bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Single Entity Behavior of CdSe Quantum Dot Aggregates During Photoelectrochemical Detection
Authors: Subedi Pradeep , Parajuli Suman , Alpuche-Aviles Mario A. 
Published: September 2021

We demonstrate that colloidal quantum dots of CdSe and CdSe/ZnS are detected during the photooxidation of MeOH, under broad spectrum illumination (250 mW/cm2). The stepwise photocurrent vs. time response corresponds to single entities adsorbing to the Pt electrode surface irreversibly. The adsorption/desorption of the QDs and the nature of the single entities is discussed. In suspensions, the QDs behave differently depending on the solvent used to suspend the materials. For MeOH, CdSe is not as stable as CdSe/ZnS under constant illumination. The photocurrent expected for single QDs is discussed. The value of the observed photocurrents, &gt; 1 pA is due to the formation of agglomerates consistent with the collision frequency and suspension stability. The observed frequency of collisions for the stepwise photocurrents is smaller than the diffusion-limited cases expected for single QDs colliding with the electrode surface. Dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy studies support the detection of aggregates. The results indicate that the ZnS layer on the CdSe/ZnS material facilitates the detection of single entities by increasing the stability of the nanomaterial. The rate of hole transfer from the QD aggregates to MeOH outcompetes the dissolution of the CdSe core under certain conditions of electron injection to the Pt electrode and in colloidal suspensions of CdSe/ZnS.
The Impact of Community Service Experience on the Undergraduate Students’ Learning Curve and Subsequent Changes of the Curriculum- A Quality Improvement Project at a Caribbean Medical University
Authors: Nauhria Samal , Nauhria Shreya , Derksen Irene , Basu Amitabha , Xantus Gabor 
Published: September 2021

Background: Community service learning seems to positively impact undergraduate medical students’ practical procedural and communications skills. Events like health fairs also strengthen the bond between healthcare providers and the wider community. Recognizing this mutually beneficial situation, national accreditation agencies and medical boards have recommended incorporating community-based learning in the core undergraduate curriculum. Our university is the first to probe medical students’ perceptions of community service in our region to the best of our knowledge.Objectives: We sought to analyze the experience of our students to improve the practical value of the curriculum.Methods: This was a qualitative survey interviewing medical students volunteering at a health fair in a Caribbean Island aimed to screen gross cardio-vascular and metabolic abnormalities in the native adult population. The focus group interviews were processed, transcribed and coded for thematic analyses by independent observers.Results: Overall, the students perceived CS as an opportunity to improve their clinical procedural and communications skills and to apply theoretical medical knowledge in practice to detect undiagnosed conditions like diabetes mellitus, hypertension and nutritional imbalance.Pedagogical implications: We have increased practical laboratory sessions by 15% in the new semester to improve our students’ practical skills.Conclusions: This is the first study that describes how community service may influence the individual learning curve of undergraduate medical students and may serve as a quality improvement tool to guide amendments to the curriculum. We opine that inter-agency, community-focused service promotes social, peer and active learning amongst undergraduate medical students.
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Alleviate Renal Fibrosis Progression via Regulation of CCL5-CCR5 Axis
Authors: Qiu Yue , Cao Yirui , Tu Guowei , Li Jiawei , Su Ying , Fang Fang , Zhang Xuepeng , Cang Jing , Rong Ruiming , Luo Zhe 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundRenal fibrosis is inevitable in all progressive chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) and represents a serious public health problem. Immune factors contribute to the progression of renal fibrosis. Thus, it is very possible that immunosuppression cells, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), could bring benefits to renal fibrosis. Herein, this study investigated the antifibrotic and reno-protective effect of MDSCs and the possible mechanisms.MethodsMurine and cell models of unilateral ureter obstruction (UUO) renal fibrosis were used. Bone marrow-induced MDSCs and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were pretreated before surgery. Kidney weight, pathological injury, extracellular matrix deposition, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition progression were examined. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1)/Smad/Snail signaling pathway involvement was investigated through Western blotting and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Accumulation of MDSC, CD4+ T cell, regulatory T (Treg), and T helper 1 (TH1) cell accumulation, and CCL5 and CCR5 expression level in MDSCs and non-MDSCs were evaluated using flow cytometry.ResultsIn vitro- and in vivo-induced MDSCs significantly ameliorated UUO-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis, inhibited the TGF-β1/Smad/Snail signaling pathway, and enhanced MDSC and Treg infiltration in the kidney while downregulating the TH1 cells. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed CCL5 elevation in the two MDSC-treated groups.ConclusionIn vitro- and in vivo-induced MDSCs alleviated renal fibrosis similarly through promoting the CCL5–CCR5 axis interaction and TGF-β1/Smad/Snail signaling pathway inhibition. Our results indicate an alternative treatment for renal fibrosis.
