bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Primary Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for pineal region tumors: A systematic review and pooled analysis of available literature with histological stratification
Authors: Gagliardi Filippo , De Domenico Pierfrancesco , Garbin Enrico , Snider Silvia , Mortini Pietro 
Published: September 2023

AbstractPineal region tumors (PTs) represent extremely rare pathologies, characterized by highly heterogeneous histological patterns. Most of the available evidence for Gamma Knife radiosurgical (GKSR) treatment of PTs arises from multimodal regimens, including GKSR as an adjuvant modality or as a salvage treatment at recurrence. We aimed to gather existing evidence on the topic and analyze single‐patient‐level data to address the efficacy and safety of primary GKSR. This is a systematic review of the literature (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Science Direct) and pooled analysis of single‐patient‐level data. A total of 1054 original works were retrieved. After excluding duplicates and irrelevant works, we included 13 papers (n = 64 patients). An additional 12 patients were included from the authors' original series. A total of 76 patients reached the final analysis; 56.5% (n = 43) received a histological diagnosis. Confirmed lesions included pineocytoma WHO grade I (60.5%), pineocytoma WHO grade II (14%), pineoblastoma WHO IV (7%), pineal tumor with intermediate differentiation WHO II/III (4.7%), papillary tumor of pineal region WHO II/III (4.7%), germ cell tumor (2.3%), neurocytoma WHO I (2.3%), astrocytoma WHO II (2.3%) and WHO III (2.3%). Presumptive diagnoses were achieved in the remaining 43.5% (n = 33) of cases and comprised of pineocytoma (9%), germ cell tumor (6%), low‐grade glioma (6%), high‐grade glioma (3%), meningioma (3%) and undefined in 73%. The mean age at the time of GKSR was 38.7 years and the mean lesional volume was 4.2 ± 4 cc. All patients received GKSR with a mean marginal dose of 14.7 ± 2.1 Gy (50% isodose). At a median 36‐month follow‐up, local control was achieved in 80.3% of cases. Thirteen patients showed progression after a median time of 14 months. Overall mortality was 13.2%. The median OS was not reached for all included lesions, except high‐grade gliomas (8mo). The 3‐year OS was 100% for LGG and pineal tumors with intermediate differentiation, 91% for low‐grade pineal lesions, 66% for high‐grade pineal lesions, 60% for germ cell tumors (GCTs), 50% for HGG, and 82% for undetermined tumors. The 3‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) was 100% for LGG and pineal intermediate tumors, 86% for low‐grade pineal, 66% for high‐grade pineal, 33.3% for GCTs, and 0% for HGG. Median PFS was 5 months for HGG and 34 months for GCTs. The radionecrosis rate was 6%, and cystic degeneration was observed in 2%. Ataxia as a presenting symptom strongly predicted mortality (odds ratio [OR] 104, p = .02), while GCTs and HGG histology well predicted PD (OR: 13, p = .04). These results support the efficacy and safety of primary GKSR treatment of PTs. Further studies are needed to validate these results, which highlight the importance of the initial presumptive diagnosis for choosing the best therapeutic strategy.
Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9)‐mediated neurodegeneration: Implications for progressive multiple sclerosis?
