bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of minimally invasive versus open esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in a single cancer center
Authors: Mu Juwei , Yuan Zuyang , Zhang Baihua , Li Ning , Lyu Fang , Mao Yousheng , Xue Qi , Gao Shugeng , Zhao Jun , Wang Dali , Li Zhishan , Gao Yushun , Zhang Liangze , Huang Jinfeng , Shao Kang , Feng Feiyue , Zhao Liang , Li Jian , Cheng Guiyu , Sun Kelin , He Jie 
Published: January 2024

Background
In order to minimize the injury reaction during the surgery and reduce the morbidity rate, hence reducing the mortality rate of esophagectomy, minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) was introduced. The aim of this study was to compare the postoperative outcomes in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing minimally invasive or open esophagectomy (OE).

Methods
The medical records of 176 consecutive patients, who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) between January 2009 and August 2013 in Cancer Institute & Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, were retrospectively reviewed. In the same period, 142 patients who underwent OE, either Ivor Lewis or McKeown approach, were selected randomly as controls. The clinical variables of paired groups were compared, including age, sex, Charlson score, tumor location, duration of surgery, number of harvested lymph nodes, morbidity rate, the rate of leak, pulmonary morbidity rate, mortality rate, and hospital length of stay (LOS).

Results
The number of harvested lymph nodes was not significantly different between MIE group and OE group (median 20 vs. 16, P=0.740). However, patients who underwent MIE had longer operation time than the OE group (375 vs. 300 minutes, P <0.001). Overall morbidity, pulmonary morbidity, the rate of leak, in-hospital death, and hospital LOS were not significantly different between MIE and OE groups. Morbidities including anastomotic leak and pulmonary morbidity, in-hospital death, hospital LOS, and hospital expenses were not significantly different between MIE and OE groups as well.

Conclusions
MIE and OE appear equivalent with regard to early oncological outcomes. There is a trend that hospital LOS and hospital expenses are reduced in the MIE group than the OE group.
In vivo detection of severity of optic nerve crush using manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in rats
Authors: Yun Feng , Lisha Luo , Zhizhong Ma , Xiaodong Sun , Yuntao Hu 
Published: January 2024

Background
Traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) is one of the reasons for permanent vision loss. Currently, the clinical practices may not be sufficient for direct assessments and comprehensively determining the location and extent of the patients with optic nerve injury in traumatic optic neuropathy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive option. However, rare reports have found whether the differentdegree of injury of the optic nerve can be detected by manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI). This study aimed to explore the efficacy of MEMRI in the visual pathway for different severity of opitic nerve injury in rats.

Methods
The different injuries of mild, moderate, and heavy damages were created by modified reverse tweezer and were evaluated by counting retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and VEP ananlysis. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were intravitreally injected with 2 l of 25 mmol/L MnCl2, which has been confirmed as a safe injection concentration. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of MEMRI for optic nerve enhancement at different injury levels was measured.

Results
The location of the significantly decreased signal point on optic nerve (ON) was corresponding to the location we made. However, similar findings are not obvious, or even have not been observed in 28 days in each group and also in 14 days at F100 group, indicating that MEMRI could be directly intuitive positioned in the early stage on the optic nerve injury.

Conclusions
The possibility of using MEMRI in optic nerve injury in a safe injection concentration of 25 mmol/L is confirmed. Therefore, it is possible to detect the severity of the optic nerve by MEMRI examination.
Theanine improves the function of dendritic cells via the downregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 expression
Authors: Mingsheng Lei , Jianhong Zuo , Min Li , Qihua Gu , Chengping Hu 
Published: January 2024

Background
Tumor cells can reduce the number of dendritic cells (DCs) in the tumor environment and cause DC dysfunction through autocrine or paracrine pathways. We sought to measure cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in bombesin-inhibited DCs treated with theanine in vitro and to explore the protection and activation effects of theanine on DCs.

Methods
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting were used to analyze the effects of theanine on COX-2 expression and interleukin (IL)-12/IL-10 secretion of bombesin-treated DCs.

