bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolic engineering for the production of acetoin and 2,3-butanediol at elevated temperature in Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius NCIMB 11955
Authors: Sheng Lili , Madika Abubakar , Lau Matthew S. H. , Zhang Ying , Minton Nigel P. 
Published: May 2023

The current climate crisis has emphasised the need to achieve global net-zero by 2050, with countries being urged to set considerable emission reduction targets by 2030. Exploitation of a fermentative process that uses a thermophilic chassis can represent a way to manufacture chemicals and fuels through more environmentally friendly routes with a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, the industrially relevant thermophile Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius NCIMB 11955 was engineered to produce 3-hydroxybutanone (acetoin) and 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO), organic compounds with commercial applications. Using heterologous acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetolactate decarboxylase (ALD) enzymes, a functional 2,3-BDO biosynthetic pathway was constructed. The formation of by-products was minimized by the deletion of competing pathways surrounding the pyruvate node. Redox imbalance was addressed through autonomous overexpression of the butanediol dehydrogenase and by investigating appropriate aeration levels. Through this, we were able to produce 2,3-BDO as the predominant fermentation metabolite, with up to 6.6 g/L 2,3-BDO (0.33 g/g glucose) representing 66% of the theoretical maximum at 50°C. In addition, the identification and subsequent deletion of a previously unreported thermophilic acetoin degradation gene (acoB1) resulted in enhanced acetoin production under aerobic conditions, producing 7.6 g/L (0.38 g/g glucose) representing 78% of the theoretical maximum. Furthermore, through the generation of a ΔacoB1 mutant and by testing the effect of glucose concentration on 2,3-BDO production, we were able to produce 15.6 g/L of 2,3-BDO in media supplemented with 5% glucose, the highest titre of 2,3-BDO produced in Parageobacillus and Geobacillus species to date.
Non-invasive cardiac kinetic energy distribution: a new marker of heart failure with impaired ejection fraction (KINO-HF)
Authors: De Keyzer Eva , Hossein Amin , Rabineau Jeremy , Morissens Marielle , Almorad Alexandre , van de Borne Philippe 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundHeart failure (HF) remains a major cause of mortality, morbidity, and poor quality of life. 44% of HF patients present impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Kinocardiography (KCG) technology combines ballistocardiography (BCG) and seismocardiography (SCG). It estimates myocardial contraction and blood flow through the cardiac chambers and major vessels through a wearable device. Kino-HF sought to evaluate the potential of KCG to distinguish HF patients with impaired LVEF from a control group.MethodsSuccessive patients with HF and impaired LVEF (iLVEF group) were matched and compared to patients with normal LVEF ≥ 50% (control). A 60 s KCG acquisition followed cardiac ultrasound. The kinetic energy from KCG signals was computed in different phases of the cardiac cycle (iKsystolic;ΔiKdiastolic) as markers of cardiac mechanical function.ResultsThirty HF patients (67 [59; 71] years, 87% male) were matched with 30 controls (64.5 [49; 73] years, 87% male). SCG ΔiKdiastolic, BCG iKsystolic, BCG ΔiKdiastolic were lower in HF than controls (p &lt; 0.05), while SCG iKsystolic was similar. Furthermore, a lower SCG iKsystolic was associated with an increased mortality risk during follow-up.ConclusionsKINO-HF demonstrates that KCG can distinguish HF patients with impaired systolic function from a control group. These favorable results warrant further research on the diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of KCG in HF with impaired LVEF.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03157115.
