bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inflammatory Blood Biomarker Kynurenine Is Linked With Elevated Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration in Older Adults: Evidence From Two 1H-MRS Post-Processing Analysis Methods
Authors: Vints Wouter A. J. , Kušleikiene Simona , Sheoran Samrat , Šarkinaite Milda , Valatkevičiene Kristina , Gleizniene Rymante , Kvedaras Mindaugas , Pukenas Kazimieras , Himmelreich Uwe , Cesnaitiene Vida J. , Levin Oron , Verbunt Jeanine , Masiulis Nerijus 
Published: April 2022

Rationale and ObjectivesPro-inflammatory processes have been argued to play a role in conditions associated with cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, like aging and obesity. Only a limited number of studies have tried to measure both peripheral and central biomarkers of inflammation and examined their interrelationship. The primary aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that chronic peripheral inflammation would be associated with neurometabolic changes that indicate neuroinflammation (the combined elevation of myoinositol and choline), brain gray matter volume decrease, and lower cognitive functioning in older adults.Materials and MethodsSeventy-four older adults underwent bio-impedance body composition analysis, cognitive testing with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), blood serum analysis of inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and kynurenine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of the brain. Neurometabolic findings from both Tarquin and LCModel 1H-MRS post-processing software packages were compared. The regions of interest for MRI and 1H-MRS measurements were dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (DPCC), left hippocampal cortex (HPC), left medial temporal cortex (MTC), left primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1), and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).ResultsElevated serum kynurenine levels were associated with signs of neuroinflammation, specifically in the DPCC, left SM1 and right DLPFC, and signs of neurodegeneration, specifically in the left HPC, left MTC and left SM1, after adjusting for age, sex and fat percentage (fat%). Elevated serum IL-6 levels were associated with increased Glx levels in left HPC, left MTC, and right DLPFC, after processing the 1H-MRS data with Tarquin. Overall, the agreement between Tarquin and LCModel results was moderate-to-strong for tNAA, tCho, mIns, and tCr, but weak to very weak for Glx. Peripheral inflammatory markers (IL-6 and kynurenine) were not associated with older age, higher fat%, decreased brain gray matter volume loss or decreased cognitive functioning within a cohort of older adults.ConclusionOur results suggest that serum kynurenine may be used as a peripheral inflammatory marker that is associated with neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, although not linked to cognition. Future studies should consider longitudinal analysis to assess the causal inferences between chronic peripheral and neuroinflammation, brain structural and neurometabolic changes, and cognitive decline in aging.
Comparative Analysis of Lateral Preferences in Patients With Resistant Schizophrenia
Authors: Panov Georgi 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundSchizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder of diverse etiology and clinical presentation. Despite the expansion of treatment methods, between 30 and 50% of cases remain resistant to treatment. In patients with schizophrenia, specifics in the dominant lateralization in the brain function have been discovered. This gave a reason to seek the relation between functional lateralization and the effect of treatment.MethodsOf the 105 people observed with schizophrenia, 45 (42.9%) were treatment resistant, and 60 (57.1%) were considered responders. We compared functional lateralization (hand, foot, and eye) between the two groups. Handedness was ascertained by using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. The assessment was made at 12 weeks of treatment.ResultsOf all patients with schizophrenia, 41.89% have mixed lateralization, 53.34% are right winged, and 4.76% of the patients are left winged. Resistance of the symptoms shows that 26 (57.78%) are cross-dominated, 18 (40%) are right winged, and 1 (2.22%) is left winged. In patients with clinical remission, 18 (30%) are of mixed dominance, 38 (63.33%) are right winged, and 4 (6.66%) are left winged. From the results for the separate lateralization of the hand, foot, and eye, we found a significant difference only in terms of the dominance of the eye. In 44 (41.9%) of the patients, we found dominance of the left eye. In patients with resistance, the percentage established by us is higher—at 26 (57.8%). These results indicate that the increased percentage of mixed dominance in patients with schizophrenia is mainly due to left-sided lateralization of the eye, especially in those with resistance to treatment.ConclusionWe find an increased number of patients with cross-dominance left eye dominance in patients with schizophrenia. Cross-dominance and left eye dominance are associated with a higher probability of symptom resistance than other forms of lateralization (left-handed or right-handed). The high percentage of cross-dominance is due to the high percentage of left-sided dominance of the eye.
Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences Including Low Household Income and Peer Isolation With Obesity Among Japanese Adolescents: Results From A-CHILD Study
Authors: Doi Satomi , Isumi Aya , Fujiwara Takeo 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundAdverse childhood experience (ACE) is a major risk factor for obesity in both adults and adolescents. Although, arguably, peer isolation and low household income could be conceived as of ACEs, few studies have included these experiences as ACEs.ObjectivesThis study aims to examine whether ACEs, including peer isolation and low household income, are associated with obesity in adolescents.MethodsWe used pooled data from the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) study in 2016 and 2018, which is a school-based cross-sectional study in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan, N = 6,946, 4th (9–10 years old), 6th (11–12 years old), and 8th (13–14 years old) grades. Among the eight items of ACEs, adolescents assessed one item, including peer isolation, and their caregivers assessed seven other items using questionnaires. The adolescents' body mass index (BMI) was measured in school health checkups and calculated to fit the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to investigate the association of the cumulative ACEs and each type of ACE with BMI, in which the study was conducted in 2020.ResultsThe number of ACEs was not associated with overweight or obesity among adolescents after adjusting for covariates. As for each type of ACE, single parenthood and low household income showed a significant independent association with obesity.ConclusionsThe number of ACEs was not associated with overweight or obesity in Japanese adolescents, while single parenthood and low household income showed a significant positive association with obesity. Further longitudinal studies are needed to replicate this association among adolescents.
Prognostic Value of Syndecan-1 in the Prediction of Sepsis-Related Complications and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Sun Ting , Wang Yuqiong , Wu Xiaojing , Cai Ying , Zhai Tianshu , Zhan Qingyuan 
Published: April 2022

AimSyndecan-1 (SDC-1) has been shown to have a high predictive value for sepsis development, though uncertainty around these results exists. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the prognostic ability of SDC-1 in predicting sepsis-related complications and mortality.MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases from January 01, 1990, to March 17, 2021, to identify eligible studies. The search terms used were “SDC-1,” “sepsis,” “severe sepsis,” and “septic shock,” and a meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.4 software.ResultsEleven studies with a total of 2,318 enrolled patients were included. SDC-1 concentrations were significantly higher in the composite poor outcome group [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.38–0.72; P &lt; 0.001] as well as in deceased patients (SMD = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.40–0.67; P &lt; 0.001), patients with septic shock (SMD = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.36–1.25; P &lt; 0.001), and patients with acute kidney injury (SMD = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.33–0.62; P &lt; 0.001). Statistical significance was also found in the subgroup analysis when stratified by different sepsis diagnostic criteria.ConclusionBaseline SDC-1 levels may be a useful predictor of sepsis-related complications and mortality.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021246344, PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42021246344.
CEL-Unet: Distance Weighted Maps and Multi-Scale Pyramidal Edge Extraction for Accurate Osteoarthritic Bone Segmentation in CT Scans
Authors: Rossi Matteo , Marsilio Luca , Mainardi Luca , Manzotti Alfonso , Cerveri Pietro 
Published: April 2022

Unet architectures are being investigated for automatic image segmentation of bones in CT scans because of their ability to address size-varying anatomies and pathological deformations. Nonetheless, changes in mineral density, narrowing of joint spaces and formation of largely irregular osteophytes may easily disrupt automatism requiring extensive manual refinement. A novel Unet variant, called CEL-Unet, is presented to boost the segmentation quality of the femur and tibia in the osteoarthritic knee joint. The neural network embeds region-aware and two contour-aware branches in the decoding path. The paper features three main technical novelties: 1) directed connections between contour and region branches progressively at different decoding scales; 2) pyramidal edge extraction in the contour branch to perform multi-resolution edge processing; 3) distance-weighted cross-entropy loss function to increase delineation quality at the sharp edges of the shapes. A set of 700 knee CT scans was used to train the model and test segmentation performance. Qualitatively CEL-Unet correctly segmented cases where the state-of-the-art architectures failed. Quantitatively, the Jaccard indexes of femur and tibia segmentation were 0.98 and 0.97, with median 3D reconstruction errors less than 0.80 and 0.60 mm, overcoming competitive Unet models. The results were evaluated against knee arthroplasty planning based on personalized surgical instruments (PSI). Excellent agreement with reference data was found for femoral (0.11°) and tibial (0.05°) alignments of the distal and proximal cuts computed on the reconstructed surfaces. The bone segmentation was effective for large pathological deformations and osteophytes, making the techniques potentially usable in PSI-based surgical planning, where the reconstruction accuracy of the bony shapes is one of the main critical factors for the success of the operation.
