bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Progress in the surgical treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus: a review
Authors: Wu Peiliang , Zhang Yingyi , Zhang Yewei , Wang Shuang , Fan Zhe 
Published: May 2023

Background:
A pilonidal sinus (PS) is an acquired disease resulting from recurrent infections and chronic inflammation. A PS involving the sacrococcyx is referred to as a sacrococcygeal PS (SPS). An SPS is a rare chronic infectious disease for which surgery is a good choice. The incidence of SPS has gradually increased worldwide in recent years. However, surgeons have not reached a consensus on the preferred surgical approach for SPS. The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze differences in the efficacy of different surgical approaches for the treatment of SPS.

Methods:
A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed database covering the period from 1 January 2003, to 28 February 2023. The primary outcome parameters were recurrence and infection. Finally, statistical analysis (meta-analysis) was carried out using RevMan 5.4.1 software. In addition, we systematically reviewed the latest progress in the surgical treatment of SPS over the past 20 years, especially as reported in the past 3 years.

Results:
Twenty-seven articles, 54 studies, and 3612 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The recurrence rate following the midline closure (MC) technique was much higher than that of other techniques. Among the techniques analyzed, the differences between MC and Limberg flap (LF), and between MC and marsupialization were statistically significant [P=0.0002, risk ratio (RR)=6.15, 95% CI 2.40, 15.80; P=0.01, RR=12.70, 95% CI 1.70, 95.06]. The recurrence rate of open healing was higher than that of the Karydakis flap (KF) technique, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.02, RR=6.04, 95% CI 1.37, 26.55). Most of the results comparing MC with other techniques suggested that the former had a higher infection rate, and the difference between MC and LF was statistically significant (P=0.0005, RR=4.14, 95% CI 1.86, 9.23). Comparison between KF and LF, modified LF and KF showed that the differences were not statistically significant in terms of recurrence and infection (P≥0.05).

Conclusions:
There are various surgical treatment options for SPS, including incision and drainage, excision of diseased tissue with primary closure and secondary healing, and minimally invasive surgery. It is still not possible to determine which surgical technique should be considered the gold standard for treatment, as even the results of different researchers using the same operation method are conflicting. But what is certain is that the midline closure technique has a much higher incidence of postoperative recurrence and infection than other techniques. Therefore, the anorectal surgeon should formulate the most suitable individualized plan for the patient based on a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s wishes, appearance of the SPS, and the professional ability of the surgeon.
Home monitoring of coronavirus disease 2019 patients in different phases of disease
Authors: Majoor Kalle , Vorselaars Adriane D.M. 
Published: May 2023

Purpose of reviewVarious home monitoring programs have emerged through the COVID-19 pandemic in different phases of COVID-19 disease.Recent findingsThe prehospital monitoring of COVID-19-positive patients detects early deterioration. Hospital care at home provides early discharge with oxygen to empty hospital beds for other patients. Home monitoring during recovery can be used for rehabilitation and detection of potential relapses. General goals of home monitoring in COVID-19 are early detection of deterioration and prompt escalation of care such as emergency department presentation, medical advice, medication prescription and mental support. Due to the innovations of vaccination and treatment changes, such as dexamethasone and tocilizumab, the challenge for the healthcare system has shifted from large numbers of admitted COVID-19 patients to lower numbers of admitted patients with specific risk profiles (such as immunocompromised). This also changes the field of home monitoring in COVID-19. Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of home monitoring interventions depend on the costs of the intervention (use of devices, apps and medical staff) and the proposed patient group (depending on risk factors and disease severity).SummaryPatient satisfaction of COVID-19 home monitoring programs was mostly high. Home monitoring programs for COVID-19 should be ready to be re-escalated in case of a new global pandemic.
Clinical utility of somatostatin receptor positron emission tomography imaging biomarkers for characterization of meningioma among incidental central nervous system lesions
Authors: Ensign Shannon Fortin , Agarwal Muskan , Klanderman Molly , Badawy Mohamed , Halfdanarson Thorvardur R. , Johnson Derek R. , Sonbol Mohamad Bassam , Kendi Ayse T. 
Published: May 2023

