bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Altered Cerebellar Lobular Volumes Correlate with Clinical Deficits in Siblings and Children with ASD: Evidence from Toddlers
Authors: Kumar Manoj , Hiremath Chandrakanta , Khokhar Sunil Kumar , Bansal Eshita , Sagar Kommu John Vijay , Padmanabha Hansashree , Girimaji Akhila , Narayan Shweta , Kishore M Thomas , Yamini BK , Fredo AR Jac , Saini Jitender , Bharath Rose Down 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social and communication skills, narrow interests, and repetitive behavior. It is known that the cerebellum plays a vital role in controlling movement and gait posture. However, recently, researchers have reported that the cerebellum may also be responsible for other functions, such as social cognition, reward, anxiety, language, and executive functions.
Methods
In this study, we ascertained volumetric differences from cerebellar lobular volumetric analysis from children with ASD, ASD siblings, and typically developing children. We also performed a correlation analysis of these children's developmental and behavioral measures. In this cross-sectional study, MRI data were acquired under natural sleep when participants aged between 1 and 3 years. Two-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation was performed for statistical data analysis.
Results
We observed intriguing findings from this study, including significantly increased gray matter lobular volumes in vermis, left and right lobule I-V, right CrusII, and right VIIb and VIIIb, respectively, in children with ASD, compared to typically developing healthy controls and ASD siblings. Multiple cerebellar lobular volumes were also significantly correlated with social quotient, cognition, language, and motor scores with children with ASD, ASD siblings, and healthy controls, respectively.
Conclusions
This research finding helps us understand the neurobiology of ASD and critically advances current knowledge about the cerebellar role in ASD. However, results need to be replicated for a larger cohort from longitudinal research.
Reliability and reproducibility of clinical phenotypes developed during the first wave of COVID-19: A validation study in critically ill patients from the second and third wave
Authors: Rodriguez Alejandro , Gómez Josep , Franquet Alvaro , Trefler Sandra , Díaz Emili , Solé-Violán Jordi , Zaragoza Rafael , Papiol Elisabeth , Suberviola Borja , Vallverdú Montserralt , Jimenez-Herrera María , Albaya-Moreno Antonio , Berlanga Alfonso Canabal , Ortíz María del Valle , Ballesteros Juan Carlos , Amor Lucía López , Chinesta Susana Sancho , Laderas Juan Carlos Pozo , Estella Angel , Martín-Loeches Ignacio , Bodi María 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, different clinical phenotypes were published. However, none of them have been validated in subsequent waves, so their current validity is unknown. The aim of the study is to validate the unsupervised cluster model developed during the first pandemic wave in a cohort of critically ill patients from the second and third pandemic waves.
Methods: Retrospective, multicentre, observational study of critically ill patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease and acute respiratory failure admitted from 74 Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Spain. To validate our original phenotypes model, we assigned a phenotype to each patient of the validation cohort using the same medoids, the same number of clusters (n= 3), the same number of variables (n= 25) and the same discretisation used in the development cohort. The performance of the classification was determined by Silhouette analysis and general linear modelling. The prognostic models were validated, and their performance was measured using accuracy test and area under curve (AUC)ROC.
Results: The database included a total of 2,033 patients (mean age 63[53-92] years, 1643(70.5%) male, median APACHE II score (12[9-16]) and SOFA score (4[3-6]) points. The ICU mortality rate was 27.2%. Although the application of unsupervised cluster analysis classified patients in the validation population into 3 clinical phenotypes. Phenotype A (n=1,206 patients, 59.3%), phenotype B (n=618 patients, 30.4%) and phenotype C (n=506 patients, 24.3%), the characteristics of patients within each phenotype were significantly different from the original population. Furthermore, the silhouette coefficients were close to or below zero and the inclusion of phenotype classification in a regression model did not improve the model performance (accuracy =0.78, AUC=0.78) with respect to a standard model (accuracy = 0.79, AUC=0.79) or even worsened when the model was applied to patients within each phenotype (accuracy = 0.80, AUC 0.77 for Phenotype A, accuracy=0.73, AUC= 0.67 for phenotype B and accuracy= 0.66 , AUC= 0.76 for phenotype C )
Conclusion: Models developed using machine learning techniques during the first pandemic wave cannot be applied with adequate performance to patients admitted in subsequent waves without prior validation.
