bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Altering the interfacial rheology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus with N-acetyl cysteine and cysteamine
Authors: Balmuri Sricharani Rao , Noaman Sena , Usman Huda , Niepa Tagbo H. R. 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionChronic lung infection due to bacterial biofilms is one of the leading causes of mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Among many species colonizing the lung airways, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are two virulent pathogens involved in mechanically robust biofilms that are difficult to eradicate using airway clearance techniques like lung lavage. To remove such biological materials, glycoside hydrolase-based compounds are commonly employed for targeting and breaking down the biofilm matrix, and subsequently increasing cell susceptibility to antibiotics.Materials and methodsIn this study, we evaluate the effects of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and Cysteamine (CYST) in disrupting interfacial bacterial films, targeting different components of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). We characterize the mechanics and structural integrity of the interfacial bacterial films using pendant drop elastometry and scanning electron microscopy.Results and discussionOur results show that the film architectures are compromised by treatment with disrupting agents for 6 h, which reduces film elasticity significantly. These effects are profound in the wild type and mucoid P. aeruginosa, compared to S. aureus. We further assess the effects of competition and cooperation between S. aureus and P. aeruginosa on the mechanics of composite interfacial films. Films of S. aureus and wild-type P. aeruginosa cocultures lose mechanical strength while those of S. aureus and mucoid P. aeruginosa exhibit improved storage modulus. Treatment with NAC and CYST reduces the elastic property of both composite films, owing to the drugs’ ability to disintegrate their EPS matrix. Overall, our results provide new insights into methods for assessing the efficacy of mucolytic agents against interfacial biofilms relevant to cystic fibrosis infection.
Management and outcomes of spontaneous coronary artery dissection: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Petrović Milovan , Miljković Tatjana , Ilić Aleksandra , Kovačević Mila , Čanković Milenko , Dabović Dragana , Stojšić Milosavljević Anastazija , Čemerlić Maksimović Snežana , Jaraković Milana , Andrić Dragica , Golubović Miodrag , Bjelobrk Marija , Bjelić Snežana , Tadić Snežana , Slankamenac Jelena , Apostolović Svetlana , Djurović Vladimir , Milovančev Aleksandra 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundContemporary management of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is still controversial. This systematic review of the literature aims to explore outcomes in the patients treated with conservative management vs. invasive strategy.MethodsThe PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed when we extensively searched three electronic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, for studies that compared conservative vs. invasive revascularization treatment outcomes for patients with SCAD from 2003 to 2023. The outcomes of interest were all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including acute coronary syndrome (ACS), heart failure (HF), need for additional revascularization, target vessel revascularization (TVR), SCAD recurrence, and stroke.ResultsThe systematic review included 13 observational studies evaluating 1,801 patients with SCAD. The overall mean age was 49.12 +/− 3.41, and 88% were females. The overall prevalence of arterial hypertension was 33.2%, hyperlipidemia, 26.9%, smoking, 17.8%, and diabetes, 3.9%. Approximately 48.5% of the patients were diagnosed with non-ST elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), 36.8% with ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), 3.41% with unstable angina, 0.56% with stable angina, and 0.11% were diagnosed with various types of arrhythmias. The left anterior descending artery (LAD) was the most common culprit lesion in 51% of the patients. There were initially 65.2% of conservatively treated patients vs. 33.4% that underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or 1.28% that underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). SCAD-PCI revascularization was associated with a variable range of PCI failure. The most common complications were hematoma extension and iatrogenic dissection. SCAD-PCI revascularization frequently required three or more stents and had residual areas of dissection. The overall reported in-hospital and follow-up mortality rates were 1.2% and 1.3%, respectively. The follow-up range across studies was 7.3–75.6 months. The authors reported variable prevalence of MACE, recurrent SCAD up to 31%, ACS up to 27.4%, TVR up to 30%, repeat revascularization up to 14.7%, UA up to 13.3%, HF up to 17.4%, and stroke up to 3%.ConclusionOur results highlight that conservative treatment should be the preferred method of treatment in patients with SCAD. PCI revascularization is associated with a high prevalence of periprocedural complications. SCAD poses a considerable risk of MACE, mainly associated with TVR, ACS, and recurrent SCAD.
