bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lower extremity amputations (LEAs) in a tertiary hospital in Togo: a retrospective analysis of clinical, biological, radiological, and therapeutic aspects
Authors: Kouevi-Koko T. E. , Amouzou K. S. , Sogan A. , Apeti S. , Dakey Y. E. L. , Abalo A. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
We analysed the clinical, biological, radiological profiles, and therapeutic patterns of the patients who underwent a surgical lower extremity amputation (LEA) in Togo from 2010 to 2020.

Methods
Retrospective analysis of clinical files of adult patients who underwent an LEA at a single centre (Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital) from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2020. Data were analysed by CDC Epi Info Version 7 and Microsoft Office Excel 2013 software.

Results
We included 245 cases. The mean age was 59.62 years (15.22 SD) (range: 15–90 years). The sex ratio was 1.99. The medical history of diabetes mellitus (DM) was found in 143/222 (64.41%) files. The amputation level found in 241/245 (98.37%) files was the leg in 133/241 (55.19%) patients, the knee in 14/241 (5.81%), the thigh in 83/241 (34.44%), and the foot in 11/241 (4.56%). The 143 patients with DM who underwent LEA had infectious and vascular diseases. Patients with previous LEAs were more likely to have the same limb affected than the contralateral one. The odds of trauma as an indication for LEA were twice as high in patients younger than 65 years compared to the older (OR = 2.095, 95% CI = 1.050–4.183). The mortality rate after LEA was 17/238 (7.14%). There was no significant difference between age, sex, presence or absence of DM, and early postoperative complications (P = 0.77; 0.96; 0.97). The mean duration of hospitalization marked in 241/245 (98.37%) files was 36.30 (1–278) days (36.20 SD). Patients with LEAs due to trauma had a significantly longer hospital admission than those with non-traumatic indications, F (3,237) = 5.505, P = 0.001.

Conclusions
Compared to previous decades, from 2010 to 2020, the average incidence of LEAs for all causes at Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital (Lomé, Togo) decreased while the percentage of patients with DM who underwent LEAs increased. This setting imposes a multidisciplinary approach and information campaigns to prevent DM, cardiovascular diseases, and relative complications.
The ELF3 transcription factor is associated with an epithelial phenotype and represses epithelial-mesenchymal transition
Authors: Subbalakshmi Ayalur Raghu , Sahoo Sarthak , Manjunatha Prakruthi , Goyal Shaurya , Kasiviswanathan Vignesh A , Mahesh Yeshwanth , Ramu Soundharya , McMullen Isabelle , Somarelli Jason A. , Jolly Mohit Kumar 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) involves bidirectional transitions between epithelial, mesenchymal and multiple intermediary hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotypes. While the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its associated transcription factors are well-characterised, the transcription factors that promote mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) and stabilise hybrid E/M phenotypes are less well understood.

Results
Here, we analyse multiple publicly-available transcriptomic datasets at bulk and single-cell level and pinpoint ELF3 as a factor that is strongly associated with an epithelial phenotype and is inhibited during EMT. Using mechanism-based mathematical modelling, we also show that ELF3 inhibits the progression of EMT. This behaviour was also observed in the presence of an EMT inducing factor WT1. Our model predicts that the MET induction capacity of ELF3 is stronger than that of KLF4, but weaker than that of GRHL2. Finally, we show that ELF3 levels correlates with worse patient survival in a subset of solid tumour types.

