bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Single‐Cell RNA‐Seq and Histological Analysis Reveals Dynamic Lrig1 Expression During Salivary Gland Development
Authors: Liu Shumin , Li Yuanyuan , Huang Delan , Liu Ming , Zhang Xinye , Zhao Hui , Liu Huan , Li Qiuhui , Chen Zhi 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTThe development of the salivary gland (SG) is a complex process regulated by multiple signaling pathways in a spatiotemporal manner. Various stem/progenitor cell populations and respective cell lineages are involved in SG morphogenesis and postnatal maturation. Leucine‐rich repeats and immunoglobulin‐like domains 1 (LRIG1) has been identified as critical regulator of stem cells by virtue of its ability to restrain stem cell proliferation, indicating its potential role in the development of several maxillofacial tissues and in the regulation of the quiescence in adult tissues. This study aimed to investigate the expression pattern and functions of Lrig1 in the developing and mature murine submandibular gland (SMG). To accomplish this objective, we collected the murine SMGs at different developmental stages and examined the expression pattern and levels of Lrig1 with qRT‐PCR, immunofluorescent (IF) and RNAscope staining. We observed that Lrig1 was widely distributed in both epithelial and mesenchymal cells throughout embryonic and neonatal stages, with specific localization in the more mature epithelium. Furthermore, through single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐Seq) and IF techniques, we confirmed that LRIG1 is highly concentrated along with SMG progenitor markers in acinar and basal cells. Additionally, transcription factors (TFs) that could regulate LRIG1 expression were predicted from JASPAR databases and their motifs were identified by the UCSC browser's BLAT tool. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses on postnatal day 5 (PN5) scRNA‐Seq data also provided insights into Lrig1's functions in SG development. Finally, we also conducted in vitro experiments on a human salivary gland (HSG) cell line to assess LRIG1's impact on HSG proliferation and migration, as well as its potential upstream regulatory TFs. Taken together, our study reveals that LRIG1 plays a vital role in SG development.
Assessing the impact of workload and clinician experience on patient throughput: A multicenter study
Authors: Burden Marisha , Gundareddy Venkat P. , Kauffman Regina , Keach Joseph Walker , McBeth Lauren , Raffel Katie E. , Rice John D. , Washburn Catherine , Kisuule Flora , Keniston Angela 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundVarious strategies have attempted to address increased patient lengths of stay (LOS), but effectiveness varies. Factors related to work design and workforce experience may also play significant roles.ObjectiveUtilizing data from the Discharge in the A.M. trial, we aimed to validate an electronic measure of workload (i.e., note count) and assess the relationship of workload, patient complexity, and physician years of experience to LOS.MethodsRetrospective observational study at three large academic hospitals with hospital medicine physicians and patients they care for during the study.MeasuresWorkload as measured by electronic note count and physician years of experience; patient LOS.ResultsFrom February 9, 2021 to July 31, 2021, 59 physicians completed daily surveys for 93% of 2318 scheduled shifts. We observed a moderate correlation (r: .56) between starting morning census and note counts but no association with LOS. We observed an effect modification between note count and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), with LOS increasing by 2.3% (95% CI: 0.3%, 4.3%; p = .02) and 3.9% (95% CI: 2.0%, 5.9%; p < .0001) per patient for every 1 unit increase in note count for patients with a moderate CCI or severe CCI, respectively. Years since training was associated with a 0.7% decrease in LOS (95% CI: −1.3%, −0.1%, p = .03).ConclusionPhysician workload, as measured by note count, was associated with longer LOS with higher CCI, while more years of experience was associated with shorter LOS. Original Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05370638.
