bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tracheostomy Outcomes on Trauma Patients
Authors: Del Toro‐Diez Edgar , Ríos De Choudens Camila S. , Lajud Shayanne A. , Pascual‐Marrero Jeamarie , Baez‐Bermejo Adriana 
Published: April 2023

AbstractObjectiveTracheostomies are performed in trauma patients for multiple purposes. Approaches to the procedure are usually directed by individual expertise and local preferences. Though generally safe, a tracheostomy can cause serious complications. This study aims to identify complications associated with tracheostomies performed at the level I Trauma Center of the Puerto Rico Medical Center (PRMC) to have an advanced foundation to develop and implement guidelines to improve patient outcomes.Study DesignA retrospective cross‐sectional study.SettingLevel I Trauma Center of the PRMC.MethodsMedical charts of 113 trauma adult patients that underwent tracheostomy at the PRMC from 2018 to 2020 were reviewed. Data collected included patient demographics, surgical approach, initial tracheostomy tube size (ITTS), intubation period, and flexible laryngoscopic findings. Complications occurring during and after tracheostomy were documented. The unadjusted relationship of the independent variables and outcome measures was assessed using χ2 and Fisher's test for categorical variables and the Wilcoxon‐Mann‐Whitney rank‐sum test for continuous ones.ResultsAbnormal airway findings detected on flexible laryngoscopic examination were reported in 30 patients in the open tracheostomy (OT) group and 43 patients in the percutaneous tracheostomy group (p = 0.007). Peristomal granulation tissue was reported in 10 patients with an ITTS 8, while in only 1 patient with an ITTS 6 (p = 0.026).ConclusionThis study showed several key findings in our cohort. The OT surgical approach was associated with fewer long‐term complications when compared to the percutaneous approach. Also, a statistically significant difference in peristomal granulation tissue findings was found between the ITTS, ITTS‐6 and ITTS‐8, the smaller size being associated with fewer abnormal findings.
Parental perspective on the risk of infertility and fertility preservation options for children and adolescents with sickle cell disease considering hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Sinha Cynthia B. , Meacham Lillian R. , Bakshi Nitya , Ross Diana , Krishnamurti Lakshmanan 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBackgroundAllogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) performed in children from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐identical related donors is associated with very high survival rates and disease‐free survival. Patients are exposed to gonadotoxic alkylating agents or irradiation in the HCT conditioning regimen. Consequently, infertility is a major long‐term complication of HCT for sickle cell disease (SCD). We sought to understand how caregivers perceive the risk of infertility from HCT, how they perceive the options for fertility preservation, and how this risk perception impacted their decision‐making to pursue HCT.ProceduresWe conducted qualitative interviews with primary caregivers after a consultation for HCT for SCD. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis.ResultsWe interviewed 19 primary caregivers who had attended a consultation with an HCT physician (female, age 25–59 [median 39] years). Eleven participants reported that their child had an available HLA‐matched donor. Analysis revealed that (i) mothers were worried about death and graft‐versus‐host disease from HCT, more than about the risk of infertility; (ii) parents have a realistic understanding of the risk of infertility after HCT and take it into consideration in decision‐making; (iii) parents report multiple barriers to fertility preservation.ConclusionFor parents actively considering HCT for their child with SCD, the risk of infertility while important was not a barrier to pursuing HCT. Inconvenience and invasiveness of fertility preservation procedures are some of the barriers to pursuing fertility preservation for their child. Future research must aim at addressing these barriers to fertility preservation.
Treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in children with hepatoblastoma using a risk‐stratified approach
Authors: Srinivasan Shyam , Prasad Maya , Parambil Badira C. , Shrimal Anurag , Gollamudi Venkata Rama Mohan , Subramani Vignesh , Ramadwar Mukta , Khanna Nehal , Baheti Akshay D , Gala Kunal , Patil Vasundhara , Laskar Siddhartha , Qureshi Sajid , Chinnaswamy Girish 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBackgroundNot all the significant progress made in the management of children with hepatoblastoma (HB) has translated into improved outcomes in limited‐resource settings. There are limited data on outcomes in children with HB from India.MethodsAll patients diagnosed with HB between July 2013 and December 2020 were risk‐stratified and treated as per International Liver Tumor Strategy Group (SIOPEL). Patients with standard‐risk HB received cisplatin monotherapy and those with high‐risk HB received alternating cycles of cisplatin and the combination of carboplatin plus doxorubicin. Data regarding demographic details, chemotherapy, surgery, liver transplantation, outcomes, prognostic factors, and toxicity were collected.ResultsOf 157 patients with HB, 117 (74%) were high risk, 31 (20%) were standard risk, and nine (6%) unknown. Patients with standard‐risk disease had excellent outcomes, with 3‐year event‐free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) of 96% and 100%, respectively. Among high‐risk HB, six underwent orthotopic liver transplantation of which four were alive at last follow‐up. The 3‐year EFS and OS of patients with high‐risk disease was 56% and 66%, respectively. Outcomes of patients with PRETEXT IV (3‐year EFS: 42%, 3‐year OS: 50%) and metastatic disease (3‐year EFS: 30%, 3‐year OS: 50%) were dismal. Patients with serum alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) reduction greater than 90% following two courses of chemotherapy had favorable outcomes; 3‐year EFS: 80% versus 58% (p = .013) and 3‐year OS: 95% vs. 68% (p < .01). Only two (6%) of 31 patients with relapse/refractory HB were alive at a median follow‐up of 36 months, and both had received salvage chemotherapy and surgery.ConclusionsWhile children with standard‐risk HB had excellent outcomes, those with high‐risk disease continue to do poorly. Serial monitoring of serum AFP values is a cost‐effective and reliable predictor of outcomes. Orthotopic liver transplantation remains a viable option for inoperable disease in resource‐limited settings as well.
Feasibility study of busulfan, fludarabine, and thiotepa conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stemcell transplantationfor children and young adults with nonmalignant disorders
Authors: Fraser Ally , Castillo Paul , Cascio Erika , Moore‐Higgs Giselle , Farhadfar Nosha , Fort John , Slayton William , Lamba Jatinder , Horn Biljana 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBackgroundHematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is the only curative treatment for several pediatric non‐malignant disorders. A widely used conditioning backbone is busulfan, fludarabine, and rabbit anti‐thymocyte globulin (rATG). Thiotepa has improved engraftment when added to this regimen, however the minimum effective dose (MED) of thiotepa to achieve engraftment while minimizing toxicities has not been well established.ObjectivesThe primary objective of this prospective feasibility study was to determine the MED of thiotepa (5mg/kg) in combination with reduced‐dose busulfan, fludarabine or cyclophosphamide, and rATG required to achieve engraftment in >90% of HSCT recipients for non‐malignant disorders with acceptable toxicity.ResultsSix patients who received fully matched HSCT were enrolled. Patient diagnoses included Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome (n = 1), CD40L deficiency (n = 1), sickle cell disease (n = 2), autoinflammatory syndrome (n = 1), and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (n = 1). All six patients achieved engraftment prior to Day +42 and five patients had stable full donor engraftment. Two of the six patients (33%) developed acute GVHD and/or chronic GHVD, both of whom had sickle cell disease. At a median follow‐up of 2.25 years post‐transplant, all patients were alive without evidence of disease recurrence. None of the patients experienced grade 4 or 5 toxicities. Three out of six patients (50%) developed grade 3 adverse events. Neurocognitive functioning of children under 10 years of age was not adversely affected by this regimen.ConclusionThis approach shows acceptable toxicity and reliable engraftment in children with non‐malignant disorders receiving related or unrelated HLA‐matched transplants.
