bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Statins and peripheral neuropathy in diabetic and non-diabetic cases: a systematic review
Authors: Daliri Mahla , Johnston Thomas P , Sahebkar Amirhossein 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Objectives
Peripheral neuropathy (PN), as an adverse reaction attributed to statin drugs, as well as the beneficial neuroprotective properties of statins, have been widely reported and discussed in the literature. The aim of this study was to systematically review original publications that investigated the association of statin use and PN in diabetic and non-diabetic models, whether determined as a result of laboratory experimentation, or in a clinical setting.

Key findings
A comprehensive search of the databases Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus was conducted. Sixty-six articles, which evaluated the link between statins and PN in either a clinical or in-vivo/in-vitro condition were included. Statin treatment in neuropathy-induced animal models demonstrates favourable neurological effects in both the morphological and functional aspects of neurons. However, an extended duration of statin treatment is minimally associated with the development of non-diabetic idiopathic neuropathy. Importantly, statins have the potential to regress diabetic PN through anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and immunomodulatory properties.

Summary
When interpreting the results from studies that deal with the relationship between statins and PN, it is important to determine the mechanism(s) underlying the development of any potential neuropathies (in the presence or absence of diabetes), the type of model used (human or animal) and the duration of statin treatment.
A case of eosinophilic pancreatitis in a patient with ulcerative colitis
Authors: Toyoda Koji , Katayama Yasumi , Kobori Ikuhiro , Kitahama Akihiro , Kusano Yumi , Ono Yuko , Ban Shinichi , Tamano Masaya 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACTEosinophilic pancreatitis (EP) is very rare and characterised by infiltration of eosinophils into the pancreatic parenchyma. A 40-year-old man was diagnosed with total-colitis-type ulcerative colitis at the age of 15 years. He was then diagnosed with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis. He was given golimumab, which resulted in remission. Ten months after beginning golimumab, he was urgently hospitalised with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Hence, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy was performed to obtain a definitive diagnosis. Pathologically, abundant infiltration of eosinophils was observed in the edematous intralobular stroma of the pancreas. He was diagnosed with EP, and treated with corticosteroids.
Transcription factor LcNAC002 coregulates chlorophyll degradation and anthocyanin biosynthesis in litchi
Authors: Zou Shi-Cheng , Zhuo Mao-Gen , Abbas Farhat , Hu Gui-Bing , Wang Hui-Cong , Huang Xu-Ming 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Chlorophyll degradation and anthocyanin biosynthesis, which often occur almost synchronously during fruit ripening, are crucial for vibrant coloration of fruits. However, the interlink point between their regulatory pathways remains largely unknown. Here, 2 litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) cultivars with distinctively different coloration patterns during ripening, i.e. slow-reddening/stay-green “Feizixiao” (FZX) vs rapid-reddening/degreening “Nuomici” (NMC), were selected as the materials to study the key factors determining coloration. Litchi chinensis STAY-GREEN (LcSGR) was confirmed as the critical gene in pericarp chlorophyll loss and chloroplast breakdown during fruit ripening, as LcSGR directly interacted with pheophorbide a oxygenase (PAO), a key enzyme in chlorophyll degradation via the PAO pathway. Litchi chinensis no apical meristem (NAM), Arabidopsis transcription activation factor 1/2, and cup-shaped cotyledon 2 (LcNAC002) was identified as a positive regulator in the coloration of litchi pericarp. The expression of LcNAC002 was significantly higher in NMC than in FZX. Virus-induced gene silencing of LcNAC002 significantly decreased the expression of LcSGR as well as L. chinensis MYELOBLASTOSIS1 (LcMYB1), and inhibited chlorophyll loss and anthocyanin accumulation. A dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that LcNAC002 significantly activates the expression of both LcSGR and LcMYB1. Furthermore, yeast-one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assay results showed that LcNAC002 directly binds to the promoters of LcSGR and LcMYB1. These findings suggest that LcNAC002 is an important ripening-related transcription factor that interlinks chlorophyll degradation and anthocyanin biosynthesis by coactivating the expression of both LcSGR and LcMYB1.
Reduced homovanillic acid, SDF-1α and SCGF-β levels in cerebrospinal fluid are related to depressive states in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Fujita Yuya , Iwata Shigeru , Hidese Shinsuke , Ishiwata Sayuri , Ide Satoru , Tanaka Hiroaki , Sonomoto Koshiro , Miyazaki Yusuke , Nakayamada Shingo , Ikenouchi Atsuko , Hattori Kotaro , Kunugi Hiroshi , Yoshimura Reiji , Tanaka Yoshiya 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Objective
This study aimed to seek a new method of evaluation and surrogate markers for diffuse neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE).

