bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
P18.11.A Active beam scanning proton therapy for large skull base benign meningiomas: long-term results
Authors: Amelio D , Lo Faro L , Corsini F , Donner D , Chioffi F , Volpin F , Volpin L , Chierichetti F , Sarubbo S , Scartoni D 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Purpose
To report long-term results of active beam scanning proton therapy (PT) for large skull base benign meningiomas

Material and Methods
Eighty-two patients (pts) with large skull base meningiomas were treated with PT between April 2015 and December 2021. Median age was 62 years (range, 48-82) while KPS ranged between 60 and 100 (median 90); 60 were female (73%), and 22 were male (27%). Thirty-two pts (39%) had histologically proven World Health Organization (WHO) Grade I tumors. In remaining pts diagnosis was based on the typical imaging appearance of benign meningioma. All patients received PT for residual, progressive or non-operable lesions. Newly diagnosed tumors received total dose of 50 GyRBE (RBE: relative biologic effectiveness) while progressing meningiomas 54 GyRBE. All the treatments were delivered at 2 GyRBE per fraction. All pts were treated with active beam scanning PT using 3 fields with single field optimization technique. Treatment planning was based on morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast enhancement medium administration. All pts received also 68-Ga-DOTATOC-PET. Gross tumor volume ranged from 21 to 64 cc. Toxicity was assessed according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. Median follow-up time was 40 months (range, 3-83).

Results
All pts completed the treatment without breaks. Registered acute side effects include grade 1 (19%) and grade 2 (8%) skin erythema, grade 1 (5%) and grade 2 (5%) alopecia, grade 1 (40%) fatigue, grade 1 (5%) and grade 2 (10%) conjunctivitis, grade 1 (10%) pain, grade 1 (5%) blurred vision, grade 1 (10%) headache, and grade 2 (5%) skin hyperpigmentation. One pts (1%) experienced grade 3 pain. There were no further grade 3 or higher acute toxicities. Registered late side effects include grade 1 (2%) and grade 2 (5%) alopecia, grade 1 (21%) fatigue, grade 1 (5%) and grade 2 (5%) headache, grade 1 (6%) dizziness, grade 1 (3%) blurred vision, grade 1 (3%) and grade 2 (6%) pain, grade 1 (2%) dry eye, and grade 1 (5%) skin hyperpigmentation. Two pts (2%) experienced grade 3 pain. Two further pts (2%) experienced grade 3 optic neuropathy. There were no further grade 3 or higher late toxicities. During follow-up one pts (1%) with cavernous sinus meningioma experienced complete obstruction of intracavernous carotid artery with mild transient symptoms that resolved in few days and brain tissue ischemia detected at MRI (grade 2). Before irradiation this pts already had a meningioma-related near-complete obstruction of the intracavernous carotid artery and received a vascular surgery evaluation. Currently, absolute tumor control is 99%. Moreover, relief of symptoms recorded before irradiation occurred in 40% of pts.

Conclusion
PT is safe and effective treatment for pts with large skull base benign meningiomas.
Evolutions of Metabolic Parameters Following Switches of Psychotropic Drugs: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: Piras Marianna , Ranjbar Setareh , Laaboub Nermine , Grosu Claire , Gamma Franziska , Plessen Kerstin Jessica , von Gunten Armin , Conus Philippe , Eap Chin Bin 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
Several psychotropic drugs can induce weight gain and metabolic alterations. The authors compared metabolic evolutions of patients switching versus continuing psychotropic treatments with different risk profiles.

Methods
Patients either switched from a high- to a medium- (N = 36) or low-risk drug (N = 27), from a medium- to a low-risk drug (N = 71), or to a same-risk drug (N = 61). Controls were kept using either a high- (N = 35), medium- (N = 155), or low-risk drug (N = 47). The evolution over 2 years of weight and metabolic parameters was analyzed using linear mixed-effect models, also examining the influence of polygenic risk scores for body mass index (BMI) or BMI and psychiatric disorders.

