bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Determination of cortisol cut-off limits and steroid dynamics in ACTH stimulation (Synacthen®) test: A comparative analysis using Roche Elecsys Cortisol II immunoassay and LC-MS/MS
Authors: Okutan Sema , Jørgensen Nanna Thurmann , Pedersen Lars Engers , Borresen Stina Willemoes , Hilsted Linda , Hansen Lennart Friis , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Klose Marianne 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Measurement of cortisol concentrations is method dependent. Therefore, assay-specific cut-off limits for the definition of e.g., adrenal insufficiency should be available. The study aimed to establish assay-specific cut-off limits for cortisol after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation, comparing Roche Elecsys Cortisol II immunoassay to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
Methods
One hundred healthy participants underwent a ACTH test (250 µg), with plasma samples analyzed using ElecsysCort I, ElecsysCort II, and LC-MS/MS. Cortisone, corticosterone, 17-OH-progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, and testosterone were additionally analyzed with LC-MS/MS. Reference intervals were defined as the 2.5-97.5th percentiles, while the cut-off limit for a normal cortisol response to the ACTH test was defined as: 2.5th percentile − 1.96×SE.
Results
ElecsysCort II measured cortisol concentrations 21% (95% CI: 19–22%) lower than ElecsysCort I. Cut-off limits for cortisol 30 and 60 minutes after ACTH were 426 and 485 nmol/L (ElecsysCort II) and 411 and 470 nmol/L (LC-MS/MS). The ACTH test resulted in significantly higher plasma corticosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and 17-OH-progesterone concentrations but decreased cortisone concentrations in both sexes. Testosterone decreased significantly in men (1.9 nmol/L, 95% CI: 1.3–2.5) but increased in women.
Conclusion
ElecsysCort II has high analytical performance and yields significantly lower cortisol concentrations than prior polyclonal immunoassays. This clinically relevant difference underscores the necessity to revise cut-offs for improved diagnostic precision. Recommended 30-minute cortisol cutoff limits are 411 nmol/L (LC-MS/MS) and 426 nmol/L (ElecsysCort II). Adrenocortical steroids increased upon ACTH stimulation, except for cortisone in both sexes and testosterone in men, both of which decreased.
Discovering Cure Hub Genes of Chromophobe Cell Renal Carcinoma Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and the Cure Defective Models
Authors: Ahmadian Maryam , molavi zahra , Baghestani Ahmad Reza , maboudi Ali Akbar 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
methods
WGCNA for gene network analysis and the 3-parameter defective Gompertz model to pinpoint therapeutic genes. Through WGCNA, we identified six key modules linked to various aspects of cancer progression and survival. Hub genes, important players in cellular interactions, were identified using network analysis. Using survival analysis, we detected genes associated with patient survival (SRGs) and genes linked to successful treatment outcomes (CSRGs) in RCC. Among the hub genes found using both survival methods, ten were commonly identified by the defective 3-parameter Gompertz and Cox models. Notably, six genes (NCAPG, TTK, DLGAP5, TOP2A, BUB1B, and BUB1) stood out with strong predictive values. Additionally, the defective Gompertz model highlighted six genes (TTK, KIF20A, DLGAP5, BUB1, AURKB, and CDC45) that significantly impacted the cure rate when their expression was at its highest. This suggests that targeting these genes might hold promise for improving RCC treatment outcomes. The hub genes identified also hold potential for predicting patient prognosis and aiding in diagnosis. Our study provides insights into RCC's molecular underpinnings and emphasizes the potential of the defective 3-parameter Gompertz model in guiding targeted therapeutic approaches.