Methods
We enrolled 44 patients with SLE between 2017 and 2020 who fulfilled at least one of three specific inclusion criteria: high disease activity, abnormal findings (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] examination, brain MRI, or electroencephalography), or history of neuropsychiatric illness. Psychiatric symptom rating scales (PSYRATS) were evaluated retrospectively. The primary end point was the PSYRATS positivity rate in SLE patients who had not been diagnosed with diffuse NPSLE.

Results
Based on the 1999 ACR classifications, 7 out of the 44 patients evaluated using PSYRATS had been diagnosed with diffuse NPSLE. PSYRATS positivity was seen in 13 out of 37 SLE patients (35.1%) who had not been diagnosed with diffuse NPSLE, and all these patients were positive for Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), an indicator of depression state in PSYRATS. Additionally, in the 20 SLE patients exhibiting depression symptoms who were MADRS-positive, CSF concentrations of the neuroinflammatory markers homovanillic acid (HVA; P = 0.0400), stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α; P = 0.0431) and stem cell growth factor-β (SCGF-1β; P = 0.0061) were significantly reduced compared with the 24 MADRS-negative SLE patients, and the levels of HVA, SDF-1α and SCGF-1β correlated with one another (P &lt; 0.05).

Conclusion
Many patients with active SLE have subclinical depression, and MADRS evaluation of neuropsychiatric symptoms is useful for detecting them. Additionally, the decrease in CSF levels of HVA, SDF-1 α and SCGF-1β reflects the same pathology, and these may serve as surrogate markers.
Neural responses to biological motion distinguish autistic and schizotypal traits
Authors: Hudson Matthew , Santavirta Severi , Putkinen Vesa , Seppälä Kerttu , Sun Lihua , Karjalainen Tomi , Karlsson Henry K , Hirvonen Jussi , Nummenmaa Lauri 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDifficulties in social interactions characterize both autism and schizophrenia and are correlated in the neurotypical population. It is unknown whether this represents a shared etiology or superficial phenotypic overlap. Both conditions exhibit atypical neural activity in response to the perception of social stimuli and decreased neural synchronization between individuals. This study investigated if neural activity and neural synchronization associated with biological motion perception are differentially associated with autistic and schizotypal traits in the neurotypical population. Participants viewed naturalistic social interactions while hemodynamic brain activity was measured with fMRI, which was modeled against a continuous measure of the extent of biological motion. General linear model analysis revealed that biological motion perception was associated with neural activity across the action observation network. However, intersubject phase synchronization analysis revealed neural activity to be synchronized between individuals in occipital and parietal areas but desynchronized in temporal and frontal regions. Autistic traits were associated with decreased neural activity (precuneus and middle cingulate gyrus), and schizotypal traits were associated with decreased neural synchronization (middle and inferior frontal gyri). Biological motion perception elicits divergent patterns of neural activity and synchronization, which dissociate autistic and schizotypal traits in the general population, suggesting that they originate from different neural mechanisms.
The Learning Crisis of Developing Country Elites: Lessons from PISA-D
Authors: Pritchett Lant , Viarengo Martina 
Published: February 2023

AbstractHow much of the learning crisis can be addressed through “inclusion”—the equalization of grade attainment and learning outcomes across groups (e.g., girls/boys, rural/urban, poor/rich)—and how much of the learning crisis requires improvement in the country's system of basic education to improve learning outcomes across the board? This study uses the data from the seven countries who participated in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for Development (PISA-D) to show that for most countries and subjects the average learning outcome for the advantaged (male, urban, native-born, speakers of assessment language), and elite (95th percentile in PISA measured socio-economic status) students was below the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) “minimum learning level” target of PISA level 2. Even if every child in these countries were fully “included”—had the same distribution of learning outcomes as the advantaged, SES elite, public school children—80 percent of all children would still fall short of proposed global minimum levels of learning.
Discovery of Novel Effector Protein Candidates Produced in the Dorsal Gland of Adult Female Root-Knot Nematodes
Authors: Rocha Raquel O. , Hussey Richard S. , Pepi Lauren E. , Azadi Parastoo , Mitchum Melissa G. 
Published: February 2023

