bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The lipid-lowering effects of fenugreek gum, hawthorn pectin, and burdock inulin
Authors: Wang Yi , Zheng Yu , Liu Yi , Shan Guoshun , Zhang Baojie , Cai Qian , Lou Jiayue , Qu Yang 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to investigate the lipid-lowering effects and mechanisms of fenugreek gum (FG), hawthorn pectin (HP), and burdock inulin (BI) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic rats.MethodsIn this study, high-fat diet (HFD) together with fat emulsion administration were used to establish hyperlipidemia model. The biochemical indices were assayed after administration of FG, HP, and BI. Their effects were evaluated by factor analysis. Alterations of gut microbiota and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the cecal were assessed to illustrate the mechanism of lipid lowering.ResultsThe supplementation of FG, HP, and BI on HFD-fed rats decreased the levels of serum lipid and reduced the HFD-related liver and testicle damage. In the scatter plot of factor analysis, HP and BI were closer to normal fat diet (NFD) group in restoring the severity of hyperlipidemia, while FG and HP enhanced the excretion of cholesterol and bile acids (BAs). The levels of total SCFAs, especially butyric acid reduced by HFD were increased by HP. The ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes increased by HFD was reduced by HP and BI. FG, HP, and BI enriched intestinal probiotics, which were related to bile acid excretion or lipid-lowering.ConclusionsFG inhibited the absorption of cholesterol and enhanced the excretion of it, as well as increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria. While BI restored the imbalance of intestinal microbiota. HP enhanced the excretion of cholesterol and BAs, and restored the imbalance of intestinal microbiota. It was also utilized by intestinal microorganisms to yield SCFAs. This study suggested that FG, HP, and BI possessed the potential to be utilized as dietary supplements for obesity management.
RAD-UNet: Research on an improved lung nodule semantic segmentation algorithm based on deep learning
Authors: Wu Zezhi , Li Xiaoshu , Zuo Jianhui 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveDue to the small proportion of target pixels in computed tomography (CT) images and the high similarity with the environment, convolutional neural network-based semantic segmentation models are difficult to develop by using deep learning. Extracting feature information often leads to under- or oversegmentation of lesions in CT images. In this paper, an improved convolutional neural network segmentation model known as RAD-UNet, which is based on the U-Net encoder-decoder architecture, is proposed and applied to lung nodular segmentation in CT images.MethodThe proposed RAD-UNet segmentation model includes several improved components: the U-Net encoder is replaced by a ResNet residual network module; an atrous spatial pyramid pooling module is added after the U-Net encoder; and the U-Net decoder is improved by introducing a cross-fusion feature module with channel and spatial attention.ResultsThe segmentation model was applied to the LIDC dataset and a CT dataset collected by the Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. The experimental results show that compared with the existing SegNet [14] and U-Net [15] methods, the proposed model demonstrates better lung lesion segmentation performance. On the above two datasets, the mIoU reached 87.76% and 88.13%, and the F1-score reached 93.56% and 93.72%, respectively. Conclusion: The experimental results show that the improved RAD-UNet segmentation method achieves more accurate pixel-level segmentation in CT images of lung tumours and identifies lung nodules better than the SegNet [14] and U-Net [15] models. The problems of under- and oversegmentation that occur during segmentation are solved, effectively improving the image segmentation performance.
Personalized intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma prognosis prediction using radiomics: Application and development trend
Authors: Chen Pengyu , Yang Zhenwei , Zhang Haofeng , Huang Guan , Li Qingshan , Ning Peigang , Yu Haibo 
Published: March 2023

Radiomics was proposed by Lambin et al. in 2012 and since then there has been an explosion of related research. There has been significant interest in developing high-throughput methods that can automatically extract a large number of quantitative image features from medical images for better diagnostic or predictive performance. There have also been numerous radiomics investigations on intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in recent years, but no pertinent review materials are readily available. This work discusses the modeling analysis of radiomics for the prediction of lymph node metastasis, microvascular invasion, and early recurrence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, as well as the use of deep learning. This paper briefly reviews the current status of radiomics research to provide a reference for future studies.