Objectives
Somatostatin receptor (SSTR) PET imaging is utilized with increasing frequency in the clinical management of neuroendocrine tumors. Incidental PET-avid CNS lesions are commonly noted and presumed to be meningiomas. However, SSTR PET lacks specificity for meningioma identification. This study aimed to clarify the role of SSTR-based imaging in the classification of incidental CNS lesions based on current clinical practice.

Methods
Patients who underwent both Ga-68-DOTATATE PET and brain MRI and had an incidental CNS lesion identified with a radiographic prediction of meningioma via one (discordant prediction) or both (concordant prediction) imaging modalities were retrospectively analyzed. Imaging indication, semiquantitative measures, and clinical history were recorded.

Results
Among 48 patients with a CNS lesion identified on both imaging modalities, most scans were performed for a history of neuroendocrine tumor (64.6%). Cases with concordant lesion-type prediction of meningioma between imaging modalities (N = 24) displayed a significantly higher SUV max (median 7.9 vs. 4.0; P = 0.008) and Krenning score (median 3.0 vs. 2.0; P = 0.005) on Ga-68-DOTATATE PET compared with cases with a discordant prediction of meningioma (N = 24). In cases with lower SUV max values, Ga-68-DOTATATE was more likely to discordantly predict meningioma without agreement by the corresponding MRI. Prior cranial radiation or use of somatostatin mimetics did not affect quantitative radiographic measures, and MRI-based tumor size was similar across groups.

Conclusion
Lesions with increased avidity may be more confidently predicted as meningioma in Ga-68-DOTATATE PET scans, whereas there is more discrepancy in prediction among low SUV cases.
Evolution and current applications of endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery: a scoping review from back to the future
Authors: Gauhar Vineet , Traxer Olivier , Fuligni Demetra , Brocca Carlo , Galosi Andrea Bendetto , Teoh Jeremy Yuen-Chun , Castellani Daniele 
Published: May 2023

Purpose of review
To systematically review the evolution of techniques, technology, clinical utility, limitations and possible future applications of endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS) for ureteral and kidney stones.

Recent findings
The literature search was performed on 18th January 2023 using PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus. 35 studies were included. Among them, six were reviews. Since its introduction in 2008, ECIRS has evolved and improved. ECIRS can be performed in different patient position, such as modified supine Valdivia position by Galdakao, prone position with split-leg and supine position with good outcomes. Instrument miniaturization has also been introduced in ECIRS making it doable in an ambulatory setting. ECIRS showed shorter operative time, lower complication rate, and retreatment compared with conventional PCNL. Operative outcomes of mini-ECIRS are better than mini-PCNL alone. ECIRS also showed good outcomes in impacted upper ureteric stones. Recently, some studies have explored the robotic-assisted kidney puncture in ECIRS that avoided multitrack surgery, especially in anomalous kidney and staghorn stones.

