bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical and histological comparison of IgA nephritis and renal IgA vasculitis
Authors: Friedrich Julian , Bellmann Maren , Klank David , Porubsky Stefan , Bergner Raoul 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Background
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephritis (IgAN) and renal IgA vasculitis (IgAV) show renal IgA deposits, but whether these two diseases are distinct entities or a spectrum of the same condition is under debate. In this study, we add perspective by contrasting the clinical course and histological presentation using the Oxford classification and the National Institutes of Health lupus nephritis activity index (LN-AI) and chronicity index (LN-CI) in IgAN and IgAV.

Methods
In this single-centre, retrospective study, kidney biopsies of 163 adult patients with IgAN and 60 adult patients with IgAV were compared according to the Oxford MEST-C score, LN-AI and LN-CI. At the time of biopsy, clinical presentation was compared in terms of age, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, extrarenal manifestations, estimated glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria and urine sediment. IgAV patients and all IgAN patients with crescents received immunosuppressive treatment. After biopsy, kidney function was followed until patients reached end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or they died.

Results
The clinical course and kidney histology differ in IgAN and IgAV. IgAV patients showed more microhaematuria and nephritic sediment, while IgAN patients had a greater history of arterial hypertension, more proteinuria and a higher risk for ESRD. These clinical differences were associated with histological differences, as kidney biopsies of IgAN patients were characterized by glomerulosclerosis and tubular atrophy while kidney biopsies of IgAV patients were characterized by endocapillary hypercellularity and crescents. Overall, tubular atrophy and an LN-CI ≥4 were associated with a higher risk for ESRD in IgAN and IgAV.

Conclusion
Our study supports the notion that IgAN and IgAV follow distinct courses, suggesting that they require different treatment strategies. Moreover, we make a point that the Oxford classification and LN-CI can be useful in categorizing and predicting long-term prognosis not only in IgAN, but also in IgAV.
Circulating tumor DNA molecular analyses and real-world evidence outcomes of FGFR2 amplified gastroesophageal cancers
Authors: Shariff Bushra , Barnett Reagan M , Dayyani Farshid , Maron Steven B , Mcgriskin Rory , Klempner Samuel , Donderici Elifnur Yay , Zhang Nicole , Masannat Jude , Drusbosky Leylah M , Mehta Rutika 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Purpose
In addition to the existing biomarkers HER2 and PD-L1, FGFR2b has become an area of interest for the development of new targeted-based treatment. Given that clinical evaluation of FGFR2 targeted therapy is underway, we sought to elucidate the genomic landscape of FGFR2amp in gastroesophageal cancer (GEC) using a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) platform.

Materials and Methods
We retrospectively evaluated the Guardant Health database from 2017 to 2022 for patients with GECs with Guardant360 ctDNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) performed. We assessed co-occurring genetic alterations for patients who harbored FGFR2amp versus FGFR2null. We also explored real-world evidence database with Guardant Health, publicly available genomic databases (MSK cohort using cBioPortal), and pooled clinical data from large-volume cancer centers for FGFR2amp GECs.

Results
Less than 4% of patients with GEC in the Guardant Health database were identified to be FGFR2amp. The most commonly co-occurring gene mutations were TP53, CTNNB1, CDH1, and RHOA. Upon interrogation of the MSK cohort, these same genes were not significant on tissue NGS in the FGFR2amp cohort of GEC. In the pooled institutional cohort, we noted that FGFR2amp tumors were most commonly involving the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). The overall survival of these patients was noted at 13.1 months.