Oridonin Prolongs the Survival of Mouse Cardiac Allografts by Attenuating the NF-κB/NLRP3 Pathway
Authors: Du Xiaoxiao , Que Weitao , Hu Xin , Yu Xiao , Guo Wen-Zhi , Zhang Shuijun , Li Xiao-Kang 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundOridonin (Ori), the main bioactive ingredient of the natural anti-inflammatory herb Rabdosia rubescens, could be a covalent inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Solid organ transplantation provides a life-saving optional therapy for patients with end-stage organ dysfunction. The long-term survival of solid organ transplantation remains restricted because of the possibility of rejection and the toxicity, infection, cardiovascular disease, and malignancy related to immunosuppressive (IS) drugs. However, the pathogenic mechanisms involved remain unclear. The ideal IS drugs to prevent allograft rejection have not been identified. Here, we investigated whether Ori could prolong the in vivo survival of completely mismatched cardiac allografts.MethodsThe cardiac transplantation models were conducted among three groups of mice from C57BL/6NCrSlc (B6/N) or C3H/HeNSlc (C3H) to C3H: the syngeneic and the allogeneic group, whose recipients were treated with vehicle of Ori, and the Ori treatment group, in which the recipients were transplanted hearts from MHC-I mismatched donors and treated with different dosages of Ori from post-operative day (POD) 0 to 7. Then, we investigated the effect of Ori on bone marrow-derived dendritic cell (BMDC) and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction in vitro.ResultsOri with 3, 10, and 15 mg/kg Ori could prolong the survival (MST = 22.8, 49.2, and 65.3 days, respectively). We found that infiltrating CD8+ T cells and macrophages were decreased, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) were expanded in allografts on POD7. The mRNA level of IL-1β and IFN-γ of allografts was downregulated. Mechanistically, Ori-treated BMDCs suppressed T-cell proliferation and IFN-γ+CD4+ T-cell differentiation, along with the expansion of Tregs and IL-10+CD4+ T cells. Ori inhibited NOD, LRR-, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) expression; attenuated NF-κB and IκBα phosphorylation in LPS-activated BMDCs; downregulated NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18, and IFN-γ; and upregulated IL-10 expression.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the potential of Ori as a novel and natural IS agent to improve transplant tolerance. Ori could exert IS activity through decreasing IL-1β and IL-18 production and Th1 differentiation and proliferation and expanding Tregs via inhibiting the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.
