bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
ASSESSMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOFTWARE FOR AUTOMATIC SCREENING OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY BASED ON FUNDUS PHOTOGRAPHS IN MELANODERM SUBJECTS
Authors: Mbaye Soda , Aw Aïssatou , Sy El Hadji Malick , Ka Aly Mbara , Diagne Jean Pierre , Diallo Hawo Madina , Samra Audrey , Ndiaye Papa Amadou 
Published: October 2024

Purpose:
To assess the Gaiha Prio Retino +™ Artificial Intelligence (AI) software for detecting diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods:
This prospective study was conducted from March 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, in the Ophthalmology Department of the Abass NDAO Hospital (Dakar, Senegal). The clinical classification of DR was based on American Academy of Ophthalmology. The clinical results were compared with those obtained from the automated reading of retinophotos taken using Gaiha Prio Retino +™, a software designed to detect DR.

Results:
The study covered 305 eyes. Referable DR was observed in 104 eyes by the ophthalmologist and in 96 eyes by AI, corresponding with a sensitivity of 92.31%, a specificity of 99%, and an area under the curve of 0.989. Vision-threatening DR was detected in 102 eyes by the ophthalmologist and in 94 eyes by AI, with a corresponding sensitivity of 92.16%, specificity of 99.01%, and an area under the curve of 0.975. Maculopathy was identified in 93 eyes by the ophthalmologist and in 89 eyes by AI, with a corresponding sensitivity of 95.7%, specificity of 97.17%, and an area under the curve of 0.988.

Conclusion:
Considering these results, the authors may conclude that Gaiha Prio Retino +™ is an effective tool for screening referable DR.
Defining the urology nurse practitioner in Australia and New Zealand: A Delphi study
Authors: Quallich Susanne , Cuthbertson-Chin Adam , Crowe Helen 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
Nurse practitioners with roles in specialty environments face challenges including uncertain role expectations and achieve urology expertise with on-the-job training, mentoring, and independent study. This creates a wide variety of preparation and role descriptions.

Purpose:
This study employed Delphi methodology to identify essential components of the urology nurse practitioner (NP) role in Australia and New Zealand, representing an inaugural description of the role.

Methodology:
This Delphi study was completed in two rounds. Participants were a nonrandom panel of experts with experience as a full-time urology NP.

Results:
A definition for the urology NP in Australia and New Zealand is proposed: “The urology nurse practitioner uses critical thinking, complex decision-making, clinical reasoning, advanced assessment skills and clinical expertise, offering acute and chronic care to individuals needing urologic health care, including office-based urology procedures as appropriate. This care is provided in an environment of autonomous practice, with a basis of graduate education and relevant specialty clinical experience, and this practice can extend across health care settings and serve as a model to the wider NP profession.”

Conclusions:
Outpatient urology procedures were ranked highly and deemed integral to the Urology NP role. This may reflect the declining number of urologists and efforts to maintain urology access for local populations. Professional roles of the NP were given less weight by participants.

Implications:
The project offers a contemporary definition of the urology NP role that can be offered to educators and other stakeholders as the role continues to evolve in Australia and New Zealand.
Platelet-rich plasma applications in the larynx: snake oil or stupendous?
Authors: Mackay Georgia , Allen Jacqui 
Published: October 2024

Purpose of review
To explore and summarize recent work examining the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) applications for vocal fold disorder.

Recent findings
Intrachordal PRP injections have recently emerged as a treatment option for patients with damage to the lamina propria of the vocal fold (scar, atrophy, sulcus and inflammatory lesions). Studies support significant improvements in patient-reported and clinician-reported outcomes, and objective phonatory parameters. PRP demonstrates a good safety profile, absence of immune reactions, affordable cost model and improvement in mucosal wave features with resultant improved voice quality up to 12 months following treatment.

