bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biophysical and structural studies of fibulin-2
Authors: Sohail Anil A. , Koski M. Kristian , Ruddock Lloyd W. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Fibulin-2 is a multidomain, disulfide-rich, homodimeric protein which belongs to a broader extracellular matrix family. It plays an important role in the development of elastic fiber structures. Malfunction of fibulin due to mutation or poor expression can result in a variety of diseases including synpolydactyly, limb abnormalities, eye disorders leading to blindness, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Traditionally, fibulins have either been produced in mammalian cell systems or were isolated from the extracellular matrix, a procedure that results in poor availability for structural and functional studies. Here, we produced seven fibulin-2 constructs covering 62% of the mature protein using a prokaryotic expression system. Biophysical studies confirm that the purified constructs are folded and that the presence of disulfide bonds within the constructs makes them extremely thermostable. In addition, we solved the first crystal structure for any fibulin isoform, a structure corresponding to the previously suggested three motifs related to anaphylatoxin. The structure reveals that the three anaphylatoxins moieties form a single-domain structure.
The impact of antigenic distance on Orthopoxvirus Vaccination and Mpox Infection for cross-protective immunity
Authors: Lucas Carolina , Crandell Jameson , Monteiro Valter , Pischel Lauren , Fang Zhenhao , Zhong Yi , Lawres Lauren , Conde Luciana , Maciel-Silva Gabriela , Meira-Assis Gustavo , Zaleski Agnieszka , Lira Guilherme , Higa Luiza , Breban Mallery , Vogels Chantal , Grubaugh Nathan , Aoun-Barakat Lydia , Grifoni Alba , Sette Alessandro , Castiñeiras Terezinha Marta , Chen Sidi , Yildirim Inci , Vale André , Omer Saad 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Immunological memory mediates rapid protection following infection or vaccination including heterologous exposure. However, cross-reactive memory responses in humans remain poorly characterized. We explored the longevity and specificity of cross-protective responses to orthopoxviruses through smallpox vaccination and Mpox virus (MPXV) infection. Smallpox vaccination using Vaccinia virus (VACV)-based vaccines provides a unique opportunity to study long-term cross-protective immunity without antigen re-exposure. We assessed systemic and mucosal responses in four human cohorts, including first-(Dryvax) and/or third-generation (JYNNEOS) smallpox vaccine recipients (vaccinated 1 week-80 years ago), along with Mpox-infected individuals. First-and third-generation smallpox vaccines elicited strong VACV- and MPXV-specific antibodies. VACV-neutralizing antibodies persisted for decades in first-generation vaccine recipients and were further enhanced after JYNNEOS vaccination. However, despite the high levels of anti-MPXV-specific antibodies in the plasma, cross-neutralization activity was directly correlated with the antigenic distance. Higher neutralization was observed for the cowpox virus (CWPXV) than for MPXV, which showed lower antigenic conservation with VACV. Similarly, Mpox-infected patients had lower neutralization titers for VACV than for CWPXV. Individuals who received vaccination boosters showed more robust, diverse, and prolonged cross-neutralizing responses. Long-term memory analysis revealed an increase in neutralization capacity for VACV over decades, with 80-years-old displaying the most robust humoral response, although this trend was not observed for cross-reactive antigens. Finally, T-cell reactivity to VACV and MPXV epitopes was detected decades post-vaccination, suggesting a role of long-lasting cross-reactive T-cell memory responses in vaccine efficacy. Our findings underscore the pivotal influence of antigenic distance on vaccine effectiveness with implications for cross-protective vaccine design.
