bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of machine-learning models for the difficulty of retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy based on radiomics
Authors: Sun Shiwei , Yao Wei , Wang Yue , Yue Peng , Guo Fuyu , Deng Xiaoqian , Zhang Yangang 
Published: November 2023

ObjectiveThe aim is to construct machine learning (ML) prediction models for the difficulty of retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy (RPLA) based on clinical and radiomic characteristics and to validate the models.MethodsPatients who had undergone RPLA at Shanxi Bethune Hospital between August 2014 and December 2020 were retrospectively gathered. They were then randomly split into a training set and a validation set, maintaining a ratio of 7:3. The model was constructed using the training set and validated using the validation set. Furthermore, a total of 117 patients were gathered between January and December 2021 to form a prospective set for validation. Radiomic features were extracted by drawing the region of interest using the 3D slicer image computing platform and Python. Key features were selected through LASSO, and the radiomics score (Rad-score) was calculated. Various ML models were constructed by combining Rad-score with clinical characteristics. The optimal models were selected based on precision, recall, the area under the curve, F1 score, calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic curve, and decision curve analysis in the training, validation, and prospective sets. Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was used to demonstrate the impact of each variable in the respective models.ResultsAfter comparing the performance of 7 ML models in the training, validation, and prospective sets, it was found that the RF model had a more stable predictive performance, while xGBoost can significantly benefit patients. According to SHAP, the variable importance of the two models is similar, and both can reflect that the Rad-score has the most significant impact. At the same time, clinical characteristics such as hemoglobin, age, body mass index, gender, and diabetes mellitus also influenced the difficulty.ConclusionThis study constructed ML models for predicting the difficulty of RPLA by combining clinical and radiomic characteristics. The models can help surgeons evaluate surgical difficulty, reduce risks, and improve patient benefits.
Review of the phenotypes and genotypes of Bardet-Biedl syndrome from China
Authors: Xin-Yi Zou , Yang-Li Dai , Ling-Hui Zeng 
Published: November 2023

Objective: To analyze the phenotypes, genotypes, and the relationship of phenotypes and genotypes for Chinese patients with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS).Methods: The Chinese Wanfang and Weipu data, and PubMed were searched up to December 2022. Patients with detailed clinical feature data were involved in the analysis.Results: A total of 153 Chinese patients, including 87 males, 53 females, and 12 unknown, were enrolled. Their ages ranged from 1.2 to 44 years old with a mean of 16.70 ± 9.90 years old. Among these patients, 80 (52.29%) were reported by ophthalmologists, and only 24 (15.68%) reported by pediatricians. Most patients (132/137, 96.35%) had visual problems; 131/153 (85.62%) had polydactyly; 124/132 (93.93%) were overweight or obese; 63/114 (55.26%) had renal abnormalities; kidney dysfunction was found in 33 (21.57%); 83/104 (79.81%) had hypogonadism and/or genital hypoplasia; and 111/136 (81.62%) had mental retardation. In this series, genetic analysis was performed in 90 (58.82%) patients, including 22 BBS7 (24.71%), 20 BBS2 (22.73%), and 10 BBS10 (11.24%) patients. Moreover, 11 fetuses were diagnosed prenatally in the last 4 years except for one patient in 2004 year. It was noted that BBS7 had higher penetrance. BBS2 had higher hearing impairment and lower renal abnormality penetrance. BBS10 also had lower renal abnormality penetrance as well.Conclusion: Misdiagnosis or miss diagnosis of BBS may be common in China. In patients with polydactyly, visual impairment, obesity, renal abnormalities, hypogonadism, and mental retardation, or in fetuses with polydactyly and/or renal abnormalities, BBS should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Other deformities should be evaluated carefully and genetic analysis should be performed as early as possible.
Lipid-lowering drugs affect lung cancer risk via sphingolipid metabolism: a drug-target Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Li Honglin , Zhang Lei , Yang Feiran , Feng Xiaoteng , Fu Rong , Zhao Ruohan , Li Xiurong , Li Huijie 
Published: November 2023

