bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction of Emergency Cesarean Delivery in Chile using Machine Learning
Authors: Mondschein Susana , Garmendia Maria Luisa , Montiel Braulio , Kusanovic Juan Pedro 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background: Emergency cesarean section (EmCS) is associated with a higher risk of intraoperative and postoperative maternal complications for both the mother and the offspring. Identifying which women who deliver by EmCS without indication for elective C-section should be a concern for health systems.
Objective: To examine predictors related to EmCS in women with a medium-low socioeconomic status from the southeast area of ​​Santiago de Chile.
Methods: This study involves a secondary analysis of all single birth records at Dr. Sótero del Río Hospital in the southeast public health district of Santiago, Chile, from 2002 to 2018 (n = 83,936). In total, fifty-nine potential predictors of EmCS were studied, 28 variables related to the pregnancy period, and the other 31 variables were related to the delivery period. Fivemachine learning (ML) algorithms were applied: Logistic regression, Random forest, AdaBoost, XGBoost, and Optimal classification tree.
Results: The prevalence of EmCS was 18.6%, with an increase of 48.8% in the study period. Women's profiles were identified using eight factors that predicted EmCS (parity, previous cesarean section, labor already initiated, maternal age, gestational age, maternal height, pregestational body mass index, and the appearance of amniotic fluid). The Optimal classification tree was the algorithm with the highest sensitivity (0.74). The highest probability of EmCS (46%) occurred in multiparous women with one previous cesarean section.
Conclusions: Most of the EmCS predictors are easily identifiable before delivery (age, parity, previous cesarean section, and maternal anthropometry). ML techniques are useful tools for predicting the risk of EmCS, potentially guiding the clinical decisions of health professionals.
Is there some predictive factors for isolated brain PROgression in patients with CErebral metastatic MElanoma after stereotactic brain radiotherapy ? PROCEME
Authors: CROIX Manuel , LEQUESNE Justine , GEFFRELOT Julien , DOMPMARTIN Anne , L’ORPHELIN Jean Matthieu 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Melanoma is a skin cancer with an excellent prognosis if diagnosed at an early stage. However, it has a high potential for brain metastasis, making the prognosis considerably poorer. In current practice, we observe discordant responses and progression at cerebral and extra-cerebral levels. The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors of isolated brain progression after treatment with stereotactic brain radiotherapy, with or without systemic treatment. Between January 2014 and December 2020, 121 patients treated by stereotactic brain radiotherapy (Cyber Knife) were included. Radiotherapy was associated to systemic treatment in the major of cases (Targeted Therapies, Immunotherapy, or Chemotherapy). In our cohort, 83 patients showed progression after stereotactic brain radiotherapy: 38 in brain only, 45 in brain and at distance. The study showed a double increase in the risk of isolated brain progression in BRAF V600 mutated patients compared with BRAF V600 WT patients. BRAF V600 mutated melanomas seems more at risk of isolated brain escape in our cohort, we therefore need to develop new local therapies for these patients in the future, and clarify the mechanisms of intrinsic and extrinsic resistance.
Serine promotes the progression of esophageal cancer through regulating one-carbon metabolism
Authors: Jie Hui , Wei Jing , Li Zhuoling , Yi Min , Qian Xinying , Li Yan , Liu Chunqi , Li Chuan , Wang Liang , Deng Pengchi , Liu Lunxu , Cen Xiaobo , Zhao Yinglan 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Serine metabolism provides important metabolic intermediates that support rapid proliferation of tumor cells. However, the role of serine metabolism in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. Here, we show that serine starvation predominantly inhibits ESCC cell proliferation by suppressing purine nucleotide and NADPH synthesis, which inducing by inhibition of one-carbon metabolism. Mechanistically, aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR), an intermediate metabolite for de novo synthesis of purine nucleotides, accumulated during serine starvation, activated 5’-AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), and then inhibited the mTORC1 pathway by directly phosphorylating Raptor at Ser792. Conversely, p53-p21 mediated G1 phase cell cycle arrest induced by DNA oxidative damage and Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4)-mediated robust expression of phosphoserine aminotransferase 1 (PSAT1), which in turn promoted compensatory endogenous serine synthesis, which maintained cell survival in serine starvation. Accordingly, serine deprivation combined with PSAT1 inhibition significantly suppressed tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a novel mechanism by which serine supports the proliferation of ESCC via one-carbon metabolism to synthesize NADPH and purine nucleotide, which maintaining the mTORC1 activation. Our study provides a theoretical basis for targeting serine metabolism as a potential therapeutic strategy for ESCC.
