bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exergetic Assessment of Waste Gas to Energy in a Novel Integrated NGL Recovery and Power Generation Plant
Authors: Aigba Peter Alenoghena , Emovon Ikuobase , Samuel Olusegun David , Chintua Enweremadu Christopher , Abdeljawad Thabet , Al-Mdallal Qasem M. , Afzal Asif 
Published: February 2022

Natural gas processing, as one of the major energy sources, has become a focal point in boosting the energy value chain by processing high commercial value products such as natural gas liquids (NGL) and electricity generation. Natural gas processing has also amplified its usefulness to human well-being and global prosperity in different ways. However, the spate of gas flaring is a global phenomenon, despite advances in waste gas management technology. This research describes a unique integrated plant that recovers NGL and produces electricity via waste gas for the energy conversion process. Exergetic analysis has been offered to identify the causes of irreversibilities in the plant. Simulation models were built using the AspenOne HYSYS V10 and Aspen Plus V10 software to conceptualize the plant. The recovery of 60 kBD NGL and 2.55 kg mol/s of 97% lean methane gas (95% purity) as the residue was achieved from 320 MMSCFD of waste gas processing. The residue methane gas is combusted in a combustion chamber to recover hot gas in a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) for steam generation and production of 646 MW of electricity. Analysis revealed that the heat exchangers collectively accounted for about 78% exergy destruction in the NGL recovery plant, while the 3 and 1.54%, respectively, of exergy is destroyed and lost in the demethanizer. The steam power plant showed similar irreversibilities with the boiler exchanger accounting for up to 88% exergy destruction. About 1.4% of exergy is lost as flue gas to the environment. At optimization, overall exergy efficiency reached 77.5 and 80.6% in the NGL recovery and steam power plant, respectively. Thus, this integrated plant model has not only demonstrated a marked improvement to similar models but is also a lucrative alternative to waste flare gas management. It is also proven to be a “flare-capture” alternative model for fossil fuels-related emission reduction and optimization tool for waste gas to energy.
Dynamics of Dietary Mercury Determined by Mercury Speciation and Isotopic Composition in Dicentrarchus labrax
Authors: Pinzone Marianna , Cransveld Alice , De Boeck Gudrun , Shrivastava Jyotsna , Tessier Emmanuel , Bérail Sylvain , Schnitzler Joseph G. , Amouroux David , Das Krishna 
Published: February 2022

Seafood has a great ecological and nutritional value for human and wildlife communities. However, accumulation of mercury (Hg) in fish is a concern to animal and human health. There is a crucial need to understand Hg speciation in marine organisms through controlled feeding experiments. This study represents a first assessment of the biological processes that may influence Hg bioaccumulation and dynamics in a marine predatory fish. We conducted a feeding experiment to investigate the dynamics of MeHg and iHg, as well as Hg isotopes in the liver and muscles of captive juvenile seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Three groups of juvenile seabass were fed in captivity during 3 weeks of acclimatization and 6 weeks of experiment. Each group was fed with pellets containing environmentally relevant MeHg concentrations (Control, 200 and 500 ng g−1 dw). We monitored the evolution of MeHg and iHg concentrations as well as Hg isotopic values in liver and muscle. We determined Hg dynamics with respect to the contamination level in the fish diet. Muscle δ202Hg and Δ199Hg turnover rates ranged between 33 and 14 days (Low diet) to 5 and 9 days (Mod diet). Liver δ202Hg and Δ199Hg turnover rates ranged between 3 and 7 days (Low diet) to 3 and 2 days (Mod diet), respectively. Hg species concentrations and δ202Hg varied over time between diet groups and tissues, showing the occurrence of internal mass-dependent fractionation (MDF). No significant intra-tissue and temporal Hg mass-independent fractionation (MIF) was observed. The results of our experiment are strongly in favor of the existence of MeHg demethylation in a coastal predatory fish exposed to low to moderate concentrations of environmental Hg. The decrease over time of δ202Hg in muscle of seabass from the most contaminated diet was accompanied by a temporal increase in iHg, pointing to possible Hg detoxification processes occurring in this tissue when dietary Hg exposure is high. The absence of Hg MDF and different turnover between muscle and liver in seabass exposed to 500 ng Hg g−1 confirmed that Hg speciation and bioaccumulation in juvenile fish are controlled by Hg levels and speciation in their diet.