A case study of acute invasive fungal sinusitis complicating central retinal artery occlusion
Authors: Xiaodong Li , Mei Chen , Kaijin Zheng , Li Zhen , Dandan Wu , Yi Yang , Zhilin Li , Xuewei Qin 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Acute invasive fungal sinusitis is a fungal infectious disease in which fungal hyphae invade the nasal mucosa, blood vessels and nerves, causing tissue necrosis. Acute invasive fungal sinusitis is often complicated by intracranial infection, which is a critical disease with a high mortality rate. Meanwhile, ocular manifestations such as orbital cusp syndrome, cavernous sinus syndrome, and a sudden drop in visual acuity may suggest that the disease has been complicated by intracranial or intraorbital infection. Therefore, early diagnosis and early antifungal and anti-infectious treatment are essential to improve patient survival, and recognition of specific ocular signs is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of acute invasive fungal sinusitis. In this article, we report a typical and rare case of acute invasive fungal sinusitis complicated by central retinal artery occlusion caused by Trichoderma infection. Central retinal artery occlusion is a kind of emergency and serious disease in ophthalmology, which has a rapid onset and rapid development. Failure to relieve the occlusion in time will result in permanent blindness of the patient, which will seriously affect the quality of life of the patient.Retinal artery obstruction relies heavily on imaging:Fundus Fluorescein Angiography: Demonstrates arterial and choroidal blood flow patterns to assess retinal blood flow and vascular obstruction. Patients present with very sluggish retinal arterial filling, and large areas of no perfusion;Optical Coherence Tomography : provides high-resolution images of retinal anatomy, thickness, and vitreoretinal interface in patients presenting with thickening of the inner retinal layer with edema and a highly reflective signal. Although the patient was treated by multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment and transferred to the intensive care unit in a timely manner, he eventually died of systemic multi-organ failure due to complicated intracranial infection and sepsis. This case was discussed and analyzed from the ophthalmology point of view, and the relevant literature was reviewed in order to provide a reference for clinicians to recognize the initial symptoms of acute invasive fungal sinusitis, to provide timely antifungal and anti-infective treatment, to reduce missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and to avoid further deterioration of the patient's condition and death.In particular, we ophthalmologists are cautioned that retinal artery occlusion is not a purely ophthalmic disease, but is closely related to systemic diseases.
The venous return system in patients with constrictive pericarditis after pericardial stripping were associated with 28-day mortality: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Chen Rongping , DU Wei , Liu Dawei 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

This study aimed to explore changes in the venous return system in patients with Constrictive pericarditis (CP) after pericardial stripping and examine their value in predicting mortality. An 8-year single-center retrospective cohort study including patients with CP after pericardial stripping surgery. Hemodynamic parameters were analyzed in 90 patients at 11 time points including before and after surgery and every 4 to 9 hours in the first 48 hours in the ICU (0h, t1-t3, 24h, t4-t6, 48h). Mean systemic filling pressure (Pmsf) and resistance to venous return (RVr) were significantly higher in patients who died (non-survival group) than survivors (P = 0.016 and 0.022, respectively). Pmsf at 0h, Pmsf at 24h, Pmsf − CVP at 0h, RVr before surgery, RVr at 24h, APACHE II score, and SOFA score were evaluated as predictors of 28-day mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was largest for RVr before surgery (0.771; 95% confidence interval, 0.583–0.958; P = 0.034). SOFA combined with RVr before surgery had the best performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.883; 95% confidence interval, 0.758–1.000; P = 0.003). Pmsf, Pmsf − CVP, and RVr can be used as valid indicators for prognostic assessment in patients with constrictive pericarditis after pericardial stripping.
Pre-emptive Detection and Evolution of Relapse in Acute Myeloid Leukemia by Flow Cytometric Measurable Residual Disease Surveillance
Authors: Freeman Sylvie , McCarthy Nicholas , Gui Gege , Dumezy Florent , Roumier Christophe , Andrew Georgia , Green Sarah , Jenkins Madeleine , Adams Alexandra , Khan Naeem , Craddock Charles , Hourigan Christopher , Plesa Adriana 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Measurable residual disease (MRD) surveillance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may identify patients destined for relapse and thus provide the option of pre-emptive therapy to improve their outcome. Whilst flow cytometric MRD (Flow-MRD) can be applied to high-risk AML/ myelodysplasia patients, its diagnostic performance for detecting impending relapse is unknown. We evaluated this in a cohort comprising 136 true positives (bone marrows preceding relapse by a median of 2.45 months) and 121 true negatives (bone marrows during sustained remission). At an optimal Flow-MRD threshold of 0.045%, clinical sensitivity and specificity for relapse was 73% and 89% respectively (51% and 98% for Flow-MRD ≥ 0.1%) by ‘different-from-normal’ analysis. Median relapse kinetics were 0.78 log10/month but significantly higher at 0.92 log10/month for FLT3-mutated AML. Computational (unsupervised) Flow-MRD (C-Flow-MRD) generated optimal MRD thresholds of 0.036% and 0.082% with equivalent clinical sensitivity to standard analysis. C-Flow-MRD-identified aberrancies in HLADRlow or CD34 + CD38low (LSC-type) subpopulations contributed the greatest clinical accuracy (54% sensitivity, 93% specificity) and notably, by longitudinal profiling expanded rapidly within blasts in > 40% of 86 paired MRD and relapse samples. In conclusion, flow MRD surveillance can detect MRD relapse in high risk AML and its evaluation may be enhanced by computational analysis.