Summary
ECIRS is ready for primetime in endourology and can be considered the next gold-standard for a personalized stone approach in complex kidney stones.
Nonviral PDMAEMA Vectors Efficiently Express PDE6β in a Mouse Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa
Authors: Bitoque Diogo B. , Calado Sofia M. , Rosa da Costa Ana M. , Silva Gabriela A. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractRetinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is one of main causes of inherited blindness, with about 6% of cases caused by a single mutation in the PDE6β gene, making it an ideal candidate for a gene therapy intervention. Gene therapy has been shown to restore normal retinal and visual function in other monogenic diseases, such as Lebers’ Congenital Amaurosis and choroideremia, and RP could benefit from a similar therapeutic approach.Our goal was to combine efficient nonviral vectors and gene expression systems to express the PDE6β gene in the retina of a mouse model of Retinitis Pigmentosa. We have firstly validated the potential of PDMAEMA polyplexes as a nonviral vector by subretinal injection, which were shown to efficiently promote gene expression in the RPE layer of the adult mouse retina. We have then produced polyplexes of PDMAEMA with a replicating plasmid expressing the PDE6β gene and administered the polyplexes via subretinal injection in the rd10 mouse. We have observed that PDMAEMA polyplexes were able to efficiently enter the target retinal pigment epithelium cells and rapidly express the PDE6β gene in the mouse retina, thus confirming their potential as nonviral vectors for retinal gene therapy.
Anti-tau antibodies targeting a conformation-dependent epitope selectively bind seeds
Authors: Hitt Brian D. , Gupta Ankit , Singh Ruhar , Yang Ting , Beaver Joshua D. , Shang Ping , White Charles L. , Joachimiak Lukasz A. , Diamond Marc I. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractNeurodegenerative tauopathies are caused by transition of tau protein from a monomer to a toxic aggregate. They include Alzheimer disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and Pick disease (PiD). We have previously proposed that tau monomer exists in two conformational ensembles: an inert form (Mi), which does not self-assemble; and seed-competent form (Ms), which self-assembles and templates ordered assembly growth. We proposed that cis/trans isomerization of tau at P301, the site of dominant disease-associated S/L mis-sense mutations, might underlie the transition of wild-type tau to a seed-competent state. Consequently, we created monoclonal antibodies using non-natural antigens consisting of fluorinated proline (P*) at the analogous P270 in R1, biased towards the trans-configuration at either the R1/R2 (TENLKHQP*GGGKVQIINKK) or R1/R3 (TENLKHQP*GGGKVQIVYK) interfaces. Two antibodies, MD2.2 and MD3.1 efficiently immunoprecipitated soluble seeds from AD and PSP, but not CBD or PiD. They stained brain samples of AD, PSP, and PiD, but not CBD. They did not immunoprecipitate, or immunostain tau from control brain. Creation of potent anti-seed antibodies based on the trans-proline epitope implicates local unfolding around P301 in pathogenesis. MD2.2 and MD3.1 may also be useful for therapy and diagnosis.SummaryTau protein undergoes conformational change to self-assemble and trigger neurodegeneration. We have proposed local unfolding events centered on P301 cis/trans isomerization, which expose amyloidogenic sequences. We used a non-natural peptide with a trans-proline to generate monoclonal antibodies that distinguish tau seeds from native tau in human brain. In addition to being important therapeutic and diagnostic leads, the activity of these antibodies supports structural studies implicating local conformational change in tau that underlies disease initiation.
Unveiling the role of osteosarcoma-derived secretome in premetastatic lung remodelling
Authors: Almeida Sara F.F. , Santos Liliana , Ribeiro Gabriela , Ferreira Hugo R.S. , Lima Nuno , Caetano Rui , Abreu Mónica , Zuzarte Mónica , Ribeiro Ana Sofia , Paiva Artur , Martins-Marques Tânia , Teixeira Paulo , Almeida Rui , Manuel Casanova José , Girão Henrique , Abrunhosa Antero J. , Gomes Célia M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractLung metastasis represents the leading cause of osteosarcoma-related death. Progress in preventing lung metastasis is pretty modest due to the inherent complexity of the metastatic process and the lack of suitable models. Herein, we provide mechanistic insights into how osteosarcoma systemically reprograms the lung microenvironment for metastatic outgrowth using metastatic mouse models and a multi-omics approach.We found that osteosarcoma-bearing mice or those preconditioned with cell-secretome harbour profound lung structural alteration with airways damage, inflammation, neutrophil infiltration, and remodelling of the extracellular matrix with deposition of fibronectin and collagen by stromal activated fibroblasts for tumour cell adhesion. These changes, supported by transcriptomic and histological data, promoted and accelerated the development of lung metastasis. Comparative proteome profiling of the cell secretome and mouse plasma identified a large number of proteins engaged in the extracellular-matrix organization, cell-matrix adhesion, neutrophil degranulation, and cytokine-mediated signalling, which were consistent with the observed lung microenvironmental changes. Moreover, we identified EFEMP1, a secreted extracellular matrix glycoprotein, as a potential risk factor for lung metastasis and a poor prognosis factor in osteosarcoma patients.
Omicron Spike confers enhanced infectivity and interferon resistance to SARS-CoV-2 in human nasal tissue
Authors: Shi Guoli , Li Tiansheng , Lai Kin Kui , Johnson Reed F. , Yewdell Jonathan W , Compton Alex A 
Published: May 2023