Trial Registration: The study was retrospectively registered (NCT 04948242) on June 30, 2021
A Tablet-based Quantitative Analysis: Diagnostic Value of Digital vs. Conventional Geriatric Complex Figure for Discriminating Patients with aMCI from Healthy Individuals
Authors: Zhang Xiaonan , Zhang Hui , Lv Liangliang , Shen Jiani , Chen Jinyu , Li Yang 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
The population with dementia is expected to rise to 152 million in 2050 due to the aging population worldwide. Therefore, it is of great significance to identify and intervene in the early stage of dementia. The Rey-Osterreth complex figure (ROCF)test is a visuospatial test scale. Its scoring methods are numerous, time-consuming, and have poor consistency, which is unsuitable for wide application as required by the high number of people at risk. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a rapid, objective, and sensitive digital scoring method to accurately detect cognitive dysfunction in the early stage.
Objective
This study aims to clarify the organizational strategy of aMCI patients to draw complex figures through a multi-dimensional digital evaluation system. At the same time, a rapid, objective, and sensitive digital scoring method is established to replace traditional scoring.
Methods
the data of 64 subjects (38 aMCI patients and 26 NC individuals) were analyzed in this study. All subjects completed the tablet's Geriatric Complex Figure (GCF) test, including copying, 3-min recall, and 20-min delayed recall, and also underwent a standardized neuropsychological test battery and classic ROCF test. Digital GCF(dGCF) variables and conventional GCF(cGCF) scores were input into the forward stepwise logistic regression model to construct classification models. Finally, ROC curves were made to visualize the difference in the diagnostic value of dGCF variables vs. cGCF scores in categorizing the diagnostic groups.
Results
In 20 min delayed recall, the time in air and pause time of aMCI patients were longer than NC individuals. And patients with aMCI had more short strokes and poorer ability of detail integration (all p < 0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity of dGCF variables for aMCI patients was 89.47%, slightly higher than cGCF scores (sensitivity: 84.21%). The diagnostic accuracy of both was comparable (dGCF: 70.3%; cGCF: 73.4%). Moreover, the combination of dGCF variables and cGCF scores could significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy and specificity (accuracy:78.1%, specificity: 84.62%). At the same time, we construct the regression equations of the two models.
Conclusions
Our study shows that dGCF equipment can quantitatively evaluate drawing performance, and its performance is comparable to the time-consuming cGCF score. The regression equation of the model we constructed can well identify patients with aMCI in clinical application. We believe that this new approach has the potential to become a digital biomarker for MCI patients.
Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis bacteriophages: morphogenesis, lytic potentials &amp; inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) analysis
Authors: Hassan Amina A. , Ismail I. M. , Afkar Eman 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background Insecticidal crystal proteins (ICPs) produced by Bacillus thuringiensis exhibit strong toxicity. Soil bacteriophages destroy the ICPs in nature. Also, environmental pH, temperature, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation shorten the ICP's validity and infectivity. To Enhance the validity of B. thuringiensis insecticidal (ICPs) the soil Bt phages & the environmental parameters such as soil pH, temperature, and UV should be subjected to continuous evaluation.
Result In this study, five B. thuringiensis bacteriophages were isolated, characterized, and named BtØ3, BtØ5, BtØ7, BtØ9, BtØ11. Electron microscopy investigation showed that the five phages have an icosahedral head and a long contractile tail. In addition, the restriction endonuclease BamHI enzyme cleaves the phage genomic DNA suggesting that all five phages have double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) belonging to the order Caudovirales. The various ISSR restriction patterns suggested that the five phages genetically are not similar, and similarity metrics analysis placed the five phages into two clusters.
The reported lytic activity of phages against B. thuringiensis was as follows BtØ7 (100%), BtØ9 (100%), BtØ3(83%), BtØ5(83%), and BtØ11(75%). Moreover, the phages were 17% more effective in lysing B. thuringiensis than the commercial antibiotics.
