bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of finely tuned liposome nanoplatform for macrophage depletion
Authors: Choi Tae Hyeon , Yoo Ran Ji , Park Ji Yong , Kim Ji Yoon , Ann Young Chan , Park Jeongbin , Kim Jin Sil , Kim Kyuwan , Shin Yu Jin , Lee Yong Jin , Lee Kyo Chul , Park Jisu , Chung Hyewon , Seok Seung Hyeok , Im Hyung-Jun , Lee Yun-Sang 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
Immunotherapy with clodronate-encapsulated liposomes, which induce macrophage depletion, has been studied extensively. However, previously reported liposomal formulation-based drugs (Clodrosome® and m-Clodrosome®) are limited by their inconsistent size and therapeutic efficacy. Thus, we aimed to achieve consistent therapeutic effects by effectively depleting macrophages with uniform-sized liposomes.

Results
We developed four types of click chemistry-based liposome nanoplatforms that were uniformly sized and encapsulated with clodronate, for effective macrophage depletion, followed by conjugation with Man-N3 and radiolabeling. Functionalization with Man-N3 improves the specific targeting of M2 macrophages, and radioisotope labeling enables in vivo imaging of the liposome nanoplatforms. The functionalized liposome nanoplatforms are stable under physiological conditions. The difference in the biodistribution of the four liposome nanoplatforms in vivo were recorded using positron emission tomography imaging. Among the four platforms, the clodronate-encapsulated mannosylated liposome effectively depleted M2 macrophages in the normal liver and tumor microenvironment ex vivo compared to that by Clodrosome® and m-Clodrosome®.

Conclusion
The newly-developed liposome nanoplatform, with finely tuned size control, high in vivo stability, and excellent ex vivo M2 macrophage targeting and depletion effects, is a promising macrophage-depleting agent.

Graphical Abstract
Mammographically detected breast clustered microcalcifications localized by chest thin-section computed tomography
Authors: Liu Xinjie , Bao Yuhan , Sui Laijian , Cao Jianqiao , Wang Yidan , Yu Chao , Qiao Guangdong , Cong Yizi 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
To explore the capability and clinical significance of chest thin-section computed tomography (CT) for localization of mammographically detected clustered microcalcifications.

Methods
A total of 69 patients with 71 mammographically detected clustered microcalcifications received surgical biopsy under the guidance of mammography (MG), CT was used to localize calcifications combined with MG if calcifications can be seen on CT. Intraoperative mammography of the specimens were performed in all cases for identification of the resected microcalcifications. The clinical, imaging and pathological information of these patients were analyzed.

Results
A total of 42 (59.15%) cases of calcifications were localized by CT + MG, 29 (40.85%) cases were guided only by the mammography. All suspicious calcifications on the mammography were successfully removed. Pathological results showed 42 cases were cancer, 23 cases were benign, and 6 cases were atypical hyperplasia. The mean age in the CT + MG group was older than that of the MG group (54.12 vs. 49.27 years; P = 0.014). The maximum diameter of clusters of microcalcifications on mammography in the CT + MG group was larger than that of the MG group [(cranio-caudal view, 1.52 vs. 0.61 mm, P = 0.000; mediolateral oblique (MLO) view, 1.53 vs. 0.62 mm, P = 0.000)]. The gray value ratio (calcified area / paraglandular; MLO, P = 0.004) and the gray value difference (calcified area - paraglandular; MLO, P = 0.005) in the CT + MG group was higher than that of the MG group. Multivariate analysis showed that the max diameter of clusters of microcalcifications (MLO view) was a significant predictive factor of localization by CT in total patients (P = 0.001).