Background: The causal relationship between lipid-lowering drug (LLD) use and lung cancer risk is controversial, and the role of sphingolipid metabolism in this effect remains unclear.Methods: Genome-wide association study data on low-density lipoprotein (LDL), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), and triglycerides (TG) were used to develop genetic instrumental variables (IVs) for LLDs. Two-step Mendelian randomization analyses were performed to examine the causal relationship between LLDs and lung cancer risk. The effects of ceramide, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and ceramidases on lung cancer risk were explored, and the proportions of the effects of LLDs on lung cancer risk mediated by sphingolipid metabolism were calculated.Results:APOB inhibition decreased the lung cancer risk in ever-smokers via ApoB (odds ratio [OR] 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70–0.92, p = 0.010), LDL (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71–0.96, p = 0.040), and TG (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.46–0.83, p = 0.015) reduction by 1 standard deviation (SD), decreased small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) risk via LDL reduction by 1 SD (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.56–0.90, p = 0.016), and decreased the plasma ceramide level and increased the neutral ceramidase level. APOC3 inhibition decreased the lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) risk (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.43–0.84, p = 0.039) but increased SCLC risk (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.17–4.09, p = 0.029) via ApoB reduction by 1 SD. HMGCR inhibition increased SCLC risk via ApoB reduction by 1 SD (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.38–6.70, p = 0.014). The LPL agonist decreased SCLC risk via ApoB (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.07–0.58, p = 0.012) and TG reduction (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43–0.77, p = 0.003) while increased the plasma S1P level. PCSK9 inhibition decreased the ceramide level. Neutral ceramidase mediated 8.1% and 9.5% of the reduced lung cancer risk in ever-smokers via ApoB and TG reduction by APOB inhibition, respectively, and mediated 8.7% of the reduced LUAD risk via ApoB reduction by APOC3 inhibition.Conclusion: We elucidated the intricate interplay between LLDs, sphingolipid metabolites, and lung cancer risk. Associations of APOB, APOC3, and HMGCR inhibition and LPL agonist with distinct lung cancer risks underscore the multifaceted nature of these relationships. The observed mediation effects highlight the considerable influence of neutral ceramidase on the lung cancer risk reduction achieved by APOB and APOC3 inhibition.
Optimizing inhaled corticosteroid use in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: assessing blood eosinophils, neutrophil–to–lymphocyte ratio, and mortality outcomes in US adults
Authors: Hu Han-Shuo , Wang Zhuo , Jian Ling-Yan , Zhao Li-Mei , Liu Xiao-Dong 
Published: November 2023

ObjectiveAccurate biomarkers for evaluating mortality rates in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain scarce. This study aimed to explore the relationships between mortality rates in patients with COPD and blood eosinophil counts, neutrophil counts, and lymphocyte counts, along with the neutrophil–to–lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Additionally, we sought to identify the optimal response values for these biomarkers when utilizing inhaled corticosteroids (ICS).MethodsUtilizing a nationally representative, multistage cross–sectional design and mortality correlation study, we analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018 involving US adults aged 40 years or older with COPD. The primary endpoint was all–cause mortality, with Kaplan–Meier survival curves and restricted cubic splines applied to illustrate the relationship between leukocyte–based inflammatory markers and mortality. The analysis was conducted in 2023.ResultsOur analysis included 1,715 COPD participants, representing 6,976,232 non–institutionalized US residents [weighted mean age (SE), 62.09 (0.28) years; range, 40–85 years]. Among the participants, men constituted 50.8% of the population, and the weighted mean follow–up duration was 84.9 months. In the ICS use group, the weighted proportion of participants over 70 years old was significantly higher compared with the non–ICS use group (31.39% vs 25.52%, p &lt; 0.0001). The adjusted hazard ratios for all–cause mortality related to neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts, and NLR were 1.10 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–1.16, p &lt; 0.001], 0.83 (95% CI, 0.71–0.98; p = 0.03), and 1.10 (95% CI, 1.05–1.15; p &lt; 0.0001), respectively. Optimal ICS response was linked with higher levels of eosinophil count (≥240 cells/μL), neutrophil count (≥3,800 cells/μL), NLR (≥4.79), and lower levels of lymphocyte count (&lt;2,400 cells/μL).ConclusionAdjusted baseline neutrophil, lymphocyte counts, and NLR serve as independent risk factors for all–cause mortality in patients with COPD. Further, ICS application appears to mitigate mortality risk, particularly when NLR levels reach 4.79 or higher, underlining the importance of ICS in COPD management.Graphical abstractInhaled Corticosteroid Use in COPD: A Comparative Analysis of Leukocyte-based Inflammatory Markers and Mortality Outcomes Based on NHANES Data (1999-2018).
Cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands in Chinese patients with multiple sclerosis: the prevalence and its association with clinical features
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Hao Hongjun , Jin Tao , Qiu Wei , Yang Huan , Xue Qun , Yin Jian , Shi Ziyan , Yu Hai , Ji Xiaopei , Sun Xiaobo , Zeng Qiuming , Liu Xiaoni , Wang Jingguo , Li Huining , He Xiaoyan , Yang Jing , Li Yarong , Liu Shuangshuang , Lau Alexander Y. , Gao Feng , Hu Shimin , Chu Shuguang , Ding Ding , Zhou Hongyu , Li Haifeng , Chen Xiangjun 
Published: November 2023

BackgroundCerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal band (CSF-OCB) is an established biomarker in diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS), however, there are no nationwide data on CSF-OCB prevalence and its diagnostic performance in Chinese MS patients, especially in the virtue of common standard operation procedure (SOP).MethodsWith a consensus SOP and the same isoelectric focusing system, we conducted a nationwide multi-center study on OCB status in consecutively, and recruited 483 MS patients and 880 non-MS patients, including neuro-inflammatory diseases (NID, n = 595) and non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND, n=285). Using a standardized case report form (CRF) to collect the clinical, radiological, immunological, and CSF data, we explored the association of CSF-OCB positivity with patient characters and the diagnostic performance of CSF-OCB in Chinese MS patients. Prospective source data collection, and retrospective data acquisition and statistical data analysis were used.Findings369 (76.4%) MS patients were OCB-positive, while 109 NID patients (18.3%) and 6 NIND patients (2.1%) were OCB-positive, respectively. Time from symptom onset to diagnosis was significantly shorter in OCB-positive than that in OCB-negative MS patients (13.2 vs 23.7 months, P=0.020). The prevalence of CSF-OCB in Chinese MS patients was significantly higher in high-latitude regions (41°-50°N)(P=0.016), and at high altitudes (&gt;1000m)(P=0.025). The diagnostic performance of CSF-OCB differentiating MS from non-MS patients yielded a sensitivity of 76%, a specificity of 87%.InterpretationThe nationwide prevalence of CSF-OCB was 76.4% in Chinese MS patients, and demonstrated a good diagnostic performance in differentiating MS from other CNS diseases. The CSF-OCB prevalence showed a correlation with high latitude and altitude in Chinese MS patients.
The associations between asthma and common comorbidities: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Wang Xuezhao , Huang Yuchen , Li Xiaochen , He Yuanzhou , Liu Xiansheng 
Published: November 2023

BackgroundAsthma is a chronic respiratory disease and is often associated with multiple comorbidities. The causal relationship between asthma and these comorbidities is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between genetically predicted asthma and common comorbidities.MethodsAfter searching PubMed and GWAS summary statistics, we identified 26 comorbidities of asthma. The causal relationship between asthma and comorbidities was assessed in two independent GWASs by bidirectional Mendelian randomization, followed by validation of the results using a multivariate Mendelian randomization analysis and several sensitivity analyses.ResultsIn the bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis, chronic sinusitis [odds ratio (OR) = 1.54, p = 1.40 × 10−5], atopic dermatitis (OR = 1.36, p = 9.37 × 10−21), allergic conjunctivitis (OR = 2.07, p = 4.32 × 10−6), and allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.53, p = 5.20 × 10−6) were significantly associated with increased asthma risk. Hyperthyroidism (OR = 1.12, p = 0.04) had a potential increased risk for asthma. For the reverse direction, asthma showed significant associations with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 1.24, p = 2.25 × 10−9), chronic sinusitis (OR = 1.61, p = 5.25 × 10−21), atopic dermatitis (OR = 2.11, p = 1.24 × 10−24), allergic conjunctivitis (OR = 1.65, p = 6.66 × 10−35), allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.90, p = 2.38 × 10−57), and a potential higher risk of allergic urticaria (OR = 1.25, p = 0.003).ConclusionThis study suggested a significant bidirectional association of chronic sinusitis, atopic dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and allergic rhinitis with asthma. In addition, hyperthyroidism was associated with an increased risk of asthma and asthma increased the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and allergic urticaria.
Rhizosphere microbial ecological characteristics of strawberry root rot
Authors: Zhang Meilin , Kong Zirong , Fu Huijing , Shu Xiaolong , Xue Quanhong , Lai Hangxian , Guo Qiao 
Published: November 2023

IntroductionStrawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) holds a preeminent position among small fruits globally due to its delectable fruits and significant economic value. However, strawberry cultivation is hampered by various plant diseases, hindering the sustainable development of the strawberry industry. The occurrence of plant diseases is closely linked to imbalance in rhizosphere microbial community structure.MethodsIn the present study, a systematic analysis of the differences and correlations among non-culturable microorganisms, cultivable microbial communities, and soil nutrients in rhizosphere soil, root surface soil, and non-rhizosphere soil of healthy and diseased strawberry plants affected by root rot was conducted. The goal was to explore the relationship between strawberry root rot occurrence and rhizosphere microbial community structure.ResultsAccording to the results, strawberry root rot altered microbial community diversity, influenced fungal community composition in strawberry roots, reduced microbial interaction network stability, and enriched more endophytic-phytopathogenic bacteria and saprophytic bacteria. In addition, the number of bacteria isolated from the root surface soil of diseased plants was significantly higher than that of healthy plants.DiscussionIn summary, the diseased strawberry plants changed microbial community diversity, fungal species composition, and enriched functional microorganisms significantly, in addition to reshaping the microbial co-occurrence network. The results provide a theoretical basis for revealing the microecological mechanism of strawberry root rot and the ecological prevention and control of strawberry root rot from a microbial ecology perspective.
Carboxypeptidase inhibitors from Solanaceae as a new subclass of pathogenesis related peptide aiming biotechnological targets for plant defense
Authors: Gomes Geniana da Silva , Espósito Paula Corrêa , Baracat-Pereira Maria Cristina 
Published: November 2023

Background: Plant protease inhibitors play a crucial role in inhibiting proteases produced by phytopathogens and exhibiting inhibitory effects on nematodes, fungi, and insects, making them promising candidates for crop protection. Specifically, carboxypeptidase inhibitors, a subset of proteinase inhibitors, have been extensively studied in potato and tomato of Solanaceae plant family. However, further research is needed to fully understand the functions and biotechnological potential of those inhibitors in plants. This work aimed to in silico characterize carboxypeptidase inhibitors from Solanaceae as potential antimicrobial and defense agents focused on biotechnological targets.Methods: The methodology employed involved search in UniProt, PDB, KNOTTIN, NCBI, and MEROPS databases for solanaceous carboxypeptidase inhibitors, phylogenetic relationships and conservation patterns analyzes using MEGA-X software and Clustal Omega/MView tools, physicochemical properties and antimicrobial potential prediction using ProtParam, ToxinPred, iAMPred, and APD3 tools, and structural features prediction using PSIPRED.Results and discussion: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies on Solanaceae carboxypeptidase inhibitors and their activities against pathogens. The selected studies were reviewed and the main findings compiled. The characterization of Solanaceae carboxypeptidase inhibitors proposed for the first time the global sequence consensus motif CXXXCXXXXDCXXXXXCXXC, shedding light on carboxypeptidase inhibitors distribution, sequence variability, and conservation patterns. Phylogenetic analysis showed evolutionary relationships within the Solanaceae family, particularly in Capsicum, Nicotiana, and Solanum genera. Physicochemical characteristics of those peptides indicated their similarity to antimicrobial peptides. Predicted secondary structures exhibited variations, suggesting a broad spectrum of action, and studies had been demonstrated their activities against various pathogens.Conclusion: Carboxypeptidase inhibitors are being proposed here as a new subclass of PR-6 pathogenesis-related proteins, which will aid in a focused understanding of their functional roles in plant defense mechanisms. These findings confirm the Solanaceae carboxypeptidase inhibitors potential as defense agents and highlight opportunities for their biotechnological applications in pathogen control.
An approach for assisting diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease based on natural language processing
Authors: Liu Ning , Wang Lingxing 
Published: November 2023