Study Results
High-, medium-, or low-risk controls gained on average 1.32%, 0.42%, and 0.36% more weight per month than patients switching from or within these risk categories (P &lt; .001, P &lt; .001, and P = .003, respectively). High-to-high or high-to-medium switches resulted in a greater weight increase than switching to lower-risk categories (+0.77% and + 0.39% respectively, P &lt; .001). No difference was found between switching medium-to-medium and medium-to-low (P ≈ 1). Switching high-to-low resulted in 10% weight loss after 2 years, with the greatest loss occurring the first 6 months after the switch. Compared with high-risk controls, lower total cholesterol (−0.27 mmol/l, P = .043) in the high-to-low group, and lower glucose (−0.44 mmol/l, P = .032) and systolic blood pressure (−5.50 mmHg, P = .034) in the low-to-low group were found. Polygenic scores were not associated with weight changes in controls or after switching.

Conclusion
Psychotropic switches to a lower- or same-risk drug can attenuate weight gain, with only switching high to low resulting in weight loss.
Noninvasive diagnostic value of indocyanine green retention test in patients with esophagogastric varices in liver cirrhosis
Authors: Zhou Lina , Lin Yong , Pan Chen , Han Xiao , Huang Zuxiong , Sun Fang , Zhou Rui , Lin Chun 
Published: September 2022

Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the value of the indocyanine green retention test (ICG-R15) as a noninvasive predictor of gastroesophageal varices (GOV) in cirrhosis.

Methods
A total of 629 patients with cirrhosis who were admitted to Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University between June 2016 and September 2020 (450 in the trial group and 179 in the validation group) were selected. The trial group was divided into a GOV group and a non-GOV group based on gastroscopic findings. The two group’s ICG results, clinical hematological, biochemical, and ultrasound parameters were compared. A predictive model for the noninvasive diagnosis of GOV was developed by applying binary logistic regression analysis and compared with previous common noninvasive diagnostic methods, followed by model validation in a validation group.

Results
ICG-R15 is positively correlated with the degree of varicose veins. Univariate and multifactorial logistic regression analyses showed that PLT, PT, ICG-R15, splenic length, splenic vein diameter, and the presence of ascites were independent predictors of GOV. Predictive equation 1 for GOV was constructed based on the above factors: Logistic (Y1) = 1.327 × PLT + 0.691 × PT + 1.110 × ICG-R15 + 0.581 × SVD + 0.815 × SD + 1.130 × presence of ascites − 2.133, which predicted GOV in cirrhosis with an AUC of 0.861, sensitivity 84.5%, and specificity 74.1%. As the internal diameter of the splenic vein and the long diameter of the spleen are influenced by subjective factors and data are not easily available, we removed these two factors and constructed the prediction equation logistic (Y2) = 1.516 × PLT + 0.856 × PT + 1.135 × R15 + 1.297 × presence of ascites − 1.513. AUC for predicting GOV was also high at 0.850, with a sensitivity of 75.3% and a specificity of 83.2%. Similar results were obtained in the validation group. However, the previous GOV prediction models ARPI, AAR, FIB-4, Lok, FI, and King had AUCs of 0.731, 0.643, 0.781, 0.763, 0.735, and 0.730, respectively, in our trial group, with only low-to-moderate diagnostic efficacy.

Conclusion
ICG-R15 correlates with the severity of GOV in cirrhosis, and the models based on it can further improve the noninvasive diagnostic efficacy of GOV.
Efficacy and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for the treatment of schistosomiasis-induced portal hypertension: a retrospective case series
Authors: Huang Songjiang , Liu Jiacheng , Yao Jinghong , Zhao Jianbo , Wang Yingliang , Ju Shuguang , Wang Chaoyang , Yang Chongtu , Bai Yaowei , Xiong Bin 
Published: September 2022

Background and aim
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the treatment of portal hypertension caused by schistosomiasis.