Conclusions
About half of the mammographically detected clustered microcalcifications could be localized by thin-section CT. Maximum diameter of clusters of microcalcifications (MLO view) was a predictor of visibility of calcifications by CT. Chest thin-section CT may be useful for localization of calcifications in some patients, especially for calcifications that are only visible in one view on the mammography.
Contouring practices and artefact management within a synthetic CT-based radiotherapy workflow for the central nervous system
Authors: Rossi Elia , Emin Sevgi , Gubanski Michael , Gagliardi Giovanna , Hedman Mattias , Villegas Fernanda 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
The incorporation of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in radiotherapy (RT) workflows improves contouring precision, yet it introduces geometrical uncertainties when registered with computed tomography (CT) scans. Synthetic CT (sCT) images could minimize these uncertainties and streamline the RT workflow. This study aims to compare the contouring capabilities of sCT images with conventional CT-based/MR-assisted RT workflows, with an emphasis on managing artefacts caused by surgical fixation devices (SFDs).

Methods
The study comprised a commissioning cohort of 100 patients with cranial tumors treated using a conventional CT-based/MR-assisted RT workflow and a validation cohort of 30 patients with grade IV glioblastomas treated using an MR-only workflow. A CE-marked artificial-intelligence-based sCT product was utilized. The delineation accuracy comparison was performed using dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and average Hausdorff distance (AHD). Artefacts within the commissioning cohort were visually inspected, classified and an estimation of thickness was derived using Hausdorff distance (HD). For the validation cohort, boolean operators were used to extract artefact volumes adjacent to the target and contrasted to the planning treatment volume.

Results
The combination of high DSC (0.94) and low AHD (0.04 mm) indicates equal target delineation capacity between sCT images and conventional CT scans. However, the results for organs at risk delineation were less consistent, likely because of voxel size differences between sCT images and CT scans and absence of standardized delineation routines. Artefacts observed in sCT images appeared as enhancements of cranial bone. When close to the target, they could affect its definition. Therefore, in the validation cohort the clinical target volume (CTV) was expanded towards the bone by 3.5 mm, as estimated by HD analysis. Subsequent analysis on cone-beam CT scans showed that the CTV adjustment was enough to provide acceptable target coverage.

Conclusion
The tested sCT product performed on par with conventional CT in terms of contouring capability. Additionally, this study provides both the first comprehensive classification of metal artefacts on a sCT product and a novel method to assess the clinical impact of artefacts caused by SFDs on target delineation. This methodology encourages similar analysis for other sCT products.
Interpreting drug synergy in breast cancer with deep learning using target-protein inhibition profiles
Authors: Srithanyarat Thanyawee , Taoma Kittisak , Sutthibutpong Thana , Ruengjitchatchawalya Marasri , Liangruksa Monrudee , Laomettachit Teeraphan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. Despite advances in treating breast cancer over the past decades, drug resistance and adverse effects remain challenging. Recent therapeutic progress has shifted toward using drug combinations for better treatment efficiency. However, with a growing number of potential small-molecule cancer inhibitors, in silico strategies to predict pharmacological synergy before experimental trials are required to compensate for time and cost restrictions. Many deep learning models have been previously proposed to predict the synergistic effects of drug combinations with high performance. However, these models heavily relied on a large number of drug chemical structural fingerprints as their main features, which made model interpretation a challenge.

Results
This study developed a deep neural network model that predicts synergy between small-molecule pairs based on their inhibitory activities against 13 selected key proteins. The synergy prediction model achieved a Pearson correlation coefficient between model predictions and experimental data of 0.63 across five breast cancer cell lines. BT-549 and MCF-7 achieved the highest correlation of 0.67 when considering individual cell lines. Despite achieving a moderate correlation compared to previous deep learning models, our model offers a distinctive advantage in terms of interpretability. Using the inhibitory activities against key protein targets as the main features allowed a straightforward interpretation of the model since the individual features had direct biological meaning. By tracing the synergistic interactions of compounds through their target proteins, we gained insights into the patterns our model recognized as indicative of synergistic effects.

