bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activity in sweet pepper fruits during ripening and its inhibition by nitration and reducing events
Authors: Muñoz-Vargas María A. , Taboada Jorge , González-Gordo Salvador , Palma José M. , Corpas Francisco J. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Key message
Pepper fruits contain two leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) genes which are differentially modulated during ripening and by nitric oxide. The LAP activity increases during ripening but is negatively modulated by nitration.

Abstract
Leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) is an essential metalloenzyme that cleaves N-terminal leucine residues from proteins but also metabolizes dipeptides and tripeptides. LAPs play a fundamental role in cell protein turnover and participate in physiological processes such as defense mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses, but little is known about their involvement in fruit physiology. This study aims to identify and characterize genes encoding LAP and evaluate their role during the ripening of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) fruits and under a nitric oxide (NO)-enriched environment. Using a data-mining approach of the pepper plant genome and fruit transcriptome (RNA-seq), two LAP genes, designated CaLAP1 and CaLAP2, were identified. The time course expression analysis of these genes during different fruit ripening stages showed that whereas CaLAP1 decreased, CaLAP2 was upregulated. However, under an exogenous NO treatment of fruits, both genes were downregulated. On the contrary, it was shown that during fruit ripening LAP activity increased by 81%. An in vitro assay of the LAP activity in the presence of different modulating compounds including peroxynitrite (ONOO−), NO donors (S-nitrosoglutathione and nitrosocyteine), reducing agents such as reduced glutathione (GSH), l-cysteine (l-Cys), and cyanide triggered a differential response. Thus, peroxynitrite and reducing compounds provoked around 50% inhibition of the LAP activity in green immature fruits, whereas cyanide upregulated it 1.5 folds. To our knowledge, this is the first characterization of LAP in pepper fruits as well as of its regulation by diverse modulating compounds. Based on the capacity of LAP to metabolize dipeptides and tripeptides, it could be hypothesized that the LAP might be involved in the GSH recycling during the ripening process.
Predictors of recurrence and long-term patient reported outcomes following surgical repair of anal fistula, a retrospective analysis
Authors: Khan Sidrah , Kotcher Rebecca , Herman Paul , Wang Li , Tessler Robert , Cunningham Kellie , Celebrezze James , Medich David , Holder-Murray Jennifer 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Surgery for anal fistulas can result in devastating complications, including reoperations and fecal incontinence. There is limited contemporary evidence comparing outcomes since the adoption of the ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract procedure into mainstream practice. The purpose of this study is to compare recurrence rates and long-term outcomes of anal fistula following repair.

Methods
Data was collected from the electronic medical records or patient reported outcomes from patients aged 18 or older with a primary or recurrent cryptoglandular anal fistula. Primary outcome was recurrence defined as the identification of at least one fistula os or a high clinical suspicion of anal fistula. Secondary outcomes included fecal incontinence and postoperative quality of life.

Results
A total of 171 patients underwent definitive surgical repairs for their anal fistula. So 66.5% had a simple fistula, and 33.5% had a complex fistula. Of the 171 patients, 12.5% had a recurrence. The recurrence rates were 5.9% for simple fistula and 25.4% for complex fistula. Predictors of recurrence included diabetes mellitus, history of anorectal abscess, complex fistula, and sphincter sparing surgery. LIFT or plug/biologic procedures were both associated with a 50% or greater recurrence rate. No significant differences were found in fecal incontinence or associated quality of life between sphincter sparing or non-sphincter sparing surgical resections.

Conclusion
The study provides insights into the long-term outcomes of surgical repair for anal fistula. We demonstrate that sphincter sparing operations are associated with increased recurrence, meanwhile, non-sphincter sparing surgeries did not increase the risk of fecal incontinence or worsen quality of life.
Decreased mebrofenin uptake in patients with non-colorectal liver tumors requiring liver volume augmentation—a single-center analysis
Authors: Fard-Aghaie M. H. , Stern L. , Ghadban T. , Apostolova I. , Lehnert W. , Klutmann S. , Hackert T. , Izbicki J. R. , Li J. , von Kroge P. H. , Heumann A. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background
Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains a life-threatening complication after hepatectomy. To reduce PHLF, a preoperative assessment of liver function is indispensable. For this purpose, 99mTc-mebrofenin hepatobiliary scintigraphy with SPECT (MSPECT) can be used. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the predictive value of MSPECT for PHLF in patients with non-colorectal liver tumors (NCRLT) compared to patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) undergoing extended liver resection.

Methods
We included all patients undergoing extended liver resections via two-stage procedures between January 2019 and December 2021 at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. All patients received a preoperative MSPECT.