Neural Networks or Linguistic Features? - Comparing Different Machine-Learning Approaches for Automated Assessment of Text Quality Traits Among L1- and L2-Learners’ Argumentative Essays
Authors: Lohmann Julian F. , Junge Fynn , Möller Jens , Fleckenstein Johanna , Trüb Ruth , Keller Stefan , Jansen Thorben , Horbach Andrea 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Recent investigations in automated essay scoring research imply that hybrid models, which combine feature engineering and the powerful tools of deep neural networks (DNNs), reach state-of-the-art performance. However, most of these findings are from holistic scoring tasks. In the present study, we use a total of four prompts from two different corpora consisting of both L1 and L2 learner essays annotated with three trait scores (e.g., content, organization and language quality). In our main experiments, we compare three variants of trait-specific models using different inputs: (1) models based on 220 linguistic features, (2) models using essay-level contextual embeddings from the distilled version of the pre-trained transformer BERT (DistilBERT), and (3) a hybrid model using both types of features. Results imply that when trait-specific models are trained based on a single-resource, the feature-based models slightly outperform the embedding-based models. These differences are most prominent for the organization traits. The hybrid models outperform the single-resource models, indicating that linguistic features and embeddings indeed capture partially different aspects relevant for the assessment of essay traits. To gain more insights into the interplay between both feature types, we run ablation tests for single feature groups. Trait-specific ablation tests across prompts indicate that the embedding-based models can most consistently be enhanced in content assessment when combined with morphological complexity features. Most consistent performance gains in the organization traits are achieved when embeddings are combined with length features, and most consistent performance gains in the assessment of the language traits when combined with lexical complexity, error, and occurrence features. Cross-prompt scoring again reveals slight advantages for the feature-based models.
Heme oxygenase 1 aggravates neuronal ferroptosis in the early stage after intracerebral hemorrhage
Authors: Liu Qi , Han Ziyi , Li Tao , Meng Jincheng , Zhu Chenwei , Wang Junmin , Wang Jian , Zhang Zhen , Wu He 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) is a key enzyme involved in heme catabolism. Previous research showed that HO-1 tends to exacerbate neurological damage in the early stage of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, the specific mechanism remains unclear. Excessive iron accumulation, the primary product of HO-1 catabolism and heme metabolism, triggers neuronal ferroptosis, a key factor contributing to neurologic impairment following ICH. Our study aimed to examine the effects of HO-1 overexpression on neuronal ferroptosis in the early stages of ICH. Our findings demonstrated that HO-1 overexpression exacerbated the proinflammatory response of the microglia, which ultimately induced neuronal ferroptosis by promoting intracellular iron deposition. Furthermore, HO-1 overexpression disrupted the balance of iron metabolism in the microglia and promoted iron ion uptake in the neurons, leading to injury from lipid peroxidation and further contributing to neuronal ferroptosis. Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) treatment significantly mitigated the damage caused by HO-1 overexpression and improved neurologic function. Our study provides insights into the potential of targeting HO-1 to treat ICH by shedding light on the mechanisms underlying the aggravation of neuronal ferroptosis due to HO-1 overexpression in the early stages of ICH.
Impact of virtual reality hypnosedation on perioperative pain and anxiety in port implantation under local anaesthesia: a randomized controlled pilot trial (VIP Trial)
Authors: Steinkraus Kira C. , Feldmann Hannah , Hunold Lisa S. , Graf Sandra , Dörr-Harim Colette , Nasir Nadir , Michalski Christoph W. , Hüttner Felix J. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background
This monocentric randomized controlled pilot trial investigates the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) hypnosedation on perioperative anxiety, pain, patient satisfaction, and medication usage during port implantation under local anesthesia.
