bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reclassification of moderate aortic stenosis based on data-driven phenotyping of hemodynamic progression
Authors: Cho Iksung , Kim William D. , Kim Subin , Ko Kyu-Yong , Seong Yeonchan , Kim Dae-Young , Seo Jiwon , Shim Chi Young , Ha Jong-Won , Mori Makoto , Gupta Aakriti , You Seng Chan , Hong Geu-Ru , Krumholz Harlan M. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe management and follow-up of moderate aortic stenosis (AS) lacks consensus as the progression patterns are not well understood. This study aimed to identify the hemodynamic progression of AS, and associated risk factors and outcomes. We included patients with moderate AS with at least three transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) studies performed between 2010 and 2021. Latent class trajectory modeling was used to classify AS groups with distinctive hemodynamic trajectories, which were determined by serial systolic mean pressure gradient (MPG) measurements. Outcomes were defined as all-cause mortality and aortic valve replacement (AVR). A total of 686 patients with 3093 TTE studies were included in the analysis. Latent class model identified two distinct AS trajectory groups based on their MPG: a slow progression group (44.6%) and a rapid progression group (55.4%). Initial MPG was significantly higher in the rapid progression group (28.2 ± 5.6 mmHg vs. 22.9 ± 2.8 mmHg, P < 0.001). The prevalence of atrial fibrillation was higher in the slow progression group; there was no significant between-group difference in the prevalence of other comorbidities. The rapid progression group had a significantly higher AVR rate (HR 3.4 [2.4–4.8], P < 0.001); there was no between-group difference in mortality (HR 0.7 [0.5–1.0]; P = 0.079). Leveraging longitudinal echocardiographic data, we identified two distinct groups of patients with moderate AS: slow and rapid progression. A higher initial MPG (≥ 24 mmHg) was associated with more rapid progression of AS and higher rates of AVR, thus indicating the predictive value of MPG in management of the disease.
Effects of biochar, zeolite and mycorrhiza inoculation on soil properties, heavy metal availability and cowpea growth in a multi-contaminated soil
Authors: Ibrahim Ehab A. , El-Sherbini Mohamed A. A. , Selim El-Metwally M. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHeavy metal pollution of agricultural soil has become a major serious concern. The development of suitable control and remediation strategies for heavy metal contaminated soil has become critical. The outdoor pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar, zeolite, and mycorrhiza on the bioavailability reduction of heavy metals and its subsequent effects on soil properties and bioaccumulation in plants as well as the growth of cowpea grown in highly polluted soil. Zeolite, biochar, mycorrhiza, zeolite with mycorrhiza, biochar with mycorrhiza, and soil without any modifications were the six treatments used. The experiment was conducted with a completely randomized design and four replications. The results indicated that the combination of biochar with mycorrhiza had the highest values of root and shoot dry weight and the lowest heavy metal concentrations in root and shoot as well as bioconcentration and translocation factors for all heavy metals. The highest significant reductions in the availability of heavy metals over the control were found with biochar with mycorrhiza, which were 59.1%, 44.3%, 38.0%, 69.7%, 77.8%, 77.2% and 73.6% for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. The application of biochar and zeolite either alone or in combination with mycorrhiza increased significantly soil pH and EC compared to mycorrhiza treatment and untreated soil. It can be concluded that the combination of biochar and mycorrhizal inoculation has great potential as a cost-effective and environmentally technique for enhancing heavy metal immobilization, lowering heavy metal availability and plant uptake, and improving cowpea plant growth.