Sulbactam‐durlobactam: A novel β‐lactam‐β‐lactamase inhibitor combination targeting carbapenem‐resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections
Authors: El‐Ghali Amer , Kunz Coyne Ashlan J. , Caniff Kaylee , Bleick Callan , Rybak Michael J. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCarbapenem‐resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is a difficult‐to‐treat nosocomial pathogen responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Sulbactam‐durlobactam (SUL‐DUR), formerly ETX2514SUL, is a novel β‐lactam‐β‐lactamase inhibitor designed specifically for the treatment of CRAB infections. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast‐track approval of SUL‐DUR for the treatment of CRAB infections is currently pending after completion of the phase III ATTACK trial, which compared SUL‐DUR to colistin, both in combination with imipenem‐cilastatin (IMI) for patients with CRAB‐associated hospital‐acquired bacterial pneumonia, ventilator‐associated pneumonia, and bacteremia. The results of this trial demonstrated that SUL‐DUR was non‐inferior to colistin for CRAB while also possessing a much more favorable safety profile. SUL‐DUR was well‐tolerated with the most common side effects being headache, nausea, and injection‐site phlebitis. With the current landscape of limited effective treatment options for CRAB infections, SUL‐DUR represents a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of these severe infections. This review will discuss the pharmacology, spectrum of activity, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, in vitro and clinical studies, safety, dosing, administration, as well as the potential role in therapy for SUL‐DUR.
Extremely early onset of nonlinear viscoelasticity in dynamic shear of ideally monodisperse DNA
Authors: Banik Sourya , McKenna Gregory B. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis work reports that the rheology of ideally monodisperse lambda () phage DNA solutions is extremely sensitive to the applied strain in dynamic oscillatory experiments. DNA exhibits nonlinearity at strains far smaller than what is observed in conventional synthetic polymers. However, it is found that polydisperse calf thymus DNA does not exhibit the extreme strain sensitivity. By mixing samples of monodisperse DNA with the polydisperse calf thymus DNA, we correlate the molecular weight distribution (or polydispersity) to the onset of nonlinear viscoelasticity. We demonstrate that the strain sensitivity weakens as the polydispersity index increases. This is the first work correlating the inception of nonlinear viscoelasticity in entangled polymer system such as lambda DNA solution to the polydispersity of the samples. The experimental data suggests that ideally monodisperse polymer systems are very sensitive to the applied strain and have a very early transition to the nonlinear regime. We conclude that nominally monodisperse synthetic polymers are not sufficiently monodispersed to exhibit the early onset.
Cholesterol impacts the formation of huntingtin/lipid complexes and subsequent aggregation
Authors: Stonebraker Alyssa R. , Beasley Maryssa , Massinople Sophia , Wunder Michelle , Li Peng , Valentine Stephen J. , Legleiter Justin 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHuntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease resulting from an expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) domain within the huntingtin protein (htt). PolyQ expansion triggers toxic aggregation and alters htt/lipid interactions. The first 17 amino acids at the N‐terminus of htt (Nt17) have a propensity to form an amphipathic α‐helix crucial to aggregation and membrane binding. Htt interacts closely with a variety of membrane systems including those of the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, nuclear envelope, and plasma membrane. Membrane composition heavily influences both htt aggregation and lipid interactions, and cholesterol is a crucial membrane component that modulates properties such as fluidity, permeability, and organization. In HD, cholesterol homeostasis is disrupted, and likely plays a role in toxicity. The objective of these studies was to identify the impact of cholesterol on htt aggregation and lipid interactions in various lipid systems. Lipid systems of POPC, DOPC, and POPG with varied levels of exogenously added cholesterol were exposed to htt, and the influences on aggregation, lipid binding, and htt/lipid complexation were evaluated using thioflavin‐T aggregation assays, atomic force microscopy, colorimetric lipid binding assays, and mass spectrometry. The addition of cholesterol to DOPC vesicles enhanced htt aggregation. In the presence of vesicles of either POPC or POPG, the addition of cholesterol reduced htt aggregation. Htt/lipid binding decreased for POPC and increased for both DOPC and POPG with increasing cholesterol content, with observed differences in htt/lipid complexation. Altered cholesterol content influences htt aggregation, lipid binding, and complexation differently depending on overall lipid composition.
