoff generation models is compared with data from field measurements, making use of 11 years data from rainfall and runoff events at the Sierra de Enguera Soil Erosion Experimental Station in Eastern Spain. Runoff from natural rainfall events was monitored for 10 years on bare plots of 1–16 m length. The largest storm event was of 142 mm, generating runoff of up to 115 mm on the smallest plots. The model presented simulates overland storm flow on a sloping rough and unvegetated surface, representing an area of 320 × 320 m. Green‐Ampt infiltration constants are randomly assigned to each cell in a 128 × 128 grid, and rectangular storms applied at a range of total amounts and intensities to simulate runoff at each transect across the area. A simple algebraic expression is developed to estimate total runoff and storage in terms of storm size and duration, and plot length, with parameters that reflect infiltration behaviour, and this expression is compared with the SCS curve number approach. For the very largest storms, both expressions converge asymptotically towards 100% runoff, but the revised expression greatly improves estimates of runoff from smaller events. Output of these simulations is compared with measured storm runoff data on bare runoff plots at the Sierra de Enguera experimental Station in SE Spain and gives further support to the proposed expression for storm runoff.
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Authors: Wang Ziming , Qiao Jie , Zhao Shuqi , Wang Shilei , He Chuan , Tao Xutang , Wang Shanpeng 
Published: October 2021

THz modulators based on 2D materials are attracting attention due to their potential applications in THz communication, sensing, and biomedical diagnostics. The authors present recent progress on 2D materials with different photonic structures, fundamental of THz modulation, and THz operation principles. This work provides useful guidance for the design strategy of 2D materials based THz modulators. (DOI: 10.1002/inf2.12236)
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Evaluation of a pain management protocol used to deescalate opioid use in adult patients hospitalized with vaso‐occlusive crisis due to sickle cell disease
Authors: Ciriello Domenique , Cieri‐Hutcherson Nicole E. , Seyse Stephanie , Abeles Jennifer , Conway‐Habes Erin , Slowik Baylie , Woodruff Ashley E. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractIntroductionLimited guidance has been provided for opioid de‐escalation when managing pain associated with vaso‐occlusive crisis (VOC) in hospitalized patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Therefore, a pain management protocol was developed for use in this population and piloted at a tertiary academic medical center.ObjectiveTo assess implementation of a newly developed pain management protocol for use in hospitalized patients with a VOC.MethodsThis was a retrospective, single‐center, pre‐post cohort study of SCD patients admitted with a VOC between June 1, 2018 to June 1, 2019 (pre‐protocol) and December 31, 2019 to May 12, 2020 (post‐protocol). The primary outcome was a reduction in intravenous (IV) short‐acting opioid utilization as defined by the proportion of hospitalized days where the route of administration for short‐acting opioids was oral rather than IV for ≥75% of doses given. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of hospitalized days where ≥50% and ≥25% of the short‐acting opioid doses were administered by mouth. Opioid use (in morphine milligram equivalents [MME]) was also compared between groups.ResultsA total of 96 admissions in the pre‐protocol group and 29 admissions in the post‐protocol group were included in the study. There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of hospitalized days where ≥75% of the short‐acting opioid doses were administered by mouth rather than IV in the post‐protocol group compared with the pre‐protocol group (0% vs 8.3%, P = .0114). Intravenous opioid use and total opioid use in the post‐protocol group was lower compared with the pre‐protocol group.ConclusionImplementation of a pain management protocol for use in hospitalized SCD patients admitted with VOC was associated with an increase in the use of oral short‐acting opioids and reduced overall opioid use.
