bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Beneficial effects of nintedanib on cardiomyopathy in patients with systemic sclerosis: a pilot study
Authors: Ninagawa Keita , Kato Masaru , Tsuneta Satonori , Ishizaka Suguru , Ujiie Hideyuki , Hisada Ryo , Kono Michihito , Fujieda Yuichiro , Ito Yoichi M , Atsumi Tatsuya 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Objectives
Nintedanib is an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases that has been shown to slow the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD), including ILD associated with SSc. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of nintedanib on cardiomyopathy associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods
Twenty consecutively hospitalized patients with SSc-ILD were enrolled and prospectively followed. The rate of change at 6 months in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) parametric mapping, including myocardial extracellular volume, was primarily evaluated. Other endpoints included changes in CMR functional parameters, echocardiographic parameters, modified Rodnan skin score, serum biomarkers and pulmonary function test.

Results
Nintedanib was administered in 10 patients, whereas the other 10 were treated without nintedanib or watched, according to ILD severity and progression. Baseline values of CMR parametric mapping were not different between the two groups. The rate of change at 6 months in myocardial extracellular volume was highly different, almost divergent, between the nintedanib group and the control group (−1.62% vs +2.00%, P = 0.0001). Among other endpoints, the change in right ventricular ejection fraction was significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.02), with a preferential change in the nintedanib group.

Conclusion
Our data indicate beneficial signals of nintedanib on cardiomyopathy associated with SSc. The anti-fibrotic effect of nintedanib might not be limited to the lung.
Lnc-HZ03 promotes TRBP-mediated splicing of pre-miR-hz03 to generate miR-hz03 in human trophoblast cells
Authors: Zhao Jingsong , Cheng Liqin , Liu Qicai , Liang Tingting , Xie Jiayu , Wang Rong , Chen Weina , Ao Lin , Zhang Huidong 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBenzo(a)pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE) leads to dysfunctions of human trophoblast cells and further induces miscarriage. In our previous study, we have found that lnc-HZ03 and miR-hz03 are upregulated in BPDE-exposed human trophoblast cells and in recurrent miscarriage tissues; and the upregulated miR-hz03 caused by lnc-HZ03 further promotes the apoptosis of human trophoblast cells and induces miscarriage. However, how lnc-HZ03 upregulates miR-hz03 is completely unknown. In this study, we find that lnc-HZ03 upregulates the expression level of a transcription factor TFIID (a TATA-binding protein) and promotes TFIID-mediated transactivation response element RNA-binding protein (TRBP) transcription. Subsequently, the upregulated TRBP promotes the maturation of miR-hz03 by splicing its precursor pre-miR-hz03 in human trophoblast cells. In BPDE-exposed trophoblast cells or in recurrent miscarriage tissues, lnc-HZ03 was upregulated, which accelerates the TFIID-mediated TRBP transcription and thus promotes TRBP-mediated miR-HZ03 maturation. Subsequently, the upregulated miR-hz03 further promotes the apoptosis of human trophoblast cells and induces miscarriage. This work provides new insights into the regulation of miRNA expression levels by lncRNAs in BPDE-exposed human trophoblast cells.
Estimation of the Time-Varying Incremental Effect of Low-dose Aspirin on Incidence of Pregnancy
Authors: Rudolph Jacqueline E. , Kim Kwangho , Kennedy Edward H. , Naimi Ashley I. 
Published: December 2022

Background:
In many research settings, the intervention implied by the average causal effect of a time-varying exposure is impractical or unrealistic, and we might instead prefer a more realistic target estimand. Instead of requiring all individuals to be always exposed versus unexposed, incremental effects quantify the impact of merely shifting each individual’s probability of being exposed.

Methods:
We demonstrate the estimation of incremental effects in the time-varying setting, using data from the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction trial, which assessed the effect of preconception low-dose aspirin on pregnancy outcomes. Compliance to aspirin or placebo was summarized weekly and was affected by time-varying confounders such as bleeding or nausea. We sought to estimate what the incidence of pregnancy by 26 weeks postrandomization would have been if we shifted each participant’s probability of taking aspirin or placebo each week by odds ratios (OR) between 0.30 and 3.00.

Results:
Under no intervention (OR = 1), the incidence of pregnancy was 77% (95% CI: 74%, 80%). Decreasing women’s probability of complying with aspirin had little estimated effect on pregnancy incidence. When we increased women’s probability of taking aspirin, estimated incidence of pregnancy increased, from 83% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 79%, 87%) for OR = 2 to 89% (95% CI = 84%, 93%) for OR=3. We observed similar results when we shifted women’s probability of complying with a placebo.

