bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound Radiomics for Preoperative Prediction of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Lu Quanhong , Zhu Xiaoxia , Li Manman , Zhan Weiwei , Feng Feng 
Published: February 2025

Aims/Background Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare thyroid malignancy with a high mortality rate. Early detection of cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) is critical for improving prognosis for patients with MTC. This study aimed to investigate the predictive utility of ultrasound-based radiomics for preoperative prediction of cervical LNM in MTC patients. Methods The clinical, ultrasound, and pathological information of 193 patients with MTC were retrospectively examined. Radiomics features were obtained from the ultrasound images using PyRadiomics. The selected patients were randomly divided into training (n = 135) and validation (n = 58) cohorts. In the training dataset, radiomics features were selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and the univariate and multivariate logistic regression tests were employed to identify the clinical independent predictors of cervical LNM. Three models were created: radiomics, clinical, and combined models, with the latter presented as a nomogram. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the models’ predictive performance. The differences in AUCs between the combined and approach-specific models were compared using the DeLong test. The clinical usefulness of the models was evaluated using decision curve analysis (DCA). Results Nineteen radiomics features were chosen, and the AUCs of the developed radiomics model in the training and validation datasets were 0.881 and 0.859, respectively. Tumour diameter, calcitonin (Ctn) level, tumour margin, and sonographers’ suspicion of cervical LNM based on ultrasound findings were clinical independent predictors for cervical LNM. The AUCs of the clinical model built using these predictors were 0.800 and 0.805 in the training and validation datasets, whereas the combined model had much-improved AUCs, measuring 0.925 for the training dataset and 0.918 for the validation test. The DeLong test indicated a significant AUC difference between the combined and clinical models (training dataset p < 0.001, validation dataset p = 0.027), but the difference between the combined and radiomics models was significant only in the training dataset (training dataset p = 0.021, validation dataset p = 0.066). Furthermore, based on the DCA results, the combined model features the largest clinical net benefit. Conclusion The nomogram, the combined model merging the ultrasound-based radiomics with clinical independent predictors, effectively predicts preoperative cervical LNM in MTC patients, outperforming the radiomics and clinical models.
Combining Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound with Methylene Blue for Detection of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Early Breast Cancer
Authors: Zhang Jie , Zhou Tong-Tong , Yang Meng , Zhang Bo , Liu Jun 
Published: February 2025

Aims/Background Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) are an important prognostic factor for breast cancer patients, but traditional axillary lymph node dissection methods have many complications, while sentinel lymph node biopsy has been developed as a better method. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of combining contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with methylene blue for identifying SLNs in early-stage breast cancer patients. Methods This retrospective study included clinical data from 163 female patients with lymph node-negative and T1-2 early breast cancer admitted to China-Japan Friendship Hospital between August 2022 and November 2023. All patients received a periareolar injection of SonoVue followed by ultrasonography to identify SLNs. The methylene blue was used to detect SLNs during the surgery, and the patients underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy. We compared the methylene blue method with combined CEUS and methylene blue to identify the number of SLNs per patient. Furthermore, these two methods were compared to determine the number of SLNs and the number of SLNs positive in 34 SLNs positive patients. Results This study included 163 patients with tumor (T)1-2 node (N)0-3 metastasis (M)0. The identification rate of SLNs was 100% for CEUS. We detected 376 SLNs using a combined CEUS and methylene blue method, with a median of 2 (1, 5). Furthermore, methylene blue identified 627 SLNs, with a median of 3 (1, 12). However, CEUS detected a significantly lower number of SLNs than those identified by methylene blue (p < 0.001). Additionally, metastasis frequency was substantially higher for the combined CEUS and methylene blue method (66.3%, 53/80) compared to methylene blue approach alone (39.5%, 58/147) (p < 0.001). Conclusion Combining CEUS with methylene blue is expected to improve the accuracy of axillary staging in breast cancer patients while reducing surgical trauma and postoperative complications.
Reaching for Epistemic Humility
Authors: Bryzzheva Lyudmila 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Positionality matters. Muscle memories matter. This article traces the journey of a white Russian female scholar from voice, agency, and her ultimate reach toward epistemic humility. I take the reader through formative experiences as an emerging scholar in Soviet Russia and then as an academic researcher with significant epistemic privilege in the United States. My understanding of my scholarly voice grows from no legitimate voice to an inflicted collective voice, to hysterical individualism and then an internally dialogic voice.

