bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Worsened disparities in prenatal care among individuals with low educational attainment during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US: a repeated cross-sectional study
Authors: Lee Jusung , Manalew Wondimu Samuel 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Background
The coronavirus pandemic was a major event that severely disrupted the health care system in the USA. Understanding the impact, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, is necessary for informing health care and public health policy. This study evaluates changes in adequate prenatal care (PNC) across education levels after the 2020 pandemic.

Methods
The key outcome was adequate PNC utilization using the Kotelchuck index. A repeated cross-sectional study of before and after the COVID pandemic among individuals with low educational attainment compared to those with a college degree or above was used to estimate changes in adequate PNC use.

Results
A decrease in adequate PNC use after 2020 was greater (−4.4%) for less than high school graduation, compared to higher education levels (−2.0% to −0.8%). The difference in adjusted changes reaffirmed that having less than high school graduation was associated with a greater decrease in adequate PNC by −3.7 percentage points (95%CI −5.8, −1.5) compared to obtaining college degrees after 2020.

Conclusion
Disparities in access to care are persistent and further deteriorate among individuals of low educational attainment after the 2020 pandemic. An innovative, robust healthcare model is vital to reduce barriers to and disparities in access to care.
Crus control: Effective cerebello-cerebral connectivity during social action prediction using Dynamic Causal Modelling
Authors: Haihambo Naem , Baetens Kris , Deroost Natacha , Baeken Chris , Overwalle Frank Van 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
This dynamic causal modeling (DCM) analysis, comprising 99 participants from 4 studies, investigated effective neuronal connectivity during social action sequence prediction. The analysis focused on mentalizing areas within the cerebellum, specifically the bilateral Crus 1, Crus 2, and lobule IX, as well as cerebral mentalizing areas within the precuneus, temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Consistent with previous research, we found robust bidirectional closed loop connections between the posterior cerebellar Crus and cerebral mentalizing areas. We also found previously unexplored unidirectional connections originating from cerebellar lobule IX to the dmPFC and left TPJ, and from the right TPJ to lobule IX. Furthermore, we uncovered many bidirectional closed loops within the cerebellum between the left and right Crus 1, and between Crus 1 and Crus 2, and for the first time, between the bilateral Crus 2 and lobule IX. Our findings illuminate the distinct role of cerebellar Crus and lobule IX, and cerebral mentalizing areas in predicting social action sequences.
Decoding affect in emotional body language: Valence representation in the action observation network
Authors: Keck Johannes , Bachmann Julia , Zabicki Adam , Munzert Jörn , Krüger Britta 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Humans are highly adept at inferring emotional states from body movements in social interactions. Nonetheless, it is under debate how this process is facilitated by neural activations across multiple brain regions. The specific contributions of various brain areas to the perception of valence in biological motion remain poorly understood, particularly those within the action observation network (AON) and those involved in processing emotional valence. This study explores which cortical regions involved in processing emotional body language depicted by kinematic stimuli contain valence information, and whether this is reflected either in the magnitude of activation or in distinct activation patterns. Results showed that neural patterns within the AON, notably the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), exhibit a neural geometry that reflects the valence impressions of the observed stimuli. However, the representational geometry of valence-sensitive areas, mirrors these impressions to a lesser degree. Our findings also reveal that the activation magnitude in both AON and valence-sensitive regions does not correlate with the perceived valence of emotional interactions. Results underscore the critical role of the AON, particularly the IPL, in interpreting the valence of emotional interactions, indicating its essential function in the perception of valence, especially when observing biological movements.
Unveiling the role of KLF9‐mediated IFITM3 regulation in amyloidogenesis
Authors: Feng Yijia , Zhou Qian , Hu Bolang , Wang Shengya , Chen Lifen , Cai Wantong , Zhu Qinxin , Qin Xuemei , Zhou Weihui , Wu Yili , Song Weihong 
Published: February 2025

AbstractInterferon‐induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) is implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) by regulating γ‐secretase activity and subsequent amyloid β (Aβ) generation. However, the regulation of IFITM3 gene expression and the underlying mechanisms remain exclusive. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulation of the IFITM3 and its role in amyloidogenesis. The functional active promoter of the IFITM3 gene was identified within the 1047 bp of 5′‐flanking regions by luciferase assays. Through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), we successfully identified a specific Krüppel‐like factor 9 (KLF9) binding site within the promoter region. Moreover, KLF9 overexpression significantly upregulates IFITM3 expression in vitro and in vivo, which promotes Aβ generation in the hippocampus of mice. Consistently, reduced IFITM3 expression results in a notable decrease of Aβ production. Together, we demonstrate that KLF9 plays a critical role in regulating IFITM3 expression and subsequent Aβ production. It highly suggests that inhibiting KLF9‐mediated IFITM3 expression may have therapeutic potential for AD by reducing Aβ production.
A Comparative Analysis of Dementia Strategies of Fifteen European Countries in the Context of Glasgow Declaration and WHO’s Global Action Plan
Authors: Bulsari Smruti , Hashim Nureen Izyani , Pandya Kiran , Kabir Russell 
Published: February 2025

