bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical application of immune repertoire sequencing in solid organ transplant
Authors: Wong Paaksum , Cina Davide P. , Sherwood Karen R. , Fenninger Franz , Sapir-Pichhadze Ruth , Polychronakos Constantin , Lan James , Keown Paul A. 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundMeasurement of T cell receptor (TCR) or B cell receptor (BCR) gene utilization may be valuable in monitoring the dynamic changes in donor-reactive clonal populations following transplantation and enabling adjustment in therapy to avoid the consequences of excess immune suppression or to prevent rejection with contingent graft damage and to indicate the development of tolerance.ObjectiveWe performed a review of current literature to examine research in immune repertoire sequencing in organ transplantation and to assess the feasibility of this technology for clinical application in immune monitoring.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE and PubMed Central for English-language studies published between 2010 and 2021 that examined T cell/B cell repertoire dynamics upon immune activation. Manual filtering of the search results was performed based on relevancy and predefined inclusion criteria. Data were extracted based on study and methodology characteristics.ResultsOur initial search yielded 1933 articles of which 37 met the inclusion criteria; 16 of these were kidney transplant studies (43%) and 21 were other or general transplantation studies (57%). The predominant method for repertoire characterization was sequencing the CDR3 region of the TCR β chain. Repertoires of transplant recipients were found to have decreased diversity in both rejectors and non-rejectors when compared to healthy controls. Rejectors and those with opportunistic infections were more likely to have clonal expansion in T or B cell populations. Mixed lymphocyte culture followed by TCR sequencing was used in 6 studies to define an alloreactive repertoire and in specialized transplant settings to track tolerance.ConclusionMethodological approaches to immune repertoire sequencing are becoming established and offer considerable potential as a novel clinical tool for pre- and post-transplant immune monitoring.
Analysis of dog bite surveillance data, Volta Region, Ghana, 2020
Authors: Gborie Sahr Raymond , Issahaku Gyesi Razak , Bonful Harriet Affran , Bandoh Delia Akosuah , Squire James , Ameme Donne Kofi , Kenu Ernest 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionDog bite is the second most common injury sustained by humans after snake bites, and it is amongst the top 12 causes of non-fatal injuries worldwide. Globally, 59,000 human deaths occur annually due to rabies, and 95% of these deaths occur in Asia and Africa. Dog bites remained a public health concern in Ghana, with three out of every 1000 incidence resulting in human rabies. Analysis of the surveillance data is key in understanding the burden of dog bites in the Volta region. This study describes the epidemiology of dog bites in the Volta Region, Ghana, to inform policy on prevention and control.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive analysis of secondary data on dog bites. We obtained aggregate data from 2015 to 2019 from the District Health Management Information System (DHMIS). Variables extracted were gender, age, and location. Data were entered into a Microsoft Excel cleaned, reviewed, and analyzed. We used descriptive statistics to summarize results into frequency and proportion and displayed results in tables, graphs, and maps.ResultsDuring the study period, 4737 dog bite cases were identified from a population of 1,907,529 (incidence of 248 per 100,000). Twelve (0.25%) humans were confirmed for rabies with a 100% case fatality rate. Males accounted for 2455 (51.8%) of dog bite cases. The age group between 10 and 19 years (21.9%) was most affected. About 35.0% (1640/4737) were administered with the anti-rabies vaccine, and 25.3% (1200/4737) were administered anti-tetanus toxoid. Keta district (550 per 100000) reported the highest incidence of dog bites. Dog bite cases were highest in the third and fourth quarters of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017.ConclusionThe incidence of dog bites and rabies was high in the Volta region. Children and adolescents were mostly affected. There was a low coverage rate of anti-rabies vaccine and anti-tetanus toxoids usage. We recommended that the Regional Health Directorates and the Regional Veterinary Department develop robust strategies to control stray or free-roaming dogs in the Volta region.