Normal‐mode driven exploration of protein domain motions
Authors: Sanejouand Yves‐Henri 
Published: October 2021

AbstractDomain motions involved in the function of proteins can often be well described as a combination of motions along a handfull of low‐frequency modes, that is, with the values of a few normal coordinates. This means that, when the functional motion of a protein is unknown, it should prove possible to predict it, since it amounts to guess a few values. However, without the help of additional experimental data, using normal coordinates for generating accurate conformers far away from the initial one is not so straightforward. To do so, a new approach is proposed: instead of building conformers directly with the values of a subset of normal coordinates, they are built in two steps, the conformer built with normal coordinates being just used for defining a set of distance constraints, the final conformer being built so as to match them. Note that this approach amounts to transform the problem of generating accurate protein conformers using normal coordinates into a better known one: the distance‐geometry problem, which is herein solved with the help of the ROSETTA software. In the present study, this approach allowed to rebuild accurately six large amplitude conformational changes, using at most six low‐frequency normal coordinates. As a consequence of the low‐dimensionality of the corresponding subspace, random exploration also proved enough for generating low‐energy conformers close to the known end‐point of the conformational change of the LAO binding protein, lysozyme T4 and adenylate kinase.
Advanced oxidation protein products contribute to chronic kidney disease‐induced muscle atrophy by inducing oxidative stress via CD36/NADPH oxidase pathway
Authors: Kato Hiromasa , Watanabe Hiroshi , Imafuku Tadashi , Arimura Nanaka , Fujita Issei , Noguchi Isamu , Tanaka Shoma , Nakano Takehiro , Tokumaru Kai , Enoki Yuki , Maeda Hitoshi , Hino Shinjiro , Tanaka Motoko , Matsushita Kazutaka , Fukagawa Masafumi , Maruyama Toru 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBackgroundSarcopenia with chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression is associated with life prognosis. Oxidative stress has attracted interest as a trigger for causing CKD‐related muscular atrophy. Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), a uraemic toxin, are known to increase oxidative stress. However, the role of AOPPs on CKD‐induced muscle atrophy remains unclear.MethodsIn a retrospective case–control clinical study, we evaluated the relationship between serum AOPPs levels and muscle strength in haemodialysis patients with sarcopenia (n = 26, mean age ± SEM: 78.5 ± 1.4 years for male patients; n = 22, mean age ± SEM: 79.1 ± 1.5 for female patients), pre‐sarcopenia (n = 12, mean age ± SEM: 73.8 ± 2.0 years for male patients; n = 4, mean age ± SEM: 74.3 ± 4.1 for female patients) or without sarcopenia (n = 12, mean age ± SEM: 71.3 ± 1.6 years for male patients; n = 7, mean age ± SEM: 77.7 ± 1.6 for female ). The molecular mechanism responsible for the AOPPs‐induced muscle atrophy was investigated by using 5/6‐nephrectomized CKD mice, AOPPs‐overloaded mice, and C2C12 mouse myoblast cells.ResultsThe haemodialysis patients with sarcopenia showed higher serum AOPPs levels as compared with the patients without sarcopenia. The serum AOPPs levels showed a negative correlation with grip strength (P < 0.01 for male patients, P < 0.01 for female patients) and skeletal muscle index (P < 0.01 for male patients). Serum AOPPs levels showed a positive correlation with cysteinylated albumin (Cys‐albumin), a marker of oxidative stress (r2 = 0.398, P < 0.01). In the gastrocnemius of CKD mice, muscle AOPPs levels were also increased, and it showed a positive correlation with atrogin‐1 (r2 = 0.538, P < 0.01) and myostatin expression (r2 = 0.421, P < 0.05), but a negative correlation with PGC‐1α expression (r2 = 0.405, P < 0.05). Using C2C12 cells, AOPPs increased atrogin‐1 and myostatin expression through the production of reactive oxygen species via CD36/NADPH oxidase pathway, and decreased myotube formation. AOPPs also induced mitochondrial dysfunction. In the AOPPs‐overloaded mice showed that decreasing running time and hanging time accompanied by increasing AOPPs levels and decreasing cross‐sectional area in gastrocnemius.ConclusionsAdvanced oxidation protein products contribute to CKD‐induced sarcopenia, suggesting that AOPPs or its downstream signalling pathway could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of CKD‐induced sarcopenia. Serum AOPPs or Cys‐albumin levels could be a new diagnostic marker for sarcopenia in CKD.