AbstractDementia prevalence across the globe is in alarming proportion and it is even expected to rise in the future. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared dementia as a health priority, way back in 2009 and had recommended then, that at least high-income countries develop a dementia action plan, and other countries develop a national dementia strategy (NDS). Later in 2014, European Countries came together to sign the Glasgow Declaration and agreed to develop their respective NDSs. Yet, a few countries still do not have their NDS. Moreover, some countries do not have their NDS in English. This study attempts to compare the dementia strategies of 15 European countries, which has a comprehensive NDS in English language. The study further examines how well these NDSs comply with the Glasgow Declaration and the WHO’s Global Action Plan guidance. We undertake cluster analysis to classify NDSs of these countries in terms of similarity in the content. We make use of word clouds to get an overall idea about the clusterwise contents of the NDSs, and then use algorithmic approach to content analysis for identifying the clusterwise key focus areas of these dementia strategies. We make a comparative analysis of these NDSs in the perspective of dementia prevalence, demographic profile, per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and predominant healthcare financing model. We have found that irrespective of the prevalence, country’s demographic profile, GDP per capita or the predominant financing model, dementia strategies primarily focus on “care”. We discuss the cost-effectiveness of prevention and person-centered care (PCC) and suggest according priorities to these in the future NDSs, as these are also the focus areas of Glasgow Declaration and the GAP.
Multi-institutional Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) Prediction Model for Mandibular Osteoradionecrosis: Results from the PREDMORN Study
Authors: Humbert-Vidan Laia , Hansen Christian R. , Petit Steven , Muñoz-Montplet Carles , Mohamed Abdallah S. R. , Saunders Deborah P. , Patel Vinod , Verduijni Gerda M. , Heemsbergen Wilma D. , van der Schaaf Arjen , Witjes Max , de Vette Suzanne , Khan Abdul A. , Querol Jordi Marruecos , Cancio Irene Oliveras , Oliver Mike , Reich Peter , Santi Stacey A. , Pearce Andrew G. , Lai Stephen Y , King Andrew P. , Langendijk Johannes A. , Johansen Jørgen , Moreno Amy C , Fuller Clifton D. , van Dijk Lisanne V. , Urbano Teresa Guerrero 
Published: February 2025

AbstractBackgroundMandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a severe late complication affecting patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiotherapy that significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and can require costly interventions. While radiation dose is a key factor, other clinical and demographic risk factors influence ORN development. Previous predictive models have primarily been single-institutional, limiting their generalizability. The PREDMORN Consortium was established to address these limitations. In this first analysis, we have aimed to reproduce existing statistical association and modelling analyses on the largest and most diverse mandibular ORN cohort worldwide to allow comparison with previous studies. As such, we have developed, tested and externally validated a multi-institutional normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) model for mandibular ORN.MethodsThis retrospective multi-institutional study included 1,184 HNC patients (389 ORN cases) from seven institutions. Clinical, demographic, and dosimetric (DVH) variables were analysed to develop a prediction model (any grade of ORN vs. no ORN) using forward stepwise logistic regression with correlation-based variable pre-selection. The ORN NTCP model was developed on 80% of data from six institutions, tested on the remaining unseen 20%, and externally validated on the seventh institution’s dataset.ResultsKey predictors of ORN were D30%, V70Gy, pre-RT dental extractions, and smoking status. The ORN NTCP model demonstrated good calibration and predictive performance, with AUCs of 0.69 for internal testing and external validation, which improved when tested on a sub-cohort of oropharyngeal and locally advanced larynx/hypopharynx cancer cases (AUCs of 0.75).ConclusionThe PREDMORN NTCP model is the largest multi-institutional effort to predict ORN risk in HNC patients. We provide guidance on how to adjust the NTCP predicted probabilities for differences in target population baseline ORN risk to facilitate application of the model. Future research will focus on incorporating imaging-based spatial data and further external validation to enhance clinical applicability.
Find Central Dogma Again: Leveraging Multilingual Transfer in Large Language Models
Authors: Liang Wang 
Published: February 2025