Conclusion
ELF3 is shown to be inhibited during EMT progression and is also found to inhibit the progression of complete EMT suggesting that ELF3 may be able to counteract EMT induction, including in the presence of EMT-inducing factors, such as WT1. The analysis of patient survival data indicates that the prognostic capacity of ELF3 is specific to cell-of-origin or lineage.
Inoculation with Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 enhances plant growth and salt tolerance of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) seedlings
Authors: Chen Pengyang , Wei Qiannan , Yao Yifei , Wei Jiaqi , Qiu Li , Zhang Baohong , Liu Huawei 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is an important biofuel crop that may contribute to replacing petroleum fuels. However, slow seedling growth and soil salinization affect the growth and development of switchgrass. An increasing number of studies have shown that beneficial microorganisms promote plant growth and increase tolerance to salinity stress. However, the feasibility of inoculating switchgrass with Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 to enhance the growth and salt tolerance of its seedlings is unclear. Our previous study showed that A. caulinodans ORS571 could colonize wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and thereby promote its growth and development and regulate the gene expression levels of microRNAs (miRNAs).

Results
In this study, we systematically studied the impact of A. caulinodans ORS571 on switchgrass growth and development and the response to salinity stress; we also studied the underlying mechanisms during these biological processes. Inoculation with A. caulinodans ORS571 significantly alleviated the effect of salt stress on seedling growth. Under normal conditions, A. caulinodans ORS571 significantly increased fresh plant weight, chlorophyll a content, protein content, and peroxidase (POD) activity in switchgrass seedlings. Under salt stress, the fresh weight, dry weight, shoot and root lengths, and chlorophyll contents were all significantly increased, and some of these parameters even recovered to normal levels after inoculation with A. caulinodans ORS571. Soluble sugar and protein contents and POD and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were also significantly increased, contrary to the results for proline. Additionally, A. caulinodans ORS571 may alleviate salt stress by regulating miRNAs. Twelve selected miRNAs were all upregulated to different degrees under salt stress in switchgrass seedlings. However, the levels of miR169, miR171, miR319, miR393, miR535, and miR854 were decreased significantly after inoculation with A. caulinodans ORS571 under salt stress, in contrast to the expression level of miR399.

Conclusion
This study revealed that A. caulinodans ORS571 increased the salt tolerance of switchgrass seedlings by increasing their water content, photosynthetic efficiency, osmotic pressure maintenance, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging abilities and regulating miRNA expression. This work provides a new, creative idea for improving the salt tolerance of switchgrass seedlings.
Methods in molecular biology and genetics: looking to the future
Authors: Forero Diego A. , Chand Vaibhav 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn recent decades, advances in methods in molecular biology and genetics have revolutionized multiple areas of the life and health sciences. However, there remains a global need for the development of more refined and effective methods across these fields of research. In this current Collection, we aim to showcase articles presenting novel molecular biology and genetics techniques developed by scientists from around the world.
A mathematical characterization of anatomically consistent blood capillary networks
Authors: Bertolini Marina , Causin Paola , Turrini Cristina 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBlood microcirculation is the site of control of tissue perfusion, blood-tissue exchange, and tissue blood volume. Despite the many irregularities, almost ubiquitously, one can recognize in microcirculation vessels a hierarchy of arterioles and venules, organized in tree-like structures, and capillary plexi, organized in net-like structures. Whilst for arterioles and venules it may be envisageable to obtain geometries needed for numerical simulations from imaging techniques, the size and numerosity of capillaries makes this task much more cumbersome. For this reason, it is interesting to study approaches to generate in silico-derived artifacts of capillary networks, even in view of machine-learning based approaches which require a large amount of samples for training. Artificial networks must correctly reflect proper metrics and topology, which in turn, will ensure with proper boundary conditions a physiological blood flux in the net and a sufficient nutrient distribution in the surrounding tissues. In this paper, we introduce the sequence of curves whose limit is the space filling Hilbert curve and we discuss its inherent properties and we obtain the backbone of the artificial capillary network from a suitable element of this sequence. The backbone represents a significant synthesis of basic metric features of the network and, in this context, its properties can be studied analytically. In this framework, the Hilbert curve is a malleable entity which allows to shape the backbone according to the physical indicators. In particular, two significant factors are shown to control the network topology and scaling: the iteration step of the Hilbert curve generation and the characteristic length of the REV, respectively. Based on the points we generate for a certain iteration step, we then obtain via spline interpolation a smoothed version of the curve, which fine–tunes the tortuosity. A volumetric construction is obtained building a tubular neighborhood of the backbone, whose metrics can be computed and tuned as well. Numerical simulations of the blood flow in the obtained geometry show the physical fields occurring in the artificial network.
An updated C. elegans nuclear body muscle transcriptome for studies in muscle formation and function
Authors: Schorr Anna L. , Mejia Alejandro Felix , Miranda Martina Y. , Mangone Marco 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe body muscle is an important tissue used in organisms for proper viability and locomotion. Although this tissue is generally well studied and characterized, and many pathways have been elucidated throughout the years, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of its transcriptome and how it controls muscle development and function. Here, we have updated a nuclear FACS sorting-based methodology to isolate and sequence a high-quality muscle transcriptome from Caenorhabditis elegans mixed-stage animals. We have identified 2848 muscle-specific protein-coding genes, including 78 transcription factors and 206 protein-coding genes containing an RNA binding domain. We studied their interaction network, performed a detailed promoter analysis, and identified novel muscle-specific cis-acting elements. We have also identified 16 high-quality muscle-specific miRNAs, studied their function in vivo using fluorochrome-based analyses, and developed a high-quality C. elegans miRNA interactome incorporating other muscle-specific datasets produced by our lab and others.Our study expands our understanding of how muscle tissue functions in C. elegans andin turn provides results that can in the future be applied to humans to study muscular-related diseases.
Production of acetoin and its derivative tetramethylpyrazine from okara hydrolysate with Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Li Tao , Liu Ping , Guo Gege , Liu Zhaoxing , Zhong Lei , Guo Lianxia , Chen Cheng , Hao Ning , Ouyang Pingkai 
Published: March 2023

