bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Superb Microvascular Imaging in Pediatric Focal Nodular Hyperplasia
Authors: Hwang Sook Min , Yoo So-Young , Jeong Woo Kyoung , Lee Min Woo , Jeon Tae Yeon , Kim Ji Hye 
Published: February 2024

Objective:
To investigate superb microvascular imaging (SMI), a novel Doppler ultrasound technique that can visualize low-velocity microvascular flow, for assessing pediatric focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH).

Patients and Methods:
Nine FNH lesions in 6 patients were enrolled. On SMI and color Doppler imaging (CDI), intralesional vascularity was assessed visually and categorized as typical spoke-wheel pattern (central vessel radiating from the center to the periphery), multifocal spoke-wheel pattern, and nonspecific pattern. We compared the vascular features of the lesions between SMI and CDI and evaluated vascular patterns according to lesion size.

Results:
In terms of vascularity pattern, the typical spoke-wheel pattern of FNH was noted more frequently on SMI (67%) than on CDI (11%; P < 0.05). In addition, a multifocal spoke-wheel pattern was noted in all remaining lesions (33%) on SMI. On the contrary, a nonspecific vascular pattern was detected in the majority (78%) of CDI. Regarding the lesion size and vascularity on SMI, the typical spoke-wheel pattern was seen more frequently in the small FNH group than in the large FNH group. The intralesional vascular signal was detected more frequently on SMI (100%) than on CDI (89%).

Conclusion:
SMI is feasible in evaluating FNH in children and has a greater ability to demonstrate the spoke-wheel pattern than CDI.
B-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in Children: A Case Series From a Single Institution
Authors: Devine Kaitlin J. , Trivedi Hirva , Reilly Anne F. 
Published: February 2024

Background:
Pediatric B-lymphoblastic lymphoma is an uncommon subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Studies regarding the biology, clinical course, and approach to relapse are limited.

Observations:
We present a series of children with B-lymphoblastic lymphoma to describe the clinical course at diagnosis and relapse as well as the role of tumor cytogenetics, immunotherapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Conclusions:
The prognostic significance of cytogenetic changes in B-lymphoblastic lymphoma is not well described but may offer improved risk stratification. Immunotherapy may offer salvage options for relapsed disease and can serve as a bridge to transplant.
Comparative Analysis of Skip Metastasis in Pediatric Osteosarcoma: Clinical Features and Outcomes
Authors: Halalsheh Hadeel , Amer Shrouq , Omari Zaid , Shawagfeh Munir , Boheisi Mohammad , Sultan Iyad 
Published: February 2024

Background:
Skip metastasis (SM) is a synchronous regional bone metastasis. Using new imaging modalities, the detection of SM is easier and possibly more common. We reviewed patients with SM and compared their characteristics and outcomes to other patients with osteosarcoma treated at our center.

Methods:
We reviewed retrospectively children (<18 years) with newly diagnosed osteosarcoma who presented from June 2006 to March 2022. Patients’ characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes were analyzed. All cases were discussed in a multidisciplinary clinic that included 2 experienced radiologists.

Results:
We identified 155 patients with osteosarcoma, among which 13 (8.3%) patients had SM detected by MRI. Patients with SM had a median age at diagnosis of 11.2 years (range 7 to 17). Three patients had lung metastasis at diagnosis. Bone scan was positive for the SM in 8 patients (62%). All patients underwent primary tumor resection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (amputation in 5, limb salvage surgery in 8). Five had postchemotherapy necrosis ≥90% in primary tumor. Seven patients relapsed/progressed (1 local and 6 in the lung), all relapsed patients died of disease. Compared to the rest of the patients, those with SM had similar clinical features to patients without SM; outcomes were similar with no significant differences in event-free survival and overall survival (P=0.7 and 0.3, respectively).

