bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Added Value of Multi-slice CT Scan (320 Slice) in Evaluation of Cardiac Complications Post COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Ragaie Somia Tarak , Khodair Sameh Ahmed , El-Sokkary Hatem Mohamed , Mubarak Amr Ahmed , Reda Alaa Mohamed 
Published: November 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had affected population health throughout the world. Few studies had focused on post-COVID19 complications detection using multi-slice CT scans. Our trial aimed to assess the value of cardiac CT utility during the COVID-19 pandemic for the detection of cardiac complications and correlation with the severity scoring system for chest manifestations. Since the beginning of COVID-19 outbreak, cardiac computed tomography (CT) had a sudden increased value and use with a huge reduction in face-to-face patient care and elective diagnostic testing. This study started from May 2021 to April 2022 in a single cardiac CT centre. This prospective cohort trial was conducted on 40 patients proved to have COVID-19 infection by positive RT-PCR test for COVID-19 and/or CT chest manifestations. CT results were reviewed and compared to echocardiography and/or catheterization data.
Results: In the CT severity score, the more severe score for COVID-19 infection was noted in cases with coronary artery occlusion and pulmonary embolic diseases. Meanwhile, the mild and moderate severity score groups developed myocarditis, pericarditis, and dilated cardiomyopathy, respectively, with statically significant differences with p-value= 0.007 for coronary artery disease (CAD) and 0.026 for pulmonary embolism. The significance of echocardiography examination was noted in cases with pericarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy, with p-value= 0.018 for pericarditis and 0.01 for dilated cardiomyopathy.
Conclusions: MSCT is a very useful technique to for patients presenting with suspected post-COVID cardiac complications, in addition to severity scoring of chest involvement, also providing its correlation with the occurrence of cardiac complications.
Evaluation of Clinical and Safety Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Combined With Chemotherapy for Patients With Resectable Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Ge Fan , Huo Zhenyu , Cai Xiuyu , Hu Qiyuan , Chen Wenhao , Lin Guo , Zhong Ran , You Zhending , Wang Rui , Lu Yi , Wang Runchen , Huang Qinhong , Zhang Haotian , Song Aiqi , Li Caichen , Wen Yaokai , Jiang Yu , Liang Hengrui , He Jianxing , Liang Wenhua , Liu Jun 
Published: November 2022

ImportanceA considerable number of clinical trials of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for patients with resectable esophageal cancer are emerging. However, systematic evaluations of these studies are lacking.ObjectiveTo provide state-of-the-art evidence and normative theoretical support for neoadjuvant immunotherapy for locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer.Data SourcesPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for relevant original articles and conference proceedings that were published in English through April 1, 2022.Study SelectionPublished phase 2 or 3 clinical trials that included patients with resectable stage I to IV esophageal cancer who received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) before surgery as monotherapy or in combination with other therapies.Data Extraction and SynthesisThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses and the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines for meta-analysis were followed to extract data. A random-effects model was adopted if the heterogeneity was significant (I2 statistic &amp;gt;50%); otherwise, the common-effects model was used. Data analyses were conducted from April 2 to 8, 2022.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPathological complete response (pCR) rate and major pathological response (MPR) rate were considered to be the primary outcomes calculated for the clinical outcomes of neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Incidence of treatment-related severe adverse events was set as the major measure for the safety outcome. The rate of R0 surgical resection was summarized. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to histologic subtype and ICI types.ResultsA total of 27 clinical trials with 815 patients were included. Pooled rates were 31.4% (95% CI, 27.6%-35.3%) for pCR and 48.9% (95% CI, 42.0-55.9%) for MCR in patients with esophageal cancer. In terms of safety, the pooled incidence of treatment-related severe adverse events was 26.9% (95% CI, 16.7%-38.3%). Most patients achieved R0 surgical resection (98.6%; 95% CI, 97.1%-99.6%). Regarding histologic subtypes, the pooled pCR rates were 32.4% (95% CI, 28.2%-36.8%) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and 25.2% (95% CI, 16.3%-35.1%) in esophageal adenocarcinoma. The pooled MPR rate was 49.4% (95% CI, 42.1%-56.7%) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Conclusions and RelevanceThis study found that neoadjuvant immunotherapy with chemotherapy had promising clinical and safety outcomes for patients with resectable esophageal cancer. Randomized clinical trials with long-term follow-up are warranted to validate the findings and benefits of ICIs.