RASA3 is a candidate gene in sickle cell disease‐associated pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Prohaska Clare C. , Zhang Xu , Schwantes‐An Tae‐Hwi L. , Stearman Robert S. , Hooker Stanley , Kittles Rick A. , Aldred Micheala A. , Lutz Katie A. , Pauciulo Michael W. , Nichols William C. , Desai Ankit A. , Gordeuk Victor R. , Machado Roberto F. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractPulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. RASA3 is a GTPase activating protein integral to angiogenesis and endothelial barrier function. In this study, we explore the association of RASA3 genetic variation with PH risk in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD)‐associated PH and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Cis‐expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) were queried for RASA3 using whole genome genotype arrays and gene expression profiles derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of three SCD cohorts. Genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near or in the RASA3 gene that may associate with lung RASA3 expression were identified, reduced to 9 tagging SNPs for RASA3 and associated with markers of PH. Associations between the top RASA3 SNP and PAH severity were corroborated using data from the PAH Biobank and analyzed based on European or African ancestry (EA, AA). We found that PBMC RASA3 expression was lower in patients with SCD‐associated PH as defined by echocardiography and right heart catheterization and was associated with higher mortality. One eQTL for RASA3 (rs9525228) was identified, with the risk allele correlating with PH risk, higher tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity and higher pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with SCD‐associated PH. rs9525228 associated with markers of precapillary PH and decreased survival in individuals of EA but not AA. In conclusion, RASA3 is a novel candidate gene in SCD‐associated PH and PAH, with RASA3 expression appearing to be protective. Further studies are ongoing to delineate the role of RASA3 in PH.
Prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in patients with COVID‐19 related lung disease listed for lung transplantation: A UNOS registry analysis
Authors: Thomas Christopher , Chandel Abhimanyu , King Christopher S. , Aryal Shambhu , Brown A. Whitney , Khangoora Vikramjit , Nyquist Alan , Singhal Anju , Fonseca Onix Cantres , Shlobin Oksana , Nathan Steven D. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCOVID‐19 related lung disease (CRLD) has emerged as an indication for lung transplantation (LT) in highly select patients. The prevalence and prognostic implication of coexisting pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with CRLD listed for LT is not known. Adult patients in the United Network for Organ Sharing database listed for LT for COVID‐19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome or fibrosis through March 2022 were identified. The prevalence and impact of precapillary PH on pre‐ and posttransplantation survival was determined. Time‐to‐event analysis was used to compare outcomes between those with and without precapillary PH. We identified 245 patients listed for LT for CRLD who had right heart catheterization data available at the time of registry listing. Median age of the cohort was 54 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 46, 60), 56 (22.9%) were female, and the median lung allocation score was 81.3 (IQR: 53.3, 89.4). The prevalence of precapillary PH at the time of transplant listing was 27.9%. There was no significant difference in pretransplant mortality in patients with and without precapillary PH (sHR: 0.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.1–1.7, p = 0.261). A total of 187 patients ultimately underwent LT; of those, 60 (31.0%) were identified as having precapillary PH during the waitlist period. Posttransplantation survival was similar between patients with and without pretransplant precapillary PH (hazard ratio: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.2–3.7, p = 0.953). We observed a high rate of concomitant precapillary PH in patients listed for LT for CRLD. Though common, coexisting precapillary PH was not associated with a significant difference in either pre‐ or post‐transplantation outcomes.