Influence of Antibiotic Management on Microbial Selection and Infectious Complications After Trauma
Authors: Schindler Cora Rebecca , Woschek Mathias , Franz Jan-Niklas , Störmann Philipp , Henrich Dirk , Marzi Ingo 
Published: September 2021

Background: The inflammatory response and post-traumatic complications like infections play an important role in the pathophysiology of severe injuries. This study examines the microbiological aspects in anti-infective treatment of trauma patients and their inflammatory response in post-traumatic infections complications.Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data in trauma patients (ISS ≥ 16) over a 1-year period (01/2018 to 12/2018) is provided. Patient population was stratified into severely injured patients without post-traumatic infection (inf-PT), and severely injured patients who developed an infection (inf+PT).Results: Of 114 trauma patients, 45 suffered from post-traumatic infection during the first 10 days of hospitalization. Severely injured patients with concomitant traumatic brain injury (PT+TBI) showed the highest rate of post-traumatic infection. Pro-inflammatory reaction was tracked by levels of Interleukin (IL-)6 (day 3: inf+T 190.8 ± 359.4 pg/dL &gt; inf-PT 56.2 ± 57.7 pg/mL (mean ± SD); p = 0.008) and C-Reactive-Protein (CRP, day 3: inf+PT 15.3 mg/dL &gt; inf-PT 6.7 mg/dL, p = 0.001) which were significantly higher in trauma patients who develop an infectious complication and showed a significant positive correlation with the occurrence of infection. The leading entity of infection was pneumonia followed by infections of the urinary tract mainly caused by gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae. 67.5% of all trauma patients received single-shot antibiosis during initial care in trauma bay. The development of secondary colonization was not relevant positively correlated with single-shot antibiosis (r = 0.013, p = 0.895) and prophylactically calculated antibiotic administration (r = 0.066, p = 0.500).Conclusion: Severely injured trauma patients have an increased risk for development of infectious complications, which mainly is pneumonia followed by infection of the urinary tract mainly caused by gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae. Based on the data in this study, the one-time antibiotic and prophylactic calculated use of antibiotics, like Cephalosporins must be critically discussed in terms of their role in the development of post-traumatic infections and microbial selection.
The Global Prevalence of Daptomycin, Tigecycline, and Linezolid-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium Strains From Human Clinical Samples: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Dadashi Masoud , Sharifian Parastoo , Bostanshirin Nazila , Hajikhani Bahareh , Bostanghadiri Narjess , Khosravi-Dehaghi Nafiseh , van Belkum Alex , Darban-Sarokhalil Davood 
Published: September 2021

Background and Aim: The predominant species of the Enterococcus, Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) cause great variety of infections. Therefore, the expansion of antimicrobial resistance in the Enterococcus is one of the most important global concerns. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of resistance to linezolid, tigecycline, and daptomycin among enterococcal strains isolated from human clinical specimens worldwide.Methods: Several databases including Web of Science, EMBASE, and Medline (via PubMed), were carefully searched and reviewed for original research articles available in databases and published between 2000 and 2020. A total of 114 studies worldwide that address E. faecalis and E. faecium resistance to linezolid, tigecycline, and daptomycin were analyzed by STATA software.Results: The overall prevalence of antibiotic-resistant E. faecalis and E. faecium was reported to be 0.9 and 0.6%, respectively. E. faecalis and E. faecium were more resistant to the linezolid (2.2%) and daptomycin (9%), respectively. The prevalence of tigecyline-resistant E. facium (1%) strains was higher than E. faecalis strains (0.3%). Accordingly, the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E. faecalis was higher in Asia (2.8%), while linezolid-resistant E. faecium was higher in the America (3.4%). Regarding tigecycline-resistance, a higher prevalence of E. faecalis (0.4%) and E. faecium (3.9%) was reported in Europe.Conclusion: In conclusion, this meta-analysis shows that there is an emerging resistance in Enterococcus strains. Despite the rising resistance of enterococci to antibiotics, our results demonstrate that tigecycline, daptomycin, and linezolid can still be used for the treatment of enterococcal infections worldwide.