Further characterization of NFIB‐associated phenotypes: Report of two new individuals
Authors: Marinella Gemma , Conti Eugenia , Buchignani Bianca , Sgherri Giada , Pasquariello Rosa , Giordano Flavio , Cristofani Paola , Battini Roberta , Battaglia Agatino 
Published: November 2022

AbstractNuclear Factor I B (NFIB) haploinsufficiency has recently been identified as a cause of intellectual disability (ID) and macrocephaly. Here we report on two new individuals carrying a microdeletion in the chromosomal region 9p23‐p22.3 containing NFIB. The first is a 7‐year 9‐month old boy with developmental delays, ID, definite facial anomalies, and brain and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging findings including periventricular nodular heterotopia, hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, arachnoid cyst in the left middle cranial fossa, syringomyelia in the thoracic spinal cord and distal tract of the conus medullaris, and a stretched appearance of the filum terminale. The second is a 32‐year‐old lady (the proband' mother) with dysmorphic features, and a history of learning disability, hypothyroidism, poor growth, left inguinal hernia, and panic attacks. Her brain magnetic resonance imaging findings include a dysmorphic corpus callosum, and a small cyst in the left choroidal fissure that marks the hippocampal head. Array‐based comparative genomic hybridization identified, in both, a 232 Kb interstitial deletion at 9p23p22.3 including several exons of NFIB and no other known genes. Our two individuals add to the knowledge of this rare disorder through the addition of new brain and spinal cord MRI findings and dysmorphic features. We propose that NFIB haploinsufficiency causes a clinically recognizable malformation‐ID syndrome.
Association of spermidine plasma levels with brain aging in a population‐based study
Authors: Wortha Silke M. , Frenzel Stefan , Bahls Martin , Habes Mohamad , Wittfeld Katharina , Van der Auwera Sandra , Bülow Robin , Zylla Stephanie , Friedrich Nele , Nauck Matthias , Völzke Henry , Grabe Hans J. , Schwarz Claudia , Flöel Agnes 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIntroductionSupplementation with spermidine may support healthy aging, but elevated spermidine tissue levels were shown to be an indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD).MethodsData from 659 participants (age range: 21–81 years) of the population‐based Study of Health in Pomerania TREND were included. We investigated the association between spermidine plasma levels and markers of brain aging (hippocampal volume, AD score, global cortical thickness [CT], and white matter hyperintensities [WMH]).ResultsHigher spermidine levels were significantly associated with lower hippocampal volume (ß = −0.076; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.13 to −0.02;q= 0.026), higher AD score (ß = 0.118; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.19;q= 0.006), lower global CT (ß = −0.104; 95% CI: −0.17 to −0.04;q= 0.014), but not WMH volume. Sensitivity analysis revealed no substantial changes after excluding participants with cancer, depression, or hemolysis.DiscussionElevated spermidine plasma levels are associated with advanced brain aging and might serve as potential early biomarker for AD and vascular brain pathology.
Diagnostic accuracy of angiography‐based vessel fractional flow reserve after chronic coronary total occlusion recanalization
Authors: Scoccia Alessandra , Scarparo Paola , Neleman Tara , Kakar Hala , Wilschut Jeroen , Den Dekker Wijnand K. , Zijlstra Felix , Van Mieghem Nicolas M. , Daemen Joost , Diletti Roberto 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundAngiography‐based vessel fractional flow reserve (vFFR) demonstrated a strong correlation with invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) in both a pre‐ and post‐percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) setting. However, the role of vFFR and its correlation with post‐PCI FFR in chronic coronary occlusions (CTO) has not been evaluated yet. We sought to investigate the diagnostic performance of post‐PCI vFFR with post‐PCI FFR as a reference in patients undergoing successful CTO PCI.MethodsBetween March 2016 and April 2020, a total of 80 patients from the FFR‐SEARCH (prospective registry) and FFR REACT (randomized controlled trial) studies underwent successful CTO recanalization with post‐PCI FFR measurements.ResultsA total of 50 patients (median age 66 (interquartile range [IQR]: 56−74) years, 76% were male) were eligible for the analysis. Median post‐PCI FFR was 0.89 (IQR: 0.84−0.94), while median post‐PCI vFFR was 0.91 (IQR: 0.85−0.94) (p 0.10). Suboptimal physiological results, defined as FFR and vFFR <0.90, were identified in 26 (52%) and in 21 (42%) patients, respectively. A strong correlation (r = 0.82) was found between vFFR and FFR with a mean bias of 0.013 ± 0.051. Receiver‐operating characteristics curve analysis revealed an excellent accuracy of vFFR in predicting FFR <0.90 (area under the curve: 0.97; 95% confidence interval: 0.93−1.00).ConclusionPost‐PCI vFFR shows a good correlation with post‐PCI FFR and a high diagnostic accuracy for post‐PCI FFR ≤0.90 in patients undergoing successful PCI of a CTO lesion.