Cardiac fibroblasts pyroptosis mediated by NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD-N pyroptotic pathway produces CXCL4 via Wnt/β-Catenin signaling and induces cardiac fibrosis
Authors: Wei Jing , Peng Ming yu , Wang Sai nan , Tan Jia jia , Lu Hongxiang 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Severe myocarditis is often accompanied by cardiac fibrosis, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammation, closely related to apoptosis pyroptosis, participates in the development of myocarditis. Inhibiting pyroptosis mediated by NLRP3 inflammasome can reduce cardiac fibrosis, although its exact mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we induced Viral myocarditis (VMC) via infection of CVB3 to explore the relationship between pyroptosis and fibrosis. Our results showed that intraperitoneal injection of an NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 or use of NLRP3−/−mice inhibited cardiac pyroptosis mediated by NLRP3 inflammasome in VMC. CXCL4 is a chemokine that has been reported to have pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic functions. In VMC, we further found that pyroptosis of Mouse myocardial fibroblasts (MCF) promoted the secretion of CXCL4 by activating Wnt/β-Catenin signaling. Subsequently, the transcriptome sequencing data showed that CXCL4 could promote cardiac fibrosis by activating PI3K/AKT pathway. In summary, infection of CVB3 induced host oxidative stress to further activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and ultimately lead to heart pyroptosis, in which MCF secreted CXCL4 by activating Wnt/β-Catenin signaling and CXCL4 participated in cardiac fibrosis by activating PI3K/AKT pathway. Therefore, our findings revealed the role of CXCL4 in VMC and unveiled its underlying mechanism. CXCL4 appears to be a potential target for the treatment of VMC.
Dissecting the Impact of the Gut Microbiome on Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Jain Rakesh , Hadjigeorgiou Andreas , Harkos Constantinos , Mishra Aditya , Morad Golnaz , Johnson Sarah , Ajami Nadim , Wargo Jennifer , Munn Lance , Stylianopoulos Triantafyllos 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

The gut microbiome has emerged as a key regulator of response to cancer immunotherapy. However, there is a gap in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which the microbiome influences immunotherapy. To this end, we developed a mathematical model based on i) gut microbiome data derived from preclinical studies on melanomas after fecal microbiota transplant, ii) mechanistic modeling of antitumor immune response, and iii) robust association analysis of murine and human microbiome profiles with model-predicted immune profiles. Using our model, we could distill the complexity of these murine and human studies on microbiome modulation in terms of just two model parameters: the activation and killing rate constants of immune cells. We further investigated associations between specific bacterial taxonomies and antitumor immunity and immunotherapy efficacy. This model can guide the design of studies to refine and validate mechanistic links between the microbiome and immune system.
Supraphysiological glutamine as a means of depleting intracellular amino acids to enhance pancreatic cancer chemosensitivity
Authors: Muranaka Hayato , Billet Sandrine , Cruz-Hernández Carlos , Hoeve Johanna ten , Gonzales Gabrielle , Elmadbouh Omer , Zhang Le , Smith Bethany , Tighiouart Mourad , You Sungyong , Edderkaoui Mouad , Hendifar Andrew , Pandol Stephen , Gong Jun , Bhowmick Neil 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Limited efficacy of systemic therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients contributes to high mortality. Cancer cells develop strategies to secure nutrients in nutrient-deprived conditions and chemotherapy treatment. Despite the dependency of PDAC on glutamine (Gln) for growth and survival, strategies designed to suppress Gln metabolism have limited effects. Here, we demonstrated that supraphysiological concentrations of glutamine (SPG) could produce paradoxical responses leading to tumor growth inhibition alone and in combination with chemotherapy. Integrated metabolic and transcriptomic analysis revealed that the growth inhibitory effect of SPG was the result of a decrease in intracellular amino acid and nucleotide pools. Mechanistically, disruption of the sodium gradient, plasma membrane depolarization, and competitive inhibition of amino acid transport mediated amino acid deprivation. Among standard chemotherapies given to PDAC patients, gemcitabine treatment resulted in a significant enrichment of amino acid and nucleoside pools, exposing a metabolic vulnerability to SPG-induced metabolic alterations. Further analysis highlighted a superior anticancer effect of D-glutamine, a non-metabolizable enantiomer of the L-glutamine, by suppressing both amino acid uptake and glutaminolysis, in gemcitabine-treated preclinical models with no apparent toxicity. Our study suggests supraphysiological glutamine could be a means of inhibiting amino acid uptake and nucleotide biosynthesis, potentiating gemcitabine sensitivity in PDAC.