Conclusions:
These results estimated that realistic interventions to increase women’s probability of taking aspirin would have yielded little to no impact on the incidence of pregnancy, relative to similar interventions on placebo.
Comparative In Vitro Activity of New Lipoglycopeptides and Vancomycin Against Ocular Staphylococci and Their Toxicity on the Human Corneal Epithelium
Authors: André Camille , Islam Mohammad Mirazul , Paschalis Eleftherios , Bispo Paulo J. M. 
Published: December 2022

Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of new lipoglycopeptides as novel topical therapies for improved treatment of recalcitrant ocular infections. We evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial activity of oritavancin, dalbavancin, and telavancin compared with vancomycin (VAN) against a large collection of ocular staphylococcal isolates and their cytotoxicity on human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs).

Methods:
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution against 223 Staphylococcus spp. clinical isolates. Time–kill kinetics were determined for methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (n = 2) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) (n = 1). In vitro cytotoxicity assays were performed with AlamarBlue and live/dead staining on HCECs.

Results:
All new lipoglycopeptides showed strong in vitro potency against ocular staphylococci, including multidrug-resistant MRSA strains, with dalbavancin showing a slightly higher potency overall [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)90 0.06 μg/mL] compared with telavancin and oritavancin (MIC90 0.12 μg/mL), whereas VAN had the lowest potency (MIC90 2 μg/mL). Oritavancin exerted rapid bactericidal activity within 1 h for MRSA and 2 h for MRSE. All other drugs were bactericidal within 24 h. At a concentration commonly used for topical preparations (25 mg/mL), cytotoxicity was observed for VAN after 5 min of incubation, whereas reduction in HCEC viability was not seen for telavancin and was less affected by oritavancin and dalbavancin. Cytotoxicity at 25 mg/mL was seen for all drugs at 30 and 60 min but was significantly reduced or undetected for lower concentrations.

Conclusions:
Our study demonstrates that new lipoglycopeptides have substantially better in vitro antimicrobial activity against ocular staphylococcal isolates compared with VAN, with a similar or improved toxicity profile on HCECs.
The Use of Metaverse in Nursing Education
Authors: De Gagne Jennie C. , Randall Paige S. , Rushton Sharron , Park Hyeyoung K. , Cho Eunji , Yamane Sandra S. , Jung Dukyoo 
Published: December 2022

Background:
Given the wide range of metaverse technologies, there is a need to synthesize evidence of metaverse pedagogy used effectively for nursing education.

Purpose:
This umbrella review synthesized systematic reviews on the use of metaverse in nursing education.

Methods:
A search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Education Full Text. This umbrella review was conducted with reference to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Reviewer's Manual and reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Review was used to assess the quality of studies.

Results:
The final review comprised 15 articles published between 2013 and 2021, most of which indicate that metaverse interventions support increased knowledge, self-confidence, engagement, satisfaction, and performance in nursing students. Several articles in this review presented mixed findings related to certain learning outcomes.

Conclusion:
This umbrella review supports the viability and effectiveness of metaverse in nursing education.
Development of a Community Advisory Board to Guide Research About Cancer Disparities in the Black and African American Community
Authors: Hirschey Rachel , Getachew Berhan , Coleman Karia , Lea Deirdre , Milner John , Bryant Ashley L. , Carlisle Veronica 
Published: December 2022

Background
Researchers who aim to serve a community (i.e., racial, gender, ethnic group) of which they are not a part must do foundational work to understand that community and build intentional, thoughtful collaborations with the community to guide their work.

Objectives
This article aims to share a case exemplar of the formation period of a community advisory board (CAB) that conducts research focused on improving health equity in the Black and African American community.

Methods
CAB development has three phases: formation, operation, and maintenance. Previous work has described and provided best practices for each phase. This article focused on the first phase, formation. Guided by critical race theory, with guidance from her mentor, a researcher partnered with a research assistant and a community health educator to develop a CAB. Details of their processes—which apply to the formation of other CABs—are presented.

Discussion
During the board formation period, the major focus has been relationship building and developing a shared mission: “To work in partnership with researchers at the University of North Carolina to reduce cancer disparities in Black/African American communities by informing research and program development. As a liaison between the community and researchers, the Community Advisory Board will identify community needs, promote evidence-based interventions and information, raise awareness about health disparities in communities, and educate researchers.” CAB formation is nuanced and unique, dependent upon the nature of the research to be conducted and the characteristics of the community and researchers. This case exemplar provides valuable insights to other researchers working to build community partnerships.
THE ROLE OF OBESITY AND PLASMA ADIPOCYTOKINES IN IMMUNE DYSREGULATION IN SEPSIS PATIENTS
Authors: de Nooijer Aline H. , Antonakos Nikolaos , Markopoulou Dimitra , Grondman Inge , Kox Matthijs , Pickkers Peter , Giamarellos-Bourboulis Evangelos J. , Netea Mihai G. 
Published: December 2022