Coronary angiography of the ex‐situ beating donor heart in a portable organ care system
Authors: Meredith Thomas , Scheuer Sarah , Hoffman Michael , Joshi Yashutosh , Kathir Krishna , Gunalingam Brendan , Roy David , Wilson Stephanie , Jansz Paul , Macdonald Peter , Muller David 
Published: November 2022

AbstractObjectivesTo determine safety and feasibility of ex‐situ coronary angiography.BackgroundTo cater for the perpetually growing demand for heart donors, interest in donation following circulatory death (DCD) has been rekindled. Further pursuit of donor pool expansion has led to eligibility extension to “marginal” donors who are at higher risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Excluding CAD in potentially eligible DCD donors, for whom ante‐mortem angiography is commonly not permitted, is therefore challenging. Ex‐situ coronary angiography serves as an ethical and feasible diagnostic tool to assess for preclusive CAD.MethodsWe undertook a systematic review of the published literature and institutional retrospective review of case experience with ex‐situ coronary angiography of donor hearts, supported by a portable organ care system.ResultsCombined literature and institutional case review yielded nine total cases of ex‐situ coronary angiography of donor human hearts plus one experimental porcine model. Of the eight cases of ex‐situ coronary angiography performed at our institute, all were conducted without complication or injury to the allograft. Two thirds of reported human cases have proceeded to successful transplantation.ConclusionsDiagnostic coronary angiography of the ex‐situ beating donor heart is safe, feasible, and demonstrates novel clinical utility in mitigating subsequent transplantation of unsuitable allografts. In the setting of suspected coronary atherosclerosis of the donor heart, which may preclude favorable transplantation outcomes, ex‐situ coronary angiography should be considered at eligible transplant centers.
Photoinduced RAFT Step‐Growth Polymerization toward Degradable Living Polymer Networks
Authors: Li Zhuang , Li Jiajia , Zhao Bowen , Pan Xiaofeng , Pan Xiangqiang , Zhu Jian 
Published: November 2022

Comprehensive SummaryThe application of reversible degenerative radical polymerization (RDRP) in the construction of polymer networks (PNs) provides a facile and convenient way to fabricate 3D objects with the ability to be posttransformed. However, the polymerization mechanism mainly relies on chain‐growth polymerization, which limits its wide application for various polymeric materials with different functionalities. Here, we present a method toward PNs by utilizing a photoinduced RAFT step‐growth polymerization, which is based on a RAFT single unit monomer insertion (SUMI) reaction between a xanthate and an alkyl vinyl group. Benefiting from this reaction, a pendant RAFT agent can be generated in each repeat unit of the backbone during the polymerization. These reactivatable dormant species can be further used for the postfunctionalization of PNs prepared by step‐growth polymerization of multifunctional monomers. Moreover, the prepared PNs are degradable owing to the introduction of ester groups, providing an avenue toward degradable and stimuli‐responsive materials.
