bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Malnutrition and pectoralis muscle index in medical intensive care unit patients: A matched cohort study
Authors: Smith Luke O. , Vest Michael T. , Rovner Alisha J. , Caplan Richard J. , Trabulsi Jillian C. , Patel Juhie B. , Meng Sarah W. , Shapero Mary , Earthman Carrie P. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundMuscle assessment is an important component of nutrition assessment. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) consortium recently underscored the need for more objective muscle assessment methods in clinical settings. Various assessment techniques are available; however, many have limitations in clinical populations. Computed tomography (CT) scans, obtained for diagnostic reasons, could serve multiple purposes, including muscle measurement for nutrition assessment. Although CT scans of the chest are commonly performed clinically, there is little research surrounding the utility of pectoralis muscle measurements in nutrition assessment. The primary aim was to determine whether CT‐derived measures of pectoralis major cross‐sectional area (PMA) and quality (defined as mean pectoralis major Hounsfield units [PMHU]) could be used to identify malnutrition in patients who are mechanically ventilated in an intensive care unit (ICU). A secondary aim was to evaluate the relationship between these measures and clinical outcomes in this population.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 33 pairs of age‐ and sex‐matched adult patients who are being mechanically ventilated in the ICU. Patients were grouped by nutrition status. Analyses were performed to determine differences in PMA and mean PMHU between groups. Associations between muscle and clinical outcomes were also investigated.ResultsCompared with nonmalnourished controls, malnourished patients had a significantly lower PMA (P = 0.001) and pectoralis major (PM) index (PMA/height in m2; P = 0.001). No associations were drawn between PM measures and clinical outcomes.ConclusionThese findings regarding CT PM measures lay the groundwork for actualizing the GLIM call to action to validate quantitative, objective muscle assessment methods in clinical settings.
An Improved k‐Nearest Neighbor Algorithm for Recognition and Classification of Thyroid Nodules
Authors: Ma Xuesi , Han Xiang , Zhang Lina 
Published: February 2024

ObjectivesTo complete the task of automatic recognition and classification of thyroid nodules and solve the problem of high classification error rates when the samples are imbalanced.MethodsAn improved k‐nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm is proposed and a method for automatic thyroid nodule classification based on the improved KNN algorithm is established. In the improved KNN algorithm, we consider not only the number of class labels for various classes of data in KNNs, but also the corresponding weights. And we use the Minkowski distance measure instead of the Euclidean distance measure.ResultsA total of 508 ultrasound images of thyroid nodules, including 415 benign nodules and 93 malignant nodules, were used in the paper. Experimental results show the improved KNN has 0.872549 accuracy, 0.867347 precision, 1 recall, and 0.928962 F1‐score. At the same time, we also considered the influence of different distance weights, the value of k, different distance measures on the classification results.ConclusionsA comparison result shows that our method has a better performance than the traditional KNN and other classical machine learning methods.