Abundance and Characterization of Microplastics in Main Urban Ditches Across the Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia
Authors: Mhiret Gela Sahlu , Aragaw Tadele Assefa 
Published: February 2022

Microplastics (MPs) pollution in water bodies, wastewater, and sewage is of concern due to their probable effects on the environment and human health. This study is a first-time attempt to evaluate MPs occurrence, abundance, characteristics, and polymeric types in sediment and agglomerated sewage water from several urban ditches in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, in two class sizes (&gt; 0.5 and &lt; 0.5 mm). Out of the total of 239 MP particles, 61.09% were of &lt;0.5 mm and this dominant fraction was transparent and consisted of fragmentary shapes. The mean abundances of &lt;0.5 mm particles were 5 ± 1.00 items/50 g in sediment and 3.00 ± 1.00 items/ml in agglomerated sewage water. Similarly, the abundances of &gt;0.5 mm fractions were 2.33 ± 0.58 items/50 g in sediment and 1.33 ± 0.58 items/50 ml in Agglomerated sewage water. Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), and polyvinylchloride (PVC), were the most detected plastics. However, PET and PVC were not detected in the agglomerated sewage water samples.
RETRACTED: Mitochondrial-Associated Protein LRPPRC is Related With Poor Prognosis Potentially and Exerts as an Oncogene Via Maintaining Mitochondrial Function in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Wang Li , Luo Jun , Li Yuchen , Lu Yanrong , Zhang Yi , Tian Bole , Zhao Ziyi , Hu Qiong-ying 
Published: February 2022

Background: The mitochondrial-associated protein leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat-containing (LRPPRC) exerts multiple functions involved in physiological processes, including mitochondrial gene translation, cell cycle progression, and tumorigenesis. Previously, LRPPRC was reported to regulate mitophagy by interacting with Bcl-2 and Beclin-1 and thus modifying the activation of PI3KCIII and autophagy. Considering that LRPPRC was found to be negatively associated with survival rate, we hypothesize that LRPPRC may be involved in pancreatic cancer progression via its regulation of autophagy.Methods: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect the expression of LRPPRC in 90 paired pancreatic cancer and adjacent tissues and five pancreatic cancer cell lines. Mitochondrial reactive oxidative species level and function were measured. Mitophagy was measured by performing to detect LC3 levels.Results: By performing a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the association of LRPPRC with the prognosis of pancreatic cancer was established, and pancreatic cancer tissues had significantly higher LRPPRC expression than adjacent tissues. LRPPRC was negatively associated with the overall survival rate. LRPPRC was also upregulated in pancreatic cancer cell lines. Knockdown of LRPPRC promoted reactive oxidative species accumulation, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, promoted autophagy/mitophagy, and induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Subsequently, knockdown of LRPPRC inhibited malignant behaviors in PANC-1 cells, including proliferation, migration, invasion, tumor formation, and chemoresistance to gemcitabine. Finally, by inhibiting autophagy/mitophagy using 3-MA, the inhibitory effect of LRPPRC knockdown on proliferation was reversed.Conclusion: Taken together, our results indicate that LRPPRC may act as an oncogene via maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and could be used as a predictive marker for patient prognosis in pancreatic cancer.
Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Versus Chemotherapy Monotherapy as a First-Line Treatment in Elderly Patients (≥75 Years Old) With Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Yang Zhengyu , Chen Ya , Wang Yanan , Hu Minjuan , Qian Fangfei , Zhang Yanwei , Zhang Bo , Zhang Wei , Han Baohui 
Published: February 2022

ObjectiveSeveral trials have shown that pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy was more effective in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) than chemotherapy monotherapy. However, whether pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy is still a better choice for first-line treatment in elderly patients (≥75 years old) remain unknown. We retrospectively compared the efficacy and safety of these two treatments in elderly patients.Patients and MethodsWe collected data of 136 elderly patients with advanced NSCLC who were treated with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy monotherapy in our hospital from 2018 to 2020. We compared the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients and analyzed which subgroups might benefit more significantly from pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy.ResultsIn total population, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy showed superior PFS and OS than chemotherapy monotherapy (PFS: 12.50 months vs. 5.30 months, P&lt;0.001; OS: unreached vs. 21.27 months, P=0.037). Subgroup analysis showed patients with positive PD-L1 expression, stage IV, good performance score (ECOG-PS &lt;2), fewer comorbidities (simplified comorbidity score &lt;9) or female patients had demonstrated a more evident OS benefit in pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy. In terms of safety, the pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy group had higher treatment discontinuation (26% vs. 5%).ConclusionsElderly patients using pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy achieved longer PFS and OS, but were more likely to discontinue due to adverse effects, so disease stage, PD-L1 expression, ECOG-PS and comorbidities should be considered when selecting first-line treatment.
Altered Dynamic Functional Connectivity in de novo Parkinson’s Disease Patients With Depression
Authors: Xu Jianxia , Yu Miao , Wang Hui , Li Yuqian , Li Lanting , Ren Jingru , Pan Chenxi , Liu Weiguo 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundDepression is one of the most prevalent and disturbing non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD), with few dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) features measured in previous studies. Our aim was to investigate the alterations of the dynamics in de novo patients with PD with depression (dPD).MethodsWe performed dFC analysis on the data of resting-state functional MRI from 21 de novo dPD, 34 de novo patients with PD without depression (ndPD), and 43 healthy controls (HCs). Group independent component analysis, a sliding window approach, followed by k-means clustering were conducted to assess functional connectivity states (which represented highly structured connectivity patterns reoccurring over time) and temporal properties for comparison between groups. We further performed dynamic graph-theoretical analysis to examine the variability of topological metrics.ResultsFour distinct functional connectivity states were clustered via dFC analysis. Compared to patients with ndPD and HCs, patients with dPD showed increased fractional time and mean dwell time in state 2, characterized by default mode network (DMN)-dominated and cognitive executive network (CEN)-disconnected patterns. Besides, compared to HCs, patients with dPD and patients with ndPD both showed weaker dynamic connectivity within the sensorimotor network (SMN) in state 4, a regionally densely connected state. We additionally observed that patients with dPD presented less variability in the local efficiency of the network.ConclusionsOur study demonstrated that altered network connection over time, mainly involving the DMN and CEN, with abnormal dynamic graph properties, may contribute to the presence of depression in patients with PD.
Hippocampal Malrotation Could Be Less Significant in Epilepsy Caused by Focal Cortical Dysplasia Type I and Type II
Authors: He Chenmin , Ye Lingqi , Chen Cong , Hu Lingli , Jin Bo , Ding Yao , Li Hong , Ding Meiping , Wang Shan , Wang Shuang 
Published: February 2022

ObjectivesDebates over the relationship between hippocampal malrotation (HIMAL) and epilepsy continue without consensus. This study explores the role of HIMAL in a cohort of epilepsy caused by focal cortical dysplasia (FCD).MethodsIn this study, 90 patients with epilepsy caused by FCD type I and type II and 48 healthy adults underwent a 3 Tesla MRI following a dedicated epilepsy protocol for the analysis of the prevalence and morphologic features of HIMAL. In addition, numerous clinical characteristics and hippocampal volumes were evaluated.ResultsThe cohort included a total of 90 patients (32 were HIMAL, 58 were non-HIMAL). Among these patients, 32 (35.6%) had HIMAL (22 left, four right, and six bilateral), which did not differ from the 48 controls, where 16 (33.3%) had HIMAL (12 left, two right, and two bilateral). Neither the quantitative features of HIMAL (diameter ratio, dominant inferior temporal sulcus height ratio, medial distance ratio, dominant inferior temporal sulcus angle, and parahippocampal angle), nor the accompanying characteristics of HIMAL (vertical dominant inferior temporal sulcus, enlarged temporal horn, and a low position of ipsilateral fornix) showed differences between patients with FCD and controls. No statistical difference in the clinical characteristics between FCD patients with HIMAL and those without was found. Neither the side nor the existence of HIMAL was correlated with the lateralization and location of FCD. As to the hippocampal volume, there was no difference between FCD patients with HIMAL and those without.ConclusionHippocampal malrotation is a common morphologic variant in healthy controls as well as in patients with epilepsy caused by FCD type I and type II. Hippocampal malrotation could be less significant in epilepsy caused by FCD type I and type II.