Results
DCs acquired an impaired phenotype as a result of bombesin treatment. Theanine increased the expression of mature DC surface molecules. The number of cell apoptosis with the treatment of bombesin and theanine significantly decreased, accounting for 15.9%, compared with 26.1% of cell apoptosis with bombesin. COX-2 expression in bombesin-treated DCs was inhibited by theanine in a dose-dependent manner. Theanine promoted DC secretion of IL-12. IL-12 levels reached (137.4±4.9) pg/ml with theanine at 200 μmol/L. However, theanine inhibited the secretion of IL-10 in a dose-dependent manner. IL-10 levels were only (58.4±6.9) pg/ml with theanine at 200 μmol/L.

Conclusion
Theanine inhibits the transcription and translation of COX-2 and regulates the balance of IL-10/IL-12 secretion in bombesin-inhibited DCs, leading to the recovery of a state of activation in DCs.
Measuring health care efficiency with a tripartite configuration under the “National” Health Insurance system
Authors: Kreng Victor B. , Yang Shao-wei , Lin Chien-Hsu 
Published: January 2024

Background
The “National” Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan, China is a single-payer system that was introduced in 1995 to provide universal health care. It is worth noting that three stakeholders are involved in Taiwan’s NHI, which can be seen as a triangular governance regime between the Bureau of “National” Health Insurance (BNHI), the insured and providers. Accordingly, this study intended to assess the efficiency of various different production processes that occur among these stakeholders in Taiwan’s NHI system.

Methods
A two-stage relational Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model is adopted to investigate the sub-process efficiencies of the health care resources held by 23 cities and counties through stages I or II, where the outputs of the first stage serve the inputs of the second. The dataset was collected from the annual reports published by the Department of Health, Taiwan, China.

Results
Under the proposed framework, the efficiency of the whole process can be obtained from the product of productivity and allocative efficiency. Ten DMUs are efficient either in stages I or II, with only two DMUs being efficient with regard to both sub-processes.

Conclusion
The relational DEA model not only demonstrates the physical relationship between the whole process and the sub-process components, but also produces reliable outcomes in efficiency measurement among different stakeholders in Taiwan’s NHI system.
Effectiveness and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection for intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagogastric junction
Authors: Jing Wen , Enqiang Linghu , Yunsheng Yang , Qingsen Liu , Jing Yang , Shufang Wang , Xiangdong Wang , Hong Du , Jiangyun Meng , Hongbin Wang , Zhongsheng Lu 
Published: January 2024

Background
Endoscopic submucosal dissection of the esophagogastric junction is the most difficult gastric and esophageal dissection procedure. No reports of endoscopic submucosal dissection for Siewert type II carcinoma of the esophagogastric junction have compared the outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection for all three Siewert types of adenocarcinoma. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection for intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagogastric junction.

Methods
From October 2008 to June 2013, 73 patients underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection for intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagogastric junction. The patients were prospectively evaluated regarding the executability of the technique, short-term results of the procedure, en bloc resection rate, curative resection rate, complications and additional treatment after endoscopic submucosal dissection, and follow-up outcomes.

Results
Sixty-eight of the 73 patients (93.2%) underwent en bloc resection; the mean maximum specimen diameter was 33.7 mm. Fifty-seven of 61 patients (93.4%) who underwent curative resection were successfully followed-up for 1.0 to 56.0 months (average, 24.1 months). Local recurrence developed in one patient with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasm. Twelve patients underwent noncurative resection, including lateral resection margin residues in three, vertical resection margin residues in one, signet ring cell carcinoma or undifferentiated adenocarcinoma in four, lymphatic or vessel invasion in one, vertical residual margin residues combined with signet ring cell carcinoma in one, and undifferentiated adenocarcinoma with lymphatic or vessel invasion in two. In the noncurative resection group, one patient was lost to follow-up, seven underwent additional surgery, and the remaining four were periodically followed up; none had local recurrence or distant metastases. The only complication was delayed bleeding in three patients, which was successfully controlled by conservative treatment or endoscopic therapy.

