bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serum retinol-binding protein 4 as a predictor of fibrosis regression and response to direct-acting antiviral drugs in chronic hepatitis C virus patients
Authors: Rasmy Hany Samir , Elmalatawy Mohammed Abd Elfattah , ElKarmoty Khaled Zakaria , Abdelwarth Ebrahim Youssef , Isaac Amira 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Hepatitis C virus is the underlying cause of chronic hepatitis which frequently progresses to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, HCV is thought to cause steatosis, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular events. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of serum RBP-4 in the prediction of fibrosis regression and the response of treatment among chronic HCV patients receiving direct-acting antiviral agents.

Methods
This study included 40 chronic HCV Egyptian patients, divided into two groups: Naive cases, 20 chronic HCV patients before starting first line of treatment; Relapser cases, 20 chronic HCV patients who were non-responders before starting second line treatment; and 10 healthy subjects as control. Laboratory investigations including complete blood count, full hepatic profile, fibroscan assessment, and retinol-binding protein-4 level at baseline and re-assessed 12 weeks after the end of treatment [sustained virological response SVR12]. Student T test, analysis of variance, chi-square, Tukey’s test, and Pearson correlation coefficient tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results
Baseline retinol-binding protein-4 level was significantly higher in the naïve case group than in the relapser and control groups with a P value of P value of < 0.001. All the naïve patients had 100% SVR12, only 90% of the relapser group achieved SVR12. A significant reduction in retinol-binding protein-4 and fibrosis staging and measurements by fibroscan among all studied patients were noted after receiving direct acting antivirals (P value < 0.001). Retinol-binding protein-4 levels before and after treatment were significantly lower among F4 patients in comparison to those of F1–F3 patients (P value 0.002, 0.009, respectively). The best cutoff value of retinol-binding protein-4 in the prediction of liver cirrhosis (F4) was ≤ 46 pg/ml with sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 66.67%.

Conclusion
Serum retinol-binding protein-4 was found to be higher in chronic HCV infection with a significant reduction after successful eradication. Its level is much lower in cirrhotic patients [F4]. As a result, retinol-binding protein-4 may have a promising role in assessing direct acting antivirals response, as well as a prognostic value in predicting liver cirrhosis.
Zoonotic and antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter: a view through the One Health lens
Authors: Zhang Qijing , Beyi Ashenafi Feyisa , Yin Yue 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAs a pathogen of a major public health concern with animal health importance, Campylobacter constitutes a clear and present threat to One Health. This organism colonizes the intestinal tract and is widely distributed among various animal species, including livestock and poultry, companion animals, and wildlife. As a result of its broad distribution, Campylobacter is exposed to antibiotics used in both human and veterinary medicine, which creates antibiotic selection pressure that has driven the development and rising prevalence of antibiotic resistant Campylobacter. This is particularly evident with the resistance to fluoroquinolone (FQ), which has become a great concern for public health. However, the increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter cannot be solely attributed to antibiotic usage, as interspecies transmission and subsequent clonal expansion also contribute to the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter. This is exemplified by the emergence and expansion of FQ-resistant Campylobacter clones in animal production systems where FQ antibiotics were never used, the transmission of extensively drug resistant Campylobacter from dogs to human patients, and the spread of antibiotic-resistant and hypervirulent Campylobacter from ruminants to humans. Another notable finding from recently published work is the emergence of antibiotic resistance genes of Gram-positive origin in Campylobacter, suggesting that genetic exchange between Campylobacter and Gram-positive bacteria occurs in the natural environment and is more frequent than previously realized. Once these “foreign” antibiotic resistance genes are presented in Campylobacter, they can further disseminate by clonal expansion or horizontal gene transfer among different Campylobacter species/strains. These findings indicate that the emergence and transmission of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter in the ecosystem are complex and multidirectional, and are affected by multiple factors. Thus, a holistic and One Health approach is necessary to fully comprehend and mitigate antibiotic resistant Campylobacter.
Simultaneous seismic inversion study for channel sandstone identification, northern part of the Eastern Shelf, King County, North-Central Texas
Authors: Ogiesoba Osareni , Karakaya Sarp , Cortez Trey 
Published: March 2023