Authors: Thümmler Katja , Wrzos Claudia , Franz Jonas , McElroy Daniel , Cole John J. , Hayden Lorna , Arseni Diana , Schwarz Friedrich , Junker Andreas , Edgar Julia M. , Kügler Sebastian , Neef Andreas , Wolf Fred , Stadelmann Christine , Linington Christopher 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAimsFibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling is dysregulated in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological and psychiatric conditions, but there is little or no consensus as to how individual FGF family members contribute to disease pathogenesis. Lesion development in MS is associated with increased expression of FGF1, FGF2 and FGF9, all of which modulate remyelination in a variety of experimental settings. However, FGF9 is also selectively upregulated in major depressive disorder (MDD), prompting us to speculate it may also have a direct effect on neuronal function and survival.MethodsTranscriptional profiling of myelinating cultures treated with FGF1, FGF2 or FGF9 was performed, and the effects of FGF9 on cortical neurons investigated using a combination of transcriptional, electrophysiological and immunofluorescence microscopic techniques. The in vivo effects of FGF9 were explored by stereotactic injection of adeno‐associated viral (AAV) vectors encoding either FGF9 or EGFP into the rat motor cortex.ResultsTranscriptional profiling of myelinating cultures after FGF9 treatment revealed a distinct neuronal response with a pronounced downregulation of gene networks associated with axonal transport and synaptic function. In cortical neuronal cultures, FGF9 also rapidly downregulated expression of genes associated with synaptic function. This was associated with a complete block in the development of photo‐inducible spiking activity, as demonstrated using multi‐electrode recordings of channel rhodopsin‐transfected rat cortical neurons in vitro and, ultimately, neuronal cell death. Overexpression of FGF9 in vivo resulted in rapid loss of neurons and subsequent development of chronic grey matter lesions with neuroaxonal reduction and ensuing myelin loss.ConclusionsThese observations identify overexpression of FGF9 as a mechanism by which neuroaxonal pathology could develop independently of immune‐mediated demyelination in MS. We suggest targeting neuronal FGF9‐dependent pathways may provide a novel strategy to slow if not halt neuroaxonal atrophy and loss in MS, MDD and potentially other neurodegenerative diseases.
Coronary artery complications with left bundle branch area pacing: A review of literature
Authors: Raza Muhammad Hassan , Maqbool Muhammad Usama , Kumar Sunil , Malik Jahanzeb , Ali Sameer , Khan Zahoor Aslam 
Published: September 2023

AbstractLeft bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is an emerging technique in cardiac resynchronization therapy that shows promise in improving ventricular synchrony and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure. However, the potential risk of coronary artery complications with LBBAP necessitates careful attention and management. This literature review explores the mechanisms, acute coronary events, and clinical implications associated with coronary artery complications in LBBAP. The mechanism of coronary injury with LBBAP involves mechanical trauma, altered coronary blood flow dynamics, and endothelial damage. Acute coronary events such as myocardial ischemia, acute coronary syndromes, and coronary artery dissection can occur during or after LBBAP, leading to significant clinical implications including the need for prompt intervention and potential impact on long‐term outcomes. To avoid coronary injury and acute coronary syndrome with LBBAP, specific care strategies are recommended. These include thorough pre‐procedural evaluation, expert operator technique, optimization of hemodynamics and ventricular synchrony, close monitoring for ischemic events, collaboration with cardiology specialists, and long‐term follow‐up. The clinical implications of coronary artery complications with LBBAP necessitate careful patient selection, informed decision‐making, and a multidisciplinary approach. Future directions in this field include advancements in procedural techniques, technological innovations, risk stratification strategies, enhanced imaging modalities, research on mechanisms and prevention, and collaboration among stakeholders. By implementing these strategies and focusing on future advancements, healthcare providers can minimize the risk of coronary artery complications with LBBAP and optimize patient outcomes in cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Effects of far‐red light on the behaviour and reproduction of the zoophytophagous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus and its interaction with a whitefly herbivore
Authors: Meijer Davy , Hopkoper Syb , Weldegergis Berhane T. , Westende Wendy van't , Gort Gerrit , van Loon Joop J. A. , Dicke Marcel 
Published: September 2023

AbstractPlants can detect neighbouring plants through a reduction in the ratio between red and far‐red light (R:FR). This provides a signal of plant–plant competition and induces rapid plant growth while inhibiting defence against biotic stress, two interlinked responses designated as the shade avoidance syndrome (SAS). Consequently, the SAS can influence plant–herbivore interactions that could cascade to higher trophic levels. However, little is known about how the expression of the SAS can influence tritrophic interactions. We investigated whether changes in R:FR affect the emission of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), and whether these changes influence the attraction of the zoophytophagous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus. We also studied how the expression of the SAS and subsequent inhibition of plant defences affects the reproduction of M. pygmaeus in both the presence and absence of the greenhouse whitefly (WF) (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) as arthropod prey. The results show that changes in R:FR have little effect on HIPV emissions and predator attraction. However, a reduction in R:FR leads to increased reproduction of both the predator and the WFs. We discuss that shade avoidance responses can increase the population development of M. pygmaeus through a combination of reduced plant defences and increased herbivore densities.