Number of positive lymph nodes affects outcomes in parotid adenoid cystic carcinoma
Authors: Han Feng 
Published: March 2023

ObjectivesSurvival significance of the number of positive lymph nodes (LNs) in parotid adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) remains unknown; thus, this study aimed to determine the impact of the number of positive LNs on the prognosis of parotid ACC.MethodsPatients with surgically treated parotid ACC were enrolled from the SEER database. The number of positive LNs was analyzed using three models (0 vs 1+, 0 vs 1 vs 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 4 vs 5 vs 6+, 0/1 vs 2–4 vs 5+), its hazard ratios on disease specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using univariate and multivariate Cox analyses.ResultsA total of 1,689 patients were included. In all models, the number of positive LNs was independently related to DSS and OS, model 3 had the highest C-index for DSS [0.83 (95% CI: 0.81–0.85)] and OS [0.82 (95% CI: 0.80–0.84)]. Compared with the 0/1 positive LN group, the 2–4 positive LN group had an HR of 2.81 (95% CI: 1.73–4.56) for DSS and 2.36 (95% CI: 1.58–3.54) for OS. The 5+ LN group had an HR of 20.15 (95% CI: 7.50–54.18) for DSS and 14.20 (95% CI: 5.45–36.97) for OS. No overlap existed in the 95% CI of the HR.ConclusionsThe three prognostic categories based on the number of positive LNs (0/1 vs 2–4 vs 5+) could stratify the DSS and OS in parotid ACC without overlap.
Heterogeneous pattern of gene expression driven by TTN mutation is involved in the construction of a prognosis model of lung squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Liu Zhao , Zhao Xiaowen , Wang Ruihong , Tang Xiangyue , Zhao Yuxiang , Zhong Guanghui , Peng Xin , Zhang Chunlin 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact that TTN mutation had on the gene heterogeneity expression and prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsIn this study, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was used to analyze the TTN mutations in lung adenocarcinoma. Lung adenocarcinoma data was collected from the TCGA database, clinical information of patients was analyzed, and bioinformatics statistical methods were applied for mutation analysis and prognosis survival analysis. The results were verified using the GEO dataset.ResultsThe incidence of TTN mutations in lung adenocarcinoma was found to be 73%, and it was related to the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma. Ten genes were screened with significant contributions to prognosis. A prognosis model was constructed and verified by LASSO COX analysis in the TCGA and GEO datasets based on these ten beneficial factors. The independent prognostic factor H2BC9 for TTN mutation-driven gene heterogeneity expression was screened through multi-factor COX regression analysis.ConclusionOur data showed that the gene heterogeneity expression, which was driven by TTN mutations, prolonged the survival of lung adenocarcinoma patients and provided valuable clues for the prognosis of TTN gene mutations in lung adenocarcinoma.
Aberration in myeloid-derived pro-angiogenic cells in type-2 diabetes mellitus; implication for diabetic retinopathy?
Authors: Shariatzadeh Mahnaz , Binda Trishika R.R. , van Holten-Neelen Conny , ten Berge Josianne C. , Martinez Ciriano Jose P. , Wong King T. , Dik Willem A. , Leenen Pieter J.M. 
Published: March 2023

PurposeDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major microvascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Myelomonocytic proangiogenic cells (PAC) have been implicated in DR pathogenesis, but their functional and developmental abnormalities are unclear. In this study we assessed PAC characteristics from healthy controls, T2DM patients with DR (DR) and without (NoDR) in order to determine the consequence of the diabetic condition on PAC phenotype and function, and whether these differ between DR and NoDR patients.MethodsPAC were generated by culturing PBMC on fibronectin coating and then immunophenotyped using flow cytometry. Furthermore, cells were sorted based on CD14, CD105, and CD133 expression and added to an in vitro 3-D endothelial tubule formation assay, containing GFP-expressing human retinal endothelial cells (REC), pericytes, and pro-angiogenic growth factors. Tubule formation was quantified by fluorescence microscopy and image analysis. Moreover, sorted populations were analyzed for angiogenic mediator production using a multiplex assay.ResultsThe expression of CD16, CD105 and CD31, but not CD133, was lower in PAC from T2DM patients with or without DR. Myeloid and non-myeloid T2DM-derived sorted populations increased REC angiogenesis in vitro as compared to control cultures. They also showed increased S100A8 secretion, decreased VEGF-A secretion, and similar levels of IL-8, HGF, and IL-3 as compared to healthy control (HC)-derived cell populations.ConclusionT2DM PAC are phenotypically and functionally altered compared to PAC from HC. Differences between DR and NoDR PAC are limited. We propose that impaired T2DM PAC provide inadequate vascular support and promote compensatory, albeit pathological, retinal neovascularization.
