bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Analysis of Dynamic Subacromial Ultrasonography: Reliability and Influencing Factors
Authors: Lin Che-Yu , Chou Chia-Ching , Chen Lan-Rong , Wu Wei-Ting , Hsu Po-Cheng , Yang Tung-Han , Chang Ke-Vin 
Published: February 2022

Objective: Current imaging methods used to examine patients with subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) are limited by their semi-quantitative nature and their capability of capturing dynamic movements. This study aimed to develop a quantitative analytic model to assess subacromial motions using dynamic ultrasound and to examine their reliability and potential influencing factors.Method: We included 48 healthy volunteers and examined their subacromial motions with dynamic ultrasound imaging. The parameters were the minimal vertical acromiohumeral distance, rotation radius, and degrees of the humeral head. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to investigate the impact of different shoulder laterality, postures, and motion phases on the outcome.Result: Using the data of the minimal vertical acromiohumeral distance, the intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities (intra-class correlation coefficient) were determined as 0.94 and 0.88, respectively. In the GEE analysis, a decrease in the minimal vertical acromiohumeral distance was associated with the abduction phase and full-can posture, with a beta coefficient of −0.02 cm [95% confidence interval (CI), −0.03 to −0.01] and −0.07 cm (95% CI, −0.11 to −0.02), respectively. The abduction phase led to a decrease in the radius of humeral rotation and an increase in the angle of humeral rotation, with a beta coefficient of −1.28 cm (95% CI, −2.16 to −0.40) and 6.60° (95% CI, 3.54–9.67), respectively. A significant negative correlation was observed between the rotation angle and radius of the humeral head and between the rotation angle and the minimal vertical acromiohumeral distance.Conclusion: Quantitative analysis of dynamic ultrasound imaging enables the delineation of subacromial motion with good reliability. The vertical acromiohumeral distance is the lowest in the abduction phase and full-can posture, and the rotation angle of the humeral head has the potential to serve as a new parameter for the evaluation of SIS.
Expression Patterns of Glycosylation Regulators Define Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Li Fang , Huang Kaibin , Pan Chaohu , Xiao Yajie , Zheng Qijun , Zhong Keli 
Published: February 2022

Glycosylation (Glyc) is prevalently related to gastric cancer (GC) pathophysiology. However, studies on the relationship between glycosylation regulators and tumor microenvironment (TME) and immunotherapy of GC remain scarce. We extracted expression data of 1,956 patients with GC from eight cohorts and systematically characterized the glycosylation patterns of six marker genes into phenotype clusters using the unsupervised clustering method. Next, we constructed a Glyc. score to quantify the glycosylation index of each patient with GC. Finally, we analyzed the relationship between Glyc. score and clinical traits including molecular subtype, TME, and immunotherapy of GC. On the basis of prognostic glycosylation-related differentially expressed genes, we constructed the Glyc. score and divided the samples into the high– and low–Glyc. score groups. The high–Glyc. score group showed a poor prognosis and was validated in multiple cohorts. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the high–Glyc. score group was enriched in metabolism-related pathways. Furthermore, the high–Glyc. score group was associated with the infiltration of immune cells. Importantly, the established Glyc. score would contribute to predicting the response to anti–PD-1/L1 immunotherapy. In conclusion, the Glyc. score is a potentially useful tool to predict the prognosis of GC. Comprehensive analysis of glycosylation may provide novel insights into the epigenetics of GC and improve treatment strategies.
CD93 Correlates With Immune Infiltration and Impacts Patient Immunotherapy Efficacy: A Pan-Cancer Analysis
Authors: Zhang Zerui , Zheng Mengli , Ding Qiang , Liu Mei 
Published: February 2022