Conclusions
The framework employed in the present study lays the groundwork for future advancements, especially in model interpretation. By combining deep learning techniques and target-specific models, this study shed light on potential patterns of target-protein inhibition profiles that could be exploited in breast cancer treatment.
Efficacy of propofol-supplemented cardioplegia on biomarkers of organ injury in patients having cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass: a statistical analysis plan for the ProMPT-2 randomised controlled trial
Authors: Smartt Helena , Angelini Gianni D. , Gibbison Ben , Rogers Chris A. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
The ProMPT-2 trial (Propofol for Myocardial Protection Trial #2) aims to compare the safety and efficacy of low- and high-dose propofol supplementation of the cardioplegia solution during adult cardiac surgery versus sham supplementation. This update presents the statistical analysis plan, detailing how the trial data will be analysed and presented. Outlined analyses are in line with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials and the statistical analysis plan has been written prior to database lock and the final analysis of trial data to avoid reporting bias (following recommendations from the International Conference on Harmonisation of Good Clinical Practice).

Methods/design
ProMPT-2 is a multi-centre, blinded, parallel three-group randomised controlled trial aiming to recruit 240 participants from UK cardiac surgery centres to either sham cardioplegia supplementation, low dose (6 µg/ml) or high dose (12 µg/ml) propofol cardioplegia supplementation. The primary outcome is cardiac-specific troponin T levels (a biomarker of cardiac injury) measured during the first 48 h following surgery.
The statistical analysis plan describes the planned analyses of the trial primary and secondary outcomes in detail, including approaches to deal with missing data, multiple testing, violation of model assumptions, withdrawals from the trial, non-adherence with the treatment and other protocol deviations. It also outlines the planned sensitivity analyses and exploratory analyses to be performed.

Discussion
This manuscript prospectively describes, prior to the completion of data collection and database lock, the analyses to be undertaken for the ProMPT-2 trial to reduce risk of reporting and data-driven analyses.

Trial registration
ISRCTN ISRCTN15255199. Registered on 26 March 2019.
Whisper-based spoken term detection systems for search on speech ALBAYZIN evaluation challenge
Authors: Tejedor Javier , Toledano Doroteo T. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe vast amount of information stored in audio repositories makes necessary the development of efficient and automatic methods to search on audio content. In that direction, search on speech (SoS) has received much attention in the last decades. To motivate the development of automatic systems, ALBAYZIN evaluations include a search on speech challenge since 2012. This challenge releases several databases that cover different acoustic domains (i.e., spontaneous speech from TV shows, conference talks, parliament sessions, to name a few) aiming to build automatic systems that retrieve a set of terms from those databases. This paper presents a baseline system based on the Whisper automatic speech recognizer for the spoken term detection task in the search on speech challenge held in 2022 within the ALBAYZIN evaluations. This baseline system will be released with this publication and will be given to participants in the upcoming SoS ALBAYZIN evaluation in 2024. Additionally, several analyses based on some term properties (i.e., in-language and foreign terms, and single-word and multi-word terms) are carried out to show the Whisper capability at retrieving terms that convey specific properties. Although the results obtained for some databases are far from being perfect (e.g., for broadcast news domain), this Whisper-based approach has obtained the best results on the challenge databases so far so that it presents a strong baseline system for the upcoming challenge, encouraging participants to improve it.
Differences in physical and mental health symptoms among residents living near municipal solid waste sites: a cross sectional study in the Ashanti Region, Ghana
Authors: Peprah Prince , Agyemang-Duah Williams , Morgan Anthony Kwame , Onyina Ellen , Asare Evelyn Serwaa 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Objective
Physical and mental health concerns and symptoms, including sleep problems, low mood, extreme tiredness, and appetite loss are prevalent among people living near waste sites. This research examines differences in health symptoms among residents living near municipal solid waste sites in the Ashanti Region, Ghana.

Methods
The study used cross-sectional data from 827 residents living near three municipal waste sites, including Besease, Asokore, and Dompoase sites in the Ashanti Region, Ghana. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-square, and binary logistic regressions were performed to examine the differences and associations between the variables.