Time series analysis of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring data in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
Authors: Balog Vera , Vatai Barbara , Kovacs Kata , Szabo Attila J. , Szabo Miklos , Jermendy Agnes 
Published: March 2023

Background and aimsHemodynamic instability is common in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) undergoing therapeutic hypothermia (TH). Rewarming is a critical period and non-invasive circulatory monitoring may help guide cardiovascular supportive therapy. The aim of the study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of cardiac function parameters during TH and its relation to neurodevelopmental outcome.MethodsIn a prospective, observational study, 26 neonates with moderate-severe HIE were enrolled, born between 2016 and 2019. A hemodynamic monitor based on electrical velocimetry (ICON, Osypka Medical GmbH, Berlin, Germany) was used. Heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO) data were recorded continuously throughout TH and rewarming. Neurological outcome was assessed at 2 years of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II. edition. Favorable outcome was defined as &gt;70 points on both the psychomotor and mental scales. Time-series analysis was used and features of cardiac function were described to perform logistic regression modeling for outcome prediction.ResultsFourteen (54%) patients had favorable and 12 (46%) had adverse outcome. Data collection started from median [IQR] of 11.8 [7.0; 24.3] hours (h) of life and lasted until 84.0. [81.8; 87.0] h. During TH, the mean HR of the favorable outcome group was significantly lower than that of the adverse outcome group (86 ± 13/min vs. 104 ± 18/min, p = 0.01). During rewarming HR increased similarly in both groups. SV was unaffected by rewarming, and showed a slowly increasing trend. SV of the favorable outcome group was significantly higher compared to the adverse outcome group (1.55 ± 0.23 ml/kg vs. 1.29 ± 0.30 ml/kg, p = 0.035). In line with this, CO was similar in both groups (136 ± 27 ml/kg/min vs. 134 ± 36 ml/kg/min), and a significant 25% increase in CO was observed during rewarming. Based on multiple regression modeling, HR during TH was independently associated with neurological outcome (p = 0.023).ConclusionBased on continuous hemodynamic monitoring, patients with adverse outcome have lower SV and higher HR to achieve similar CO to patients with favorable outcome during TH. HR during hypothermia is independently associated with the neurodevelopmental outcome.
Development and validation of the patient reported outcomes questionnaire of children with asthma in China: A Caregiver's proxy-reported measure
Authors: Xu Tong , Zhang Haiyue , Zhang Yuhai , Yang Peng , Yang Zhe , Jiang Xun , Shang Lei 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundResearch on asthma control levels and quality of life is essential for children with asthma during their growth stage. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a questionnaire that can be used for monitoring and evaluating the disease control effectiveness and quality of life of children with asthma in China and to conduct a preliminary evaluation for its reliability, validity, and discriminative ability.MethodsThe questionnaire was created through a literature review and qualitative interviews for a targeted population. Based on the previous work, 30 caregivers of children with asthma and 5 experienced pediatricians reviewed and discussed a collection of items. Then, 72 items were screened and selected to form the draft questionnaire. After three rounds of investigation (with 240, 503, and 360 participants, respectively), the final questionnaire was established according to the evaluation results. The structure of the questionnaire was explored through confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis and variability analysis were applied based on the first two rounds of investigation. Reliability, construct validity, and discriminative ability were evaluated based on the third round of investigation.ResultsThe questionnaire contains 6 dimensions and 34 items, and the total cumulative variance contribution rate was 54.96%; Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.91; the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.75, and the test–retest reliability coefficient was 0.74. The children's age, gender, residence, asthma attack in the last three months, caregivers' education background, and monthly income per caregiver were correlated with patient-reported outcomes of children with asthma.ConclusionThe questionnaire appeared to have good reliability, construct validity, and discriminative ability in children with asthma in China.
A pilot study on intracerebral hemorrhage imaging based on electrical capacitance tomography
Authors: Xu Rui , Zhuang Wei , Bai Zelin , Wang Feng , Chen Mingsheng , Liu Nan , Jin Gui 
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating disease with high rates of mortality and disability. The survival rate and postoperative outcome of ICH can be greatly improved through prompt diagnosis and treatment. CT and MRI are now the gold standards for the diagnosis of ICH, but they are not practical for use in pre-hospital emergencies or at the bedside monitoring.Methods: Based on the earlier research of ICH detection with a single parallel plate electrode sensor, we developed a 16-electrode Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) system for two-dimensional tomographic imaging of ICH in this study. A 5-layer spherical numerical model and an ex vivo porcine physical model of ICH were created for ECT simulation imaging and actual imaging, respectively, to assess the feasibility of this ECT for ICH imaging.Results: The bleeding circles were easily seen in the image reconstruction in numerical imaging. In ex vivo imaging, the existence of bleeding was also more clearly shown with the ECT system; however, the position of the bleeding reconstructed in the image was offset by 3 mm from the real site.Discussion: The study analyzes the causes of this discrepancy and discusses the steps that may be taken to rectify it. Overall, the simulation and ex vivo experimental trials validated the potential of ICH imaging with the ECT method; however, further work is required to increase the performance of the ECT and a more advanced imaging reconstruction algorithm is urgently needed for ICH imaging.
