bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gut microbiota composition in COVID-19 hospitalized patients with mild or severe symptoms
Authors: Mazzarelli Antonio , Giancola Maria Letizia , Fontana Andrea , Piselli Pierluca , Binda Elena , Trivieri Nadia , Mencarelli Gandino , Marchioni Luisa , Vulcano Antonella , De Giuli Chiara , Panebianco Concetta , Villani Annacandida , Copetti Massimiliano , Perri Francesco , Fontana Carla , Nicastri Emanuele , Pazienza Valerio 
Published: December 2022

Background and aimCOVID-19, the infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus that has been causing a severe pandemic worldwide for more than 2 years, is characterized by a high heterogeneity of clinical presentations and evolution and, particularly, by a varying severity of respiratory involvement. This study aimed to analyze the diversity and taxonomic composition of the gut microbiota at hospital admission, in order to evaluate its association with COVID-19 outcome. In particular, the association between gut microbiota and a combination of several clinical covariates was analyzed in order to characterize the bacterial signature associate to mild or severe symptoms during the SARS-CoV-2 infection.Materials and methodsV3–V4 hypervariable region of 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 97 rectal swabs from a retrospective cohort of COVID-19 hospitalized patients was employed to study the gut microbiota composition. Patients were divided in two groups according to their outcome considering the respiratory supports they needed during hospital stay: (i) group “mild,” including 47 patients with a good prognosis and (ii) group “severe,” including 50 patients who experienced a more severe disease due to severe respiratory distress that required non-invasive or invasive ventilation. Identification of the clusters of bacterial population between patients with mild or severe outcome was assessed by PEnalized LOgistic Regression Analysis (PELORA).ResultsAlthough no changes for Chao1 and Shannon index were observed between the two groups a significant greater proportion of Campylobacterota and Actinobacteriota at phylum level was found in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection who developed a more severe disease characterized by respiratory distress requiring invasive or non-invasive ventilation. Clusters have been identified with a useful early potential prognostic marker of the disease evolution.DiscussionMicroorganisms residing within the gut of the patients at hospital admission, were able to significantly discriminate the clinical evolution of COVID-19 patients, in particular who will develop mild or severe respiratory involvement. Our data show that patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 with mild or severe symptoms display different gut microbiota profiles which can be exploited as potential prognostic biomarkers paving also the way to new integrative therapeutic approaches.
Transformer-based progressive residual network for single image dehazing
Authors: Yang Zhe , Li Xiaoling , Li Jinjiang 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionThe seriously degraded fogging image affects the further visual tasks. How to obtain a fog-free image is not only challenging, but also important in computer vision. Recently, the vision transformer (ViT) architecture has achieved very efficient performance in several vision areas.MethodsIn this paper, we propose a new transformer-based progressive residual network. Different from the existing single-stage ViT architecture, we recursively call the progressive residual network with the introduction of swin transformer. Specifically, our progressive residual network consists of three main components: the recurrent block, the transformer codecs and the supervise fusion module. First, the recursive block learns the features of the input image, while connecting the original image features of the original iteration. Then, the encoder introduces the swin transformer block to encode the feature representation of the decomposed block, and continuously reduces the feature mapping resolution to extract remote context features. The decoder recursively selects and fuses image features by combining attention mechanism and dense residual blocks. In addition, we add a channel attention mechanism between codecs to focus on the importance of different features.Results and discussionThe experimental results show that the performance of this method outperforms state-of-the-art handcrafted and learning-based methods.
Assessment of cognitive impairment after acute cerebral infarction with T1 relaxation time measured by MP2RAGE sequence and cerebral hemodynamic by transcranial Doppler
Authors: Yan Hongting , Chen Honghai , Liu Yanzhi , Zhang Qiannan , Guo Yunchu , Fu Yu , Ren Hongling , Wang Hairong , Wang Chun , Ge Yusong 
Published: December 2022