Physical and mechanical properties of foamed concrete with recycled concrete aggregates
Authors: Han Shangyu , Zhang Peiheng , Zhang Huihua , Kang Dengyuan , Wang Xianrong 
Published: February 2023

A large amount of waste concrete is produced during old city reconstruction. In order to realize the lightweight reuse of recycled concrete aggregate, a new preparation scheme of foamed concrete is proposed. Through single-factor tests, the effects of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) gradation, RCA volume ratio, water-cement ratio and foam content on the preparation process and performance of RCA foamed concrete (RCAFC) were explored. The results showed that RCA grade has significant influence on the performance of RCAFC. Grading level Ⅲ (i.e., the mass ratio of five-type aggregates sized, respectively, 9.5–16 mm, 16–19 mm, 19–26.5 mm, 26.5–31.5 mm and 31.5–37.5 mm is 2:4:8:3:3) can reduce the water absorption by 4.6%, increase the compressive strength by 6.0%, and decrease the difficulty of sample preparation compared with the natural grading. The increase of RCA volume fraction is directly proportional to the compressive strength and inversely proportional to the water absorption. With the raising of water-cement ratio, the fluidity of foamed concrete paste increases linearly, the dry density decreases, the water absorption decreases first and then increases, and the compressive strength increases first and then decreases. The increase of foam content is inversely proportional to fluidity, dry density and compressive strength, and it is directly proportional to water absorption. Among the above four factors, the grade of RCA has the greatest impact on the early strength of the sample, whilst the content of foam is the smallest.
A randomized pilot trial assessing the reduction of gout episodes in hyperuricemic patients by oral administration of Ligilactobacillus salivarius CECT 30632, a strain with the ability to degrade purines
Authors: Rodríguez Juan M. , Garranzo Marco , Segura José , Orgaz Belén , Arroyo Rebeca , Alba Claudio , Beltrán David , Fernández Leónides 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionHyperuricemia and gout are receiving an increasing scientific and medical attention because of their relatively high prevalence and their association with relevant co-morbidities. Recently, it has been suggested that gout patients have an altered gut microbiota. The first objective of this study was to investigate the potential of some Ligilactobacillus salivarius strains to metabolize purine-related metabolites. The second objective was to evaluate the effect of administering a selected potential probiotic strain in individuals with a history of hyperuricemia.MethodsInosine, guanosine, hypoxanthine, guanine, xanthine, and uric acid were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The uptake and biotransformation of these compounds by a selection of L. salivarius strains were assessed using bacterial whole cells and cell-free extracts, respectively. The efficacy of L. salivarius CECT 30632 to prevent gout was assessed in a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial involving 30 patients with hyperuricemia and a history of recurrent gout episodes. Half of the patients consumed L. salivarius CECT 30632 (9 log10 CFU/day; probiotic group; n = 15) for 6 months while the remaining patients consumed allopurinol (100–300 mg/daily; control group; n = 15) for the same period. The clinical evolution and medical treatment received by the participants were followed, as well as the changes in several blood biochemical parameters.ResultsL. salivarius CECT 30632 was the most efficient strain for inosine (100%), guanosine (100%) and uric acid (50%) conversion and, therefore, it was selected for the pilot clinical trial. In comparison with the control group, administration of L. salivarius CECT 30632 resulted in a significant reduction in the number of gout episodes and in the use of gout-related drugs as well as an improvement in some blood parameters related to oxidative stress, liver damage or metabolic syndrome.ConclusionRegular administration of L. salivarius CECT 30632 reduced serum urate levels, the number of gout episodes and the pharmacological therapy required to control both hyperuricemia and gout episodes in individuals with a history of hyperuricemia and suffering from repeated episodes of gout.