Association of blood pressure variability and CT-based Leiden score in hypertension patients
Authors: Chen Jianqiao , Ji Xinqiang , Zhao Runtao , Wang Fan 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundBlood pressure variability (BPV) obtained from ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been demonstrated to accurately predict the risk of cerebrovascular events and death in hypertension patients, however, the association between BPV and the severity of coronary atherosclerotic plaque remains unclear.MethodsPatients with hypertension combined with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) were collected, who underwent both ABPM and coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) from December 2017 to March 2022. Patients were divided into three groups according to the Leiden score: low-risk group (Leiden score &lt;5), medium-risk group (Leiden score 5–20), and high-risk group (Leiden score &gt;20). The clinical characteristics of patients were collected and analyzed. Univariate Pearson correlation and multivariate Logistics regression were used to determine the association between BPV and the severity of coronary atherosclerotic plaque.ResultsA total of 783 patients were included, with the average age of (62.85 ± 10.17) years and 523 males. Patients in the high-risk group had higher mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), nighttime mean SBP and SBP variability (P &lt; 0.05). Leiden score with low risk was associated with 24 h-SBP variability (r = 0.35, P = 0.006) and 24 h-diastolic blood pressure (DBP) loading (r = −0.18, P = 0.027). Leiden score with medium and high risk was associated with nighttime mean SBP (r = 0.23, P = 0.005), 24 h-SBP variability (r = 0.32, P = 0.003), and the decrease of nighttime SBP (r = 0.24, P = 0.019). Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 1.014, 95% confidential interval (CI): 1.0–1.07, P = 0.03], diabetes (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.10–2.26, P = 0.01) and 24 h-SBP variability (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.01–2.46, P = 0.01) were independently associated with Leiden score with medium and high risk.ConclusionLarger SBP variability in hypertensive patients indicates the higher Leiden score and consequently the more serious coronary atherosclerotic plaque. Monitoring SBP variability has certain significance for predicting the severity of coronary atherosclerotic plaque and preventing its progression.
Knowledge, attitudes, and adherence relating to COVID-19 and its prevention measures in high-risk districts of Uganda in 2020
Authors: Methodius Tubihemukama , Musewa Angella , Mirembe Bernadette Basuta , Birungi Doreen , Nitumusiima Sarah , Naigaga Irene , Kabasa John David , Bazeyo William 
Published: May 2023

IntroductionCOVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. There were no licensed vaccines or explicit medicines available for treatment at the time of conducting this study. Public health and social measures (PHSM) have been widely adopted to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Hence, assessing people's knowledge, attitudes, and adherence/practices related to the management of COVID-19 is crucial for identifying the factors that may promote or hinder adherence to the implementation of PHSM.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in the Amuru, Kyotera, Wakiso, and Kampala districts of Uganda. We used a simple random sampling technique to select households and conducted face-to-face interviews in selected households. We administered questionnaires to respondents to assess the factors that promote or hinder adherence to and knowledge about PHSM implementation. We used a Likert scale to assess respondents’ attitudes toward COVID-19.ResultsOut of the 270 respondents, 54 (20%), 73 (27%), 42 (15.6%), and 101 (37.4%) were from the Kampala, Amuru, Wakiso, and Kyotera districts, respectively. Most of the respondents had adequate knowledge (72.2%), a high level of adherence (63.7%), and approximately 57.8% had good attitudes relating to COVID-19 and its prevention measures. An inferential analysis revealed that people from the Kampala district had higher chances (odds ratio = 4.668) of having a high level of knowledge compared to people from the Amuru district. It was also found that respondents who had a high level of (adequate) knowledge were twice as likely to have good attitudes compared to those with a low level of knowledge. In addition, people with good attitudes were 2.5 times as likely to adhere to the COVID-19 prevention measures compared to those with poor attitudes.ConclusionMost respondents had limited knowledge though the majority of them had adopted practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Respondents with low knowledge of COVID-19 need to be targeted, to improve their attitude toward the disease and their adherence to safe prevention practices.