Methods
A total of 120 patients undergoing elective port implantation between January 2022 and August 2023 were enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either a VR hypnosedation group or a control group. The VR group used a commercially available VR headset with the HypnoVR application, providing various environments, musical backgrounds, and a guiding voice, while the control group underwent the procedure without VR. Patients with ASA > 3, chronic pain, cognitive issues, and contraindications against VR use were excluded. The main outcomes measured were perioperative pain and anxiety scores, with secondary outcomes including perioperative medication usage. Due to the nature of the interventions, blinding of patients and physicians was not feasible. Statistical analysis was primarily descriptive and exploratory, focusing on estimating effect sizes for future trials.
Results
The study found no significant differences in perioperative pain or anxiety scores between the VR and no VR groups. Additionally, while there was an indication of lower usage of certain medications, particularly Remifentanyl and Novaminsulfon, in the VR group, though these differences were not statistically significant and therefore no definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding medication usage based on this data.
Conclusion
While VR hypnosedation did not significantly reduce perioperative pain or anxiety in this pilot trial, the observed trends in reduced medication usage suggest potential benefits. These findings warrant further investigation in larger, confirmatory trials to better understand the role of VR in enhancing patient comfort and potentially reducing reliance on pharmacological interventions during surgical procedures.
Trial Registration number:
German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00028508; registration date 15 March 2022; Universal Trial Number: U1111-1275-4995
Consistency of plain X-rays in ankle fractures with syndesmosis injury, a prospective cohort study
Authors: Abolenain Ahmed Salem , Abdelazeem Ahmed Hazem , Farag Amr Wael , Kassem Elsayed Mohamed 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose: This study aims at judging plain radiographs as an assessment tool for syndesmosis reduction in ankle fractures with syndesmosis affection.
Methods: Prospectively, 46 patients with ankle fracture associated with syndesmosis injury were operated upon from March 2021 to July 2021. Immediate post-operative CT images were compared to X-rays to classify patients according to reduction. Functional outcome using AOFAS score was compared between different groups.
Results: Out of 46 patients classified as class "A" or Acceptable reduction by X-rays, only 24 cases (52.3%) were classified as class "A" by CT studies with mean AOFAS (92), 16 cases (34.2%) were classified as class "B" with mean AOFAS (86) , and six cases (13.5%) were classified as class "C" with mean AOFAS (72), (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Plain X-rays are unreliable for assessing ankle fractures with a syndesmosis injury. It was evidenced by missed mal-rotations and tibio-fibular diastasis following reduction which reflected on the functional outcome of the patients. That is why CT studies are highly recommended in the early post-operative period (within one week).
Evaluation of the soft tissue facial profile in different skeletal malocclusions in relation to age
Authors: Kiełczykowski Michał , Perkowski Konrad , Kamiński Konrad , Zadurska Małgorzata , Czochrowska Ewa 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background
The aim of the study was to assess the thickness of the soft tissue facial profile (STFP) in relation to the skeletal malocclusion, age and gender.
Methods
All patients, aged 7–35 years, who were seeking orthodontic treatment at the Department of Orthodontics, Medical University of Warsaw between 2019-22 were included in the study. All patients had lateral head radiographs taken before the treatment. The cephalometric analysis was performed including the STFP analysis. The patients were allocated to one of six groups based on age and skeletal relations (ANB angle). The minimum number of patients in each group was 60 with equal gender distribution. The STFP analysis included ten linear measurements.
Results
A total of 300 patients were included in the study and allocated to five groups. Group 6 (growing patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion) was not included in the study as it failed to achieve the assumed group size. There were significant differences in the thickness of the STFP in relation to the skeletal malocclusions. Adults with skeletal Class III malocclusion had significantly thicker subnasal soft tissues compared to patients with skeletal Class I and Class II malocclusions. The thickness of the lower lip in patients with Class II skeletal malocclusion was significantly bigger compared to the other groups. Children and adolescents with Class II malocclusions had thicker lower lip in comparison to the group with Class I malocclusion. The majority of the STFP measurements were significantly smaller in children and adolescents compared to adults. The thickness of the STFP in males was significantly bigger in all age groups compared to females.
