bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tumor Markers in Pancreatic Cystic Fluids for Diagnosis of Malignant Cysts
Authors: Levy Alexandre , Popovici Theodora , Bories Phuong-Nhi 
Published: March 2017

Background and aim Early diagnosis of premalignant or malignant pancreatic cysts is essential to improve prognosis. Sampling of pancreatic cyst fluid by fine-needle aspiration during endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) enables cytopathological examination combined with biochemical analysis. This study aimed to provide an aid based on biological markers for the preoperative management of patients with pancreatic cysts. Methods Pancreatic fluids obtained by EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration from 115 patients with cystic lesions were assayed for amylase, lipase, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA 19-9 and CA 72-4. In addition, chromogranin A (CgA) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were measured in 28 fluid samples. Results ROC curve analysis of the different markers for diagnosis of mucinous cysts showed that CEA had the highest area under the curve (0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.97), with a sensitivity and specificity of 89% and 93%, respectively, at the cutoff value of 317 μg/L. The CgA and NSE concentrations in 5 NET cysts (median values of 210 [63-492] and 68.5 [9-496] μg/L, respectively) were higher than in 23 other cysts (median values of 8 [7-828] and 2.7 [0.5-35.8] μg/L, respectively) (p = 0.0015 and p = 0.0045, respectively). Conclusions CEA is the best marker for identifying a cyst as mucinous. In case of low levels of CEA, our results suggest that CgA and NSE measurements may be helpful in the diagnosis of a neuroendocrine tumor and therefore deserve further investigation.
Policies for reirradiation of recurrent high-grade gliomas: a survey among Italian radiation oncologists
Authors: Furlan Carlo , Arcangeli Stefano , Avanzo Michele , Mirri Maria A. , Munoz Fernando , Giudici Stefania , Perrone Antonio , Amelio Dante , Tomio Luigi , Draghini Loredana , Deli Aniko M. , Pavanato Giovanni , Giuliano Francesca M. , Pontoriero Antonio , Ciammella Patrizia , Navarria Pierina , Iannalfi Alberto , Buglione Michela , Guida Cesare , Cammelli Silvia , Iorio Vincenzo , Cardinali Massimo , Genovesi Domenico , Barsacchi Lucia , Balducci Mario , Bagnoli Rita , Berti Franco , Montesi Giampaolo , Pasqualetti Francesco , Bonome Paolo , Santoni Riccardo , Doino Daniela , Schirru Patrizia , Pinzi Valentina , Borzillo Valentina , Ferrarese Fabio , Ferro Marica , Cicco Luigi De , Krengli Marco , Scoccianti Silvia , Donato Vittorio 
Published: March 2017

Purpose: To assess the contribution of Italian radiation oncologists in the current management of recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGG), focusing on a reirradiation (reRT) approach. Methods: In 2015, the Reirradiation and the Central Nervous System Study Groups on behalf of the Italian Association of Radiation Oncology (AIRO) proposed a survey. All Italian radiation oncologists were individually invited to complete an online questionnaire regarding their clinical management of recurrent HGG, focusing on a reRT approach. Results: A total of 37 of 210 questionnaires were returned (18% of all centers): 16 (43%) from nonacademic hospitals, 14 (38%) from academic hospitals, 5 (13%) from private institutions, and 2 (6%) from hadron therapy centers. The majority of responding centers (59%) treated ≤5 cases per year. Performance status at the time of recurrence, along with a target diameter <5 cm and an interval from primary radiation ≥6 months, were the prevalent predictive factors considered for reRT. Sixty percent of reirradiated patients had already received a salvage therapy, either chemotherapy (40%) or reoperation (20%). The most common approach for reRT was fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy to a mean (photon) dose of 41.6 Gy. Conclusions: Although there were wide variations in the clinical practice of reRT across the 37 centers, the core activities were reasonably consistent. These findings provide a basis for encouraging a national collaborative study to develop, implement, and monitor the use of reRT in this challenging clinical setting.
Long-term Results of Therapy with Sunitinib in Metastatic Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma
Authors: Jagodzińska-Mucha Paulina , Świtaj Tomasz , Kozak Katarzyna , Koseła-Paterczyk Hanna , Klimczak Anna , Ługowska Iwona , Rogala Pawel , Wągrodzki Michał , Falkowski Sławomir , Rutkowski Piotr 
Published: March 2017

