bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Static and dynamic brain morphological changes in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder compared to normal aging
Authors: Park Gilsoon , Jo Hyunjin , Chai Yaqiong , Park Hea Ree , Lee Hanul , Joo Eun Yeon , Kim Hosung 
Published: May 2024

Objective/backgroundTo assess whether cerebral structural alterations in isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) are progressive and differ from those of normal aging and whether they are related to clinical symptoms.Patients/methodsIn a longitudinal study of 18 patients with iRBD (age, 66.1 ± 5.7 years; 13 males; follow-up, 1.6 ± 0.6 years) and 24 age-matched healthy controls (age, 67.0 ± 4.9 years; 12 males; follow-up, 2.0 ± 0.9 years), all participants underwent multiple extensive clinical examinations, neuropsychological tests, and magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and follow-up. Surface-based cortical reconstruction and automated subcortical structural segmentation were performed on T1-weighted images. We used mixed-effects models to examine the differences between the groups and the differences in anatomical changes over time.ResultsNone of the patients with iRBD demonstrated phenoconversion during the follow-up. Patients with iRBD had thinner cortices in the frontal, occipital, and temporal regions, and more caudate atrophy, compared to that in controls. In similar regions, group-by-age interaction analysis revealed that patients with iRBD demonstrated significantly slower decreases in cortical thickness and caudate volume with aging than that observed in controls. Patients with iRBD had lower scores on the Korean version of the Mini-Mental Status Examination (p = 0.037) and frontal and executive functions (p = 0.049) at baseline than those in controls; however, no significant group-by-age interaction was identified.ConclusionPatients with iRBD show brain atrophy in the regions that are overlapped with the areas that have been documented to be affected in early stages of Parkinson’s disease. Such atrophy in iRBD may not be progressive but may be slower than that in normal aging. Cognitive impairment in iRBD is not progressive.
Controlling the nutritional status score: a new tool for predicting postoperative mortality in patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm treated with endovascular aneurysm repair
Authors: Ye Sheng-Lin , Xu Tian-Ze , Wang Chuang , Han Kang , Jiang Xu-Dong , Tang Tao , Song Bin , Du Xiao-Long , Hu Nan , Li Xiao-Qiang 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundAAA is a fatal condition that commonly occurs during vascular surgery. Nutritional status exerts a significant influence on the prognosis of various pathological conditions Scores from the CONUT screening tool have been shown to predict outcomes of certain malignancies and chronic diseases. However, the ramifications of nutritional status on AAA patients undergoing EVAR have not been elucidated in prior studies. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the correlation between CONUT scores and postoperative prognostic outcomes in patients with AAA undergoing EVAR.MethodsThis was a retrospective review of 177 AAA patients treated with EVAR from June 2018 to November 2019 in a single center. Patient characteristics, CONUT scores, and postoperative status were collected. These patients were stratified into groups A and B according to CONUT scores. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the baseline characteristics between the two cohorts was conducted. Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the autonomous predictors of mid-term mortality and complications, respectively.ResultsCompared with group A, patients in group B had higher midterm mortality (p &lt; 0.001). Univariate analysis showed that CONUT scores; respiratory diseases; stent types; preoperative Hb, CRP, PT, and Fb levels were risk factors for death. Multivariate analysis confirmed that CONUT score [HR, 1.276; 95% CI, 1.029–1.584; p = 0.027] was an independent risk factor for mortality. Logistic regression analysis showed that prior arterial disease, smoking, and D-dimer levels were risk factors, although multivariate analysis showed smoking (OR, 3.492; 95% CI, 1.426–8.553; p = 0.006) was an independent risk factor. Kaplan–Meier curves showed that patients in group B had shorter mid-term survival than those in group A (log-rank p &lt; 0.001).ConclusionMalnutrition was strongly associated with mid-term mortality in patients with infrarenal AAA treated with EVAR.