Results
Health symptoms, including sleep problems/insomnia, frequent extreme tiredness, low mood, loss of appetite, stress, anxiety, and depression, were reported by the majority of the participants. Residents near open dumpsites (Besease and Asokore) exhibit significantly higher likelihoods of experiencing various health symptoms such as extreme fatigue, depression, psychological disorders, thinking and concentration problems, low mood, loss of appetite, and anxiety compared to those near the engineered Oti landfill in Dompoase.

Conclusion
While emphasizing the importance of proper landfill design and management in Ghana, this study underscores the need for further longitudinal and clinical investigations. Clinically establishing the link between dumpsites and health symptoms is imperative for informed public health interventions and policy decisions aimed at mitigating the potential adverse health effects of landfills on residents' well-being.
The relationship between substance use and self-reported aspects of social functioning in patients with a psychotic disorder
Authors: van der Heijden HS , Kikkert Martijn , de Haan Lieuwe , Segeren Menno , Molman Simone , Schirmbeck Frederike , Vermeulen Jentien 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
In patients with a psychotic disorder, rates of substance use (tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol) are higher compared to the general population. However, little is known about associations between substance use and self-reported aspects of social functioning in patients with a psychotic disorder.

Methods
In this cross-sectional study of 281 community-dwelling patients with a psychotic disorder, linear regression models were used to assess associations between substance use (tobacco, cannabis, or alcohol) and self-reported aspects of social functioning (perceived social support, stigmatization, social participation, or loneliness) adjusting for confounders (age, gender, and severity of psychopathology).

Results
Compared to nonsmokers, both intermediate and heavy smokers reported lower scores on loneliness (E = −0.580, SE = 0.258, p = 0.025 and E = −0.547, SE = 0,272, p = 0.046, respectively). Daily cannabis users reported less social participation deficits than non-cannabis users (E = −0.348, SE = 0.145, p = 0.017). Problematic alcohol use was associated with more perceived social support compared to non-alcohol use (E = 3.152, SE = 1.102, p = 0.005). Polysubstance users reported less loneliness compared to no users (E = −0.569, SE = 0.287, p = 0.049).

Conclusions
Substance use in patients with psychosis is associated with more favorable scores on various self-reported aspects of social functioning.
Guest Editors’ Introduction
Authors: Nguyen Minh T. N. , Wilcox Phill , Lin Jake 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe emergent quest for the good life in rapidly transforming China, Laos, and Vietnam can only be understood as part of the political economy of late socialism. This special issue critically engages with the notion of the good life and its ramifications in late-socialist social life through the perspectives of people and communities living amid political economic changes. In this introduction, we weave together the volume's nine empirical contributions by conceptualizing the good life as a field of struggle in which people grapple with the contradictions of late socialism to realize their vision of a good life. We underscore four domains of action in which people articulate and act out their vision: comfort and pleasure, caring and being cared for, cosmology and nature, and freedom and autonomy. Their practices reveal how the paradoxical value frameworks of late socialism impose limits on the possibilities of living well together. Yet, they also indicate the moral agency of people circulating between seemingly incommensurable social orders.
Philanthropy Fever from Below: On the Possibilities of a Good Life in Late-Socialist China
Authors: Fengjiang Jiazhi 
Published: February 2024