Erythrocyte Indices in Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease Predict Survival Time
Authors: Kong Yu , Chen Zhongyun , Zhang Jing , Wu Liyong 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundCreutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease caused by propagation of abnormally folded prion proteins (PrPSc). Some fluid biomarkers have been reported to be associated with disease duration in CJD. Based on studies which have found that prion protein (PrPC) played a role in erythrocytic hematopoiesis, we evaluated the association between peripheral red blood cell indices and survival time in CJD.MethodsWe retrospectively collected data on peripheral red blood cell indices, including red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and red cell distribution width (RDW), from 125 CJD patients. Cox proportional hazard models were generated to determine whether red cell indices correlated with survival time of patients with CJD.ResultsOf the 125 included participants, 70 (56%) were male, and the mean age at diagnosis (SD) was 60.3 (9.5) years. Hemoglobin levels (hazard ratio 1.710, 95% CI 1.124–2.600, p = 0.012) and HCT (hazard ratio 1.689, 95% CI 1.112–2.565, p=0.014) were significantly associated with survival time after controlling for sex, age, and Barthel Index. Red blood cell count, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and RDW were not associated with survival time before or after adjusting for covariates.ConclusionsOur study found that Hb and HCT were significantly associated with survival time in patients with CJD. These results may inform evaluation of the mechanisms of interaction between prion disease and hematopoiesis, and indicate that Hb and HCT may be potential prognostic biomarkers.
Clinical Practice Guidelines Using GRADE and AGREE II for the Impact of Genetic Variants on Plasma Lipid/Lipoprotein/Apolipoprotein Responsiveness to Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Authors: Keathley Justine , Garneau Véronique , Marcil Valérie , Mutch David M. , Robitaille Julie , Rudkowska Iwona , Sofian Gabriela , Desroches Sophie , Vohl Marie-Claude 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundA recent systematic review, which used the GRADE methodology, concluded that there is strong evidence for two gene-diet associations related to omega-3 and plasma triglyceride (TG) responses. Systematic reviews can be used to inform the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).ObjectiveTo provide guidance for clinical practice related to genetic testing for evaluating responsiveness to dietary/supplemental omega-3s and their impact on plasma lipids/lipoproteins/apolipoproteins.DesignUsing the results of the abovementioned systematic review, the first CPGs in nutrigenetics were developed using the established GRADE methodology and AGREE II approach.ResultsThree clinical practice recommendations were developed. Most gene-diet associations identified in the literature lack adequate scientific and clinical validity to warrant consideration for implementing in a practice setting. However, two gene-diet associations with strong evidence (GRADE quality: moderate and high) can be considered for implementation into clinical practice in certain cases: male APOE-E4 carriers (rs429358, rs7412) and TG changes in response to the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and/or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as well as a 31-SNP nutrigenetic risk score and TG changes in response to EPA+DHA among adults with overweight/obesity. Ethical and regulatory implications must be considered when providing APOE nutrigenetic tests given the well-established link between APOE genetic variation and Alzheimer's Disease.ConclusionMost of the evidence in this area is not ready for implementation into clinical practice primarily due to low scientific validity (low quality of evidence). However, the first CPGs in nutrigenetics have been developed for two nutrigenetic associations with strong scientific validity, related to dietary/supplemental omega-3 and TG responses.