Hydroxychloroquine Induces Apoptosis in Cholangiocarcinoma via Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation Induced by Autophagy Inhibition
Authors: Chen Jiaqi , Pan Qiaoya , Bai Yang , Chen Xuepeng , Zhou Yi 
Published: September 2021

Purpose: Despite considerable efforts to improve treatment modalities for cholangiocarcinoma, a common form of malignant tumor, its long-term survival rate remains poor. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a 4-aminoquinoline derivative antimalarial drug that has antimalarial and autophagy inhibition effects and exhibits comprehensive therapeutic effects on various cancers. In this study, we aimed to explore the anticancer potential and the underlying molecular mechanism of HCQ in cholangiocarcinoma treatment in vitro and in vivo.Methods: Autophagy-related genes (ARGs) were obtained from the Human Autophagy Database and Molecular Signatures Database, and the expression profiles of ARGs were downloaded from the database of The Cancer Genome Atlas. Different expression gene sets were performed using R software. The Gene Ontology and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed to reveal significantly enriched signaling pathways and to identify differentially expressed genes in cholangiocarcinoma tissues. HuCCT-1 and CCLP-1 cells were exposed to different concentrations of HCQ. Cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays. Cell apoptosis and cycle arrest were detected by the Live/Dead cell assay and flow cytometry (FCM). The inhibition of autophagy was observed using fluorescence microscopy. The reactive oxygen species levels were assessed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The protein levels were determined by western blot. A cholangiocarcinoma cell line xenograft model was used to evaluate the antitumor activity of HCQ in vivo.Results: Compared with normal tissues, there were 141 ARGs with an aberrant expression in cholangiocarcinoma tissues which were mainly enriched in autophagy-related processes. Inhibition of autophagy by HCQ effectively suppressed cholangiocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo. HCQ inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis and cycle arrest in vitro by increasing ROS accumulation, which was involved in autophagy inhibition. The ROS scavenger reduced l-glutathione distinctly weakened HCQ-induced cell apoptosis and viability inhibition in cholangiocarcinoma cells. In addition, HCQ inhibited growth of cholangiocarcinoma cell line xenograft tumors.Conclusion: HCQ could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma by triggering ROS accumulation via autophagy inhibition, which makes HCQ a potential antitumor drug candidate for cholangiocarcinoma treatment.
RETRACTED: Cerebral Microbleed Detection via Convolutional Neural Network and Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Lu Siyuan , Liu Shuaiqi , Wang Shui-Hua , Zhang Yu-Dong 
Published: September 2021

Aim: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are small round dots distributed over the brain which contribute to stroke, dementia, and death. The early diagnosis is significant for the treatment.Method: In this paper, a new CMB detection approach was put forward for brain magnetic resonance images. We leveraged a sliding window to obtain training and testing samples from input brain images. Then, a 13-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) was designed and trained. Finally, we proposed to utilize an extreme learning machine (ELM) to substitute the last several layers in the CNN for detection. We carried out an experiment to decide the optimal number of layers to be substituted. The parameters in ELM were optimized by a heuristic algorithm named bat algorithm. The evaluation of our approach was based on hold-out validation, and the final predictions were generated by averaging the performance of five runs.Results: Through the experiments, we found replacing the last five layers with ELM can get the optimal results.Conclusion: We offered a comparison with state-of-the-art algorithms, and it can be revealed that our method was accurate in CMB detection.
Serum Cystatin C as a Potential Predictor of the Severity of Multiple System Atrophy With Predominant Cerebellar Ataxia: A Case-Control Study in Chinese Population
Authors: Ye Fei , Wang Tianzhu , Li Huan , Liang Jie , Wu Xiaoxin , Sheng Wenli 
Published: September 2021

Objective:Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a serious neurodegenerative disease that is charactered by progressive neurological disability. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of serum oxidant factors with the severity of MSA.Methods:A total of 52 MSA patients and 52 age- and gender- matched healthy subjects were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Enzymatic colorimetric methods were used to assay the concentrations of uric acid (UA), serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and cystatin C (Cys-C). Disease severity was evaluated by the Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS). The disease progression rate was defined by the change in UMSARS-IV (global disability score, GDS) over a 1-year period.Results:Comparisons between the two groups revealed that there were no significant differences in terms of serum Scr (70.81 ± 13.88 vs. 70.92 ± 14.19 μmol/L,p= 0.967). However, the serum levels of the other three biomarkers were significantly higher in the MSA patients (UA: 325.31 ± 84.92 vs. 291.19 ± 64.14 μmol/L,p= 0.023; BUN: 5.68 ± 1.67 vs. 4.60 ± 1.24 mmol/L,p&lt; 0.001; Cys-C: 0.96 ± 0.15 vs. 0.89 ± 0.14 mg/L,p= 0.024). In addition, Pearson correlation analyses revealed that only serum Cys-C was significantly correlated to GDS (r= 0.281,p= 0.044). Subgroup analysis further demonstrated that serum Cys-C was the only factor that was positively associated with the disease severity in patients with MSA and predominant cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C) (r= 0.444,p= 0.018); there was no significant association in MSA patients with predominant Parkinsonism (MSA-P) (r= 0.118,p= 0.582). MSA-C patients with severe disability were shown to express higher serum levels of Cys-C than patients with mild disability (1.03 ± 0.13 vs. 0.88 ± 0.12 mg/L,p= 0.009). Finally, Kaplan-Meier plots revealed a significant difference in the 5-year probability of survival from severe disability between MSA-C patients with high- and low-concentrations of serum Cys-C (Log-rank test: X2= 4.154,p= 0.042). ROC curve analysis confirmed that serum Cys-C exhibits good performance as a biomarker (AUC = 0.847).Conclusion:Our research indicated that oxidative stress plays a vital role in MSA. Serum Cys-C represents a potential prognostic biomarker to evaluate the severity of disease in patients with MSA-C.