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Concurrently, I reflect on my coming into agency through writing for publication and doing research while I grow into and out of elitism and a desire for domination, to embracing multiple centres of knowledge and an emerging new subjectivity. The through-line of this journey is my continuous reach for epistemic humility. As my new researcher subjectivity evolves, I aim to practice my agency in a sustainable collectivity.
Miniature and low-power high-precision FBG interrogator with self-temperature compensation
Authors: Lv Zheng , Zhu Bofei , Lu Lidan , Yuan Pei , Lou Xiaoping , Dong Mingli , Zhu Lianqing 
Published: February 2025

A compact fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogator, integrating an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) chip, photodiode (PD) array, and demodulation circuits within an 85 × 60 × 40 mm3 volume, has been designed and fabricated. Utilizing what we believe to be a novel three-point demodulation technique, precise center wavelength demodulation is achieved. The conventional thermoelectric cooler (TEC) is supplanted by a look-up table (LUT) in conjunction with interpolation for temperature compensation. Experimental validation confirms the interrogator's wavelength demodulation stability at 0.55 pm and resolution of 1.65 pm. Under ideal conditions, the absolute wavelength demodulation accuracy reaches 2.7 pm. Over an operating temperature range of 10 °C to 60 °C, the absolute wavelength demodulation accuracy is enhanced to within 21.5 pm, representing a nearly 19-fold improvement compared to uncompensated performance. This interrogator, characterized by its diminutive size, low power consumption, high accuracy, and adaptability to varying operating temperatures, holds significant potential for widespread application in FBG sensing domains.
Reurbanization and Spatially Polarized Land Markets – An Analysis of Urban Land-Value Changes in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 2012–2024
Authors: Siedentop Stefan , Schartmann Maximilian 
Published: February 2025

In recent years, land prices in Germany have skyrocketed to levels that were hardly thought possible. This has particularly affected prospering cities, where price increases of more than 100 % have often been recorded since the turn of the millennium. The underlying causes are highly controversial. While some scholars point to the scarcity of developable land due to regulatory restrictions, others see the “financialization” of housing markets in the wake of the financial crisis and the massive influx of liquid capital into land and housing markets as the decisive driver. Against this background, this paper investigates the spatial patterns of land price dynamics in North Rhine-Westphalia during a phase of strong demographic and economic reurbanization. We used disaggregated data from the BORIS system for the years 2012 to 2024, which is available state-wide and georeferenced. Our empirical findings point to a significant trend of market polarization, with excessive growth rates in prospering metropolitan areas and real value losses in some rural areas. Overall, the paper offers new insights into the spatial patterns of urban land markets and possible driving factors explaining uneven developments.
Gas phase carbon dioxide photoreduction to produce value-added chemicals using graphene oxide-based catalysts
Authors: Ramos-Huerta Luis Antonio , Aguilar-Martínez Octavio , Espinoza Bautista Montserrat , Ibarra Issis C. Romero , Santolalla-Vargas Carlos E. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
In this study, we investigated the performance of graphene oxide (GO)-based catalysts, including commercially available GO, GO synthesized via the All Kemie Sus method, and GO/TiO2 composites, for CO2 reduction under both UV and visible light irradiation. The catalysts were systematically characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR, EDS, UV, and XPS techniques to elucidate their structural and chemical properties. Our findings reveal the remarkable versatility of these materials, demonstrating their ability to produce a diverse array of value-added products, including methane, ethane, formaldehyde, and methanol. Commercial GO achieved the highest ethane yield of 2.25 × 102 µmol and an initial reaction rate of 2.7 × 104

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followed by GO/TiO2 with a yield of 4.16 µmol an initial reaction rate of 4.99 × 102

