bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiotoxicity in Pediatric Cancer Survivorship: Patterns, Predictors, and Implications for Long-term Care
Authors: Mansoor Masab A. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundImproved survival rates in pediatric cancer have shifted focus to long-term effects of treatment, with cardiovascular complications emerging as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Understanding the patterns and predictors of cardiotoxicity is crucial for risk stratification, treatment optimization, and long-term care planning.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of cardiotoxicity in pediatric cancer survivors using data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS).MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 24,938 five-year survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed between 1970 and 1999. Cardiovascular complications, including cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and arrhythmias, were assessed through self-reported questionnaires and medical record review. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate risk factors, and a prediction model was developed using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsThe cumulative incidence of any cardiovascular complication by 30 years post-diagnosis was 18.7% (95% CI: 17.9%-19.5%). Significant risk factors included anthracycline exposure (HR 2.31, 95% CI: 2.09-2.55 for doses ≥250 mg/m2), chest radiation (HR 1.84, 95% CI: 1.66-2.05 for doses ≥20 Gy), older age at diagnosis, male sex, and obesity. A risk prediction model demonstrated good discrimination (C-statistic: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.76-0.80). Survivors had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular complications compared to sibling controls (OR 3.7, 95% CI: 3.2-4.2).ConclusionsChildhood cancer survivors face a substantial and persistent risk of cardiovascular complications. The identified risk factors and prediction model can guide personalized follow-up strategies and interventions. These findings underscore the need for lifelong cardiovascular monitoring and care in this population.
B cells targeting parasites capture spatially linked antigens to secure T cell help
Authors: Gao Xin , McNamara Hayley A. , Lee Jiwon , Lo Adrian F. , Chatterjee Deepyan , Spensberger Dominik , Fernandez-Ruiz Daniel , Walz Kevin , Wang Ke , Kelly Hannah G. , Pohl Kai , Carreira Patricia E. , Do Andrea , Xiong Le , Beattie Lynette , Spencer Alexandra J. , Gray Daniel H.D. , Frischknecht Friedrich , Rug Melanie , Cockburn Ian A. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractOur understanding of T-cell-dependent humoral responses has been largely shaped by studies involving model antigens such as recombinant proteins and viruses1,2. In these contexts, B cells internalize the entire antigen or pathogen, and present a range of antigens to helper CD4+T cells to initiate the humoral response. However, this model does not account for large pathogens (such as parasites) that are too large to be taken up by individual B cells, and the mechanisms by which B cells acquire and present antigens from large complex pathogens to T cells remain poorly understood. Here we usedPlasmodium, the causative parasite of malaria, as a model to investigate the requirements for T cell help for B cells targeting thePlasmodiumsurface circumsporozoite protein (CSP). UponPlasmodiumsporozoite (SPZ) immunization, CSP-specific B cells can form a synapse-like structure with SPZs and take up CSP and non-CSP surface antigens. As a result, CSP-specific B cells can receive help from CD4+T cells specific to antigens that are located on the surface but not cytosol of thePlasmodiumSPZ. Therefore, B cells can obtain help, not only from T cells with the same protein specificity, but also from T cells specific for spatially linked antigens. This flexibility in T cell help may enhance the initiation and maintenance of humoral immune responses to complex pathogens.