High immune cell infiltration predicts improved survival in cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Wirta Erkki-Ville , Szeto Säde , Koppatz Hanna , Nordin Arno , Mäkisalo Heikki , Arola Johanna , Sirén Jukka , Ahtiainen Maarit , Böhm Jan , Mecklin Jukka-Pekka , Sallinen Ville , Seppälä Toni T. 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundAntitumoral immune response has a crucial role in constraining cancer. However, previous studies on cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a rare and aggressive cancer, have reported contradictory findings on the prognostic impact of tumor-infiltrating T-lymphocytes. We aimed to clarify the effect of tumor-infiltrating CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocytes and PD-1/PD-L1 expression on CCA prognosis.MethodsCD3+, CD8+, and PD-1+ lymphocyte densities, as well as PD-L1 expression rate were analyzed from stained tissue microarray samples from the tumor center and invasive margin of 47 cholangiocarcinomas. The association of CD3+ and CD8+ based Immune cell score (ICS) and its components with overall survival was evaluated, adjusting for age, sex, TNM stage, radicality of surgery, tumor location, and PD-L1 expression on immune cells.ResultsLow ICS was a strong independent prognostic factor for worse overall survival (Hazard ratio 9.27, 95% confidence interval 2.72-31.64, P&lt;0.001). Among the ICS components, high CD8+ lymphocyte infiltration at the tumor center had the most evident impact on patient outcome. PD-1 and PD-L1 expression on immune cells did not have a significant impact on overall survival alone; however, PD-L1 positivity seemed to impair survival for ICSlow subgroup.ConclusionIdentifying patient subgroups that could benefit from immunotherapy with PD-1/PD-L1 pathway blockade may help improve treatment strategies for this aggressive cancer. Our findings highlight the importance of evaluating the immune contexture in cholangiocarcinoma, as ICS serves as a strong independent prognostic and selective factor for patients who might benefit from immunotherapy.
Comparison between single-muscle evaluation and cross-sectional area muscle evaluation for predicting the prognosis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Takayama Hirotaka , Yoshimura Takuya , Suzuki Hajime , Hirano Yuka , Tezuka Masahiro , Ishida Takayuki , Ishihata Kiyohide , Amitani Marie , Amitani Haruka , Nakamura Yasunori , Imamura Yasushi , Inui Akio , Nakamura Norifumi 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionThe most effective method of assessing sarcopenia has yet to be determined, whether by single muscle or by whole muscle segmentation. The purpose of this study was to compare the prognostic value of these two methods using computed tomography (CT) images in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Materials and methodsSex- and age-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were employed for each parameter of sarcopenia related to overall survival, disease-free survival, and disease-specific survival. Harrell’s concordance index was calculated for each model to assess discriminatory power.ResultsIn this study including 165 patients, a significant correlation was found between the CT-based assessment of individual muscles and their cross-sectional area. Single muscle assessments showed slightly higher discriminatory power in survival outcomes compared to whole muscle assessments, but the difference was not statistically significant, as indicated by overlapping confidence intervals for the C-index between assessments. To further validate our measurements, we classified patients into two groups based on intramuscular adipose tissue content (P-IMAC) of the spinous process muscle. Analysis showed that the higher the P-IMAC value, the poorer the survival outcome.ConclusionOur findings indicate a slight advantage of single-muscle over whole-muscle assessment in prognostic evaluation, but the difference between the two methods is not conclusive. Both assessment methods provide valuable prognostic information for patients with OSCC, and further studies involving larger, independent cohorts are needed to clarify the potential advantage of one method over the other in the prognostic assessment of sarcopenia in OSCC.
Conditional survival of patients with primary bone lymphoma of the spine: how survival changes after initial diagnosis
Authors: Zheng Gang , Yang Zhihao , Qian Hui , Huang Hua , Gu Zhiwei 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundThe current survival prediction methodologies for primary bone lymphoma (PBL) of the spine are deficient. This study represents the inaugural utilization of conditional survival (CS) to assess the outcome of this disease. Moreover, our objective was to devise a CS-based nomogram for predicting overall survival (OS) in real-time for spinal PBL.MethodsPatients with PBL of the spine diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2015 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The OS was determined through the Kaplan–Meier method. The CS characteristic of patients with spinal PBL was delineated, with the CS being estimated utilizing the formula: CS(α|β) = OS(α+β)/OS(β). CS(α|β) denotes the probability of additional α-year survivorship, assuming the patient has already survived β years after the time of observation. Three methods including univariate Cox regression, best subset regression (BSR) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were used to identify predictors for CS-based nomogram construction.ResultsKaplan-Meier analysis was executed to determine the OS rate for these patients, revealing a survival rate of 68% and subsequently 63% at the 3-year and 5-year mark respectively. We then investigated the CS patterning exhibited by these patients and discovered the survival of PBL in the spine progressively improved with time. Meanwhile, through three different prognostic factor selection methods, we identified the best predicter subset including age, tumor histology, tumor stage, chemotherapy and marital status, for survival prediction model construction. Finally, we successfully established and validated a novel CS-based nomogram model for real-time and dynamic survival estimation. Moreover, we further designed a risk stratification system to facilitate the identification of high-risk patients.ConclusionsThis is the first study to analyze the CS pattern of PBL of the spine. And we have also developed a CS-based nomogram that provide dynamic prognostic data in real-time, thereby aiding in the formulation of personalized treatment strategies in clinical practice.