AbstractIn recent years, large language models (LLMs) have achieved state-of-the-art results in various biological sequence analysis tasks, such as sequence classification, structure prediction, and function prediction. Similar to advancements in AI for other scientific fields, deeper research into biological LLMs has begun to focus on using these models to rediscover important existing biological laws or uncover entirely new patterns in biological sequences. This study leverages GPT-like LLMs to utilize language transfer capabilities to rediscover the genetic code rules of the central dogma. In our experimental design, we transformed the central dogma into a binary classification problem of aligning DNA sequences with protein sequences, where positive examples are matching DNA and protein sequences, and negative examples are non-matching pairs. We first trained a GPT-2 model from scratch using a dataset comprising protein sequences, DNA sequences, and sequences from languages such as English and Chinese. Subsequently, we fine-tuned the model using the natural language sentences similarity judgment dataset from PAWS-X. When tested on a dataset for DNA and protein sequence alignment judgment, the fine-tuned model achieved a classification accuracy of 81%. The study also analyzed factors contributing to this zero-shot capability, including model training stability and types of training data. This research demonstrates that LLMs can, through the transfer of natural language capabilities and solely relying on the analysis of sequences themselves, rediscover the central dogma without prior knowledge of it. This study bridges natural language and genetic language, opening a new door for AI-driven biological research.
Supplementary motor area microstructure as measured by diffusion imaging defines the extent of gait impairment in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Wróbel Paweł P. , Peter Annika , Kirsten Maja , Gulberti Alessandro , Bester Maxim , Goebell Einar , Cheng Bastian , Rathi Yogesh , Pasternak Ofer , Magnus Tim , Thomalla Götz , Quandt Fanny , Schulz Robert , Higgen Focko L. , Pötter-Nerger Monika 
Published: February 2025

BackgroundGait disorders are therapeutically challenging symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms and the interaction between cerebral structure and clinical burden are not yet fully understood. Objectives: Given that cortical microstructure is a crucial determinant of symptom burden in neurodegenerative diseases, we hypothesized that diffusion-imaging-based microstructural markers in the supplementary motor area, one cortical key hub in the gait network, are associated with gait performance. Methods: In this retrospective study, 29 patients (mean age 64.1 ± 6.9 years, 11 (37.9%) female, mean disease duration 10.9 ± 4.5 years) were included. Diffusion-tensor imaging measures and cortical thickness (fractional anisotropy, radial and axial diffusivity) in the supplementary motor area as defined by the Human Motor Area Template were correlated with quantitative gait performance parameters. Results: Lower anisotropy in the right supplementary motor cortex was significantly associated with better performance across various bilateral gait parameters during walking at natural speed, at maximal velocity and particularly during dual-tasking. There were no significant associations between cortical thickness and gait performance. Conclusions: Given the inverse relationship between anisotropy and cortical tissue complexity, the observed lower anisotropy in the right supplementary motor area of patients with better gait performance supports the assumption of the modulatory role of this cortical area in gait control suggesting a potential therapeutic target e.g. stimulation, in Parkinson’s disease patients with gait disorders.
Human Papilloma Virus does not fully inactivate p53 in HNSCC
Authors: Gencel-Augusto Jovanka , Li Hua , Woerner Liam C. , Borah Ashir A. , Myers Jeffrey N. , Johnson Daniel E. , Grandis Jennifer R. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a major global health challenge. Inactivation of the tumor suppressor p53 is the most frequent molecular event in this malignancy. p53 inactivation occurs either throughTP53mutations in HPV-negative cases or via HPV-mediated p53 degradation in HPV-positive (HPV+) cases, where most retain a wild-type (WT)TP53allele. This underscores the critical role of p53-regulated processes in HNSCC pathogenesis. Clinically, HPV+ HNSCC is associated with significantly better outcomes than HPV-negative cases. Despite HPV E6-mediated degradation of p53, 10% of HPV+ HNSCC cases have mutantTP53alleles, suggesting an additional need to suppress p53 signaling. In this study, we demonstrate that HPV+TP53-WT HNSCC cells have residual p53 activity, with tumor-suppressive effects. Specifically, ablation of p53 in HPV+TP53-WT HNSCC cells lead to increased proliferation, migration, and invasion. RNA-sequencing revealed that p53 regulates gene transcription (both activation and repression) in the presence of HPV, and we confirmed that these functions are p53-specific. Human tumor data further reveal that among HPV+ HNSCC cases, those with WTTP53have significantly better survival outcomes than HPV+ cases withTP53mutations. Notably, HPV+TP53-WT HNSCC tumors show decreased PI3K-AKT signaling, increased gene methylation in oncogenic pathways, and fewer chromosomal alterations compared to HPV+TP53-mutant tumors. These findings challenge the prevailing notion that p53 is entirely inactivated in HPV+ HNSCC and provide critical insights into HNSCC-specific, p53-driven tumor suppression mechanisms with implications for targeted therapies in HNSCC.
Dynamic nucleosome redistribution and increases in nucleosome sensitivity underpin THP-1 macrophage response to LPS
Authors: Benoit Jane M , Buck Brandon D , Khadem Mahdi , Bass Hank W , Dennis Jonathan H 
Published: February 2025