Conclusion:
In this study, we observed a percentage of patients with SM comparable to previous reports. Patients with SM exhibited clinical features akin to the rest of our patients. Thorough evaluation of imaging studies and multidisciplinary care, coupled with meticulous surgical planning, are crucial for achieving a cure, which remained unjeopardized in our patients with SM.
Effective Treatment of Anlotinib Combined With Chemotherapy in Children With Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor: A Case Series in a Single-center and Literature Review
Authors: Jing Xiao-Yu , Shen Cheng-Qi , He Guo-Qian , Xu Rong-Rong , Gao Ju , Guo Xia 
Published: February 2024

Introduction:
Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a highly aggressive primitive sarcoma with a 5-year survival rate estimated at only 15% to 30%. Although few curative treatment options exist, patients are most often treated with a combination of aggressive chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Targeted therapy inhibitors of platelet-derived growth factor A, insulin-like growth factor receptor 1, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, which are almost uniformly overexpressed in DSRCT, have largely failed in clinical trials. Anlotinib is a multitarget receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1-3, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1-4, platelet-derived growth factor receptor α/β, c-Kit, and Met. In this study, we presented 3 cases of DSRCT treated effectively with anlotinib combined with chemotherapy.

Case Presentation:
Three children DSRCT patients were enrolled from September 2020 to December 2021 and monitored until August 30, 2022. The clinical data were prospectively studied. The peritoneal cancer index classified all 3 patients as stage IV. After surgery, all 3 patients received anlotinib in combination with chemotherapy and reacted to the medication. For all 3 patients, clinical symptoms were substantially eased, and the size of the masses was reduced. Patient 1 and patient 3’s progression-free survival had been extended, and anlotinib was continued as a maintenance medication in the 2 patients who were in good health at the end of the follow-up. Patient 2 died of postoperative complications 1 month after second-stage surgery. The main side effects of anlotinib were fatigue and hypertension. However, its toxicity was controllable and tolerable in children patients.

Conclusions:
This is the first report that anlotinib is effective in children with DSRCT. This report may provide an additional option for the treatment of metastatic DSRCT.
A Rare Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome Disclosed by Reanalysis of the Exome Data of a Patient Evaluated for Cytopenia and Dysmorphic Features
Authors: Durmaz Durmus , Aslanger Ayca Dilruba , Yavas Abali Zehra , Yilmaz Yasin , Karaman Volkan , Yesil Sayin Gozde , Toksoy Guven , Unuvar Aysegul , Uyguner Zehra Oya 
Published: February 2024

Background:
Multisystemic findings of inherited bone marrow failure syndromes may cause difficulty in diagnosis. Exome sequencing (ES) helps to define the etiology of rare diseases and reanalysis offers a valuable new diagnostic approach. Herein, we present the clinical and molecular characteristics of a girl who was referred for cytopenia and frequent infections.

Case report:
A 5-year-old girl with cytopenia, dysmorphism, short stature, developmental delay, and myopia was referred for genetic counseling. Reanalysis of the ES data revealed a homozygous splice-site variant in the DNAJC21 (NM_001012339.3:c.983+1G>A), causing Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS). It was shown by the RNA sequencing that exon 7 was skipped, causing an 88-nucleotide deletion.

Conclusions:
Precise genetic diagnosis enables genetic counseling and improves patient management by avoiding inappropriate treatment and unnecessary testing. This report would contribute to the clinical and molecular understanding of this rare type of SDS caused by DNAJC21 variants and expand the phenotypic features of this condition.
Doula Services and Birth Outcomes
Authors: Saigh Jiana , Roche Lacey , Longacre Margaret L. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background:
Doulas offer support and advice to some women during the childbirth process, however access to doula care is not available to all due to availability and cost.

Methods:
This scoping review synthesizes literature related to the use of doula services and the experiences and outcomes of those who used the services. Eligibility criteria included peer-reviewed studies conducted in the United States and published between 2010 and 2022 that specified use of doulas and assessed maternal experiences and outcomes. Articles were accessed through PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycInfo.

Results:
Nineteen articles met the criteria and were included in the review. Findings across eligible articles included qualitative analyses related to psychosocial aspects of experience and quantitative findings on birth experience, complications, breastfeeding initiation, and emotional health.