Assessing the reliability and validity of pictorial-assisted 24-hour recall for measuring hand hygiene and child faeces disposal: a cross-sectional study in Malawi
Authors: Rizk Olivier , Bick Sarah , White Blessings , Chidziwisano Kondwani , Dreibelbis Robert 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWhilst improving hygiene and sanitation behaviours is key to cost-effective and sustainable WASH interventions, measuring behaviour change remains a challenge. This study assessed the validity and reliability of pictorial 24-hour recall (P24hR), a novel method using unprompted recall of past activities through pictures, compared to structured observation for measuring handwashing with soap (HWWS) and safe child faeces disposal in rural Malawi. Data were collected from 88 individuals across 74 households in Chiradzulu district using both methods over a two-day period, with the recall period of the P24hR corresponding to the period of structured observation completed the previous day. Results showed poor agreement between P24hR and observations in detection of hygiene opportunities and behaviours. P24hR under-reported handwashing opportunities when frequency was high and over-reported them when frequency was low. The 95% limits of agreement for handwashing opportunities estimated through Bland-Altman analysis (-7.62 to 4.89) were unacceptably wide given median 5 opportunities observed per participant. P24hR also over-reported HWWS and safe child faeces disposal, and kappa statistics indicated agreement no better than by chance. Structured observation remains the preferred method for measuring hygiene behaviours despite its known limitations, including potential reactivity bias.
A new preprocedural predictive risk model for post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis: The SuPER model
Authors: Sugimoto Mitsuru , Takagi Tadayuki , Suzuki Tomohiro , Shimizu Hiroshi , Shibukawa Goro , Nakajima Yuki , Takeda Yutaro , Noguchi Yuki , Kobayashi Reiko , Imamura Hidemichi , Asama Hiroyuki , Konno Naoki , Waragai Yuichi , Akatsuka Hidenobu , Suzuki Rei , Hikichi Takuto , Ohira Hiromasa 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundPost–endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP) is a severe and deadly adverse event following ERCP. The ideal method for predicting PEP risk before ERCP has yet to be identified. We aimed to establish a simple PEP risk score model (SuPER model: Support for PEP Reduction) that can be applied before ERCP.MethodsThis multicenter study enrolled 2074 patients who underwent ERCP. Among them, 1037 patients each were randomly assigned to the development and validation cohorts. In the development cohort, the risk score model for predicting PEP was established via logistic regression analysis. In the validation cohort, the performance of the model was assessed.ResultsIn the development cohort, five PEP risk factors that could be identified before ERCP were extracted and assigned weights according to their respective regression coefficients: -2 points for pancreatic calcification, 1 point for female sex, and 2 points for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, a native papilla of Vater, or the pancreatic duct procedures (treated as “planned pancreatic duct procedures” for calculating the score before ERCP). The PEP occurrence rate was 0% among low-risk patients (≤ 0 points), 5.5% among moderate-risk patients (1 to 3 points), and 20.2% among high-risk patients (4 to 7 points). In the validation cohort, the C statistic of the risk score model was 0.71 (95% CI 0.64–0.78), which was considered acceptable. The PEP risk classification (low, moderate, and high) was a significant predictive factor for PEP that was independent of intraprocedural PEP risk factors (precut sphincterotomy and inadvertent pancreatic duct cannulation) (OR 4.2, 95% CI 2.8–6.3;P< 0.01).ConclusionsThe PEP risk score allows an estimation of the risk of PEP prior to ERCP, regardless of whether the patient has undergone pancreatic duct procedures. This simple risk model, consisting of only five items, may aid in predicting and explaining the risk of PEP before ERCP and in preventing PEP by allowing selection of the appropriate expert endoscopist and useful PEP prophylaxes.