Phytic acid attenuates acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity via modulating iron-mediated oxidative stress and SIRT-1 expression in mice
Authors: Hassan Hend M. , Abdel-Halim Nehal H. M. , El-Shenbaby Ibrahim , Helmy Manar A. , Hammad Maha O. , Habotta Ola A. , El Nashar Eman M. , Alghamdi Mansour A. , Aldahhan Rashid A. , Al-Khater Khulood M. , Almohaywi Basmah , Farrag Eman A. E. 
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Administration of high doses of acetaminophen (APAP) results in liver injury. Oxidative stress and iron overload play roles in the pathogenesis of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. The present study assessed the potential hepatoprotective effects of phytic acid (PA), a natural antioxidant and iron chelator, on APAP-induced hepatotoxicity and the possible underlying mechanism through its effects on CYP2E1 gene expression, iron homeostasis, oxidative stress, and SIRT-1 expression levels.Methods: Twenty-four adult male albino mice were used in this study. Mice were divided into four groups (six mice in each group): control, APAP-treated, PA-treated and APAP + PA-treated groups. Liver function tests, serum and liver tissue iron load were evaluated in all the study groups. Hepatic tissue homogenates were used to detect oxidative stress markers, including malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH). Histological hepatic evaluation and immunohistochemistry of SIRT-1 were performed. Quantitative real-time PCR was used for the assessment of CYP2E1 and SIRT-1 gene expressions. APAP-induced biochemical and structural hepatic changes were reported.Results: PA administration showed beneficial effects on APAP-induced hepatotoxicity through improvements in liver functions, decreased CYP2E1 gene expression, decreased serum and liver iron load, decreased MDA, increased GSH, increased SIRT-1 expression level and improvement in hepatic architecture.Conclusion: Conclusively, PA can be considered a potential compound that can attenuate acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity through its role as an iron chelator and antioxidant, as well as the up-regulation of SIRT-1 and down-regulation of CYP2E1.
Development and therapeutic evaluation of 5D3(CC-MLN8237)3.2 antibody-theranostic conjugates for PSMA-positive prostate cancer therapy
Authors: Liatsou Ioanna , Assefa Betelhem , Liyanage Wathsala , Surasinghe Sharmane , Nováková Zora , Bařinka Cyril , Gabrielson Kathleen , Raman Venu , Artemov Dmitri , Hapuarachchige Sudath 
Published: May 2024

Prostate cancer (PC) is an aggressive cancer that can progress rapidly and eventually become castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Stage IV metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is an incurable late-stage cancer type with a low 5-year overall survival rate. Targeted therapeutics such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) based on high-affinity monoclonal antibodies and potent drugs conjugated via smart linkers are being developed for PC management. Conjugating further with in vitro or in vivo imaging agents, ADCs can be used as antibody-theranostic conjugates (ATCs) for diagnostic and image-guided drug delivery. In this study, we have developed a novel ATC for PSMA (+) PC therapy utilizing (a) anti-PSMA 5D3 mAb, (b) Aurora A kinase inhibitor, MLN8237, and (c) for the first time using tetrazine (Tz) and trans-cyclooctene (TCO) click chemistry-based conjugation linker (CC linker) in ADC development. The resulting 5D3(CC-MLN8237)3.2 was labeled with suitable fluorophores for in vitro and in vivo imaging. The products were characterized by SDS-PAGE, MALDI-TOF, and DLS and evaluated in vitro by optical imaging, flow cytometry, and WST-8 assay for cytotoxicity in PSMA (+/−) cells. Therapeutic efficacy was determined in human PC xenograft mouse models following a designed treatment schedule. After the treatment study animals were euthanized, and toxicological studies, complete blood count (CBC), blood clinical chemistry analysis, and H&amp;E staining of vital organs were conducted to determine side effects and systemic toxicities. The IC50 values of 5D3(CC-MLN8237)3.2-AF488 in PSMA (+) PC3-PIP and PMSA (−) PC3-Flu cells are 8.17 nM and 161.9 nM, respectively. Pure MLN8237 shows 736.9 nM and 873.4 nM IC50 values for PC3-PIP and PC3-Flu cells, respectively. In vivo study in human xenograft mouse models confirmed high therapeutic efficacy of 5D3(CC-MLN8237)3.2-CF750 with significant control of PSMA (+) tumor growth with minimal systemic toxicity in the treated group compared to PSMA (−) treated and untreated groups. Approximately 70% of PSMA (+) PC3-PIP tumors did not exceed the threshold of the tumor size in the surrogate Kaplan-Meyer analysis. The novel ATC successfully controlled the growth of PSMA (+) tumors in preclinical settings with minimal systemic toxicities. The therapeutic efficacy and favorable safety profile of novel 5D3(CC-MLN8237)3.2 ATC demonstrates their potential use as a theranostic against aggressive PC.