Long-term uptake rate of a breast cancer screening program in Fukushima, Japan, following the 2011 Triple Disaster: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Ozaki Akihiko , Saito Hiroaki , Kaneda Yudai , Sawano Toyoaki , Nishikawa Yoshitaka , Murakami Michio , Tsubokura Masaharu , Hirai Kei , Ohira Hiromichi 
Published: April 2023

AbstractLittle is known about how crises might affect the long-term uptake of breast cancer screening programs. This study aimed to clarify the long-term trend of breast cancer screening program uptake in Minamisoma City following the 2011 Triple Disaster in Fukushima, Japan (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster), and to evaluate the factors associated with this uptake. This study retrospectively analyzed data from the Basic Resident Registry and Breast Cancer Screening Program in Minamisoma City following the Triple Disaster. We calculated the annual breast cancer screening uptake rate for women aged 40–74 years who were of an even-numbered age at the end of each fiscal year and the incidence of at least one instance of uptake of the breast cancer screening initiative during the biennial intervals. We further performed cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses for the biannual screening uptake and investigated its associated factors. Breast cancer screening participation rates were 19.8% and 18.2% in 2009 and 2010, respectively. They decreased to 4.2% in 2011, and gradually increased thereafter, reaching the pre-disaster level of 20.0% in 2016. Similar but longer decrease of the uptake was observed in the biannual screening uptake rate. No pre-disaster screening uptake between 2009 and 2010, those living alone, or those who were evacuated, were factors that were found to be associated with non-uptake of the breast cancer screening program following the 2011 disaster. This study showed a long-term decline in breast cancer screening uptake in the area affected by the Triple Disaster, which was the most severe among those under evacuation, those who were isolated, and those without previous uptake. The insights emerging from this study could be used to increase awareness of this issue and establish potential countermeasures.
A ready-to-use machine learning tool for symmetric multi-modality registration of brain MRI
Authors: Iglesias Juan Eugenio 
Published: April 2023

AbstractVolumetric registration of brain MRI is routinely used in human neuroimaging, e.g., to align different MRI modalities, to measure change in longitudinal analysis, to map an individual to a template, or in registration-based segmentation. Classical registration techniques based on numerical optimization have been very successful in this domain, and are implemented in widespread software suites like ANTs, Elastix, NiftyReg, or DARTEL. Over the last 7–8 years, learning-based techniques have emerged, which have a number of advantages like high computational efficiency, potential for higher accuracy, easy integration of supervision, and the ability to be part of a meta-architectures. However, their adoption in neuroimaging pipelines has so far been almost inexistent. Reasons include: lack of robustness to changes in MRI modality and resolution; lack of robust affine registration modules; lack of (guaranteed) symmetry; and, at a more practical level, the requirement of deep learning expertise that may be lacking at neuroimaging research sites. Here, we presentEasyReg, an open-source, learning-based registration tool that can be easily used from the command line without any deep learning expertise or specific hardware.EasyRegcombines the features of classical registration tools, the capabilities of modern deep learning methods, and the robustness to changes in MRI modality and resolution provided by our recent work in domain randomization. As a result,EasyRegis: fast; symmetric; diffeomorphic (and thus invertible); agnostic to MRI modality and resolution; compatible with affine and nonlinear registration; and does not require any preprocessing or parameter tuning. We present results on challenging registration tasks, showing thatEasyRegis as accurate as classical methods when registering 1 mm isotropic scans within MRI modality, but much more accurate across modalities and resolutions.EasyRegis publicly available as part of FreeSurfer; seehttps://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/fswiki/EasyReg.
Intensity-dependent cardiopulmonary response during and after strength training
Authors: Lässing Johannes , Maudrich Tom , Kenville Rouven , Uyar Zarah , Bischoff Christian , Fikenzer Sven , Busse Martin , Falz Roberto 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWhereas cardiopulmonary responses are well understood in endurance training, they are rarely described in strength training. This cross-over study examined acute cardiopulmonary responses in strength training. Fourteen healthy male strength training-experienced participants (age 24.5 ± 2.9 years; BMI 24.1 ± 2.0 kg/m2) were randomly assigned into three strength training sessions (three sets of ten repetitions) with different intensities (50%, 62,5%, and 75% of the 3-Repetition Maximum) of squats in a smith machine. Cardiopulmonary (impedance cardiography, ergo-spirometry) responses were continuously monitored. During exercise period, heart rate (HR 143 ± 16 vs. 132 ± 15 vs. 129 ± 18 bpm, respectively; p < 0.01; η2p 0.54) and cardiac output (CO: 16.7 ± 3.7 vs. 14.3 ± 2.5 vs. 13.6 ± 2.4 l/min, respectively; p < 0.01; η2p 0.56) were higher at 75% of 3-RM compared to those at the other intensities. We noted similar stroke volume (SV: p = 0.08; η2p 0.18) and end-diastolic volume (EDV: p = 0.49). Ventilation (VE) was higher at 75% compared to 62.5% and 50% (44.0 ± 8.0 vs. 39.6 ± 10.4 vs. 37.6 ± 7.7 l/min, respectively; p < 0.01; η2p 0.56). Respiration rate (RR; p = .16; η2p 0.13), tidal volume (VT: p = 0.41; η2p 0.07) and oxygen uptake (VO2: p = 0.11; η2p 0.16) did not differ between intensities. High systolic and diastolic blood pressure were evident (62.5% 3-RM 197 ± 22.4/108.8 ± 13.4 mmHG). During the post-exercise period (60 s), SV, CO, VE, VO2, and VCO2 were higher (p < 0.01) than during the exercise period, and the pulmonary parameters differed markedly between intensities (VE p < 0.01; RR p < 0.01; VT p = 0.02; VO2 p < 0.01; VCO2 p < 0.01). Despite the differences in strength training intensity, the cardiopulmonary response reveals significant differences predominantly during the post-exercise period. Intensity-induced breath holding induces high blood pressure peaks and cardiopulmonary recovery effects after exercise.