Acute metabolic decompensation after liver transplant in a patient with maple syrup urine disease
Authors: Tu Shao Ching , Khan Marium , Wolfe Katie , Kulkarni Sakil S. , Toolan Elizabeth , Grange Dorothy K. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractMaple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inborn error of metabolism characterized by the accumulation of branched‐chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) caused by a defect in the branched‐chain alpha‐keto acid dehydrogenase complex. Liver transplant is an effective therapy for MSUD, and patients can usually tolerate a regular diet after transplant without symptomatic metabolic decompensation. Most post‐transplant patients do not follow a sick‐day diet. We report a case of a 7‐year‐old male with MSUD Type IA, status post‐liver transplant at 2 years of age, who presented with profound encephalopathy following poor oral intake and vomiting for 3 days. Broad laboratory workup was significant for hyperleucinosis and an unrevealing infectious workup. We conducted a review of eight post‐liver transplant MSUD patients followed at Washington University in St. Louis. The review revealed that plasma amino acids were generally not checked during intercurrent illnesses in this patient cohort. While most of our patients have not had documented encephalopathy, one of the patients with epilepsy had a seizure during a gastrointestinal illness. Based on the review of the literature and from our center's experience, acute metabolic decompensation with intercurrent illnesses in MSUD patients after liver transplant appears to be rare. This case report raises awareness that patients with MSUD are still at risk of developing metabolic crisis post‐liver transplant and provides additional insight into the risk factors associated with metabolic decompensation in this patient cohort.
Indeterminate Result of Interferon‐γ Release Assay—A Risk Factor of Mortality for COVID‐19 and Non‐COVID‐19 Respiratory Infections
Authors: Tian Wenmin , Han Zhongyu , Shi Dongxue , Wang Hongli , Tang Haohao , Wu Zhenchao , Zhang Yinmei , Cui Liyan , Shen Ning , Zheng Jiajia , Chen Yang 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTToward the end of 2022, the cessation of China's “dynamic zero‐COVID policy” had led to a notable outbreak of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections and a substantial number of severe cases and deaths were reported, which raised serious concerns. Concurrently, our study identified a significant increase in the incidence of indeterminate results from the Interferon‐γ Release Assay (IGRA) among hospitalized patients during this period. Peripheral T cells from these individuals were unable to produce measurable levels of IFN‐γ upon stimulation with the PHA mitogen. This indeterminate IGRA results emerged as a potential risk factor for increased mortality among severely affected elderly COVID‐19 patients, contributing to an understanding of the observed excess mortality. The deep serum proteomic analysis elucidated a dysfunctional immune response and defect in cardiac function of those patients. A predictive panel including IGRA results significantly enhanced the accuracy of predicting mortality outcomes in COVID‐19 cases (AUC = 0.9762). We also extended the relevance of indeterminate IGRA outcomes as a risk factor for mortality to elderly non‐COVID‐19 respiratory infections, providing valuable prognostic insights into this type of disease and informing targeted and effective therapeutic interventions for similar outbreaks in the future.
Profiles of Lymphocyte Subtypes in HIV‐Infected People With Different Immunologic Responses to Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Zhao Heping , He Yaozu , Ling Xuemei , Hou Huijun , Da Fenqi , Chen Jingliang , Guo Pengle , Li Yonghong , Zhang Yeyang , Li Quanmin , Tang Xiaoping , Li Linghua 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTImmunophenotyping of blood lymphocyte subtypes can provide vital information for diagnosing and treating immunological nonresponse for people living with HIV (PLHIV). This study aimed to characterize lymphocyte subtypes among PLHIV with different immunologic responses. We recruited PLHIV from the Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital in Guangzhou between 1 November to 31 December 2023. Participants were grouped into immunological responders (IR, CD4+ T cell count ≥ 500 cells/μL) and immunological non‐responders (INR, < 350 cells/μL) after more than 4 years of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Flow cytometry was used to determine the profiles of peripheral blood lymphocyte subtypes. Spearman rank correlation analysis was conducted between lymphocyte subtypes and disease progression indicators. A total of 387 PLHIV were included, among whom 255 were INR and 132 IR. The number of total B and T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, natural killer T‐like cells, and the percentage of naive helper T lymphocytes were decreased in INR group than those in IR. However, the percentages of memory helper T lymphocytes and suppressor T lymphocytes were more abundant in INR. Notably, we found that levels of the immune activation cells were higher in INR group, since the percentages of activated helper T lymphocytes and activated T lymphocytes were more abundant in INR. Lymphocyte subtypes had slight correlations with WBC, PLT, Scr and Glu. This study described the comprehensive immune cell profile of lymphocyte subtypes and provided clues for a deeper understanding of the mechanism of poor immunologic recovery in INR.