Adjuvant Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Recurrent Respiratory Papilloma Patients Older than 45
Authors: Ivancic Ryan , Freeman Taylor , de Silva Brad , Forrest Arick , Kim Brandon , Matrka Laura 
Published: February 2024

ObjectivesThe primary objective was to examine the intersurgical interval (ISI) of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) in patients older than 45 years before and after a Gardasil vaccination series.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective chart review of adult patients >45 years of age diagnosed with RRP from 2012 to 2022. Patients were excluded if they did not receive at least two doses of the Gardasil vaccine series or if they underwent two or fewer surgeries during the study period.ResultsThirteen patients met the inclusion criteria, 11 males and two females. The age at initial diagnosis ranged from 46 to 80 years, with a mean of 59 years. There was a significant increase in the average ISI, from 126 ± 87 days pre‐vaccination compared to 494 ± 588 days post‐vaccination (p < 0.01). The average number of surgeries per patient was 6.8 ± 2.4 over an average follow‐up of 49.7 ± 30.3 months.ConclusionAdjuvant Gardasil use in RRP patients older than 45 years significantly increases the ISI. Current CDC recommendations include only patients ages 9 to 45, but this study provides evidence that RRP patients outside this age range may benefit from adjuvant HPV vaccination.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 134:3226–3229, 2024
Omnivorous summer feeding by juvenile Antarctic krill in coastal waters
Authors: Conroy John A. , Steinberg Deborah K. , Nardelli Schuyler C. , Schofield Oscar 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe Antarctic krill Euphausia superba is often considered an herbivore but is notable for its trophic flexibility, which includes feeding on protistan and metazoan zooplankton. Characterizing krill trophic position (TP) is important for understanding carbon and energy flow from phytoplankton to vertebrate predators and to the deep ocean, especially as plankton composition is sensitive to changing climate. We used repeated field sampling and experiments to study feeding by juvenile krill during three austral summers in waters near Palmer Station, Antarctica. Our approach was to combine seasonal carbon budgets, gut fluorescence measurements, imaging flow cytometry, and compound‐specific isotope analysis of amino acids. Field measurements coupled to experimentally derived grazing functional response curves suggest that phytoplankton grazing alone was insufficient to support the growth and basal metabolism of juvenile krill. Phytoplankton consumption by juvenile krill was limited due to inefficient feeding on nanoplankton (2–20 μm), which constituted the majority of autotrophic prey. Mean krill TP and the metazoan dietary fraction increased in years with higher mesozooplankton biomass, which was not coupled to phytoplankton biomass. Comparing TP estimates using δ15N of different amino acids indicated a substantial and consistent food‐web contribution from heterotrophic protists. Phytoplankton, metazoans, and heterotrophic protists all were important contributors to a diverse krill diet that changed substantially among years. Juvenile krill fed mostly on heterotrophic prey during summer near Palmer Station, and this food web complexity should be considered more broadly throughout the changing Southern Ocean.
Variability in the phytoplankton response to upwelling across an iron limitation mosaic within the California current system
Authors: Lin YuanYu , Torano Olivia , Whitehouse Logan , Pierce Emily , Till Claire P. , Hurst Matthew , Freiberger Robert , Mellett Travis , Maldonado Maria T. , Guo Jian , Sutton Mariam , Zeitz David , Marchetti Adrian 
Published: February 2024

AbstractCoastal upwelling currents such as the California Current System (CCS) comprise some of the most productive biological systems on the planet. Diatoms dominate these upwelling events in part due to their rapid response to nutrient entrainment. In this region, they may also be limited by the micronutrient iron (Fe), an important trace element primarily involved in photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation. The mechanisms behind how diatoms physiologically acclimate to the different stages of the upwelling conveyor belt cycle remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we explore their physiological and metatranscriptomic response to the upwelling cycle with respect to the Fe limitation mosaic that exists in the CCS. Subsurface, natural plankton assemblages that would potentially seed surface blooms were examined over wide and narrow shelf regions. The initial biomass and physiological state of the phytoplankton community had a large impact on the overall response to simulated upwelling. Following on‐deck incubations under varying Fe physiological states, our results suggest that diatoms quickly dominated the blooms by “frontloading” nitrogen assimilation genes prior to upwelling. However, diatoms subjected to induced Fe limitation exhibited reductions in carbon and nitrogen uptake and decreasing biomass accumulation. Simultaneously, they exhibited a distinct gene expression response which included increased expression of Fe‐starvation induced proteins and decreased expression of nitrogen assimilation and photosynthesis genes. These findings may have significant implications for upwelling events in future oceans, where changes in ocean conditions are projected to amplify the gradient of Fe limitation in coastal upwelling regions.