Neuropathological substrate of incident dementia in older patients with schizophrenia: A clinicopathological study
Authors: Arafuka Shusei , Fujishiro Hiroshige , Torii Youta , Sekiguchi Hirotaka , Habuchi Chikako , Miwa Ayako , Yoshida Mari , Iritani Shuji , Iwasaki Yasushi , Ikeda Masashi , Ozaki Norio 
Published: September 2023

AimClinical studies reported that patients with schizophrenia are at a higher risk of developing dementia than people without schizophrenia. However, early neuropathological studies have shown that the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in schizophrenia patients does not differ from that in controls. These inconsistent results may be attributable to the inclusion of non‐AD dementia, but there have been few clinicopathological studies in older patients with schizophrenia based on the current neuropathological classification. This study aimed to investigate the neuropathological basis of incident dementia in older patients with schizophrenia.MethodsWe systematically examined 32 brains of old patients with schizophrenia using standardized pathological methods. The severity of dementia‐related neuropathologies was analyzed using standardized semiquantitative assessments. After excluding patients who fulfilled the neuropathological criteria, clinicopathological variables were compared between patients with and without incident dementia to identify potential differences.ResultsSeven patients fulfilled the pathological criteria for AD (n = 3), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) (n = 2), dementia with Lewy bodies (n = 1), and AGD/progressive supranuclear palsy (n = 1). Among 25 patients for whom a neuropathological diagnosis was not obtained, 10 had dementia, but the clinicopathological findings did not differ from the remaining 15 patients without dementia.ConclusionTwo types of older schizophrenia patient present dementia: patients with co‐existing neurodegenerative disease and patients who do not meet pathological criteria based on the current classification. To understand the neurobiological aspects of incident dementia in older patients with schizophrenia, further clinicopathological studies are needed that do not simply analyze incident dementia as a comorbidity of conventional dementia‐related neuropathologies.
The role of frailty among the predictors of depression on informal caregivers of older adults: a mediation analysis
Authors: Vrettos Ioannis , Voukelatou Panagiota , Kyvetos Andreas , Makrilakis Konstantinos , Sfikakis Petros P. , Raptis Athanasios , Niakas Dimitris 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundProviding care for older adults has been associated with the presence of depressive symptoms among their informal caregivers. Numerous caregivers and older adults' characteristics have been mentioned as predictors of caregivers' depression. However, studies dealing with the impact of older adults' frailty status on caregivers' depression are scarce. This study was conducted to clarify the precise relationship between caregivers' depression, caregivers' burden, caregivers' characteristics and patients' characteristics, including frailty, among the variables that may have an impact on caregivers' depression.MethodsIn this cross‐sectional study, patients and caregivers' characteristics were recorded for 311 patient‐caregiver dyads, when the patient was admitted to the hospital. For the purpose of the study, a mediation analysis was used with patients and caregiver characteristics considered to be predictors, subjective caregivers' burden as the mediator, and caregivers’ depression as the outcome variable.ResultsOnly patients' frailty and caregivers' subjective burden had a direct effect on caregivers' depression. Moreover, caregivers' gender, patients' frailty status and comorbidity, duration of caregiving, and the relationship with the patient, had an indirect effect through caregivers' burden that acted as mediator. Regarding total effects, caregivers burden followed by patients' frailty status had the greater impact on caregivers' depression.ConclusionsBy organising interventions to reduce caregivers' depression, patients' frailty status could be among the targets of those interventions considering that frailty might be delayed or reversed.