Background Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare, highly vascularized soft tissue sarcoma characterized by a high frequency of metastatic disease and resistance to classical chemotherapy. The purpose of our analysis was to assess long-term sunitinib activity in the treatment of metastatic ASPS. Patients and Methods Between 2009 and 2015, 15 patients were diagnosed with metastatic ASPS and received therapy with sunitinib at initial continuous daily dosing of 37.5 mg. Median age was 32 years. The primary tumor sites were lower extremities ( 8 ), trunk-retroperitoneum/pelvis ( 2 ), upper extremity ( 3 ) and other ( 2 ). All patients had unresectable disease (primary or relapse in the form of metastases to the lungs ± bones). Five patients received systemic therapy before initiating sunitinib. Median follow-up from start of sunitinib was 38 months (range 5-69 months). Results At the time of analysis 4 patients continue therapy and 9 are still alive. Six patients had RECIST partial remission as best response, 8 had stable disease, and 1 had disease progression. The median progression-free survival was 19 months, with 86% of patients being free of progression at 6 months. Median overall survival was 56 months; the 5-year overall survival rate was 49%. Five patients were treated with sunitinib longer than 2 years. All patients experienced some side effects: 8 patients (53%) had CTCAE grade 3/4 toxicity, 7 patients required dose reduction. The most common toxicities were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, hypothyroidism, arterial hypertension, and hand-foot syndrome. Conclusions Our analysis confirms the long-term efficacy of sunitinib in patients with advanced ASPS.
Deletion of GSTM1 and GSTT1 Genes and Lung Cancer Survival: a Systematic Review
Authors: Hernández Cristina Ramos , Mouronte-Roibás Cecilia , Barros-Dios Juan Miguel , Fernández-Villar Alberto , Ruano-Ravina Alberto 
Published: March 2017

Purpose The mechanisms of lung carcinogenesis are not fully understood. Not all smokers develop lung cancer, indicating that genetic variations and other environmental factors may play an important role in its development. The human glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) have been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Glutathione S-transferases are phase II biotransformation enzymes that play a role in detoxifying a wide range of exogenous agents including carcinogens but also anticarcinogenic drugs. Methods We assessed the effect of allelic deletions in the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes on lung cancer overall survival through a systematic review of the scientific literature after applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results Most of the included studies found no effect or a tendency to worse survival for individuals with deletion of GSTs. Conclusions Further studies are necessary to understand the magnitude of the effect of the deletion of both genes on lung cancer survival.
Relation between Sexual Dysfunctions and Epilepsy, Type of Epilepsy, Type of Antiepileptic Drugs: A Prospective Study
Authors: Pavone Carlo , Giacalone Ninfa , Vella Marco , Urso Lidia , Zummo Leila , Fierro Brigida 
Published: March 2017

Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of sexual dysfunctions in males with epilepsy, the type of epilepsy, the frequency of seizures, the type of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), the serum hormonal profile and the presence of psychiatric comorbidity. Methods Sixty-one patients focused on type of epilepsy, frequency of seizures, AEDs, hormonal profile and presence of mood disorders. We excluded all patients with severe neurologic and psychiatric impairment and patient who were not able to fill questionnaires. Mean age was 31.2 years (range 18-50 years); 31 patients (50.8%) had an idiopathic generalised epilepsy and 30 (49.2%) a focal epilepsy; among them, latter 18 (60%) had probably symptomatic type and 12 (40%) symptomatic type. Sexual functions were evaluated by “International Inventory of Erectile Function” questionnaire. Results Out of 61 enrolled patients, 22 (36.7%) showed sexual dysfunctions: erectile dysfunctions in 14 (23%), orgasmic dysfunctions in (11.5%) and sexual drive dysfunctions in 12 (19.7%). Out of 61 patients, 36 were subjected to blood measurement of sexual hormones and 21 (58.3%) showed hormonal modifications. Conclusions Sexual dysfunction are present in 36.7% of enrolled males with epilepsy; there is any association between sexual dysfunctions and various AEDs in the treatment, except for carbamazepine (CBZ); there is not any association between sexual dysfunctions and frequency of seizures; hormonal changes are associated with sexual dysfunction in males with epilepsy treated with AEDs but not with the orgasmic dysfunction; there is not any association between hormonal changes and type of AEDs, except for CBZ; depression is associated with sexual dysfunctions.
Differential effects of antiretrovirals on microbial translocation and gut microbiota composition of HIV‐infected patients
Authors: Villanueva‐Millán María J. , Pérez‐Matute Patricia , Recio‐Fernández Emma , Lezana Rosales José M. , Oteo José A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractIntroduction: Increased bacterial translocation and alterations to gut microbiota composition have been described in HIV infection and contribute to immune activation and inflammation. These effects persist despite combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). However, the contribution of different cART combinations has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to analyse the long‐term effects of different combinations of cART on bacterial translocation and gut microbiota composition in HIV‐infected patients.Methods: We carried out a cross‐sectional study of 45 HIV‐infected patients on cART, classified as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)+ protease inhibitors (PIs) (n = 15), NRTIs+ non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) (n = 22), and NRTIs+ integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) (n = 8). Untreated HIV‐infected patients (n = 5) and non‐infected volunteers (n = 21) were also included. Soluble markers of bacterial translocation and inflammation were measured and gut microbiota composition was analysed using 16S rDNA pyrosequencing (Illumina MiSeq).Results: The NRTIs+INSTIs regimen was associated with levels of systemic inflammation that were similar to uninfected controls. The reduction in faecal bacterial diversity induced by HIV infection was also restored by this regimen. HIV infection was more closely related to changes in lower taxonomic units and diversity rather than at the phylum level. The NRTIs+PIs regimen showed the highest reduction in bacterial species, whereas NRTIs+INSTIs induced a minor loss of bacterial species and a significant increase in others.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that INSTI‐based ART was associated with levels of systemic inflammation and microbial diversity similar to that of uninfected controls. The role of INSTIs other than raltegravir needs to be further investigated. Patients on the NRTIs+PIs regimen presented the highest reduction in bacterial species compared with other antiretrovirals and naive patients. Thus, different cART regimens are associated with diverse profiles in gut microbiota composition. Longitudinal and functional studies are needed to better understand these findings.
Enhancement of 2,3-butanediol production from Jerusalem artichoke tuber extract by a recombinant Bacillus sp. strain BRC1 with increased inulinase activity
Authors: Park Jang Min , Oh Baek-Rock , Kang In Yeong , Heo Sun-Yeon , Seo Jeong-Woo , Park Seung-Moon , Hong Won-Kyung , Kim Chul Ho 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
A Bacillus sp. strain named BRC1 is capable of producing 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) using hydrolysates of the Jerusalem artichoke tuber (JAT), a rich source of the fructose polymer inulin. To enhance 2,3-BD production, we undertook an extensive analysis of the Bacillus sp. BRC1 genome, identifying a putative gene (sacC) encoding a fructan hydrolysis enzyme and characterizing the activity of the resulting recombinant protein expressed in and purified from Escherichia coli. Introduction of the sacC gene into Bacillus sp. BRC1 using an expression vector increased enzymatic activity more than twofold. Consistent with this increased enzyme expression, 2,3-BD production from JAT was also increased from 3.98 to 8.10 g L−1. Fed-batch fermentation of the recombinant strain produced a maximal level of 2,3-BD production of 28.6 g L−1, showing a high theoretical yield of 92.3%.
Seasonal patterns in self-reported peripartum depressive symptoms
Authors: Henriksson H.E. , Sylvén S.M. , Kallak T.K. , Papadopoulos F.C. , Skalkidou A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBackground:In the peripartum period, the literature on seasonality in depression is still scarce and studies present varying findings. The aims of this study were to investigate whether seasonal patterns in postpartum depressive symptoms previously identified in a Swedish study could be replicated in a larger study, as well as to assess seasonal patterns in depressive symptoms during pregnancy.Methods:This was a nested case-control study comprised of 4129 women who participated in the BASIC project and gave birth at Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden, between February 2010 and December 2015.Results:Women who gave birth in October–December 2011 had an increased odds of depressive symptoms at 6 weeks postpartum, when compared with women giving birth in April–June 2011 (aOR = 2.42; 95% CI: 1.12–5.26). The same pattern was found among women with a history of depression. No other seasonal patterns for depressive symptoms during pregnancy or at 6 weeks postpartum were identified.Conclusions:In general, no consistent seasonal patterns were found in peripartum depressive symptoms. Whether the seasonal patterns found in some studies during certain years may be due to other factors relating to specific years and seasons, such as extreme climatic conditions or other particular events, warrants further investigation.
POMC and NPY mRNA expression during development is increased in rat offspring brain from mothers fed with a high fat diet
Authors: Klein Marianne Orlandini , MacKay Harry , Edwards Alexander , Park Su‐Bin , Kiss Ana Carolina Inhasz , Felicio Luciano Freitas , Abizaid Alfonso 
Published: March 2017

