bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of acupuncture on neuroinflammation in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease: A preclinical systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wu Zhi-Guo , Huang Ying-Jie , Wang Tun-Yi , Deng Chu-Yu , Xu Zhi-Rui , Tang Chun-Zhi 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundDespite neuroinflammation being an important component of the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), effective therapies to alleviate neuroinflammation are still lacking. Many animal experiments in AD have found that acupuncture may ameliorate cognition by decreasing neuroinflammation and modulating cytokines, but its effects have not been systematically examined. We aimed to assess its efficacy on neuroinflammation in AD and to investigate the potential mechanisms.Materials and methodsThe following databases were searched from inception until 24 August 2022: Web of Science, EMBASE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Animal studies that reported the efficacy of acupuncture on neuroinflammation in AD were included. The SYRCLE Robt was utilized to evaluate methodological quality. Stata 17 was utilized to conduct a meta-analysis of cytokine levels and the results of the Morris water maze.Results23 studies were included, with a total of 417 rats/mice. The overall quality of all included reports was medium. The results indicated that acupuncture significantly reduced the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines which included IL-1β [SMD = −3.50, 95% CI (−4.31, −2.69); I2 = 78.6%] (P &lt; 0.05), TNF-α [SMD = −3.05, 95% CI (−3.86, −2.24); I2 = 69.6%] (P &lt; 0.05), IL-6 [SMD = −3.22, 95% CI (−4.62, −1.81); I2 = 77.6%] and enhanced the expressions of anti-inflammatory cytokines including IL-4 [SMD = 2.77, 95% CI (1.95, 3.59); I2 = 33.9%] (P &lt; 0.05), IL-10 [SMD = 1.84, 95% CI (1.20, 2.49); I2 = 41.0%] (P &lt; 0.05) in an animal model of AD. Regarding the Morris water maze, compared to the control group, the acupuncture group showed a shorter escape latency [SMD = −2.23, 95% CI (−2.89, −1.57); I2 = 79.2%] (P &lt; 0.05), longer duration in platform quadrant [SMD = 2.34, 95% CI (1.44, 3.23); I2 = 81.7%] (P &lt; 0.05), and increased platform crossing number [SMD = 2.79, 95% CI (2.06, 3.53); I2 = 71.9%] (P &lt; 0.05).ConclusionAcupuncture may reduce neuroinflammation in AD by modulating cytokine expression. This modulation significantly improved cognitive function in animal models of AD.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022354878.
Importance of high-quality evidence regarding the use of Bacopa monnieri in dementia
Authors: Agarwal Ayush , Mishra Biswamohan , Gupta Anu , Srivastava M. Vasantha Padma , Basheer Aneesh , Sharma Jyoti , Vishnu Venugopalan Y. 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundBacopa monnieri (BM), a commonly used herb, has shown neuroprotective effects in animal and in vitro studies; but human studies on patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) have been inconclusive. Further high-quality trials are required to conclusively state the utility of BM in AD and other neurodegenerative dementias.MethodsIn the present study, we did a narrative review of the current challenges in designing clinical trials of BM in dementia and their evidence-based recommendations.ResultsMany facets of the BM trials need improvement, especially effect size and sample size estimation. Current assessment and outcomes measures need a more holistic approach and newer scales for diagnosing and monitoring prodromal AD. The stringent guidelines in CONSORT and STROBE are often considered difficult to implement for clinical trials in ayurvedic medications like BM. However, adherence to these guidelines will undoubtedly improve the quality of evidence and go a long way in assessing whether BM is efficacious in treating AD/prodromal AD patients and other neurodegenerative dementias.ConclusionFuture studies on BM should implement more randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with an appropriate sample size of accurately diagnosed AD/prodromal AD patients, administering a recommended dosage of BM and for a pre-specified time calculated to achieve adequate power for the study. Researchers should also develop and validate more sensitive cognitive scales, especially for prodromal AD. BM should be evaluated in accordance with the same rigorous standards as conventional drugs to generate the best quality evidence.