Early versus late enteral nutrition in critically ill patients receiving vasopressor support
Authors: Dorken Gallastegi Ander , Gebran Anthony , Gaitanidis Apostolos , Naar Leon , Hwabejire John O. , Parks Jonathan , Lee Jarone , Kaafarani Haytham M. A. , Velmahos George C. , Mendoza April E. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBackgroundOutcomes of early enteral nutrition (EEN) in critically ill patients on vasoactive medications remain unclear. We aimed to compare in‐hospital outcomes for EEN vs late EN (LEN) in mechanically ventilated patients receiving vasopressor support.MethodsThis was a retrospective study using the national eICU Collaborative Research Database. Adult patients requiring vasopressor support and mechanical ventilation within 24 h of admission and for ≥2 days were included. Patients with an admission diagnosis that could constitute a contraindication for EEN (eg, gastrointestinal [GI] perforation, GI surgery) and patients with an intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) <72 h were excluded. EEN and LEN were defined as tube feeding within 48 h and between 48 h and 1 week (nothing by mouth during the first 48 h) of admission, respectively. Propensity score matching was performed to derive two cohorts receiving EEN and LEN that were comparable for baseline patient characteristics.ResultsAmong 1701 patients who met the inclusion criteria (EEN: 1001, LEN: 700), 1148 were included in propensity score–matched cohorts (EEN: 574, LEN: 574). Median time to EN was 29 vs 79 h from admission in the EEN and LEN groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in mortality or hospital LOS between the two nutrition strategies. EEN was associated with shorter ICU LOS, lower need for renal replacement therapy, and lower incidence of electrolyte abnormalities.ConclusionThis study showed no difference in 28‐day mortality between EEN and LEN in critically ill patients receiving vasopressor support.
Patient‐reported outcomes in human papillomavirus‐related oropharyngeal cancer
Authors: Fitzgerald Conall W. R. , Long Sallie M. , McLean Andrew T. , Cracchiolo Jennifer R. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThis review explores how human papillomavirus‐related oropharyngeal cancer affects health‐related quality of life (HR‐QoL) and the role patient‐reported outcomes (PROs) can play in optimizing treatment. PRO measures (PROMs) are comprehensive, subjective assessments of patients’ day‐to‐day HR‐QoL. Developed through a scientifically robust, multistage process, PROMs offer insight into patients’ symptoms, function, and satisfaction with care. The use of PROMs can increase symptom awareness, stimulate discussion, and enhance shared decision‐making between patients and healthcare providers.
Impact of care fragmentation on the outcomes of patients receiving neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Brown Zachary J. , Labiner Hanna E. , Shen Chengli , Ejaz Aslam , Pawlik Timothy M. , Cloyd Jordan M. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractIntroductionNeoadjuvant therapy (NT) is increasingly used for localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The impact of care fragmentation during NT on the outcomes of patients with PDAC is unknown.MethodsAdult patients with Stage I–III PDAC who received NT and patients who underwent surgery first followed by adjuvant therapy (AT) between 2004 and 2016 were queried from the National Cancer Database. Short‐ and long‐term outcomes were compared between patients who received fragmented care (FC; care provided at >1 hospital) versus integrated care (IC; care at a single institution).ResultsAmong 6522 patients who underwent NT before pancreatectomy, 3755 (57.6%) received FC and 2767 (42.4%) received IC. While patients who received FC had a longer time to initiation of treatment (33.2 vs. 29.7 days, p < 0.001), there was no difference in median overall survival (OS) (26.7 vs. 26.5 months, p = 0.6). Among patients who underwent upfront surgery followed by AT (n = 15 291), patients who received FC had a longer time from diagnosis to undergoing surgery but less time from surgery to AT and no difference in OS (24.0 vs. 24.0 months, p = 0.910).ConclusionAlthough care fragmentation was associated with slightly longer times to initiate and complete treatment among patients with localized PDAC, long‐term survival outcomes were similar.