Conclusion
FGFR2 is a validated target in GECs, and the contexture of FGFR2amp will be important in defining patient subgroups with responses to FGFR2-directed therapy. Using ctDNA to provide a more detailed genomic landscape in patients with GECs will allow the advancement of targeted therapy in the near future for these aggressive cancers.
Autocratic Legalism
Authors: Shen-Bayh Fiona 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Though autocracy is often defined by arbitrary and unrestrained rule, many autocrats deliberately enshrine their power in law. A vast and growing body of research among scholars of political science and socio-legal history has examined these themes, showing the myriad ways in which laws can form the backbone of authoritarianism—not only stabilizing autocratic control but also enabling repressive practices. This chapter examines contemporary debates on autocratic legalism, focusing on research by scholars from political science and socio-legal traditions. After examining the form, function, and implications of using law as a weapon of political control, including various episodes of autocratic legalism across different periods of time and place, it explores themes of legalism and legitimacy. It concludes by considering points of overlap and divergence among different analytical approaches and offers suggestions for future research.
Non-commutative resolutions of linearly reductive quotient singularities
Authors: Liedtke Christian , Yasuda Takehiko 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT
We prove the existence of non-commutative crepant resolutions (in the sense of Van den Bergh) of quotient singularities by finite and linearly reductive group schemes in positive characteristic. In dimension 2, we relate these to resolutions of singularities provided by G-Hilbert schemes and F-blowups. As an application, we establish and recover results concerning resolutions for toric singularities, as well as canonical, log terminal and F-regular singularities in dimension 2.
More than labels: neural representations of emotion words are widely distributed across the brain
Authors: Lee Kent M , Satpute Ajay B 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Although emotion words such as “anger,” “disgust,” “happiness,” or “pride” are often thought of as mere labels, increasing evidence points to language as being important for emotion perception and experience. Emotion words may be particularly important for facilitating access to the emotion concepts. Indeed, deficits in semantic processing or impaired access to emotion words interfere with emotion perception. Yet, it is unclear what these behavioral findings mean for affective neuroscience. Thus, we examined the brain areas that support processing of emotion words using representational similarity analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data (N = 25). In the task, participants saw 10 emotion words (e.g. “anger,” “happiness”) while in the scanner. Participants rated each word based on its valence on a continuous scale ranging from 0 (Pleasant/Good) to 1 (Unpleasant/Bad) scale to ensure they were processing the words. Our results revealed that a diverse range of brain areas including prefrontal, midline cortical, and sensorimotor regions contained information about emotion words. Notably, our results overlapped with many regions implicated in decoding emotion experience by prior studies. Our results raise questions about what processes are being supported by these regions during emotion experience.
Advancing Parkinson’s disease treatment: cell replacement therapy with neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Clark Branden J , Lelos Mariah J , Loring Jeanne F 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are caused by the progressive loss of dopamine neurons from the substantia nigra. There are currently no treatments that can slow or reverse the neurodegeneration. To restore the lost neurons, international groups have initiated clinical trials using human embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) to derive dopamine neuron precursors that are used as transplants to replace the lost neurons. Proof-of-principle experiments in the 1980s and 1990s showed that grafts of fetal ventral mesencephalon, which contains the precursors of the substantial nigra, could, under rare circumstances, reverse symptoms of the disease. Improvements in PSC technology and genomics have inspired researchers to design clinical trials using PSC-derived dopamine neuron precursors as cell replacement therapy for PD. We focus here on 4 such first-in-human clinical trials that have begun in the US, Europe, and Japan. We provide an overview of the sources of PSCs and the methods used to generate cells for transplantation. We discuss pros and cons of strategies for allogeneic, immune-matched, and autologous approaches and novel methods for overcoming rejection by the immune system. We consider challenges for safety and efficacy of the cells for durable engraftment, focusing on the genomics-based quality control methods to assure that the cells will not become cancerous. Finally, since clinical trials like these have never been undertaken before, we comment on the value of cooperation among rivals to contribute to advancements that will finally provide relief for the millions suffering from the symptoms of PD.
Rhizobial Secretion of Truncated Exopolysaccharides Severely Impairs the Mesorhizobium-Lotus Symbiosis
Authors: Wightman Todd , Muszyński Artur , Kelly Simon J. , Sullivan John T. , Smart Caitlan J. , Stougaard Jens , Ferguson Shaun , Azadi Parastoo , Ronson Clive W. 
Published: June 2024

The symbiosis between Mesorhizobium japonicum R7A and Lotus japonicus Gifu is an important model system for investigating the role of bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS) in plant-microbe interactions. Previously, we showed that R7A exoB mutants that are affected at an early stage of EPS synthesis and in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesis induce effective nodules on L. japonicus Gifu after a delay, whereas exoU mutants affected in the biosynthesis of the EPS side chain induce small uninfected nodule primordia and are impaired in infection. The presence of a halo around the exoU mutant when grown on Calcofluor-containing media suggested the mutant secreted a truncated version of R7A EPS. A nonpolar Δ exoA mutant defective in the addition of the first glucose residue to the EPS backbone was also severely impaired symbiotically. Here, we used a suppressor screen to show that the severe symbiotic phenotype of the exoU mutant was due to the secretion of an acetylated pentasaccharide, as both monomers and oligomers, by the same Wzx/Wzy system that transports wild-type exopolysaccharide. We also present evidence that the Δ exoA mutant secretes an oligosaccharide by the same transport system, contributing to its symbiotic phenotype. In contrast, Δ exoYF and polar exoA and exoL mutants have a similar phenotype to exoB mutants, forming effective nodules after a delay. These studies provide substantial evidence that secreted incompatible EPS is perceived by the plant, leading to abrogation of the infection process. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Reperfusion Strategies in High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism Hospitalizations
Authors: Farmakis Ioannis T. , Sagoschen Ingo , Barco Stefano , Keller Karsten , Valerio Luca , Wild Johannes , Giannakoulas George , Piazza Gregory , Konstantinides Stavros V. , Hobohm Lukas 
Published: June 2024

OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the contemporary use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in conjunction with reperfusion strategies in high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE).