Convolutional neural network based on automatic segmentation of peritumoral shear-wave elastography images for predicting breast cancer
Authors: Xie Li , Liu Zhen , Pei Chong , Liu Xiao , Cui Ya-yun , He Nian-an , Hu Lei 
Published: February 2023

ObjectiveOur aim was to develop dual-modal CNN models based on combining conventional ultrasound (US) images and shear-wave elastography (SWE) of peritumoral region to improve prediction of breast cancer.MethodWe retrospectively collected US images and SWE data of 1271 ACR- BIRADS 4 breast lesions from 1116 female patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 45.40 ± 9.65 years). The lesions were divided into three subgroups based on the maximum diameter (MD): ≤15 mm; &gt;15 mm and ≤25 mm; &gt;25 mm. We recorded lesion stiffness (SWV1) and 5-point average stiffness of the peritumoral tissue (SWV5). The CNN models were built based on the segmentation of different widths of peritumoral tissue (0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm) and internal SWE image of the lesions. All single-parameter CNN models, dual-modal CNN models, and quantitative SWE parameters in the training cohort (971 lesions) and the validation cohort (300 lesions) were assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.ResultsThe US + 1.0 mm SWE model achieved the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) in the subgroup of lesions with MD ≤15 mm in both the training (0.94) and the validation cohorts (0.91). In the subgroups with MD between15 and 25 mm and above 25 mm, the US + 2.0 mm SWE model achieved the highest AUCs in both the training cohort (0.96 and 0.95, respectively) and the validation cohort (0.93 and 0.91, respectively).ConclusionThe dual-modal CNN models based on the combination of US and peritumoral region SWE images allow accurate prediction of breast cancer.
Chinese herbal medicine for threatened miscarriage: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Xie Hongliang , Zhang Aolin , Mou Xuan , He Tao , Li Junwei , Wang Chi Chiu , Fan Xiaohui , Li Lu 
Published: February 2023

Objective: To conduct an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for threatened miscarriage.Data Sources: Electronic databases were searched from inception to 30 June 2022. Study Eligibility Criteria: Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the efficacy and safety of CHM or combined CHM and Western medicine (CHM-WM) and compared with other treatments for threatened miscarriage were included for analysis.Methods: Three review authors independently evaluated included studies, assessed the risk of bias and extracted data for meta-analysis (continuation of pregnancy after 28 gestational weeks, continuation of pregnancy after treatment, preterm birth, adverse maternal outcomes, neonatal death, TCM syndrome severity, β-hCG levels after treatment), sensitivity analysis (β-hCG level) and subgroup analysis (TCM syndrome severity, β-hCG level). The risk ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated by RevMan. Certainty of the evidence was assessed according to GRADE.Results: Overall, 57 RCTs involving 5,881 patients met the inclusion criteria. Compared with WM alone, CHM alone showed significant higher incidence of continuation of pregnancy after 28 gestational weeks (Risk Ratio (RR) 1.11; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.21; n = 1; moderate quality of evidence), continuation of pregnancy after treatment (RR 1.30; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.38; n = 10; moderate quality of evidence), higher β-hCG level (Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) 6.88; 95% CI 1.74 to 12.03; n = 4) and lower Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome severity (SMD −2.94; 95% CI −4.27 to −1.61; n = 2). Compared with WM alone, combined CHM-WM showed significant higher incidence of continuation of pregnancy after 28 gestational weeks (RR 1.21; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.27; n = 15; moderate quality of evidence), continuation of pregnancy after treatment (RR 1.19; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.23; n = 41; moderate quality of evidence), higher β-hCG level (SMD 2.27; 95% CI 1.72 to 2.83; n = 37) and lower TCM syndrome severity (SMD −1.74; 95% CI −2.21 to −1.27; n = 15). No significant differences in reducing the adverse maternal outcomes and neonatal death were found in combined CHM-WM compared with WM alone (RR 0.97; 95% CI 0.62 to 1.52; n = 8; RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.12 to 1.21; n = 2).Conclusion: Current evidence supported CHM could be a potential treatment for threatened miscarriage. However, results should be interpreted with caution considering the low to moderate quality of the available evidence.Systematic Review Registration: [https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-6-0107/], identifier [INPLASY20220107].
