bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bowel Emptying Methods Used by German Residents Living With Spina Bifida
Authors: Faleiros Fabiana , Santos Lilka Marques , Bimbatti Karina , Käppler Christoph 
Published: February 2021

PURPOSE:
The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze methods of bowel emptying among Germans living with spina bifida. We also analyzed relationships between age, sex, level of spinal bifida anomaly, and methods of bowel elimination.

DESIGN:
A quantitative, descriptive study.

SUBJECTS AND SETTING:
The sample comprised 88 persons (56 women and 32 men) residing anywhere in the Federal Republic of Germany. Their mean age was 17.5 years (SD 13.64 years), range 0 to 55 years.

METHODS:
Data were collected through an online survey questionnaire developed for the urological follow-up protocol for patients with spina bifida. Parents completed the questionnaire for participants younger than 18 years.

RESULTS:
Twenty participants (22.7%) reported normal defecation and 68 (77.3%) reported neurogenic bowel dysfunction requiring regular bowel management. Participants requiring bowel management predominately used rectal irrigation (40.9%) and digital rectal stimulation (27.3%) to enhance bowel evacuation. Age emerged as the only factor related to the bowel management techniques. Younger participants (≤20 years) were more likely to use rectal irrigation for bowel evacuation (P = .001, Fisher's exact test), whereas older respondents (≥21 years) were more likely to use digital rectal stimulation (P = .015, Fisher's exact test). Analysis revealed no differences in methods of bowel evacuation based on sex or level of spina bifida anomaly (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral).

CONCLUSIONS:
Rectal irrigation was the most common method for bowel evacuation. Participants were less likely to employ potentially effective and more conservative measures for intestinal emptying, such as toilet training/timed evacuation associated with Valsalva maneuvers, abdominal press, abdominal massage, and digital rectal stimulation. Additional comparative studies with more participants and other countries with intestinal emptying methods are needed to better understand the needs of individuals with spina bifida and their families and to improve the health-related quality of life of these people.
A Pilot Study of Switching Electroconvulsive Therapy for Patients With Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia or Mood Disorder
Authors: Tan Xiao Wei , Oon Li Keat , Tsang Yun Ying Tammy , Ong Hatta Santoso , Tor Phern Chern 
Published: February 2021

Objectives
Switching of ECT electrode modality is commonly done in clinical practice but outcomes are unclear. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between ECT modality switchers and nonswitchers in a large tertiary psychiatric institution over 1 year.

Methods
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were used to assess symptoms and cognition. General linear regression was utilized to compare the change of BPRS or MADRS and MoCA score among switchers vs nonswitchers.

Results
21.5% of 209 patients switched ECT. Baseline BPRS scores were lower among nonswitchers. Response rate in schizophrenia, depression and mania were higher for nonswitchers (69.6%, 81.35% and 84.8% respectively / 9.2 (SD 3.3) sessions) compared to switchers (53.8%, 0% and 66.7% respectively / 10.6 (SD 4.5) sessions). Most common ECT switches were Bifrontal (BF) to Bitemporal (BT) (schizophrenia), UB RUL (ultrabrief right unilateral) to BT (depression), and UB RUL to BT / BF (mania). There was no significant difference in the change of BPRS and MoCA scores between nonswitchers and switchers. However, there was significantly more improvement of MADRS scores among nonswitchers [adjusted mean ± SE: (−26.4 ± 2.8)] compared with switchers (−10.6) ±6.6).