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate early brain microstructural changes discovered using magnetization-prepared two rapid acquisition gradient echo (MP2RAGE) sequence and cerebral hemodynamic using TCD for cognitive impairment after acute cerebral infarction.MethodsWe enrolled 43 patients with acute cerebral infarction and 21 healthy people in the study, who were subjected to cognitive assessments, the MP2RAGE sequence, and a cerebral hemodynamic examination. A total of 26 brain regions of interest were investigated. Furthermore, we used cerebral hemodynamics to explain brain microstructural changes, which helped us better understand the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment after acute cerebral infarction and guide treatment.ResultsT1 relaxation times in the left frontal lobe, right frontal lobe, right temporal lobe, left precuneus, left thalamus, right hippocampus, right head of caudate nucleus, and splenium of corpus callosum were substantially different across the three groups, which were significantly correlated with neuropsychological test scores. CI group patients had significantly lower cerebral blood flow velocity than those in the N-CI and Normal groups. The receiver operating curve analysis revealed that most T1 relaxation times had high sensitivity and specificity, especially on the right temporal lobe and right frontal lobe. There was a potential correlation between T1 relaxation times and MMSE scores through TCD parameters.ConclusionThe MP2RAGE sequence can detect alterations in whole brain microstructure in patients with cognitive impairment after acute cerebral infarction. Brain microstructural changes could influence cognitive function through cerebral hemodynamics. T1 relaxation times on the right temporal lobe and the right frontal lobe are expected to be a prospective biomarker of cognitive impairment after acute cerebral infarction.
Evaluating the effects of curcumin nanomicelles on clinical outcome and cellular immune responses in critically ill sepsis patients: A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Karimi Arash , Pourreza Sanaz , Vajdi Mahdi , Mahmoodpoor Ata , Sanaie Sarvin , Karimi Mozhde , Tarighat-Esfanjani Ali 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionIn sepsis, the immune system is overreacting to infection, leading to organ dysfunction and death. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of curcumin nanomicelles on clinical outcomes and cellular immune responses in critically ill sepsis patients.MethodFor 10 days, 40 patients in the intensive care units (ICU) were randomized between the nano curcumin (NC) and placebo groups in a randomized study. We evaluated serum levels of biochemical factors, inflammatory biomarkers, the mRNA expression levels of FOXP3, NLRP-3, IFN-γ, and NF-κp genes in the PBMCs, and clinical outcomes before the beginning of the supplementation and on days 5 and 10.ResultsNLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) mRNA expression levels significantly P = 0.014, P = 0.014, and P = 0.019, respectively) decreased, but forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) mRNA expression levels increased significantly (P = 0.008) in the NC group compared to the placebo group after 10 days. NC supplementation decreased serum levels of IL-22, IL-17, and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) (P &lt; 0.05). Nevertheless, biochemical factors and nutritional status did not differ significantly (P &gt; 0.05). NC supplementation resulted in decreased sequential organ failure assessment and multiple organ dysfunction syndromes scores, while it did not have significant impacts on length of stay in the ICU, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, a saturation of oxygen (%), and respiratory rate (breaths/min) PaO2/FiO2 (p &gt; 0.05).ConclusionFor critically ill patients with sepsis, NC supplementation may be an effective therapeutic strategy. More randomized clinical trials involving longer follow-up periods and different doses are needed to achieve the best results.
Vitality, fermentation, aroma profile, and digestive tolerance of the newly selected Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei in fermented apple juice
Authors: Liang Jia Rui , Deng Hong , Hu Ching Yuan , Zhao Peng Tao , Meng Yong Hong 
Published: December 2022