Sap flow and growth response of Norway spruce under long-term partial rainfall exclusion at low altitude
Authors: Zavadilová Ina , Szatniewska Justyna , Petrík Peter , Mauer Oldřich , Pokorný Radek , Stojanović Marko 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionUnder ongoing climate change, more frequent and severe drought periods accompanied by heat waves are expected in the future. Under these conditions, the tree’s survival is conditioned by fast recovery of functions after drought release. Therefore, in the presented study, we evaluated the effect of long-term water reduction in soil on tree water use and growth dynamics of Norway spruce.MethodsThe experiment was conducted in two young Norway spruce plots located on suboptimal sites at a low altitude of 440 m a.s.l. In the first plot (PE), 25% of precipitation throughfall was excluded since 2007, and the second one represented the control treatment with ambient conditions (PC). Tree sap flow, stem radial increment, and tree water deficit were monitored in two consecutive growing seasons: 2015-2016, with contrasting hydro-climatic conditions.ResultsTrees in both treatments showed relatively isohydric behavior reflected in a strong reduction of sap flow under the exceptional drought of 2015. Nevertheless, trees from PE treatment reduced sap flow faster than PC under decreasing soil water potential, exhibiting faster stomatal response. This led to a significantly lower sap flow of PE, compared to PC in 2015. The maximal sap flow rates were also lower for PE treatment, compared to PC. Both treatments experienced minimal radial growth during the 2015 drought and subsequent recovery of radial growth under the more the humid year of 2016. However, treatments did not differ significantly in stem radial increments within respective years.DiscussionPrecipitation exclusion treatment, therefore, led to water loss adjustment, but did not affect growth response to intense drought and growth recovery in the year after drought.
Genome-Wide association analysis of phenotypic traits in Bambara groundnut under drought-stressed and non-stressed conditions based on DArTseq SNP
Authors: Odesola Kafilat Abiodun , Olawuyi Odunayo Joseph , Paliwal Rajneesh , Oyatomi Olaniyi Ajewole , Abberton Michael T. 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionBambara groundnut (BG) (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc) is an indigenous, resilient, but underutilized leguminous crop that occurs mostly as genetically heterogeneous landraces with limited information on the drought tolerant attributes. This study elucidates the associations between sequencing-based diversity array technology (DArTseq) and phenotypic character as well as differing indices related to drought tolerance in one hundred accessions of Bambara groundnut.MethodsThe field experiments were conducted at IITA research stations in Kano and Ibadan between 2016 and 2018 planting seasons. The experiments were arranged in randomised complete block design with three replications, under the different water regimes. The phenotypic traits evaluated was further to construct the dendrogram. Genome-wide association mapping was conducted based on 5927 DArTs loci with &lt; 20% missing data.Results and DiscussionsThe genome wide association study predicted drought tolerance in Bambara accessions for geometric mean productivity (GMP) and stress tolerance index (STI). TVSu-423 had the highest GMP and STI values (28.50, 2.40), while TVSu-2017 had the lowest at GMP (1.74) and STI (0.01) respectively. The relative water content (%) was significantly higher for accessions; TVSu-266 (60.35, 61.49), TVSu-2 (58.29, 53.94), and TVSu-411 (55.17, 58.92) in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, respectively. The phenotypic characters studied delineated the accessions into two major clusters and five distinct sub-clusters, indicating variations across all the geographical locations. The 5,927 DArTseq genomic markers in association with STI further grouped the 100 accessions into two main clusters. TVSu-1897 from Botswana (Southern Africa) was in the first cluster, while the remaining 99 accessions from Western, Central, and Eastern Africa made up the second cluster. The eight significant Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) (24346377|F|0-22:A&gt;G-22:A&gt;G, 24384105|F|0-56:A&gt;G33 :A&gt; G, 24385643|F|0-53:G&gt;C-53:G&gt;C, 24385696|F|0-43:A&gt;G-43:A&gt;G, 4177257|F|0-44:A&gt;T-44:A&gt;T, 4182070|F|0-66:G&gt;A-66:G&gt;A, 4183483|F|0-24:G&gt;A-24:G&gt;A, 4183904|F|0-11:C&gt;T-11:C&gt;T) identified with Bonferroni threshold was in association with STI, indicative of variations under the drought-stressed condition. The observation of consistent SNPs in the 2016 and 2017 planting seasons, as well as in combination with the 2016 and 2017 planting seasons, led to the designation of these QTLs as significant. The drought selected accessions could form basis for hybridization breeding. The identified quantitative trait loci could be useful in marker-assisted selection in drought molecular breeding programs.