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) ( Meloidogyne spp.) represent one of the most damaging groups of plant-parasitic nematodes. They secrete effector proteins through a protrusible stylet to manipulate host cells for their benefit. Stylet-secreted effector proteins are produced within specialized secretory esophageal gland cells, one dorsal gland (DG) and two subventral glands (SvG), whose activity differ throughout the nematode life cycle. Previous gland transcriptomic profiling studies identified dozens of candidate RKN effectors but were focused on the juvenile stages of the nematode, when the SvGs are most active. We developed a new approach to enrich for the active DGs of M. incognita adult female RKN for RNA and protein extraction. Female heads were manually cut from the body, and a combination of sonication and vortexing was used to dislodge contents inside the heads. DG-enriched fractions were collected by filtering, using cell strainers. Comparative transcriptome profiling of pre-parasitic second-stage juveniles, female heads, and DG-enriched samples was conducted using RNA sequencing. Application of an established effector mining pipeline led to the identification of 83 candidate effector genes upregulated in DG-enriched samples of adult females that code for proteins with a predicted signal peptide but lack transmembrane domains or homology to proteins in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In situ hybridization resulted in the identification of 14 new DG-specific candidate effectors expressed in adult females. Taken together, we have identified novel candidate Meloidogyne effector genes that may have essential roles during later stages of parasitism. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Robust protein-based engineering of hepatocyte-like cells from human mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Takashina Tomoki , Matsunaga Akihiro , Shimizu Yukiko , Sakuma Tetsushi , Okamura Tadashi , Matsuoka Kunie , Yamamoto Takashi , Ishizaka Yukihito 
Published: February 2023

Background:
Cells of interest can be prepared from somatic cells by forced expression of lineage-specific transcription factors, but it is required to establish a vector-free system for their clinical use. Here, we report a protein-based artificial transcription system for engineering hepatocyte-like cells from human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Methods:
MSCs were treated for 5 days with 4 artificial transcription factors (4F), which targeted hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)1α, HNF3γ, HNF4α, and GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA4). Then, engineered MSCs (4F-Heps) were subjected to epigenetic analysis, biochemical analysis and flow cytometry analysis with antibodies to marker proteins of mature hepatocytes and hepatic progenitors such as delta-like homolog 1 (DLK1) and trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP2). Functional properties of the cells were also examined by injecting them to mice with lethal hepatic failure.

Results:
Epigenetic analysis revealed that a 5-day treatment of 4F upregulated the expression of genes involved in hepatic differentiation, and repressed genes related to pluripotency of MSCs. Flow cytometry analysis detected that 4F-Heps were composed of small numbers of mature hepatocytes (at most 1%), bile duct cells (~19%) and hepatic progenitors (~50%). Interestingly, ~20% of 4F-Heps were positive for cytochrome P450 3A4, 80% of which were DLK1-positive. Injection of 4F-Heps significantly increased survival of mice with lethal hepatic failure, and transplanted 4F-Heps expanded to more than 50-fold of human albumin-positive cells in the mouse livers, well consistent with the observation that 4F-Heps contained DLK1-positive and/or TROP2-positive cells.

Conclusion:
Taken together with observations that 4F-Heps were not tumorigenic in immunocompromised mice for at least 2 years, we propose that this artificial transcription system is a versatile tool for cell therapy for hepatic failures.
Stat3 role in the protective effect of FXR Agonist in parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis
Authors: Ghosh Swati , Devereaux Michael W. , Anderson Aimee L. , El Kasmi *Karim C. , Sokol Ronald J. 
Published: February 2023

Background and Aims:
Parenteral nutrition (PN) in patients with intestinal failure can lead to cholestasis (PNAC). In a PNAC mouse model, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist (GW4064) treatment alleviated IL-1β-dependent cholestatic liver injury. The objective of this study was to determine whether this hepatic protection of FXR activation is mediated through IL-6-STAT3 signaling.