Can non-swallowing function assessment predict nasogastric tube removal in patients with poststroke dysphagia? A clinical study
Authors: Li Bingjie , Zhang Tong , Zhao Jun , Li Pengkun , Wu Zhangwei , Zhao Shengjie 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveThis study aimed to predict nasogastric tube (NGT) removal in patients with poststroke dysphagia (PSD) by non-swallowing function assessment.MethodsWe enrolled 232 eligible patients and performed rehabilitation. The Fugl-Meyer assessment motor (FMM) and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were used to measure the motor and overall nervous system functions. Predictors for NGT removal in patients with PSD after rehabilitation were analyzed.ResultsOf the 232 included patients, the NGTs were removed from 78% of them, while 22% were dependent on a feeding tube after 4 weeks of rehabilitation. Compared to the preserved NGT group, older age, a higher rate of intubation or tracheostomy, and more severe baseline functions were found in the NGT removal group. Age [odds ratio (OR) = 0.907; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.859–0.957; p = 0.000], difference in the FMM score after 4 weeks of rehabilitation (OR = 1.219; 95% CI: 1.145–1.299; p = 0.00), and item 9 of NIHSS (OR = 0.488; 95% CI: 0.252–0.946; p = 0.034) were predictors of NGT removal after rehabilitation.ConclusionWe established a predictive model in patients with PSD using a non-swallowing assessment, which enabled us to predict swallowing recovery based on the non-swallowing function.
Demographic, clinical and biochemical correlates of the length of stay for different polarities in Chinese inpatients with bipolar disorder: A real-world study
Authors: Wang Wei , Du Jing , Li Sheng , Xie Gaoming , Xu Jinjie , Ren Yanping 
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Many patients with bipolar disorder (BD) need hospitalization, while the number of hospital beds for these patients is limited. Managing the length of stay (LOS) is an effective solution to this issue. Research on LOS and its influencing factors in BD is limited in China. This study aimed to identify the factors relevant to LOS in different polarities in Chinese patients with BD.Method: This was a real-world, cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from the electronic medical record system. Patients admitted to Beijing Anding Hospital between Jan 2014 and Dec 2017 and diagnosed with BD were included. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, and biochemical variables were collected. Patients were classified into short and long LOS groups based on a cutoff value. A univariate study and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify variables related to LOS in various BD polarities. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was utilized to evaluate the discrimination accuracy of the regression model.Result: Four thousand six hundred and seventy-five visits from 4,451 individuals were included in the analysis. For the whole sample, unmarried status, psychotic features, and family history of mental disorders were positively associated with long LOS (all p &lt; 0.05). There was an additive interaction between a family history of mental disorders and polarities (p &lt; 0.05). For manic episodes, unmarried status, psychotic features, and family history of mental disorders were positively associated with long LOS (all p &lt; 0.05). For depressive episodes, psychotic features and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) levels were positively associated with long LOS (all p &lt; 0.05). For mixed states, unmarried status was positively associated with long LOS, while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) levels were negatively associated with LOS (all p &lt; 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) values for depressive episodes, manic episodes, and mixed states in the combined model were 0.587, 0.553, and 0.619, respectively (all p &lt; 0.05).Discussion: The findings suggested that LOS correlates differed by polarity, with marital status, psychotic features, a family history of mental disorders, and lipid levels strongly linked with LOS in patients with BD.