Background: The clinical implementation of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting CTLA4, PD-1, and PD-L1 has revolutionized the treatment of cancer. However, the majority of patients do not derive clinical benefit. Further development is needed to optimize the approach of ICI therapy. Immunotherapy combined with other forms of treatment is a rising strategy for boosting antitumor responses. CD93 was found to sensitize tumors to immune-checkpoint blocker therapy after the blockade of its pathway. However, its role in immune and ICB therapy across pan-cancer has remained unexplored.Methods: In this study, we provide a comprehensive investigation of CD93 expression in a pan-cancer manner involving 33 cancer types. We evaluated the association of CD93 expression with prognosis, mismatch repair, tumor mutation burden, and microsatellite instability, immune checkpoints, tumor microenvironment, and immune using multiple online datasets, including The Cancer Genome Atlas, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, Genotype Tissue-Expression, cBioPortal, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource database, and Tumor Immune Single-cell Hub.Results: CD93 expression varied strongly among cancer types, and increased CD93 gene expression was associated with poor prognosis as well as higher immune factors in most cancer types. Additionally, the level of CD93 was significantly correlated with MMR, TMB, MSI, immune checkpoints, TME, and immune cell infiltration. Noticeably, our results mediated a strong positive contact between CD93 and CAFs, endothelial cells, myeloid dendritic cells, hematopoietic stem cells, mononuclear/macrophage subsets, and neutrophils while a negative correlation with Th1, MDSC, NK, and T-cell follicular helper in almost all cancers. Function analysis on CD93 revealed a link between itself and promoting cancers, inflammation, and angiogenesis.Conclusion: CD93 can function as a prognostic marker in various malignant tumors and is integral in TME and immune infiltration. Inhibition of the CD93 pathway may be a novel and promising strategy for immunotherapy in human cancer. Further explorations of the mechanisms of CD93 in the immune system may help improve cancer therapy methods.
A Systematic Quality Scoring Analysis to Assess Automated Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Segmentation Algorithms
Authors: Rauseo Elisa , Omer Muhammad , Amir-Khalili Alborz , Sojoudi Alireza , Le Thu-Thao , Cook Stuart Alexander , Hausenloy Derek John , Ang Briana , Toh Desiree-Faye , Bryant Jennifer , Chin Calvin Woon Loong , Paiva Jose Miguel , Fung Kenneth , Cooper Jackie , Khanji Mohammed Yunus , Aung Nay , Petersen Steffen Erhard 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundThe quantitative measures used to assess the performance of automated methods often do not reflect the clinical acceptability of contouring. A quality-based assessment of automated cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) segmentation more relevant to clinical practice is therefore needed.ObjectiveWe propose a new method for assessing the quality of machine learning (ML) outputs. We evaluate the clinical utility of the proposed method as it is employed to systematically analyse the quality of an automated contouring algorithm.MethodsA dataset of short-axis (SAX) cine CMR images from a clinically heterogeneous population (n = 217) were manually contoured by a team of experienced investigators. On the same images we derived automated contours using a ML algorithm. A contour quality scoring application randomly presented manual and automated contours to four blinded clinicians, who were asked to assign a quality score from a predefined rubric. Firstly, we analyzed the distribution of quality scores between the two contouring methods across all clinicians. Secondly, we analyzed the interobserver reliability between the raters. Finally, we examined whether there was a variation in scores based on the type of contour, SAX slice level, and underlying disease.ResultsThe overall distribution of scores between the two methods was significantly different, with automated contours scoring better than the manual (OR (95% CI) = 1.17 (1.07–1.28), p = 0.001; n = 9401). There was substantial scoring agreement between raters for each contouring method independently, albeit it was significantly better for automated segmentation (automated: AC2 = 0.940, 95% CI, 0.937–0.943 vs manual: AC2 = 0.934, 95% CI, 0.931–0.937; p = 0.006). Next, the analysis of quality scores based on different factors was performed. Our approach helped identify trends patterns of lower segmentation quality as observed for left ventricle epicardial and basal contours with both methods. Similarly, significant differences in quality between the two methods were also found in dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertension.ConclusionsOur results confirm the ability of our systematic scoring analysis to determine the clinical acceptability of automated contours. This approach focused on the contours' clinical utility could ultimately improve clinicians' confidence in artificial intelligence and its acceptability in the clinical workflow.
Study of Capacitive Coupling Sensor Fused With High Voltage XLPE Cable Joint
Authors: Xia Rong , Zhao Yang , Ouyang Benhong , Wang Yuli , Fang Chunhua , Xu Yao 
Published: February 2022