Explainable Machine-Learning-Based Prediction of Equivalent Circulating Density Using Surface-based Drilling Data
Authors: Ekechukwu Gerald , Adejumo Abayomi 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

When drilling wells for energy explorations, it is important to regulate the formation pressures appropriately to prevent kicks, which can lead to unimaginable loss of lives and properties. This is usually done by controlling the equivalent circulating density (ECD), which responds to the dynamic conditions that occur during drilling. The conventional approach to determine ECD is via mathematical modeling or downhole measurements. However, the downhole measurement tools can be very expensive, and the mathematical models do not provide a high degree of accuracy. Some previous authors have proposed using machine learning (ML) techniques to improve the degree of accuracy of the ECD predictions. In this work, we employed an extreme gradient-boosting (XGBoost) methodology to predict ECD values. The model's accuracy was determined using correlation coefficients (R2) and root mean square errors (RMSE) as their performance metrics. The results showed a strong prediction capability with an R2 and RMSE of 1.00 and 0.0005 for the training data and an R2 and RMSE of 0.989 and 0.023 for the testing/blind data set, respectively. Lastly, we used SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) approach, a concept borrowed from cooperative game theory, to enhance the interpretability and the explainability of the model prediction values.
Chromosomal aberrations and early mortality in a non-mammalian vertebrate: example from triploid-induced Atlantic salmon
Authors: Delaval Aurelien , Glover Kevin , Solberg Monica , Fjelldal Per Gunnar , Hansen Tom , Harvey Alison 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

In commercial aquaculture, the production of triploid fish is currently the most practical approach to prevent maturation and farm-to-wild introgression following escapes. However, triploids often exhibit poor welfare, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Inheritance issues associated with (sub-optimal) hydrostatic pressure treatments used to induce triploidy, or the genetic background of parental fish, have been speculated to contribute. Here, we quantified the frequency and type of chromosomal aberrations in Atlantic salmon subjected to a gradient of sub-optimal pressure treatments (Experiment 1) and from multiple mothers (Experiment 2). From these experiments, we genotyped a subsample of ~900 eyed eggs and all ~3,300 surviving parr across ~20 microsatellites. Chromosomal aberrations included aneuploidy and uniparental disomy, which are evidence of genetic nondisjunction. Although a low frequency of chromosomal aberrations were identified in eyed eggs from the diploid and triploid controls, our results demonstrated that sub-optimal pressure treatments resulted in lower triploidization rates, increased incidence of chromosomal aberrations, and higher egg mortality rates. We also observed maternal effects on triploidization success and incidence of chromosomal aberrations. In contrast to the results in eggs, chromosomal aberrations were rare among surviving parr, suggesting a purge of maladapted individuals during early development. This is the first study to document a link between chromosomal aberrations and early mortality in a non-mammalian vertebrate, and has implications for aquaculture breeding programs.
An Ab-initio Investigation of LiBeX (X = Sb, Bi) Semiconductors For Opto-electronic Applications
Authors: Mazhar Muhammad , Atiq Atia , Ain Qurat Tul , Andleeb Farah , Imran Iqra , Manzoor Aqsa , Rasul Muhammad Nasir 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Half Heusler compounds possess a broad array of characteristics which make them well suited materials for diverse functional applications. The extant study intended to scrutinize the structural, phononic, opto-electronic, elasto-mechanical and pressure induced properties of LiBeX (X = Sb, Bi) compounds. This investigation employed DFT based WIEN2k and VASP simulation packages by considering PBE-GGA, WC and TB-mBJ exchange correlation schemes to better corroborate the outcomes. The investigated compounds have successfully passed the energetic, lattice dynamic and mechanical stabilities. Electronic structure calculations with TB-mBJ functional revealed indirect band gaps of 1.007 and 0.789 eV for LiBeSb and LiBeBi compounds respectively. The partial charge density distribution in HOMO and LUMO disclosed maximum localization of charge around X-site atoms. The examination of COHP revealed the strongest Be-X bonding interactions among the bonding pairs. The physio-mechanical features indicated the brittle and mechanical anisotropic behavior of both compounds with covalent bonding characteristics. The compounds found active in the visible and lower ultraviolet spectrum regarding opto-electronic applications. The determined properties align well with prior theoretical findings. The comparative analysis suggests that the mBJ approach is highly recommended for treating the band gap of semi-conducting materials.
