bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Real‐world data on the efficacy and safety of hedgehog pathway inhibitors in patients with basal cell carcinoma: Experience of a tertiary Australian centre
Authors: Truong K. , Peera M. , Liu R. , Wijaya M. , Jones‐Caballero M. , Araujo R. Ruiz , Fernandez‐Penas P. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundBasal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are the most common cancers worldwide. Although most BCCs are amenable to local treatment, there are limited therapeutic options for surgically unresectable locally advanced and metastatic BCCs. Activation of the sonic hedgehog signalling pathway plays a significant role in the development of most BCCs. Hedgehog pathway inhibitors (HPIs) can be used to inhibit this pathway. Efficacy and safety data on HPI use in Australia is scarce.ObjectivesThis study aims to present the effectiveness and safety of HPI at a tertiary dermatology referral centre.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical charts of all patients with BCC treated with an HPI at a tertiary Dermatology referral centre in New South Wales, Australia from 1 January 2016 to 1 July 2023.ResultsTwenty‐three patients with BCCs were treated with an HPI; 11 locally advanced, 8 multiple, 3 basal cell naevus syndrome and 1 metastatic. All patients were of Caucasian background, with a median age of 56. Across 41 treatment cycles, the median treatment duration was 4 months. The overall response rate (ORR) was 20/23 (87%) and complete response (CR) rate was 9/23 (39%); patients treated with sonidegib achieved an ORR of 11/12 (92%) and CR of 4/12 (33%), and vismodegib‐treated patients achieved an ORR of 9/11 (82%) and CR of 5/11 (45%). Patients who responded to HPI treatment also responded to a subsequent HPI rechallenge. Common treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) included muscle spasms, dysgeusia and alopecia. Dysgeusia was more frequent with vismodegib than sonidegib (p = 0.0001). There was no evidence to suggest a difference in other TEAEs between the two HPIs. Four treatment cycles were stopped due to grade 3 muscle spasm.ConclusionsIn our cohort of 23 patients being treated with HPI, the ORR was 87% and CR was 39%. All patients who experienced TEAEs and had a drug holiday successfully responded to HPI rechallenge. TEAEs, particularly muscle spasms, are common reasons for treatment cessation. Clinicians should implement strategies to mitigate TEAE to improve drug survivability.
Long‐term efficacy and safety of stapokibart for moderate‐to‐severe atopic dermatitis: 52‐week results from a phase 3 trial
Authors: Zhao Yan , Zhang Litao , Wu Liming , Yang Bin , Wang Jinyan , Li Yumei , Li Jingyi , Diao Qingchun , Sun Qing , Zhu Xiaohong , Man Xiaoyong , Wang Lihua , Li Linfeng , Feng Yanyan , Zeng Huiming , Cai Tao , Ren Hong , Lu Jianyun , Lu Qianjin , Tao Xiaohua , Xiao Rong , Ji Chao , Li Fuqiu , Zhang Jianzhong 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundManagement of moderate‐to‐severe atopic dermatitis (AD) needs long‐term therapy. Stapokibart is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin‐4 receptor α subunit (IL‐4Rα), a shared receptor for IL‐4 and IL‐13 which are key pathogenic drivers of AD. In a pivotal phase 3 trial (NCT05265923), significant higher proportions of adult AD patients receiving stapokibart than placebo achieved ≥75% improvement from baseline in Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI‐75; 66.9% vs. 25.8%) and Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score of 0/1 with ≥2‐point reduction (44.2% vs. 16.1%) at Week 16. Herein, we report long‐term (52 weeks) efficacy and safety of stapokibart from this trial.MethodsAfter 16‐week double‐blind treatment completed, patients in both stapokibart and placebo groups entered a 36‐week maintenance treatment period and received stapokibart 300 mg every 2 weeks. Concomitant use of topical medications for AD was permitted throughout the maintenance period.ResultsOf 476 patients entering maintenance period, 430 completed the treatment. At Week 52, EASI‐75 was achieved in 92.5% of patients continuing stapokibart and 88.7% of those switching from placebo to stapokibart, respectively; an IGA score of 0 or 1 with a ≥2‐point reduction was achieved in 67.3% and 64.2% of patients, respectively; a ≥4‐point reduction in weekly average of daily Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (PP‐NRS) was achieved in 67.3% and 60.5% of patients, respectively. Over the 52‐week treatment period, 88.1% of patients reported treatment‐emergent adverse events, most were mild or moderate.ConclusionLong‐term treatment with stapokibart demonstrated a sustained efficacy and favorable safety profile in adults with moderate‐to‐severe AD.
Biotronik Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator for Measurement of Intrathoracic Impedance: A Report of Two Cases
Authors: Ying Xuqing , Yu Xinyue , Cai Weixun , Chen Xiaomin , Wang Lihua , Wang Qingcheng , Pang Jie 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTObjectivesTwo patients were received ICDs (Biotronic Iforia7 VR‐TDX). Holter analysis revealed pacing spikes, which occurred regularly at 100 ms intervals following QRS complexes, with consecutive 1024 test pulses at hourly intervals during a specific time, and the VP was 0%.MethodsBy analyzing the dynamic electrocardiogram and consulting relevant literature, it was found that this is a feature of the ICD that measures thoracic impedance.ResultsThis phenomenon is a special function for the purpose of transthoracic impedance measurement, which can monitor the heart failure.ConclusionsThis phenomenon should not be regarded as an interference signal or an abnormal sign of pacemaker malfunction.
Prediction de‐correlated inference: A safe approach for post‐prediction inference
Authors: Gan Feng , Liang Wanfeng , Zou Changliang 
Published: October 2024