BackgroundTo enrich the probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains and expand the commercialization of new fermented juice products, we have identified two LAB strains with excellent potential in fermenting apple juice from pickles.MethodsThe two strains were morphologically, physiologically, and genetically characterized. The strains’ fermentation performance and alterations in volatile aroma components of apple juice and ability to survive in a simulated gastrointestinal environment were evaluated.ResultsTwo strains were identified as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (WFC 414) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (WFC 502). The growth of WFC 414 and WFC 502 in apple juice for 48 h reached 8.81 and 9.33 log CFU/mL, respectively. Furthermore, 92% and 95% survival rates were achieved in 2 h simulated gastric juice, and 80.7 and 83.6% survival rates in 4 h simulated intestinal juice. During the fermentation, WFC 414 and WFC 502 reduced the soluble sugars and total polyphenols in apple juice, and consumed malic acid to produce large amounts of lactic acid (3.48 and 5.94 mg/mL). In addition, the esters and aldehydes were reduced, and the production of alcohols, acids and ketones was elevated in the apple juice fermented by both strains.ConclusionThese results show that WFC 414 and WFC 502 have great potential applications in the fermented fruit juice industry.
Malnutrition diagnosed by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria predicting survival and clinical outcomes of patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Peng Dadi , Zong Kezhen , Yang Hang , Huang Zuotian , Mou Tong , Jiang Puen , Wu Zhongjun 
Published: December 2022

ObjectivesRecently, some cohorts have looked into the use of Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria in cancer patients. The objective of the current meta-analysis was to determine its utility in predicting clinical and survival outcomes for cancer patients.MethodSearching and screening literature from PubMed, Web of Science and Embase until September 13, 2022 was performed by two researchers independently. According to the exclusion and inclusion criteria, articles reporting the impact of malnutrition diagnosed by GLIM on long-term survival and clinical outcomes were included. Data of interest were also extracted from the included papers. The stability of the pooled results was evaluated using sensitivity analysis. With the aid of subgroup analysis, heterogeneity was revealed. To assess publication bias, Egger’s and Begg’s tests were conducted. The influence of publication bias on the pooling risk estimate was examined using a trim-and-fill analysis.Results15 studies that qualified for our study were identified. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) from both multivariate and univariate regression analysis showed a worse overall survival in GLIM-defined malnourished cancer patients than those in well-nourished status. Meanwhile, disease-free survival was also poorer in malnourished patients. Moreover, pooled odds ratio (OR) demonstrated that malnourished cancer patients were more likely to develop overall postoperative complications, complications ≥ Clavien-Dindo grade IIa and complications ≥ Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa. Two articles reported negative relation between GLIM-defined malnutrition and 30-day readmission/mortality.ConclusionGLIM-defined malnutrition possesses value in predicting poorer survival and clinical outcomes for cancer patients.Systematic review registration[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=321094], identifier [CRD42022321094].
Nomograms predict survival benefits of radical prostatectomy and chemotherapy for prostate cancer with bone metastases: A SEER‐based study
Authors: Sun Donglin , Lin Ao , Sun Zhun , Yang Shuqi , Sun Yuexin , Chen Anning , Qian Guojun , Ji Zhonghua , Wang Li 
Published: December 2022

PurposeThis study aimed to identify independent prognosis-associated factors of bone-metastatic prostate cancer. The nomograms were further developed to obtain indicators for the prognostic evaluation.MethodsA total of 7315 bone-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) patients from 2010 to 2016 were retrospectively collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients were randomly divided into the training cohort (n=5,120) and test cohort (n=2,195) in a ratio of 7:3. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were applied to evaluate potential risk factors. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was further performed to decrease the confounding effect and re-evaluate the influence of radical prostatectomy and chemotherapy on prognosis. Combining these potential prognosis factors, the nomograms of cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) at different times were established. C-indexes, calibration curves, and decision curves were developed to evaluate the discrimination, calibration, and clinical benefit of the nomograms.ResultsEleven independent prognosis factors for CSS and twelve for OS were utilized to conduct the nomograms respectively. The C-indexes of nomograms for CSS and OS were 0.712 and 0.702, respectively. A favorable consistency between the predicted and actual survival probabilities was demonstrated by adopting calibration curves. Decision curves also exhibited a positive clinical benefit of the nomograms.ConclusionsNomograms were formulated successfully to predict 3-year and 5-year CSS and OS for bone-metastatic PCa patients. Radical prostatectomy and chemotherapy were strongly associated with the bone-metastatic PCa prognosis.
Case report: Fractional brain tumor burden magnetic resonance mapping to assess response to pulsed low-dose-rate radiotherapy in newly-diagnosed glioblastoma
Authors: Amidon Ryan F. , Santos-Pinheiro Fernando , Straza Michael , Prah Melissa A. , Mueller Wade M. , Krucoff Max O. , Connelly Jennifer M. , Kleefisch Christopher J. , Coss Dylan J. , Cochran Elizabeth J. , Bovi Joseph A. , Schultz Christopher J. , Schmainda Kathleen M. 
Published: December 2022