Conclusion B. thuringiensis phages isolated from this study highlighted the importance of regular assessment of soil conditions and the lytic potentials of naturally occurring Bt phages to protect B. thuringiensis sp, from being attacked or destroyed, and to calculate the exact Bt dose concentration of successful application in pest control, this will enhance the environmental health, food security, and crop safety.
Lipocalin-2-mediated Astrocyte Pyroptosis promotes neuroinflammatory injury via NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Li Juanji , Xu Pengfei , Hong Ye , Xie Yi , Peng Mengna , Sun Rui , Guo Hongquan , Zhang Xiaohao , Zhu Wusheng , Wang Junjun , Liu Xinfeng 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: Neuroinflammation has been recognized as vital pathophysiological process during ischemic stroke. Activated astrocytes play a major role in inflammatory response. Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), secreted from activated astrocytes, promotes neuroinflammation. Pyroptosis, a pro-inflammatory programmed cell death, is emerging as a new area of research on stroke. Nevertheless, the potential role of LCN2 in astrocyte pyroptosis remains unclear.
Methods: Ischemic stroke model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in vivo. In vitro, oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (O/R) was applied to cultured astrocytes. 24p3R (the LCN2 receptor) was inhibited by astrocyte-specific adeno-associated virus (AAV-GFAP-24p3Ri). We used MCC950 and Nigericin sodium salt (Nig) to inhibit or promote the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome pharmacologically. Histologic and biochemical analysis was performed on the death of astrocytes and neurons both in vivo and in vitro. Besides, the neurological deficit of mice was evaluated.
Results: LCN2 expression was significantly induced in astrocytes 24 hours after stroke onset in mouse MCAO models. Lcn2 knockout (Lcn2-/-) mice exhibited reduced infract volume and improved neurological and cognitive functions after MCAO. LCN2 and its receptor 24p3R were colocalized in astrocytes. Mechanistically, suppression of 24p3R by AAV-GFAP-24p3Ri alleviated pyroptosis pores formation and pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion induced by LCN2, which was then reversed by NLRP3 inflammasome activation inducer Nig. Astrocyte pyroptosis was exacerbated in Lcn2-/- mice by intracerebroventricularly administration of recombinant LCN2 (rLCN2), while the aggravation was restricted by blocking 24p3R or inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation by MCC950.
Conclusion: LCN2/24p3R mediates astrocyte pyroptosis via NLRP3 inflammasome activation following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Assessment of the Possibility of Using Ultrasound Imaging in the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women
Authors: Kołodyńska Gabriela , Zalewski Maciej , Mucha Anna , Rożek-Piechura Krystyna , Andrzejewski Waldemar 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The number of people suffering from urinary incontinence increases every year. Along with it, the knowledge of the society increases that there are various methods of eliminating this ailment.. Both patients and researchers are constantly looking for new treatments for urinary incontinence. One of the new solutions is sonofeedback of the pelvic floor muscles, which may help to strengthen them and thus reduce the problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of sonofeedback and transvaginal electrostimulation in increasing the bioelectrical activity of pelvic floor muscles in postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. Sixty women with stress urinary incontinence were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: A - where sonofeedback was used and B - where electrostimulation of the pelvic floor muscles was performed with biofeedback training. In patients, the resting bioelectrical activity of the pelvic floor muscles was assessed using an electromyograph. The assessment of the resting bioelectrical activity of the pelvic floor muscles was performed before the therapy, after the 5th training and after the therapy. It was observed that after the end of the therapy, the average bioeltrical potential increased by 1.1 µV compared with baseline in group A. It can be suggested that the sonofeedback method is comparatively effective in reducing symptoms that are associated with urinary incontinence as a electrostimulation method with biofeedback training.