A capacitive coupling sensor for partial discharge detection with the fusion of high voltage XLPE cable joint is designed in this paper. The sensor is to address partial discharge signals leading to transmission attenuation and external interference causing poor field detection sensitivity. First, a coaxial waveguide transmission model was established of high-frequency electrical signals in the body and joint. The result showed that the signal transmission attenuation was minimized while the sensor electrodes were closely attached to the outer semi-conductive layer of the body. Second, the equivalent circuit model was constructed of the capacitive coupling sensor fused with the 110 kV straight passing joint. The specific installation location, main structure size, detection bandwidth, and sensitivity of the sensor in the joint area were determined, which was to maximize the coupling output signal amplitude and transfer function amplitude. Finally, a lightning surge voltage test was carried out with the integration of the fusion of the joint voltage thermal cycling. Simulation and measurement show the following: while the sensor is installed in the cable metal sleeve break and the electrodes are closed to the overall semi-conductive layer, there is excellent performance for partial discharge detection in the frequency range of 1–300 MHz, with a sensitivity of 5 pC.
Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Scrap Tires: Optimization of Reaction Conditions and Recovery of High Value-Added Products
Authors: Chen Rongjie , Li Hang , Li Kaile , Zhang Shiyu , Li Qinghai , Zhou Hui , Zhang Yanguo 
Published: February 2022

Response surface method (RSM) was proposed to investigate the conversion of scrap tire via hydrothermal treatment. Temperature was the dominant factor in the process. The liquefaction rate increased sharply with temperature and exceeds 40 wt.% in the supercritical region ( &gt;374.3°C). A maximum of more than 40 wt.% liquefaction rate was obtained when the tire was kept at 399°C for 60 min with the water/tire mass ratio of 10.8/1. Subsequently, the analysis of solid phase and liquid products at 360 and 400°C was carried out. The thermal stability of natural rubber in tire is significantly deteriorated after hydrothermal treatment. The hydrothermal process of rubber includes chain cleavage, particle hydrolysis, and carbon nanospheres formation, growth and agglomeration. The liquid products including carotenoids, ketones, and aromatic compounds, the ratio of which can be adjusted according to the temperature.
Macroplastic Fragment Contamination of Agricultural Soils Supports a Distinct Microbial Hotspot
Authors: McKay Olivia , Pold Grace , Martin Philip , Sistla Seeta 
Published: February 2022