BackgroundPulsed low-dose-rate radiotherapy (pLDR) is a commonly used reirradiation technique for recurrent glioma, but its upfront use with temozolomide (TMZ) following primary resection of glioblastoma is currently under investigation. Because standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has limitations in differentiating treatment effect from tumor progression in such applications, perfusion-weighted MRI (PWI) can be used to create fractional tumor burden (FTB) maps to spatially distinguish active tumor from treatment-related effect.MethodsWe performed PWI prior to re-resection in four patients with glioblastoma who had undergone upfront pLDR concurrent with TMZ who had radiographic suspicion for tumor progression at a median of 3 months (0-5 months or 0-143 days) post-pLDR. The pathologic diagnosis was compared to retrospectively-generated FTB maps.ResultsThe median patient age was 55.5 years (50-60 years). All were male with IDH-wild type (n=4) and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) hypermethylated (n=1) molecular markers. Pathologic diagnosis revealed treatment effect (n=2), a mixture of viable tumor and treatment effect (n=1), or viable tumor (n=1). In 3 of 4 cases, FTB maps were indicative of lesion volumes being comprised predominantly of treatment effect with enhancing tumor volumes comprised of a median of 6.8% vascular tumor (6.4-16.4%).ConclusionThis case series provides insight into the radiographic response to upfront pLDR and TMZ and the role for FTB mapping to distinguish tumor progression from treatment effect prior to redo-surgery and within 20 weeks post-radiation.
The immune checkpoint expression in the tumor immune microenvironment of DLBCL: Clinicopathologic features and prognosis
Authors: Ma Jiajia , Pang Xuelian , Li Junna , Zhang Wei , Cui Wenli 
Published: December 2022

Background &amp; aimsThe immune checkpoint recently provides a new strategy for the immunotherapy of malignant tumors. However, the role in the immune microenvironment of DLBCL is not completely clear.MethodsWe detected the expression of PD-1, LAG-3, TIM-3, and TIGIT on TILs and on tumor cells among 174 DLBCL patients by IHC.ResultsIn TILs, the positive rates of PD-1, LAG-3, TIM-3 and TIGIT were 79.3%, 78.8%, 62.7% and 69.5%, respectively.TIM-3 and TIGIT were expressed in 44.8% and 45.4% of tumor cells. The expression of TIM-3 in TILs was significantly correlated with the Ann-Arbor stage (P=0.039). There was a positive correlation Between PD-1 and LAG-3 or TIM-3 and TIGIT.In addition, LAG-3 expression in TILs was associated with inferior prognosis.Multivariate analysis showed that PS score and R-CHOP therapy were independent risk factors for OS and PFS in patients with DLBCL (P=0.000).ConclusionsThe expression level of TIM-3 is closely related to the Ann-Arbor stage, which may be expected to be a new index to evaluate the invasiveness of DLBCL. PD-1 was correlated with the expression of LAG-3, and the high expression of LAG-3 and LAG-3/PD-1 predicted the poor prognosis of DLBCL. Therefore, LAG-3 may become a new target of immunotherapy, or be used in combination with PD-1 inhibitors to improve the drug resistance of current patients with DLBCL.
Microscopic polyangiitis presenting with persistent cough and hemoptysis in pediatrics: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Zhu Yantong , Zheng Xiangrong 
Published: December 2022

BackgroundMicroscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a necrotizing vasculitis that involves small- and medium-sized vessels and is associated with the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies with a perinuclear staining pattern (p-ANCA). The kidney and lungs are the organs primarily affected. MPA is rare in children and is easily misdiagnosed. Below is a complete case history of the course of the disease.Case presentationAn 11-year-old girl with a 1-month history of cough and hemoptysis showed no improvement after imipenem-cilastatin treatment. p-ANCA and microscopic hematuria and proteinuria were positive, and a chest CT revealed an area of shadow in the bilateral lower lobe of the lungs. Renal biopsies showed crescentic glomerulonephritis, and MPA was diagnosed based on these criteria. The patient exhibited dramatic clinical and imaging improvements after immunosuppressive treatment.ConclusionThe organs most commonly involved in MPA in children are the lungs, kidneys, skin, nervous system organs, and organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Careful examination should be carried out in these patients while biopsies of the kidney or any other organs remain the gold standard for diagnostic purposes. Pulmonary involvement may be the initial symptom of the disease and should not be confused with pneumonia. A urinalysis should be performed in patients with hemoptysis. Antibiotics should be used with caution.
Social independence evaluation index for Japanese patients with childhood-onset chronic diseases
Authors: Inoue Yuzaburo , Umebayashi Hiroaki , Matsui Toshihiro , Nishiyama Susumu , Sakurai Ikuho , Maru Mitsue , Takeda Tetsuro , Tanigawa Koji , Miyamae Takako 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionThis study established an independent evaluation index for patients with childhood-onset chronic diseases in Japan.MethodsFrom November to December 2020, three Delphi rounds were conducted. Thirty-nine participants completed at least one survey. We asked them about targets of social independence for 10 types of activities (education/labor/finance/acquisition of necessities/housing/transportation/leisure/social relationship/intimate relationships/sexuality). The Delphi technique was to be repeated until a consensus of over 80% of participants was reached.ResultsThe targets chosen for measuring independence in patients with childhood-onset chronic diseases were as follows: “Graduation from high school,” “Labor for livelihood (including temporary turnover),” “Financially independent (including temporary turnover, excluding students),” “Buy or rent a house and buy the daily necessities and get the public services you need to live,” “Do housework alone,” “Plan alone and use transportation to get around,” “Participate in play/recreation/leisure activities on own initiative,” “Engage in relationships with other people outside of a limited environment (home, school, office, hospital, etc.),” “Create and maintain intimate or romantic relationships between individuals (couples, lovers, sexual partners),” and “Use or know how to use contraceptives and how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.”ConclusionsWe established an independent evaluation index for patients with childhood-onset chronic diseases in Japan through a three-round Delphi process. The assessment of social independence using our independent evaluation index may help plan for and provide appropriate support and assistance to these patients.
Pediatric pulmonary actinomycosis: A misdiagnosed case report
Authors: Yilin Zhao , Xinyi Liu , Longwei Sun , Hongwu Zeng 
Published: December 2022

BackgroundPulmonary actinomycosis is an uncommon kind of bacterial illness caused by actinomycetes, involving the chest wall in extraordinarily rare cases. Due to non-specific clinical signs and perplexing radiological characteristics, this kind of pulmonary actinomycosis is frequently misinterpreted as a malignant tumor or lung abscess.Case presentationAn 11-year-old child presented with a palpable lump on his left chest and periodic chest discomfort. An irregular soft-tissue mass in the left upper zone with bony destruction was first identified as a malignant small round cell tumor (MSRCT) known as an Askin tumor on post-contrast CT. However, pathological biopsy of the pulmonary lesion through the chest wall revealed actinomycosis.ConclusionPulmonary actinomycosis is an uncommon bacterial illness that has a variety of clinical manifestations, particularly in young patients. A chest lump with nearby “lace-like” rib bone destruction was the distinguishing characteristic of our case. For appropriate treatment and diagnosis, infection with actinomycosis should be considered when observing a similar chest lump. Pathological biopsy, as a valuable diagnostic tool, can help to distinguish between infectious diseases and thoracic tumors. The pathological manifestations of actinomycosis are characterized by inflammatory lesions that range from purulent to granuloma-like inflammatory processes, and second-generation sequencing of alveolar lavage fluid can help to confirm pathogens.