An in silico approach to identify potential downstream targets of miR-153 involved in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Amber Sanila , Zahid Saadia 
Published: January 2024

Background: In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key players in the pathophysiology of multiple diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Messenger RNA (mRNA) targeting for regulation of gene expression by miRNAs has been implicated in the annotation of disease pathophysiology as well as in the explication of their starring role in contemporary therapeutic interventions. One such miRNA is miR-153 which mediates the survival of cortical neurons and inhibits plaque formation. However, the core mRNA targets of miR-153 have not been fully illustrated.Objective: The present study aimed to elucidate the potential involvement of miR-153 in AD pathogenesis and to reveal its downstream targets.Methods: miRanda was used to identify AD-associated targets of miR-153. TargetScan, PicTar, miRmap, and miRDB were further used to validate these targets. STRING 12 was employed to assess the protein-protein interaction network while Gene ontology (GO) analysis was carried out to identify the molecular functions exhibited by these gene targets.Results:In silico analysis using miRanda predicted five important AD-related targets of miR-153, including APP, SORL1, PICALM, USF1, and PSEN1. All five target genes are negatively regulated by miR-153 and are substantially involved in AD pathogenesis. A protein interaction network using STRING 12 uncovered 30 potential interacting partners for SORL1, PICALM, and USF1. GO analysis revealed that miR-153 target genes play a critical role in neuronal survival, differentiation, exon guidance, amyloid precursor protein processing, and synapse formation.Conclusion: These findings unravel the potential role of miR-153 in the pathogenesis of AD and provide the basis for forthcoming experimental studies.
Critical mineral demands may limit scaling of green hydrogen production
Authors: Greenwald Julia E. , Zhao Mervin , Wicks Douglas A. 
Published: January 2024

Hydrogen (H2) is widely viewed as critical to the decarbonization of industry and transportation. Water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity, commonly referred to as green H2, can be used to generate H2 with low carbon dioxide emissions. Herein, we analyze the critical mineral and energy demands associated with green H2 production under three different hypothetical future demand scenarios, ranging from 100–1,000 Mtpa H2. For each scenario, we calculate the critical mineral demands required to build water electrolyzers (i.e., electrodes and electrolyte) and to build dedicated or additional renewable electricity sources (i.e., wind and solar) to power the electrolyzers. Our analysis shows that scaling electrolyzer and renewable energy technologies that use platinum group metals and rare earth elements will likely face supply constraints. Specifically, larger quantities of lanthanum, yttrium, or iridium will be needed to increase electrolyzer capacity and even more neodymium, silicon, zinc, molybdenum, aluminum, and copper will be needed to build dedicated renewable electricity sources. We find that scaling green H2 production to meet projected net-zero targets will require ∼24,000 TWh of dedicated renewable energy generation, which is roughly the total amount of solar and wind projected to be on the grid in 2050 according to some energy transition models. In summary, critical mineral constraints may hinder the scaling of green H2 to meet global net-zero emissions targets, motivating the need for the research and development of alternative, low-emission methods of generating H2.
Current situation and trend of non-coding RNA in rheumatoid arthritis: a review and bibliometric analysis
Authors: Wei Zehong , Li Huaiyu , Lv Senhao , Yang Junping 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease that affects multiple joints and has adverse effects on various organs throughout the body, often leading to a poor prognosis. Recent studies have shown significant progress in the research of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in RA. Therefore, this study aims to comprehensively assess the current status and research trends of ncRNAs in RA through a bibliometric analysis.MethodsThis study retrieved articles relevant to ncRNAs and RA from the Science Citation Index Expanded Database of the Web of Science Core Collection between January 1st, 2003, and July 31st, 2023. The relevant articles were screened based on the inclusion criteria. VOSviewer and CiteSpace are utilized for bibliometric and visual analysis.ResultsA total of 1697 publications were included in this study, and there was a noticeable increase in annual publications from January 1st, 2003, to July 31st, 2023. China, the United States, and the United Kingdom were the most productive countries in this field, contributing to 43.81%, 13.09%, and 3.87% of the publications. Anhui Medical University and Lu Qianjin were identified as the most influential institution and author. Frontiers In Immunology stood out as the most prolific journal, while Arthritis &amp; Rheumatology was the most co-cited journal. Additionally, the research related to “circular RNA”, “oxidative stress”, “proliferation”, and “migration” have emerged as new hotspots in the field.ConclusionIn this study, we have summarized the publication characteristics related to ncRNA and RA and identified the most productive countries, institutions, authors, journals, hot topics, and trends.