Approach and Results:
Hepatic apoptotic pathways [Fas-associated protein with death domain (Fas) mRNA, caspase 8 protein, and cleaved caspase 3] and IL-6-STAT3 signaling, and expression of its downstream effectors Socs1/3 were all upregulated in the mouse PNAC model (dextran sulfate sodium enterally × 4 d followed by total PN for 14 d). Il1r

−/−
mice were protected from PNAC in conjunction with suppression of the FAS pathway. GW4064 treatment in the PNAC mouse increased hepatic FXR binding to the Stat3 promoter, further increased STAT3 phosphorylation and upregulated Socs1 and Socs3 mRNA, and prevented cholestasis. In HepG2 cells and primary mouse hepatocytes, IL-1β induced IL-6 mRNA and protein, which were suppressed by GW4064. In IL-1β or phytosterols treated HepG2 and Huh7 cells, siRNA knockdown of STAT3 significantly reduced GW4064-upregulated transcription of hepatoprotective nuclear receptor subfamily 0, group B, member 2 (NR0B2) and ABCG8.

Conclusions:
STAT3 signaling mediated in part the protective effects of GW4064 in the PNAC mouse, and in HepG2 cells and hepatocytes exposed to either IL-1β or phytosterols, 2 factors critical in PNAC pathogenesis. These data demonstrate that FXR agonists may mediate hepatoprotective effects in cholestasis by inducing STAT3 signaling.
Higher levels of supportive care needs are linked to higher health service use and cost, poor quality of life, and high distress in patients with cirrhosis in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Valery Patricia C. , Stuart Katherine A. , Bernardes Christina M. , Hartel Gunter , Martin Cathy , Gordon Louisa , Powell Elizabeth E. 
Published: February 2023

Background:
Australians with cirrhosis have significant practical and psychosocial needs. This longitudinal study examined the association between supportive care needs and health service use and costs, and patient outcomes from June 2017 to December 2018.

Methods:
The Supportive Needs Assessment tool for Cirrhosis (SNAC), quality of life (Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire and Short Form 36), and distress (distress thermometer) were self-reported through an interview at recruitment (n=433). Clinical data were obtained from medical records and through linkage, and health service use and costs through linkage. Patients were grouped as by needs status. Rates of hospital admissions (per person days at risk) and costs were assessed by needs status [incidence rate ratios (IRR), Poisson regression]. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the differences in SNAC scores by quality of life and distress. Multivariable models included Child-Pugh class, age, sex, recruitment hospital, living arrangements, place of residence, comorbidity burden, and primary liver disease etiology.

Results:
In adjusted analyses, compared with patients with low/no needs, patients with unmet needs had more cirrhosis-related admissions (adjusted IRR=2.11, 95% CI=1.48–3.13; p<0.001), admissions through the emergency department (IRR=2.99, 95% CI=1.80–4.97, p<0.001), and emergency presentations (IRR=3.57, 95% CI=1.41–9.02; p<0.001). Total hospitalization costs for cirrhosis admissions were higher for those with unmet needs ($431,242 per person days at risk) compared with those with met needs ($87,363 per person days at risk, adjusted cost ratio=3.52, 95%CI=3.49–3.54; p<0.001). In multivariable analysis, increasing overall mean SNAC scores (higher needs) were correlated with poorer quality of life and higher level of distress (p<0.001 for all comparisons).

Conclusions:
Patients with cirrhosis and high unmet psychosocial needs and practical and physical needs have poor quality of life, high distress, and very high service use and costs, highlighting the importance of urgently addressing unmet needs.
Surgical Implications and Radiologic Classification for the Upward Bulging of the Planum Sphenoidale in Patients With Anterior Skull Base Meningiomas Involving the Tuberculum Sellae Area
Authors: Cao Jianping , Sun Peng , Gu Chunyu , Wang Haoran , Qu Yanming , Zhang Hongwei , Zhang Mingshan , Yu Chunjiang 
Published: February 2023

Objective:
To investigate the surgical implications and morphologic type of upward bulging of the planum sphenoidale (PS) in anterior skull base meningiomas involving the tuberculum sellae area.

