bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
H - 70 Self-Administration of the Language Acculturation Metertm in a Clinical Older Adult Population: a Pilot Study
Authors: Viruet- Sánchez Esteban , Gonzalez Marela Firpi , Stimmel Marnina , McGinley John , Bronshteyn Diana , Facchini Ronda , Weiss Erica F 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Introduction
Language acculturation is the process by which a bilingual individual obtains proficiency and comfort in speaking a new language while maintaining fluency in their native language. Considering the degree of language acculturation in bilingual patients is essential to choosing appropriate tests and interpreting neuropsychological assessment. The Language Acculturation Meter™ (LAM) was created for native Spanish speakers who are bilingual in English to aid in selecting and interpreting verbally-administered assessments. While the LAM was created to be completed as an interview, a Spanish version of the form exists and can be given to patients to complete independently. We sought to evaluate the feasibility and utility of self-administered LAM in a clinical older adult population in NY State.

Methods
The LAM was given to Spanish-speaking older adults and their caregivers as part of their clinical neuropsychological evaluation at Montefiore’s Memory Disorders Centers. 16 patient and caregiver dyads completed the LAM in either English or Spanish.

Results
Patient ages ranged from 67 to 83; 75% of the patients were female, and 56% self-identified as bilingual. 18% of patients completed the LAM without caregiver assistance. Dyads did not comment on the form, but early qualitative feedback suggests that some had difficulty understanding how to complete aspects of the LAM, and others found that some items on the LAM did not apply to them.

Conclusions
The LAM is a previously validated interview tool that requires further research to determine if it can be used as a self-report questionnaire in clinical populations, including older adults with cognitive complaints.
MsQuality: an interoperable open-source package for the calculation of standardized quality metrics of mass spectrometry data
Authors: Naake Thomas , Rainer Johannes , Huber Wolfgang 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Motivation
Multiple factors can impact accuracy and reproducibility of mass spectrometry data. There is a need to integrate quality assessment and control into data analytic workflows.

Results
The MsQuality package calculates 43 low-level quality metrics based on the controlled mzQC vocabulary defined by the HUPO-PSI on a single mass spectrometry-based measurement of a sample. It helps to identify low-quality measurements and track data quality. Its use of community-standard quality metrics facilitates comparability of quality assessment and control (QA/QC) criteria across datasets.

Availability and implementation
The R package MsQuality is available through Bioconductor at https://bioconductor.org/packages/MsQuality.
Joint modeling in presence of informative censoring on the retrospective time scale with application to palliative care research
Authors: Wu Quran , Daniels Michael , El-Jawahri Areej , Bakitas Marie , Li Zhigang 
Published: October 2023

Summary
Joint modeling of longitudinal data such as quality of life data and survival data is important for palliative care researchers to draw efficient inferences because it can account for the associations between those two types of data. Modeling quality of life on a retrospective from death time scale is useful for investigators to interpret the analysis results of palliative care studies which have relatively short life expectancies. However, informative censoring remains a complex challenge for modeling quality of life on the retrospective time scale although it has been addressed for joint models on the prospective time scale. To fill this gap, we develop a novel joint modeling approach that can address the challenge by allowing informative censoring events to be dependent on patients’ quality of life and survival through a random effect. There are two sub-models in our approach: a linear mixed effect model for the longitudinal quality of life and a competing-risk model for the death time and dropout time that share the same random effect as the longitudinal model. Our approach can provide unbiased estimates for parameters of interest by appropriately modeling the informative censoring time. Model performance is assessed with a simulation study and compared with existing approaches. A real-world study is presented to illustrate the application of the new approach.
Prospective multicentre study of indications for surgery in patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis following endoscopic ultrasonography (PICUS)
Authors: Umans Devica S , Timmerhuis Hester C , Anten Marie-Paule G F , Bhalla Abha , Bijlsma Rina A , Boxhoorn Lotte , Brink Menno A , Bruno Marco J , Curvers Wouter L , van Eijck Brechje C , Erkelens G Willemien , van Geenen Erwin J M , Hazen Wouter L , Hoge Chantal V , Hol Lieke , Inderson Akin , Kager Liesbeth M , Kuiken Sjoerd D , Perk Lars E , Quispel Rutger , Römkens Tessa E H , Sperna Weiland Christina J , Thijssen Annemieke Y , Venneman Niels G , Verdonk Robert C , van Wanrooij Roy L J , Witteman Ben J , Besselink Marc G , van Hooft Jeanin E 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Cholecystectomy in patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis (IAP) is controversial. A randomized trial found cholecystectomy to reduce the recurrence rate of IAP but did not include preoperative endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). As EUS is effective in detecting gallstone disease, cholecystectomy may be indicated only in patients with gallstone disease. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic value of EUS in patients with IAP, and the rate of recurrent pancreatitis in patients in whom EUS could not determine the aetiology (EUS-negative IAP).