AbstractOkara, a renewable biomass resource, is a promising fermentative raw material for the bio-production of value-added chemicals due to its abundance and low-costs. we developed a process for the enzymatic hydrolysis of okara, and then engineered Bacillus subtilis to utilize mixed sugars to produce acetoin in okara hydrolysis without the addition of a supplemental nitrogen source. Okara was initially hydrolyzed with cellulase, β-glucosidase, and pectinase to obtain okara hydrolysate containing mixed sugars (32.78 ± 0.23 g/L glucose, 1.43 ± 0.064 g/L arabinose, 7.74 ± 0.11 g/L galactose) and amino acids. In this study, Bacillus subtilis 168 was used as the acetoin-producing strain, and the key genes bdhA and acoA of the acetoin catabolism pathway were knocked out to improve the fermentation yield of acetoin. In order to utilize the galactose in the hydrolysate, the recombinant strain BS03 (Bacillus subtilis168∆bdhA∆acoA) was used to overexpress the arabinose transporter-encoding gene (araE) drive heterologous expression of the Leloir pathway gene (galKTE). The corn dry powder concentration was optimized to 29 g/L in the reducing sugar okara hydrolysate. The results show that the recombinant bacterium BS03 could still synthesize 11.79 g/L acetoin without using corn dry powder as a nitrogen source. Finally, using okara enzymatic hydrolysate as the carbon and nitrogen source, 11.11 g/L and 29.7 g/L acetoin were obtained by batch fermentation and fed-batch fermentation, respectively, which was further converted to 5.33 g/L and 13.37 g/L tetramethylpyrazine (TTMP) by reaction with an ammonium salt.
Biomechanical and clinical relationships between lower back pain and knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review
Authors: Amarasinghe Piyumi , Wadugodapitiya Surangika , Weerasekara Ishanka 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Osteoarthritis (OA) and lower back pain (LBP) are most common health problems which lead to pain and disability. This study aimed to systematically review the evidence to find any relationship between knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and LBP or any potential causation.

Methods
The databases of Scopus, MEDLINE, and Embase were searched from inception to 01 October 2022. Any study published in English assessing live humans over 18 years with KOA and LBP was eligible to be included. Studies were independently screened by two researchers. Data of the included studies were extracted based on the participants, outcomes related to knee and lumbar spine, reported association or causation between LBP and KOA, and study design. Data were narratively analyzed and presented as graphs and table. Methodology quality was assessed.