Characterization of Nuvita Biosearch Center (NBC) Isolated Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains from Human Origin and Determination of Growth Kinetic Profiles of Selected Cultures by Lab-Scale Bioreactor Fermentation
Authors: Kavak Akif Emre , Zent İnci , Sağır Ezgi Metin , Öncü Gülistan , Şimşek Feride İrem 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Backgorund
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the field of research into the isolation and characterization of probiotics in the prevention of diseases and the need to maintain the continuity of healthy microbiota. Therefore, the aim of this study is to isolate and identify bacteria found in maternal colostrum, breast milk, adult and infant feces, analyze possible probiotic potential, and reveal the developmental kinetics of selected strains.
Results
We isolated 40 bacterial species from 4 different sources and identified 19 bacteria in the form of bacilli through molecular biology and carried out studies with 11 of them. 5 of the selected strains were showed the better results considering bile salt resistance and ability to survive at different pH, antimicrobial effect. When the adhesion capacity in cell culture was compared, Lactobacillus pontis ZZ6780 and Lactobacillus reuteri NBC2680 came into prominence. Furthermore, the growth kinetics of these strains were demonstrated on a 3 L bioreactor scale. Finally, the growth kinetics of selected strains were determined and the maximum specific growth rate of selected Lactobacillus pontis ZZ6780 and Lactobacillus reuteri NBC2680 was calculated as 0.412 h-1 and 0.481 h-1, respectively. In addition, the dry cell matter amounts were found to be and 4.45 g/L and 5.23 g/L, respectively.
Conclusion
This study established the groundwork for the selection of safety probiotics for the development and application of LAB. It is thought that the two strains obtained as a result of this study can be considered as potential probiotic strains in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
Cycle threshold values are associated with adaptive immunity to COVID-19– a case-control study in Qatar
Authors: Ahmed Ashraf I. , Mahmoud Elhassan , Kaleem Muhammad Zain , Ali Sara , Farooqui Habib , Chivese Tawanda 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background
We investigated the prevalence of detectable SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies and its determinants, including the cycle threshold value of the polymerase chain reaction (Ct value), in a Middle Eastern cohort, where these data have not been previously reported.
Methods
In this longitudinal study of participants in Qatar who recovered from COVID-19, data on demographics, comorbidities, Ct values, and antibody titters were collected at baseline and antibody titres measured monthly thereafter. Multiple variable logistic regression was performed to explore determinants of humoral immunity, with the binary outcome of antibody reactivity one month after recovery.
Results
We included 225 participants with a median age of 42.2 (IQR 32.2–52.3) of which 53.8% were female and 38.7% were of Qatari nationality. At one month after recovery, 177 (78.7%) participants had anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Male gender and a Ct value < 20 were associated with higher odds of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.53–6.89), (OR 2.03, 95% CI 0.97–4.24), respectively.
Conclusion
In a Middle Eastern setting, nearly 80% of individuals with confirmed COVID-19 showed reactive IgG antibodies at one month follow up. The male sex and a Ct Value < 20 were associated with higher odds of reactive IgG antibodies.
The Effect of Visual and Auditory Cueing Walker on Gait in İndividuals with Parkinson's Disease Experiencing Freezing of Gait
Authors: YILMAZ Neslihan Altuntaş , ÇORBACIOĞLU Muazzez Betigül , YETİM Ahmet Can , ARSLAN Abdurrahman Talat , KARAKÜLAH İrem 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a visual and auditory cueing walker on freezing of gait during walking in patients with Parkinson's disease (PDF), compared to Parkinson patients without freezing of gait (PDNF). Design: Eighteen PDF and 12 PDNF were included in the study. Participants walked back and forth on a 7-meter walking path under two different conditions: without cues and with a walker providing visual and auditory cues. To assess the risk of falls in both groups, the "Tinetti Balance and Gait Assessment" was conducted. Additionally, the "Dynamic Gait Index" was used to evaluate the ability to adapt walking to varying task demands, and the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) was employed to determine walking speed.