Conclusions
Endoscopic submucosal dissection is safe and effective for intraepithelial neoplasia of the esophagogastric junction. R0 en bloc resection is possible and can avoid the risk of local recurrence.
Effect of human rhinovirus infection in pediatric patients with influenza-like illness on the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus
Authors: Sun Yu , Zhu Ru’nan , Zhao Linqing , Deng Jie , Wang Fang , Ding Yaxin , Yuan Yi , Qu Dong , Qian Yuan 
Published: January 2024

Background
Some research groups have hypothesized that human rhinoviruses (HRVs) delayed the circulation of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus (A(H1N1)pdm09) at the beginning of Autumn 2009 in France. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between HRV and A(H1N1)pdm09 in pediatric patients with influenza-like illness in Beijing, China.

Methods
A systematic analysis to detect A(H1N1)pdm09 and seasonal influenza A virus (FLU A) was performed on 4 349 clinical samples from pediatric patients with influenza-like illness during the period June 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010, while a one-step real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) assay was used to detect HRV in 1 146 clinical specimens selected from those 4 349 specimens.

Results
During the survey period, only one wave of A(H1N1)pdm09 was observed. The percentage of positive cases for A(H1N1)pdm09 increased sharply in September with a peak in November 2009 and then declined in February 2010. Data on the monthly distribution of HRVs indicated that more HRV-positive samples were detected in September (2.2%) and October (3.3%), revealing that the peak of HRV infection in 2009 was similar to that of other years. Among the 1 146 specimens examined for HRVs, 21 (1.8%) were HRV-positive, which was significantly lower than that reported previously in Beijing (15.4% to 19.2%) (P <0.01). Overall, 6 samples were positive for both A(H1N1)pdm09 and HRV, which represented a positive relative frequency of 1.60% and 2.08% HRV, considering the A(H1N1)pdm09-positive and -negative specimens, respectively. The odds ratio was 0.87 (95% CI 0.32; 2.44, P=0.80).

Conclusions
HRVs and A (H1N1)pdm09 co-circulated in this Chinese population during September and October 2009, and the HRV epidemic in 2009 did not affect A(H1N1)pdm09 infection rates in Beijing, China as suggested by other studies. However, the presence of A(H1N1)pdm09 might explain the unexpected reduction in the percentage of HRV positive cases during the period studied.
Lateral migration with telescoping of a trochanteric fixation nail in the treatment of an intertrochanteric hip fracture
Authors: Liu Wanjun , Wang Junqiang , Weaver Michael J. , Vrahas Mark S. , Zhou Dongsheng 
Published: January 2024

Background
The trochanteric fixation nail (TFN) can be used to treat stable and unstable fractures of intertrochanteric hip fractures. We study the common lateral migration that occurs with telescoping of intertrochanteric hip fractures treated with TFN and identify the predictors and relationships to clinical outcomes.

Methods
Patient demographic information, fracture type (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO)/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) classification), radiographic data, and clinical data were collected. Lateral migration with telescoping was measured. Statistical analyses were performed to determine which variables predicted lateral migration with telescoping. Patient outcome scores were recorded using the Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS), Hip Outcome Score-Activity of Daily Living (HOS-ADL), and Visual Analog Scale for pain.

Results
Two hundred and twenty-three patients (67 males, 156 females) fitted the radiographic and follow-up (average 24.6 months) criteria. The average age was 77.2 years. The average lateral migration with telescoping was 4.8 mm. Twenty-one patients (9.4%) had excessive lateral migration with telescoping (≥10 mm). The quality of calcar reduction (P=0.01) and unstable fracture patterns (P=0.006) were significant predictive factors of lateral migration with telescoping. The mean outcome scores (MHHS and HOS-ADL) were 80.1 points and 78.7 points, respectively. All subjects had no significant relationship to lateral migration with telescoping (P >0.05). Of all the patients who developed lateral migration with telescoping, only one required removal of the blade for hip pain and all patients went on to uneventful union at an average time of 4.5 months.