Summary
PRP injection of the vocal folds is a novel repurposing of a previously validated technique, and emerging data shows consistent results across multiple centres, increasing confidence in use of this freely available material. Current published studies confirm improved voice outcomes compared with pretreatment measures and high patient satisfaction. Further research is required to properly assign the role of and ideal candidate for PRP applications, and to delineate durability of treatment.
Does Unfairness Evoke Anger or Disgust? A Quantitative Neurofunctional Dissection Based on 25 Years of Neuroimaging
Authors: Gan Xianyang , Zhang Ran , Zheng Zihao , Wang Lan , Yang Xi , Klugah-Brown Benjamin , Xu Ting , Qiu Nan , Kendrick Keith M , Mathiak Klaus , Tiwald Justin , Yao Dezhong , Becker Benjamin 
Published: October 2024

AbstractOver the last decades, the traditional ‘Homo economicus’ model has been increasingly challenged by convergent evidence underscoring the impact of emotions on decision-making. A classic example is the perception of unfairness operationalized in the Ultimatum Game where humans readily sacrifice personal gains to punish those who violate fairness norms. While the emotional mechanism underlying costly punishments has been widely acknowledged, the distinct contributions of moral emotions (anger or disgust) remain debated, partly due to methodological limitations of the conventional experiments. Here, we capitalize on a quantitative neurofunctional dissection approach by combining recent developments in neuroimaging meta-analyses, behavioral-level, network-level, and neurochemical-level decoding and data from 3,266 participants from functional neuroimaging studies to determine the common and distinct neural representations between unfairness and the two moral emotions. Experience of unfairness engaged a widespread bilateral network encompassing insular, cingulate, and frontal regions, with dorsal striatal regions mediating the decision to reject unfair offers. Disgust engaged a defensive-avoidance circuit encompassing amygdalar, occipital, and frontal regions, while anger engaged non-overlapping systems including mid-cingulate, thalamic, and frontal regions. Unfairness and anger or disgust respectively commonly engaged the anterior and mid-insula, while the latter additionally showed common recruitment of ventrolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices. Multimodal network, behavioral, and serotonergic decoding provided a more granular and convincing dissection of these results. Findings indicate a shared neuroaffective basis underlying the impact of emotions on unfairness-induced punishment behavior and suggest a common brain circuit has been evolutionarily shaped to protect individuals from personal harm and enforce societal norms.
Cytoplasmic accumulation of a splice variant of hnRNPA2/B1 contributes to FUS-associated toxicity in a mouse model of ALS
Authors: Rossi S. , Milani M. , Della Valle I. , Bisegna S. , Durante V. , Addesse M. , D’Avorio E. , Di Salvio M. , Serafino A. , Cestra G. , Apolloni S. , D’Ambrosi N. , Cozzolino M. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractGenetic and experimental findings point to a crucial role of RNA dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Evidence suggests that mutations in RBPs such as FUS, a gene associated with ALS, affect the regulation of alternative splicing. We have previously shown that the overexpression of wild-type FUS in mice, a condition that induces ALS-like phenotypes, impacts the splicing of hnRNP A2/B1, a protein with key roles in RNA metabolism, suggesting that a pathological connection between FUS and hnRNP A2/B1 might promote FUS-associated toxicity. Here we report that the expression and distribution of different hnRNP A2/B1 splice variants are modified in the affected tissues of mice overexpressing wild-type FUS. Notably, degenerating motor neurons are characterized by the cytoplasmic accumulation of splice variants of hnRNP A2/B1 lacking exon 9 (hnRNP A2b/B1b).In vitrostudies show that exon 9 skipping affects the nucleocytoplasmic distribution of hnRNP A2/B1, promoting its localization into stress granules (SGs), and demonstrate that cytoplasmic localization is the primary driver of hnRNP A2b recruitment into SGs and cell toxicity. Finally, boosting exon 9 skipping using splicing switching oligonucleotides exacerbates disease phenotypes in wild-type FUS mice. Altogether, these findings reveal that alterations of the nucleocytoplasmic distribution of hnRNP A2/B1, driven by FUS-induced splicing changes, likely contribute to motor neuron degeneration in ALS.
Subject Instructions for Improved Characterization of Auditory Representations Using Reverse Correlation
Authors: Gezae Gidey W. , Barnett Nelson V. , Parrell Benjamin , Chari Divya A. , Lammert Adam C. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractReverse Correlation (RC) is an established method for reconstructing auditory representations, that has recently emerged as a tool for characterizing the sounds experienced by tinnitus patients. Toward further optimizing RC for auditory research, the present work investigated the influence of subject instructions on characterization quality of tinnitus-like sounds. A validation study was conducted in which eighteen normal-hearing subjects were randomly assigned one of three candidate instruction sets, each inspired by the RC literature. Results show a significant effect of instruction set on characterization quality, and reveal that instructing subjects to detect a hidden signal in the RC stimuli resulted the best reconstruction.
Building a model of sepsis: data integration unravels pathogenic mechanisms in severeP. aeruginosainfections
Authors: Messina Francesco , Rotondo Claudia , Ladeira Luiz , Properzi Michele , Dimartino Valentina , Riccitelli Benedetta , Staumont Bernard , Chilemi Giovanni , Geris Liesbet , Bocci Maria Grazia , Fontana Carla 
Published: October 2024