A 16SrDNA-based study of intestinal flora in elderly hospitalized patients with chronic functional constipation
Authors: Xian Xuejiao , Liu Jinjing , Yang Hongjun , Liu Jie , He Guirong 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Objective To investigate the effects of structural characteristics of intestinal flora and species variability in elderly inpatients with chronic functional constipation.
Methods Thirty elderly inpatients with chronic functional constipation and 30 elderly inpatients with non-chronic functional constipation were collected and analyzed by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology to compare the changes in the composition and diversity of intestinal flora in the stools of elderly inpatients with chronic functional constipation and controls. The results showed that the abundance and diversity of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. in elderly patients varied greatly among individuals. The abundance of Bacillus spp., Treponema spp., Bacillus spp. and Green Bacillus spp. was significantly higher in non-chronic functional constipation groups(IT)than chronic functional constipation groups(PIT), and the abundance of Proteus spp. decreased in chronic functional constipation groups(PIT), but there was no statistical difference. At the genus level, the 2 dominant genera in IT and PITwere Bifidobacterium spp. and Enterobacter spp. In ITgroup, Lactococcus spp., Clostridium tumefaciens spp., Narrowly-nourished Aeromonas spp., Glycomonas spp., Bacillus spp., Anaerobes spp. and Sphingomonas spp. were significantly up-regulated; Pseudomonas spp. 9, Clostridium spp. and Sporobacterium spp. were significantly down-regulated.
Conclusion: The intestinal flora of the non-chronic functional constipation groups(IT) than chronic functional constipation groups(PIT) had both commonality and relative specificity, and there was a correlation between probiotic treatment and the change in the composition and structure of intestinal flora, and the change in the composition and abundance of intestinal flora may be one of the effective ways to treat chronic constipation.
Fast and lightweight automatic lithology recognition based on efficient vision transformer network
Authors: Guo Yan , Li Zhuowu , Liu Fujiang , Lin Weihua , Liu Hongchen , Shao Quansen , Zhang Dexiong , Liang Weichao , Su Junshun , Gao Qiankai 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Traditional lithology classification methods require the expertise of appraisers and a variety of complex measuring instruments, are easily influenced by staff experience, and are excessively labor-intensive. In order to solve the previous problems, some studies have utilized rock images and intelligent algorithms to automatically recognize rocks. However, the models for automatic lithology recognition rely on more powerful devices and cannot be applied to most edge lightweight devices. To address this problem, we deeply extend our previous research work and, based on the previous training framework, propose an automatic lithology identification method (Rock-ConViT) based on an efficient visual converter, and design and implement the training and application flow framework of the method, which requires less than 720MB of device memory and 1.6GB of graphics memory, with an accuracy rate of 94.75%.
Nursing Professionalism in Childcare: A Scoping Review
Authors: Lesao Dibolelo Adeline , Rabie Tinda , Lubbe Welma , Scholtz Suegnet 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Background
Professionalism is a concept described with various attributes that require actions in the clinical practice environments for improvement. It is anticipated that formal training of professional nurses validates their nursing professionalism attributes and their ability to render quality care to the neonates, infants and under-5 children. The mortality rates of neonates, infants and under-5 children are high in the care of professional nurses who acquired the eight nursing professionalism attributes of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, namely: knowledge, spirit of inquiry, accountability, autonomy, advocacy, innovation and visionary, collegiality and collaboration, ethics and values.
