bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fourteen cases of acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis and a question: Is there a place for less aggressive surgical treatment?
Authors: Sideris Giorgos , Arvaniti Antonia , Giotakis Evaggelos , Maragoudakis Pavlos , Delides Alexander 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Purpose: Acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (AIFRS) is a rare, fulminant, angio-invasive infection with high mortality rate. Treatment of AIFRS include aggressive surgical debridement combined with antifungal agents and treatment of the underlying disease. The aim of this study is to estimate the long-term survival of AIFRS patients with more conservative surgery.Methods: A retrospective study was performed on immunocompromised adults with AIFRS from January 2011 to December 2020. The diagnosis was histological confirmed by tissue fungus invasion. We analyse epidimiological and microbiological findings, the underlying disease and discuss our patients' treatment plan and long term survival.Results: Fourteen patients were included in the study. Mean age was 53.8±18.9 years. The underlying disease was hematologic malignancy in nine patients, diabetes mellitus in three, aplastic anemia in one and renal/liver failure in one. Leukopenia was not significantly correlated with outcome or survival. Histological and culture findings revealed that Mucor/Rhizopus were the causative organisms in nine cases. All patients received systemic antifungal therapy. Surgery was performed in nine patients (endoscopic for all patients, combined in three with an external approach). Five patients survived, two that underwent surgery and three that were treated conservatively. Nine patients died, two from AIFRS after central nervous system involvement and seven from their primary disease, free of fungi. Older individuals and patients with hematologic malignancies had a worse outcome.Conclusion: Early surgical debridement, antifungal agents and treatment of the underlying disease remain the cornerstones of AIFRS management. Prognosis is overall defined by the underlying disease and in some selected cases medical treatment alone could be a reasonable option.
Inline holography of miniaturized objects with an intrinsic reference angle determined by the sagitta
Authors: Herran-Cuspinera Roxana , Olivares-Perez Arturo , Villa-Hernández Joan Manuel , Vallejo-Mendoza Rosaura 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
The twin image problem, well known in Gabor holography, greatly obstructs the output of high-quality holograms. Previous solutions include numerical and instrumental means to eliminate or mitigate the issue. The proposed method demonstrate the feasibility of using the sagitta angle in a spherical reference beam as an intrinsic reference angle within in-line holography. Along with a miniaturized version of the object, to allow for a wide range of object sizes, from millimeters to meters, with a small variation within the original optical system. The inherent reference angle allows for a separation of the twin images in the reconstruction of a Gabor hologram, while maintaining the system on axis. Under lens-less Fourier criteria, the peripheral information of the visual field interferes with a spherical wave to generate an interference pattern that results in a hologram with separated images.
Development of a qPCR to diagnose the genus Eimeria in sheep and goats
Authors: Li Shijie , Jian Yichen , Zhang Kaihui , Li Xiaoying , Wang Rongjun , Zhang Longxian , Jian Fuchun 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Coccidiosis of sheep and goats is caused by protozoa in the genus Eimeria. These protozoa mainly affect young animals, causing a decrease in production and consequent economic losses. Routine diagnosis is made through morphological observation of the oocysts, which has several limitations. The objective of the present study was to develop a real-time PCR (qPCR) technique for the diagnosis of Eimeria spp. in sheep and goats. For this purpose, the 18S rRNA region of the DNA of these parasites was selected because it is a region with low variability among Eimeria spp. The qPCR technique was developed using SYBR Green, resulting in a PCR with high sensitivity, and the ability to amplify samples containing only one oocyst of an Eimeria spp. There was no cross-reaction with other intestinal protozoa, such as Blastocystis, Microsporidia, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia duodenum. The repeatability test showed that the coefficient of variation was less than 2%. This indicated that this method has good sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. Thus, the feasibility of using qPCR in the diagnosis of the genus Eimeria was demonstrated in this study. This technique was less laborious and required less skill and diagnostic training compared with the micromorphometry technique conventionally used for this diagnosis.