Evaluating the functional, sexual and seasonal variation in the chemical constituents from feces of adult Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus)
Authors: Barja Isabel , Piñeiro Ana , Ruiz-González Aritz , Caro Amaia , López Pilar , Martín José 
Published: April 2023

AbstractChemical signals deposited in feces play an important role in intraspecific and interspecific communication of many mammals. We collected fresh feces of adult wolves from wild breeding groups. All samples visually identified as belonging to wolves were subsequently identified to species level by sequencing a small fragment of mtDNA and sexed typing DBX6 and DBY7 sex markers. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), we identified 56 lipophilic compounds in the feces, mainly heterocyclic aromatic organic compounds, such as indole or phenol, but also steroids, such as cholesterol, carboxylic acids and their esters between n-C4 and n-C18, aldehydes, alcohols and significant quantities of squalene and α-tocopherol, which would increase the chemical stability of feces on humid substrates. There was variability in the number and proportions of compounds between sexes, which could be indicative of their function as chemical signals. We also found variability in different reproductive states, especially in odorous compounds, steroids and α-tocopherol. Feces with a presumed marking function had higher proportions of α-tocopherol and steroids than feces with non-marking function. These compounds could be involved in intragroup and intergroup communication of wolves and their levels in feces could be directly related with the wolf’s sex and physiological and reproductive status.
Development of sustainable strontium ferrite graphene nanocomposite for highly effective catalysis and antimicrobial activity
Authors: Mayani Suranjana V. , Bhatt Sandip P. , Mayani Vishal J. , Sanghvi Gaurav 
Published: April 2023

AbstractGraphene oxide (GO) has layered structure with carbon atoms that are highly coated with oxygen-containing groups, increasing the interlayer distance while simultaneously making hydrophilic atomic-thick layers. It is exfoliated sheets that only have one or a few layers of carbon atoms. In our work, Strontium Ferrite Graphene Composite (SF@GOC) has been synthesized and thoroughly characterized by physico-chemical methods like XRD, FTIR, SEM–EDX, TEM, AFM, TGA and Nitrogen adsorption desorption analysis. A very few catalysts have been manufactured so far that are capable of degrading Eosin-Y and Orange (II) dyes in water by heterogeneous catalytic method. The current study offers an overview of the recyclable nanocomposite SF@GOC used in mild reaction conditions to breakdown the hazardous water pollutant dyes Eosin-Y (96.2%) and Orange (II) (98.7%). The leaching experiment has demonstrated that the use of the transition metals strontium and iron have not result in any secondary contamination. Moreover, antibacterial and antifungal assay have been investigated. SF@GOC has shown greater activity with bacterial and fungal species while compared with GO. FESEM analysis shows that the bactericidal mechanism for SF@GOC is same in both gram-negative bacteria. The difference in the antifungal activity among the candida strains can be correlated with the movement of ions release (slower and faster) of synthesized nanoscrolls in SF@GOC. In comparison to previous reports, this new environmentally safe and novel catalyst showed substantial degrading activity. It can also be applied to new multifunctional processes such as in the fields of composite materials, solar energy, heterogeneous catalysis and biomedical applications.