AbstractUnderstanding how human hosts and bacterial pathogens interact with each other is essential to explaining the differences in severity and outcomes of systemic infectious diseases (sepsis). Such pathogens, likePseudomonas aeruginosa(PA), remain a major public health concern. In this work we present a data integration workflow to build a model of interaction betweenPAand its human host. The pathogenic mechanisms ofPAinfection are described through accurate mapping of protein-protein, and metabolite-protein direct interactions, betweenPAand human host, as well as a description of pathways activated in organs affected by severePAinfections.In the first step, a literature review process was carried out based on previous experiences with virus-host interaction models. The collected Data was organized to build a conceptual model on multiple levels, providing a view of the relevant mechanisms involved in severe bacterial infections. All information aboutPAinfection was categorized into three main groups: a) conceptual information about pathogenesis; b) molecular interactions between bacterium and humans; and c) gene expression signatures and dysregulated pathways in severe infections. A dataset of 89PA– human interactions, involving 152 proteins/molecules (109 human proteins, 3 human molecules, 34PAproteins, and 5PAmolecules) was reviewed and annotated, providing a new perspective on thePA-host interaction to improve understanding of the host biological responses. Such data were complemented by transcriptomic data onPA-infected lung samples, highlighting overexpression of proinflammatory pathways as well as modulation of the activities ofPAon the host response in the lung.ImportanceThe intricate interplay between host and microbial pathogens prompts us to use innovative data sources, combining omics data, clinical patient data, and pathogen features, through exploratory computational methods. A data curation process allowed us to put together a detailed description of the pathogenic mechanisms ofPAin the human host, connecting basic knowledge about clinical aspects, interactions between bacterial and host proteins, and pathways dysregulated duringPAinfection. The results of our work allowed us to start putting together a model ofPAinfection, defining specific steps inPAinfections and providing a significant step forward in understanding the deep interaction betweenPAand the human host in severe infections. This approach could be an effective way to predict specific clinical phenotypes in severe bacterial infections.
Resolving an unconventional non-photochemical quenching signature at the light-to-dark transition
Authors: Lam Lam , Patel-Tupper Dhruv , Lam Henry E. , Steen Collin J. , Ma Alexa , Ma Sophia A. , Leipertz Anna , Lee Tsung-Yen , Fleming Graham R. , Niyogi Krishna K. 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTNon-photochemical quenching (NPQ) protects photosynthetic organisms via diverse molecular players contributing at varying timescales. However, in the absence of one of the largest contributors to NPQ, energy-dependent quenching (qE), we observe an unusual but universal phenomenon: a transient increase in quenching in the dark following high light exposure. To mechanistically interrogate this light-to-dark (LtD) NPQ phenotype, we performed chlorophyll fluorescence lifetime snapshot measurements across a diverse array of Arabidopsis mutant backgrounds and chemical treatments. We found that the electrochemical gradient across the thylakoid membrane is essential for this phenomenon. Through analysis of higher-order Arabidopsis mutants, we also found that LtD NPQ is independent of the known forms of photoprotective NPQ, as well as the major and minor light-harvesting complexes (LHCII). Our results point to LtD NPQ as a photoinhibition (qI)-related, reaction center quenching with implications for photoprotection in fluctuating light.
In vivoProtective Efficacy of Emodin in Swiss Albino Mice Induced with Dalton Ascitic Lymphoma
Authors: Suluvoy Jagadish Kumar , Kolla Harish Babu , Joel Jesse , Balasubramanian Aavany 
Published: October 2024