SummaryIn modern data analysis, it is common to use machine learning methods to predict outcomes on unlabelled datasets and then use these pseudo‐outcomes in subsequent statistical inference. Inference in this setting is often called post‐prediction inference. We propose a novel assumption‐lean framework for statistical inference under post‐prediction setting, called prediction de‐correlated inference (PDC). Our approach is safe, in the sense that PDC can automatically adapt to any black‐box machine‐learning model and consistently outperform the supervised counterparts. The PDC framework also offers easy extensibility for accommodating multiple predictive models. Both numerical results and real‐world data analysis demonstrate the superiority of PDC over the state‐of‐the‐art methods.
The prevalence of overweight among 4‐year‐olds during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic was associated with socioeconomic burden
Authors: Nylander Charlotte , Nowicka Paulina , Derwig Mariette 
Published: October 2024

AbstractAimTo assess the prevalence of overweight among Swedish 4 year olds in 2018, 2020 and 2022, taking socioeconomic variables into account.MethodsAggregated regional data on children's body mass index were collected. The socioeconomic Care Need Index (CNI), foreign background, low education, being a single parent, low income and childhood poverty, were assessed. The differences in overweight, including obesity, were tested for Sweden and for regions.ResultsData were available for 303 843 children, representing 87% of children born in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Overweight or obesity were found in 11 177 (11.4%) of children in 2022, decreasing from 2020 (13.3%, p < 0.001) but at the same level as in 2018. Regional low CNI, low level of foreign background, education and income as well as being a single parent were associated with a higher prevalence of overweight or obesity in all cohorts (p < 0.001). In regions with high levels of childhood poverty, overweight or obesity were more prevalent during (p = 0.009) and after the pandemic (p < 0.001).ConclusionThree national cohorts demonstrate that the increase in overweight during the COVID‐19 pandemic has returned to pre‐pandemic levels, but the inequalities in health associated with socioeconomic vulnerability of the regions remained.
Incidence and trend of cardiac events among children and young adults exposed to psychopharmacological treatment (2006–2018): A nationwide register‐based study
Authors: Elmowafi Howaida , Kindblom Jenny M. , Halldner Linda , Gyllenberg David , Naumburg Estelle 
Published: October 2024