Intervention mechanism of Traditional Chinese medicine on the expression of TGF - β 1, IL-10 and MAdCAM-1 in ulcerative colitis
Authors: Jing Shan , Zhu Li , Yang Xue , Qi Mengting , Chen Liang , Wang Xinyue , Ni Lulu 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic non-specific inflammatory bowel disease that invades the colonic mucosa and is characterized by ulceration. It has been listed as one of the modern refractory diseases by the World Health Organization, and has become a hot issue in the field of Gastroenterology of Traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to determine the intervention mechanism of Traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of UC.Methods: The pathological changes of intestines were observed. TGF - β1, IL-10 and MadCAM-1 in the intestinal tissue or in the serum of UC rats were detected in order to explore the intervention mechanism of the Chinese medicine (Sodium Houttuynia, Matrine and HQHLD) in an immune-TNBS-ethanol rat model. Results: Sodium Houttuynia, Matrine and HQHLD could alleviate intestinal inflammation reaction in the UC by lessening the pathological changes and fibrosis of the intestine, regulating the expression of TGF - β1, IL-10 and MadCAM-1 in the intestine or in the serum, and by reducing lymphocyte homing to intestinal tissues. Conclusions: This study revealed the intervention mechanism of Traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of UC, which provided further theoretical and scientific basis for the treatment of clinical ulcerative colitis. Our results will likely help expand clinical practice using HQHLD, Matrine and Sodium Houttuynia as effective Chinese medicines to treat ulcerative colitis.
Antibiogram profile prediction of selected bacterial strains by in-silico determination of acquired antimicrobial resistance genes from their whole-genome sequence
Authors: Babatunde Olamide Joshua , Okiti Ayomide Faith , Bayode Michael Tosin , Babatunde Samson Oloruntola , Olaniran Ayo Mercy 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background
The continuous increase in the resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antimicrobial agents elicits a source of concern for public health. Developing a method that allows for swift evaluation of the antibiotic sensitivity profile of bacteria is a major leap in antimicrobial research and could be one of the deciding factors in providing a lasting solution to antimicrobial resistance. The gradual and continuous reduction in the cost and turnaround time of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has enabled scientists to develop WGS-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing using computational methods. The genes present on the ResFinder database were blasted against the WGS of the bacterial isolates obtained from NCBI database, and the best-matching genes were automatically generated by the system.
Results
Antimicrobial resistance genes were detected from the strains tested though not innate, thereby suggesting that they must have been acquired through horizontal gene transfer. Additionally, it was revealed that specific genes confer resistance to specific group of antibiotics.
Conclusion
The in-silico method of antimicrobial resistance research provides for easy interpretation and reproducibility of results thereby reducing the cost and time utilized.
Effect of cumulative exposure to different lipid profiles on carotid intima-media thickness in an asymptomatic population
Authors: Zhang Qian , Wang Yu , Wu Jianwei , Wang Anxin , Zhang Xiaoli , Zhang Jia , Wu Shouling , Zhao Xingquan 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background
Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is considered as a marker for the early stage of atherosclerosis. The exploration focus has shifted from one single lipoprotein assessment to the cumulative exposure of lipoproteins, we thus aimed to investigate the relationship between cumulative exposure to different lipid parameters and CIMT.
Methods
2,348 participants with lipid parameters measured biennially since 2006 were enrolled from the Asymptomatic Polyvascular Abnormalities Community study. Cumulative lipid burden was calculated by adding the weighted sum of the difference between the measured value and the cutoff value of each parameter, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), and non-HDLC. CIMT was detected by carotid ultrasound. Linear and logistic analyses were applied to evaluate the association between cumulative lipid burden and CIMT.
Results
The results of linear and logistic analyses were essentially the same, as TC and LDLC burden were significantly associated with thickening CIMT (p < 0.05). A 2.65-fold, 1.67-fold increased risk of abnormal CIMT was documented in the highest quartile of these two lipid burdens. For TG and HLDC burden, no consistent association was obtained. Notably, a dose-dependent relationship was observed in the overall population when taking non-HDLC burden as a continuous variable (fully-adjusted β coefficient = 0.0013, 95%CI 0.0004–0.0022).