Treatment Patterns and Outcomes of Elderly Patients With Potentially Curable Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Yang Yang , Chen Mengyuan , Xie Jiping , Ji Yongling , Sheng Liming , Qiu Guoqin , Du Xianghui , Wei Qichun 
Published: February 2022

ObjectivesThe proportion of elderly patients with esophageal cancer (EC) is increasing due to prolonged life expectancy and aging process. The aim of the study is to explore the optimal treatment strategy for elderly patients (aged ≥70 years) with locally advanced EC.MethodsEligible patients with cT2-4aNxM0 EC were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2010 to 2016. Treatment patterns were divided into six groups: surgical resection (S), chemoradiotherapy (CRT), trimodality therapy (CRT+S), radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT), or observation with no treatment (Obs). Survival between groups was compared using the log-rank test, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify factors associated with overall survival (OS).ResultsA total of 2917 patients with potentially curable EC were identified. Of all the patients included, 6.7%, 51.8%, 18.0%, 9.4% and 3.6%received S, CRT, CRT+S, RT, and CT, respectively, whereas 10.6% underwent Obs. The 3-year OS estimates were 30.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 23.5–38.9%), 25.4% (95% CI: 22.8–28.3%),44.3% (95% CI: 39.3–49.9%), 11.4% (95% CI: 7.7–17.0%), 16.1% (95% CI: 9.1–28.3%), and 5.6% (95% CI: 3.2–9.8%) for S, CRT, CRT+S RT, CT, and Obs (p&lt;0.001), respectively. Overall, patents underwent CRT+S had the longest OS, compared to other treatment patterns, and the survival difference was not significant between patients receiving CRT and S (p=0.12) in the elderly population. However, the survival benefits of trimodality therapy over CRT gradually weakened with the increase in age, and became statistically non-significant for EC patients aged ≥80 years (p=0.35). Multivariate analysis showed that treatment patterns, age, sex, tumor grade, T stage, N stage, and marital status were significantly associated with OS.ConclusionGenerally, the use of trimodality therapy was associated with the longest OS, the survival benefits were comparable between CRT and S alone, and CRT was superior to RT or CT alone in elderly patients with curable EC. For patients intolerable to surgery or aged ≥80 years, definitive CRT should be considered as a preferable option.
SPHK Inhibitors and Zoledronic Acid Suppress Osteoclastogenesis and Wear Particle-Induced Osteolysis
Authors: Gu Minghui , Pan Baiqi , Chen Weishen , Xu Hai , Wu Xiaoyu , Hu Xuantao , Zheng Linli , Ye Yongyu , Meng Qing , Xian Guoyan , Zhang Ziji , Sheng Puyi 
Published: February 2022

Background: Inflammatory osteolysis induced by wear particles is the major cause of prosthetic loosening after artificial joint replacement, and its prevention and treatment are difficult worldwide. Our previous study confirmed that sphingosine kinases (SPHKs) are important mediators regulating the wear particle-induced macrophage inflammatory response. However, it is unclear whether SPHKs can modulate chronic inflammation and alleviate osteolysis. Zoledronic acid (ZA), an imidazole-containing bisphosphonate, directly affects osteoclasts and prevents bone mineral-related diseases. However, the effects of SPHK inhibitors and ZA used to treat periprosthetic osteolysis are unknown.Methods: We applied tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining to evaluate bone destruction in the interface membranes of patients with aseptic loosening and a control group. A murine calvarial osteolysis model was used to examine the preventative effect of SPHK inhibitors and ZA on osteolysis. Micro-CT scanning, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and histomorphometric analysis were conducted to determine the variations in inflammatory osteolysis. The effects of different drug concentrations on cell viability were evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis was performed to confirm the reduced expression of osteoclast-specific genes after drug and titanium treatment. The osteoclast formation and functions of the drugs were analyzed using TRAP staining in vivo and in vitro. The effect of SPHKs/S1P-TRAF2-BECN1 signaling pathways was verified via RT-qPCR and tissue IHC.Results: In this study, we found that SPHK inhibitors (ABC294640 and FTY720) combined with ZA decreased the degree of inflammatory osteolysis in vivo. However, ABC294640 and ZA suppressed osteoclast differentiation and osteoclast-specific genes in vitro. SPHKs regulate the inflammatory osteolysis induced by wear particles by increasing the expression of SPHKs/S1P-TRAF2-BECN1.Conclusion: Our study revealed that wear particles could induce inflammatory osteolysis by upregulating SPHKs/S1P-TRAF2-BECN1 and SPHK inhibitors/ZA inhibit osteoclastogenesis in vitro and prevent inflammatory osteolysis in vivo, suggesting that SPHK inhibitors and ZA can be a new perspective and scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of prosthesis loosening.