SummaryOmicron emerged following COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, displaced previous SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern worldwide, and gave rise to lineages that continue to spread. Here, we show that Omicron exhibits increased infectivity in primary adult upper airway tissue relative to Delta. Using recombinant forms of SARS-CoV-2 and nasal epithelial cells cultured at the liquid-air interface, enhanced infectivity maps to the step of cellular entry and evolved recently through mutations unique to Omicron Spike. Unlike earlier variants of SARS-CoV-2, Omicron enters nasal cells independently of serine transmembrane proteases and instead relies upon metalloproteinases to catalyze membrane fusion. This entry pathway unlocked by Omicron Spike enables evasion of constitutive and interferon-induced antiviral factors that restrict SARS-CoV-2 entry following attachment. Therefore, the increased transmissibility exhibited by Omicron in humans may be attributed not only to its evasion of vaccine-elicited adaptive immunity, but also to its superior invasion of nasal epithelia and resistance to the cell-intrinsic barriers present therein.
Stability of dentate gyrus granule cell mossy fiber BDNF protein expression with age and resistance of granule cells to Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology in a mouse model
Authors: Criscuolo Chiara , Chartampila Elissavet , Ginsberg Stephen D. , Scharfman Helen E. 
Published: May 2023

ABSTRACTThe neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is important in development and maintenance of neurons and their plasticity. Hippocampal BDNF has been implicated Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because hippocampal levels in AD patients and AD animal models are consistently downregulated, suggesting that reduced BDNF contributes to AD. However, the location where hippocampal BDNF protein is most highly expressed, the mossy fiber (MF) axons of dentate gyrus (DG) granule cells (GCs), has been understudied, and never in controlledin vivoconditions. We examined MF BDNF protein in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. Tg2576 and wild type (WT) mice of both sexes were examined at 2-3 months of age, when amyloid-β (Aβ) is present in neurons but plaques are absent, and 11-20 months of age, after plaque accumulation. As shown previously, WT mice exhibited high levels of MF BDNF protein. Interestingly, there was no significant decline with age in either genotype or sex. Notably, we found a correlation between MF BDNF protein and GC ΔFosB, a transcription factor that increases after 1-2 weeks of elevated neuronal activity. Remarkably, there was relatively little evidence of Aβ in GCs or the GC layer even at old ages. Results indicate MF BDNF is stable in the Tg2576 mouse, and MF BDNF may remain unchanged due to increased GC neuronal activity, since BDNF expression is well known to be activity-dependent. The resistance of GCs to long-term Aβ accumulation provides an opportunity to understand how to protect other vulnerable neurons from increased Aβ levels and therefore has translational implications.SIGNIFICANCEDeclining hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, few studies have examined where hippocampal BDNF protein has its highest concentration, and plays a critical role in memory, the dentate gyrus granule cell (GC) axons (mossy fibers; MFs). Using a well-established mouse model of cerebral amyloid overexpression, the Tg2576 mouse model of AD, we found that MF BDNF did not decline with age, suggesting a notable exception to the idea that reduced hippocampal BDNF contributes to AD pathobiology. We also identified that Tg2576 GC activity correlates with MF BDNF protein based on GC expression of the transcription factor ΔFosB. These data are consistent with the activity-dependence of MF BDNF. In addition, we found that Tg2576 GCs were relatively resistant to accumulation of amyloid-b, providing insight into AD resilience, which has strong therapeutic implications.
Lateralized Neural Entropy modulates with Grip Force during Precision Grasping