Discussion:
Findings suggest having doula support can improve experiences and outcomes. However, further implementation and evaluation is needed as well as greater access to doula services among the childbearing population who are historically marginalized and minoritized.
Talkin' 'bout my(opia) generation: The impact of Optometry and Vision Science
Authors: Zadnik Karla 
Published: February 2024

VIRTUAL ISSUE EDITORIALThis editorial fronts the first virtual issue forOptometry & Vision Science. Virtual issues are a collection of papers from previously published issues of the journal that are brought together in a single, online publication. They highlight the important contribution the journal has made in supporting myopia research. All the papers referenced and previously published inOptometry & Vision Sciencewill be made free access for 1-month. The collection can be accessed here: https://journals.lww.com/optvissci/pages/collectiondetails.aspx?TopicalCollectionId=16
Impact of Chronic HIV Infection on Acute Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Opsteen Skye , Fram Tim , Files Jacob K. , Levitan Emily B. , Goepfert Paul , Erdmann Nathaniel 
Published: February 2024

Abstract:
There is mounting evidence that HIV infection is a risk factor for severe presentations of COVID-19. We hypothesized that the persistent immune activation associated with chronic HIV infection contributes to worsened outcomes during acute COVID-19. The goals of this study were to provide an in-depth analysis of immune response to acute COVID-19 and investigate relationships between immune responses and clinical outcomes in an unvaccinated, sex- and race-matched cohort of people with HIV (PWH, n = 20) and people without HIV (PWOH, n = 41). We performed flow cytometric analyses on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from PWH and PWOH experiencing acute COVID-19 (≤21-day postsymptom onset). PWH were younger (median 52 vs 65 years) and had milder COVID-19 (40% vs 88% hospitalized) compared with PWOH. Flow cytometry panels included surface markers for immune cell populations, activation and exhaustion surface markers (with and without SARS-CoV-2–specific antigen stimulation), and intracellular cytokine staining. We observed that PWH had increased expression of activation (eg, CD137 and OX40) and exhaustion (eg, PD1 and TIGIT) markers as compared to PWOH during acute COVID-19. When analyzing the impact of COVID-19 severity, we found that hospitalized PWH had lower nonclassical (CD16+) monocyte frequencies, decreased expression of TIM3 on CD4+ T cells, and increased expression of PDL1 and CD69 on CD8+ T cells. Our findings demonstrate that PWH have increased immune activation and exhaustion as compared to a cohort of predominately older, hospitalized PWOH and raises questions on how chronic immune activation affects acute disease and the development of postacute sequelae.
Clinical Study of Rh-bFGF Combined With Collagen Sponge in the Treatment of Maxillofacial Deep Ⅱ Degree Burn
Authors: Wang Qian , Yang Xiaolan , Wang Longfeng , Lin Tianlai , Wei Zhiyi 
Published: February 2024

Objectives:
To observe the clinical effect of recombinant human alkaline fibroblast growth factor (rh-bFGF) combined with collagen sponge in the treatment of maxillofacial deepⅡ degree burn.

Methods:
From January 2019 to January 2022, 96 patients with maxillofacial deep Ⅱ degree burns were randomly divided into a control group (N=48) and an observation group (N=48). The observation group was treated with rh-bFGF and collagen sponge after debridement, whereas the control group was treated with silver sulfadiazine ointment after debridement. The healing rate and healing time of the wounds were observed, interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-10, epidermal growth factor (EGF), endothelial growth factor growth factor (VEGF), and metalloproteinase tissue inhibitor 1 (TIMP-1) were measured. Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) was used to evaluate the local scar at 6 months after wound healing in both groups.

Results:
On the 10th, 14th, and 21st day of treatment, the wound healing rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), the wound healing time in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and on the 14th day of treatment, the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of IL-10 in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of EGF, VEGF, and TIMP-1 in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the scores of VSS in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05).