Highly efficient graphene terahertz modulator with tunable electromagnetically induced transparency-like transmission
Authors: Kim Myunghwan , Kim Seong-Han , Kang Chul , Kim Soeun , Kee Chul-Sik 
Published: April 2023

AbstractGraphene-based optical modulators have been extensively studied owing to the high mobility and tunable permittivity of graphene. However, weak graphene-light interactions make it difficult to achieve a high modulation depth with low energy consumption. Here, we propose a high-performance graphene-based optical modulator consisting of a photonic crystal structure and a waveguide with graphene that exhibits an electromagnetically-induced-transparency-like (EIT-like) transmission spectrum at terahertz frequency. The high quality-factor guiding mode to generate the EIT-like transmission enhances light-graphene interaction, and the designed modulator achieves a high modulation depth of 98% with a significantly small Fermi level shift of 0.05 eV. The proposed scheme can be utilized in active optical devices that require low power consumption.
Proteomic data and structure analysis combined reveal interplay of structural rigidity and flexibility on selectivity of cysteine cathepsins
Authors: Tušar Livija , Loboda Jure , Impens Francis , Sosnowski Piotr , Van Quickelberghe Emmy , Vidmar Robert , Demol Hans , Sedeyn Koen , Saelens Xavier , Vizovišek Matej , Mihelič Marko , Fonović Marko , Horvat Jaka , Kosec Gregor , Turk Boris , Gevaert Kris , Turk Dušan 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAddressing the elusive specificity of cysteine cathepsins, which in contrast to caspases and trypsin-like proteases lack strict specificity determining P1 pocket, calls for innovative approaches. Proteomic analysis of cell lysates with human cathepsins K, V, B, L, S, and F identified 30,000 cleavage sites, which we analyzed by software platform SAPS-ESI (Statistical Approach to Peptidyl Substrate-Enzyme Specific Interactions). SAPS-ESI is used to generate clusters and training sets for support vector machine learning. Cleavage site predictions on the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, confirmed experimentally, expose the most probable first cut under physiological conditions and suggested furin-like behavior of cathepsins. Crystal structure analysis of representative peptides in complex with cathepsin V reveals rigid and flexible sites consistent with analysis of proteomics data by SAPS-ESI that correspond to positions with heterogeneous and homogeneous distribution of residues. Thereby support for design of selective cleavable linkers of drug conjugates and drug discovery studies is provided.
Biophysical flocculation reduces variability of cohesive sediment settling velocity
Authors: Ye L. , Penaloza-Giraldo J. A. , Manning A. J. , Holyoke J. , Hsu T.-J. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBiophysical cohesion, introduced predominantly by Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) during mineral flocculation in subaqueous environments, plays important role in morphodynamics, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem processes. However, the mechanism of how EPS functioning with cohesive particles and affects settling behaviors remain poorly understood. We measure initial flocculation rate, floc size and settling velocity of mineral and artificial EPS (Xanthan gum) mixtures. Combining results from these and previous studies demonstrate coherent intensification of EPS-related flocculation compare with those of pure mineral and oil-mineral mixtures. Importantly, the presence of EPS fundamentally changes floc structure and reduces variability of settling velocity. Measured data shows that ratios of microfloc and macrofloc settling velocity for pure mineral flocs is 3.9 but greatly reduced to a lowest value of 1.6 due to biological EPS addition. The low variability of settling velocity due to EPS participation explains the seemingly inconsistent results previously observed between field and laboratory studies.
Two‐stage approach for cooperative multi‐vehicle localization using integrated measurements
Authors: Shin Vladimir , Cervantes Tito Jehu Ludena , Kim Yoonsoo 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn this article, the distributed filtering of absolute and relative measurements for the cooperative localisation of multiple vehicles is investigated. A novel two‐stage approach that uses two unbiased cooperative filters for the sequential processing of integrated measurements is proposed. The first filter sequentially estimates each vehicle state by replacing extra neighbouring states with corresponding estimates obtained only from absolute measurements and by adding relative measurements. The second filter considers extra neighbouring states as auxiliary coloured noise. The proposed filters have low communication loads and computational complexity because of the sequential processing of the absolute and relative measurements. Unlike existing cooperative filters, the proposed two‐stage structure makes the filters robust against the presence of unreliable links between neighbouring vehicles. We present simulation results demonstrating the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed filters when applied to vehicles performing two‐dimensional manoeuvres in three network topologies: a ring, line, and mesh.