Methods
This study included 43 patients with schistosomiasis-induced portal hypertension treated with TIPS in our institution from December 2015 to May 2021. The demographic, imaging, clinical and follow-up data of patients were recorded retrospectively to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the procedure.

Results
All patients were successfully implanted with stents to establish shunt, and 90.7% of the patients were in good postoperative condition with no complications. After TIPS, the Yerdel grade of portal vein thrombosis decreased, and the portal pressure gradient decreased from 27.0 ± 4.9 mmHg to 11.3 ± 3.8 mmHg (P < 0.001). Bleeding was effectively controlled, with a postoperative rebleeding rate of 9.3%, which was an 87.9% reduction from the preoperative rate. The cumulative incidence of postoperative refractory ascites, shunt dysfunction, overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) and death were all similar to those of TIPS for nonschistosomiasis portal hypertension. There were no differences in liver and kidney function and blood coagulation indexes before and 3 months after TIPS. Albumin was identified as an independent risk factor for mortality after TIPS for schistosomal liver fibrosis.

Conclusion
TIPS can be used as a well-tolerated and effective treatment for schistosomiasis-induced portal hypertension, effectively reduce portal pressure gradient and improve portal vein thrombosis.
Effect of Application of Titanium Dioxide in the Management of Fusarium Wilt and Fruit Yield of Some Tomato Accessions
Authors: Olanrewaju R. O. , Popoola A. R. , Afolabi C. G. , Bodunde J. G. , Ganiyu S. A. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractTomato (Solanum lycopoersicum L.) is often threatened by wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporium f.sp lycopersici. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been reported to promote plant growth and reduce disease severity. This experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of TiO2 application on incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt as well as yield indices of three susceptible tomato accessions. A 3 × 5 factorial experiment fitted into Completely Randomized Design and Randomized Complete Block Design in both the screenhouse and the field, respectively. All experiments were set up with three replications. The treatments consisted of three tomato accessions (CPTTO/19/191, CPTTO/19/193 and CPTTO/19/195) and TiO2 with four concentrations (0.3, 0.7, 1.0 and 1.3 ml/l) was applied using soil drenching. Plots without TiO2 application served as the control. In both screenhouse and the field experiments, application of 1.3 ml/l TiO2 significantly reduced the incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt with better yield of tomato fruit in the three accessions than the control plots and pots. The study concluded that application of TiO2 at 1.3 ml/l reduced incidence and severity of Fusaruim wilt of tomato and increased the yield of tomato.
Ecology and age, but not genetic ancestry, predict fetal loss in a wild baboon hybrid zone
Authors: Fogel Arielle S. , Oduor Peter O. , Nyongesa Albert W. , Kimwele Charles N. , Alberts Susan C. , Archie Elizabeth A. , Tung Jenny 
Published: September 2022

AbstractObjectivesPregnancy failure and fetal loss represent a major fitness cost for any mammal, particularly those with slow life histories such as primates. Here, we quantified the risk of fetal loss in wild hybrid baboons, including genetic, ecological, and demographic sources of variance. We were particularly interested in testing the hypothesis that hybridization imposes a cost by increasing fetal loss rates. Such an effect would help explain how baboons maintain taxonomic integrity despite interspecific gene flow.Materials and MethodsWe analyzed pregnancy outcomes for 1,020 pregnancies observed over 46 years in a natural yellow baboon-anubis baboon hybrid zone. Fetal losses and live births were scored based on near-daily records of female reproductive state and the appearance of live neonates. We modeled the probability of fetal loss as a function of a female’s genetic ancestry (based on whole-genome resequencing data), age, number of previous fetal losses, dominance rank, group size, climate, and habitat quality using binomial mixed effects models.ResultsFemale genetic ancestry did not predict the likelihood of fetal loss. Instead, the risk of fetal loss is elevated for very young and very old females. Fetal loss is most robustly predicted by ecological factors, including poor habitat quality and extreme heat during pregnancy.DiscussionOur results suggest that gene flow between yellow baboons and anubis baboons is not impeded by an increased risk of fetal loss for hybrid females. Instead, ecological conditions and female age are key determinants of this component of female reproductive success.Research HighlightsFemale baboons do not experience fetal loss as a cost of hybridization.Heat stress, poor habitat quality, and young and old age elevate the risk of fetal loss, emphasizing roles for ecology and life history in determining birth outcomes.Graphical AbstractNeonate drawings by Emily Nonnamaker.
Evidence of prezygotic isolation, but not assortative mating, between locally adapted populations ofFundulus heteroclitusacross a salinity gradient
Authors: Brennan Reid S. , Whitehead Andrew 
Published: September 2022