AbstractLymphoma is a tumor that affects lymphoid tissues in the body. Treating lymphoma has become challenging because of the complexity of disease pathology, drug resistance mechanisms and side effects of existing chemo and radiation therapies. Treating cancers/tumors with plant based natural compounds is gaining interest recently because of their less toxicity profiles and efficiency in controlling the disease severity. Emodin is one such compound with such anti-cancer/tumor properties. It has immunosuppressive and anti-cancer properties through multiple ways. In this study, we have studied the therapeutic effect of emodin molecule in the DAL induced lymphoma, a well-established murine model to study and test the anti-lymphoma drugs. Our data has shown an outstanding therapeutic effect of emodin in controlling the lymphoma readouts in DAL induce Swiss Albino mice. These effects were studied in comparison with a standard drug molecule called methotrexate. Furthermore, thein-silicoanalysis has shown that emodin as a potential drug candidate for lymphoma based on the Lipinski’s rule of 5.
Comparative analysis of six adeno-associated viral vector serotypes in mouse inferior colliculus and cerebellum
Authors: Witteveen Isabelle , Balmer Timothy 
Published: October 2024

AbstractAdeno-associated viral vector (AAV) serotypes vary in how effectively they express genes across different cell types and brain regions. Here we report a systematic comparison of the AAV serotypes 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, and the directed evolution derived AAVrg, in the inferior colliculus and cerebellum. The AAVs were identical apart from their different serotypes, each having a synapsin promotor and expressing GFP (AAV-hSyn-GFP). Identical titers and volumes were injected into the inferior colliculus and cerebellum of adult male and female mice and brains were sectioned and imaged 2 weeks later. Transduction efficacy, anterograde labeling of axonal projections, and retrograde labeling of somata, were characterized and compared across serotypes. Cell-type tropism was assessed by analyzing the morphology of the GFP-labeled neurons in the cerebellar cortex. In both the cerebellum and inferior colliculus, AAV1 expressed GFP in more cells, labeled a larger volume, and produced significantly brighter labeling than all other serotypes, indicating superior transgene expression. AAV1 labeled more Purkinje cells, unipolar brush cells, and molecular layer interneurons than the other serotypes, while AAV2 labeled a greater number of granule cells. These results provide guidelines for the use of AAVs as gene delivery tools in these regions.SignificanceAAVs have become ubiquitous gene expression tools in neuroscience research and are becoming more common in clinical settings. Naturally occurring and engineered serotypes have varying abilities to infect neurons and cause them to produce proteins of interest. The efficacy of AAV transduction in specific cell types depends on many factors and remains difficult to predict, so an empirical approach is often required to determine the best performing serotype in each population of cells. In the present study we show that AAV1 produces the highest expression in these two regions, labels the most axonal projections, and labels Purkinje cells and unipolar brush cells better than the other serotypes tested, while AAV2 labels granule cells most effectively.
Ostial side branch stenosis in non-stenotic coronary segments: a characteristic finding in diabetes mellitus
Authors: Yamanaka Yasushi , Fujimori Yoshiharu , Hashimoto Satoshi , Kurihara Kazuto , Sasaki Tomoko , Yoshimura Masayuki , Takahashi Miki , Wakabayashi Tadamasa , Imai Taku 
Published: October 2024