Classifying and clustering noisy images using subset learning based on convolutional neural networks
Authors: Jeng Shuen‐Lin , Chang Yin‐Chen 
Published: April 2023

AbstractA high yield rate is a key factor related to success in the competitive global semiconductor manufacturing business market. Wafer bin maps (WBMs) can be used as one measure of the output quality of a semiconductor manufacturing process. A WBM is the image results from a number of circuit probe (CP) tests on a wafer after the completion of a manufacturing process. The specific defect patterns on WBMs provide crucial information for engineers to trace the causes of defects in the complicated manufacturing process. This study is aimed toward investigating major practical challenges in current WBM analyses. Our approach involved utilizing a small, carefully labeled subset to reduce the labor requirements and human recognition bias related to identification of very noisy images. The first proposed procedure classified the noisy defect patterns by using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained with a small subset of labeled WBMs in the early batches. The second proposed procedure provided the proper clusters of noisy defect patterns using the features extracted from the trained CNNs. This procedure made it possible to generate various clusters of WMBs and integrate them in label space. The third procedure separated the new pattern from the existing defect patterns with the help of a supplemental dataset from a similar wafer product. The evaluation of the three proposed procedures was done with simulation data generated from real sets of WBMs, which were added with random noise to maintain confidentiality. The evaluation results demonstrated the practical validity of the proposed procedures.
Simplicial depth: Characterization and reconstruction
Authors: Laketa Petra , Nagy Stanislav 
Published: April 2023

AbstractStatistical depth functions have been designed with the intention of extending nonparametric inference toward multivariate setups. As such, the depths should serve as multivariate analogues of the quantile functions known from the analysis of real‐valued data. The so‐called characterization and reconstruction questions are among the fundamental open problems of the contemporary depth research. Roughly speaking, they ask: (a) Is it is possible that two different datasets, or more generally, two different probability distributions, correspond to identical depths, or does the depth function uniquely characterize the underlying distribution? (b) Knowing a depth function, can we reconstruct the corresponding distribution? For any given depth to constitute a fully‐fledged alternative to the quantile function, the depth must characterize wide classes of probability measures, and these measures must be simple to recover from their depths. We investigate these characterization/reconstruction questions for the classical simplicial depth for multivariate data. We show that, under mild conditions, datasets (represented by measures putting equal mass to each datum in a dataset of size ) and atomic measures are characterized by, and can be easily reconstructed from, their simplicial depth.
How to further develop the integrated planting and breeding mode: A case study of the western region of Shandong Province
Authors: Xu Yuan , Wang Guangrui , Yang Shuo , Liu Mingqiang , Wang Qingsong , Tian Shu , Zhang Yujie , Xu Yue , Yuan Xueliang , Ma Qiao , Ma Haichao , Zhang Huibin 
Published: April 2023

AbstractUnder the climate change aggravating the issues of energy security and food shortage, global agriculture suffers from great pressure, and how to promote sustainable agriculture has become one of the hot issues of concern in academia. This paper focuses on China, where efforts are being made to develop sustainable agriculture, and takes the western part of Shandong Province as the target of study. Based on the identification of factors that affect the promotion of the local circular agriculture implementation, AMOS was applied to construct and test the structural equation model and to explore the interaction mechanism between each variable. The study breaks through the traditional modes of data collection and is based on the actual farming conditions of the farmers currently, choosing to obtain data by means of questionnaires and field surveys. The 24 selected factors were analyzed by SPSS and AMOS software, and the total model weight of each factor were calculated separately. The top five key factors affecting the advancement of the model, namely government policy encouragement, preferential agricultural loans support, participation of specialized agricultural organizations, estimated revenue of the mode and farmers' awareness of environmental protection, are obtained with weight of 6.08%, 5.60%, 5.59%, 5.26% and 5.09%, respectively. Combined with data to focus on analysis, this paper puts forward some relevant countermeasures and suggestions to promote the integrated planting and breeding mode in accordance with local conditions, which can provide beneficial reference for government departments to make relevant policies.