Health-related quality of life in Long COVID: Mapping the condition-specific C19-YRSm measure onto the EQ-5D-5L
Authors: Smith Adam B. , Greenwood Darren C. , Williams Paul , Kwon Joseph , Petrou Stavros , Horton Mike , Osborne Thomas , Milne Ruairidh ,   LOCOMOTION Consortium, Sivan Manoj 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundLong Covid (LC) is a clinical syndrome of persistent, fluctuating symptoms subsequent to COVID-19 infection with a prevalence global estimate of many millions of cases. LC has significant detrimental effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), activities of daily living (ADL), and work productivity. Condition-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as the modified Covid-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm), have been developed to capture the impact of LC. However, these do not provide health utility data required for cost-utility analyses of LC interventions. The aim of this study was therefore to derive a mapping algorithm for the C19-YRSm to enable health utilities to be generated from this PROM.MethodsData were collected from a large study evaluating LC services in the UK. A total of 1434 people with LC had completed both the C19-YRSm and the EQ-5D-5L on the same day. The EQ-5D-5L responses were then converted to EQ-5D-3L utility scores. Correlation and linear regression analyses were applied to determine items from the C19-YRSm and covariates for inclusion in the algorithm. Model fit, mean differences across the range of EQ-5D-3L scores (−0.59 to 1), and Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate the algorithm. Responsiveness (standardised response mean; SRM) of the mapped utilities was also investigated on a subset of participants with repeat assessments (N=85).ResultsThere was a strong level of association between 8 items and 2 domains on the C19-YRSm with the EQ-5D single-item dimensions. These related to joint pain, muscle pain, anxiety, depression, walking/moving around, personal care, ADL, and social role, as well as Overall Health and Other Symptoms. Model fit was good (R2= 0.7). The mean difference between the actual and mapped scores was < 0.10 for the range from 0 to 1 indicating a good degree of targeting for positive values of the EQ-5D-3L. The SRM for the mapped EQ-5D-3L health utilities (based on the C19-YRSm) was 0.37 compared to 0.17 for the observed EQ-5D-3L utility scores, suggesting the mapped EQ-5D-3L is more responsive to change.ConclusionsWe have developed a simple, responsive, and robust mapping algorithm to enable EQ-5D-3L health utilities to be generated from 10 items of the C19-YRSm. This mapping algorithm will facilitate economic evaluations of interventions, treatment, and management of people with LC, as well as further helping to describe and characterise patients with LC irrespective of any treatment and interventions.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Patients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Haq Mahdi , Rashad Nabhan 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTIntroductionPost traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may develop after exposure to a traumatic event. Patients of traumatic spinal cord injuries are at risk of developing PTSD, and diagnosing this disorder and recognizing risk factors is important for effective treatment.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of PTSD in post-traumatic spinal cord injury patients and correlate the presence of PTSD to factors such as age, cause of injury, and level of injury.MethodsA descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at Paraplegic Center in Peshawar, Pakistan. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) was used to assess the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients at the Paraplegic Center. The study was carried out from 20 December 2014 to 20 February 2015 on a convenience sample of 51 patients. The criterion for inclusion in the study was to have a traumatic spinal cord injury, while the exclusion criterion was to have a spinal cord injury that was non-traumatic in nature.ResultsOut of 51 patients, 31% met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The age group of 15-24 years had a 27% prevalence of PTSD, while the age groups of 25-34 years and 35-44 years had a PTSD prevalence of 42% and 40% respectively. Patients who had fallen from a height had the highest prevalence of PTSD – 41%, as compared to patients who had other causes of traumatic spinal cord injury. Patients with a lumbar spinal lesion had a PTSD prevalence of 44%, whereas patients with a cervical and thoracic spinal lesion had a PTSD prevalence of 33% and 25% respectively.ConclusionThe study shows that the middle age groups had a higher prevalence of PTSD, and patients who had fallen from a height had the highest prevalence of PTSD. Lumbar spinal lesion patients had a higher prevalence of PTSD than patients who had spinal lesions at the cervical or thoracic level.