Experiment protocols for brain-body imaging of locomotion: A systematic review
Authors: Korivand Soroush , Jalili Nader , Gong Jiaqi 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionHuman locomotion is affected by several factors, such as growth and aging, health conditions, and physical activity levels for maintaining overall health and well-being. Notably, impaired locomotion is a prevalent cause of disability, significantly impacting the quality of life of individuals. The uniqueness and high prevalence of human locomotion have led to a surge of research to develop experimental protocols for studying the brain substrates, muscle responses, and motion signatures associated with locomotion. However, from a technical perspective, reproducing locomotion experiments has been challenging due to the lack of standardized protocols and benchmarking tools, which impairs the evaluation of research quality and the validation of previous findings.MethodsThis paper addresses the challenges by conducting a systematic review of existing neuroimaging studies on human locomotion, focusing on the settings of experimental protocols, such as locomotion intensity, duration, distance, adopted brain imaging technologies, and corresponding brain activation patterns. Also, this study provides practical recommendations for future experiment protocols.ResultsThe findings indicate that EEG is the preferred neuroimaging sensor for detecting brain activity patterns, compared to fMRI, fNIRS, and PET. Walking is the most studied human locomotion task, likely due to its fundamental nature and status as a reference task. In contrast, running has received little attention in research. Additionally, cycling on an ergometer at a speed of 60 rpm using fNIRS has provided some research basis. Dual-task walking tasks are typically used to observe changes in cognitive function. Moreover, research on locomotion has primarily focused on healthy individuals, as this is the scenario most closely resembling free-living activity in real-world environments.DiscussionFinally, the paper outlines the standards and recommendations for setting up future experiment protocols based on the review findings. It discusses the impact of neurological and musculoskeletal factors, as well as the cognitive and locomotive demands, on the experiment design. It also considers the limitations imposed by the sensing techniques used, including the acceptable level of motion artifacts in brain-body imaging experiments and the effects of spatial and temporal resolutions on brain sensor performance. Additionally, various experiment protocol constraints that need to be addressed and analyzed are explained.
Nutritional evaluation of some potential wild edible plants of North Eastern region of India
Authors: Talang Hammylliende , Yanthan Aabon , Rathi Ranbir Singh , Pradheep Kanakasabapathi , Longkumer Soyimchiten , Imsong Bendangla , Singh Laishram Hemanta , Assumi Ruth S. , Devi M. Bilashini , Vanlalruati  , Kumar Ashok , Ahlawat Sudhir Pal , Bhatt Kailash C. , Bhardwaj Rakesh 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionIndia’s north-eastern hill region (NEH) is one of the biodiversity hotspots, inhabited by several tribal communities still maintaining their traditional food habits. Much of their food resources are drawn from wild sources.Materials and methodsFourteen species of wild edible plants of high ethnic importance were collected from remote localities of Nagaland and Meghalaya states of the NEH region of India for nutritional profiling. Nutritional profiling of leaves of six species comprising Gynura cusimbua, Garcinia cowa, Herpetospermum operculatum, Plukenetia corniculata, Trichodesma khasianum, and Elatostemma sessile is conducted first time under present study. Samples were analyzed as per the Official Method of Analysis (AOAC) and standard methods.Results and discussionThe range of variation in proximate composition was observed for moisture (72–92%), protein (1.71–6.66%), fat (0.22–1.36%), dietary fibre (5.16–14.58%), sugar (0.30–3.41%), and starch (0.07–2.14%). The highest protein content (6.66%) was recorded in Herpetospermum operculatum, followed by Trichodesma khasianum (5.89%) and Plukenetia corniculata (5.27%). Incidentally, two of these also have high iron (&gt;7.0 mg/100 g) and high zinc (&gt;2.0 mg/100 g) contents, except Trichodesma khasianum, which has low zinc content. High antioxidant activities in terms of gallic acid equivalent (GAE) by the cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) method ranged from 1.10 to 8.40 mg/100 g, and by the Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) method ranged from 0.10 to 1.9 mg/100 g, while phenol content ranged between 0.30 and 6.00 mg/100 g. These wild vegetables have high potential because of their nutritional properties and are fully capable of enhancing sustainability and improving ecosystem services. Efforts were also initiated to mainstream these resources, mainly for widening the food basket of native peoples.