Prognostic value of prelymphodepletion absolute lymphocyte counts in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with chimeric antigen receptor T cells
Authors: Lu Yanyan , Zhu Hong , Liu Yang , Wang Ying , Sun Yinxiang , Cheng Hai , Yan Zhiling , Cao Jiang , Sang Wei , Zhu Feng , Li Depeng , Sun Haiying , Zheng Junnian , Xu Kailin , Li Zhenyu 
Published: May 2023

IntroductionChimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved unprecedented efficacy recently. However, the factors related to responses and durable remission are elusive. This study was to investigate the impact of pre-lymphodepletion (pre-LD) absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) on CAR T cell therapy outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 84 patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) who underwent CAR T cell treatment at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University between March 1,2016 and December 31, 2021. The enrolled patients were divided into high group and low group according to the optimal cutoff value of pre-LD ALC. The Kaplan-Meier analyses was used to calculate survival curves. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis to assess the prognostic factors.ResultsThe ROC showed that the optimal cutoff value of pre-LD ALC was 1.05 x 109/L. The overall response (defined as partial response or complete response) rate was significantly higher in patients with a high pre-LD ALC (75% versus 52.08%; P=0.032). Patients with a low pre-LD ALC had significantly inferior overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with those having a high pre-LD ALC (median OS, 9.6 months versus 45.17 months [P=0.008]; median PFS, 4.07 months versus 45.17 months [P= 0.030]). Meanwhile, low pre-LD ALC is an independent risk factor for PFS and OS.DiscussionThe data suggested that pre-LD ALC may serve as a helpful indicator to predict the outcomes of CAR T cell therapy in patients with R/R DLBCL.
A prediction model identifying glycolysis signature as therapeutic target for psoriasis
Authors: Shou Yanhong , Zhu Ronghui , Tang Zhenwei , Man Xiao-Yong 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundThe hyperproliferation featured with upregulated glycolysis is a hallmark of psoriasis. However, molecular difference of keratinocyte glycolysis amongst varied pathologic states in psoriasis remain elusive.ObjectivesTo characterize glycolysis status of psoriatic skin and assess the potential of glycolysis score for therapeutic decision.MethodsWe analyzed 345414 cells collected from different cohorts of single-cell RNA seq database. A new method, Scissor, was used to integrate the phenotypes in GSE11903 to guide single-cell data analysis, allowing identification of responder subpopulations. AUCell algorithm was performed to evaluate the glycolysis status of single cell. Glycolysis signature was used for further ordering in trajectory analysis. The signature model was built with logistic regression analysis and validated using external datasets.ResultsKeratinocytes (KCs) expressing SLC2A1 and LDH1 were identified as a novel glycolysis-related subpopulation. Scissor+ cells and Scissor− cells were defined as response and non-response phenotypes. In Scissor+SLC2A1+ LDH1+ KCs, ATP synthesis pathway was activated, especially, the glycolysis pathway being intriguing. Based on the glycolysis signature, keratinocyte differentiation was decomposed into a three-phase trajectory of normal, non-lesional, and lesional psoriatic cells. The area under the curve (AUC) and Brier score (BS) were used to estimate the performance of the glycolysis signature in distinguishing response and non-response samples in GSE69967 (AUC =0.786, BS =17.7) and GSE85034 (AUC=0.849, BS=11.1). Furthermore, Decision Curve Analysis suggested that the glycolysis score was clinically practicable.ConclusionWe demonstrated a novel glycolysis-related subpopulation of KCs, identified 12-glycolysis signature, and validated its promising predictive efficacy of treatment effectiveness.
Postoperative short-term mortality between insulin-treated and non-insulin-treated patients with diabetes after non-cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jiang Jie , Wang Shuo , Sun Rao , Zhao Yilin , Zhou Zhiqiang , Bi Jiangjiang , Luo Ailin , Li Shiyong 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for postoperative complications. It has been reported that insulin-treated diabetes is associated with increased postoperative mortality compared to non-insulin-treated diabetes after cardiac surgery; however, it is unclear whether this finding is applicable to non-cardiac surgery.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess the effects of insulin-treated and non-insulin-treated diabetes on short-term mortality after non-cardiac surgery.MethodsOur study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science databases were searched from inception to February 22, 2021. Cohort or case-control studies that provided information on postoperative short-term mortality in insulin-treated diabetic and non-insulin-treated diabetic patients were included. We pooled the data with a random-effects model. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was used to rate the quality of evidence.ResultsTwenty-two cohort studies involving 208,214 participants were included. Our study suggested that insulin-treated diabetic patients was associated with a higher risk of 30-day mortality than non-insulin-treated diabetic patients [19 studies with 197,704 patients, risk ratio (RR) 1.305; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.127 to 1.511; p &lt; 0.001]. The studies were rated as very low quality. The new pooled result only slightly changed after seven simulated missing studies were added using the trim-and-fill method (RR, 1.260; 95% CI, 1.076–1.476; p = 0.004). Our results also showed no significant difference between insulin-treated diabetes and non-insulin-treated diabetes regarding in-hospital mortality (two studies with 9,032 patients, RR, 0.970; 95% CI, 0.584–1.611; p = 0.905).ConclusionVery-low-quality evidence suggests that insulin-treated diabetes was associated with increased 30-day mortality after non-cardiac surgery. However, this finding is non-definitive because of the influence of confounding factors.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021246752, identifier: CRD42021246752.