Methods
This study aimed to review the available evidence on nursing professionalism attributes that professional nurses require to provide quality care to neonates, infants and under-5 child care. A scoping literature review was conducted on Cochrane, EBSCOhost and Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest and Scopus databases. The keywords combination used was (nurse professionalism) AND (pediatric care) (nurse professionalism or nursing as a profession) AND (paediatric or pediatric or children or child or infant or young person) identify studies in the past ten years.
Results
The search yielded (n = 1732), of which seven studies were included. Three studies were conducted in Europe, two in the United States, one in Korea, and one was a narrative review. The settings were hospitals and palliative care. The five themes and respective sub-themes that emerged from the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario are knowledge, accountability, advocacy, collegiality and collaboration, ethics and values. Three themes namely: spirit of enquiry, autonomy, innovation and visionary did not emerge.
Conclusion
Seven studies were identified for the review, and five out of eight themes of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario that characterise nursing professionalism emerged. There were no studies published in the African and primary health care context on professionalism attributes of professional nurses to provide quality nursing care to neonates, infants and under-5 children. All the emerging themes emphasised the need for PNs to be trained in professionalism attributes as the foundation for providing quality nursing care to this population.
Economic Evaluation of AI-Enabled Glaucoma Screening: A Dominant Strategy for Improved Health Outcomes and Cost Savings
Authors: Felizzi Federico , Stalmans Ingeborg , Pinto Luis Abegão 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Objective:
Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, necessitates early detection and appropriate management to prevent visual impairment. While previous studies examining the benefits of routine glaucoma screening have produced divergent results, this research proposes a novel approach leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to address the limitations of existing methods.
Methods:
We constructed a Markov model, explicitly accounting for bottlenecks in glaucoma specialist visits, which can impact disease progression due to prolonged waiting times. Data from a reputable glaucoma specialist clinic was used, including 10-year costs for routine tests, AI screening, and glaucoma treatment. The analysis compared the costs and health outcomes of AI-enabled glaucoma screening and monitoring to conventional case finding and follow-up.
Results:
Our results indicate a substantial difference in total costs between AI and human-driven screening and monitoring over the 10-year observation period, with AI leading to financial savings of EUR 2602. Additionally, AI adoption reduced the risk of glaucoma development by 14% and the risk of unilateral or bilateral blindness by 4.6%.
Conclusions:
AI-enabled glaucoma screening emerges as a dominant strategy, exhibiting both financial benefits for healthcare systems and improved health outcomes for patients. By overcoming the inefficiencies of conventional approaches and addressing glaucoma-related challenges, AI technology holds the potential to revolutionize glaucoma care, improving patient well-being, and reducing the burden of disease. Despite limitations in explicitly modelling glaucoma progression and combining visual impaired states, sensitivity analyses consistently demonstrated cost reduction and decreased the risk of visual impairment with AI implementation.
Numerical simulation of tailings dam failure based on the TDB_S model and application examples
Authors: Sui Jiaheng , Ren Jie , Cheng Heng , Lei Yanan , Shi Jihui , Nan Shenghao 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Tailings ponds are generally highly potential risk of dam failure. At present, the numerical model of tailings dam failure is not targeted, is not accurate enough, and the research on the dam failure mechanism is insufficient. For these reasons, in this paper, the TDB_S tailings dam failure numerical model is proposed, and together with three other common dam failure models, it is applied to analyze 18 tailings dam failure cases. The study results show that, the numerical model of tailings dam failure established in this paper can be used to better predict the final breach time and final breach area in most cases, and better predict the flow rate value under the premise of guaranteeing the accuracy of the time. The sensitivity analysis results show that, the dam material erosion coefficient kd exerts a significant effect on the peak flow rate of the breach and its occurrence moment.
Impact of Different Types of Social Support on the Health of Rural Chinese Residents: Based on the data of the 2020 China Family Panel Studies
Authors: Yu Hui , Yu Si-yuan , Lin Xin-hao , Wu Dan , Pei Tong , Meng Xue-hui 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Background
The correlation between residents’ health level and social support has been confirmed by most studies, most of which were conducted in elderly adults. Less attention has been paid to whether social support affects the health status of rural residents. Improving the health level of rural residents has been a research priority by the government, society, and scholars. This study aimed to explore the impact of different types of social support on the health level of rural residents in China, and provide theoretical support and practical suggestions for promoting the health level of rural residents.