Methods:
Between January 2014 and June 2021, 96 patients with anterior skull base meningiomas underwent surgery at the Sanbo Brain Hospital of Capital Medical University. A total of 96 patients with nonintracranial space-occupying lesions were selected as the control group. The height of upward bulging of the PS was measured and classified. The authors performed univariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate the rate and effects of upward bulging of the PS.

Results:
The PS upward bulging rate was 23.00% versus 66.70% (P<0.001) between the control and meningioma groups. Multiple linear regression showed that it was correlated with the tumor midsagittal anteroposterior length (P=0.025) and the midsagittal height diameter (P=0.012). According to the height of PS upward bulging, it was divided into types 1, 2, and 3. The tumor gross-total resection rates were 96.9%, 92.3%, and 76.0%, respectively (P=0.042).

Conclusions:
Anterior skull base meningiomas involving the tuberculum sellae area can cause PS upward bulging, which lowers the tumor resection rate and should be considered while determining the treatment approach.
Early-Stage Ampullary Cancer: Is Local Excision an Effective Alternative to Radical Resection?
Authors: Swanson James , Littau Michael , Tonelli Celsa , Cohn Tyler , Luchette Fred A , Abdelsattar Zaid , Baker Marshall S. 
Published: February 2023

Background:
The efficacy of local excision (transduodenal or endoscopic ampullectomy) in treating early-stage ampullary cancer has not been well defined.

Study Design:
We queried the National Cancer Database to identify patients undergoing either local tumor excision or radical resection for early-stage (cTis-T2, N0, M0) ampullary adenocarcinoma between 2004 and 2018. Cox modeling was used to identify factors associated with overall survival. Patients undergoing local excision were then 1:1 propensity score-matched for demographics, hospital-level, and histopathological factors to those undergoing radical resection. Kaplan Meier method was used to compare overall survival (OS) profiles for matched cohorts.

Results:
1544 patients met inclusion criteria. 218 (14%) underwent local tumor excision; 1326 (86%) radical resection. On propensity score matching, 218 patients undergoing local excision were successfully matched to 218 patients undergoing radical resection. On comparison of matched cohorts, those undergoing local excision had lower rates of margin negative (R0) resection (85.1% vs 99%, p< 0.001) and lower median lymph node counts (0 vs 13, p< 0.001) but had significantly shorter lengths of initial hospitalization (median days: 1 vs 10 days, p< 0.001), lower rates of 30-day readmission (3.3% vs 12.0%, p=0.001) and lower rates of 30-day mortality (1.8% vs 6.5%, p=0.016) than patients undergoing radical resection. There was no statistically significant difference in OS between the matched cohorts (46.9% vs 52.0%, p=0.46).

Conclusion:
In patients presenting with early-stage ampullary adenocarcinoma, local tumor excision is associated with higher rates of R1 resection but accelerated post-procedure recovery and patterns of OS comparable to those following radical resection.
Nonlinear three-dimensional patterns of the Marangoni convection in a thin film on a poorly conducting substrate
Authors: Samoilova Anna , Permyakova Evelina V. 
Published: February 2023

We investigate the dynamics of a thin liquid film that is placed atop a heated substrate of very low thermal conductivity. The direct numerical simulation of the stationary long-wave Marangoni instability is performed with the system of coupled partial differential equations. These equations were previously derived within the lubrication approximation; they describe the evolution of film thickness and fluid temperature. We compare our results with the early reported results of the weakly nonlinear analysis. A good qualitative agreement is observed for values of the Marangoni number near the convective threshold. In the case of supercritical excitation, our results for the amplitudes are described by the square root dependence on the supercriticality. In the case of subcritical excitation, we report the hysteresis. For relatively high supercriticality, the convective regimes evolve into film rupture via the emergence of secondary humps. For the three-dimensional patterns, we observe rolls or squares, depending on the problem parameters. We also confirm the prediction of the asymptotic results concerning the nonlinear feedback control for the pattern selection.
This article is part of the theme issue 'New trends in pattern formation and nonlinear dynamics of extended systems'.