DESIGN:
Observational epidemiological analysis.

SETTING:
The U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) (years 2016–2020).

PATIENTS:
High-risk PE hospitalizations.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
Use of ECMO in conjunction with thrombolysis-based reperfusion (systemic thrombolysis or catheter-directed thrombolysis) or mechanical reperfusion (surgical embolectomy or catheter-based thrombectomy) with regards to in-hospital mortality and major bleeding. We identified high-risk PE hospitalizations in the NIS (years 2016–2020) and investigated the use of ECMO in conjunction with thrombolysis-based (systemic thrombolysis or catheter-directed thrombolysis) and mechanical (surgical embolectomy or catheter-based thrombectomy) reperfusion strategies with regards to in-hospital mortality and major bleeding. Among 122,735 hospitalizations for high-risk PE, ECMO was used in 2,805 (2.3%); stand-alone in 1.4%, thrombolysis-based reperfusion in 0.4%, and mechanical reperfusion in 0.5%. Compared with neither reperfusion nor ECMO, ECMO plus thrombolysis-based reperfusion was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.61; 95% CI, 0.38–0.98), whereas no difference was found with ECMO plus mechanical reperfusion (aOR 1.03; 95% CI, 0.67–1.60), and ECMO stand-alone was associated with increased in-hospital mortality (aOR 1.60; 95% CI, 1.22–2.10). In the cardiac arrest subgroup, ECMO was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality (aOR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53–0.93). Among all patients on ECMO, thrombolysis-based reperfusion was significantly associated (aOR 0.55; 95% CI, 0.33–0.91), and mechanical reperfusion showed a trend (aOR 0.75; 95% CI, 0.47–1.19) toward reduced in-hospital mortality compared with no reperfusion, without increases in major bleeding.

CONCLUSIONS:
In patients with high-risk PE and refractory hemodynamic instability, ECMO may be a valuable supportive treatment in conjunction with reperfusion treatment but not as a stand-alone treatment especially for patients suffering from cardiac arrest.
Prenatal air pollution and children’s autism traits score: Examination of joint associations with maternal intake of vitamin D, methyl donors, and polyunsaturated fatty acids using mixture methods
Authors: Bragg Megan G. , Gorski-Steiner Irena , Song Ashley , Chavarro Jorge E. , Hart Jaime E. , Tabb Loni P. , Weisskopf Marc G. , Volk Heather , Lyall Kristen ,   the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) Team
Published: June 2024

Background:
Maternal nutrient intake may moderate associations between environmental exposures and children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes, but few studies have assessed joint effects. We aimed to evaluate whether prenatal nutrient intake influences the association between air pollutants and autism-related trait scores.

Methods:
We included 126 participants from the EARLI (Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation, 2009–2012) cohort, which followed US pregnant mothers who previously had a child with autism. Bayesian kernel machine regression and traditional regression models were used to examine joint associations of prenatal nutrient intake (vitamins D, B12, and B6; folate, choline, and betaine; and total omega 3 and 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, reported via food frequency questionnaire), air pollutant exposure (particulate matter <2.5 μm [PM2.5], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], and ozone [O3], estimated at the address level), and children’s autism-related traits (measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale [SRS] at 36 months).

Results:
Most participants had nutrient intakes and air pollutant exposures that met US standards. Bayesian kernel machine regression mixture models and traditional regression models provided little evidence of individual or joint associations of nutrients and air pollutants with SRS scores or of an association between the overall mixture and SRS scores.

Conclusion:
In this cohort with a high familial likelihood of autism, we did not observe evidence of joint associations between air pollution exposures and nutrient intake with autism-related traits. Future work should examine the use of these methods in larger, more diverse samples, as our results may have been influenced by familial liability and/or relatively high nutrient intakes and low air pollutant exposures.
Dynamic changes of serum α-fetoprotein predict the prognosis of bevacizumab plus immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yang Zhenyun , Fu Yizhen , Wang Qianyu , Pan Yangxun , Wang Juncheng , Chen Jinbin , Hu Dandan , Zhou Zhongguo , Chen Minshan , Zhang Yaojun 
Published: June 2024

Background:
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been established as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, whether its dynamic changes could predict the response to systemic therapy remains elusive. This study explored the AFP trajectory and the association with survival in patients who received bevacizumab plus immunotherapy.