Conclusions
ECT switching was commonly done and may result in better or worse outcomes than not switching depending on diagnosis. Controlled trials are required to address this urgent clinical issue.
Safe Administration of ECT in a Suicidal Patient With a Space-Occupying Astrocytoma
Authors: Youssef Nagy A. , Casola Benjamin , Rosenquist Peter B. , McCall William V. , Spearman Vanessa 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be lifesaving for patients suffering from treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions, especially acute suicidality or depression. However, space-occupying lesions pose risks associated with ECT use due in part to seizure-induced escalations in blood pressure with corresponding increases in cerebral blood flow and possibly intracranial pressure, subsequently increasing the risk of brain herniation. Here, we present the case of a patient with a left medial temporal lobe astrocytoma, worsening epileptic seizures, and nonepileptic seizures who underwent ECT for major depressive disorder and suicidality. The patient had improvement of depressive symptoms, resolution of suicidality, and brief cessation of nonepileptic seizures. Brief anterograde amnesia contributed to the termination of treatment. This case adds to the growing literature about the feasibility of ECT treatment in cerebral lesions prone to changes in intracranial pressure, such as the usually cystic astrocytomas.
Chemical exchange saturation transfer for detection of antiretroviral drugs in brain tissue
Authors: Bade Aditya N. , Gendelman Howard E. , McMillan JoEllyn , Liu Yutong 
Published: February 2021

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) antiretroviral drug (ARV) theranostics facilitates biodistribution and efficacy of therapies designed to target viral reservoirs. To this end, we have now deployed intrinsic drug chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) contrast to detect ARV distribution within the central nervous system (CNS).MethodsCEST effects for lamivudine (3TC) and emtricitabine (FTC) were measured by asymmetric magnetization transfer ratio analyses in solutions. CEST magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on 3TC-treated mice with analysis made by Lorentzian fitting.ResultsCEST effects of 3TC and FTC hydroxyl and amino protons linearly correlated to drug concentrations. 3TC was successfully detected in brain sub-regions by MRI. The imaging results were validated by measurements of CNS drug concentrations.ConclusionCEST contrasts can be used to detect ARVs using MRI. Such detection can be used to assess spatial-temporal drug biodistribution. This is most notable within the CNS where drug biodistribution may be more limited with the final goal of better understanding ARV-associated efficacy and potential toxicity.
Insulin-like peptide receptor mediated signaling pathways orchestrate regulation of energy homeostasis in the Pacific oyster,Crassostrea gigas
Authors: Li Yongjing , Fu Huiru , Zhang Fuqiang , Ren Liting , Tian Jing , Li Qi , Liu Shikai 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe involvement of insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IIS) signaling pathway in growth regulation of marine invertebrates remains largely unexplored. In this study, we used a fast-growing Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) variety “Haida No.1” as material to unravel the role of IIS system in growth regulation in oysters. Systematic bioinformatics analyses allowed to identify major components of IIS signaling pathway and insulin-like peptide receptor (ILPR) mediated signaling pathways, including PI3K-AKT, RAS-MAPK, and TOR, inC. gigas. Expression levels of the major genes in IIS and its downstream signaling pathways were significantly higher in “Haida No.1” than wild oysters, suggesting their involvement in growth regulation ofC. gigas. Expression profiles of IIS and its downstream signaling pathway genes were significantly altered by nutrient abundance and culture temperature. These results suggested that IIS signaling pathway coupled with the ILPR mediated signaling pathways orchestrated energy homeostasis to regulate growth in the Pacific oyster.Research HighlightsILPR, IRS, IGFBPRP,andIGFALSgenes were characterized in theC. gigas.Major genes of IIS signaling pathway were highly expressed in fast-growingC. gigas.IIS and downstream pathways participates in energy homeostasis of oysters.ILPR mediated signaling pathways orchestrate growth regulation in oysters.
IHRW: An Improved Hypergraph Random Walk Model for Predicting Three-Drug Therapy
Authors: Wang Qi , Yan Guiying 
Published: February 2021