A Digital Twin for a Chiral Sensing Platform
Authors: Nyman Markus , Garcia‐Santiago Xavier , Krstić Marjan , Materne Lukas , Fernandez‐Corbaton Ivan , Holzer Christof , Scott Philip , Wegener Martin , Klopper Wim , Rockstuhl Carsten 
Published: February 2024

AbstractNanophotonic concepts can improve measurement techniques by enhancing and tailoring the light–matter interaction. However, the optical response of devices that implement such techniques can be intricate, depending on the sample under investigation. Nanophotonics is therefore a ripe field for applying the concept of a digital twin: a digital representation of an entire real‐world device. In this work, the concept of a digital twin is detailed with the example of a nanophotonically enhanced chiral sensing platform. In that platform, helicity‐preserving cavities enhance the interaction between chiral molecules and light, allowing faster measurement of the circular dichroism of the molecules. The sheer presence of the molecules affects the cavity's functionality, demanding a holistic treatment to understand the device's performance. In the digital twin, optical and quantum chemistry simulations are fused to provide a comprehensive description of the system and predict the circular dichroism spectrum. Performing simulations in lockstep with the experiment will allow a clear interpretation of measurement results. This work also demonstrates how to design a cavity‐enhanced circular dichroism spectrometer by utilizing the digital twin. The digital twin can be used to guide experiments and analyze results, and its underlying concept can be translated to many other optical experiments.
Enhancing Mechanical Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Imaging with Physics‐Driven Model Selection
Authors: Shaashoua Roni , Levy Tal , Rotblat Barak , Bilenca Alberto 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBrillouin microscopy (BM) is an emerging technique for all‐optical mechanical imaging without the need for physical contact with the sample or for an external mechanical stimulus. However, BM often retrieves a single Brillouin frequency shift for multiple mechanically different materials of structures and/or in regions—sufficiently larger than the phonon wavelength—inside the volume and its surroundings, resulting in significantly limited mechanical specificity in the Brillouin shift images produced. Here, a new physics‐driven model selection framework is developed based on information theory and a physical‐statistical overfit Brillouin water peak threshold that enables the robust identification of single‐ and multi‐peak Brillouin signatures in the sample pixels. The model selection framework is applied to Brillouin data of material interfaces and living NIH/3T3 cells measured by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) microscopy, facilitating the quantification of the Brillouin frequency shift of materials in different regions of the sample and significantly improving mechanical specificity compared with the standard single peak fitting analysis.
Adsorbent Material Used for the Treatment of Per‐ and Poly‐Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): A Short Review
Authors: Gomri Chaimaa , Benkhaled Belkacem Tarek , Cretin Marc , Semsarilar Mona 
Published: February 2024

AbstractPFAS, or per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have received considerable attention due to their persistence in the environment and potential health risks. To address this problem, adsorption has emerged as an effective method for removing PFAS compounds from water. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of various adsorbents used for PFAS removal, including activated carbon, ion exchange resins, clay, and emerging materials such as covalent and metal‐organic framework adsorbents. The effectiveness of these adsorbents in removing PFAS compounds is discussed, along with the factors influencing their adsorption, such as pH, competitive matters, and temperature.
Reimagining Chitosan‐Based Antimicrobial Biomaterials to Mitigate Antibiotic Resistance and Alleviate Antibiotic Overuse: A Review
Authors: Dhlamini Khanyisile Sheer , Selepe Cyril Tlou , Ramalapa Bathabile , Tshweu Lesego , Ray Suprakas Sinha 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis paper reports recent advancements in chitosan‐based antimicrobial biomaterials that aim to address the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Today, AMR is one of the most significant public health challenges the world is facing. To combat the overuse of antibiotics, a range of materials, including advanced nanosized polymers, have been explored as potential antimicrobial agents. In this direction, chitosan scores highly because of its unique combination of properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, bioactivity, non‐toxic, and, most importantly, its intrinsic antibacterial and antifungal activity. Herein, an overview of chitosan and its derivatives as potential alternatives to conventional antimicrobial therapeutics is reported. This review starts with understanding the AMR mechanism, which is critical for developing suitable materials for treating infectious diseases. Then, the inherent characteristics, modes of antimicrobial action, and factors that impact the antimicrobial effectiveness of chitosan and its derivatives are discussed. The authors further summarize various clinical trial results of chitosan‐based materials as antimicrobial agents. Finally, various antimicrobial applications of chitosan‐based materials are reported. In summary, this review offers new insights into the design of chitosan‐based sustainable materials for various antimicrobial applications.