Results
Twenty patients were included. In every fourth patient, PHLF was observed. Four patients had PHLF grade C. There were no differences between patients with CRLM and NCRLT regarding PHLF rate and future liver remnant (FLR) volume. Patients with CRLM had higher mebrofenin uptake in the FLR compared to those with NCRLT (2.49%/min/m2 vs. 1.51%/min/m2; p = 0.004).

Conclusion
Mebrofenin uptake in patients with NCRLT was lower compared to those patients with CRLM. However, there was no difference in the PHLF rate and FLR volume. Cut-off values for the mebrofenin uptake might need adjustments for different surgical indications, surgical procedures, and underlying diseases.
Enhancing endoscopic measurement: validating a quantitative method for polyp size and location estimation in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
Authors: Safavian Nazanin , Toh Simon K. C. , Pani Martino , Lee Raymond 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background
Accurate measurement of polyps size is crucial in predicting malignancy, planning relevant intervention strategies and surveillance schedules. Endoscopists’ visual estimations can lack precision. This study builds on our prior research, with the aim to evaluate a recently developed quantitative method to measure the polyp size and location accurately during a simulated endoscopy session.

Methods
The quantitative method merges information about endoscopic positions obtained from an electromagnetic tracking sensor, with corresponding points on the images of the segmented polyp border. This yields real-scale 3D coordinates of the border of the polyp. By utilising the sensor, positions of any anatomical landmarks are attainable, enabling the estimation of a polyp’s location relative to them. To verify the method’s reliability and accuracy, simulated endoscopies were conducted in pig stomachs, where polyps were artificially created and assessed in a test–retest manner. The polyp measurements were subsequently compared against clipper measurements.

Results
The average size of the fifteen polyps evaluated was approximately 12 ± 4.3 mm, ranging from 5 to 20 mm. The test–retest reliability, measured by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for polyp size estimation, demonstrated an absolute agreement of 0.991 (95% CI 0.973–0.997, p < 0.05). Bland & Altman analysis revealed a mean estimation difference of − 0.17 mm (− 2.03%) for polyp size and, a mean difference of − 0.4 mm (− 0.21%) for polyp location. Both differences were statistically non-significant (p > 0.05). When comparing the proposed method with calliper measurements, the Bland & Altman plots showed 95% of size estimation differences between − 1.4 and 1.8 mm (− 13 to 17.4%) which was not significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusions
The proposed method of measurements of polyp size and location was found to be highly accurate, offering great potential for clinical implementation to improve polyp assessment. This level of performance represents a notable improvement over visual estimation technique used in clinical practice.
DIM ESEE—Dubrovnik International ESEE Mining School
Authors: Bertignoll Hanno , Sifferlinger Nikolaus 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIn 2015, together with the University of Zagreb and other partners, the Resources Innovation Center of the Montanuniversität Leoben conceived a series of one-week training workshops—the “Dubrovnik International Eastern and Southeastern Europe Region Mining School—DIM ESEE”.Every October, 40–60 experts from the region meet in Dubrovnik for three (five in the early years) full days of specialist lectures, case-study discussions, and excursions.The DIM ESEE workshops aim to provide tailored and industry-oriented training for raw materials professionals, academics, and PhD students and address topics of current relevance to the mining community. In 2023, Montanuniversität was responsible for the topic “Innovation in Extraction” and created a comprehensive training program with interesting contributions from the mining supply industry.
Pediatric cancer patients vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2—a clinical and laboratory follow-up
Authors: Siebald Benjamin , Groll Andreas H. , Salou Sarah , Boldt Andreas , Seiffert Sabine , Sack Ulrich , Reemtsma Judith , Jassoy Christian , Klusmann Jan-Henning , Ciesek Sandra , Hoehl Sebastian , Lehrnbecher Thomas 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background
Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is recommended for cancer patients. However, long-term data on the effectiveness in the pediatric setting are lacking.

Methods
Pediatric patients < 18 years on active treatment for cancer and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection received three doses of an mRNA vaccine. The clinical course and humoral and cellular immunity were evaluated at the end of the follow-up period of ≥ 1 year after the third dose of vaccine.

Results
SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred in 17 of 19 analyzed patients (median age 16.5 years) during the follow-up period (median 17 months), but no severe symptoms were seen. At ≥ 1 year after the last SARS-CoV-2 antigen exposure, 4 of 17 patients had received the recommended booster vaccine. At the end of the follow-up period, all evaluable 15 patients had anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain IgG antibodies. Twelve of the 15 patients had neutralizing antibody titers ≥ 1:10 against the Delta variant and 12/15 and 13/15 against the BA.1 and BA.5 variants, respectively. Specific T cells against SARS-CoV-2 antigens were seen in 9/13 patients.