AbstractFor ordinary people in late-socialist China, the good life seems to be singularly shaped: in the future and the elsewhere, it is oriented toward one's own well-being and the well-being of future generations. This article aims to open up discussion about the different possibilities that ordinary people have for shaping a good life, despite and within the restrictions caused by their limited possession of power or wealth. The exploration draws from my long-term ethnographic fieldwork on caogen gongyi 草根公益 (grassroots philanthropy) in southeast China. It shows that care for the well-being of people beyond one's immediate family in the form of organized charity and volunteerism offers opportunities for many ordinary people with limited resources to engage socially and politically in ways that are central to their experience of the good life in contemporary China. Unlike the better-off philanthropists and volunteers, whose philanthropic activities tend to enhance their status and dominance, the ordinary people presented in this article experience major tensions between providing for their family and caring for others in society, between ensuring the material conditions of the good life and being able to live an ethical life as a contributing member of society and to be socially recognized for doing so. Hence pursuing the good life can require extremely hard work and be emotionally draining for many ordinary people. Philanthropic engagement does not lead to substantial and sustainable material returns, yet the creative imaginations and public actions of ordinary people open up possibilities for valorizing life in social arenas, despite and within the prevailing economic valorization of life.
Porosty wysp leśnych w okolicach Wieruszowa (Polska południowa)
Authors: Fałtynowicz Wiesław , Wierzchołek Emilia 
Published: February 2024

The article presents the results of lichenological research conducted in 2015-2016 in the area of four forest islands located south of Wieruszów. The aim of the study was to prepare the most detailed list of lichens in the selected forest areas and to investigate the relationship whether and to what extent the size of the forest island and the way of its use affect the diversity of lichens occurring there. A total of 102 lichen species were found in the study area. The number of species and the diversity of lichens were shown to be directly proportional to the area of the forest island, and it was also found that more favorable conditions for lichens existed in state forests than in private forests.
Communication under Uncertainty and the Role of Founders’ Information Advantage: Evidence from SPAC IPOs
Authors: Naumovska Ivana , Harmon Derek 
Published: February 2024

This study develops a novel framework about how a firm’s financing outcome will be shaped by its communication under different types of uncertainty. Whereas prior work has largely focused on uncertainties that arise because of founders having a knowledge advantage over investors, we examine a firm’s communication in situations of more fundamental uncertainty when both founders and investors face knowledge problems. Our framework proposes that in situations where founders have a knowledge advantage over investors (i.e., when there is information asymmetry), firms that reduce uncertainty by sending signals of quality and express less uncertainty in their communications will enjoy better financing outcomes. However, we argue that in situations characterized by high unknowability, and where founders do not have a significant knowledge advantage over investors (i.e., when there is Knightian uncertainty), firms that acknowledge this unknowability by expressing more uncertainty in their communications will have more favorable financing outcomes. Studying the full population of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) that sought to complete an initial public offering from the emergence of the sector in 2003–2019, we find support for our predictions. This study expands our understanding of the role of uncertainty in investment decisions, offers deeper insight into how language operates in financial markets, and sheds light on the increasingly popular, but understudied, SPAC vehicle. Funding: Ivana Naumovska received financial support from the INSEAD R&D Committee and the INSEAD Dean’s Annual Fund. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/stsc.2022.0043 .
Epipericardial fat necrosis and COVID-19
Authors: Haseeb Mohsin , Shafiq Abdullah , Sheikh Muhammad A. , Khan Muhammad F. 
Published: February 2024

Background: Epipericardial fat necrosis (EFN) is a rare and self-limiting cause of acute chest pain. We describe a case of EFN in a patient with a recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Case Presentation: A 55-year-old male presented with a sudden onset of left-sided pleuritic chest pain for the past two days. The patient was diaphoretic, tachypneic, and tachycardic. Acute coronary syndrome was ruled out. A computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiogram revealed an ovoid encapsulated fatty mass surrounded by dense appearing tissue. Patient symptoms improved remarkably with a short course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Discussion: EFN typically presents with a sudden onset of excruciating chest pain. Misdiagnosis, under-diagnosis, and mismanagement are unavoidable. EFN is incidentally diagnosed on CT scan. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects visceral adipose tissue and appears to increase the risk of EFN by promoting inflammatory cytokine production and death of adipocytes. Conclusion: EFN is a rare cause of acute chest pain. SARS-CoV-2 is likely to induce EFN. This rare clinical entity should be considered in the differential of acute chest pain especially in patients with active or recent COVID-19.