Results
In the PDF group, visual and auditory cueing walker significantly decreased walking speed, but improved fall risk and walking adaptation. However, for the PDNF group, fall risk was unaffected, walking speed decreased, yet walking adaptation improved. When compared between the two groups, the visual and auditory cueing walker had a more positive effect on the PDF group.
Conclusions
This study suggests that a walker providing visual and auditory cues may improve daily walking in patients with Parkinson's disease with freezing of gait (PDF) and reduce the risk of falls in patients with Parkinson's disease without freezing of gait (PDNF) who exhibit hypokinetic gait patterns.
Orphanhood and caregiver death among children in the United States due to all-cause mortality 2000-2021: A Modeling Study
Authors: Villaveces Andres , Chen Yu , Tucker Sydney , Blenkinsop Alexandra , Cluver Lucie , Sherr Lorraine , Losby Jan , Graves Linden , Noonan Rita , Annor Francis , Kojey-Merle Victor , Wang Douhan , Massetti Greta , Rawlings Laura , Nelson Charles , Unwin H. Juliette , Hillis Susan , Ratmann Oliver 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Importance: Deaths of parents and grandparent caregivers linked to social and health crises threaten child wellbeing due to losses of nurturance, financial support, physical safety, family stability, and care. Little is known about the full burden of all-causes and leading cause-specific orphanhood and caregiver death beyond estimates from select causes.
Objective: To estimate 2000-2021 prevalence and incidence trends of all-cause orphanhood and caregiver death among children <18, by cause, age, race/ethnicity, and state.
Data Sources: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) birth, death, race/ethnicity, and population data to estimate fertility rates and identify causes of death; 1983-1998 ICD-9 causes-of-death harmonized to ICD-10 classifications; 1999-2021 ICD-10 causes-of-death; CDC WONDER for state-specific estimates; and American Community Survey for grandparent population estimates.
Data extraction and synthesis: We extracted U.S. population-level death, birth, population size, race, and ethnicity data from NCHS and attributed to each deceased individual the average number of children left behind according to subgroup-specific fertility rates in the previous 0-17 years. We examined prevalence and incidence of orphanhood by leading causes-of-death, including COVID-19, the leading 5 causes-of-death for 1983-2021, and additional leading causes for ages 15-44. We extended these to obtain state-level outcome estimates.
Main outcome measures: National incidence and prevalence of orphanhood and caregiver death from 2000-2021, with orphanhood by year, parental cause-of-death and sex, child age, race/ethnicity, and state.
Results: From 2000-2021, orphanhood and custodial/co-residing grandparent caregiver loss annual incidence and prevalence trends increased 49.2% and 8.3%, respectively. By 2021, 2.9 million children (4% of all children) had experienced prevalent orphanhood and caregiver death. Populations disproportionately affected by orphanhood included 5.0% of all adolescents; 6.5%, 4.8%, and 3.9% respectively of non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White children; and children in New Mexico and Southern and Eastern States. Parental death due to drug overdose during 2020-2021 surpassed COVID-19 as the leading cause of incident and prevalent orphanhood during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusions and Relevance: Policies, programs, and practices aimed at orphanhood prevention, identification, and linkage to services and support of nearly 3 million bereaved children are needed, foremost prioritizing rapidly increasing overdose-linked orphanhood.