Unmet needs in basic and translational research in Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Cadamuro Massimiliano , Macias Rocio I.R. , Strain Alastair J. , Strazzabosco Mario , Simioni Paolo , Marin Jose J.G. , Fabris Luca 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBackground and AimsDespite the impact of cutting‐edge technologies in providing deep molecular phenotyping of many tumours, management of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a rare and insufficiently studied cancer with marked heterogeneity (including intrahepatic and extrahepatic variants), has remained limited and it has poor prognosis. Renewed interest in this enigmatic disease has been fostered in the last decade. Here, we will give an overview of the most important gaps in knowledge of the basic and translational research of CCA that must be prioritized to improve the CCA management in the future.MethodsExploration was initially conducted on the Consensus Statement on Cholangiocarcinoma 2020, where after careful discussion of priorities, basic/translational research were selected and approved. Then, systematic literature searches using PubMed were performed by authors from different disciplines to highlight the most relevant areas requiring further study.ResultsGenetic and molecular characterization studies have identified the presence of actionable mutations in both intrahepatic (50%‐60%) and extrahepatic CCA (25%), but efficacy of targeted interventions is still hindered by several factors. They include a limited understanding of the intricate mechanisms of pharmacoresistance, the lack of accurate biomarkers enabling early detection of the disease, the complex role of the tumour microenvironment exerting both tumour‐promoting and tumour‐restraining functions, and the inadequacy of experimental models to recapitulate the wide heterogeneity of these tumours.ConclusionsPromoting international collaborations among scientists with multidisciplinary skills, and creation of platforms to collect data and biological samples of patients from different countries are the actions needed to understand better in this still challenging disease.
Impact of salinization on lake stratification and spring mixing
Authors: Ladwig Robert , Rock Linnea A. , Dugan Hilary A. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractAnthropogenic freshwater salinization affects thousands of lakes worldwide, and yet little is known about how salt loading may shift timing of lake stratification and spring mixing in dimictic lakes. Here, we investigate the impact of salinization on mixing in Lakes Mendota and Monona, Wisconsin, by deploying under‐ice buoys to record salinity gradients, using an analytical approach to quantify salinity thresholds that prevent spring mixing, and running an ensemble of vertical one‐dimensional hydrodynamic lake models (GLM, GOTM, and Simstrat) to investigate the long‐term impact of winter salt loading on mixing and stratification. We found that spring salinity gradients between surface and bottom waters persist up to a month after ice‐off, and that theory predicts a salinity gradient of 1.3–1.4 g kg−1 would prevent spring mixing. Numerical models project that salt loading delays spring mixing and increases water column stability, with ramifications for oxygenation of bottom waters, biogeochemistry, and lake habitability.
Strategies for successful personal branding of celebrities on social media platforms: Involvement or information sharing?
Authors: Lo Fang‐Yi , Peng Jing‐Xiang 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThis study explores Internet celebrities’ personal brand development motivations and their strategies for successful personal branding practices. It divides the motivations of Internet celebrities to build their personal brands into internal and external factors as a basic framework to explore the establishment of a personal brand. We collect empirical data on 280 Internet celebrities from Taiwan through online and paper‐based questionnaires and conduct structure equation modeling to examine any causal relationships. Statistical results support the main hypothesis that both internal and external motivations push them to adopt involvement and information sharing as their main activities when building a personal brand. However, only involvement is able to create a successful personal brand, as information sharing alone fails to demonstrate the expected effects. We employ the mixed‐method approach to collect data through qualitative and quantitative sources. In‐depth qualitative interviews of successful Internet celebrities also corroborate the empirical results. This study suggests that future Internet celebrities should focus on involvement activities, rather than just sharing information, if they want to create a successful personal brand.