Conclusions
Among the five lipid parameters, TC and LDLC burden were independently associated with abnormal CIMT. Achieving optimal lipid levels is of great importance for the prevention and management of subclinical atherosclerosis.
Burden and Distribution of MSU Deposition in Patients with Hyperuricemia and Gout: A Large Cohort Chinese Population Based DECT Study
Authors: Zhang Xinyu , Tang Chun Xiang , Zhou Fan , Lin Pin Hua , Yin Chang Qing , Gao Qin Yue , Zhou Lei Lei , Zhou Chang Sheng , Lu Guang Ming , Zhang Long Jiang 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the distribution and burden of monosodium urate (MSU) deposition in hyperuricemia and gout patients with dual-energy CT (DECT) and to explore whether the MSU burden can be predictive of the renal insufficiency in these subjects.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed 4,954 DECT examinations in 642 consecutive patients (hyperuricemia group, n = 121; gout group, n = 521) with at least two anatomical locations and recorded the volume and number of MSU deposits. For each anatomical location, we recorded MSU deposition of bone cortex, soft tissue and joint cavity, respectively. MSU deposition were analyzed and compared between groups. Patients were followed up to explore whether there was a correlation between MSU deposition and renal function if appropriate.
Results
The MSU deposition in gout group was significantly higher in the foot and knee than those in the hyperuricemia group (all P < 0.05). In gout group, MSU deposition at the elbow soft tissue was significantly higher than those in bone cortex and joint cavity, while in the hyperuricemia group, MSU deposits in cortical cortex of the knee and foot/ankle were significantly higher than those in the soft tissue and joint cavity (all P ≤ 0.05). Fifty-two gout patients had a median 2 years follow up, however, MSU burden was not predictive of the renal insufficiency (P = 0.678).
Conclusions
The MSU deposition in the gout group was significantly higher than that in the hyperuricemia group, while MSU deposition was predominant in foot/ankle and knee. The MSU burden is not predictive of renal function decline in gout patients.
Predicting hemorrhagic transformation in posterior circulation stroke patients not treated with reperfusion therapies
Authors: Andrade Joao Brainer Clares , Mohr Jay P , Costa Felipe Fonseca Martins , Malheiros Julia Evaristo Figueiredo , Ikeda Raissa Kaori , Barros Levi M Coelho , Lima Fabricio Oliveira , Pontes-Neto Octavio Marques , Merida Kristel Larisa Back , Franciscato Luisa , Marques Mayara Silva , Silva Gisele Sampaio 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Introduction Posterior Circulation (PC) stroke represents one-fifth of all ischemic strokes, with peculiar physiological characteristics. Hemorrhagic Transformation (HT) is a dreaded complication among stroke patients. Many predictive scores of this complication have been proposed, but none is designed specifically for PC stroke patients – therefore, patients who are not eligible to reperfusion therapies (RT) represent about 80% of hospitalized cases. We propose a scoring system to assess the HT risk in PC stroke patients not submitted to RT. Methods We retrospectively evaluated data of patients diagnosed with PC stroke not treated with RT from 5 Comprehensive Stroke Centers (four in Brazil, 1 in the US) from 2015 to 2018. All patients underwent CT scan or MRI at admission and a follow-up neuroimaging within seven days. Independent variables identified in a logistic regression analysis were used to produce a predictive grading score.Results We included 952 patients in the final analysis. The overall incidence of HT was 8.7%. Male gender (1 point), NIH Stroke Scale at admission ≥ 5 points (1), blood glucose at admission ≥ 160mg/dL (1), and cardioembolism (2) were independently associated with HT. The AUC of the grading score (0 to 5 points) was 0.713 (95% CI 0.65-0.78). Subjects with a score ≥ 3 points had an OR of 4.8 (95% CI 2.9-7.9, p<0.001) for HT.Conclusions Our score is accurate in identifying patients at higher risk of HT. This score may be useful for evaluating secondary prevention and stratifying patients in the context of even clinical trials.