Efficacy of oltipraz in preventing acetaminophen-induced liver injury in mice
Authors: Masubuchi Yasuhiro , Mikami Kenji 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Oltipraz (OPZ) is a synthetic dithiolethione with potential as a cancer chemopreventive agent, which can work by inducing detoxification enzymes. OPZ is an activator of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), suggesting its involvement in enzyme induction and possible protection against drug-induced liver injury. In this study, we present OPZ-induced protection of mice against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury and discuss its possible contributing factors. Overnight-fasted male CD-1 mice were administered APAP intraperitoneally, and some mice were administered OPZ 16 h before APAP. Hepatotoxicity was assessed by measuring serum alanine aminotransferase leakage and histopathological evaluation. The hepatic mRNA expressions of CYP2E1, glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL), and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) were measured by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. OPZ protected mice from APAP-induced liver injury in a dose-dependent manner, but did not alter hepatic glutathione (GSH) content or GCL expression in control mice, indicating that its hepatoprotective effect is not due to changes in basal GSH levels. OPZ did not affect CYP2E1 expression or APAP-induced early GSH depletion, suggesting it does not inhibit the metabolic activation of APAP to produce N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine. In contrast, after GSH depletion, OPZ accelerated hepatic GSH recovery. APAP significantly increased GCL expression during liver injury, but OPZ treatment only led to additional NQO1 expression. This suggests that NQO1 is responsible for the enhanced GSH recovery and protection against APAP-induced liver injury seen in OPZ-treated mice. In summary, OPZ protects against APAP-induced liver injury by inducing NQO1 expression and resulting in improved GSH recovery.
Direct reprogramming of hippocampal astrocytes ameliorates recognition memory in mice with cerebral ischemia
Authors: Fukui Yusuke , Morihara Ryuta , Hu Xinran , Nakano Yumiko , Yunoki Taijun , Takemoto Mami , Abe Koji , Yamashita Toru 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The therapeutic potential of suppressing polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (Ptbp1) messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) by viral transduction in a post-stroke dementia mouse model has not yet been examined. In this study, 3 days after cerebral ischemia, we injected a viral vector cocktail containing adeno-associated virus (AAV)-pGFAP-mCherry and AAV-pGFAP-CasRx (control vector) or a cocktail of AAV-pGFAP-mCherry and AAV-pGFAP-CasRx-SgRNA-(Ptbp1) (1:5, 1.0 × 1011 viral genomes) into post-stroke mice via the tail vein. mCherry/GFAP double-positive astrocyte-like glia were converted into new mCherry/NeuN double-positive neuron-like cells with morphological changes in the hippocampus 56 days after cerebral ischemia. The new cells integrated into the dentate gyrus and recognition memory was significantly ameliorated. These results demonstrated that the in vivo conversion of hippocampal astrocyte-like glia into functional new neurons by the suppression of Ptbp1 might be a therapeutic strategy for post-stroke dementia.
Design and analysis of quad-band polarization-insensitive infrared perfect metamaterial absorber with a wide-incident angle
Authors: Abouelez Ahmed Elsayed , Abdulaleem Mohamed Nady 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
A novel quad-band infrared perfect metamaterial absorber (QPMA) is proposed and numerically investigated. The structure of the QPMA is composed of coaxial multi-layer dielectric (SiO2) disks of circular shape with different diameters where each disk is surrounded by a gold ring. All disks are placed on a SiO2 dielectric spacer and an impermeable gold ground layer. Simulation results reveal that the proposed absorber has four absorption peaks around wavelengths of 1064 nm, 1550 nm, 2080 nm, and 3000 nm. Additionally, the QPMA structure enjoys a good absorption performance for a wide range of incident angles for both TE and TM waves. It achieves absorption greater than 85% at incident angles up to 40o at 1064 nm, and absorption greater than 90% for the other bands at incident angles up to 50o. Moreover, due to the symmetrical shape of the structure, the absorption is insensitive to wave polarization changes. The structure under investigation will help in laser stealth, infrared photodetection, and medical applications due to perfect absorption performance and multi-band capability.