Spermidine improves the antioxidant capacity and morphology of intestinal tissues and regulates intestinal microorganisms in Sichuan white geese
Authors: Wang Zelong , Jiang Dongmei , Wang Xin , Jiang Yilong , Sun Qian , Ling Weikang , An Xiaoguang , Ji Chengweng , Li Shuo , Qi Yuxin , Kang Bo 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionIntestinal health is very important to the health of livestock and poultry, and is even a major determining factor in the performance of livestock and poultry production. Spermidine is a type of polyamine that is commonly found in a variety of foods, and can resist oxidative stress, promote cell proliferation and regulate intestinal flora.MethodsIn this study, we explored the effects of spermidine on intestinal health under physiological states or oxidative stress conditions by irrigation with spermidine and intraperitoneal injection of 3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NPA) in Sichuan white goose.Results and discussionOur results showed that spermidine could increase the ratio of intestinal villus to crypt and improve intestinal morphology. In addition, spermidine can also reduce malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation caused by 3-NPA by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enzyme activity, thus alleviating intestinal damage. Furthermore, spermidine can regulate intestinal digestive enzyme activities and affect intestinal digestion and absorption ability. Spermidine can also promote an increase in intestinal microbial diversity and abundance and alleviate the change of microflora structure caused by 3-NPA. In conclusion, spermidine promotes the production of beneficial intestinal metabolites such as Wikstromol, Alpha-bisabolol and AS 1–5, thus improving the level of intestinal health. Taken together, these results indicate that spermidine can improve intestinal health by improving intestinal morphology, increasing antioxidant capacity and regulating intestinal flora structure.
Cannabis use disorder contributes to cognitive dysfunction in Veterans with traumatic brain injury
Authors: Esmaeili Aryan , Dismuke-Greer Clara , Pogoda Terri K. , Amuan Megan E. , Garcia Carla , Del Negro Ariana , Myers Maddy , Kennedy Eamonn , Cifu David , Pugh Mary Jo 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundWhile emerging evidence supports a link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and progressive cognitive dysfunction in Veterans, there is insufficient information on the impact of cannabis use disorder (CUD) on long-term cognitive disorders. This study aimed to examine the incidences of cognitive disorders in Veterans with TBI and CUD and to evaluate their relationship.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense administrative data from the Long-term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium Phenotype study. Diagnoses suggesting cognitive disorders after a TBI index date were identified using inpatient and outpatient data from 2003 to 2022. We compared the differential cognitive disorders incidence in Veterans who had the following: (1) no CUD or TBI (control group), (2) CUD only, (3) TBI only, and (4) comorbid CUD+TBI. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to estimate the overall cognitive disorders incidence in the above study groups. The crude and adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for cognitive disorders.ResultsA total of 1,560,556 Veterans [82.32% male, median (IQR) age at the time of TBI, 34.51 (11.29) years, and 61.35% white] were evaluated. The cognitive disorder incidence rates were estimated as 0.68 (95% CI, 0.62, 0.75) for CUD only and 1.03 (95% CI, 1.00, 1.06) for TBI only per 10,000 person-months of observations, with the highest estimated cognitive disorder incidence observed in participants with both TBI and CUD [1.83 (95% CI, 1.72, 1.95)]. Relative to the control group, the highest hazard of cognitive disorders was observed in Veterans with CUD+TBI [hazard ratio (HR), 3.26; 95% CI, 2.91, 3.65], followed by those with TBI only (2.32; 95 CI%, 2.13, 2.53) and with CUD (1.79; 95 CI%, 1.60, 2.00). Of note, in the CUD only subgroup, we also observed the highest risk of an early onset cognitive disorder other than Alzheimer's disease and Frontotemporal dementia.DiscussionThe results of this analysis suggest that individuals with comorbid TBI and CUD may be at increased risk for early onset cognitive disorders, including dementia.
Targeted therapeutic hypothermia protects against noise induced hearing loss
Authors: Rincon Sabatino Samantha , Rivero Andrea , Sangaletti Rachele , Dietrich W. Dalton , Hoffer Michael E. , King Curtis S. , Rajguru Suhrud M. 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionExposure to occupational or recreational loud noise activates multiple biological regulatory circuits and damages the cochlea, causing permanent changes in hearing sensitivity. Currently, no effective clinical therapy is available for the treatment or mitigation of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Here, we describe an application of localized and non-invasive therapeutic hypothermia and targeted temperature management of the inner ear to prevent NIHL.MethodsWe developed a custom-designed cooling neck collar to reduce the temperature of the inner ear by 3–4°C post-injury to deliver mild therapeutic hypothermia.ResultsThis localized and non-invasive therapeutic hypothermia successfully mitigated NIHL in rats. Our results show that mild hypothermia can be applied quickly and safely to the inner ear following noise exposure. We show that localized hypothermia after NIHL preserves residual hearing and rescues noise-induced synaptopathy over a period of months.DiscussionThis study establishes a minimally-invasive therapeutic paradigm with a high potential for rapid translation to the clinic for long-term preservation of hearing health.