Laser Needle Knife's Effects on Rabbits Cervical Spondylopathy of Vertebral Artery, Fibrinogen, and Blood Viscosity
Authors: Huang Zhenyu , Xie Siwei , Liu Fang , Zhang Ting , Gu Yiwen 
Published: April 2022

ObjectiveTo determine the effect of laser needle-knife on vertebroarterial morphology, fibrinogen and blood viscosity in a rabbit model of cervical spondylotic arteriopathy (CSA) and the mechanism of action involved.MethodsA number of 40 healthy common grade rabbits were divided into four groups: normal control, model, acupuncture, and laser needle knife group. The normal control group does not establish a CSA rabbit model, and the other groups all establish a CSA rabbit model, but they are treated in different ways. CSA model rabbits were treated with acupuncture and moxibustion at “fengchi” and “cervical Jiaji” points, rabbits in the laser needle knife group were treated with “Jiaji” points, and the acupuncture points were punctured with the laser needle knife. The location of the acupuncture points is determined according to the acupoint map of the experimental map. The right vertebroarterial morphology before and after the treatment was analyzed by scanning electron microscope, and FIB concentration and blood viscosity were determined using the coagulation method.ResultsAfter the treatment, the capillary and micropore hyperplasia in the laser needle knife group were more evident than that in the model group. Acupuncture and laser needle knife therapy can reduce whole blood viscosity (1/s, 5/s), and that the distinction between the two treatments is not statistically evident.ConclusionAcupuncture and laser needle knife can regulate the coagulation and fibrinolysis system in CSA, stimulate capillary and micropore hyperplasia, reduce blood viscosity, and improve blood circulation, which may be one of the therapeutic mechanisms behind the laser needle knife treatment of CSA.
Application of Bevacizumab Combined With Chemotherapy in Patients With Colorectal Cancer and Its Effects on Brain-Gut Peptides, Intestinal Flora, and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Chen Chao , Hou Songtao , Zhao Fei , Wu Bin , Liu Tingting , Zhang Zhao , Li Yuwei , Li Hongchao 
Published: April 2022

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) and to analyze the effects on brain peptides, intestinal flora, and oxidative stress in CRC patients.MethodsEighty two patients with CRC who were admitted to our hospital from March 2018 to June 2021 were selected as the research subjects and divided into the control group (n = 41) and the observation group (n = 41). The control group was treated with XELOX chemotherapy, and the observation group was additionally treated with bevacizumab, which was repeated every 3 weeks for a total of two treatments. The therapeutic effects of the two groups were evaluated after treatment. The brain-gut peptide index, intestinal flora index and oxidative stress index were detected, and the adverse reactions of the two groups were recorded.ResultsIn the control group, ER was 36.59% (15/41) and DCR was 73.17% (30/41). In the observation group, ER was 63.41% (26/41) and DCR was 90.24% (37/41). ER and DCR in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). After treatment, the levels of motilin and gastrin in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and ghrelin was higher than that in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). After treatment, the levels of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacilli and Enterococcus in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, and the level of Escherichia coli was lower than that in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). After treatment, the SOD level of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, and the MDA level was higher than that of the control group.ConclusionBevacizumab combined with chemotherapy has good efficacy in the treatment of colorectal cancer patients, which can effectively improve the gastrointestinal motility of patients, regulate the intestinal flora of the body, rebuild the microecological balance, effectively reduce the oxidative stress response of patients, and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions.