SNHG12 promotes chondrocyte autophagy by blocking he mTOR-primary cilia-mTOR loop via activating the miR-181a-5p/miR-138-5p-INPP5E axis
Authors: Ding Jing , Sha Lin , Liu Lei , Wu Zhenkai , Feng Weijia 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Chondrocytes are the only cell type found in normal cartilage. In this study, RT-PCR results showed that silencing INPP5E inhibited the mRNA expressions of IFT88, Beclin1, MAP1LC3A, MAP1LC3B, PI3K, Akt, mTOR, COL2A1 and CCND1 in chondrocytes. WB results showed that silencing INPP5E inhibited the protein expressions of IFT88, Beclin1, LC3 I, LC3 II, phosphorylated(p)-PI3K, p-Akt, p-mTOR, collagen II and cyclin D1 in chondrocytes. Immunofluorescence results showed that silencing INPP5E inhibited acetylated α-tubulin and LC3 II in chondrocytes. RT-PCR, WB and dual luciferase assay showed that SNHG12 promoted the expression of INPP5E by inhibiting hsa-miR-181a-5p or hsa-miR-138-5p. Functional recovery experiments show that SNHG12 regulated the expression of IFT88, Beclin1, LC3 I, LC3 II, p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-mTOR, collagen II and cyclin D1 via hsa-miR-181a-5p/hsa-miR-138-5p-INPP5E axis in chondrocytes. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of patients with cartilage abnormalities related diseases.
2-BFI enhances the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells with fluorosis by stabilizing endoplasmic reticulum–mitochondria contact sites and inhibiting activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes
Authors: Chen Rui , Xu Wan , Sun Yifu , Zhi Rongrong , Xie Peng , Zhi Zhongwen , Tang Xiaohong , Zhang Caiyi 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
2-(2-benzofu-ranyl)-2-imidazoline (2-BFI) is a drug that has attracted much attention in recent years. It has a therapeutic effect on brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral infarction. However, whether 2-BFI affects the proliferation of cells exposed to fluoride is not known. We investigated the proliferation and apoptosis of SH-SY5Y cells exposed to fluoride, and 2-BFI was used to protect SH-SY5Y cells against the effects of fluoride. We found that 2-BFI could enhance the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells upon fluorosis by maintaining the stability of endoplasmic reticulum–mitochondria contact sites and inhibiting activation of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes. This study may provide a new method for protecting against the inhibition of cell proliferation induced by fluoride.
MSAA-Net:A Multi-Scale Attention-Aware U-Net is Used to Segment the Liver
Authors: Zhang Lijuan , Liu Jiajun , Li Dongming , Liu Jinyuan , Liu Xiangkun 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Automatic segmentation of the liver from CT images is a very challenging task because the shape of the liver in the abdominal cavity varies from person to person and it also often fits closely with other organs.In recent years, with the continuous development of deep learning and the proposal of CNN, the neural network-based segmentation models have shown good performance in the field of image segmentation.Among the many network models, U-Net stands out in the task of medical image segmentation.In this paper, we propose a segmentation network MSAA-Net combining multi-scale features and an improved attention-aware U-Net.We extracted features of different scales on a single feature layer and performed attention perception in the channel dimension.We demonstrate that this architecture improves the performance of U-Net while significantly reducing computational costs.To address the problem that U-Net’s skip connection is difficult to optimize for merging objects of different sizes, we designed a multi-scale attention gate structure (MAG), which allows the model to automatically learn to focus on targets of different sizes. In addition, MAG can be extended to all structures which contain skip connections, such as U-Net and FCN variants.Our structure was evaluated on the 3Dircadb dataset, and the method obtained a 98.29% Dice coefficient for the liver segmentation task, with a model parametric number only equivalent to 38.4% of Attention U-Net. The experimental results show that MSAA-Net achieves the highest segmentation accuracy while saving arithmetic power.