Materials and Methods:
We retrospectively enrolled 536 HCC patients who received bevacizumab plus immunotherapy between February 2021 and February 2023. Patients were divided into two groups according to AFP values before treatment (400 ng/ml). Dynamic changes of AFP were fitted using a latent class model to generate the AFP trajectories. Multivariable Cox models were utilized to compute hazard ratios (HRs) for survival. Inverse-probability-of-treatment weighted analyses were conducted to mitigate the influence of unmeasured confounding variables. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS). The second endpoint is overall survival (OS).

Results:
Three distinct trajectories were identified for AFP-low and AFP-high patients, respectively. In the AFP-low group, compared with the high-rising class (25%; n=69), HRs of PFS were 0.39 and 0.2 for the low-stable class (59.1%; n=163) and sharp-falling class (15.9%; n=44), after adjusting by tumor diameter, tumor number, and extra-hepatic metastasis. In the AFP-high group, compared with the high-stable class (18.5%; n=48), HRs of PFS were 0.3 and 0.04 for the middle-stable class (56.5%; n=147) and sharp-falling class (25%; n=65), after adjusting by tumor diameter, tumor number, and extra-hepatic metastasis. Furthermore, the AFP trajectories exhibited the utmost relative importance among all covariates regarding PFS and OS in the multivariable regression models.

Conclusion:
The AFP trajectories in HCC patients receiving bevacizumab and immunotherapy constituted an independent biomarker indicative of clinical outcomes. Findings from this study hold potential clinical utility in dynamically forecasting the prognosis of systemic therapy in HCC patients and facilitating clinical decision-making. Rapid reduction of AFP post-treatment can lead to favorable patient prognoses.
Diagnostic and prognostic value of heparin-binding protein in sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Taha Amira Mohamed , Najah Qasi , Omar Mohamed Mosad , Abouelmagd Khaled , Ali Mohammed , Hasan Mohammed Tarek , Allam Sahar A. , Hamam Yasser A. , Arian Roua , Abd-ElGawad Mohamed 
Published: June 2024

Background:Sepsis remains a leading cause of death worldwide. In this context, heparin-binding protein (HBP) has emerged as a possible biomarker, drawing significant attention for its diagnostic and prognostic usefulness in septic patients. Despite this advancement, the literature yields conflicting results. This study is intended to critically evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of HBP in critically ill septic patients.Methods:We searched multiple databases, including PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and EBSCO, to identify relevant studies on April 27, 2023. We included studies investigating sepsis or its severe outcomes that reported HBP levels and the required data to create 2 × 2 tables. We used R version 4.2.2 and R Studio to analyze the pooled diagnostic accuracy outcomes. The diagmeta package was utilized to calculate the optimum cutoff value.Results:In our meta-analysis, we incorporated 28 studies including 5508 patients. The analysis revealed that HBP has a sensitivity of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.60; 0.79) and a specificity of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.51; 0.81) in diagnosing sepsis, respectively. HBP demonstrated moderate prognostic accuracy for mortality at a cutoff value of 161.415 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 72%, and for severe sepsis outcomes at a cutoff value of 58.907 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 71%.Conclusion:Our findings indicate a relatively moderate diagnostic and prognostic accuracy of HBP for sepsis. Future studies are required to verify the accuracy of HBP as a biomarker for sepsis.
Financial Toxicity in Patients With Chronic Pancreatitis
Authors: Choate Radmila , Wasilchenko Carrigan , Thakur Kshitij , Hill Rachel , Wright Elizabeth , Conwell Darwin L. 
Published: June 2024

ObjectivesPatients with chronic illnesses are susceptible to the financial burden of disease-related treatment costs. Financial toxicity is well researched in cancer and several chronic diseases. This review explores the financial challenges faced by patients with chronic pancreatitis and the impact of financial hardship on their well-being.Materials and MethodsWe performed a review of the published literature to summarize the body of existing research and to identify knowledge gaps related to the financial burden experienced by patients with chronic pancreatitis.ResultsResearch on financial burden, cost-coping behaviors, cost-related nonadherence to prescribed medications, and social vulnerabilities in people with chronic pancreatitis is sparse. No studies have assessed the suitability and validity of instruments measuring subjective financial toxicity in a patient population with chronic pancreatitis.ConclusionsThere is a critical need for further studies of financial toxicity in the patient population with chronic pancreatitis, considering that if the sources of financial burden can be identified, opportunities emerge to dampen or mitigate their impact on patients with chronic pancreatitis.