Methods
This prospective multicentre cohort study included patients with a first episode of IAP who underwent outpatient EUS. The primary outcome was detection of aetiology by EUS. Secondary outcomes included adverse events after EUS, recurrence of pancreatitis, and quality of life during 1-year follow-up.

Results
After screening 957 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis from 24 centres, 105 patients with IAP were included and underwent EUS. In 34 patients (32 per cent), EUS detected an aetiology: (micro)lithiasis and biliary sludge (23.8 per cent), chronic pancreatitis (6.7 per cent), and neoplasms (2.9 per cent); 2 of the latter patients underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. During 1-year follow-up, the pancreatitis recurrence rate was 17 per cent (12 of 71) among patients with EUS-negative IAP versus 6 per cent (2 of 34) among those with positive EUS. Recurrent pancreatitis was associated with poorer quality of life.

Conclusion
EUS detected an aetiology in a one-third of patients with a first episode of IAP, requiring mostly cholecystectomy or pancreatoduodenectomy. The role of cholecystectomy in patients with EUS-negative IAP remains uncertain and warrants further study.
Radiomics preoperative-Fistula Risk Score (RAD-FRS) for pancreatoduodenectomy: development and external validation
Authors: Ingwersen Erik W , Bereska Jacqueline I , Balduzzi Alberto , Janssen Boris V , Besselink Marc G , Kazemier Geert , Marchegiani Giovanni , Malleo Giuseppe , Marquering Henk A , Nio C Yung , de Robertis Riccardo , Salvia Roberto , Steyerberg Ewout W , Stoker Jaap , Struik Femke , Verpalen Inez M , Daams Freek ,   for the Pancreatobiliary and Hepatic Artificial Intelligence Research (PHAIR) consortium
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Accurately predicting the risk of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreatoduodenectomy before surgery may assist surgeons in making more informed treatment decisions and improved patient counselling. The aim was to evaluate the predictive accuracy of a radiomics-based preoperative-Fistula Risk Score (RAD-FRS) for clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula.

Methods
Radiomic features were derived from preoperative CT scans from adult patients after pancreatoduodenectomy at a single centre in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, 2013–2018) to develop the radiomics-based preoperative-Fistula Risk Score. Extracted radiomic features were analysed with four machine learning classifiers. The model was externally validated in a single centre in Italy (Verona, 2020–2021). The radiomics-based preoperative-Fistula Risk Score was compared with the Fistula Risk Score and the updated alternative Fistula Risk Score.

Results
Overall, 359 patients underwent a pancreatoduodenectomy, of whom 89 (25 per cent) developed a clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula. The radiomics-based preoperative-Fistula Risk Score model was developed using CT scans of 118 patients, of which three radiomic features were included in the random forest model, and externally validated in 57 patients. The model performed well with an area under the curve of 0.90 (95 per cent c.i. 0.71 to 0.99) and 0.81 (95 per cent c.i. 0.69 to 0.92) in the Amsterdam test set and Verona data set respectively. The radiomics-based preoperative-Fistula Risk Score performed similarly to the Fistula Risk Score (area under the curve 0.79) and updated alternative Fistula Risk Score (area under the curve 0.79).