Targeting HSP70‐E7 Interaction With SHetA2: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Cervical Cancer
Authors: Garland Justin , Hussain Showket , Rai Rajani , Kennedy Amy L. , Isingizwe Zitha Redempta , Benbrook Doris M. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTCervical cancer is predominantly driven by persistent infections with high‐risk human papillomavirus and the continuous activity of its E6 and E7 oncoproteins. This study explored the role of heat shock proteins 70 kDa (HSP70s) in enhancing the function of these oncoproteins and examined the impact of SHetA2, an investigational new drug, on this interaction. We found that HSP70 specifically binds to E7, but not E6, protein and that SHetA2 disrupts this binding. This disruption led to a significant reduction in E6 and E7 mRNA and E7 protein levels, while effects on E6 protein levels were minimal. SHetA2 treatment also resulted in altered levels of cell cycle regulatory proteins, reduced cell cycle progression, and decreased metabolic viability in cervical cancer cell lines and xenograft models. These findings support the potential of SHetA2 to impair cervical cancer progression by targeting HSP70/E7 interactions, highlighting its promise as a therapeutic strategy for treating cervical cancer.
Disability inclusion in the workplace: A conversation on equity for disabled employees within the university publishing sphere
Authors: Holt Simon , Osborne‐Martin Erin , Scott Stacy 
Published: November 2024

Key points
According to the UN, 15% of the world's working‐age population has a disability. This increases to 20% when neurodivergent individuals are also included. Therefore, disability inclusion is something every organization needs to consider if they want to get the best out of their employees.
Inclusion involves a combination of highly personalized interactions and highly centralized, often standardized communications with a central team. For disability inclusion to work at organizations of any size, both elements must be in place. Each individual is different, so a flexible approach is needed with an emphasis on asking individuals what they need in order to help everyone to fulfil their potential.
Role requirements, interview tasks and workplace environments should directly relate to the desired outcomes for the role. Consider whether the job you are advertising really needs a degree or whether an employee needs to work in the office, for example. Consider sharing interview questions in advance to allow everyone to prepare better. Behaviours that benefit people with disabilities also benefit everyone else.
Clear communication channels are important—for accessibility accommodations processes to work, people need to know about them. A single point of contact for disability accommodations within an organization helps to simplify and clarify these processes.
The language we use is essential to creating an inclusive environment. Use positive terms like ‘share’ and avoid outdated, derogatory terms like ‘crippled’. Familiarize yourself with the social model of disability to better understand how to frame disability inclusively.
Detection and quantification of small and low‐uptake lesions for differentiated thyroid carcinoma using non‐time‐of‐flight iodine‐124 PET/MRI
Authors: Lindemann Maike E. , Jentzen Walter , Kersting David , Fragoso Costa Pedro , Küper Alina , Umutlu Lale , Herrmann Ken , Quick Harald H. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackground124‐iodine (124I) is used for positron emission tomography (PET) diagnostics and therapy planning in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Small lesion sizes (<10 mm) and low 124I uptake are challenging conditions for the detection of DTC lymph node lesions.PurposeThe aim of this study was to systematically investigate the lesion detectability and quantification performance under clinically challenging imaging conditions using non‐time‐of‐flight (TOF) PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the clinical context of radionuclide therapy planning of DTC patients.MethodsPET/MR measurements were performed on the Siemens Biograph mMR using a small lesion NEMA‐like phantom (six glass spheres, diameters 3.7–9.7 mm). 60 min list‐mode data were acquired for nine activity concentrations (AC) ranging from 25 kBq/mL to 0.25 kBq/mL using a sphere‐to‐background ratio of 20:1. PET list‐mode data were divided into five timeframes (60, 30, 16, 8, and 4 min) and reconstructed using either ordered‐subsets expectation maximization (OSEM) or OSEM+ point spread function (PSF) algorithm. For all reconstructions, the smallest detectable sphere size was investigated in a human observer study. Partial volume effect (PVE) corrected PET images (contour and oversize‐based approach) were analyzed considering a ± 30% deviation range between imaged and true AC as acceptable. Clinical data of eight DTC patients with small lymph node lesions were evaluated to assess agreement between the PVE correction approaches.ResultsLonger PET acquisition times, higher ACs, and PSF reconstructions resulted in improved PET image quality and overall improved lesion detectability. The smallest 3.7 mm sphere was only visible under the best imaging conditions. Using a typical clinical 124I whole‐body PET/MRI protocol with an acquisition time of 8 min using OSEM reconstructions, all lesions of ≥ 6.5 mm in diameter could be detected and the quantification provided reliable results approximately above 5.0 kBq/mL. An accurate quantification of ACs in the 4.8 mm sphere was not feasible in this study. In the clinical evaluation of 10 lesions, a good agreement between oversize‐ and contour‐based PVE corrections was observed (<15% deviation).ConclusionsThe results showed that a reliable quantification of 124I uptake with PET/MRI is feasible and, therefore, could be used to perform radioiodine pre‐therapy lesion dosimetry and individualized therapy planning in DTC patients.