Developing and validating a multidimensional Chinese Parental Psychological Control Scale
Authors: Zhu Xiaoqin , Dou Diya , Pan Yangu 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionThis study validated a Chinese Parental Psychological Control Scale (CPPCS) among secondary school students in mainland China.MethodsThe item pool consisting of 65 items was constructed based on consultation with existing measures and focus group interviews of 19 Chinese adolescents. After content validation conducted by 14 experts, a total of 40 items were retained and subject to further factorial validation based on a sample of 963 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 13.39 ± 0.72; 52.23% females).ResultsUsing the two random-split half samples, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses retained 30 items that loaded on three factors, including “relational induction” (twelve items), “harsh psychological control” (twelve items), and “social comparison shame” (six items). The three-factor structure was invariant across gender (male versus female) and grades (grade 7 versus grade 8) among the whole sample. Cronbach’s αs of the three dimensions in maternal and paternal subscales ranged between 0.89 and 0.92, suggesting adequate internal consistency. The three dimensions were significantly correlated with each other, supporting the scale’s convergent validity. The concurrent validity of the CPPCS was supported by the positive correlations between subscales and parental rejection, and the negative correlations between subscales and parental warmth. In addition, while the “harsh psychological control” and “social comparison shame” negatively predicted adolescents’ well-being, “relational induction” positively predicted adolescents’ well-being.DiscussionThe findings suggest that the CPPCS is a promising instrument for measuring multidimensional psychological control among Chinese parents and for investigating and comparing individual dimensions’ effect on adolescents’ development.
Effectiveness of yoga for major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wu Yufei , Yan Danni , Yang Jianli 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveMajor depressive disorder (MDD) has a relapse rate that cannot be ignored and places a tremendous burden on the patient in the prevention and treatment process. Yoga, a combination of physical and mental exercises, is effective and acceptable for the adjunctive treatment of MDD. This study aimed to explore further the evidence of yoga’s efficacy for patients with MDD.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, PsycINFO, SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases from their inception to 13 October 2022 were searched by a pre-defined search strategy. RCTs of patients with MDD who met diagnostic criteria for yoga treatment were included. RoB2.0 was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. Improvement in depressive symptoms was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), or other scales were used as primary outcome indicators, and improvement in anxiety was assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scale as secondary outcome indicators. RR and Cohen’s d at 95% CI were used as effect size estimates, and Q and I2 were used to evaluate the size of heterogeneity, with a p-value less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance.ResultsThirty-four RCT studies, including 1,269 patients in the treatment group and 1,072 patients in the control group, 48.4% of whom were women, were included in the study. Compared to the control group, the BDI-II results yielded a moderate effect of yoga on the improvement of depressive symptoms (Cohen’s d = −0.60; 95% CI: −1.00 to −0.21; p &lt; 0.01), the HAMD results yielded a moderate improvement of yoga on the severity of depressive symptoms (Cohen’s d = −0.64; 95% CI: −0.98 to −0.30; p &lt; 0.01), and the STAI results can be concluded that yoga had a negligible effect on the improvement of the level of anxiety (Cohen’s d = −0.26; 95% CI: −0.48 to −0.04; p = 0.02). No adverse events occurred in the yoga group during the treatment.ConclusionYoga can improve depressive symptoms and anxiety in patients with MDD and has a safe and wide patient acceptance.Systematic review registration[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [PROSPERO, CRD42022373282].
Social support and quality of life in migrant workers: Focusing on the mediating effect of healthy lifestyle
Authors: Yang Yufan , Zhao Shuzhen , Lin Lulu , Qian Jieyu , Zhang Haiyan , Cai Fuman 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between social support and quality of life of Chinese migrant workers and to explore the mediating role of healthy lifestyles in social support and quality of life.MethodsUsing a stratified multi-stage sampling method, 1, 298 migrant workers and 983 urban workers across 110 neighborhood committees in five economic development zones in eastern China were surveyed. The social support level of participants was quantified using the Social Support Rating Scale, and quality of life was evaluated using the SF-8. Healthy lifestyle was evaluated based on a combination of sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between quality of life and social support. Stepwise regression was used to analyze the mediating effect of healthy lifestyle, social support, and quality of life among migrant workers.ResultsTotal SSRS and total SF-8 scores of migrant workers were significantly higher than those of urban workers (P &lt; 0.001). After controlling for confounders, social support showed an independent positive association with quality of life for both migrant (β = 0.50, P &lt; 0.05) and urban workers (β = 0.62, P &lt; 0.05). Mediation effect analysis revealed that healthy lifestyle partially mediated the relation between social support and quality of life of migrant workers with a mediation effect of 0.07, accounting for 11.70% of the total effect.ConclusionsThis study showed a significant correlation between social support and quality of life of Chinese migrant workers, with healthy lifestyle playing a mediating role. Improving the social support and health literacy of migrant workers and developing a healthy lifestyle are key to improving their quality of life.