Periodic motion of macro- and/or micro-scale cantilevered fluid-conveying pipes with O(2) symmetry: a finite dimensional analysis
Authors: Guo Yong 
Published: May 2024

Introduction: In this study, the spatial bending vibration of macro- and/or micro-scale cantilevered fluid-conveying pipes is investigated through finite dimensional analysis.Methods: Firstly, the Galerkin method is employed to discretize the partial differential equations of motion of the system into a system of ordinary differential equations. Then, the projection method based on center manifold-normal form theory is adopted to derive the coefficient formula that determines the pipe’s nonlinear dynamic behaviors, i.e., the change rate of the real part of the critical eigenvalue with respect to the flow velocity and the nonlinear resonance term, thereby obtaining reduced-order equations. Compared to previous studies that relied on the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations to determine the existence and stability of periodic motion, this paper concludes the existence and stability of periodic motion by utilizing the coefficients of the Galerkin discretized equations and the reduced-order equations, significantly saving time in determining the dynamic properties of pipes.Results and discussion: Subsequently, by investigating the reduced-order equations under specific parameters, the existence and stability of the two types of periodic motion of the pipe are studied. For macro pipes, the truncated mode numbers are set incrementally to calculate the coefficients of the reduced-order equations, investigate the distribution of the stability of the two types of periodic motions with the mass ratio, and carry out a longitudinal comparison (i.e., the comparison between the results obtained under different truncated mode numbers) as well as a horizontal comparison (i.e., the comparison of results between the finite dimensional analysis and the infinite dimensional analysis). It is found that the reasonable truncated mode number required to study this type of system is 15. Previous studies primarily focused on the convergence of frequency and amplitude when determining the truncated mode numbers. On this basis, our study further examines the convergence of motion forms with respect to the truncated mode numbers. Finally, based on the Galerkin discretization equations of 15 modes, the distribution of the stability of two types of the periodic motion of micro pipes with the mass ratio is analyzed. For macro- and micro-scale pipes, when the truncated mode number is 15, the error between the finite dimensional analysis results and the infinite dimensional analysis results is calculated to be about 7%. The above results are verified by obtaining the numerical solution to Galerkin discretization equations.
Transport capacity is uncoupled with endodormancy breaking in sweet cherry buds: physiological and molecular insights
Authors: Fouché Mathieu , Bonnet Hélène , Bonnet Diane M. V. , Wenden Bénédicte 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionTo avoid the negative impacts of winter unfavorable conditions for plant development, temperate trees enter a rest period called dormancy. Winter dormancy is a complex process that involves multiple signaling pathways and previous studies have suggested that transport capacity between cells and between the buds and the twig may regulate the progression throughout dormancy stages. However, the dynamics and molecular actors involved in this regulation are still poorly described in fruit trees.MethodsHere, in order to validate the hypothesis that transport capacity regulates dormancy progression in fruit trees, we combined physiological, imaging and transcriptomic approaches to characterize molecular pathways and transport capacity during dormancy in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) flower buds. ResultsOur results show that transport capacity is reduced during dormancy and could be regulated by environmental signals. Moreover, we demonstrate that dormancy release is not synchronized with the transport capacity resumption but occurs when the bud is capable of growth under the influence of warmer temperatures. We highlight key genes involved in transport capacity during dormancy. DiscussionBased on long-term observations conducted during six winter seasons, we propose hypotheses on the environmental and molecular regulation of transport capacity, in relation to dormancy and growth resumption in sweet cherry.
A density map-based method for counting wheat ears
Authors: Zhang Guangwei , Wang Zhichao , Liu Bo , Gu Limin , Zhen Wenchao , Yao Wei 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionField wheat ear counting is an important step in wheat yield estimation, and how to solve the problem of rapid and effective wheat ear counting in a field environment to ensure the stability of food supply and provide more reliable data support for agricultural management and policy making is a key concern in the current agricultural field.MethodsThere are still some bottlenecks and challenges in solving the dense wheat counting problem with the currently available methods. To address these issues, we propose a new method based on the YOLACT framework that aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of dense wheat counting. Replacing the pooling layer in the CBAM module with a GeM pooling layer, and then introducing the density map into the FPN, these improvements together make our method better able to cope with the challenges in dense scenarios.ResultsExperiments show our model improves wheat ear counting performance in complex backgrounds. The improved attention mechanism reduces the RMSE from 1.75 to 1.57. Based on the improved CBAM, the R2 increases from 0.9615 to 0.9798 through pixel-level density estimation, the density map mechanism accurately discerns overlapping count targets, which can provide more granular information.DiscussionThe findings demonstrate the practical potential of our framework for intelligent agriculture applications.