AbstractDrug combination therapy is a well-established concept in the treatment of complex diseases due to its fewer side effects, lower toxicity, and better efficacy. However, it is challenging to identify efficacious drug combinations from many drug candidates. Computational models could greatly reduce the cost, but most models did not use data for more than two-drug combinations and could not predict three-drug therapy. However, three-drug combinations account for about 21% of the known combinations, which is a very important type of treatment. Here, we utilized higher-order information and developed an improved hypergraph random walk model (IHRW) for three-drug therapy prediction. This is the first method to explore the combination of three drugs.As a result, the case studies of breast cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer showed that IHRW had a powerful ability to predict potential efficacious three-drug combinations, which provides new prospects for complex disease treatment. The code of IHRW is freely available athttps://github.com/wangqi27/IHRW.
Guest-host supramolecular assembly of injectable hydrogel fibers for cell encapsulation
Authors: Miller Beverly , Hansrisuk Audrey , Highley Christopher B. , Caliari Steven R. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe fibrous architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is recognized as an integral regulator of cell function. However, there is an unmet need to develop mechanically robust biomaterials mimicking nanofibrous tissue topography that are also injectable to enable minimally invasive delivery. In this study we have developed a fibrous hydrogel composed of supramolecularly-assembled hyaluronic acid (HA) nanofibers that exhibits mechanical integrity, shear-thinning, rapid self-healing, and cytocompatibility. HA was modified with methacrylates to permit fiber photocrosslinking following electrospinning and either ‘guest’ adamantane or ‘host’ β-cyclodextrin groups to guide supramolecular fibrous hydrogel assembly. Analysis of fibrous hydrogel rheological properties showed that the mixed guest-host fibrous hydrogel was more mechanically robust (6.6 ± 2.0 kPa, storage modulus (G′)) than unmixed guest hydrogel fibers (1.0 ± 0.1 kPa, G′) or host hydrogel fibers (1.1 ± 0.1 kPa, G′) separately. The reversible nature of the guest-host supramolecular interactions also allowed for shear-thinning and self-healing behavior as demonstrated by cyclic deformation testing. Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) encapsulated in fibrous hydrogels demonstrated satisfactory viability following injection and after seven days of culture (> 85%). Encapsulated hMSCs were more spread and elongated when cultured in viscoelastic guest-host hydrogels compared to non-fibrous elastic controls, with hMSCs also showing significantly decreased circularity in fibrous guest-host hydrogels compared to non-fibrous guest-host hydrogels. Together, these data highlight the potential of this injectable fibrous hydrogel platform for cell and tissue engineering applications requiring minimally invasive delivery.
Tracking cell lineages in 3D by incremental deep learning
Authors: Sugawara Ko , Cevrim Cagri , Averof Michalis 
Published: February 2021