Effect of Marital Status on Upper Digestive Tract Tumor Survival: Married Male Patients Exhibited a Better Prognosis
Authors: Qing Maofeng , Peng Jiakuan , Shang Qianhui , Xu Hao , Chen Qianming 
Published: April 2022

PurposeMarital status has been associated with the outcomes in several types of cancer, but less is known about upper digestive tract tumors (UDTTs). The study aims to explore the effect of marital status on the survival outcomes of UDTT.MethodsWe collected patient cases of UDTT using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 1975 and 2016. The univariate analyses of overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were performed using the Kaplan–Meier method. The multivariate survival analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazard model.ResultsA total of 282,189 patients were included, with 56.42, 16.30, 13.33, and 13.95% of patients married, never married, divorced or separated, and widowed, respectively. The significant differences were observed among married, never-married, divorced or separated, and widowed patients with regard to the year of diagnosis, sex, age, race, pathological type, anatomical site, the number of primary tumor, grade, rate of surgery performed, radiotherapy, chemotherapy (p &lt; 0.001). The proportions of patients with 3-year and 5-year OS were 54.22 and 48.02% in the married group, 46.96 and 41.12% in the never-married group, 44.24 and 38.06% in the divorced or separated group, 34.59 and 27.57% in the widowed group, respectively (p &lt; 0.001); the proportions of patients with 3-year and 5-year CSS were 70.76 and 68.13% in the married group, 62.44 and 59,93% in the never-married group, 63.13 and 60.53% in the divorced or separated group, 62.11 and 58.89% in the widowed group, respectively (p &lt; 0.001); all these data indicated married patients exhibited favorable OS and CSS than never-married, divorced or separated, and widowed patients. Men in the married group showed better OS (HR, 1.16; 95%CI: 1.11–1.22) and CSS (HR, 0.96; 95%CI: 0.92–1.23) than those in the never-married group.ConclusionThis study reveals that marital status is an independent prognostic factor for OS and CSS of patients with UDTT. Married male patients with UDTT trend to have a better prognosis.
TREAT-B Algorithm for Treatment Eligibility Among Chronically Infected Hepatitis B Virus Persons in a Low and a High Endemic Region: A Potential Strategy Towards Virus Elimination by 2030
Authors: Kafeero Hussein Mukasa , Ndagire Dorothy , Ocama Ponsiano , Kato Charles Drago , Wampande Eddie , Kajumbula Henry , Kateete David Patrick , Walusansa Abdul , Kudamba Ali , Ssenku Jamilu E. , Sendagire Hakim 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundLittle is known about treatment eligibility in Africa for the hepatitis B virus (TREAT-B) algorithm. We investigated the treatment eligibility among the HBV chronically infected patients in a low and a high endemic region using the TREAT-B algorithm.MethodsWe recruited 227 treatment-naïve HBV-infected hospital attendees from the low and high HBV endemic regions. We assessed the treatment eligibility by testing for HBeAg serostatus and ALT levels. Socio-demographic data were collected with a structured questionnaire. The accessory correlates of treatment eligibility (AST, ALP, ALB, GGT, and TBIL) and the socio-demographic factors were analyzed by both univariate and multinomial logistic regression using the SPSS and Medcalc. The analysis was done at 95% CI and a p &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOverall, 56.8% of the participants qualified for treatment at TREAT-B cutoffs of ≥2, with those from the low endemic region (90, 69.8%) having significantly higher treatment eligibility indication than those from the high endemic region (p &lt; 0.05). Alcohol use and household contact with an HBV-infected person were independent socio-demographic factors significantly associated with treatment eligibility for both low and high endemic regions (p &lt; 0.05). However, birth place was only indicated for treatment eligibility among the high endemic participants (p &lt; 0.05). AST, GGT, and total bilirubin were the liver-related parameters significantly associated with treatment eligibility (p &lt; 0.05), with GGT and AST being significantly elevated among the eligible low endemic dwellers compared to high endemic dwellers (p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionUsing TREAT-B algorithm can be a plausible alternative to the orthodox methods to specify treatment eligibility with the potential to scale up interventions targeting HBV management and elimination.