AbstractDevelopmental programing is influenced by perinatal nutrition and it has long‐lasting impacts on adult metabolism in the offspring. In particular, maternal high fat diet has been associated with increased risk of obesity and metabolic disorders during adulthood in the descendants. These effects may be due to the effects of the high fat diet on the development of the systems that regulate food intake and energy balance in the offspring hypothalamus. The arcuate nucleus (ARC) may be a particularly sensitive region to it as this nucleus contains the POMC and AgRP/NPY neurons that integrate the melanocortin system. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal high fat diet during pregnancy on the transcription factors that regulate hypothalamic development in the offspring as a potential mechanism that may result in altered neuronal expression of POMC, NPY and/or AgRP. To this end, pregnant females exposed to high fat diet (60% fat diet since day 0 of pregnancy) or standard rat chow were sacrificed on days 12, 14, 16 and 18 of gestation to obtain brains from their developing fetuses and examine the mRNA expression of transcription factors associated with the development of cells in the ARC. Results show that, while no changes in transcription factor expression between groups were observed, POMC and NPY mRNA expression were higher on embryonic day 18 in the high fat group. These results suggest that POMC and NPY expression are altered by in utero exposure to a high fat diet, but these changes in gene expression are not associated with changes in the expression of transcription factors known to determine the fate of ARC cells.
Observation and analysis of the sparkover around grounding electrode under impulse current
Authors: Lu Hailiang , Feng Zhiqiang , Tong Xuefang , Chen Wenguang , Tan Bo , Wen Xishan 
Published: March 2017