Results
Of 9953 titles and abstracts, duplicates were removed, and 7552 were screened. Altogether, 88 full texts were screened, and 13 were eligible for the final inclusion. There were some biomechanical and clinical causations were observed for the concurrent presence of LBP and KOA. Biomechanically, high pelvic incidence is a risk factor for development of spondylolisthesis and KOA. Clinically, knee pain intensity was higher in KOA when presents with LBP. Less than 20% of studies have justified their sample size during the quality assessment.

Discussion
Development and progression of KOA in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis may be induced by significantly greater mismatches of lumbo-pelvic sagittal alignment. Elderly patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis and severe KOA reported a different pelvic morphology, increased sagittal malalignment with a lack of lumbar lordosis due to double-level listhesis, and greater knee flexion contracture than in patients with no to mild and moderate KOA. People with concurrent LBP and KOA have reported poor function with more disability. Both LBP and lumbar kyphosis indicate functional disability and knee symptoms in patients with KOA.

Conclusions
Different biomechanical and clinical causations were revealed for the concurrent existence of KOA and LBP. Therefore, careful assessment of both back and knee joints should be considered when treating KOA and vice versa.

Systematic review registration
PROSPERO CRD42022238571
Efficacy of disease management program used among patients with chronic heart failure: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Duan Yongjie , Li Zongren , Zhong Qin , Rao Chongyou , Hua Yun , Wu Rilige , Dong Jing , Li Da , Wang Wenjun , He Kunlun 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
A large number of studies have provided a variety of heart failure management program (HF-MP) intervention modes. It is generally believed that HF-MP is effective, but the question of which type of program works best, what level of support is needed for an intervention to be effective, and whether different subgroups of patients are best served by different types of programs is still confusing.

Methods
This study will search for published and unpublished randomized clinical trials in English examining HF-MP interventions in comparison with usual care. MEDLINE, Medlin In-Process and Non-Indexed, CENTRAL, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO will be the databases. We will calibrate our eligibility criteria among the team. Each literature will be screened by at least two reviewers. Conflicts will be resolved through team discussion. A similar process will be used for data abstraction and quality appraisal. The results will be synthesized descriptively, and a network meta-analysis will be conducted if the studies are deemed methodologically, clinically, and statistically acceptable (e.g., I2 < 50%). Moreover, potential moderators of efficacy will be analyzed using a meta-regression.

Discussion
This study will reduce the clinical heterogeneity and statistical heterogeneity of review and meta-analysis through a more scientific classification method to determine the most effective HF-MP in different subgroups of heart failure patients with different human resource investments and different intervention methods, providing high-quality evidence and guidance for clinical practice.

Systematic review registration
PROSPERO CRD42021258521
Existence results to a Leray–Lions type problem on the Heisenberg Lie groups
Authors: Razani A. , Safari F. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractHere, the existence and multiplicity of weak solutions to a generalized$(p(\cdot ),q(\cdot ))$(p(⋅),q(⋅))-Laplace equation involving Leray–Lions type operators with Hardy potential are studied under Dirichlet boundary conditions on the Heisenberg groups.
Memory sharing for handling memory overload on physical machines in cloud data centers
Authors: Ge Yaozhong , Tian Yu-Chu , Yu Zu-Guo , Zhang Weizhe 
Published: March 2023