Conclusions:
Rh-bFGF combined with collagen sponge can decrease the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 and increase the levels of IL-10, which can control the inflammation effectively, at the same time, it can increase the level of EGF, VEGF, and TIMP-1, promote wound healing, and reduce scar hyperplasia. The treatment protocol is simple, safe, effective, and suitable for clinical application.
Using Auricular Cartilage-fascia Composite Tissue Free Grafting Technique to Improve Cartilage Survival Outcomes
Authors: Li Chuan , Ma Lun-Kun , Zhang Ze-Ya , Tang Xiao-Jun , Liu Wei , Xu Xi , Feng Shi , Zhao Shan-Baga , Zhang Zhi-Yong 
Published: February 2024

Objectives:
Auricular cartilage graft has a wide range of applications in plastic and reconstructive surgery. However, there is still a risk of absorption of the grafts over time. Intrinsic postauricular fascia (IPF) with a rich vascular network may play an important role in the nutrition and repair of auricular cartilage. This study aimed to investigate the effect of IPF on the survival viability of free auricular cartilage grafts.

Methods:
24 auricular cartilages were obtained from 6 New Zealand white rabbits which were divided into the cartilage-fascia composite graft group (FC group, n=12) and the cartilage without fascia group (C group, n=12). Two groups of cartilage were implanted into each side of the subcutaneous pocket of the rabbit’s dorsum. The rabbits were sacrificed after 3 months and all cartilage grafts were obtained. Macroscopic observation, histopathological staining, and biomechanical testing were performed on all specimens.

Results:
There were significant differences between the 2 groups regarding proliferating chondrocytes, apoptotic chondrocytes, vascularization, and matrix collagen. Compared to the auricular cartilage grafts without fascia, the auricular cartilage-fascia composite grafts had more neovascularization, proliferative chondrocytes, and type II collagen, with a homogeneous cartilage matrix and no obvious areas of heterogeneous staining. Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength of cartilage were reduced in both groups compared to pretransplantation, but the composite graft group was superior to the fascia-free group.

Conclusions:
Auricular cartilage-fascial composite tissue free graft could improve cartilage survival outcomes with higher viability and mechanical properties.
Gender differences in pedestrian hazard perception: evidence from an event-related potential study
Authors: Zhu Peng , Ma Min 
Published: February 2024

Objective
Gender differences in pedestrian hazard perception were investigated using the event-related potential technique.

Methods
The study utilized images of two types of real traffic situations as test materials: hazard situations and nonhazard situations. The presence of hazards in the displayed situations was determined by 30 adult subjects (including 17 females), who indicated their observations by pressing a button.

Results
The results revealed that females exhibited a shorter N1 latency in hazard situations, while males exhibited a larger P3 amplitude compared to females.

Conclusion
These results indicate that females are more sensitive to hazard situations during the early visual processing stage, while males give more attention to traffic situations during the late attention allocation stage.
Adaptation-induced sharpening of orientation tuning curves in the mouse visual cortex
Authors: Ouelhazi Afef , Bharmauria Vishal , Molotchnikoff Stéphane 
Published: February 2024

Objective
Orientation selectivity is an emergent property of visual neurons across species with columnar and noncolumnar organization of the visual cortex. The emergence of orientation selectivity is more established in columnar cortical areas than in noncolumnar ones. Thus, how does orientation selectivity emerge in noncolumnar cortical areas after an adaptation protocol? Adaptation refers to the constant presentation of a nonoptimal stimulus (adapter) to a neuron under observation for a specific time. Previously, it had been shown that adaptation has varying effects on the tuning properties of neurons, such as orientation, spatial frequency, motion and so on.

Basic methods
We recorded the mouse primary visual neurons (V1) at different orientations in the control (preadaptation) condition. This was followed by adapting neurons uninterruptedly for 12 min and then recording the same neurons postadaptation. An orientation selectivity index (OSI) for neurons was computed to compare them pre- and post-adaptation.

Main results:
We show that 12-min adaptation increases the OSI of visual neurons (n = 113), that is, sharpens their tuning. Moreover, the OSI postadaptation increases linearly as a function of the OSI preadaptation.