Speaker-turn aware diarization for speech-based cognitive assessments
Authors: Xu Sean Shensheng , Ke Xiaoquan , Mak Man-Wai , Wong Ka Ho , Meng Helen , Kwok Timothy C. Y. , Gu Jason , Zhang Jian , Tao Wei , Chang Chunqi 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionSpeaker diarization is an essential preprocessing step for diagnosing cognitive impairments from speech-based Montreal cognitive assessments (MoCA).MethodsThis paper proposes three enhancements to the conventional speaker diarization methods for such assessments. The enhancements tackle the challenges of diarizing MoCA recordings on two fronts. First, multi-scale channel interdependence speaker embedding is used as the front-end speaker representation for overcoming the acoustic mismatch caused by far-field microphones. Specifically, a squeeze-and-excitation (SE) unit and channel-dependent attention are added to Res2Net blocks for multi-scale feature aggregation. Second, a sequence comparison approach with a holistic view of the whole conversation is applied to measure the similarity of short speech segments in the conversation, which results in a speaker-turn aware scoring matrix for the subsequent clustering step. Third, to further enhance the diarization performance, we propose incorporating a pairwise similarity measure so that the speaker-turn aware scoring matrix contains both local and global information across the segments.ResultsEvaluations on an interactive MoCA dataset show that the proposed enhancements lead to a diarization system that outperforms the conventional x-vector/PLDA systems under language-, age-, and microphone-mismatch scenarios.DiscussionThe results also show that the proposed enhancements can help hypothesize the speaker-turn timestamps, making the diarization method amendable to datasets without timestamp information.
Primary hepatic squamous cell carcinoma: case report and systematic review of the literature
Authors: Zhao Lin , Zhou Yan , Ding Jianmin , Qin Zhengyi , Zhou Hongyu , Jing Xiang 
Published: January 2024

Primary hepatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is extremely rare, and only a few dozen cases have been reported to date. It can barely be diagnosed before histopathological examination, which necessitates the exclusion of metastatic tumors. In this case, we present a 60-year-old female patient with no comorbidity. As laboratory tests and imaging examinations were not diagnostic, ultrasonography (US)-guided liver biopsy was performed and eventually revealed a definitive pathological diagnosis of hepatic SCC. After excluding metastasis, the diagnosis of primary hepatic SCC was established, and then chemotherapy and immunotherapy were performed. Additionally, a comprehensive literature search was conducted on primary hepatic SCC using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, and a total of 53 articles were retrieved with a time range from 1972 to 2022. A critical analysis was then performed to evaluate previous literature focusing on the clinical characteristics, imaging features, treatments, and prognosis.
Machine learning-based CT texture analysis in the differentiation of testicular masses
Authors: Hu Can , Qiao Xiaomeng , Xu Zhenyu , Zhang Zhiyu , Zhang Xuefeng 
Published: January 2024

PurposeTo evaluate the ability of texture features for distinguishing between benign and malignant testicular masses, and furthermore, for identifying primary testicular lymphoma in malignant tumors and identifying seminoma in testicular germ cell tumors, respectively.MethodsWe retrospectively collected 77 patients with an abdominal and pelvic enhanced computed tomography (CT) examination and a histopathologically confirmed testicular mass from a single center. The ROI of each mass was split into two parts by the largest cross-sectional slice and deemed to be two samples. After all processing steps, three-dimensional texture features were extracted from unenhanced and contrast-enhanced CT images. Excellent reproducibility of texture features was defined as intra-class correlation coefficient ≥0.8 (ICC ≥0.8). All the groups were balanced via the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) method. Dimension reduction was based on pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). Before model building, minimum-redundancy maximum-relevance (mRMR) selection and recursive feature elimination (RFE) were used for further feature selection. At last, three ML classifiers with the highest cross validation with 5-fold were selected: autoencoder (AE), support vector machine(SVM), linear discriminant analysis (LAD). Logistics regression (LR) and LR-LASSO were also constructed to compare with the ML classifiers.Results985 texture features with ICC ≥0.8 were extracted for further feature selection process. With the highest AUC of 0.946 (P &lt;0.01), logistics regression was proved to be the best model for the identification of benign or malignant testicular masses. Besides, LR also had the best performance in identifying primary testicular lymphoma in malignant testicular tumors and in identifying seminoma in testicular germ cell tumors, with the AUC of 0.982 (P &lt;0.01) and 0.928 (P &lt;0.01), respectively.ConclusionUntil now, this is the first study that applied CT texture analysis (CTTA) to assess the heterogeneity of testicular tumors. LR model based on CTTA might be a promising non-invasive tool for the diagnosis and differentiation of testicular masses. The accurate diagnosis of testicular masses would assist urologists in correct preoperative and perioperative decision making.