Conclusions
Lateral migration with telescoping is a common mechanical complication of intertrochanteric hip fracture treated with the TFN procedure. It was predicted by the quality of calcar reduction and fracture type. However, this did not affect stable fixation and fracture healing, so rarely leads to clinical problems.
Relative frequency and survival of primary cutaneous lymphomas: a retrospective analysis of 98 patients
Authors: Liu Jie , Yu Xin , Liu Yuehua , Jin Hongzhong , Ma Donglai , Qu Tao , Wang Tao , Sun Qiuning 
Published: January 2024

Background
The World Health Organization and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (WHOEORTC) classification in 2005 promoted the comparisons of primary cutaneous lymphoma (PCL) subtypes between different countries. The relative frequency of PCL varied according to geography. The study aimed to analyze the relative frequency and survival of PCLs in China and to compare the data with the published results from other countries.

Methods
We analyzed 98 patients with PCLs over a 6-year period and reclassified them according to the most recent WHO-EORTC classification (2005). Disease-specific survival rate and curves according to specific subtypes such as mycosis fungoides, lymphomatoid papulosis, and primary cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified was also calculated.

Results
The relative rate of PCL in China was distinct from those in Western countries. Our study showed a higher frequency of cutaneous T- and NK-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) (94%), and a lower frequency of cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (CBCLs) (6%). The 5-year survival rate of the total PCLs was 82%. There was no significant difference in the 5-year survival rate (P >0.05 by Log-rank test) between CTCL (80%) and CBCL (100%).

Conclusions
The higher percentage of CTCL in China may provide a clue to further study the etiological factors of PCLs. Racial variations in factors such as HLA determinants may play a role in the development of CTCL.
High levels of interleukin-6 and 8-iso-prostaglandin in the exhaled breath condensate and serum of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease related pulmonary hypertension
Authors: He Haiyan , Tao Yijiang , Chen Xiaoxiao , Qiu Haiyan , Zhu Jie , Zhang Jianhui , Ma Hang 
Published: January 2024

Background
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although alveolar hypoxia is considered as a main cause of PH in COPD, structural and functional changes of pulmonary circulation are apparent at the initial stage of COPD. We hypothesized that an inflammatory response and oxidative stress might contribute to the formation of PH in COPD.

Methods
We measured the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and 8-iso-prostaglandin (8-iso-PSG) in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and serum in 40 patients with COPD only or in 45 patients with COPD combined with PH. Pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) was assessed by Doppler echocardiography and defined as PH when the value of systolic pressure was greater than 40 mmHg.

Results
Compared with the COPD only group, the level of IL-6 in EBC was significantly increased in all 45 patients with COPD combined with PH ((8.27±2.14) ng/L vs. (4.95±1.19) ng/L, P <0.01). The level of IL-6 in serum was also elevated in patients with COPD combined with PH compared with the COPD only group ((72.8±21.6) ng/L vs. (43.58±13.38) ng/L, P <0.01). Similarly, we also observed a significant increase in the level of 8-iso-PSG in both EBC and serum in the COPD with PH group, compared with the COPD only group (EBC: (9.00±2.49) ng/L vs. (5.96±2.31) ng/L, P <0.01 and serum: (41.87±9.75) ng/L vs. (27.79±11.09) ng/L, P <0.01). Additionally, the value of PASP in the PH group was confirmed to be positively correlated with the increase in the levels of IL-6 and 8-iso-PSG in both EBC and serum (r=0.477-0.589, P <0.05).

Conclusion
The increase in the levels of IL-6 and 8-iso-PSG in EBC and serum correlates with the pathogenesis of PH in COPD.
Automated brain tumor segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging based on sliding-window technique and symmetry analysis
Authors: Yanyun Lian , Zhijian Song 
Published: January 2024

Background
Brain tumor segmentation from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important step toward surgical planning, treatment planning, monitoring of therapy. However, manual tumor segmentation commonly used in clinic is time-consuming and challenging, and none of the existed automated methods are highly robust, reliable and efficient in clinic application. An accurate and automated tumor segmentation method has been developed for brain tumor segmentation that will provide reproducible and objective results close to manual segmentation results.