Agricultural plastics support crop production and quality by reducing weeds, improving irrigation efficiency, and regulating soil conditions, but can also become a soil pollutant. While microplastic effects on soil function are increasingly well-understood, the impacts of agricultural macroplastic (&gt;5 mm) contamination on soils are poorly documented. Prolonged exposure to plastic macrofragments may alter microbial decomposer community structure and function, since plastic can directly affect edaphic factors while leaching novel compounds. To better characterize how plastic contamination influences the soil habitat, we sampled three farms characterized by agricultural plastic pollution in Monterey County, CA, United States. Using a randomized block design, we collected surface soil samples from the fields (“bulk PC soil”) to compare with soil directly in contact with the remaining polyethylene (PE) mulch and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) dripline fragments (“plastic-associated soil”). Soil directly associated with plastic fragments was hypothesized to have reduced microbial biomass and decomposer activities relative to the bulk soil, due to a greater likelihood of toxicity. In contrast to our expectations, we found that both PE and PVC macrofragments support a distinct microbial habitat that hosts a larger, more efficient microbial biomass with greater labile nutrient pools than the surrounding bulk soil. Because of the scope of macroplastic pollution likely occurring in agricultural soils, our findings suggest that this novel plastisphere habitat may significantly alter ecological functions critical to agricultural soils over time by encouraging microbial colonization within plastic debris.
Academic and Social Impact of Menstrual Disturbances in Female Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Maity Sabyasachi , Wray Jadzia , Coffin Tamara , Nath Reetuparna , Nauhria Shreya , Sah Ramsagar , Waechter Randall , Ramdass Prakash , Nauhria Samal 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundThe stressful academic schedule of medical students poses an obvious challenge to their daily lifestyle. Psychosomatic discomfort poses a significant risk for inaccurate self-medication for ameliorating menstrual complications and feeling better, thus directly impacting personal and academic wellbeing.ObjectiveThe impact of menstrual disturbances on academic life is not extensively explored. Therefore, the primary objective of this research was to probe the prevalence of menstrual disturbances and assess the academic and social impact. Finally, the authors provide an overview of pharmacological and other interventions students adopt to reduce clinical symptoms.MethodsA database search was conducted from the year 2016 till September 2021 for the studies reporting the prevalence of menstrual disorders in all geographic locations of the world. Keywords used for searching databases included “menstrual disturbances” and “medical students,” “prevalence” OR “symptoms” of “Premenstrual syndrome” OR “Premenstrual dysphoric disorder” OR “Dysmenorrhea” in medical students. Prospero Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) protocols were followed. The protocol was registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO), the Center for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York (CRD42021277962). The quality of the methodologies used in selected studies was evaluated by a modified version of Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS).ResultsInitially, 1527 articles were available. After a review, 26 papers were selected for analysis. A total of 25 citations were identified for quantitative analyses, out of which 16 studies reported Pre-menstrual syndrome, 7 reported Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, and 13 articles reported dysmenorrhea. The pooled prevalence of Pre-menstrual syndrome was 51.30%, Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder was 17.7%, and dysmenorrhea was 72.70%. Most common associated lifestyle factors were stress, excessive caffeine intake and lack of exercise. Painkillers, hot packs and hot beverages were amongst the common measures taken by the students to relieve their symptoms.ConclusionsThe current situation calls for action to accommodate students' needs and bridge the social gap regarding menstrual health. Proactive measures by medical educators and stakeholders are required for an inclusive, accommodating educational environment which will minimize the gender discrepancy in academic satisfaction and professional life.
Voice in Parkinson's Disease: A Machine Learning Study
Authors: Suppa Antonio , Costantini Giovanni , Asci Francesco , Di Leo Pietro , Al-Wardat Mohammad Sami , Di Lazzaro Giulia , Scalise Simona , Pisani Antonio , Saggio Giovanni 
Published: February 2022

IntroductionParkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by specific voice disorders collectively termed hypokinetic dysarthria. We here investigated voice changes by using machine learning algorithms, in a large cohort of patients with PD in different stages of the disease, OFF and ON therapy.MethodsWe investigated 115 patients affected by PD (mean age: 68.2 ± 9.2 years) and 108 age-matched healthy subjects (mean age: 60.2 ± 11.0 years). The PD cohort included 57 early-stage patients (Hoehn &amp;Yahr ≤ 2) who never took L-Dopa for their disease at the time of the study, and 58 mid-advanced-stage patients (Hoehn &amp;Yahr &gt;2) who were chronically-treated with L-Dopa. We clinically evaluated voices using specific subitems of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and the Voice Handicap Index. Voice samples recorded through a high-definition audio recorder underwent machine learning analysis based on the support vector machine classifier. We also calculated the receiver operating characteristic curves to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the analysis and assessed possible clinical-instrumental correlations.ResultsVoice is abnormal in early-stage PD and as the disease progresses, voice increasingly degradres as demonstrated by high accuracy in the discrimination between healthy subjects and PD patients in the early-stage and mid-advanced-stage. Also, L-dopa therapy improves but not restore voice in PD as shown by high accuracy in the comparison between patients OFF and ON therapy. Finally, for the first time we achieved significant clinical-instrumental correlations by using a new score (LR value) calculated by machine learning.ConclusionVoice is abnormal in early-stage PD, progressively degrades in mid-advanced-stage and can be improved but not restored by L-Dopa. Lastly, machine learning allows tracking disease severity and quantifying the symptomatic effect of L-Dopa on voice parameters with previously unreported high accuracy, thus representing a potential new biomarker of PD.
Endothelial Progenitor Cell Levels and Extent of Post-prandial Lipemic Response
Authors: Akcan Buket , Örem Asim , Altinkaynak Yahya , Kural Birgül , Örem Cihan , Sönmez Mehmet , Serafini Mauro 
Published: February 2022