The efficacy and safety of gabapentin vs. carbamazepine in patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhao Xin , Ge Shuyu 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundDrug therapy is the most commonly used treatment for primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN), in which carbamazepine is the first-line drug. Recently, the anti-epileptic drug gabapentin has also been widely used in patients with PTN, but whether it can be used as a substitute for carbamazepine still needs to be verified. Our study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of gabapentin vs. carbamazepine as a treatment for PTN.MethodsWe searched seven electronic databases for studies published as of 31 July 2022. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of gabapentin vs. carbamazepine on patients with PTN that met the inclusion criteria were included. Meta-analysis was conducted using Revman 5.4 and Stata 14.0, in which forest plots, funnel plots, and sensitivity analysis were performed. Mean difference (MD) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for the measurement indicators of continuous and categorical variables, respectively.ResultsA total of 18 RCTs with 1,604 patients were eventually identified. The meta-analysis showed that compared with the carbamazepine group, the gabapentin group significantly improved the effective rate (OR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.56 to 2.62, P &lt; 0.001), reduced the adverse event rate (OR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.37, P &lt; 0.001), and improved the visual analog scale (VAS) score (MD = −0.46, 95% CI −0.86 to −0.06, P = 0.03). Although the funnel plot showed evidence of publication bias, the sensitivity analysis revealed the stability of the results.ConclusionThe current evidence showed that gabapentin may be superior to carbamazepine in relation to efficacy and safety in patients with PTN. It is crucial that more RCTs are conducted to confirm the conclusion in the future.
Is aspiration an effective acute stroke treatment in older adults?
Authors: Narloch Jerzy , Piasecki Adam , Ziecina Piotr , Dȩbiec Aleksander , Wierzbicki Marek , Staszewski Jacek , Piasecki Piotr 
Published: May 2023

IntroductionClinical outcomes after interventional stroke treatment rely on several factors, with older age being associated with poorer results, which are mainly attributed to patient's comorbidities and medications. The delivery of an aspiration catheter could be hindered by carotid tortuosity, which is more prevalent in elderly patients with increasing age. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical and angiographic outcomes of a direct aspiration first-pass technique in interventional stroke treatment for elderly patients compared with younger patients.Materials and methodsA total of 162 patients (92 women and 70 men, aged between 35 and 94 years +/– 12.4 years) were included in this study. Patients who were treated in a comprehensive stroke center due to a large-vessel occlusion stroke using aspiration as the first-choice treatment were included in this study. To evaluate carotid arteries, the tortuosity index (TI) was calculated for each segment of each carotid pathway.ResultsAge correlated significantly with the presence of carotid tortuosity (R = 0.408, p = 0.000), extracranial length ratio (R = 0.487, p = 0.000), and overall length ratio (R = 0.467, p = 0.000). No significant associations were found with coiling, kinking, or intracranial length ratio. Successful aspiration-based recanalization rate decreased with increasing age, and the differences between the age subgroups were not statistically significant. A comparison of the extreme subgroups, i.e., &lt;60 years old vs. ≥80 years old, did not yield a statistically significant change (p = 0.068).ConclusionSuccessful aspiration-based recanalization rate decreased with increasing age; however, these differences were not significant. Clinical outcomes did not significantly differ with regard to carotid tortuosity, regardless of the time of assessment. Neither intracranial nor extracranial tortuosity was significantly associated with reperfusion-related complications in either of the age subgroups.