Conclusions
Most SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated pediatric cancer patients had SARS-CoV-2 infections and limited interest in booster vaccination. At 1 year after the last antigen exposure, which was mostly an infection, humoral immune responses remained strong.

Trial registration
German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00025254, May 26, 2021.
From understanding diseases to drug design: can artificial intelligence bridge the gap?
Authors: Pushkaran Anju Choorakottayil , Arabi Alya A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractArtificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology with significant potential to revolutionize disease understanding and drug design in healthcare. AI serves as a remarkable accelerating tool that bridges the gap between understanding diseases and discovering drugs. Given its capacity in the analysis and interpretation of massive amounts of data, AI is tremendously boosting the power of predictions with impressive accuracies. This allowed AI to pave the way for advancing all key stages of drug development, with the advantage of expediting the drug discovery process and curbing its costs. This is a comprehensive review of the recent advances in AI and its applications in drug discovery and development, starting with disease identification and spanning through the various stages involved in the drug discovery pipeline, including target identification, screening, lead discovery, and clinical trials. In addition, this review discusses the challenges that arise during the implementation of AI at each stage of the discovery process and provides insights into the future prospects of this field.
Do Awareness Campaigns Reduce Financial Fraud?
Authors: Jensen Rasmus Ingemann Tuffveson , Gerlings Julie , Ferwerda Joras 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPublic and private organizations regularly run awareness campaigns to combat financial fraud. However, there is little empirical evidence as to whether such campaigns work. This paper considers a campaign by a systemically important Danish bank, targeting clients over 40 years of age with a mass message. We utilize the campaign as a quasi-experiment and consider a multitude of linear probability models, employing difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity designs. None of our models, though controlling for age, sex, relationship status, financial funds, urban residence, and education, find any evidence that the campaign had a significant effect. The results indicate that awareness campaigns relying on mass messaging, such as the one considered in our paper, have little effect in terms of reducing financial fraud.
Experiences of face-to-face and online collaborative learning tutorials: A qualitative community of inquiry approach
Authors: Chim H. Q. , Dolmans Diana H. J. M. , oude Egbrink Mirjam G. A. , Savelberg Hans H. C. M. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis study explores the experiences and the preferred schedule of face-to-face and online tutorials in a problem-based learning setting where students learn collaboratively, based on cognitive, social, and teaching presences. Seventeen experienced students and 13 tutors attended semi-structured interviews focusing on their experiences and preferences. The majority (15 students and seven tutors) preferred a 100% face-to-face schedule as the default option to stimulate deep learning and social interactions, while two students and five tutors preferred a schedule with a majority of face-to-face tutorials with some online sessions. Overall, face-to-face tutorial meetings were perceived to deepen content discussions, create a sense of connection through social interactions and non-verbal communication, and protect student well-being.
The large-scale expansion of rubber plantations in southern India: major impacts and the changing nature of drivers
Authors: Vijayan Dhanya , Girindran Renoy , Sam Anu Susan , Sathyan Archana Raghavan , Kaechele Harald 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis study investigates the major environmental and socio-economic impacts of an increase in the area of rubber plantations and the changing patterns of drivers of land use changes. Using a combination of geospatial techniques and socio-economic methods, we mainly analyzed the rate of increase in area under rubber plantations, the major impacts of land use changes, and the changing drivers of land use changes. Our results show that the area under rubber plantations has increased significantly within the study area, with the area under rubber plantations increasing from 30 to 74% of the total area within five decades. Impact assessment of land use changes based on household surveys showed significant improvement in the socio-economic conditions of the farmers, however, at the expense of severe environmental degradation. Our results also indicate that while areas under rubber plantations continue to increase, the drivers of land use changes have changed over time. Furthermore, it has been observed that in the past, many interventions prioritized social and economic development and placed less emphasis on the ecological stability of the region. Perceptions of farmers revealed that the effects of ecological fragility already affected the economic robustness of the whole area. Therefore, we conclude that government interventions to support additional rubber cultivation should also focus on ecosystem stabilization in order to minimize the risk of an ecological catastrophe that would significantly affect the economic prosperity of the region.
Sociability: Comparing the Effect of Chlorpyrifos with Valproic Acid
Authors: Morales-Navas Miguel , Perez-Fernandez Cristian , Castaño-Castaño Sergio , Sánchez-Gil Ainhoa , Colomina María Teresa , Leinekugel Xavier , Sánchez-Santed Fernando 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
In recent years, exposures to organophosphate pesticide have been highlighted as a possible cause or aggravating factor of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study examined if Wistar rats prenatally exposed to chlorpyrifos (CPF) at a dose of 1 mg/kg in GD 12.5–15.5 could express similar behaviors to those exposed to valproic acid (VPA, 400 mg/kg) during the same administration window, which is an accepted animal model of autism. The 3-chambered test was employed to evaluate sociability and reaction to social novelty in two experiments, the first in adolescence and the second in adulthood. The results obtained in this study show that animals prenatally treated with CPF or VPA show a similar behavioral phenotype compared to the control group (CNT). In adolescence, the CPF animals showed a negative index in the reaction to social novelty, followed closely by the VPA, while both experimental groups showed a recovery in this aspect during adulthood. This study therefore provides evidence to suggest that prenatal exposure to CPF in rats could have similar effects on certain components of sociability to those seen in autistic models.
Peer Stress Spills Over to Family Stress in the Context of Emotion Regulation Difficulties: A Daily Diary Study with Chinese Adolescents
Authors: Wang Hui , Zhang Yutong , Hale Molly Elizabeth , Liu Sihan , Xu Jianjie , Zhu Chenxi , Suveg Cynthia , Han Zhuo Rachel 
Published: March 2024