Variability of Airborne Dust Fallout and Associated Trace Metals around Industrial Sites in Esfahan, Iran
Authors: Moradi Anahita , Honarjoo Naser , Besalatpour Ali Asghar 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe seasonal and spatial variability of airborne dust deposits and associated trace metals such as Pb, Co, Ni, Cd, Mn in 15 sites surrounding a heavily industrialized region in south Esfahan (central Iran) are investigated. Total deposit rates (TDR) of dusts and trace metals are analyzed, contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) are also calculated. Furthermore, correlation and cluster analysis are performed to identify the source of the pollution. The highest dust‐TDR (15.97 g m−2 per season), the highest concentration of trace metals, CF and PLI are recorded in summer because of the lack of precipitation, high temperature, and drought conditions in this season. Pb and Cd show the highest CF values. In the towns near the two major steel mills in the region (i.e., Esfahan Steel Company and Mobarekeh Steel Complex), the CF values for Pb and Cd are about 13 and 12, respectively (i.e., 13 and 12 times higher than the pre‐industrial values, respectively). The spatial distribution maps of the dust deposit rate, dust‐borne trace metals, and the obtained PLI of the trace metals in the study area reveal that the two major industries in the region are the main sources of dust and trace metal distribution.
Incidence of cancer and related deaths in hemoglobinopathies: A follow‐up of 4631 patients between 1970 and 2021
Authors: Origa Raffaella , Gianesin Barbara , Longo Filomena , Di Maggio Rosario , Cassinerio Elena , Gamberini Maria Rita , Pinto Valeria Maria , Quarta Antonella , Casale Maddalena , La Nasa Giorgio , Caocci Giovanni , Piroddi Antonio , Piolatto Andrea , Di Mauro Alessandra , Romano Claudia , Gigante Antonia , Barella Susanna , Maggio Aurelio , Graziadei Giovanna , Perrotta Silverio , Forni Gian Luca 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe correlation between thalassemia and malignancies other than hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the possible relationship between other hemoglobinopathies and tumor risk have been poorly evaluated.MethodsEight Italian specialized centers evaluated the incidence of malignant neoplasms in hemoglobinopathies as well as their sites and features. The study cohort included 4631 patients followed between 1970 and 2021 (transfusion‐dependent β‐thalassemia, 55.6%; non–transfusion‐dependent thalassemia, 17.7%; sickle cell disease, 17.6%; hemoglobin H disease, 8.3%).ResultsA total of 197 diagnoses of cancer were reported (incidence rate, 442 cases per 100,000 person‐years). The liver was the most frequent site of tumors in both sexes, with a higher incidence (190 cases per 100,000 person‐years) in comparison with the general population found in all types of hemoglobinopathies (except hemoglobin H disease). In recent years, tumors have become the second cause of death in patients with transfusion‐dependent thalassemia. A lower risk of breast and prostate cancer was observed in the whole group of patients with hemoglobinopathies. The first cancer diagnoses dated back to the 1980s, and the incidence rate sharply increased after the 2000s. However, although the incidence rate of cancers of all sites but the liver continued to show an increasing trend, the incidence of HCC showed stability.ConclusionsThese findings provide novel insights into the relationship between cancer and hemoglobinopathies and suggest that the overall risk is not increased in these patients. HCC has been confirmed as the most frequent tumor, but advances in chelation and the drugs that have led to the eradication of hepatitis C may explain the recent steadiness in the number of diagnoses that is reported here.
A face mask detection system: An approach to fight with COVID‐19 scenario
Authors: Jayaswal Ruchi , Dixit Manish 
Published: November 2022

AbstractA new coronavirus has caused a pandemic crisis around the globe. According to the WHO, this is an infectious illness that spreads from person to person. Therefore, the only way to avoid this infection is to take precautions. Wearing a mask is the most critical COVID‐19 protection method because it prevents the virus from spreading from an infected person to a healthy one. This study reflects a deep learning method to create a system for detecting Face Masks. The paper proposes a unique FMDRT (Face Mask Dataset in Real‐Time) dataset to determine whether a person is wearing a mask or not. The RFMD and Face Mask datasets are also taken from the internet to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The CLAHE preprocessing method is employed to enhance the image quality, then resizing and Image augmentation techniques are used to convert it into a standard format and increase the size of the dataset, respectively. The pretrained Caffe face detector model is used to detect the faces, and then the lightweight transfer learning‐based Xception model is applied for the feature extraction process. This paper recommended a novel model that is, CL‐SSDXcept to distinguish the Face Mask or no mask images. However, accession with the MobileNetV2, VGG16, VGG19, and InceptionV3 models with different hyperparameter settings has been tested on the FMDRT dataset. We have also compared the results of the synthesized dataset FMDRT to the existing Face Mask datasets. The experimental results attained 98% test accuracy on the suggested dataset ‘FMDRT’ using the CL‐SSDXcept method. The empirical findings have been reported at 50 iterations with tuned hyperparameter values with an average accuracy 98% and a loss of 0.05.