Conclusion
The radiomics-based preoperative-Fistula Risk Score, which uses only preoperative CT features, is a new and promising radiomics-based score that has the potential to be integrated with hospital CT report systems and improve patient counselling before surgery. The model with underlying code is readily available via www.pancreascalculator.com and www.github.com/PHAIR-Consortium/POPF-predictor.
Identification of different MRI atrophy progression trajectories in epilepsy by subtype and stage inference
Authors: Xiao Fenglai , Caciagli Lorenzo , Wandschneider Britta , Sone Daichi , Young Alexandra L , Vos Sjoerd B , Winston Gavin P , Zhang Yingying , Liu Wenyu , An Dongmei , Kanber Baris , Zhou Dong , Sander Josemir W , Thom Maria , Duncan John S , Alexander Daniel C , Galovic Marian , Koepp Matthias J 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools are widely employed, but their use for diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disorders is still evolving. Here we analyse a cross-sectional multicentre structural MRI dataset of 696 people with epilepsy and 118 control subjects. We use an innovative machine-learning algorithm, Subtype and Stage Inference, to develop a novel data-driven disease taxonomy, whereby epilepsy subtypes correspond to distinct patterns of spatiotemporal progression of brain atrophy.In a discovery cohort of 814 individuals, we identify two subtypes common to focal and idiopathic generalized epilepsies, characterized by progression of grey matter atrophy driven by the cortex or the basal ganglia. A third subtype, only detected in focal epilepsies, was characterized by hippocampal atrophy. We corroborate external validity via an independent cohort of 254 people and confirm that the basal ganglia subtype is associated with the most severe epilepsy.Our findings suggest fundamental processes underlying the progression of epilepsy-related brain atrophy. We deliver a novel MRI- and AI-guided epilepsy taxonomy, which could be used for individualized prognostics and targeted therapeutics.
The association of body mass index and body composition with plasma amyloid beta levels
Authors: Hermesdorf Marco , Esselmann Hermann , Morgado Barbara , Jahn-Brodmann Anke , Herrera-Rivero Marisol , Wiltfang Jens , Berger Klaus 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBlood-based analysis of amyloid-β is increasingly applied to incrementally establish diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease. To this aim, it is necessary to determine factors that can alter blood-based concentrations of amyloid-β. We cross-sectionally analysed amyloid-β-40 and amyloid-β-42 concentrations and the 40/42 ratio in 440 community-dwelling adults and associations with body mass index, waist-to-height ratio and body composition assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Body mass index and waist-to-height ratio were inversely associated with plasma amyloid-β-42 concentrations. Body fat mass, but not body cell mass and extracellular mass, was inversely associated with amyloid-β-42 levels. The results indicate that plasma concentrations of amyloid-β-42 are lower in those with increased body mass index and body fat, and associations with amyloid-β-40 did not reach significance after controlling for multiple testing. The findings support the use of body mass index as an easy-to-measure factor that should be accounted for in diagnostic models for plasma amyloid-β.
Anterior cingulate sulcation is associated with onset and survival in frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Harper Luke , de Boer Sterre , Lindberg Olof , Lätt Jimmy , Cullen Nicholas , Clark Lyles , Irwin David , Massimo Lauren , Grossman Murray , Hansson Oskar , Pijnenburg Yolande , McMillan Corey T , Santillo Alexander F 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia is the second most common form of early onset dementia (&lt;65 years). Despite this, there are few known disease-modifying factors. The anterior cingulate is a focal point of pathology in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. Sulcation of the anterior cingulate is denoted by the presence of a paracingulate sulcus, a tertiary sulcus developing, where present during the third gestational trimester and remaining stable throughout life. This study aims to examine the impact of right paracingulate sulcal presence on the expression and prognosis of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. This retrospective analysis drew its population from two clinical samples recruited from memory clinics at university hospitals in the USA and The Netherlands. Individuals with sporadic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia were enrolled between 2000 and 2022 and followed up for an average of 7.71 years. T1-MRI data were evaluated for hemispheric paracingulate sulcal presence in accordance with an established protocol by two blinded raters. Outcome measures included age at onset, survival, cortical thickness and Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration-modified Clinical Dementia Rating determined clinical disease progression. The study population consisted of 186 individuals with sporadic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (113 males and 73 females), mean age 63.28 years (SD 8.32). The mean age at onset was 2.44 years later in individuals possessing a right paracingulate sulcus [60.2 years (8.54)] versus individuals who did not [57.76 (8.05)], 95% confidence interval &gt; 0.41, P = 0.02. Education was not associated with age at onset (β = −0.05, P = 0.75). The presence of a right paracingulate sulcus was associated with an 83% increased risk of death per year after age at onset (hazard ratio 1.83, confidence interval [1.09–3.07], P &lt; 0.02), whilst the mean age at death was similar for individuals with a present and absent right paracingulate sulcus (P = 0.7). Right paracingulate sulcal presence was not associated with baseline cortical thickness. Right paracingulate sulcal presence is associated with disease expression and survival in sporadic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. Findings provide evidence of neurodevelopmental brain reserve in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia that may be important in the design of trials for future therapeutic approaches.
Appropriate assessment using virtual reality simulation for a novel reshaped curve sheath during percutaneous left atrial appendage closure: a follow-up case report
Authors: Shimura Tetsuro , Higami Hirooki , Matsuo Hitoshi , Yamamoto Masanori 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
We previously reported a case of successful percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) for complex left atrial appendage (LAA) morphology using a handmade double-curve delivery sheath (DS) reshaped by a heat gun. However, whether the reshaped curve was appropriately adjusted as an optimal configuration for this patient’s anatomy remained uncertain.