Genome-wide association studies on malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review
Authors: Akoth Morine , Odhiambo John , Omolo Bernard 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundMalaria remains one of the leading causes of death in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The scoping review mapped evidence in research on existing studies on malaria genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in SSA.MethodsA scoping review was conducted to investigate the extent of malaria studies in SSA under GWAS. The review followed the methodology for scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O’Malley, including identification of research problems, searching for relevant studies, selecting studies, charting data, collating, summarizing, and reporting the findings. Data from relevant studies were collected and synthesized using Excel and Zotero software. The data collected included information on the author, the years of study, the countries of study, the research areas of interest, and the study designs used.ResultsOf an initial pool of over 2000 articles retrieved from four databases, namely Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, 569 were retained. After applying the inclusion-exclusion criteria, 99 articles were found to be relevant. Most of these studies (n=25, 60%) used a case-control study design, while the rest used cross-sectional, cohort, longitudinal, family-based, and retrospective designs. These studies were conducted between 2000 and 2023, with a significant increase observed in 2011. Most studies were carried out in Kenya (n = 25), Gambia (n = 17), Cameroon (n = 15), Ghana (n = 12), and Tanzania (n=11), primarily exploring genetic variants associated with malaria susceptibility, resistance, and severity.ConclusionMany case-control studies in Kenya and Gambia reported genetic variants in malaria susceptibility, resistance, and severity. Few articles were systematic reviews and scoping reviews. GWAS on malaria is scarce in SSA and even fewer studies are model-based. Consequently, there is a pressing need for more genome-wide research on malaria in SSA.
Integrating feature importance techniques and causal inference to enhance early detection of heart disease
Authors: Arzanipour Atousa 
Published: August 2024

AbstractHeart disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, necessitating robust methods for its early detection and intervention. This study employs a comprehensive approach to identify and analyze critical features contributing to heart disease. Using a dataset of 270 patients, three well-known feature importance techniques—Boruta, Information Gain, and Lasso Regression—are applied to determine the top five features for heart disease detection. Following the identification of these key features, the g-computation method, a causal inference technique, is utilized to explore the causal relationships between these features and the presence of heart disease. The findings provide valuable insights into not only the features that are highly correlated with chronic heart disease but also those that have a direct causal impact on the classification of patients. This integrated approach enhances the understanding of heart disease etiology and can inform more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Adult renal tubular organoids can be produced from different human individuals in a completely same protocol
Authors: Mori Makiko , Mori Yutaro , Yuki Nakao , Mandai Shintaro , Fujiki Tamami , Kikuchi Hiroaki , Ando Fumiaki , Susa Koichiro , Mori Takayasu , Waseda Yuma , Yoshida Soichiro , Fujii Yasuhisa , Sohara Eisei , Uchida Shinichi 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIntroductionOrganoids are miniature organs produced by newly emerging technologies. Kidney organoids originated from human inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were developed to recapitulate renal diseases. However, producing iPSC kidney organoids from multiple individuals at the same time and in a uniform condition is still impossible. Here, we report adult renal tubular organoids, “tubuloids”, established from primary renal epithelial cells from multiple human individuals in a uniform manner.MethodsKidneys obtained from patients due to the surgery for malignancy were minced into small pieces, and primary renal epithelial tubule cells are cultured. 4 patients had normal kidney function and 4 had mild chronic kidney disease (CKD). Growth factors were added to the primary cultured cells at the same time and Matrigel was added to these 8 lines.ResultsPrimary cultured renal epithelial cells from normal kidneys showed a large number of fine, swollen epithelial appearance. On the other hand, primary cultured kidney epithelial cells from mild CKD kidneys were smaller and slightly elongated than those of normal kidneys. The growth speed was faster in normal kidney cells than in mild CKD cells. At the beginning of the three-dimensionalization (day 0), normal renal tubuloids grew faster than mild CKD tubuloids. The difference in size between normal tubuloids and mild CKD ones became less noticeable on day 5. Both types of tubuloids reached almost same size on day 10. All 8 strains are of different human origin, and uniform tubuloids could be produced at the same time and in a uniform protocol.ConclusionIn terms of pathological models, the differences between mouse models and humans cannot be ignored, and there is a great need for a more human-like model of human pathology from both medical and research perspectives. Our renal tubular organoids can be produced in a uniform manner at the same time. It is expected to be used as a new type of convenient human pathological model.