Circulating cell‐free messenger RNA enables non‐invasive pan‐tumour monitoring of melanoma therapy independent of the mutational genotype
Authors: Albrecht Lea Jessica , Höwner Anna , Griewank Klaus , Lueong Smiths S. , von Neuhoff Nils , Horn Peter A. , Sucker Antje , Paschen Annette , Livingstone Elisabeth , Ugurel Selma , Zimmer Lisa , Horn Susanne , Siveke Jens T. , Schadendorf Dirk , Váraljai Renáta , Roesch Alexander 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundPlasma‐derived tumour‐specific cell‐free nucleic acids are increasingly utilized as a minimally invasive, real‐time biomarker approach in many solid tumours. Circulating tumour DNA of melanoma‐specific mutations is currently the best studied liquid biopsy biomarker for melanoma. However, the combination of hotspot genetic alterations covers only around 80% of all melanoma patients. Therefore, alternative approaches are needed to enable the follow‐up of all genotypes, including wild‐type.MethodsWe identifiedKPNA2,DTL,BACE2andDTYMKmessenger RNA (mRNA) upregulated in melanoma versus nevi tissues by unsupervised data mining (N = 175 melanoma,N = 20 normal skin,N = 6 benign nevi) and experimentally confirmed differential mRNA expression in vitro (N = 18 melanoma,N = 8 benign nevi). Circulating cell‐free RNA (cfRNA) was analysed in 361 plasma samples (collected before and during therapy) from 100 melanoma patients and 18 healthy donors. Absolute cfRNA copies were quantified on droplet digital PCR.ResultsKPNA2,DTL,BACE2andDTYMKcfRNA demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy between melanoma patients’ and healthy donors’ plasma (AUC > 86%,p < .0001). cfRNA copies increased proportionally with increasing tumour burden independently of demographic variables and even remained elevated in individuals with radiological absence of disease. Re‐analysis of single‐cell transcriptomes revealed a pan‐tumour origin of cfRNA, including endothelial, cancer‐associated fibroblasts, macrophages and B cells beyond melanoma cells as cellular sources. Low baseline cfRNA levels were associated with significantly longer progression‐free survival (PFS) (KPNA2HR = .54,p = .0362;DTLHR = .60,p = .0349) and overall survival (KPNA2HR = .52,p = .0237;BACE2HR = .55,p = .0419;DTYMKHR = .43,p = .0393). Lastly, we found that cfRNA copies significantly increased during therapy in non‐responders compared to responders regardless of therapy and mutational subtypes and that the increase ofKPNA2(HR = 1.73,p = .0441) andDTYMK(HR = 1.82,p = .018) cfRNA during therapy was predictive of shorter PFS.ConclusionsIn sum, we identified a new panel of cfRNAs for a pan‐tumour liquid biopsy approach and demonstrated its utility as a prognostic, therapy‐monitoring tool independent of the melanoma mutational genotype.
Valuation and effective management of the Dal Lake's diverse ecosystem using choice experiment method
Authors: Bhat Mohammad Younus , Ahmad Laraib , Sofi Arfat Ahmad , Kumar Rupesh 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThis study estimates economic values of changes in variegated ecological, social and economic attributes of dominant environmental resource (viz., Dal Lake), proffers to its key stakeholders through choice experiment design selecting relevant attributes for better management. In addition to the conditional logit model, the random logit model and the random logit model with interactions are calculated to account for the heterogeneity of the public prospects for the different purposes of the wetland. Willingness to pay for the selected attributes like preservation of wetland biodiversity turned out to be ₹18.47 ($0.26), improvement in wetland area ₹13.62 ($0.19) and enhancement of research and development estimated to be ₹15.87 ($0.23) per month in the form of increased monthly water rates. Aggregate willingness to pay for the improvement in all the selected attributes turned out to be ₹104,957,309 ($1,490,870). The findings of this study will guide the environmentalists and policymakers to formulate economically optimal strategies for the sustainable maintenance of Dal Lake, with future consequences for other related wetlands in India and the rest of South Asia.