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The dysregulated immune response in sepsis is highly variable, ranging from hyperinflammation to immunoparalysis. Obesity is associated with the release of inflammatory mediators from adipose tissue, known as adipocytokines, causing a chronic inflammatory state. Perhaps counterintuitively, obesity is also associated with lower mortality in sepsis patients. We investigated the association between obesity, circulating adipocytokine concentrations, immune dysregulation, and outcome in sepsis patients. Methods In this secondary analysis of a prospective study, plasma concentrations of the adipocytokines leptin, adiponectin, and resistin were assessed in 167 patients at diagnosis of sepsis due to pneumonia, bacteremia, or acute cholangitis. Adipocytokines were compared between patients with normal weight (body mass index [BMI], 18.5–24.9 kg/m2; n = 67), overweight (BMI, 25.0–29.9 kg/m2; n = 56), and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2; n = 42), as well as between immunological endotypes: hyperinflammation (n = 40), immunoparalysis (n = 62), and unclassified (n = 55). Results: Higher circulating concentrations of leptin were observed in patients with obesity compared with patients with normal weight (P = 0.008) and overweight (P = 0.02), whereas adiponectin and resistin plasma concentrations were not different (P = 0.08 and P = 0.85, respectively). Resistin concentrations were associated with immunological endotypes, with the highest levels found in hyperinflammatory patients (P < 0.001). Furthermore, resistin concentrations were predictive for 28-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.03 per 10 ng/mL; P = 0.04). These associations were not found for leptin and adiponectin. Conclusion: Obesity and BMI-related adipocytokines are not related to the development of a hyperactive or suppressed immune response as defined by ferritin and mHLA-DR expression in sepsis patients. Although resistin is related to the immune response and an increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes, these associations are similar in patients with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. This implies that the relationship between resistin and clinical outcome is likely driven by the inflammatory response and not by obesity itself. Taken together, although there exists a strong association between inflammation and sepsis mortality, our results do not point toward a role for obesity and BMI-related adipocytokines in immune dysregulation in sepsis patients.
A prospective evaluation of breast thermography enhanced by a novel machine learning technique for screening breast abnormalities in a general population of women presenting to a secondary care hospital
Authors: Bansal Richa , Collison Sathiakar , Aggarwal Bharat 
Published: December 2022

ABSTRACTObjectiveArtificial intelligence-enhanced breast thermography is being evaluated as an ancillary modality in the evaluation of breast disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of Thermalytix, a CE-marked, AI-based thermal imaging test, with respect to conventional mammography.MethodsA prospective, comparative study performed between 15 December 2018 and 06 January 2020 evaluated the performance of Thermalytix in 459 women with both dense and nondense breast tissue. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic women, aged 30 to 80 years, presenting to the hospital underwent Thermalytix followed by 2-D mammography and appropriate confirmatory investigations to confirm malignancy. The radiologist interpreting the mammograms and the technician using the Thermalytix tool were blinded to the others’ findings. The statistical analysis was performed by a third party.ResultsA total of 687 women were recruited, of whom 459 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Twenty-one malignancies were detected (21/459, 4.6%). The overall sensitivity of Thermalytix was 95.24% (95% CI, 76.18-99.88), and the specificity was 88.58% (95% CI, 85.23-91.41). In women with dense breasts (n=168, 36.6%), the sensitivity was 100% (95% CI, 69.15-100), and the specificity was 81.65% (95% CI, 74.72-87.35). Among these 168 women, 37 women (22%) were reported as BI-RADS 0 on mammography; in this subset, the sensitivity of Thermalytix was 100% (95% CI, 69.15-100), and the specificity was 77.22% (95% CI, 69.88-83.50).ConclusionThermalytix showed acceptable sensitivity and specificity with respect to mammography in the overall patient population. Thermalytix outperformed mammography in women with dense breasts and those reported as BI-RADS 0.Key pointsCompared with mammography as the reference, Thermalytix showed acceptable sensitivity and specificity of 95.24% and 88.58%, respectively, in the overall patient population (N=459).Among women with dense breasts (n=168), 37 women (22%) were reported as BI-RADS 0 (incomplete examination) on mammograms, whereas Thermalytix identified all malignancies.Thermalytix identified all malignancies among premenopausal women and women younger than 50 years of age.Summary StatementThermalytix, an AI-based thermal imaging tool, showed acceptable sensitivity and specificity when mammography was used as the reference in the overall patient population and in women with dense breast tissue.
In-channel cancellation: a model of early auditory processing
Authors: Alain de Cheveigné 
Published: December 2022