Methods
Based on the data of the 2020 China Family Panel Studies, 5185 rural residents in China were selected to measure the impact of different types of social support on the health of rural residents using residents’ self-rated health status, formal and informal social support variables, and residents’ demographic-related characteristic factors.
Results
Among the 5185 rural residents, 1351 (26.06%) had formal social support, and 3834 (73.94%) did not. There were 2825 (54.48%) residents with informal social support and 2360 (45.52%) without informal social support. The unmatched results showed no significant effect on the health status of rural residents with or without formal social support (P > 0.05). The health level of rural residents with informal social support was 29.74% higher than that of rural residents without informal social support. After matching the propensity scores of demographic factors, formal social support had no significant effect on the health of rural residents (P > 0.05), and the influence of informal social support on the health of rural residents was significant (P < 0.01).
Conclusions
The health level of rural residents is affected by the presence or absence of informal social support rather than by the presence or absence of formal social support, and rural residents with informal social support have a higher level of health. When improving the health status of rural residents, the government should focus on increasing the level of informal social support of rural residents to continuously improve the health of rural residents.
Auxiliary feature extractor and dual attention based image captioning
Authors: Zhao Qian , Wu Guichang 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Currently, most image caption generation models use object features output from pre-trained detectors as input for multimodal learning of images and text. However, such downscaled object features are unable to capture the global con-textual relationships of an image, leading to information loss and limitations in semantic understanding. In addition, relying on a single object feature extraction framework limits the accuracy of feature extraction, resulting in the inaccurate descriptive sentences. In order to solve the above mentioned problems, we propose the Feature-Augmented (FA) module, which forms the front-end part of the encoder architecture. This module uses a multimodal pre-trained model CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training) as an auxiliary feature extrac-tor, which enhances the image descriptive capability by utilizing the extracted rich semantic features as a complement to the missing information such as scene and object relations, so as to better encode the information necessary for the captioning task. In addition, we add channel attention to the self-attention in the encoder structure, compressing the spatial dimensions of the feature map to allow the model to concentrate on more valuable information. We validate the effectiveness of our proposed method on datasets such as MS-COCO, analyze the components and importance of our model, and demonstrate a marked increase in performance compared to other state-of-the-art models.
ACT001 inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells and improves immune function in multiple myeloma.
Authors: Liu Zhaoyun , Zhang Yunhe , Ma Junlan , Liu Hui , Ding Kai , Song Jia , Fu Rong 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Background
ACT001 has strong anti-tumour and immune checkpoint modulating properties. Due to the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, it has been widely used in glioma research and subjected to international phase 2-3 clinical trials.The possible roles and mechanisms of ACT001 in haematological malignancies, especially multiple myeloma, have not yet been determined.
Methods
We first examined the effect of ACT001 on the apoptotic proliferation of myeloma cells and also verified the associated pathway proteins. Next, CD3+ T cells and NK cells from mononuclear cell of bone marrow of healthy individuals and myeloma patients were sorted and co-cultured with myeloma cell lines in vitro. Changes in immune cell function and activity in the co-culture system were detected by drug addition.
Results
ACT001 promotes multiple myeloma cell apoptosis through the STAT3/BcL2 pathway and inhibits multiple myeloma cell proliferative activity through the NF-κB pathway. At the same time, the introduction of ACT001 into the culture system increased the cytotoxicity of immune cells and enhanced the activation of antibodies on the surface of natural killer cells, resulting in more tumour cell death
Conclusion
In this study, we found that ACT001 inhibited the activity of myeloma cells while enhancing the immune function of myeloma patients, suggesting that ACT001 is a small molecule drug with great clinical promise.