Tumor aware recurrent inter‐patient deformable image registration of computed tomography scans with lung cancer
Authors: Jiang Jue , Choi Chloe Min Seo , Thor Maria , Deasy Joseph O. , Veeraraghavan Harini 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundVoxel‐based analysis (VBA) for population level radiotherapy (RT) outcomes modeling requires topology preserving inter‐patient deformable image registration (DIR) that preserves tumors on moving images while avoiding unrealistic deformations due to tumors occurring on fixed images.PurposeWe developed a tumor‐aware recurrent registration (TRACER) deep learning (DL) method and evaluated its suitability for VBA.MethodsTRACER consists of encoder layers implemented with stacked 3D convolutional long short term memory network (3D‐CLSTM) followed by decoder and spatial transform layers to compute dense deformation vector field (DVF). Multiple CLSTM steps are used to compute a progressive sequence of deformations. Input conditioning was applied by including tumor segmentations with 3D image pairs as input channels. Bidirectional tumor rigidity, image similarity, and deformation smoothness losses were used to optimize the network in an unsupervised manner. TRACER and multiple DL methods were trained with 204 3D computed tomography (CT) image pairs from patients with lung cancers (LC) and evaluated using (a) Dataset I (N = 308 pairs) with DL segmented LCs, (b) Dataset II (N = 765 pairs) with manually delineated LCs, and (c) Dataset III with 42 LC patients treated with RT.ResultsTRACER accurately aligned normal tissues. It best preserved tumors, indicated by the smallest tumor volume difference of 0.24%, 0.40%, and 0.13 % and mean square error in CT intensities of 0.005, 0.005, 0.004, computed between original and resampled moving image tumors, for Datasets I, II, and III, respectively. It resulted in the smallest planned RT tumor dose difference computed between original and resampled moving images of 0.01 and 0.013 Gy when using a female and a male reference.ConclusionsTRACER is a suitable method for inter‐patient registration involving LC occurring in both fixed and moving images and applicable to voxel‐based analysis methods.
Strip and boundary detection multi‐task learning network for segmentation of meibomian glands
Authors: Zhu Weifang , Liu Dengfeng , Zhuang Xinyu , Gong Tian , Shi Fei , Xiang Dehui , Peng Tao , Zhang Xiaofeng , Chen Xinjian 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundAutomatic segmentation of meibomian glands in near‐infrared meibography images is basis of morphological parameter analysis, which plays a crucial role in facilitating the diagnosis of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). The special strip shape and the adhesion between glands make the automatic segmentation of meibomian glands very challenging.PurposeA strip and boundary detection multi‐task learning network (SBD‐MTLNet) based on encoder‐decoder structure is proposed to realize the automatic segmentation of meibomian glands.MethodsA strip mixed attention module (SMAM) is proposed to enhance the network's ability to recognize the strip shape of glands. To alleviate the problem of adhesion between glands, a boundary detection auxiliary network (BDA‐Net) is proposed, which introduces boundary features to assist gland segmentation. A self‐adaptive interactive information fusion module (SIIFM) based on reverse attention mechanism is proposed to realize information complementation between meibomian gland segmentation and boundary detection tasks. The proposed SBD‐MTLNet has been evaluated on an in‐house dataset (453 images) and a public dataset MGD‐1K (1000 images). Due to the limited number of images, a five‐fold cross validation strategy is adopted.ResultsAverage dice coefficient of the proposed SBD‐MTLNet reaches 81.08% and 84.32% on the in‐house dataset and the public one, respectively. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness the proposed SBD‐MTLNet, outperforming other state‐of‐the‐art methods.ConclusionsThe proposed SBD‐MTLNet can focus more on the shape characteristics of the meibomian glands and the boundary contour information between the adjacent glands via multi‐task learning strategy. The segmentation results of the proposed method can be used for the quantitative morphological characteristics analysis of meibomian glands, which has potential for the auxiliary diagnosis of MGD in clinic.