IntroductionAlzheimer's Disease (AD) is a common dementia which affects linguistic function, memory, cognitive and visual spatial ability of the patients. Language is proved to have the relationship with AD, so the time that AD can be diagnosed in a doctor's office is coming.MethodsIn this study, the Pitt datasets are used to detect AD which is balanced in gender and age. First bidirectional Encoder Representation from Transformers (Bert) pretrained model is used to acquire the word vector. Then two channels are constructed in the feature extraction layer, which is, convolutional neural networks (CNN) and long and short time memory (LSTM) model to extract local features and global features respectively. The local features and global features are concatenated to generate feature vectors containing rich semantics, which are sent to softmax classifier for classification.ResultsFinally, we obtain a best accuracy of 89.3% which is comparative compared to other studies. In the meanwhile, we do the comparative experiments with TextCNN and LSTM model respectively, the combined model manifests best and TextCNN takes the second place.DiscussionThe performance illustrates the feasibility to predict AD effectively by using acoustic and linguistic datasets.
Hyperemia in head injury: can transcranial doppler help to personalize therapies for intracranial hypertension?
Authors: Gelormini Camilla , Ioannoni Eleonora , Scavone Angela , Pisapia Luca , Signorelli Francesco , Montano Nicola , Piastra Marco , Caricato Anselmo 
Published: November 2023

IntroductionAn increase in cerebral blood flow is frequent after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and can lead to brain swelling and refractory intracranial hypertension. We hypothesized that Transcranial EcoDoppler (TCD) monitoring could be useful to detect the cause of intracranial hypertension in these patients. Our main objective was to investigate if the increase of velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) on TCD could be associated with intracranial hypertension.MethodsWe retrospectively studied TBI patients consecutively monitored with TCD. Hyperemia was defined as MCA mean velocity higher than 80 cm/s. Intracranial hypertension was considered when hyperosmolar therapy, hyperventilation, or deep sedation was used.ResultsWe found hyperemia in 40 patients out of 118 (33.9%). On average, it started at day 2.1 ± 0.9 from admission and significantly increased (MCA velocity at day 1: 74 ± 25 cm/s vs. 109 ± 36 cm/s at day 4; p &lt; 0.001). Intracranial hypertension was significantly associated with hyperemia, occurring in 92.5% of hyperemic and 51.3% of non-hyperemic patients (p &lt; 0.001). Moreover, we found that hyperemia preceded severe intracranial hypertension (p &lt; 0.0001). In a logistic regression model, hyperemia was the only variable significantly correlated with intracranial hypertension (OR 10.64; p &lt; 0.001).DiscussionHyperemia was frequent in our population of TBI patients and preceded intracranial hypertension. TCD monitoring, if performed on a daily regular basis, can be a useful method to detect this phenomenon and to guide the therapy. It could be a tool for a cause-oriented therapy of intracranial hypertension.
Polyherbal formulation PL02 alleviates pain, inflammation, and subchondral bone deterioration in an osteoarthritis rodent model
Authors: Upadhyay Prabhat , Kalra Diya , Nilakhe Aishwarya Shrikant , Aggrawal Vijay , Gupta Sarika 
Published: November 2023

IntroductionOsteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease with significant personal and socioeconomic burdens worldwide.MethodsTo address this, we developed a multitargeted formulation called PL02, which includes standardized extracts of Rosa canina L, Hippophae rhamnoides, and collagen peptide. We tested the pharmacological efficacy of PL02 in a rodent model of OA induced by Monosodium iodoacetate (MIA).ResultsOur results demonstrate that oral administration of PL02 has antioxidant effects by down-regulating NOS, reduces pain-related behavior, and mitigates inflammation by inhibiting IL-1b and TNF-α production, as well as downregulating CGRP1 and COX-II. PL02 also exhibits anti-catabolic and chondroprotective activity by significantly downregulating MMP13 and upregulating BCL2. Additionally, PL02 demonstrates chondrogenic activity by significantly upregulating SOX-9 (a master regulator of chondrogenesis), Coll-I, and aggrecan, which are major components of articular cartilage. Furthermore, PL02 prevents microarchitectural deterioration of subchondral bone.ConclusionOverall, PL02 is an orally active, multi-targeted therapy that not only alleviates pain and inflammation but also effectively halts cartilage and subchondral bone deterioration. It represents a safe and promising candidate for the treatment and management of OA.