Pre-diagnostic clinical features and blood tests in patients with colorectal cancer: a retrospective linked-data study
Authors: Moullet Marie , Funston Garth , Mounce Luke TA , Abel Gary A , de Wit Niek , Walter Fiona M , Zhou Yin 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundThe majority of colorectal cancer is diagnosed in patients following symptomatic presentation in the UK.AimTo identify windows of opportunity for timely investigations or referrals in patients presenting with colon and rectal cancer-relevant symptoms or abnormal blood tests.Design and settingA retrospective cohort study was undertaken using linked primary care and cancer registry data for patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed in England between 2012 and 2015.MethodMonthly consultation rates for relevant clinical features (change in bowel habit, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, abdominal mass, constitutional symptoms, and other bowel symptoms) and abnormal blood test results (low haemoglobin, high platelets, and high inflammatory markers) up to 24 months pre-diagnosis were calculated. Poisson regression adjusted for age, sex, and relevant comorbidities was used to estimate the most likely month when consultation rates increased above baseline.ResultsIn total, 5033 patients with colon cancer and 2516 with rectal cancer were included. Consultations for all examined clinical features and abnormal blood tests increased in the year pre-diagnosis. Rectal bleeding was the earliest clinical feature to increase from the baseline rate: at 10 months (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.3 to 11.7) pre-diagnosis for colon cancer and at 8 months (95% CI = 6.1 to 9.9) pre-diagnosis for rectal cancer. Low haemoglobin, high platelets, and high inflammatory markers increased from as early as 9 months pre-diagnosis.ConclusionThis study found evidence for an early increase in rates of consultation for relevant clinical features and abnormal blood tests in patients with colorectal cancer, suggesting that earlier instigation of cancer-specific investigations or referrals may be warranted in some patients who were symptomatic.
Inflammatory marker testing in primary care in the year before Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis: a UK population-based case–control study in patients aged ≤50 years
Authors: Rafiq Meena , Abel Gary , Renzi Cristina , Lyratzopoulos Georgios 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundProinflammatory conditions are associated with increased risk of Hodgkin lymphoma, although the neoplastic process per se often induces an inflammatory response.AimTo examine pre-diagnostic inflammatory marker test use to identify changes that may define a ‘diagnostic window’ for potential earlier diagnosis.Design and settingThis was a matched case–control study in UK primary care using Clinical Practice Research Datalink data (2002–2016).MethodPrimary care inflammatory marker test use and related findings were analysed in 839 Hodgkin lymphoma patients and 5035 controls in the year pre-diagnosis. Poisson regression models were used to calculate monthly testing rates to examine changes over time in test use. Longitudinal trends in test results and the presence/absence of ‘red-flag’ symptoms were examined.ResultsIn patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, 70.8% (594/839) had an inflammatory marker test in the year pre-diagnosis versus 16.2% (816/5035) of controls (odds ratio 13.7, 95% CI = 11.4 to 16.5, P<0.001). The rate of inflammatory marker testing and mean levels of certain inflammatory marker results increased progressively during the year pre-diagnosis in Hodgkin lymphoma patients while remaining stable in controls. Among patients with Hodgkin lymphoma with a pre-diagnostic test, two-thirds (69.5%, 413/594) had an abnormal result and, among these, 42.6% (176/413) had no other ‘red-flag’ presenting symptom/sign.ConclusionIncreases in inflammatory marker requests and abnormal results occur in many patients with Hodgkin lymphoma several months pre-diagnosis, suggesting this period should be excluded in aetiological studies examining inflammation in Hodgkin lymphoma development, and that a diagnostic time window of appreciable length exists in many patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, many of whom have no other red-flag features.