AbstractDeep learning is emerging as a powerful approach for bioimage analysis. Its use in cell tracking is limited by the scarcity of annotated data for the training of deep learning models. Moreover, annotation, training, prediction and proofreading currently lack a unified user interface. We present ELEPHANT, an interactive platform for 3D cell tracking that addresses these challenges by taking an incremental approach to deep learning. ELEPHANT provides an interface that seamlessly integrates cell track annotation, deep learning, prediction and proofreading. This enables users to implement cycles of incremental learning starting from a few annotated nuclei. Successive prediction-validation cycles enrich the training data, leading to rapid improvements in tracking performance. We test the software’s performance against state-of-the-art methods and track lineages spanning the entire course of leg regeneration in a crustacean over 1 week (504 timepoints). ELEPHANT yields accurate, fully-validated cell lineages with a modest investment in time and effort.
Xenogeneic Skin Transplantation Promotes Angiogenesis and Tissue Regeneration Through Vitamin D-Activated Trem2+ Macrophages
Authors: Henn Dominic , Chen Kellen , Fehlmann Tobias , Sivaraj Dharshan , Maan Zeshaan N. , Bonham Clark A. , Barrera Janos A. , Mays Chyna J. , Greco Autumn H. , Moortgat Illouz Sylvia E. , Lin John Qian , Foster Deshka S. , Padmanabhan Jagannath , Momeni Arash , Nguyen Dung , Wan Derrick C. , Kneser Ulrich , Januszyk Michael , Keller Andreas , Longaker Michael T. , Gurtner Geoffrey C. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSkin allo- and xenotransplantation are the standard treatment for major burns when donor sites for autografts are not available and have been shown to significantly accelerate wound healing. Although the cellular elements of foreign grafts are rejected, the extracellular matrix components integrate into the wound and may underlie their beneficial effects on wound healing. The molecular mechanisms defining the relationship between the immune response to foreign grafts and their impact on wound healing have not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated changes in collagen architecture after xenogeneic implantation of clinically available human biologic scaffolds. We show that collagen deposition in response to the implantation of human split-thickness skin grafts (hSTSG) containing live cells recapitulates normal skin architecture, whereas human acellular dermal matrix (ADM) grafts led to highly aligned collagen deposition, characteristic of fibrosis and scar. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing, we show that macrophage differentiation in response to hSTSG is driven by vitamin D (VD) signaling toward Trem2+ subpopulations with an enrichment of pro-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic transcriptomic programs. We subsequently induced this regenerative subpopulationin vitroby treating bone marrow-derived cells with vitamin D3 and found that hydrogel delivery of Trem2+ macrophages significantly accelerated wound closure in a human-like murine excisional wound model. Our study identifies the preclinical therapeutic potential of Trem2+ macrophages to mitigate fibrosis and promote wound healing and provides a novel effective strategy to develop advanced cell therapies for complex wounds.One Sentence SummaryVitamin D-activated Trem2+ macrophages promote angiogenesis and mitigate fibrosis, providing a novel effective strategy to develop advanced cell therapies for complex wounds.
Growth response and recovery ofCorynebacterium glutamicumcolonies on single-cell level upon defined pH stress pulses
Authors: Täuber Sarah , Blöbaum Luisa , Wendisch Volker F. , Grünberger Alexander 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBacteria respond to pH changes in their environment via pH homeostasis to keep the intracellular pH as constant as possible within a small range. A change of the intracellular pH value influences e.g., the enzyme activity, protein stability, solubility of trace elements and the proton motive force. Here, the speciesCorynebacterium glutamicumhas been chosen as a neutralophilic and moderately alkali-tolerant bacterium capable of maintaining an internal pH of 7.5 ± 0.5 in environments with an external pH between 5.5 and 9. In the recent years, the phenotypic response ofC. glutamicumto pH changes has been systematically investigated at the bulk population level. A detailed understanding of theC. glutamicumcell responding to defined short-term pH perturbations/ pulses is missing. In this study, dynamic microfluidic single-cell cultivation (dMSCC) was applied to analyse the physiological growth response ofC. glutamicumupon precise pH stress pulses at a single-cell level. Analysis of the growth behaviour at the colony level by dMSCC exposed to single pH stress pulses (pH = 4, 5, 10, 11) revealed a decrease in the viability with increasing stress duration. Colony regrowth was possible after increasing lag phases when stress durations were increased from 5 min to 9 h for all tested pH values. Furthermore, the single-cell analysis revealed heterogeneous regrowth of cells after pH stress, which can be distinguished into two distinct behaviours firstly, cells continue to grow without interruption after the pH stress, and secondly, some cells rest for several hours after the pH stress before they start to grow again after this lag phase. This study provides the first insights into the single-cell response to acidic and alkaline pH stress adaptation ofC. glutamicum.
Biomechanical evaluation of a novel orthogonal angle-stable interlocking nail in a canine femur model Novel orthogonal angle-stable interlocking nail