Partial versus total knee arthroplasty for isolated antero-medial osteoarthritis – An analysis of PROMs and satisfaction
Authors: Annapareddy Adarsh , Mulpur Praharsha , Prakash Mrinal , Suhas Masilamani A. B. , Eachempati Krishna Kiran , Gurava Reddy A. V. 
Published: April 2023

Aim: This study aimed to compare the patient-reported functional outcomes and patient satisfaction after medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (UKA) versus Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), performed for anteromedial osteoarthritis (AMOA) of the knee in patients from an Indian population, at a minimum 3-year follow-up.Methods: This is a prospective matched cohort study (1:2 ratio). One hundred and one UKA cases were matched to 206 TKA cases by propensity score matching for age, body mass index (BMI), gender distribution, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). The primary outcome (Oxford knee score, OKS) was assessed at a 3-year follow-up, along with secondary outcomes (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC] Score, Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), Anterior Knee Pain (Kujala) score, patient satisfaction, and revision rate at the final follow-up).Results: The UKA group was superior to the TKA group in patient-reported functional outcomes based on the OKS (p = 0.004). Using the FJS score, UKA was more likely to be a forgotten joint compared to TKA (p < 0.001). However, differences in the OKS and FJS did not meet the reported minimal clinically important difference (MCID) thresholds. Quality of life (EuroQol-5D VAS scale) was found to be significantly higher in the UKA group (p < 0.001). Patients in the UKA group were more likely to be very satisfied (75.2%) versus the TKA group (62.1%,p = 0.023).Conclusion: For AMOA, UKA was associated with improved patient satisfaction compared to TKA. Although patient-reported outcome measures were statistically in favour of UKA over TKA, the differences were not clinically significant. Multicenter and randomized studies comparing the two procedures are warranted.Evidence: Level-II Therapeutic
Does the Ethnic Difference Affect the Pharmacokinetics of Favipiravir? A Pharmacokinetic Study in Healthy Egyptian Volunteers and Development of Level C In-vitro In-vivo Correlation
Authors: Bendas Ehab R. , Rezk Mamdouh R. , Badr Kamal A. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractFavipiravir is an antiviral drug used to treat influenza and is also being investigated for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Its pharmacokinetic profile varies depending on ethnic group. The present research examines the pharmacokinetic features of favipiravir in healthy male Egyptian volunteers. Another goal of this research is to determine the optimum dissolution testing conditions for immediate release tablets. In vitro dissolution testing was investigated for favipiravir tablets in three different pH media. The pharmacokinetic features of favipiravir were examined in 27 healthy male Egyptian volunteers. The parameter “AUC0-t” vs. percent dissolved was used to develop level C in vitro in vivo correlation (IVIVC) to set the optimum dissolution medium to achieve accurate dissolution profile for favipiravir (IR) tablets. The in vitro release results revealed significant difference among the three different dissolution media. The Pk parameters of twenty-seven human subjects showed mean value of Cpmax of 5966.45 ng/mL at median tmax of 0.75 h with AUC0-∞ equals 13325.54 ng.h/mL, showing half-life of 1.25 h. Level C IVIVC was developed successfully. It was concluded that Egyptian volunteers had comparable Pk values to American and Caucasian volunteers, however they were considerably different from Japanese subjects. AUC0-t vs. % dissolved was used to develop level C IVIVC to set the optimum dissolution medium. Phosphate buffer medium (pH 6.8) was found to be the optimum dissolution medium for in vitro dissolution testing for Favipiravir IR tablets.
Palladium-Catalyzed Cyanation of Nucleobases: Total Synthesis of Toyocamycin, Sangivamycin, and a Mycalisine A Precursor
Authors: Kapdi Anant R. , Shet Harshita , Sahu Rajesh , Sanghvi Yogesh S. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractInstallation of cyano group functionality onto nucleosides has always been a challenging task for chemists, and catalytic protocols developed for simple aryl substrates have, in most cases, failed to replicate their success when applied to nucleobase or sugar moieties of nucleosides. Given the importance of the cyano and amide functionalities in nucleoside chemistry, we herein disclose an efficient Pd-catalyzed cyanation protocol specifically applied to iodo nucleobases. Furthermore, the developed cyanation method has been explored for the synthesis of naturally occurring and bioactive nucleosides such as toyocamycin, sangivamycin, and a mycalisine A precursor.