This paper documents the results of a prestack simultaneous seismic inversion conducted to investigate the Wolfcampian lower Tannehill sandstone channels within a mixed carbonate siliciclastic system in the northern Eastern Shelf in King County, North Central Texas. Previous exploration methods for the Tannehill sandstone were based largely on well-log correlation which, because of their widely spaced sample points, are not optimal for channel delineation. We have generated crossplots of P- and S-wave velocity ratios ([Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] ratios) versus P-impedance to determine lithologic types. We then used 3D seismic data and wireline logs to implement a prestack simultaneous seismic inversion procedure to generate P- and S-impedances, density, and [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] ratio volumes to identify the valley-fill Tannehill lowstand systems. Our results find that (1) based on impedance and density, the sandstone-rich channels can be easily separated from the carbonate-rich zones but are difficult to distinguish using [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text]. (2) Although there appeared to be several channel systems in the area of investigation, two of these, hereby referred to as channel A and channel B, are recognized to be the key contributors of sandstone sediments to the shelf edge, slope, and basin areas. (3) Of these two channels, channel A is the larger and highly sinuous; it is associated with a meander loop, a point bar, and an abandoned channel. At the point-bar location, channel A has a width of 890 m (2920 ft) and a depth of 29 m (94 ft). The point bar is structurally anticlinal and thus constitutes a potential exploration target. In contrast, channel B is less sinuous, without any associated point bar. It has a maximum depth and width of 23 m (75 ft) and 270 m (886 ft), respectively. Finally, the inversion results suggest that other potential Tannehill sandstone reservoirs may still be present elsewhere within King County.
Trastuzumab Deruxtecan for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Expressing Advanced or Recurrent Uterine Carcinosarcoma (NCCH1615): The STATICE Trial
Authors: Nishikawa Tadaaki , Hasegawa Kosei , Matsumoto Koji , Mori Masahiko , Hirashima Yasuyuki , Takehara Kazuhiro , Ariyoshi Kazuya , Kato Tomoyasu , Yagishita Shigehiro , Hamada Akinobu , Kawasaki Mamiko , Kawashima Satoshi , Tomatsuri Sawako , Nagasaka Yukari , Yoshida Hiroshi , Machida Ryunosuke , Hirakawa Akihiro , Nakamura Kenichi , Yonemori Kan 
Published: March 2023

PURPOSE To investigate the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab deruxtecan, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) with a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload, in patients with uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) expressing HER2. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with recurrent UCS with HER2 immunohistochemistry scores ≥1+ previously treated with chemotherapy were included. Patients were assigned to the HER2-high (immunohistochemistry score ≥2+; n = 22) or low (immunohistochemistry score of 1+; n = 10) groups for primary and exploratory analyses, respectively. Trastuzumab deruxtecan 6.4 or 5.4 mg/kg was administered intravenously once every 3 weeks until unacceptable toxicity or disease progression. Dose modification was based on the updated recommended phase II dose for breast cancer to be 5.4 mg/kg. The primary end point was the objective response rate by central review in the HER2-high group. Secondary end points included the overall response rate (ORR) in the HER2-high group by investigator assessment, ORR in the HER2-low group, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS The ORR by central review in the HER2-high and HER2-low groups were 54.5% (95% CI, 32.2 to 75.6) and 70.0% (95% CI, 34.8 to 93.3) and those by investigator assessments were 68.2% and 60.0%, respectively. The median PFS and OS in the HER2-high and HER2-low groups were 6.2 and 13.3 months and 6.7 months and not reached, respectively. Grade ≥ 3 adverse events occurred in 20 patients (61%). Grades 1-2 and 3 pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease occurred in eight (24%) and one (3%) patient, respectively. CONCLUSION Trastuzumab deruxtecan has efficacy in patients with UCS, regardless of HER2 status. The safety profile was generally consistent with that previously reported. Toxicities were manageable with appropriate monitoring and treatment.
More Than Words? How Highlighting Target Populations Affects Public Opinion about the Medicaid Program
Authors: Haeder Simon F. , Sylvester Steven M. , Callaghan Timothy 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Context: The Medicaid program provides health insurance coverage to a diverse set of demographics. We know little about how the policy community describes these populations (e.g., on Medicaid-related websites or in public opinion polls and policy writings) or whether and how these descriptions may affect perceptions of the program, its beneficiaries, and potential policy changes.
Methods: To investigate this issue, we developed and fielded a nationally representative survey of 2,680 Americans that included an experiment for priming respondents by highlighting different combinations of target populations of the Medicaid program as found in the Medicaid policy discourse.
Findings: Overall, we find that Americans view Medicaid and its beneficiaries rather favorably. However, there are marked differences based on partisanship and racial animosity. Emphasizing citizenship and residency requirements at times improved these perceptions.
Conclusions: Racial perceptions and partisanship are important correlates in Americans’ views about Medicaid and its beneficiaries. However, perceptions are not immutable. In general, the policy community should shift toward using more comprehensive descriptions of the Medicaid population that go beyond the focus on low income and that include citizenship and residency requirements. Future research should expand this work by studying descriptions in the broader public discourse.
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Versus Microendoscopic Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy for Unilateral Cervical Radiculopathy: A 1-Year Cost-Utility Analysis
Authors: Monk Steve H. , Hani Ummey , Pfortmiller Deborah , Dyer E. Hunter , Smith Mark D. , Kim Paul K. , Bohl Michael A. , Coric Domagoj , Adamson Tim E. , Holland Christopher M. , McGirt Matthew J. 
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND:
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) are the most common surgical approaches for medically refractory cervical radiculopathy. Rigorous cost-effectiveness studies comparing ACDF and PCF are lacking.