Authors: Lucena D. V. F. , Minto B. W. , Rocha T. A. S. S. , Malta C. A. S. , Galíndez J. A. S. , Dias L. G. G. G. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractInterlockings nails (IN) are orthopedic implants with superior mechanical and, potentially, biological qualities. Despite the countless and indisputable advantages of current angle-stable models, there are still limitations for their use in certain scenarios. The objective of the present study was to describe and biomechanically test a new orthogonal angle-stable intramedullary nail model for veterinary use. The proposed orthogonal angle-stable nail has two 3.8-mm threaded cylindrical holes in each of its portions: in the proximal portion, the holes are 11 mm apart; in the distal portion, the penultimate orifice is positioned at 90 degrees in relation to the last one, with a distance of 5.5 mm between them. The novel orthogonal nail (Group 3 – G3) was evaluated and compared biomechanically with the conventional interlocking nail (Group 1 – G1) and the uniplanar angle-stable nail (Group 2 – G2) by means of destructive torsion and axial compression tests. No statistically significant differences were observed in torsion resistance between the groups in the destructive tests. However, statistical differences were found in stiffness values in the compression tests between the orthogonal (G3) and conventional interlocking (G1) nails (p=0.01) and also between the uniplanar (G2) and interlocking (G1) nails (p=0.001). The new orthogonal nail proved to be biomechanically similar to the uniplanar angle-stable model and superior to the conventional nail. This new arrangement of interlocking screws (orthogonal and closer to each other) potentially enables the fixation of small fragments and at the extremities of long bones in dogs. Nonetheless, further clinical studies are necessary to validate such hypotheses.
Choice of method of place cell classification determines the population of cells identified
Authors: Grijseels D.M. , Shaw K. , Barry C. , Hall C.N. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPlace cells, spatially responsive hippocampal cells, provide the neural substrate supporting navigation and spatial memory. Historically most studies of these neurons have used electrophysiological recordings from implanted electrodes but optical methods, measuring intracellular calcium, are becoming increasingly common. Several methods have been proposed as a means to identify place cells based on their calcium activity but there is no common standard and it is unclear how reliable different approaches are. Here we tested three methods that have previously been applied to two-photon hippocampal imaging or electrophysiological data, using both model datasets and real imaging data. These methods use different parameters to identify place cells, including the peak activity in the place field, compared to other locations (the Peak method); the stability of cells’ activity over repeated traversals of an environment (Stability method); and a combination of these parameters with the size of the place field (Combination method). The three methods performed differently from each other on both model and real data. The Peak method showed high sensitivity and specificity for detecting model place cells and was the most robust to variations in place field width, reliability and field location. In real datasets, vastly different numbers of place cells were identified using the three methods, with little overlap between the populations identified as place cells. Therefore, choice of place cell detection method dramatically affects the number and properties of identified cells. We recommend the Peak method be used in future studies to identify place cell populations, unless there is an explicit theoretical reason for detecting cells with more narrowly defined properties.Author SummaryPlace cells are hippocampal cells that have spatially constrained receptive fields, the place field. These cells have been widely studied in the context of navigation, more recently using virtual reality environments in combination with optical methods of recording neuronal activity. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding how to identify place cells in these data. In this study we tested the sensitivity and specificity of three methods of identifying place cells. By comparing these methods and quantifying the populations of place cells they identify, we aimed to increase our understanding of exactly the populations that are currently being studied under the name “place cells”. Although the appropriate method may depend on the experimental design, we generally recommend a single method going forward, which will increase consensus within the field about what should be included in a place cell population, and allow us to better compare results between studies.
Sparse balance: excitatory-inhibitory networks with small bias currents and broadly distributed synaptic weights
Authors: Khajeh Ramin , Fumarola Francesco , Abbott LF 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCortical circuits generate excitatory currents that must be cancelled by strong inhibition to assure stability. The resulting excitatory-inhibitory (E-I) balance can generate spontaneous irregular activity but, in standard balanced E-I models, this requires that an extremely strong feedforward bias current be included along with the recurrent excitation and inhibition. The absence of experimental evidence for such large bias currents inspired us to examine an alternative regime that exhibits asynchronous activity without requiring unrealistically large feedforward input. In these networks, irregular spontaneous activity is supported by a continually changing sparse set of neurons. To support this activity, synaptic strengths must be drawn from high-variance distributions. Unlike standard balanced networks, these sparse balance networks exhibit robust nonlinear responses to uniform inputs and non-Gaussian statistics. In addition to simulations, we present a mean-field analysis to illustrate the properties of these networks.