AbstractOver-committing computing resources is a widely adopted strategy for increased cluster utilization in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud data centers. A potential consequence of over-committing computing resources is memory overload of physical machines (PMs). Memory overload occurs if memory usage exceeds a defined alarm threshold, exposing running computation tasks at a risk of being terminated by the operating system. A prevailing measure to handle memory overload of a PM is live migration of virtual machines (VMs). However, this not only consumes network bandwidth, CPU, and other resources, but also compels a temporary unavailability of the VMs being migrated. To handle memory overload, we present a memory sharing system in this paper for PMs in cloud data centers. With memory sharing, a PM automatically borrows memory from a remote PM when necessary, and releases the borrowed memory when memory overload disappears. This is implemented through swapping inactive memory pages to remote memory resource. Experimental studies conducted on InfiniBand-networked PMs show that the memory sharing system is fully functional. The measured throughput and latency are around 929 Mbps and 1.3 $$\mu$$
μ
s, respectively, on average for remote memory access. They are similar to those from accessing a local-volatile memory express solid-state drive, and thus are promising in real applications.
Examining global warming factors using self-organizing map and Granger causality network: a case from South Korea
Authors: Dhakal Thakur , Kim Tae-Su , Lee Do-Hun , Jang Gab-Sue 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundUnderstanding and patterning the possible causal variables of global warming is attributed to the development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies for climate change. Therefore, we aimed to pattern and visualize the possible causal variables of global warming and measure the causality between them.MethodsWe patterned and visualized the time series (103 years, from 1918 to 2020) of global surface temperature (GTemp) data with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, human population (Pop), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of South Korea using a self-organizing map (SOM) and examined the causable local feature of global warming using the Granger causality (GC) test. The time-series data were trained and mapped in 4 × 4 SOM grids, and causality networks between variables were examined using multivariate Granger test statistics.ResultsSOM patterned 103 years of data, and a dominant cluster contained continuous time-series data from 2007 to 2020. Similarly, the CO2emissions of South Korea were obtained as a predictable unidirectional causal variable for GTemp from GC analysis. Based on data from the past 34 years, significant causality (p-value = 0.01) was observed with the integrated effect of Pop, GDP, and CO2on GTemp.ConclusionThis study patterned the time-series data using SOM and examined the causal relationship between variables using the GC test. The study framework could be used as a reference by future scholars, ecologists, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Modeling effects of abiotic factors on the abundances of eight woody species in the Harana forest using artificial networks, random forest, and generalized linear models
Authors: Bedane Girma Ayele , Feyisa Gudina Legese , Wakjira Feyera Senbeta 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Abiotic factors exert different impacts on the abundance of individual tree species in the forest but little has been known about the impact of abiotic factors on the individual plant, particularly, in a tropical forest. This study identified the impact of abiotic factors on the abundances of Podocarpus falcatus, Croton macrostachyus, Celtis africana, Syzygium guineense, Olea capensis, Diospyros abyssinica, Feliucium decipenses, and Coffea arabica. A systematic sample design was used in the Harana forest, where 1122 plots were established to collect the abundance of species. Random forest (RF), artificial neural network (ANN), and generalized linear model (GLM) models were used to examine the impacts of topographic, climatic, and edaphic factors on the log abundances of woody species. The RF model was used to predict the spatial distribution maps of the log abundances of each species.

Results
The RF model achieved a better prediction accuracy with R2 = 71% and a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.28 for Feliucium decipenses. The RF model differentiated elevation, temperature, precipitation, clay, and potassium were the top variables that influenced the abundance of species. The ANN model showed that elevation induced a negative impact on the log abundances of all woody species. The GLM model reaffirmed the negative impact of elevation on all woody species except the log abundances of Syzygium guineense and Olea capensis. The ANN model indicated that soil organic matter (SOM) could positively affect the log abundances of all woody species. The GLM showed a similar positive impact of SOM, except for a negative impact on the log abundance of Celtis africana at p < 0.05. The spatial distributions of the log abundances of Coffee arabica, Filicium decipenses, and Celtis africana were confined to the eastern parts, while the log abundance of Olea capensis was limited to the western parts.

Conclusions
The impacts of abiotic factors on the abundance of woody species may vary with species. This ecological understanding could guide the restoration activity of individual species. The prediction maps in this study provide spatially explicit information which can enhance the successful implementation of species conservation.