Coordinated variation in root and leaf functional traits of Hippophae rhamnoides treated at different stump heights in feldspathic sandstone areas of Inner Mongolia
Authors: Liu Lu , Guo Yuefeng , Liu Xiaoyu , Yao Yunfeng , Qi Wei 
Published: February 2023

This study was aimed to clarify the effects of stumping on root and leaf traits as well as the tradeoffs and synergies of decaying Hippophae rhamnoides in feldspathic sandstone areas, and to select the optimal stump height that contributed to the recovery and growth of H. rhamnoides. variations and coordination between leaf traits and fine root traits of H. rhamnoides were studied at different stump heights (0, 10, 15, 20 cm, and no stumping) in feldspathic sandstone areas. All functional traits of the leaves and roots, except the leaf C content (LC) and the fine root C content (FRC), were significantly different among different stump heights. The total variation coefficient was the largest in the specific leaf area (SLA), which is therefore the most sensitive trait. Compared to non-stumping, SLA, leaf N content (LN), specific root length (SRL) and fine root N content (FRN) all improved significantly at stump height of 15 cm, but leaf tissue density (LTD), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (LC : LN), fine root tissue density (FRTD), fine root dry matter content (FRDMC) and fine root carbon to nitrogen ratio (FRC : FRN) all decreased significantly. The leaf traits of H. rhamnoides at different stump heights follow the leaf economic spectrum, and the fine roots show a similar trait syndrome to the leaves. SLA and LN are positively correlated with SRL and FRN and negatively with FRTD and FRC : FRN. LDMC and LC : LN are positively correlated with FRTD and FRC : FRN, and negatively correlated SRL and RN. The stumped H. rhamnoides changes to the ‘rapid investment–return type’ resource trade-offs strategy, and the growth rate is maximized at the stump height of 15 cm. Our findings are critical to the prevention and control of vegetation recovery and soil erosion in feldspathic sandstone areas.
Event-based feature tracking in a visual inertial odometry framework
Authors: Ribeiro-Gomes José , Gaspar José , Bernardino Alexandre 
Published: February 2023

Introduction: Event cameras report pixel-wise brightness changes at high temporal resolutions, allowing for high speed tracking of features in visual inertial odometry (VIO) estimation, but require a paradigm shift, as common practices from the past decades using conventional cameras, such as feature detection and tracking, do not translate directly. One method for feature detection and tracking is the Eventbased Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi tracker (EKLT), an hybrid approach that combines frames with events to provide a high speed tracking of features. Despite the high temporal resolution of the events, the local nature of the registration of features imposes conservative limits to the camera motion speed.Methods: Our proposed approach expands on EKLT by relying on the concurrent use of the event-based feature tracker with a visual inertial odometry system performing pose estimation, leveraging frames, events and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) information to improve tracking. The problem of temporally combining high-rate IMU information with asynchronous event cameras is solved by means of an asynchronous probabilistic filter, in particular an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). The proposed method of feature tracking based on EKLT takes into account the state estimation of the pose estimator running in parallel and provides this information to the feature tracker, resulting in a synergy that can improve not only the feature tracking, but also the pose estimation. This approach can be seen as a feedback, where the state estimation of the filter is fed back into the tracker, which then produces visual information for the filter, creating a “closed loop”.Results: The method is tested on rotational motions only, and comparisons between a conventional (not event-based) approach and the proposed approach are made, using synthetic and real datasets. Results support that the use of events for the task improve performance.Discussion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work proposing the fusion of visual with inertial information using events cameras by means of an UKF, as well as the use of EKLT in the context of pose estimation. Furthermore, our closed loop approach proved to be an improvement over the base EKLT, resulting in better feature tracking and pose estimation. The inertial information, despite prone to drifting over time, allows keeping track of the features that would otherwise be lost. Then, feature tracking synergically helps estimating and minimizing the drift.