Background and ObjectiveDue to the frequency of meal ingestion, individuals spend the majority of the day, ~18 h, in a status of post-prandial (PP) stress. Remnant-like lipoprotein particles (RLPs) are predominant in PP phase playing an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been suggested to play a role in vessel wall homeostasis and in reducing atherosclerosis. However, there is no information about peripheral blood EPCs number following PP stress. We investigated the association between circulating EPCs levels and extent of PP lipemia in healthy subjects following a high-fat meal.Materials and MethodsA total of 84 healthy subjects (42 men, 42 women) aged 17–55 years were included in the study. PP lipemic response of subjects was determined by Oral Fat-Loading Test (OFLT). All the subjects were classified on the basis of their plasma TG levels after PP lipemic stressors in categories 1 (low), 2 (moderate), and 3 (high). Circulating EPCs numbers were measured by the flow cytometry method.ResultsThere was a significant difference in terms of lipid parameters between men and women: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower in men than in women (p &lt; 0.001). Total cholesterol (TC) (p = 0.004), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p &lt; 0.001), triglyceride (TG) (p &lt; 0.001), and TG-AUC (p &lt; 0.001) were significantly higher in men than in women. There was no significant difference between the genders in terms of CD34+KDR+ and CD34+KDR+CD133+cell number and MMP-9 levels. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were significantly higher in men than women (p = 0.004). TC, LDL-C, and TG were significantly higher in the 3rd category than 1st and 2nd categories (p &lt; 0.001) in women. Age, body mass index (BMI), fat rate, TG, TC, and LDL-C were significantly higher in the 3rd category than 1st category (p &lt; 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.002, p = 0.01, p = 0.007, p = 0.004; respectively), in men. Circulating numbers of EPCs in men were significantly higher in the PP hyperlipidemia group than in the low TG levels category, independently from age (p &lt; 0.05). Circulating EPC levels showed a positive correlation with OFLT response in men (r = 0.414, p &lt; 0.05). Also, OFLT response showed a strong positive correlation with fasting TG levels (r = 0.930, p &lt; 0.001). EPC levels in categories of women were not different.ConclusionIncreased EPCs levels in subjects with different PP hyperlipidemia may be associated with a response to endothelial injury, related to increased atherogenic remnant particles at the PP phase.
Direct and Indirect Treatment of Organic Dye (Acid Blue 25) Solutions by Using Cold Atmospheric Plasma Jet
Authors: Kumar Amit , Škoro Nikola , Gernjak Wolfgang , Povrenović Dragan , Puač Nevena 
Published: February 2022

In this work, the direct and indirect removal of Acid Blue 25 (AB25) from water by using cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) has been demonstrated. APPJ with a pin electrode type configuration operating with argon as a working gas was used as a plasma source for treatments. In this configuration, argon plasma was formed in the contact with surrounding air over the liquid surface. The plasma was driven by using a high voltage radio frequency (RF) power supply. The system was characterized by the measurement of electrical characteristics and by employing optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The electrical characterization gave information about the voltages and currents, i.e., working points of the discharge, as well as power deposition to the sample. OES recorded the emission spectra and confirmed several existing reactive species in the gas phase of the plasma system. During the direct treatment, AB25-containing solution was directly exposed to APPJ. The direct treatment was performed by modifying various experimental parameters, such as initial AB25 concentrations, treatment times, and input powers. In the indirect treatment, AB25 was treated by using plasma activated water (PAW). The characterization of PAW was performed and various plasma-induced long-lived species, such as nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) have been quantified using colorimetric techniques. Besides, blank experiments have been conducted with main constituents in PAW, where AB25 was treated individually by NO3−, NO2−, and H2O2 and with a mixture of these three species. As expected, with the direct treatment almost complete removal of AB25 was achieved. The measurements also provided an insight into the kinetics of the degradation of AB25. In the indirect treatment, PAW removed a significant amount of AB25 within 17 days. In the blank experiments, H2O2 containing solutions created a favourable influence on removal of AB25 from liquid.