2.AbstractBackgroundOstial stenosis, a narrowing at the origin of coronary side branches, is commonly observed in branches diverging from stenotic coronary segments. However, it may also occur in branches diverging from non-stenotic segments, and the factors contributing to this phenomenon remain unclear.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the incidence of ostial stenosis in coronary side branches diverging from non-stenotic segments and to identify associated risk factors.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of first-time, elective coronary angiograms (CAGs) from 884 patients. Side branches with a diameter larger than 2mm were included. Ostial stenosis was defined by two criteria: 1) the side branch diverged from a coronary segment with less than 25% diameter stenosis, and 2) the side branch exhibited ostial narrowing with more than 50% diameter stenosis. Clinical factors, including diabetes mellitus and lipid profiles, were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of ostial stenosis.ResultsOf the 4,739 side branches analyzed, 508 (10.7%) exhibited ostial stenosis. Ostial stenosis was present in 285 (32.2%) patients. Patients with ostial stenosis had a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (60.0% vs. 33.0%,p<0.00001) and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (48.5 ± 14.6 mg/dL vs. 52.0 ± 14.9 mg/dL,p<0.01) compared to those without stenosis. No significant differences were found in other clinical factors. Multivariate analysis identified diabetes mellitus as an independent predictor of ostial stenosis (odds ratio: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.20-0.43,p<0.0001).ConclusionsOstial stenosis in side branches diverging from non-stenotic coronary segments is significantly associated with diabetes mellitus. In diabetic patients, factors such as negative arterial remodeling, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction likely play key roles in the development of this condition. These findings suggest that ostial stenosis could be an additional marker of advanced coronary artery disease in diabetes.
Elevated Liver Damage Biomarkers in Long COVID: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Almulla Abbas F. , Thipakorn Yanin , Zhang Yingqian , Maes Michael 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundLong COVID (LC) presents with complex pathophysiology, affecting multiple organs and producing a range of symptoms, from neuropsychiatric disturbances to multi-organ dysfunction. Liver damage has emerged as a notable feature, yet no systematic review or meta-analysis has comprehensively evaluated the biomarkers confirming liver injury in LC patients.ObjectiveThe present study aims to examine blood-based biomarkers of liver damage in LC disease.MethodsA search of PubMed, Google Scholar, SciFinder, and SCOPUS identified 61 eligible studies, including 7172 participants, with 3404 LC patients and 3768 controls.ResultsOur analysis identified a significant increase in the liver damage index among LC patients, with a moderate effect size (standardized mean difference, SMD = 0.553; confidence intervals; 95% CI: 0.305–0.760) compared to normal controls. Additionally, LC patients exhibited marked elevations in alanine aminotransferase (SMD = 0.615; 95% CI: 0.351;0.878), aspartate aminotransferase (SMD = 0.352; 95% CI: 0.068;0.637), gamma-glutamyl transferase (SMD = 0.969; 95% CI: 0.194;1.745), and lactate dehydrogenase (SMD = 0.666; 95% CI: 0.332;0.999) activities. Moreover, significant reductions were observed in total protein (SMD = -0.326; 95% CI: -0.631; -0.021) and increases in prothrombin time (SMD = 0.633; 95% CI: 0.077;1.189), ferritin (SMD = 0.437; 95% CI: 0.069;0.805), D-dimer (SMD = 0.359; 95% CI: 0.144;0.573). Further studies are needed to confirm reductions in platelet count and elevations in fibrinogen levelsConclusionThis study suggests that LC is associated with persistent liver damage and coagulopathy, highlighting the need to incorporate liver injury into treatment strategies to reduce potential risks.
Outcomes of patients with calcific aortic valve disease according to the extent of cardiac damage
Authors: Moore Matthew K , Jones Gregory T , Whalley Gillian , Prendergast Bernard , Williams Michael J.A. , Coffey Sean 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundA staging system for aortic stenosis (AS) based upon the extent of cardiac damage has been proposed to better stratify risk and evaluate the benefit of aortic valve intervention (AVI), especially in those with moderate AS. We sought to evaluate the prognostic value of this staging system.MethodsData from initial clinically indicated echocardiograms performed between 2010 and 2018 in patients >18 years of age were extracted and linked to national outcome data. The combined primary outcome was mortality or hospitalization with heart failure.ResultsAmongst 24,699 patients, 513 and 920 had moderate and mild AS, respectively. In moderate AS, Stage 0 cardiac damage was present in 9.4%, Stage 1 in 53.7%, Stage 2 in 31.1%, Stage 3 in 3.2%, and Stage 4 in 2.6%. In mild AS, rates were 11.5%, 57.8%, 25.0%, 2.6%, and 3.0% for each consecutive stage. Increasing stage was associated with increased risk of the primary outcome in both moderate (HR 1.62/stage) and mild AS (HR 1.93/stage). After censoring at the time of AVI, increasing stage was also associated with mortality in moderate (HR 1.97/stage) and mild AS (HR 2.06/stage).ConclusionStage of cardiac damage predicts prognosis in both moderate and mild AS to a similar extent. Outcomes may therefore not be fully related to the haemodynamic consequences of valve disease, and hence may not be entirely reversible after valve intervention. Revised management algorithms focusing on earlier intervention and novel treatment strategies targeting cardiac damage are needed to improve clinical outcomes in patients with AS.