Case summary
We established the LAAC procedural simulation model supported by virtual reality (VR) technology. With this VR simulator, the patient’s whole heart model with venous access route and atrial septal puncture point of foramen ovale (FO) could be replicated based on the pre-procedural computed tomography image. Multiple views of the VR image provided a deep understanding of the patient-specific anatomy. Additionally, the operators were enabled to perform the virtual LAAC procedure using VR-derived LAAC devices, including various DS types. In the VR simulator, the manually reshaped DS showed better co-axiality from the FO to the LAA orifice than the conventional double-curve DS, resulting in the successful deployment inside the LAA of the VR simulator. However, the perpendicularity of the device towards the LAA orifice of the handmade reshaped DS remained insufficient. The VR simulator suggested that the ideal curve of the DS needed to change relatively posteriorly and have a more aggressive inferior slide than the previously reshaped DS.

Discussion
The post-procedural review of the VR simulator confirmed that the sheath reshaping technique helped ensure successful LAAC. Pre-procedural VR simulation may be useful for procedural planning that includes DS reshaping for patients with challenging anatomy undergoing LAAC.
Exaggerated elastin turnover in young individuals with Marfan syndrome: new insights from the AIMS trial
Authors: Iskandar Zaid , Dodd Matthew , Huang Jeffrey , Chin Calvin W L , Stuart Graham , Caputo Massimo , Clayton Tim , Child Anne , Jin Xu Yu , Aragon-Martin José Antonio , Gibb Jack , Flather Marcus , Choy Anna-Maria 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Aims
The fragmentation and loss of elastic fibre in the tunica media of the aorta are pathological hallmarks of Marfan syndrome (MFS) but the dynamics of elastin degradation and its relationship to aortic size and physiological growth remain poorly understood.

Methods and results
In this post hoc analysis of the AIMS randomized controlled trial, the association of plasma desmosine (pDES)—a specific biomarker of mature elastin degradation—with age and aortic size was analysed in 113 patients with MFS and compared to 109 healthy controls. There was a strong association between age and pDES in both groups, with higher pDES levels in the lower age groups compared to adults. During childhood, pDES increased and peaked during early adolescence, and thereafter decreased to lower adult levels. This trend was exaggerated in young individuals with MFS but in those above 25 years of age, pDES levels were comparable to controls despite the presence of aortic root dilation. In MFS children, increased aortic diameter relative to controls was seen at an early age and although the increase in diameter was less after adolescence, aortic root size continued to increase steadily with age. In MFS participants, there was an indication of a positive association between baseline pDES levels and aortic root dilatation during up to 5 years of follow-up.