An aberrant protamine ratio is associated with decreased H4ac levels in murine and human sperm
Authors: Kruse Alexander , Schneider Simon , Merges Gina Esther , Fröbius Andreas Christian , Forné Ignasi , Imhof Axel , Schorle Hubert , Steger Klaus 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTProtamine 2 (Prm2/PRM2), together with Protamine 1 (Prm1/PRM1), constitute the two protamines found in both murine and human sperm. During spermiogenesis in haploid male germ cells, chromatin undergoes significant condensation, a phase in which most histones are replaced by a species-specific ratio of these two protamines. Altered PRM1/PRM2 ratios are associated with subfertility and infertility in both male mice and men. Notably, during histone-to-protamine exchange a small fraction of histones remains (ranging from 1% to 15%) bound to DNA. The regulatory roles of these residual histones, governed by post-translational modifications (PTMs), play a pivotal role in spermatogenesis, particularly in chromatin remodeling and epigenetic regulation of genes during sperm differentiation or even in early embryogenesis.In this study, utilizing aPrm2-deficient mouse model and conducting an analysis of sperm samples from men exhibiting either normozoospermia or atypical spermiograms, we observed alterations in the methylation and acetylation profiles of histones H3 and H4. Subsequent in-depth analysis revealed that discrepancies in protamine ratios do not significantly influence the post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones in testicular sperm. In epididymal sperm these altered protamine ratios are associated with a reduction in the acetylation levels of histone H4 (H4ac), a phenomenon consistent across both murine and human samples. In particular, H4K5ac and H4K12ac were identified as the two modifications that appear to decrease as a result of reducedPrm2/PRM2levels. Our findings reveal that Protamine 2 is necessary for the maintenance of specific histone PTMs, such as acetylation, which is essential for proper spermatogenesis and particularly for chromatin remodeling.
Brain-like border ownership signals support prediction of natural videos
Authors: Ye Zeyuan , Wessel Ralf , Franken Tom P. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractTo make sense of visual scenes, the brain must segment foreground from background. This is thought to be facilitated by neurons in the primate visual system that encode border ownership (BOS), i.e. whether a local border is part of an object on one or the other side of the border. It is unclear how these signals emerge in neural networks without a teaching signal of what is foreground and background. In this study, we investigated whether BOS signals exist in PredNet, a self-supervised artificial neural network trained to predict the next image frame of natural video sequences. We found that a significant number of units in PredNet are selective for BOS. Moreover these units share several other properties with the BOS neurons in the brain, including robustness to scene variations that constitute common object transformations in natural videos, and hysteresis of BOS signals. Finally, we performed ablation experiments and found that BOS units contribute more to prediction than non-BOS units for videos with moving objects. Our findings indicate that BOS units are especially useful to predict future input in natural videos, even when networks are not required to segment foreground from background. This suggests that BOS neurons in the brain might be the result of evolutionary or developmental pressure to predict future input in natural, complex dynamic visual environments.
Translation efficiency covariation across cell types is a conserved organizing principle of mammalian transcriptomes
Authors: Liu Yue , Rao Shilpa , Hoskins Ian , Geng Michael , Zhao Qiuxia , Chacko Jonathan , Ghatpande Vighnesh , Qi Kangsheng , Persyn Logan , Wang Jun , Zheng Dinghai , Zhong Yochen , Park Dayea , Cenik Elif Sarinay , Agarwal Vikram , Ozadam Hakan , Cenik Can 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTCharacterization of shared patterns of RNA expression between genes across conditions has led to the discovery of regulatory networks and novel biological functions. However, it is unclear if such coordination extends to translation, a critical step in gene expression. Here, we uniformly analyzed 3,819 ribosome profiling datasets from 117 human and 94 mouse tissues and cell lines. We introduce the concept ofTranslation Efficiency Covariation(TEC), identifying coordinated translation patterns across cell types. We nominate potential mechanisms driving shared patterns of translation regulation. TEC is conserved across human and mouse cells and helps uncover gene functions. Moreover, our observations indicate that proteins that physically interact are highly enriched for positive covariation at both translational and transcriptional levels. Our findings establish translational covariation as a conserved organizing principle of mammalian transcriptomes.