OBJECTIVE:
To assess the cost-utility of ACDF vs PCF performed in the ambulatory surgery center setting for Medicare and privately insured patients at 1-year follow-up.

METHODS:
A total of 323 patients who underwent 1-level ACDF (201) or PCF (122) at a single ambulatory surgery center were compared. Propensity matching generated 110 pairs (220 patients) for analysis. Demographic data, resource utilization, patient-reported outcome measures, and quality-adjusted life-years were assessed. Direct costs (1-year resource use × unit costs based on Medicare national allowable payment amounts) and indirect costs (missed workdays × average US daily wage) were recorded. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated.

RESULTS:
Perioperative safety, 90-day readmission, and 1-year reoperation rates were similar between groups. Both groups experienced significant improvements in all patient-reported outcome measures at 3 months that was maintained at 12 months. The ACDF cohort had a significantly higher preoperative Neck Disability Index and a significantly greater improvement in health-state utility (ie, quality-adjusted life-years gained) at 12 months. ACDF was associated with significantly higher total costs at 1 year for both Medicare ($11 744) and privately insured ($21 228) patients. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for ACDF was $184 654 and $333 774 for Medicare and privately insured patients, respectively, reflecting poor cost-utility.

CONCLUSION:
Single-level ACDF may not be cost-effective in comparison with PCF for surgical management of unilateral cervical radiculopathy.
Daily Pain Prediction Using Smartphone Speech Recordings of Patients With Spine Disease
Authors: Duey Akiro H. , Rana Aakanksha , Siddi Francesca , Hussein Helweh , Onnela Jukka-Pekka , Smith Timothy R. 
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND:
Pain evaluation remains largely subjective in neurosurgical practice, but machine learning provides the potential for objective pain assessment tools.

OBJECTIVE:
To predict daily pain levels using speech recordings from personal smartphones of a cohort of patients with diagnosed neurological spine disease.

METHODS:
Patients with spine disease were enrolled through a general neurosurgical clinic with approval from the institutional ethics committee. At-home pain surveys and speech recordings were administered at regular intervals through the Beiwe smartphone application. Praat audio features were extracted from the speech recordings to be used as input to a K-nearest neighbors (KNN) machine learning model. The pain scores were transformed from a 0 to 10 scale to low and high pain for better discriminative capacity.

RESULTS:
A total of 60 patients were enrolled, and 384 observations were used to train and test the prediction model. Using the KNN prediction model, an accuracy of 71% with a positive predictive value of 0.71 was achieved in classifying pain intensity into high and low. The model showed 0.71 precision for high pain and 0.70 precision for low pain. Recall of high pain was 0.74, and recall of low pain was 0.67. The overall F1 score was 0.73.