A singular growth phenomenon in a Keller–Segel–type parabolic system involving density‐suppressed motilities
Authors: Wang Yulan , Winkler Michael 
Published: February 2024

AbstractA no‐flux initial‐boundary value problem for
is considered in a ball , where and .Under the assumption that , it is shown that for each , there exist and a positive with the property that whenever is nonnegative with , the global solutions to () emanating from the initial data have the property that
Nano‐Micron Combined Hydrogel Microspheres: Novel Answer for Minimal Invasive Biomedical Applications
Authors: Liu Jiacheng , Du Chengcheng , Chen Hong , Huang Wei , Lei Yiting 
Published: February 2024

AbstractHydrogels, key in biomedical research for their hydrophilicity and versatility, have evolved with hydrogel microspheres (HMs) of micron‐scale dimensions, enhancing their role in minimally invasive therapeutic delivery, tissue repair, and regeneration. The recent emergence of nanomaterials has ushered in a revolutionary transformation in the biomedical field, which demonstrates tremendous potential in targeted therapies, biological imaging, and disease diagnostics. Consequently, the integration of advanced nanotechnology promises to trigger a new revolution in the realm of hydrogels. HMs loaded with nanomaterials combine the advantages of both hydrogels and nanomaterials, which enables multifaceted functionalities such as efficient drug delivery, sustained release, targeted therapy, biological lubrication, biochemical detection, medical imaging, biosensing monitoring, and micro‐robotics. Here, this review comprehensively expounds upon commonly used nanomaterials and their classifications. Then, it provides comprehensive insights into the raw materials and preparation methods of HMs. Besides, the common strategies employed to achieve nano‐micron combinations are summarized, and the latest applications of these advanced nano‐micron combined HMs in the biomedical field are elucidated. Finally, valuable insights into the future design and development of nano‐micron combined HMs are provided.
Stimuli‐Responsive Polymers for Engineered Emulsions
Authors: Rajbanshi Abhishek , Hilton Eleanor , Dreiss Cécile A. , Murnane Darragh , Cook Michael T. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEmulsions are complex. Dispersing two immiscible phases, thus expanding an interface, requires effort to achieve and the resultant dispersion is thermodynamically unstable, driving the system toward coalescence. Furthermore, physical instabilities, including creaming, arise due to presence of dispersed droplets of different densities to a continuous phase. Emulsions allow the formulation of oils, can act as vehicles to solubilize both hydrophilic and lipophilic molecules, and can be tailored to desirable rheological profiles, including “gel‐like” behavior and shear thinning. The usefulness of emulsions can be further expanded by imparting stimuli‐responsive or “smart” behaviors by inclusion of a stimuli‐responsive emulsifier, polymer or surfactant. This enables manipulation like gelation, breaking, or aggregation, by external triggers such as pH, temperature, or salt concentration changes. This platform generates functional materials for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, oil recovery, and colloid engineering, combining both smart behaviors and intrinsic benefit of emulsions. However, with increased functionality comes greater complexity. This review focuses on the use of stimuli‐responsive polymers for the generation of smart emulsions, motivated by the great adaptability of polymers for this application and their efficacy as steric stabilizers. Stimuli‐responsive emulsions are described according to the trigger used to provide the reader with an overview of progress in this field.