AimsThe aim of this study was to assess cardiac event incidence and trends by sex and age in young patients on psychopharmacological treatment in Sweden.MethodsThis nationwide incidence study encompassed data from Swedish registers (2006–2018). Patients aged 5–30 years were exposed to one or more psychotropic medications (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications, antihistamines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, other antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, hypnotics/sedatives). Annual incidences, trends and mean incidences of cardiac events (cardiac arrest, arrhythmias, fainting/collapse, sudden death) and recurrent events were calculated.ResultsAmong those exposed (n = 875 430, 2 647 957 patient‐years, 55% female), 26 750 cardiac events were identified. The mean annual incidence of cardiac events and first‐ever events were 0.99% and 0.80%, respectively, showing significant upward annual trends of 4.26% and 2.48%, respectively (P < .001). The highest incidences were among females aged 15–19 years (1.50%) and those exposed to polypharmacy (1.63%), anxiolytics (1.53%) or antihistamines (1.27%). The mean annual incidences of cardiac arrest and arrythmias, for both sexes, were 0.01% and 0.51%, respectively. Fainting/collapse accounted for about half of all events, occurring more often in females. The pattern of rising annual incidence remained after excluding fainting/collapse. In all, 21.1% of events were recurrent. Death, including sudden death, occurred in 13 patients.ConclusionsThe mean annual incidence of cardiac events among young patients receiving psychopharmacological treatment was low, 0.99%, with an upward trend of 4.26% annually. Incidence was highest in adolescent females and patients exposed to polypharmacy. Our study highlights the need for more knowledge regarding the possible association between exposure to psychopharmacological treatment and cardiac events.
Primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in stage II testicular seminoma: a systematic review
Authors: Liu Jianliang , Hiwase Mrunal , Woon Dixon T.S. , Thomas Benjamin , Tran Ben , Lawrentschuk Nathan 
Published: October 2024

ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review of the current literature to determine the current role of primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) in stage II testicular seminoma and its associated oncological, functional and peri‐operative outcomes.Materials and MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted in Medline, Embase, and Scopus for publications from inception until November 2023. The systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (ID CRD42023449781), was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and utilised the Methodological Index for Non‐Randomised Studies (MINORS) tool.ResultsSix studies involving 385 patients were analysed, with 48.5% clinical stage IIA and 51.5% stage IIB seminomas. The patients’ mean (range) age was 37 (20–64) years. The median operation time was 187 min, median estimated blood loss was 150 mL and median length of hospital stay was 4 days. In all, 6.1% of patients developed complications that were greater or equal to Clavien–Dindo grade 3. Only four studies reported on anejaculation rate (median: 4.9%). Only one study had long‐term data, demonstrating a 92% 5‐year overall survival for stage IIA/B disease treated with RPLND. The remaining five studies had a median follow‐up of between 18.5 and 37 months and reported a mean recurrence rate of 15.6%. Most recurrences (78%) were not within the field of RPLND. Recurrence was associated with higher clinical and pathological lymph node stage, and metachronous or delayed development of retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy (initially stage I disease, as opposed to de novo stage IIA/B disease).DiscussionPrimary RPLND, performed by experienced surgeons, has good peri‐operative outcomes. Recurrence is more common than with standard treatment, but long‐term survival and functional data are limited, although promising.
Relationship between renal pelvis pressure and post‐ureteroscopy infection in a live swine model
Authors: Hinojosa‐Gonzalez David , Kottooran Christina , Saunders Jennifer , Chaussee Erin L. , Budrewicz Jay , Eisner Brian H. 
Published: October 2024

ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between renal pelvis pressure and infection after ureteroscopy, using a live swine model.Materials and MethodsIn anaesthetised pigs, a 1‐h ureteroscopy was performed using a pressure‐sensing guidewire, with renal pelvis pressure maintained at either 37 mmHg or 75 mmHg for the entire procedure and infusion with saline alone or with a standardised concentration of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain CFT073 (1.5 × 107 colony‐forming units [CFU]/mL). Venous blood sampling was performed during and after the procedure. Vital signs, inflammatory biomarkers, and renal tissue and blood cultures were assessed.ResultsIn 21 pig kidneys, study groups were: 37 mmHg with saline irrigation (n = 3); 75 mmHg with saline irrigation (n = 4); 37 mmHg with saline irrigation with 1.5 × 107 CFU/mL E. coli (n = 7); and 75 mmHg with saline irrigation with 1.5 × 107 CFU/mL E. coli (n = 7). Statistically significant changes in inflammatory biomarkers were most pronounced in the group with 75 mmHg saline irrigation + E. coli and were significantly elevated compared with the control group and the group receiving E. coli irrigation at 37 mmHg. Positive blood cultures were noted in 5/7 animals treated with E. coli at 75 mmHg; no others developed bacteraemia.ConclusionIn this swine model of ureteroscopy, irrigation with saline + E. coli at a renal pelvis pressure of 75 mmHg resulted in bacteraemia and inflammatory biomarker elevations significantly greater than both E. coli irrigation with renal pelvis pressure maintained at 37 mmHg and the control.
Point‐AGM : Attention Guided Masked Auto‐Encoder for Joint Self‐supervised Learning on Point Clouds
Authors: Liu Jie , Yang Mengna , Tian Yu , Li Yancui , Song Da , Li Kang , Cao Xin 
Published: October 2024