AbstractMacrophages detect lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) on the cell surface which initiates a signaling cascade resulting in the recruitment of regulatory factors to chromatin and subsequent expression of chemokine and cytokine genes. Primary response genes, marked by poised promoters and enhancers, are rapidly expressed after LPS stimulation, and their gene products activate secondary response genes via paracrine and autocrine signaling pathways. While the signaling cascades following macrophage activation are well understood, the dynamics of nucleosome architecture and regulatory factor binding in promoter regions during early and late LPS responses remain unclear. Here, we stimulated THP-1 derived macrophages with LPS and assessed nucleosome distribution and MNase sensitivity across promoters at eight time points spanning primary and secondary responses. We found that while nucleosome distribution was static over most promoters, LPS stimulation resulted in transient remodeling of a subset of immune and DNA repair gene promoters. We also observed distinct MNase sensitivity alterations in two phases which aligned with early and late gene expression patterns. Notably, while most Pol II promoters showed altered chromatin sensitivity, only a subset exhibited transcriptional changes, suggesting that widespread alterations in nucleosome distribution and sensitivity occur at promoters with or without alterations in gene expression. These findings provide new temporal insights into the transient and long-term effects of immune stimulation on promoter architecture and offer a methodological framework for additional time-resolved studies of chromatin remodeling in other systems.Summary sentenceFollowing LPS stimulation, a subset of nucleosomes in macrophage immune promoters undergo transient redistribution, whereas the majority of nucleosomes show changes in MNase sensitivity that are largely uncoupled from gene expression.Abstract FigureGraphical abstract.LPS stimulation of THP-1 derived macrophages leads to altered nucleosome occupancy and positioning within a subset of promoters which are enriched for LPS response genes. Altered distribution patterns permit regulatory factor binding and gene expression. The majority of promoters have altered nucleosome sensitivity with a trend towards increased sensitivity after LPS stimulation. Altered sensitivity results in regulatory factor binding and expression of LPS response genes.
Dietary sterol depletion is associated with gut dysfunction inDrosophila melanogasterfemales
Authors: Zanco Brooke , Mirth Christen K , Sgro Carla M , Piper Matthew DW 
Published: February 2025

AbstractRecent findings have shown that dietary restriction (DR) may extend lifespan by improving late life gut health. Given that recent work has shown that micronutrients such as sterols can mediate the effects of macronutrient ratios on longevity, we decided to examine the effects of sterol limitation on gut health. We found that mothers fed low sterol diets both suffer from increased incidence of intestinal permeability and reduced lifespans. Moreover, epithelial cells in the anterior region of the guts of flies fed low sterol diets showed signs of dysfunction prematurely when compared to flies fed adequate sterols. These findings indicate that the relationship between gut dysfunction and death inD. melanogasterfemales is conditional on dietary sterol limitation and may point to different paths of physiological decline with ageing that depend on the precise nutritional composition of the diet.
Lactobacillus acidophilusAttenuates Polyethylene Glycol-Induced Susceptibility toCitrobacter rodentiumInfection via Microbiota Modulation
Authors: Kou Guan-jun , Shen Jing , Li Guang-chao , Fu Shan-shan , Li Li-xiang , Zuo Xiu-li , Li Yan-qing 
Published: February 2025

AbstractObjectivePolyethylene glycol (PEG), a globally prevalent laxative, is extensively utilized for bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy or abdominal surgery owing to its exceptional safety profile. Nevertheless, emerging evidence suggests that PEG administration may induce significant alterations in colonic microbiota composition, with dysbiotic effects persisting for over two weeks. The potential implications of such microbiota perturbations on the colonization and invasion of opportunistic pathogens remain underexplored.Methods and AnalysisTo investigate this, we employed a murine model infected withCitrobacter rodentium(C.R.), a surrogate for Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli(EPEC) andEnterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli(EHEC), following PEG-induced bowel preparation.ResultsThe severity of infectious enteritis was assessed, and the prophylactic efficacy ofLactobacillus acidophilus (LAC) supplementation was evaluated. Our findings indicate that PEG administration significantly elevatedC.R.load, enhanced virulence gene expression, and exacerbated intestinal inflammation post-infection, with the infection window extending approximately 14 days. Through fecal metagenomic analysis and co-housing experiments, we demonstrated that PEG-associated enteritis is critically mediated by gut microbiota dysbiosis. Furthermore, supplementation withLACwas shown to mitigate susceptibility toC.R. infection.ConclusionsThese results suggest that PEG increases intestinal susceptibility to infection in a microbiota-dependent manner, highlighting the therapeutic potential ofLACin restoring microbial homeostasis.