Authors: Rao Nishant , Paek Andrew , Contreras-Vidal Jose L. , Parikh Pranav J. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWhen holding a coffee mug filled to the brim, we strive to avoid spilling the coffee. This ability relies on the neural processes underlying the control of finger forces on a moment-to-moment basis. The brain activity lateralized to the contralateral hemisphere averaged over a trial and across the trials is known to be associated with the magnitude of grip force applied on an object. However, the mechanistic involvement of the variability in neural signals during grip force control remains unclear. In this study, we examined the dependence of neural variability over the frontal, central, and parietal regions assessed using noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) on grip force magnitude during an isometric force control task. We hypothesized laterally specific modulation in EEG variability with higher magnitude of the grip force exerted during grip force control. We utilized an existing EEG dataset (64 channel) comprised of healthy young adults, who performed an isometric force control task while receiving visual feedback of the force applied. The force magnitude to be exerted on the instrumented object was cued to participants during the task, and varied pseudorandomly among 5, 10, and 15% of their maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) across the trials. We quantified neural variability via sample entropy (sequence-dependent measure) and standard deviation (sequence-independent measure) of the temporal EEG signal over the frontal, central, and parietal electrodes. The EEG sample entropy over the central electrodes showed lateralized, nonlinear, localized, modulation with force magnitude. Similar modulation was not observed over frontal or parietal EEG activity, nor for standard deviation in the EEG activity. Our findings highlight specificity in neural control of grip forces by demonstrating the modulation in sequence-dependent but not sequence-independent component of EEG variability. This modulation appeared to be lateralized, spatially constrained, and functionally dependent on the grip force magnitude. We discuss the relevance of these findings in scenarios where a finer precision is essential to enable grasp application, such as prosthesis and associated neural signal integration, and propose directions for future studies investigating the mechanistic role of neural entropy in grip force control.
Inferring Alzheimer’s disease pathologic traits from clinical measures in living adults
Authors: Yang Jingjing , Liu Xizhu , Oveisgharan Shahram , Zammit Andrea R. , Nag Sukriti , Bennett David A , Buchman Aron S 
Published: May 2023

ABSTRACTBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease neuropathologic changes (AD-NC) are important for identify people with high risk for AD dementia (ADD) and subtyping ADD.ObjectiveDevelop imputation models based on clinical measures to infer AD-NC.MethodsWe used penalized generalized linear regression to train imputation models for four AD-NC traits (amyloid-β, tangles, global AD pathology, and pathologic AD) in Rush Memory and Aging Project decedents, using clinical measures at the last visit prior to death as predictors. We validated these models by inferring AD-NC traits with clinical measures at the last visit prior to death for independent Religious Orders Study (ROS) decedents. We inferred baseline AD-NC traits for all ROS participants at study entry, and then tested if inferred AD-NC traits at study entry predicted incident ADD and postmortem pathologic AD.ResultsInferred AD-NC traits at the last visit prior to death were related to postmortem measures withR2=(0.188,0.316,0.262) respectively for amyloid-β, tangles, and global AD pathology, and prediction Area Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve (AUC) 0.765 for pathologic AD. Inferred baseline levels of all four AD-NC traits predicted ADD. The strongest prediction was obtained by the inferred baseline probabilities of pathologic AD with AUC=(0.919,0.896) for predicting the development of ADD in 3 and 5 years from baseline. The inferred baseline levels of all four AD-NC traits significantly discriminated pathologic AD profiled eight years later with p-values<1.4 × 10−10.ConclusionInferred AD-NC traits based on clinical measures may provide effective AD biomarkers that can estimate the burden of AD-NC traits in aging adults.