Maintenance Therapy in First-Line Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Walden Daniel , Sonbol Mohamad Bassam , Buckner Petty Skye , Yoon Harry H. , Borad Mitesh , Bekaii-Saab Tanios S. , Ahn Daniel H. 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundFluoropyrimidine with platinum-based chemotherapy has become the standard of care for advanced gastric and gastroesophageal (GEJ) cancer. Trials in colon cancer show that induction chemotherapy followed by maintenance chemotherapy is an efficacious strategy to maximize clinical response while minimizing toxicity. The current retrospective study aims to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of maintenance versus continuous treatment in advanced GEJ malignancy.MethodsA retrospective analysis of patients with metastatic gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma treated with fluoropyrimidine and platinum chemotherapy between 2007-2017 was performed. Patients who achieved at least stable disease after initial induction treatment were included. After 16 weeks of induction chemotherapy, patients were categorized into the continuous group if induction chemotherapy was continued and the maintenance group if chemotherapy was switched to maintenance fluoropyrimidine monotherapy or observed off treatment. Endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicities.ResultsIn total, 90 patients met the criteria, 48 received continuous therapy, and 42 received maintenance. Baseline characteristics were comparable. No difference in PFS (9.9 vs 8.4 months p = .28) or in OS (16.1 vs 21.3 months p = .75) was observed, including after controlling for the best response on induction therapy and other variables. In patients on continuous induction therapy, there was a higher prevalence of grade three neuropathy (42.6% vs 9.8% p = .001) and neutropenic fever (13% vs 0% p =.03).ConclusionsMaintenance therapy following induction fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based therapy is associated with an improved toxicity profile and appears to have comparable efficacy to continuous treatment in metastatic gastric/GEJ cancer.
Breast Lesions Diagnosed as Ductal Carcinoma In Situ by Ultrasound-Guided Core Needle Biopsy: Risk Predictors for Concomitant Invasive Carcinoma and Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis
Authors: Liu Yanbiao , Wang Xu , Zheng Ang , Yu Xinmiao , Jin Zining , Jin Feng 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundThe major concern over preoperatively diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of breast via ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (US-CNB) is the risk of missing concomitant invasive carcinoma. It is crucial to identify risk predictors for such a phenomenon and evaluate its impact on axillary conditions to help surgeons determine which patients should receive appropriate axillary lymph node management.MethodsMedical records of 260 patients preoperatively diagnosed with DCIS via 14-gauge CNB were retrospectively analyzed. All of them underwent subsequent surgery at our institution and were successively divided into invasive and non-invasive groups, and metastatic and non-metastatic groups according to pathology of resected specimens and metastasis of axillary lymph nodes (ALNs). Predictive value of preoperative physical examinations, imaging findings, histopathological findings, and hematological indexes for pathological underestimation and metastasis of ALN was assessed by logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe concomitant invasive carcinoma was overlooked in 75 out of 260 patients (29.3%). Multivariate analysis revealed that presence of microinvasion, presence of abnormal lymph node on ultrasound, and absent linear or segmental distributed calcification on mammography were independent risk predictors for invasive carcinoma. Fourteen patients had lymph node metastasis, and five of them were in the non-invasive group. The presence of abnormal lymph node on ultrasound and increased ratio of platelet distribution width to platelet crit (PDW/PCT) (&gt;52.85) were identified as independent risk predictors for ALN metastasis.ConclusionFor patients diagnosed with DCIS preoperatively, appropriate ALN management is necessary if they have risk predictors for concomitant invasive carcinoma and ALN metastasis.