Fisheries local action group managers as reflexive practitioners: The enhancement of projects and networks and the renewal of the Finnish fishing livelihood
Authors: Salmi Pekka , Svels Kristina 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe implementation of the European Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) system applies a neo‐endogenous approach, which can restructure public intervention in favour of a mosaic of local territories. By resting on a Finnish case study, this article studies the local adaptation of the FLAG system and how FLAG managers are positioned as intermediaries in horizontal and vertical networks that enhance local fisheries’ livelihoods. The analysis of the FLAG system's approaches and various roles of the managers is based on qualitative interviews and a stakeholder survey, set in the interactive governance framework. Our findings show how via its intermediary role, expertise, commitment and networking, the FLAG system, and especially FLAG managers, can mend the failures of the governance system. We conclude that the recruitment of the right type of FLAG managers can be a path towards the enhancement of local small‐scale fishers in a well‐functioning governance system
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Regional Investment Flows from Greece to Bulgaria in the COVID‐19 context: is there a halt trend?
Authors: Kapitsinis N. , Rasvanis E. , Topaloglou L. , Manetos P. , Kallioras D. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the investment flows from Greek to Bulgarian regions against the context of COVID‐19. Employing a mixed research method, it investigates the initial impact of COVID‐19 on regional FDI flows from Greece to Bulgaria and intends to explore to which extent the pandemic acts as an impediment to firm relocation, by examining regional investment flows from 2013 to 2020. The effects of the COVID‐19 macroeconomic shock are placed in the context of the existing conditions shaped by the 2008 global economic crisis. The paper also attempts to provide a critical insight of factors underlying investment flows. The results indicate that there was a limited investment halt but no disinvestment from the Greek to Bulgarian regions in the first year of the COVID‐19 outbreak. Low and stable taxation, cheap labour and efficient regulatory regime attract Greek investments in Bulgaria.
By Design: How People Adapt to Cognitive Limitations in Politics
Authors: Lupia Arthur 
Published: September 2023

AbstractElections, jury deliberations, lawmaking, high‐stakes negotiations and related activities are human attempts to answer the question “How should we live?” Collectively, we know these activities as politics. Politics are how societies attempt to reconcile diverse individual needs with potential benefits of social coordination. People's beliefs about what others will do ainfluence many political strategies and outcomes. This article reviews how properties of cognition affect these political phenomena. Contrary to the common belief that many citizens are too ignorant to make competent political decisions, we focus on a central finding of social science—how societies can design contexts and environments to overcome individual cognitive limitations. These adaptations expand societal capacities to provide essential goods, services, and protections. In addition to explaining these adaptations, we also show how greater collaborations between cognitive science and the social sciences can help societies do even better.
Evolutionary analysis of conserved non‐coding elements subsequent to whole‐genome duplication in opium poppy
Authors: Xu Yu , Bush Stephen J. , Yang Xinyi , Xu Linfeng , Wang Bo , Ye Kai 
Published: September 2023

SUMMARYWhole‐genome duplication (WGD) leads to the duplication of both coding and non‐coding sequences within an organism's genome, providing an abundant supply of genetic material that can drive evolution, ultimately contributing to plant adaptation and speciation. Although non‐coding sequences contain numerous regulatory elements, they have been understudied compared to coding sequences. In order to address this gap, we explored the evolutionary patterns of regulatory sequences, coding sequences and transcriptomes using conserved non‐coding elements (CNEs) as regulatory element proxies following the recent WGD event in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Our results showed similar evolutionary patterns in subgenomes of regulatory and coding sequences. Specifically, the biased or unbiased retention of coding sequences reflected the same pattern as retention levels in regulatory sequences. Further, the divergence of gene expression patterns mediated by regulatory element variations occurred at a more rapid pace than that of gene coding sequences. However, gene losses were purportedly dependent on relaxed selection pressure in coding sequences. Specifically, the rapid evolution of tissue‐specific benzylisoquinoline alkaloid production in P. somniferum was associated with regulatory element changes. The origin of a novel stem‐specific ACR, which utilized ancestral cis‐elements as templates, is likely to be linked to the evolutionary trajectory behind the transition of the PSMT1‐CYP719A21 cluster from high levels of expression solely in P. rhoeas root tissue to its elevated expression in P. somniferum stem tissue. Our findings demonstrate that rapid regulatory element evolution can contribute to the emergence of new phenotypes and provide valuable insights into the high evolvability of regulatory elements.