Extracellular metabolites production by Streptomyces sp. CACIS-1.16CA and their effects on soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi
Authors: Vargas-Gómez Karen Alejandra , Evangelista-Martínez Zahaed , Gastélum-Martínez Élida , Quiñones-Aguilar Evangelina Esmeralda , Rincón-Enríquez Gabriel 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The most common reason for a decrease in the quantity and quality of produced crops is microbial diseases. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of Streptomyces sp. CACIS-16CA against few plant pathogenic fungi. Several fungal pathogens were tested using dual confrontation assays. The anti-fungal activities of CACIS-1.16CA and S. lydicus WYEC108 against Phytophthora capsici, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizoctonia solani were evaluated. Additionally, effect of bioactive extract (BE) from CACIS-1.16CA on the germination of conidia from various fungi was evaluated. Results indicated that Streptomyces sp. CACIS-16CA showed a higher percentage of anti-fungal activity (percentage of inhibition (PI), over 43%) than S. lydicus. Moreover, CACIS-1.16CA strain exerted higher percentage of inhibition (PI) against the three damping-off pathogenic fungi (P < 0,05). The BE of CACIS-1.16CA inhibited the conidial germination of Alternaria sp., Botrytis cinerea, and Colletotrichum spp. In conclusion, for the treatment of several plant fungal diseases, Streptomyces sp. CACIS-16CA may be an effective and natural alternative.
Piperlongumine prospective COX-2 inhibitors were screened virtually using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and free energy calculations
Authors: Singh Indrajeet , Kumar Sanjay , Mishra Hara Prasad , Kumar Ajay 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Acquired drug resistance is one of the key clinical problems and the main downsides of chemotherapy regimens for colorectal cancer. Using blend regimens, which mix conventional chemotherapeutic medications through plant-derived natural compounds derived from food or vegetation, is one of the most popular and efficient ways to overcome drug resistance and re-sensitize chemotherapy-resistant cells. Colorectal cancer is amongst the most common cancers.
A New Cluster Validity Index for Fuzzy Clustering Using Separation and Compactness
Authors: Chen Jiashun , Zhong Zhaoman , Chen Jianjing , Zhang Hao 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Aiming at weak point of classical validity index based on Euclidean distance, we proposed a new validity index which based on Non-Euclidean Distance. First of all, we constructed compact index by using improved membership degree and then made use of anti-close degree to constructed separation index. Finally, a new validity index based on these was proposed. This method overcame the drawbacks of classical validity index based on Euclidean distance, which did not correctly reflect the relation of intra-class and inter-class. Experiments on different datasets show that new method has good performance in noise data environment. The capacity of new method is superior to others with regard to cope with overlap dataset. New method has more obvious superiority especially on high dimensional dataset.
Four secondary malignancies, coronary artery disease, aortic atherosclerosis and severe constrictive pericarditis in a survivor of hodgkin lymphoma treated with radiation therapy: a case report
Authors: Jeri-Yabar A. , Garazatua-Gonzalez J. , Montoya-Rivera W. , Ortuzar-Seminario V. , Lozada Zingoni C. , Massuco V. 
Published: February 2023

Introduction. Radiation therapy (RT) has been widely used since the 1970s in the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. RT increases the risk of secondary malignancies and heart disease including coronary artery disease, noncoronary atherosclerotic valvular disease, valvular dysfunction, pericardial disease and radiation induced vasculopathy.Case Presentation. We describe a case of a patient with 4 secondary malignancies due to previous RT including parotid mucoepidermoid carcinoma, breast multicentric infiltrating ducta, thyroid papillary microcarcinoma with follicular pattern and lung adenocarcinoma that later presented with severe constrictive pericarditis, which led to an emergency pericardiectomy – all of these were complications of her previous radiotherapy. She received a prompt diagnosis and treatment.\Discussion. Radiation-induced vascular disease (RIVD) occurs due to endothelial injury following RT; patients have up to 3–4 fold increase in risk of myocardial infarction due to CAD, therefore screening of CAD with a CT coronary angiography is recommended to begin 5 years after receiving RT in patients 45 and older and 10 years after RT in patients <45 years old. Radiation induced secondary malignancies (RISM) are seen in 17–19 % of cases and the risk increases by time since last RT session. Many factors contribute to the risk severity of developing RISM such as age of radiation, dosage and size of the area irradiated, and radiation technique. Lung and breast cancer are the most common forms of second malignancy. A prompt screening, diagnosis and treatment of the RT complications are vital and should be prioritized in every control.