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. Notably, the GO/TiO2 composite was only tested due to its promising potential for enhancing charge separation and catalytic efficiency, however, further studies are recommended. Moreover, the greener synthesis methods employed for GO All Kemie Sus highlight the importance of sustainable approaches in catalyst development. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the performance and potential applications of GO-based catalysts for CO2 photocatalytic reduction, laying the foundation for further advancements in this research area towards sustainable energy technologies and environmental conservation.
Nanoparticles in intraocular drug delivery
Authors: Klaus Stefanie E. , Breunig Miriam , Göpferich Achim 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Visual impairment is a severe global health problem. Underlying ocular diseases can affect both the anterior and posterior eye. Unfortunately, the efficient delivery of drug molecules to the posterior eye, especially the retina, is still a major challenge. This review provides an overview of the difficulties and limitations of current delivery options for the treatment of eye diseases in the light of drug nanotherapy. Furthermore, ocular changes that are relevant for nanotherapeutic approaches are illustrated using the example of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The therapeutic focus is on promising approaches of using nanoparticles (NP) for the therapy of the posterior segment of the human eye. The overall aim of this review is to scrutinize how NP could fill gaps in the field of ocular drug therapy.
The value of genetic testing in pediatric and adult ophthalmology
Authors: Kellner Ulrich , Kellner Simone , Weinitz Silke , Farmand Ghazaleh 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Inherited retinal dystrophies and optic neuropathies (IRD) are the most frequent cause for vision loss in the working age. The huge variability of phenotypes and initial clinical presentation frequently delay the ophthalmologic diagnosis. The most frequent phenotypes are retinitis pigmentosa, macular dystrophies, cone-rod dystrophies and syndromes associated with IRDs. Causative gene variants have been identified in more than 300 genes, with a frequency variation between different ethnicities. In this series of 1 914 patients seen in Germany between 1995 and 2024, in 47.4 % of families the genetic background could be solved. Even with a common genotype, the phenotype can be variable. Genetic diagnostic testing is important for the correct diagnosis, for patient selection for current or future therapies, but also from the patient perspective.
Improving personalised genetic counselling for
ABCA4
-associated retinopathy: Updated recurrence risk estimates
Authors: Cornelis Stéphanie S. , Cremers Frans P. M. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Stargardt disease type 1 (STGD1) is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in ABCA4. These variants vary in their effect on the resulting protein and the disease phenotype. Not all variant combinations cause disease, which complicates the determination of the recurrence risk of STGD1. Previously, the recurrence risk of STGD1 was estimated by analyzing variants in patient data and using their population variant frequencies in which white patients are overrepresented. Furthermore, assuming that variant effects are independent of genetic ancestry, estimates were made for each gnomAD population. In this article, the effects of missing heritability, de novo variants, reduced penetrance of variants and sex/gender are incorporated and discussed.
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy – current status of idebenone and gene replacement therapies
Authors: Klopstock Thomas , Zeng Leopold H. , Priglinger Claudia 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common mitochondrial disease, and was the first to be linked to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations. Recently, autosomal recessive forms of LHON were described in addition to the classical mtDNA-associated forms. Clinically, LHON manifests with subacute and painless loss of central visual acuity, in most cases starting unilaterally, and involving the second eye a few weeks later. Almost all LHON cases are caused by pathogenic variants in genes that code for proteins relevant for function of Complex I of the respiratory chain. The Complex I dysfunction in LHON leads to decreased ATP synthesis and to increased production of reactive oxygen species which ultimately initiates dysfunction and apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells and their axons, the optic nerve. Idebenone, a synthetic CoQ derivative, is a potent intramitochondrial antioxidant and can shuttle electrons directly to complex III of the respiratory chain, thereby bypassing complex I deficiency. On the basis of several clinical trials, it has been approved as a treatment for LHON in 2015 (in the EU). In addition, direct intravitreal gene replacement therapy is being investigated, with several late-stage clinical trials already completed. In the future, gene editing of mtDNA variants may also become a therapeutic option.
Long-term experience with gene augmentation therapy in patients with inherited retinal disease associated with biallelic mutations in
RPE65
Authors: Lorenz Birgit 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

RPE65 biallelic mutation-associated inherited retinal degeneration (IRD) is currently the only IRD for which gene therapy is approved. This narrative review provides a brief overview of the disease and an update of the current literature on outcomes following the approval of treatment with voretigene neparvovec (LuxturnaTM) in 2017 (USA) and Europe (2018). Post-marketing results confirm a significant therapeutic effect of this gene augmentation on rod function similar to that seen in the phase 1 to 3 clinical trials. The full-field chromatic light sensitivity test is an appropriate test to demonstrate early and sustained effects of treatment. Visual acuity and visual fields may improve in less advanced disease. Accelerated chorioretinal atrophy (CRA) is a previously unrecognised adverse effect that is now reported in 13 % to 50 % of treated eyes. If central, visual acuity loss and paracentral visual field defects may occur. Further studies are needed to identify patients at risk of CRA in order to maximize patient benefit from a costly intervention.
Detection of mitotic neuroblasts provides additional evidence of steady state neurogenesis in the adult small intestinal myenteric plexus
Authors: Gorecki Anastazja M. , Slosberg Jared , Hong Su Min , Seika Philippa , Puttapaka Srinivas , Migden Blake , Gulko Anton , Singh Alpana , Zhang Chengxiu , Gurumurthy Rohin , Kulkarni Subhash 
Published: February 2025