CONCLUSION:
Our study uses a KNN to model the relationship between speech features and pain levels collected from personal smartphones of patients with spine disease. The proposed model is a stepping stone for the development of objective pain assessment in neurosurgery clinical practice.
How bumblebees coordinate path integration and body orientation at the start of their first learning flight
Authors: Collett Thomas S. , Robert Theo , Frasnelli Elisa , Philippides Andrew , Hempel de Ibarra Natalie 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACT
The start of a bumblebee's first learning flight from its nest provides an opportunity to examine the bee's learning behaviour during its initial view of the nest's unfamiliar surroundings. Like many other hymenopterans, bumblebees store views of their nest surroundings while facing their nest. We found that a bumblebee's first fixation of the nest is a coordinated manoeuvre in which the insect faces the nest with its body oriented towards a particular visual feature within its surroundings. This conjunction of nest fixation and body orientation is preceded and reached by means of a translational scan during which the bee flies perpendicularly to its preferred body orientation. The utility of the coordinated manoeuvre is apparent during the bees' first return flight after foraging. Bees then adopt a similar preferred body orientation when close to the nest. How does a bee, unacquainted with its surroundings, know when it is facing its nest? A likely answer is through path integration, which gives bees continuously updated information about the current direction of their nest. Path integration also gives bees the possibility to fixate the nest when their body points in a desired direction. The three components of this coordinated manoeuvre are discussed in relation to current understanding of the central complex in the insect brain, noting that nest fixation is egocentric, whereas the preferred body orientation and flight direction that the bee adopts within the visual surroundings of the nest are geocentric.
Elevated developmental temperatures impact the size and allometry of morphological traits of the bumblebeeBombus terrestris
Authors: Gérard Maxence , Guiraud Marie , Cariou Bérénice , Henrion Maxime , Baird Emily 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACTThe impact of global warming on wild bee decline threatens the pollination services they provide. Exposure to temperatures above optimal during development is known to reduce adult body size but how it affects the development and scaling of body parts remains unclear. In bees, a reduction in body size and/or a reduction in body parts, such as the antennae, tongue and wings, and how they scale with body size (i.e. their allometry) could severely affect their fitness. To date, it remains unclear how temperature affects body size and the scaling of morphological traits in bees. To address this knowledge gap, we exposed both males and workers of Bombus terrestris to elevated temperature during development and assessed the effects on (i) the size of morphological traits and (ii) the allometry between these traits. Colonies were exposed to optimal (25°C) or stressful (33°C) temperatures. We then measured the body size, wing size, antenna and tongue length, as well as the allometry between these traits. We found that workers were smaller and the antennae of both castes were reduced at the higher temperature. However, tongue length and wing size were not affected by developmental temperature. The allometric scaling of the tongue was also affected by developmental temperature. Smaller body size and antennae could impair both individual and colony fitness, by affecting foraging efficiency and, consequently, colony development. Our results encourage further exploration of how the temperature-induced changes in morphology affect functional traits and pollination efficiency.
Evaluation of the interaction between ketone bodies and obesity-associated proteins: an in silico approach
Authors: Kayode Omowumi , Yoko Deborah , Kayode Abolanle A.A. 
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Obesity is an upsurge in body fat and is associated with a number of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, including type-2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and several malignancies. The ketogenic diet, which is high in fat and protein and very low in carbohydrates, has become one of the most researched options for weight loss in recent years. It has also recently gained recognition as a metabolic therapy for its efficacious methods in the prevention and treatment of cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other illnesses. Methods: This study was carried out to investigate the interaction of ketogenic diet end products, the ketone bodies (acetoacetate, acetone and beta-hydroxybutyrate) and standard drugs (orlistat and cetilistat) on selected obesity-related proteins including ghrelin, leptin, fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene protein (PDB id: 3LFM), catalase, superoxide dismutase and 3-hydroxyl-3-methylgluatarate Co-A (HMG CoA) reductase in vivo. Results: In silico docking simulations of the proteins and ligands (standard drugs and ketone bodies) was done using high computing tools and software. The results revealed varied docking scores based on interactions between the proteins and ligands. The standard drugs and ketone bodies exhibited good docking scores for all the proteins docked, although the standard drugs had slightly higher scores in most cases except for FTO, for which the ketone bodies had higher docking scores. This implies that the FTO–ketone bodies complex might activate the inhibition of fatty acid synthesis, leading to reduction in stored fat. Conclusions: This study concludes that ketone bodies obtained from ketogenic diets may serve as an adjuvant therapy in the management of obesity with a reduced risk of toxicity compared with conventional therapy.
Assessment of depth of invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: a study protocol
Authors: Durge Shelley Rajendra , Hande Alka 
Published: March 2023

Background: Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of oral cavity. It remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity around the world. Overall OSCC represents more than 550,000 cases throughout the world yearly and the 6th leading cause of death. The mortality and rate of OSCC are higher in developing nations. About 25% patients with OSCC of tongue exist with occult metastasis at initial presentation. The utilization of TNM staging of OSCC to assess the clinical response to treatment and survival result is for many years. Prognosis of malignancy also depends on the histopathological grading of the OSCC. Histopathological assessment by measuring Depth of Invasion (DOI) enables us the insight about the extent of invasion by neoplastic cells. This observation will further be helpful for treatment management protocol particularly in OSCC of tongue. Hence, we aimed to assess the significance of DOI in the prognosis and clinicopathological features and survival of OSCC lesions in the current study. Methods: The surgically operated cases of OSCC of tongue from year 2009 to 2015 will be retrieved from the archival. Measurement of DOI will be carried out using Research microscope. The staging of the patients will be done according to the American Joint Committee of Cancer staging system. The present study will find DOI in tongue OSCC and its correlation with the clinicopathological features of OSCC of tongue and three years disease-specific survival. Conclusion: Measurement of the DOI ought to be included as a part of routine histological assessment. This likewise should be utilized for grading the tumor, which can further help in treatment management protocol.