AbstractA model of early auditory processing is proposed in which each peripheral channel is processed by a delay-and-subtract cancellation filter, tuned independently for each channel with a criterion of minimum power. For a channel dominated by a pure tone or a resolved partial of a complex tone, the optimal delay is its period. For a channel responding to harmonically-related partials, the optimal delay is their common fundamental period. Each peripheral channel is thus split into two subchannels, one that is cancellation-filtered and the other not. Perception can involve either or both, depending on the task. The model is illustrated by applying it to the masking asymmetry between pure tones and narrowband noise: a noise target masked by a tone is more easily detectable than a tone target masked by noise. The model is one of a wider class of models, monaural or binaural, that cancel irrelevant stimulus dimensions so as to attain invariance to competing sources. Similar to occlusion in the visual domain, cancellation yields sensory evidence that is incomplete, thus requiring Bayesian inference of an internal model of the world along the lines of Helmholtz’s doctrine of unconscious inference.
Head-to-head comparison between plasma p-tau217 and Flortaucipir-PET in amyloid-positive patients with cognitive impairment
Authors: Mundada Nidhi S. , Rojas Julio C. , Vandevrede Lawren , Thijssen Elisabeth H. , Iaccarino Leonardo , Okoye Obiora C. , Shankar Ranjani , Soleimani-Meigooni David N. , Lago Argentina L. , Miller Bruce L. , Teunissen Charlotte E. , Heuer Hillary , Rosen Howie J. , Dage Jeffrey L. , Jagust William J. , Rabinovici Gil D. , Boxer Adam L. , La Joie Renaud 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackground and ObjectivePlasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau) has emerged as a promising biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies have reported strong associations between p-tau and tau-PET that are mainly driven by differences between amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative patients. However, the relationship between p-tau and tau-PET is less characterized within cognitively impaired patients with a biomarker-supported diagnosis of AD. We conducted a head-to-head comparison between plasma p-tau217 and tau-PET in patients at the clinical stage of AD and further assessed their relationships with demographic, clinical, and biomarker variables.MethodsWe retrospectively included 87 amyloid-positive patients diagnosed with MCI or AD dementia who underwent structural MRI, amyloid-PET (11C-PIB), tau-PET (18F-flortaucipir, FTP), and blood draw assessments within one year (age=66±10, 48% female). Amyloid-PET was quantified in Centiloids (CL) while cortical tau-PET binding was measured using Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs) referenced against inferior cerebellar cortex. Plasma p-tau217 concentrations were measured using an electrochemiluminescence-based assay on the Meso Scale Discovery platform. MRI-derived cortical volume was quantified with FreeSurfer. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were available at baseline (n=85) and follow-up visits (n=28; 1.5±0.7 years).ResultsPlasma p-tau217 and cortical FTP-SUVR were correlated (r=0.61, p<.001), especially in temporo-parietal and dorsolateral frontal cortices. Both higher p-tau217 and FTP-SUVR values were associated with younger age, female sex, and lower cortical volume, but not with APOE-ε4 carriership. PIB-PET centiloids were weakly correlated with FTP-SUVR (r=0.26, p=0.02), but not with p-tau217 (r=0.10, p=0.36). Regional PET-plasma associations varied with amyloid burden, with p-tau217 being more strongly associated with tau-PET in temporal cortex among patients with moderate amyloid-PET burden, and with tau-PET in primary cortices among patients with high amyloid-PET burden. Higher p-tau217 and FTP-SUVR values were independently associated with lower MMSE scores cross-sectionally, while only baseline FTP-SUVR predicted longitudinal MMSE decline when both biomarkers were included in the same model.DiscussionPlasma p-tau217 and tau-PET are strongly correlated in amyloid-PET-positive patients with MCI and AD, and they exhibited comparable patterns of associations with demographic variables and with markers of downstream neurodegeneration.
An Effective Automated Algorithm to Isolate Patient Speech from Conversations with Clinicians
Authors: Jaquenoud Theo , Keene Sam , Shlayan Neveen , Federman Alex , Pandey Gaurav 
Published: December 2022

AbstractA growing number of algorithms are being developed to automatically identify disorders or disease biomarkers from digitally recorded audio of patient speech. An important step in these analyses is to identify and isolate the patient’s speech from that of other speakers or noise that are captured in a recording. However, current algorithms, such as diarization, only label the identified speech segments in terms of non-specific speakers, and do not identify the specific speaker of each segment, e.g., clinician and patient. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm that not only performs diarization on clinical audio, but also identifies the patient among the speakers in the recording and returns an audio file containing only the patient’s speech. Our algorithm first uses pretrained diarization algorithms to separate the input audio into different tracks according to nonspecific speaker labels. Next, in a novel step not conducted in other diarization tools, the algorithm uses the average loudness (quantified as power) of each audio track to identify the patient, and return the audio track containing only their speech. Using a practical expert-based evaluation methodology and a large dataset of clinical audio recordings, we found that the best implementation of our algorithm achieved near-perfect accuracy on two validation sets. Thus, our algorithm can be used for effectively identifying and isolating patient speech, which can be used in downstream expert and/or data-driven analyses.