Methods
Based on the symmetry of human brain, we employed sliding-window technique and correlation coefficient to locate the tumor position. At first, the image to be segmented was normalized, rotated, denoised, and bisected. Subsequently, through vertical and horizontal sliding-windows technique in turn, that is, two windows in the left and the right part of brain image moving simultaneously pixel by pixel in two parts of brain image, along with calculating of correlation coefficient of two windows, two windows with minimal correlation coefficient were obtained, and the window with bigger average gray value is the location of tumor and the pixel with biggest gray value is the locating point of tumor. At last, the segmentation threshold was decided by the average gray value of the pixels in the square with center at the locating point and 10 pixels of side length, and threshold segmentation and morphological operations were used to acquire the final tumor region.

Results
The method was evaluated on 3D FSPGR brain MR images of 10 patients. As a result, the average ratio of correct location was 93.4% for 575 slices containing tumor, the average Dice similarity coefficient was 0.77 for one scan, and the average time spent on one scan was 40 seconds.

Conclusions
An fully automated, simple and efficient segmentation method for brain tumor is proposed and promising for future clinic use. Correlation coefficient is a new and effective feature for tumor location.
Prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome using cell-free fetal DNA in amniotic fluid by quantitative fluorescent polymersase chain reaction
Authors: Wu Dan , Chi Hongbin , Shao Minjie , Wu Yao , Jin Hongyan , Wu Baiyan , Qiao Jie 
Published: January 2024

Backgroud
Amniotic fluid (AF) supernatant contains cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) fragments. This study attempted to take advantage of cffDNA as a new material for prenatal diagnosis, which could be combined with simple quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) to provide an ancillary method for the prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 21 syndrome.

Methods
AF supernatant samples were obtained from 27 women carrying euploid fetuses and 28 women carrying aneuploid fetuses with known cytogenetic karyotypes. Peripheral blood samples of the parents were collected at the same time. Short tandem repeat (STR) fragments on chromosome 21 were amplified by QF-PCR. Fetal condition and the parental source of the extra chromosome could be determined by the STR peaks.

Results
The sensitivity of the assay for the aneuploid was 93% (26/28; confidence interval, CI: 77%-98%) and the specificity was 100% (26/26; CI: 88%-100%). The determination rate of the origin of the extra chromosome was 69%. The sensitivity and the specificity of the assay in the euploid were 100% (27/27).

Conclusions
Trisomy 21 can be prenatally diagnosed by the QF-PCR method in AF supernatant. This karyotype analysis method greatly reduces the requirement for the specimen size. It will be a benefit for early amniocentesis and could avoid pregnancy complications. The method may become an ancillary method for prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 21.
Genome-wide association study knowledge-driven pathway analysis of alcohol dependence implicates the calcium signaling pathway
Authors: Li Danni , Li Jinming , Guo Yanfang 
Published: January 2024

Background
Alcohol dependence (AD) is a serious and common public health problem. The identification of genes that contribute to the AD variation will improve our understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying this complex disease. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and candidate gene genetic association studies identified individual genes as candidates for alcohol phenotypes, but efforts to generate an integrated view of accumulative genetic variants and pathways under alcohol drinking are lacking.

Methods
We applied enrichment gene set analysis to existing genetic association results to identify pertinent pathways to AD in this study. A total of 1 438 SNPs (P <1.0×10-3) associated to alcohol drinking related traits have been collected from 31 studies (10 candidate gene association studies, 19 GWAS of SNPs, and 2 GWAS of copy number variants).

Results
Among all of the KEGG pathways, the calcium signaling pathway (hsa04020) showed the most significant enrichment of associations (21 genes) to alcohol consumption phenotypes (P=5.4×10-5). Furthermore, the calcium signaling pathway is the only pathway that turned out to be significant after multiple test adjustments, achieving Bonferroni P value of 0.8×10-3 and FDR value of 0.6×10-2, respectively. Interestingly, the calcium signaling pathway was previously found to be essential to regulate brain function, and genes in this pathway link to a depressive effect of alcohol consumption on the body.

Conclusions
Our findings, together with previous biological evidence, suggest the importance of gene polymorphisms of calcium signaling pathway to AD susceptibility. Still, further investigations are warranted to uncover the role of this pathway in AD and related traits.