Cholesterol metabolism: physiological regulation and diseases
Authors: Guo Jiarui , Chen Silong , Zhang Ying , Liu Jinxia , Jiang Luyang , Hu Lidan , Yao Ke , Yu Yibo , Chen Xiangjun 
Published: February 2024

AbstractCholesterol homeostasis is crucial for cellular and systemic function. The disorder of cholesterol metabolism not only accelerates the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but is also the fundamental cause of other ailments. The regulation of cholesterol metabolism in the human is an extremely complex process. Due to the dynamic balance between cholesterol synthesis, intake, efflux and storage, cholesterol metabolism generally remains secure. Disruption of any of these links is likely to have adverse effects on the body. At present, increasing evidence suggests that abnormal cholesterol metabolism is closely related to various systemic diseases. However, the exact mechanism by which cholesterol metabolism contributes to disease pathogenesis remains unclear, and there are still unknown factors. In this review, we outline the metabolic process of cholesterol in the human body, especially reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). Then, we discuss separately the impact of abnormal cholesterol metabolism on common diseases and potential therapeutic targets for each disease, including CVD, tumors, neurological diseases, and immune system diseases. At the end of this review, we focus on the effect of cholesterol metabolism on eye diseases. In short, we hope to provide more new ideas for the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases from the perspective of cholesterol.
Blocking the Self‐Destruct Program of Dopamine Neurons through Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Nuclease Inhibition
Authors: Patel Jaimin , Dawson Valina L. , Dawson Ted M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that pathognomonically involves the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, resulting in a myriad of motor and non‐motor symptoms. Given the insurmountable burden of this disease on the population and healthcare system, significant efforts have been put forth toward generating disease modifying therapies. This class of treatments characteristically alters disease course, as opposed to current strategies that focus on managing symptoms. Previous literature has implicated the cell death pathway known as parthanatos in PD progression. Inhibition of this pathway by targeting poly (ADP)‐ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) prevents neurodegeneration in a model of idiopathic PD. However, PARP1 has a vast repertoire of functions within the body, increasing the probability of side effects with the long‐term treatment likely necessary for clinically significant neuroprotection. Recent work culminated in the development of a novel agent targeting the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) nuclease domain, also named parthanatos‐associated apoptosis‐inducing factor nuclease (PAAN). This nuclease activity specifically executes the terminal step in parthanatos. Parthanatos‐associated apoptosis‐inducing factor nuclease inhibitor‐1 was neuroprotective in multiple preclinical mouse models of PD. This piece will focus on contextualizing this discovery, emphasizing its significance, and discussing its potential implications for parthanatos‐directed treatment. © 2024 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Three exonic variants in the COL4A5 gene alter RNA splicing in a minigene assay
Authors: Zhang Ran , Lang Yanhua , Shi Xiaomeng , Zhang Yiyin , Liu Xuyan , Pan Fengjiao , Qiao Dan , Teng Xin , Shao Leping 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundX‐linked Alport syndrome (XLAS) is an inherited renal disease caused by rare variants of COL4A5 on chromosome Xq22. Many studies have indicated that single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in exons can disrupt normal splicing process of the pre‐mRNA by altering various splicing regulatory signals. The male patients with XLAS have a strong genotype–phenotype correlation. Confirming the effect of variants on splicing can help to predict kidney prognosis. This study aimed to investigate whether single nucleotide substitutions, located within three bases at the 5′ end of the exons or internal position of the exons in COL4A5 gene, cause aberrant splicing process.MethodsWe analyzed 401 SNVs previously presumed missense and nonsense variants in COL4A5 gene by bioinformatics programs and identified candidate variants that may affect the splicing of pre‐mRNA via minigene assays.ResultsOur study indicated three of eight candidate variants induced complete or partial exon skipping. Variants c.2678G>C and c.2918G>A probably disturb classic splice sites leading to corresponding exon skipping. Variant c.3700C>T may disrupt splicing enhancer motifs accompanying with generation of splicing silencer sequences resulting in the skipping of exon 41.ConclusionOur study revealed that two missense variants positioned the first nucleotides of the 5′ end of COL4A5 exons and one internal exonic nonsense variant caused aberrant splicing. Importantly, this study emphasized the necessity of assessing the effects of SNVs at the mRNA level.