Quantitative and Comparative Analysis of the Helminthofauna of 12 Spanish Anurans
Authors: CAÑIZALES ISRAEL 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

In Spain, the study of parasitic organisms such as arthropods, protozoa, and helminths (macroparasites) in wild animals began in the late nineteenth century. However, their information is scattered in various sources. In particular, the availability of information on anurans in Spain is limited. For anurans, knowledge of the diversity of this group of organisms is crucial to herpetology, given its ecological importance and its effects on demographics and behavior. In general, there is an urgent need for the development of collaborative joint ventures among specialists destined to evaluate the consequences on the ecological processes and health of anurans and their parasites due to the ongoing processes of habitat loss, climate change and the still-present taxonomic issues of native anurans. The main electronic databases were searched to find relevant literature on parasites identified in anurans in Spain. A total of 58 scientific documents concerning parasites, taxonomic descriptions, and parasite ecology were included. Here, the parasite diversity and richness of helminths of the Spanish anuran species were analyzed. The anuran family with the highest parasite richness was Ranidae with 66 species, followed by Bufonidae with 19 species, and Hylidae and Alytidae with 10 species. The family with the lowest richness was Pelobatidae (n = 2). Phelophylax perezi showed the highest specific parasite richness (n = 52), followed by Bufo spinosus, Rana iberica (n = 16) and R. temporaria (n = 15). Alytes cisternasii had the lowest parasite richness (n = 1). A total of 78 species of five helminth parasitic groups represented by acanthocephalans (n = 3), cestodes (n = 2), monogeneans (n = 5), nematodes (n = 27) and trematodes (n = 41) were reported. The helminth species Cosmocerca ornata and Oswaldofilaria filiformis are the most cited with five records each. The generalized linear model revealed that the habitat-activity interaction influenced the richness of parasites (Chi2 = 22.47; df = 8; p = 0.0041). The degree of similarity between anuran families according to Sørensen's similarity index ranged from 2.94–40.00%. In the cluster analysis the Morisita similarity index showed heterogeneous groups with coefficients ranging from 0.00 to 0.50. The interaction network of parasite-host sympatric species according to habitat type and activity pattern was significantly different between groups (F(2, 219) = 35.25; p = 0.000). Terrestrial and arboreal hosts had more complex associations with parasites. Endoparasitic helminths remain to be identified in 61.29% of the Spanish anuran species. This compilation excludes ectoparasitic arthropods and protozoa.
Generation of rule-based explanations of CNN classifiers using regional features
Authors: Philipp William , R Yashwanthika , K Sikha O , Benitez Raul 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Although Deep Learning networks generally outperform traditional machine learning approaches based on tailored features, they often lack explainability. To address this issue, numerous methods have been proposed, particularly for image-related tasks such as image classification or object segmentation. These methods generate a heatmap that visually explains the classification problem by identifying the most important regions for the classifier. However, these explanations remain purely visual. To overcome this limitation, we introduce a novel CNN explainability method that identifies the most relevant regions in an image and generates a decision tree based on meaningful regional features, providing a rule-based explanation of the classification model. We evaluated the proposed method on a synthetic blob's dataset and subsequently applied it to two cell image classification datasets with healthy and pathological patterns.
Synthesis of a smart pH sensitive micelle containing hyaluronic acid-curcumin bioconjugate against colorectal cancer
Authors: Hazrati Niloufar , Dehghani Sadegh , Taghavi Sahar , Taghdisi Seyed Mohammad , Abnous Khalil , Ramezani Mohammad , Alibolandi Mona 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

In the current study, we fabricated a pH-sensitive self-assembled CD44-targeted therapeutic micelle, comprising curcumin (CUR)-hyaluronic acid (HA) conjugate. At the first stage, the biopolymer, HA, as a back bone was attached to ethylene glycol vinyl ether (equivalent to 50% of the carboxylic acids of HA) and then hydroxyl of curcumin was attached to this linker to form a pH-responsive acetal linkage. The prepared HA-CUR conjugate was self-assembled and formed a micellar structure with size of 84 nm. The release of CUR from the prepared platform illustrated a controlled, sustained release at pH 7.4 while it was significantly accelerated at pH 5.4. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of the platform were evaluated against C26 as a CD44 positive and CHO as CD44 negative cells. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake study showed higher internalization and cellular toxicity of the synthesized platform in C26 cells compared with CHO cells. In vivo study demonstrated desirable therapeutic efficacy of HA-CUR toward C26 tumor growth suppression and survival rate of BALB/c mice. These findings suggested HA-CUR as a hopeful natural product-based nanomedicine for active targeting and delivery of CUR to colon adenocarcinoma.