Soil sparkover is one of the key factors that affect the impulse characteristics of grounding devices under lightning current. In this study, the polyester‐based sensitive films are applied to observe the morphology features of the sandy sparkover around a horizontal grounding rod 1 m in length buried in a hemispheric pool 8 m in diameter under impulse current. Moreover, the releasing current distribution of the grounding rod is measured by modular multi‐channel simultaneous signal acquisition system. Along with injected impulse current increasing, the ratio of current released from two ends of the rod increases because the spark discharge leads the redistribution of the dissipating current. The discharge in the sand becomes more intense with current increasing. The discharge on middle segments spreads around the electrode‐like cluster, while sparkover at the terminal develops into tree creeping discharge finally. Analysis based on combining observation images with current measurement result suggests that sparkover morphology is related to not only electric field value but also electric field distribution. The sparkover strength is determined by electric field intensity, while the sparkover concentration depends on electric field uniformity.
Beyond white light: optical enhancement in conjunction with magnification colonoscopy for the assessment of mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis
Authors: Iacucci Marietta , Kiesslich Ralf , Gui Xianyong , Panaccione Remo , Heatherington Joan , Akinola Oluseyi , Ghosh Subrata 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
Background and study aim The I-SCAN optical enhancement (OE) system with magnification is a recently introduced combination of optical and digital electronic virtual chromoendoscopy, which enhances mucosal and vascular details. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the use of I-SCAN OE in the assessment of inflammatory changes in ulcerative colitis (UC).
Patients and methods A total of 41 consecutive patients with UC and 9 control patients were examined by I-SCAN OE (Pentax Medical, Tokyo, Japan). Targeted biopsies of the imaged areas were obtained. A new optical enhancement score focusing on mucosal and vascular changes was developed. The diagnostic accuracy of I-SCAN OE was calculated against histology using two UC histological scores – Robarts Histopathology Index (RHI) and ECAP (Extent, Chronicity, Activity, Plus additional findings).
Results The overall I-SCAN OE score correlated with ECAP (r = 0.70; P < 0.001). The accuracy of the overall I-SCAN OE score to detect abnormalities by ECAP was 80 % (sensitivity 78 %, specificity 100 %). I-SCAN OE vascular and mucosal scores correlated with ECAP (r = 0.65 and 0.71, respectively; P < 0.001). The correlation between overall I-SCAN OE score and RHI was r = 0.61 (P < 0.01), and the accuracy to detect abnormalities by RHI was 68 % (sensitivity 78 %, specificity 50 %). The majority of patients with Mayo 0 had abnormalities on I-SCAN OE.
Conclusion In UC, the new I-SCAN OE technology accurately identified mucosal inflammation, and correlated well with histological scores of chronic and acute changes.
MetCirc: navigating mass spectral similarity in high-resolution MS/MS metabolomics data
Authors: Naake Thomas , Gaquerel Emmanuel 
Published: March 2017

Abstract

Summary
Among the main challenges in metabolomics are the rapid dereplication of previously characterized metabolites across a range of biological samples and the structural prediction of unknowns from MS/MS data. Here, we developed MetCirc to comprehensively align and calculate pairwise similarity scores among MS/MS spectral data and visualize these across a range of biological samples. MetCirc comprises functionalities to interactively organize these data according to compound familial groupings and to accelerate the discovery of shared metabolites and hypothesis formulation for unknowns. As such, MetCirc provides a significant advance to address biological questions in areas where chemodiversity plays a role.

Availability and Implementation
MetCirc, implemented in the open-source R language, together with its vignette are available in the Bioconductor project and at https://github.com/PlantDefenseMetabolism/MetCirc.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Crowdsourcing to Evaluate Fundus Photographs for the Presence of Glaucoma
Authors: Wang Xueyang , Mudie Lucy I. , Baskaran Mani , Cheng Ching-Yu , Alward Wallace L. , Friedman David S. , Brady Christopher J. 
Published: March 2017

Purpose:
To assess the accuracy of crowdsourcing for grading optic nerve images for glaucoma using Amazon Mechanical Turk before and after training modules.

Materials and Methods:
Images (n=60) from 2 large population studies were graded for glaucoma status and vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR). In the baseline trial, users on Amazon Mechanical Turk (Turkers) graded fundus photos for glaucoma and VCDR after reviewing annotated example images. In 2 additional trials, Turkers viewed a 26-slide PowerPoint training or a 10-minute video training and passed a quiz before being permitted to grade the same 60 images. Each image was graded by 10 unique Turkers in all trials. The mode of Turker grades for each image was compared with an adjudicated expert grade to determine accuracy as well as the sensitivity and specificity of Turker grading.

Results:
In the baseline study, 50% of the images were graded correctly for glaucoma status and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was 0.75 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.64-0.87]. Post-PowerPoint training, 66.7% of the images were graded correctly with AUROC of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.78-0.95). Finally, Turker grading accuracy was 63.3% with AUROC of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.83-0.96) after video training. Overall, Turker VCDR grades for each image correlated with expert VCDR grades (Bland-Altman plot mean difference=−0.02).

Conclusions:
Turkers graded 60 fundus images quickly and at low cost, with grading accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, all improving with brief training. With effective education, crowdsourcing may be an efficient tool to aid in the identification of glaucomatous changes in retinal images.