AbstractMasked point modeling (MPM) has gained considerable attention in self‐supervised learning for 3D point clouds. While existing self‐supervised methods have progressed in learning from point clouds, we aim to address their limitation of capturing high‐level semantics through our novel attention‐guided masking framework, Point‐AGM. Our approach introduces an attention‐guided masking mechanism that selectively masks low‐attended regions, enabling the model to concentrate on reconstructing more critical areas and addressing the limitations of random and block masking strategies. Furthermore, we exploit the inherent advantages of the teacher‐student network to enable cross‐view contrastive learning on augmented dual‐view point clouds, enforcing consistency between complete and partially masked views of the same 3D shape in the feature space. This unified framework leverages the complementary strengths of masked point modeling, attention‐guided masking, and contrastive learning for robust representation learning. Extensive experiments have shown the effectiveness of our approach and its well‐transferable performance across various downstream tasks. Specifically, our model achieves an accuracy of 94.12% on ModelNet40 and 87.16% on the PB‐T50‐RS setting of ScanObjectNN, outperforming other self‐supervised learning methods.
Frequency‐Aware Facial Image Shadow Removal through Skin Color and Texture Learning
Authors: Zhang Ling , Xie Wenyang , Xiao Chunxia 
Published: October 2024

AbstractExisting facial image shadow removal methods predominantly rely on pre‐extracted facial features. However, these methods often fail to capitalize on the full potential of these features, resorting to simplified utilization. Furthermore, they tend to overlook the importance of low‐frequency information during the extraction of prior features, which can be easily compromised by noises. In our work, we propose a frequency‐aware shadow removal network (FSRNet) for facial image shadow removal, which utilizes the skin color and texture information in the face to help recover illumination in shadow regions. Our FSRNet uses a frequency‐domain image decomposition network to extract the low‐frequency skin color map and high‐frequency texture map from the face images, and applies a color‐texture guided shadow removal network to produce final shadow removal result. Concretely, the designed fourier sparse attention block (FSABlock) can transform images from the spatial domain to the frequency domain and help the network focus on the key information. We also introduce a skin color fusion module (CFModule) and a texture fusion module (TFModule) to enhance the understanding and utilization of color and texture features, promoting high‐quality result without color distortion and detail blurring. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method. The code is available at https://github.com/laoxie521/FSRNet.
A Hybrid Parametrization Method for B‐Spline Curve Interpolation via Supervised Learning
Authors: Song Tianyu , Shen Tong , Ge Linlin , Feng Jieqing 
Published: October 2024

AbstractB‐spline curve interpolation is a fundamental algorithm in computer‐aided geometric design. Determining suitable parameters based on data points distribution has always been an important issue for high‐quality interpolation curves generation. Various parameterization methods have been proposed. However, there is no universally satisfactory method that is applicable to data points with diverse distributions. In this work, a hybrid parametrization method is proposed to overcome the problem. For a given set of data points, a classifier via supervised learning identifies an optimal local parameterization method based on the local geometric distribution of four adjacent data points, and the optimal local parameters are computed using the selected optimal local parameterization method for the four adjacent data points. Then a merging method is employed to calculate global parameters which align closely with the local parameters. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed hybrid parameterization method well adapts the different distributions of data points statistically. The proposed method has a flexible and scalable framework, which can includes current and potential new parameterization methods as its components.
Quantifying public support for culling crown‐of‐thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) on the Great Barrier Reef
Authors: Lockie Stewart , Bartelet Henry A. , Ritchie Brent W. , Sie Lintje , Paxton Gillian 
Published: October 2024