Specific gene expression signatures of low grade meningiomas
Authors: Tsitsikov Erdyni N. , Hameed Sanaa , Tavakol Sherwin A. , Stephens Tressie M. , Tsytsykova Alla V. , Garman Lori , Bi Wenya Linda , Dunn Ian F. 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionMeningiomas are the most common primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors in adults, representing approximately one-third of all primary adult CNS tumors. Although several recent publications have proposed alternative grading systems of meningiomas that incorporate genomic and/or epigenomic data to better predict meningioma recurrence and progression-free survival, our understanding of driving forces of meningioma development is still limited.ObjectiveTo define gene expression signatures of the most common subtypes of meningiomas to better understand cellular processes and signaling pathways specific for each tumor genotype.MethodsWe used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to determine whole transcriptome profiles of twenty meningiomas with genomic alterations including NF2 inactivation, loss of chr1p, and missense mutations in TRAF7, AKT1 and KLF4.ResultsThe analysis revealed that meningiomas with NF2 gene inactivation expressed higher levels of BCL2 and GLI1 compared with tumors harboring TRAF7 missense mutations. Moreover, NF2 meningiomas were subdivided into two distinct groups based on additional loss of chr1p. NF2 tumors with intact chr1p were characterized by the high expression of tumor suppressor PTCH2 compared to NF2 tumors with chr1p loss. Taken together with the high expression of BCL2 and GLI1, these results suggest that activation of Sonic Hedgehog pathway may contribute to NF2 meningioma development. In contrast, NF2 tumors with chr1p loss expressed high levels of transcription factor FOXD3 and its antisense RNA FOXD3-AS1. Examination of TRAF7 tumors demonstrated that TRAF7 regulates a number of biomechanically responsive genes (KRT6a, KRT16, IL1RL1, and AQP3 among others). Interestingly, AKT1 and KLF4 meningiomas expressed genes specific for PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, suggesting overlapping gene signatures between the two subtypes. In addition, KLF4 meningiomas had high expression of carcinoembryonic antigen family members CEACAM6 and CEACAM5.ConclusionsEach group of meningiomas displayed a unique gene expression signature suggesting signaling pathways potentially implicated in tumorigenesis. These findings will improve our understanding of meningioma tumorigenesis and prognosis.
Case report: Increased troponin level in 125 children during COVID-19
Authors: Di Filippo Paola , David Daniela , Attanasi Marina , Rossi Nadia , Chiarelli Francesco 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionIncrease in cardiac biomarkers during Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was frequent regardless of the presence of myocarditis and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Several studies described MIS-C, but few papers evaluated cardiac manifestations in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection without MIS-C and investigated the role of troponin in absence of electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiographic alterations. The aim of this case series is to describe the cardiac manifestations during COVID-19 in children, trying to explain the meaning of laboratory findings during COVID-19, especially of increased troponin.Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective case series of children aged &lt;18 years admitted at the Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti, for SARS-CoV-2 infection between 1st March 2020 and 31th July 2022. All patients with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent a laboratory evaluation at admission. Children with increased troponin I and/or BNP underwent electrocardiographic and echocardiographic exams.Results125 children were admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection to our Department of Pediatrics, of whom 17 (13.6% of cases) with different patterns of cardiac involvement. Specifically, 5 subjects (4.0% of admitted children) were diagnosed as MIS-C and 12 children (9.6%) manifested a cardiac involvement in terms of increased troponin with or without ECG and echocardiography anomalies. Troponin, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and BNP values resulted higher in patients with MIS-C compared to patients without MIS-C. Furthermore, patients with MIS-C had higher neutrophils and lower lymphocytes compared to patients without MIS-C. ECG abnormalities were found in 4/5 patients with MIS-C and in 2/12 patients without MIS-C. Echocardiographic anomalies were found in all patients with MIS-C, especially in terms of valve regurgitation and ejection fraction reduction and in 2/12 patients without MIS-C, especially in terms of pericardial effusion. Despite high troponin levels, children presented a favorable clinical evolution.ConclusionThe increase in troponin level in children with COVID-19 could also be due to respiratory causes or a massive inflammatory state. In our case series, patients with increased troponin associated to COVID-19 presented a favorable clinical course with clinical and laboratory remission almost always within 7 days.