AbstractSelection along environmental gradients can drive reproductive isolation and speciation. Among fishes, salinity is a major factor limiting species distributions and, despite its importance in generating species diversity, transitions between marine and freshwater are rare. Here, we tested for mechanisms of reproductive isolation between locally adapted freshwater and brackish water-native populations of killifish,Fundulus heteroclitus, from either side of a hybrid zone along a salinity gradient. There was evidence for pre-zygotic endogenous reproductive isolation with reduced fertilization success between crosses of freshwater-native males and brackish water-native females. Exogenous pre-zygotic isolation was also present where females had highest fertilization in their native salinity. We used a replicated mass spawning design to test for mate choice in both brackish and fresh water. After genotyping 187 parents and 2,523 offspring at 2,347 SNPs across the genome, 85% of offspring were successfully assign to their parents. However, no reinforcing mate choice was observed. These results therefore demonstrate emerging, yet limited, reproductive isolation and incipient speciation across a marine to freshwater salinity gradient and suggest that both endogenous and exogenous mechanisms, but not assortative mating, contribute to divergence.
Real-Time Interactive Visualization and Analysis of Neurotransmitter Data
Authors: Homescu Anne Thomas , Murray Teresa 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWe describe an interactive visualizer (implemented in R Shiny framework) to facilitate analysis and a better understanding of neurotransmitter data collected within the context of epileptic seizures.Given the very high granularity of collected data (at millisecond level), it is challenging to use static visuals and/or tables for deeper data insights and features. Such challenges are greatly alleviated through an interactive visualizer (dashboard) which has ability to zoom out (for “big picture” analysis) and to zoom in (for a much more focused and targeted targeted analysis).The visualizer is available at link https://kittyviz.shinyapps.io/GluGabaViz
Mechanistic analysis of a novel membrane-interacting variable loop in the pleckstrin-homology domain critical for dynamin function
Authors: Khurana Himani , Bhattacharyya Soumya , Pucadyil Thomas 
Published: September 2022