Conclusion
This study has shown that developmental age has a significant effect on levels of elastin turnover as measured by pDES in MFS individuals as well as healthy controls. This effect is exaggerated in those with MFS with increased levels seen during the period of physiologic development that plateaus towards adulthood. This suggests an early onset of pathophysiology that may present an important opportunity for disease-modifying intervention.
Increased minute ventilation-to-carbon dioxide slope during cardiopulmonary exercise test is associated with poor postoperative outcome following lung cancer resection
Authors: Rushwan Amr , Stefanou Demetrios , Tariq Javeria , Drosos Polivious , Chaudhuri Nilanjan , Milton Richard , Tcherveniakov Peter , Papagiannopoulos Kostas , Brunelli Alessandro 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Ventilatory efficiency [minute ventilation-to-carbon dioxide output slope (VE/VCO2 slope)] can be measured at sub-maximal workload during cardiopulmonary exercise test. The aim of this study is to assess the association between VE/VCO2 slope and outcome after lung cancer resections.

METHODS
Retrospective, single-centre analysis on all patients undergoing lung resection for cancer (April 2014–August 2022) and with a preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise test. VE/VCO2 slope &gt;40 was chosen as high-risk threshold. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the association of VE/VCO2 slope and several patient- and surgery-related factors with 90-day mortality.

RESULTS
A total of 552 patients were included (374 lobectomies, 81 segmentectomies, 55 pneumonectomies and 42 wedge resections). Seventy-four percent were minimally invasive procedures. Cardiopulmonary morbidity was 32%, in-hospital/30-day mortality 6.9% and 90-day mortality 8.9%. A total of 137 patients (25%) had a slope of &gt;40. These patients were older (72 vs 70 years, P = 0.012), had more frequently coronary artery disease (17% vs 10%, P = 0.028), lower carbon monoxide lung diffusion capacity (57% vs 68%, P &lt; 0.001), lower body mass index (25.4 vs 27.0 kg/m2, P = 0.001) and lower peak VO2 (14.9 vs 17.0 ml/kg/min, P &lt; 0.001) than those with a lower slope. The cardiopulmonary morbidity among patients with a slope of &gt;40 was 40% vs 29% in those with lower slope (P = 0.019). Ninety-day mortality was 15% vs 6.7% (P = 0.002). The 90-day mortality of elderly patients with slope &gt;40 was 21% vs 7.8% (P = 0.001). After adjusting for peak VO2 value, extent of operation and other patient-related variables in a logistic regression analysis, VE/VCO2 slope retained a significant association with 90-day mortality.

CONCLUSIONS
VE/VCO2 slope was strongly associated with morbidity and mortality following lung resection and should be included in the functional algorithm to assess fitness for surgery.
Altered Gene Expression Within the Renin–Angiotensin System in Normal Aging and Dementia
Authors: Tayler Hannah M , MacLachlan Robert , Güzel Özge , Fisher Robert A , Skrobot Olivia A , Abulfadl Mohamed A , Kehoe Patrick G , Miners J Scott 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is dysregulated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, we have explored the hypothesis that an ­age-­related imbalance in brain RAS is a trigger for RAS dysregulation in AD. We characterized RAS gene expression in the frontal cortex from (i) a cohort of normal aging (n = 99, age range = 19–96 years) and (ii) a case–control cohort (n = 209) including AD (n = 66), mixed dementia (VaD + AD; n = 50), pure vascular dementia (VaD; n = 42), and age-matched controls (n = 51). The AD, mixed dementia, and age-matched controls were further stratified by Braak tangle stage (BS): BS0–II (n = 48), BSIII–IV (n = 44), and BSV–VI (n = 85). Gene expression was calculated by quantitative PCR (qPCR) for ACE1, AGTR1, AGTR2, ACE2, LNPEP, and MAS1 using the 2−∆∆Cq method, after adjustment for reference genes (RPL13 and UBE2D2) and cell-specific calibrator genes (NEUN, GFAP, PECAM). ACE1 and AGTR1, markers of classical RAS signaling, and AGTR2 gene expression were elevated in normal aging and gene expression in markers of protective downstream regulatory RAS signaling, including ACE2, MAS1, and LNPEP, were unchanged. In AD and mixed dementia, AGTR1 and AGTR2 gene expression were elevated in BSIII–IV and BSV–VI, respectively. MAS1 gene expression was reduced at BSV–VI and was inversely related to parenchymal Aβ and tau load. LNPEP gene expression was specifically elevated in VaD. These data provide novel insights into RAS signaling in normal aging and dementia.