Different iPSC-derived neural stem cells shows various spectrums of spontaneous differentiation during long term cultivation
Authors: Galiakberova Adelya Albertovna , Brovkina Olga Igorevna , Kondratyev Nikolay Vitalyevich , Artyuhov Alexander Sergeevich , Momotyuk Ekaterina Dmitrievna , Kulmukhametova Olga Nikolaevna , Lagunin Alexey Aleksandrovich , Shilov Boris Vladimirovich , Zadorozhny Anton Dmitrievich , Zakharov Igor Sergeevitch , Okorokova Larisa Sergeevna , Golimbet Vera Evgenievna , Dashinimaev Erdem Bairovich 
Published: May 2023

IntroductionCulturing of human neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) is a promising area of research, as these cells have the potential to treat a wide range of neurological, neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. However, the development of optimal protocols for the production and long-term culturing of NSCs remains a challenge. One of the most important aspects of this problem is to determine the stability of NSCs during long-term in vitro passaging. To address this problem, our study was aimed at investigating the spontaneous differentiation profile in different iPSC-derived human NSCs cultures during long-term cultivation using.MethodsFour different IPSC lines were used to generate NSC and spontaneously differentiated neural cultures using DUAL SMAD inhibition. These cells were analyzed at different passages using immunocytochemistry, qPCR, bulk transcriptomes and scRNA-seq.ResultsWe found that various NSC lines generate significantly different spectrums of differentiated neural cells, which can also change significantly during long-term cultivation in vitro.DiscussionOur results indicate that both internal (genetic and epigenetic) and external (conditions and duration of cultivation) factors influence the stability of NSCs. These results have important implications for the development of optimal NSCs culturing protocols and highlight the need to further investigate the factors influencing the stability of these cells in vitro.
Combination of multi-modal MRI radiomics and liquid biopsy technique for preoperatively non-invasive diagnosis of glioma based on deep learning: protocol for a double-center, ambispective, diagnostical observational study
Authors: Hu Ping , Xu Ling , Qi Yangzhi , Yan Tengfeng , Ye Liguo , Wen Shen , Yuan Dalong , Zhu Xinyi , Deng Shuhang , Liu Xun , Xu Panpan , You Ran , Wang Dongfang , Liang Shanwen , Wu Yu , Xu Yang , Sun Qian , Du Senlin , Yuan Ye , Deng Gang , Cheng Jing , Zhang Dong , Chen Qianxue , Zhu Xingen 
Published: May 2023

Background2021 World Health Organization (WHO) Central Nervous System (CNS) tumor classification increasingly emphasizes the important role of molecular markers in glioma diagnoses. Preoperatively non-invasive “integrated diagnosis” will bring great benefits to the treatment and prognosis of these patients with special tumor locations that cannot receive craniotomy or needle biopsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics and liquid biopsy (LB) have great potential for non-invasive diagnosis of molecular markers and grading since they are both easy to perform. This study aims to build a novel multi-task deep learning (DL) radiomic model to achieve preoperative non-invasive “integrated diagnosis” of glioma based on the 2021 WHO-CNS classification and explore whether the DL model with LB parameters can improve the performance of glioma diagnosis.MethodsThis is a double-center, ambispective, diagnostical observational study. One public database named the 2019 Brain Tumor Segmentation challenge dataset (BraTS) and two original datasets, including the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, and Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, will be used to develop the multi-task DL radiomic model. As one of the LB techniques, circulating tumor cell (CTC) parameters will be additionally applied in the DL radiomic model for assisting the “integrated diagnosis” of glioma. The segmentation model will be evaluated with the Dice index, and the performance of the DL model for WHO grading and all molecular subtype will be evaluated with the indicators of accuracy, precision, and recall.DiscussionSimply relying on radiomics features to find the correlation with the molecular subtypes of gliomas can no longer meet the need for “precisely integrated prediction.” CTC features are a promising biomarker that may provide new directions in the exploration of “precision integrated prediction” based on the radiomics, and this is the first original study that combination of radiomics and LB technology for glioma diagnosis. We firmly believe that this innovative work will surely lay a good foundation for the “precisely integrated prediction” of glioma and point out further directions for future research.Clinical trail registrationThis study was registered on ClinicalTrails.gov on 09/10/2022 with Identifier NCT05536024.