Predictors for the clinical prognosis of sylvian arachnoid cysts in children
Authors: Zhao Heng , Xie Wanqun , Cao Liangliang , Ni Zhouwen , Wang Baocheng , Ma Jie 
Published: March 2023

ObjectivesTo investigate the potential factors affecting the clinical prognosis of intracranial sylvian arachnoid cysts(IAC) in children.MethodsAll patients with IAC admitted to our department from January, 1, 2015 to December, 31, 2016, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped based on surgical treatment (surgery cohort vs non-surgery cohort). The clinical and image outcome of the patients were followed routinely. The clinical characteristics and the prognosis of the patients were compared in different cohorts. Binary logistic regression analysis was applied to analyze the potential factors which may post an influence on the prognosis of the patients.ResultsOf 500 patients admitted to our department for IAC, 424 patients had good prognosis and 76 had poor prognosis, with no deaths occurred during the follow-ups. 68 patients had IAC related complications and 91 patients developed new symptoms during the follow-ups. There were significant differences (P &lt; 0.05) between the 2 cohorts in below aspects: age, gender, Galassi subtype, whether the mother was a unipara, the maximum diameter of the cysts at the first visit and the last follow-up, headache, head circumference, temporal bulge, new symptoms, cysts rupture and hemorrhage, subdural effusion, and IAC disappearance. The mean changes in the maximum diameter of the IAC for the patients were marginally higher for the surgery cohort than for the non-surgery cohort (P &lt; 0.01). Binary logistic regression analysis suggested that the number of symptom, no new symptoms during follow-up, surgical treatment, age, maximum diameter of cysts at first diagnosis were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients (P &lt; 0.05).ConclusionsPatients older than 22.5 months, with the maximum diameter of IAC greater than 5.75 cm, who have multiple symptoms, born prematurely, develope new symptoms during the follow-ups and obvious symptoms after trauma need to conduct necessary surgical treatment in time. Patients with complications such as cysts rupture with hemorrhage and subdural effusion will acquire good prognosis after timely surgical treatment. IAC complete disappearance warrants no such important attention for the good prognosis.
From gene to dose: Long-read sequencing and *-allele tools to refine phenotype predictions of CYP2C19
Authors: Graansma Lonneke J. , Zhai Qinglian , Busscher Loes , Menafra Roberta , van den Berg Redmar R. , Kloet Susan L. , van der Lee Maaike 
Published: March 2023

Background: Inter-individual differences in drug response based on genetic variations can lead to drug toxicity and treatment inefficacy. A large part of this variability is caused by genetic variants in pharmacogenes. Unfortunately, the Single Nucleotide Variant arrays currently used in clinical pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing are unable to detect all genetic variability in these genes. Long-read sequencing, on the other hand, has been shown to be able to resolve complex (pharmaco) genes. In this study we aimed to assess the value of long-read sequencing for research and clinical PGx focusing on the important and highly polymorphic CYP2C19 gene.Methods and Results: With a capture-based long-read sequencing panel we were able to characterize the entire region and assign variants to their allele of origin (phasing), resulting in the identification of 813 unique variants in 37 samples. To assess the clinical utility of this data we have compared the performance of three different *-allele tools (Aldy, PharmCat and PharmaKU) which are specifically designed to assign haplotypes to pharmacogenes based on all input variants.Conclusion: We conclude that long-read sequencing can improve our ability to characterize the CYP2C19 locus, help to identify novel haplotypes and that *-allele tools are a useful asset in phenotype prediction. Ultimately, this approach could help to better predict an individual’s drug response and improve therapy outcomes. However, the added value in clinical PGx might currently be limited.