First-year movement and survival of stocked Striped Bass in a coastal system inferred from individually marked fish
Authors: Doll Jason C. , Jackson Robert , Marsik Jason , Gibbons Jarrett 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Objective
Stock enhancement programs support many fisheries worldwide, including those for Striped Bass Morone saxatilis. Understanding survival and movement after stocking can help to inform stocking strategies. The goal of this research was to evaluate stocking success by tracking movement and survival of phase II Striped Bass (200–250 mm total length) in the Great Pee Dee River system of coastal South Carolina. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine daily movement across river basins and identify areas where Striped Bass congregate during their first year to infer potential nursery habitat; and (2) estimate first-year survival poststocking.

Methods
Hydroacoustic transmitters were surgically implanted into 28 phase II Striped Bass prior to stocking on December 1, 2020. Fish were monitored on 74 fixed receivers that were distributed throughout the Great Pee Dee River system. Daily survival and movement were estimated using a multi-state Cormack–Jolly–Seber model. We evaluated multiple models to describe survival (e.g., constant, daily random effect model, and varying by season) and capture probability (e.g., constant and varying by zone).

Result
Daily persistence probability was high for all zones, and most fish spent most of their time in the delta region at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers. Median daily survival was greater than 0.986 across all days, and cumulative survival after the 323-day period of the study was 0.131. Survival was highest in winter and lowest in summer.

Conclusions
This study provides insights into the fate of stocked phase II Striped Bass in their first year poststocking. We identified potential nursery habitat that could be critical for successful long-term viability of this population. We suggest that stocking locations be moved closer to the nursery habitats in the delta region of the Great Pee Dee River–Waccamaw River confluence and closer to Winyah Bay.
Population characteristics, seasonal distribution, and suppression potential of introduced Northern Pike in a Great Plains stream
Authors: Hogberg Nicholas P. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Objective
The objectives of this study were to describe the population dynamics, reproductive characteristics, and movement of Northern Pike Esox lucius in the Niobrara River drainage of Wyoming. This information was used to estimate the necessary level of suppression to meaningfully reduce their abundance and thereby facilitate persistence of native nongame fishes.

Methods
In 2019 and 2020, Northern Pike were sampled to describe population size structure, age structure, growth, and mortality. An additional 42 gravid female Northern Pike were collected across 2020–2023 to determine a length–fecundity relationship. Vulnerability to recruitment overfishing was modeled with a static spawning potential ratio model. Finally, 15 mature fish were implanted with radio transmitters in 2021 and 2022 and tracked for 1 year to determine seasonal dispersal and spawning locations.

Result
Sampled Niobrara River drainage Northern Pike (n = 213) varied from 127 to 749 mm total length. Estimated ages of fish were between 0 and 8 years, and total annual mortality was estimated at 42% (95% confidence interval = 36–48%) in the presumed absence of fishing mortality. Recruitment was extremely stable, and growth was relatively fast through age 2. Some females matured at age 1, and all females were mature by age 2 and spawned annually. Estimated total fecundity for females between 297 and 914 mm total length varied from 3573 to 154,877 eggs. Most telemetered fish moved little throughout the year, but movements as large as 5.9 river kilometers were observed. Modeling suggests that exploitation of age-1 and older Northern Pike should exceed 42% and exploitation of age-2 and older fish should exceed 85% to meaningfully reduce the population's reproductive potential.

Conclusion
Northern Pike growth and reproductive potential at older ages may be more limited in small prairie streams than within their native range. Observed annual home range was small, and spawning occurred annually in consistent locations. The necessary intensity of mechanical removal to achieve meaningful suppression in this system will likely require an intensive and ongoing interstate effort.