Conclusion
The increased OSI postadaptation may result from a specific dendritic neural mechanism, potentially facilitating the rapid learning of novel features.
Valence and interactions in judicial voting
Authors: Lee Edward D. , Cantwell George T. 
Published: February 2024

The collective statistics of voting on judicial courts present hints about their inner workings. Many approaches for studying these statistics, however, assume that judges’ decisions are conditionally independent: a judge reaches a decision based on the case at hand and his or her personal views. In reality, judges interact. We develop a minimal model that accounts for judge bias, depending on the context of the case, and peer interaction. We apply the model to voting data from the US Supreme Court. We find strong evidence that interaction is an important factor across natural courts from 1946 to 2021. We also find that, after accounting for interaction, the recovered biases differ from highly cited ideological scores. Our method exemplifies how physics and complexity-inspired modelling can drive the development of theoretical models and improved measures for political voting.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘A complexity science approach to law and governance’.
Large language models as tax attorneys: a case study in legal capabilities emergence
Authors: Nay John J. , Karamardian David , Lawsky Sarah B. , Tao Wenting , Bhat Meghana , Jain Raghav , Lee Aaron Travis , Choi Jonathan H. , Kasai Jungo 
Published: February 2024

Better understanding of Large Language Models' (LLMs) legal analysis abilities can contribute to improving the efficiency of legal services, governing artificial intelligence and leveraging LLMs to identify inconsistencies in law. This paper explores LLM capabilities in applying tax law. We choose this area of law because it has a structure that allows us to set up automated validation pipelines across thousands of examples, requires logical reasoning and maths skills, and enables us to test LLM capabilities in a manner relevant to real-world economic lives of citizens and companies. Our experiments demonstrate emerging legal understanding capabilities, with improved performance in each subsequent OpenAI model release. We experiment with retrieving and using the relevant legal authority to assess the impact of providing additional legal context to LLMs. Few-shot prompting, presenting examples of question–answer pairs, is also found to significantly enhance the performance of the most advanced model, GPT-4. The findings indicate that LLMs, particularly when combined with prompting enhancements and the correct legal texts, can perform at high levels of accuracy but not yet at expert tax lawyer levels. As LLMs continue to advance, their ability to reason about law autonomously could have significant implications for the legal profession and AI governance.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘A complexity science approach to law and governance’.
Assessing trajectory-dependent electronic energy loss of keV ions by a binary collision approximation code
Authors: Holeňák R. , Ntemou E. , Lohmann S. , Linnarsson M. , Primetzhofer D. 
Published: February 2024

The inelastic energy deposition of energetic ions is a decisive quantity for numerous industrial-scale applications, such as sputtering and ion implantation, yet the underlying physics being governed by dynamic many-particle processes is commonly only qualitatively understood. Recently, transmission experiments on single-crystalline targets (Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 096601 & Phys. Rev. A 102, 062803) revealed a complex energy scaling of the inelastic energy loss of low-energy ions heavier than protons along different trajectories. We use a Monte Carlo like binary collision approximation code equipped with an impact-parameter-dependent modeling of the inelastic energy losses to assess the role of local contributions to electronic excitations in these cases. We compare angular intensity distributions of calculated trajectories with experimental results for 50-keV 4He and 100-keV 29Si ions transmitted in a time-of-flight setup through single-crystalline silicon (001) foils with nominal thicknesses of 200 and 50 nm, respectively. In these calculations, we employ different models of electronic energy loss, i.e., local and nonlocal forms for light and heavy projectiles. We find that the vast number of projectiles are eventually channeled along their trajectories, regardless of the alignment of the crystal with respect to the incident beam. It is, however, only when local electronic energy loss is considered that the simulated two-dimensional maps and energy distributions show excellent agreement with the experimental results, where channeling leads to significantly reduced stopping, especially for heavier projectiles. We demonstrate the relevance of these effects for ion implantations by assessing the nonlinear and nonmonotonic scaling of the ion range with the thickness of a random surface layer.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024