AbstractPopulation surges of crown‐of‐thorns starfish (COTS) (Acanthaster spp.) are a leading cause of coral cover loss on Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR). While COTS culling has been undertaken since 2012 little is known about how the public perceive COTS culling or how perceptions vary among social groups. Drawing on survey data collected in 2018 and 2022 we test the relative influence of demographic variables, social and institutional variables, and beliefs concerning the risks and benefits of culling, on public acceptance for the culling of COTS on the GBR. In contrast with previous research suggesting a polarization of views, we found limited opposition to culling (12% in 2018 and 8% in 2022). Remaining respondents, however, were almost equally divided between those who agreed or strongly agreed with culling and those who were neutral or only slightly in agreement. The strongest predictors of support, in terms of standardized mean odds ratios, were the perceived social, environmental, and ethical responsibility of culling (1.57), the manageability of culling risks (1.46), the personal importance of the GBR to the respondent (1.33), trust in science to deliver solutions (1.30), confidence in management of the GBR (1.26), and how much of a threat respondents believed COTS posed to the Reef (1.25). These findings suggest public communications about COTS culling might usefully focus on how scientific understanding, ongoing research, ecosystem monitoring, and partnerships with Reef Traditional Owners and stakeholders guide operations.
Immunohistochemical Expression of Immune Regulatory Proteins in Interface Dermatoses
Authors: McAlpine Sarah Grace , Culton Donna , Duplisea Michael , Liu Zhi , Lim Si On , Googe Paul 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTCutaneous immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) of immunotherapies, such as anti‐programmed cell death protein‐1 (PD‐1), suggest that immune checkpoint factors may contribute to the pathobiology of lichenoid interface dermatitis in immunotherapy‐naïve patients. Our study aimed to describe innate and adaptive immune markers via immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of lichenoid interface dermatoses. We studied the staining patterns of PD‐L1, STING, IL‐36 gamma, CD8, PD‐1, and LAG‐3 in five interface dermatoses: oral lichen planus (LP) (n = 10), cutaneous LP (n = 10), chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) (n = 11), erythema multiforme (EM) (n = 11), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) (n = 13), by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. Expression was evaluated semi‐quantitively according to the percentage of keratinocytes and dermal lymphocytes stained compared to keratinocytes and resident pericapillary lymphocytes in normal human skin. All interface dermatoses evaluated showed increased expression of PD‐L1 on keratinocytes and LAG‐3 in lymphocytes. STING was increased on the keratinocytes of most specimens. Expression of IL‐36 gamma, in basal layer keratinocytes was more extensive in oral LP and cutaneous LP and varied in CLE, EM, and TEN. Lymphocytic infiltration expressing PD‐1 was elevated in oral LP, cutaneous LP, and CLE. Current thinking is that interface dermatitis is the result of a cell‐mediated immune reaction involving cytotoxic CD8+ T‐cell‐mediated apoptosis of keratinocytes. The findings of this study suggest that in addition to cell‐mediated immunity, innate immune factors may contribute to pathobiology.
Chemogenetic neuronal silencing decouples c‐Jun activation from cell death in the temporal cortex
Authors: Wood Caleb A. , Somasundaram Preethi , Dundee Jacob M. , Rudy Melissa A. , Watkins Trent A. , Jankowsky Joanna L. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractInitial symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases are often defined by the loss of the most vulnerable neural populations specific to each disorder. In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, vulnerable circuits in the temporal lobe exhibit diminished activity prior to overt degeneration. It remains unclear whether these functional changes contribute to regional vulnerability or are simply a consequence of pathology. We previously found that entorhinal neurons in the temporal cortex undergo cell death following transient suppression of electrical activity, suggesting a causal role for activity disruption in neurodegeneration. Here we demonstrate that electrical arrest of this circuit stimulates the injury‐response transcription factor c‐Jun. Entorhinal silencing induces transcriptional changes consistent with c‐Jun activation that share characteristics of gene signatures in other neuronal populations vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease. Despite its established role in the neuronal injury response, inhibiting c‐Jun failed to ameliorate entorhinal degeneration following activity disruption. Finally, we present preliminary evidence of integrated stress response activity that may serve as an alternative hypothesis to what drives entorhinal degeneration after silencing. Our data demonstrate that c‐Jun is activated in response to neuronal silencing in the entorhinal cortex but is decoupled from subsequent neurodegeneration.