AbstractConflict in peer and family relationships becomes more common in the adolescent period when compared to previous developmental periods. These typical developmental challenges can be exacerbated in the context of poor emotion regulation skills. Using daily diary data, the current study examined the stress spillover effects of peer and family stress on one another, as well as the moderating role of emotion regulation challenges (i.e., emotional inhibition, dysregulation). A sample of 310 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.02 years, SD = 0.76 years, 50.7% boys) completed an initial measure of emotion regulation difficulties, then reported on peer and family stress for 10 consecutive weekdays. Results indicated that there was an overall same-day peer stress spillover effect in which adolescents’ peer stress on a given day was negatively associated with later conflictual interactions with their parents. Further, the relation between peer stress and same- and next-day family stress was exacerbated in the context of high levels of emotional inhibition. Family stress did not significantly relate to next-day peer stress, nor was this association moderated by difficulties with emotion regulation. These results highlight the temporal sequence of daily peer-to-family stress spillover. Though emotional inhibition may be culturally adaptive for maintaining interpersonal harmony, it can be maladaptive in managing stress for Chinese adolescents.
Thermo-hydraulic and entropy generation analysis of nanofluid flow with variable properties in various duct cross sections: a 3-D two-phase approach
Authors: Varma Anwesha , Nidhul Kottayat 
Published: March 2024

AbstractA three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study is carried out to explore the effect of duct cross section on the thermo-hydraulic performance of various ducts. A finite volume-based scheme with an SST k-omega model and mixture model (two-phase model) was used to obtain more realistic results. A two-phase mixture model was used to consider the movement between base fluid and nanoparticles. Al2O3 nanoparticle having a volume fraction of 0.01% and 42 nm as particle size, the heat transfer and friction factor characteristic are studied for turbulent flow regime (3000 < Re < 9000) with variable thermo-physical properties. A maximum enhancement of 86% in heat transfer rate is obtained for the serpentine duct compared to the conventional circular duct at Re = 4500. Owing to a significantly lower increase in pressure drop, the elliptical duct has the highest thermo-hydraulic performance parameter of 1.54 relative to the circular duct. Further, to analyze the heat transfer quality, the entropy generation rate is studied, and it is observed that the square duct reported the highest with an increase of 60% and the elliptical duct the lowest with a reduction of 54% relative to the circular duct. This study can aid in choosing the duct geometry to enhance the heat transfer rate with nanofluid for applications such as solar-thermal, heat exchangers, etc.
Bias of the additive hazard model in the presence of causal effect heterogeneity
Authors: Post Richard A. J. , van den Heuvel Edwin R. , Putter Hein 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHazard ratios are prone to selection bias, compromising their use as causal estimands. On the other hand, if Aalen’s additive hazard model applies, the hazard difference has been shown to remain unaffected by the selection of frailty factors over time. Then, in the absence of confounding, observed hazard differences are equal in expectation to the causal hazard differences. However, in the presence of effect (on the hazard) heterogeneity, the observed hazard difference is also affected by selection of survivors. In this work, we formalize how the observed hazard difference (from a randomized controlled trial) evolves by selecting favourable levels of effect modifiers in the exposed group and thus deviates from the causal effect of interest. Such selection may result in a non-linear integrated hazard difference curve even when the individual causal effects are time-invariant. Therefore, a homogeneous time-varying causal additive effect on the hazard cannot be distinguished from a time-invariant but heterogeneous causal effect. We illustrate this causal issue by studying the effect of chemotherapy on the survival time of patients suffering from carcinoma of the oropharynx using data from a clinical trial. The hazard difference can thus not be used as an appropriate measure of the causal effect without making untestable assumptions.