Maintenance of normal structure of the enteric nervous system (ENS), which regulates key gastrointestinal functions, requires robust homeostatic mechanisms, since by virtue of its location within the gut wall, the ENS is subject to constant mechanical, chemical, and biological stressors. Using transgenic and thymidine analogue-based experiments, we previously discovered that neuronal turnover – where continual neurogenesis offsets ongoing neuronal loss at steady state – represents one such mechanism. Although other studies confirmed that neuronal death continues into adulthood in the myenteric plexus of the enteric nervous system (ENS), the complicated nature of thymidine analogue presents challenges in substantiating the occurrence of adult neurogenesis. Therefore, it's vital to employ alternative, well-recognized techniques to substantiate the existence of adult enteric neurogenesis in the healthy gut. Here, by using established methods of assessing nuclear DNA content and detecting known mitotic marker phosphor-histone H3 (pH3) in Hu+adult ENS cells, we show that ∼10% of adult small intestinal myenteric Hu+cells in mice, and ∼20% of adult human small intestinal myenteric Hu+cells show evidence of mitosis and hence are cycling neuroblasts. We observe that proportions of Hu+cycling neuroblasts in the adult murine ENS neither vary with ganglia size, nor do they differ significantly between two intestinal regions – duodenum and ileum, or between sexes. Confocal microscopy provides further evidence of cytokinesis in Hu+cells. The presence of a significant population of cycling neuroblasts in adult ENS provide further evidence of steady state neurogenesis in the adult ENS.Significance statementUsing 3-dimensional confocal microscopy, immunohistochemical detection of cell cycle marker phosphor-Histone H3, and DNA content assessments using flow cytometry in Hu+ cells from adult small intestinal murine myenteric plexus, we show that ∼10% of myenteric Hu+ cells in adult gut are mitotic neuroblasts, whose proportional representation does not significantly differ between sexes or small intestinal regions. We further test and observe mitotic marker pH3 also immunolabels ∼23% of adult human myenteric Hu+ cells suggesting that presence of mitotic neuroblasts also extends to the adult human gut. These data further evidence of steady state adult enteric neurogenesis in the healthy gut and provide important cellular details in understanding how precursor cells continually generate large numbers of adult neurons in healthy gut.
Reference frames for encoding of translation and tilt in the caudal cerebellar vermis
Authors: Buron Félix , Martin Christophe Z. , Brooks Jessica X. , Green Andrea M. 
Published: February 2025

Many daily behaviors rely on estimates of our body’s motion and orientation in space. Vestibular signals are essential for such estimates but to contribute appropriately two key computations are required. First, ambiguous motion information from the otolith organs must be combined with spatially transformed rotational signals (e.g., from the canals) to distinguish head translation from tilt. Second, tilt and translation estimates must be transformed from a head- to a body-centered reference frame to correctly interpret the body’s motion. Studies have shown that cells in the caudal cerebellar vermis (nodulus/ventral uvula, NU) reflect the output of the first set of computations to estimate translation and tilt. However, it remains unknown whether these estimates are encoded exclusively in head-centered coordinates or whether they reflect further transformation towards body-centered coordinates. Here we addressed this question by examining how the 3D spatial tuning of otolith and canal signals on translation- and tilt-selective NU Purkinje cells in male rhesus monkeys varies with changes in head-re-body and body-re-gravity orientation. We show that NU cell tuning properties are consistent with head-centered otolith signal coding during translation. Furthermore, while canal signals in the NU have been transformed into a specific world-referenced rotation signal indicating reorientation relative to gravity (tilt), as needed to resolve the tilt-translation ambiguity, the resulting tilt estimates are encoded in head-centered coordinates. Our results thus suggest that body-centered motion and orientation estimates required for postural control, navigation and reaching are computed elsewhere, either by further transforming NU outputs or via computations in other parallel pathways.Significance statementEstimates of body motion and orientation are essential for daily activities. Vestibular signals contribute vitally to such estimates but must first undergo transformations to distinguish translation from tilt and convert head-centered estimates into body-centered representations. Previous studies implicated the caudal cerebellar vermis (nodulus/uvula, NU) in computing estimates of translation and tilt. However, here we show for the first time that NU cells encode such estimates exclusively in head-centered coordinates. The NU thus reflects motion estimates appropriate for head and gaze stabilization but not the body-centered representations relevant for tasks such as body postural control and reaching. We suggest that head- versus body-centered motion and orientation estimates may be computed via at least partially distinct cerebellar pathways serving different functional roles.