WILL WE KNOW THEM WHEN WE MEET THEM? HUMAN CYBORG AND NONHUMAN PERSONHOOD
Authors: Turner Léon 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn this article, I assess (1) whether some cyborgs and AI robots can theoretically be considered persons; and (2) how we will know if/when they have attained personhood. Since our discourses of personhood are inherently pluralistic and our concepts of both humanness and personhood are inherently nebulous, both some cyborgs, and some AI robots, I conclude, could theoretically be considered persons depending on what, exactly, one means by “person.” The practical problem of how we distinguish them from nonpersonal AI entities is, however, both more important, and much more difficult to solve. In conversation with various secular and theological accounts of relational personhood, I argue that only by treating AI entities as persons by default might we avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of mistakenly denying personhood to an entire group of eligible entities.
‘Evolutionary poker’: an agent‐based model of interactome emergence and epistasis tested against Lenski's long‐term E. coli experiments
Authors: Root‐Bernstein Robert S. , Bernstein Morton I. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractA simple agent‐based model is presented that produces results matching the experimental data found by Lenski's group for ≤50,000 generations of Escherichia coli bacteria under continuous selective pressure. Although various mathematical models have been devised previously to model the Lenski data, the present model has advantages in terms of overall simplicity and conceptual accessibility. The model also clearly illustrates a number of features of the evolutionary process that are otherwise not obvious, such as the roles of epistasis and historical contingency in adaptation and why evolution is time irreversible (‘Dollo's law’). The reason for this irreversibility is that genomes become increasingly integrated or organized, and this organization becomes a novel selective factor itself, against which future generations must compete. Selection for integrated or synergistic networks, systems or sets of mutations or traits, not for individual mutations, confers the main adaptive advantage. The result is a punctuated form of evolution that follows a logarithmic occurrence probability, in which evolution proceeds very quickly when interactomes begin to form but which slows as interactomes become more robust and the difficulty of integrating new mutations increases. Sufficient parameters exist in the game to suggest not only how equilibrium or stasis is reached but also the conditions in which it will be punctuated, the factors governing the rate at which genomic organization occurs and novel traits appear, and how population size, genome size and gene variability affect these.
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Exploring the Impact of CO2 Atmosphere on Propane Moderate or Intense Low-Oxygen Dilution Combustion: A Numerical Simulation Study
Authors: Pengsheng Shi , Tianyou Zhang , Weijuan Yang , Zhijun Zhou , Junhu Zhou , Jianzhong Liu 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Moderate or intense low-oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion is a promising combustion technology widely recognized by the international combustion community. In this study, numerical simulation was used to investigate the effects of CO2 atmosphere on MILD combustion of propane in a 20-KW furnace.The results show that the O2/CO2 atmosphere leads to a lower average temperature in the furnace, better temperature uniformity, and more uniform distribution of OH and CH2O compared to MILD combustion in the N2/O2 atmosphere. Propane MILD combustion is established well under the physical and chemical effects of CO2. An analytical approach is proposed to describe the physical and chemical effects of CO2 on MILD combustion. The physical effect of CO2 shortens the ignition delay time and advances the pyrolysis and ignition of propane, which causes a high-temperature zone in the front furnace and reduces the temperature uniformity in MILD combustion. However, the chemical effect of CO2 dominates the establishment of the MILD combustion by increasing the ignition delay time and reducing burning rates, with the help of the physical effects of CO2 by intensifying the entrainment in the furnace. Thus, the overall effects of CO2 lead to enhanced temperature uniformity by enlarging the area and evening the temperature of both the ignition zone and combustion zone. These findings provide valuable insights into the physical and chemical mechanisms of CO2 in MILD combustion and have important implications for optimizing combustion processes for improved efficiency and reduced emissions.