AbstractClassical dynamins are best understood for their ability to generate vesicles by membrane fission. During clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), dynamin is recruited to the membrane through multivalent protein and lipid interactions between its Proline Rich Domain (PRD) with SRC Homology 3 (SH3) domains in endocytic proteins and its Pleckstrin Homology Domain (PHD) with membrane lipids. Variable loops (VL) in the PHD bind lipids and partially insert into the membrane thereby anchoring the PHD to the membrane. Recent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal a novel VL4 that interacts with the membrane. Importantly, a missense mutation that reduces VL4 hydrophobicity is linked to an autosomal dominant form of Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) neuropathy. To mechanistically link data from simulations with the CMT neuropathy, we analyzed functions of a VL4 mutant with reduced hydrophobicity. In assays that rely solely on lipid-based membrane recruitment, this mutant showed an acute membrane curvature-dependent binding and fission. Remarkably, in assays that mimic a physiological multivalent lipid- and protein-based recruitment, this mutant was completely defective in fission across a range of membrane curvatures. Importantly, expression of this mutant in cells inhibited CME, consistent with the autosomal dominant phenotype associated with the CMT neuropathy. Together, our results emphasize the significance of finely tuned lipid and protein interactions for efficient dynamin function.
Evaluating microbial contaminations of alternative heating oils
Authors: Surger Maximilian J. , Mayer Katharina , Shivaram Karthik , Stibany Felix , Plum Wilfried , Schäffer Andreas , Eiden Simon , Blank Lars M. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractSince 2008, legislative initiatives for climate protection and reduced dependency on fossil resource imports led to the introduction of biofuels as CO2-reduced alternatives in the heating oil sector. In the case of biodiesel, the oil industry or its customers were confronted with accelerated and escalating microbial contaminations during heating oil storage. Since then, other fuel alternatives, like hydrogenated vegetable oils, gas-to-liquid products (GtL), or Oxymethylenether (OME) have been or will be developed and potentially introduced to the market. In this study, we use online monitoring of microbial CO2 production and the simulation of onset of microbial contamination to investigate the contamination potential of fuel alternatives during storage. As reference and blends, fossil heating oils of various refineries, in the course of this from various crude oils, and refinery processes reveal considerable variation in potential microbial activity. Oxymethylene ethers have an antimicrobial effect, while various forms of biodiesel confirm the promotion of microbial activity and diversity. The paraffinic Fischer-Tropsch products and biogenic hydrogenation products demonstrate high resistance to microbial contamination despite allowing microbial diversity. Through an array of analytics, including advanced chromatography coupled mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and microbial sequencing, we can discuss critical fuel properties that promote or inhibit microbial contaminations. In summary, novel, non-fossil heating oils show different strengths and weaknesses for long-term storage. Designing blends for microbial activity reduced long-term storage might be an option. While being niche products, these fuels will contribute to the rapid reduction of fossil resource use.
Localizing post-admixture adaptive variants with object detection on ancestry-painted chromosomes
Authors: Hamid Iman , Korunes Katharine L. , Schrider Daniel R. , Goldberg Amy 
Published: September 2022

AbstractGene flow between previously isolated populations during the founding of an admixed or hybrid population has the potential to introduce adaptive alleles into the new population. If the adaptive allele is common in one source population, but not the other, then as the adaptive allele rises in frequency in the admixed population, genetic ancestry from the source containing the adaptive allele will increase nearby as well. Patterns of genetic ancestry have therefore been used to identify post-admixture positive selection in humans and other animals, including examples in immunity, metabolism, and animal coloration. A common method identifies regions of the genome that have local ancestry ‘outliers’ compared to the distribution across the rest of the genome, considering each locus independently. However, we lack theoretical models for expected distributions of ancestry under various demographic scenarios, resulting in potential false positives and false negatives. Further, ancestry patterns between distant sites are often not independent. As a result, current methods tend to infer wide genomic regions containing many genes as under selection, limiting biological interpretation. Instead, we develop a deep learning object detection method applied to images generated from local ancestry-painted genomes. This approach preserves information from the surrounding genomic context and avoids potential pitfalls of user-defined summary statistics. We find the-method is robust to a variety of demographic misspecifications using simulated data. Applied to human genotype data from Cabo Verde, we localize a known adaptive locus to a single narrow region compared to multiple or long windows obtained using two other ancestry-based methods.
Genesis of Ecto-symbiotic features based on Commensalistic Syntrophy
Authors: Krishnan Nandakishor , Csiszár Villő , Móri Tamás F. , Garay József 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe origin of eukaryotes and organellogenesis have been recognized as a major evolutionary transition and subject to in-depth studies. Acknowledging the fact that the initial interactions and conditions of cooperative behaviour between free-living single-celled organisms are widely debated, we narrow our scope to a single mechanism that could possibly have set-off multi-species associations. We hypothesize that the very first step in the evolution of such cooperative behaviour could be a single mutation in an ancestral symbiont genome that results in the formation of an ecto-commensalism with its obligate ancestral host. We investigate the ecological and evolutionary stability of inter-species microbial interactions with vertical transmissions as an association based on syntrophy (cross-feeding). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a commensalistic model based on the syntrophy hypothesis is considered in the framework of coevolutionary dynamics and invadability by mutant phenotype into a monomorphic resident system.