First report of bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) infection of African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) in Nigeria
Authors: Dada Adenike Oluwaseun , Oresanya Adedamola , Akinyosoye Solomon Tayo , Arogundade Olawale 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) is one of the underutilized crops that has the potential to help sustain food security in this era. In October 2021, more than 90% African Yam Bean (AYB) plants in the grain legumes field of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Nigeria showed typical virus symptoms of mosaic and necrosis. To identify the virus leaf sasmples were subjected to ELISA and PCR tests. The symptomatic leaves were positive for anti-BCMV and anti-potyvirus antiseraand PCR to amplify a partial coat protein gene of BCMV yeilded a product of 469bp. The generated sequence was deposited in the GenBank and assigned NCBI GenBank Acc. No OL763314. The nucleotide sequence of the coat protein gene had 99% identitywith BCMV isolate TN2 (KY044818). The identities of the nucleotide and amino acid sequence of the CP gene of the isolated virus relative to those of other potyviruses were 31.3–99.1% and 43.8–66.8%, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of the partial CP-nucleotide sequences grouped the Isolate from this study (BCMV-IART-AYB) and BCMV-TN2 in the same cluster with other BCMV strains of the peanut stripe (PSt) and the blackeye cowpea (BlC) strains. In this study, we charaterize Bean commom mosaic virus (BCMV) infecting AYB in Nigeria and show that it has low nucleotide and amino acid identity with an Isolate of cowpea-infecting BCMV in Nigeria.
Sex-specific associations of urinary metals with renal function: A cross-sectional study in China
Authors: Lin Yinxia , Cai Jiansheng , Liu Qiumei , Mo Xiaoting , Xu Min , Zhang Junling , Liu Shuzhen , Wei Chunmei , Wei Yanfei , Huang Shenxiang , Mai Tingyu , Tan Dechan , Lu Huaxiang , Luo Tingyu , Gou Ruoyu , Zhang Zhiyong , Qin Jian 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background: Extensive studies revealed the association between heavy metals and CKD. Compared with single meta, the mixtures metals reflect metals exposure scenarios in real life and deserves attention. While the mechanism of action of the metal mixture on renal function is still undefined.Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 2775 participants was conducted. Urinary concentrations of heavy metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for renal function was calculated. The association of metals with eGFR was estimated by linear regression. Interaction of the metal mixture was used to evaluate by using a Bayesian nuclear machine regression model (BKMR).Results: In linear regression, urinary As (β = 2.723, P<0.05) and Pb (β = 3.081, P<0.05) were positively correlated with eGFR in total population. In BKMR model, the mixture of five metals had a positive joint effect on eGFR levels, and Pb (PIP = 0.996) contributed the most to the eGFR levels. Pb was significantly and positively associated with eGFR levels in total participants and women. As was significantly and positively associated with eGFR levels in women. Pb displayed a significant and positive effect when all the other metals were fixed at 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles.Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge All five metals mixed exposure was positively associated with eGFR, while Pb was demonstrated more important effects than the other four metals in the mixture, especially in women.
Adoption of newly FDA-approved Targeted Immunomodulatory Therapies by Dermatologists: a Cross-Sectional Analysis of Medicare Part D claims from 2013-2018
Authors: Dean Owen , Tausk Francisco , Singh Partik 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Although targeted immunomodulatory medications are increasingly utilized for inflammatory skin conditions like plaque psoriasis, little is known of the trends in adoption of newly Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approved immunomodulators by dermatologists. We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of Medicare Part D Prescriber datasets to identify dermatologists filing Medicare prescription claims for immunomodulatory drugs FDA-approved for plaque psoriasis between 2013-2018. Differences in dermatologist characteristics were determined between dermatologists prescribing a psoriasis treatment within two years of its FDA approval, “early adopters” and non-prescriber dermatologists over the same time period. Biologics approved for psoriasis from 2013-2018 included certolizumab pegol, secukinumab, brodalumab, ixekizumab, guselkumab, and apremilast. Early adopter dermatologists (n=783) accounted for 5% of all Medicare Part D prescribing dermatologists. Early adopters were more likely to be male, in practice longer, and had a greater number of average annual beneficiaries than dermatologists who did not. Only six (<1%) early adopters practiced in small town or rural areas. We believe these data show that the adoption of novel biologic treatments for psoriasis by dermatologists to Medicare beneficiaries may be associated with clinician experience and practice volume. Additionally, we identified low absolute numbers of dermatologists prescribing biologics overall in non-metropolitan areas, which may represent delayed access to novel psoriasis treatments for many Medicare beneficiaries.