Conclusions
The thickness of facial soft tissues depends on the patient’s age and gender. The degree of compensation of the skeletal malocclusion in the STFP may be a decisive factor during orthodontic treatment planning regarding a surgical approach or a camouflage treatment of skeletal defects.
Renal vascular lesions in Childhood-onset Lupus Nephritis
Authors: Lin Ying Kit , Chan Eugene Yu-hin , Mak Yuen-fun , To Ming-chun , Wong Sze-wa , Lai Fiona Fung-yee , Ho Tsz-wai , Tong Pak-chiu , Lai Wai-ming , Yap Desmond Yat-hin , Ma Alison Lap-tak 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the clinical significance of renal vascular lesions (RVLs) in childhood-onset lupus nephritis (cLN).
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all children with biopsy-proven cLN between 2004-2020 to evaluate the prevalence of RVLs on kidney biopsy and its associated factors and long-term outcomes. The composite renal outcome was defined as advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3-5, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and death.
Results: 107 biopsies from 84 Chinese patients were analysed. RVLs were observed in 19 patients (22.6%), including non-inflammatory necrotizing vasculopathy (NNV, n=6), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA, n=4), arterial sclerosis (AS, n=3), concurrent NNV with AS (n=4), concurrent NNV with TMA (n=1) and concurrent true renal vasculitis with AS (n=1).
The presence of RVLs was associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (66.9±40.3 vs 95.6±39.4ml/min/1.73m2, p=0.005), haemoglobin level (9.1±1.9 vs 10.4±1.9g/dL, p=0.008) and platelet count (150.1±96.4 vs 217.2±104.8 x 109/L, p=0.01). LN classes and activity/chronicity indices were similar.
Patients with RVLs had poorer composite renal outcomes, though not reaching statistical significance (log-rank test, p=0.06). The presence of NNV was associated with inferior survival free from composite renal outcome (log-rank test, p = 0.0018), compared to other forms of RVLs and those without RVLs. Univariate analysis revealed NNV (HR 7.08, 95% CI 1.67-30.03) was predictive of composite renal outcome.
Conclusion: RVLs are present in one-fifth of cLN patients and are associated with severe presentation. NNV is associated with worse long-term renal outcome. Routine evaluation of RVLs is warranted and should be incorporated into future classification criteria.
Genetic variants in NER pathway genes predict hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma survival
Authors: Wei Junjie , Qiu Moqin , Cao ji , Zhou Zihan , Zhan Shicheng , jiang Binbin , Qin Liming , Lin Qiuling , jiang Yanji , Liang Xiumei , Chen Peiqin , Wei Yuying , Wei Xiaoxia , Guo Qian , Li Jianxu , Yu Hongping , Liu Yingchun 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is an important DNA damage repair pathway involved in prognosis of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between genetic variants in NER pathway genes and overall survival (OS) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses was performed to investigate the associations between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in candidate genes and OS of 866 patients with operable hepatitis B virus (HBV) related HCC. The relationship between SNPs and corresponding genes was estimated by GTEx database and 1000 Genomes project. Online biological information databases were used for functional annotation of SNPs. Gene expression was calculated using data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Kaplan‐Meier plotter was used to evaluate the relationship between gene expression and OS in HBV-HCC patients. cBioPortaldatabase was applied to observe the mutation rate of genes in HCC tumor tissues. We identified two independent functional SNPs were significantly associated with OS of HBV-HCC patients [USP45 rs4840048 T>C: Hazard ratio (HR)=0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.48-0.86, P=0.003) and PRPF19rs7116665 C>A: HR=1.31, 95%CI=1.13-1.53, P<0.001). Besides, rs4840048 T allele was significantly correlated with higher USP45 mRNA expression levels (P=0.010), while rs7116665 A allele was significantly correlated with decreased PRPF19 mRNA expression levels (P=0.003). In the TCGA database, high expression of USP45 and PRPF19 was associated with poorer survival in HCC patients (P=0.026 and P<0.001, respectively). Our finding indicated that the two SNPs in NER pathway genes may be novel biomarkers of the survival in HBV-HCC patients.