bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Muscle Mass and Stiffness with Limb Ultrasound in COVID-19 Survivors
Authors: Damanti Sarah , Cilla Marta , Tuscano Bruno , De Lorenzo Rebecca , Manganaro Giuseppina , Merolla Aurora , Pacioni Giacomo , Pomaranzi Chiara , Tiraferri Valeria , Martinenghi Sabina , Vitali Giordano , Bosi Emanuele , Conte Caterina , Giustina Andrea , Tresoldi Moreno , Rovere Querini Patrizia 
Published: February 2022

Backgroundacute illnesses, like COVID-19, can act as a catabolic stimulus on muscles. So far, no study has evaluated muscle mass and quality through limb ultrasound in post-COVID-19 patients.Methodscross sectional observational study, including patients seen one month after hospital discharge for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. The patients underwent a multidimensional evaluation. Moreover, we performed dominant medial gastrocnemius ultrasound (US) to characterize their muscle mass and quality.Resultstwo hundred fifty-nine individuals (median age 67, 59.8% males) were included in the study. COVID-19 survivors with reduced muscle strength had a lower muscle US thickness (1.6 versus 1.73 cm, p =0.02) and a higher muscle stiffness (87 versus 76.3, p = 0.004) compared to patients with normal muscle strength. Also, patients with reduced Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores had a lower muscle US thickness (1.3 versus 1.71 cm, p = 0.01) and a higher muscle stiffness (104.9 versus 81.07, p = 0.04) compared to individuals with normal SPPB scores. The finding of increased muscle stiffness was also confirmed in patients with a pathological value (≥ 4) at the sarcopenia screening tool SARC-F (103.0 versus 79.55, p &lt; 0.001). Muscle stiffness emerged as a significant predictor of probable sarcopenia (adjusted OR 1.02, 95% C.I. 1.002 – 1.04, p = 0.03). The optimal ultrasound cut-offs for probable sarcopenia were 1.51 cm for muscle thickness (p= 0.017) and 73.95 for muscle stiffness (p = 0.004).Discussionwe described muscle ultrasound characteristics in post COVID-19 patients. Muscle ultrasound could be an innovative tool to assess muscle mass and quality in this population. Our preliminary findings need to be confirmed by future studies comparing muscle ultrasound with already validated techniques for measuring muscle mass and quality.
Pregnancy Outcomes in Thyroid Cancer Survivors: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Cao Qi , Zhu Huili , Zhang Jiani , Li Yujing , Huang Wei 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundSome female thyroid cancer survivors wish to become pregnant following their cancer treatment. Current studies have shown inconsistent results on pregnancy outcomes in these survivors; however, detailed information on the pathological type, treatment, and gestational thyroid function of these patients are not yet well documented, making the refined assessment of the influence of a history of thyroid cancer and related treatments on pregnancy outcomes challenging.ObjectiveTo investigate the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in thyroid cancer survivors.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study. We included all women aged between 19 and 45 years old who delivered between January 2019 and June 2020 in West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University. Women with tumors other than thyroid cancer or other thyroid diseases were excluded. The included women were divided into survivors of thyroid cancer (survivors) and women without any history of thyroid disease (controls). Propensity score matching and logistic regression were used to control confounding variables.ResultsAll 18,332 women who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study (96 survivors of papillary thyroid cancer and 18,236 controls). After propensity score matching, 96 survivors and 192 controls were included. The survivors had higher levels of free thyroxine (15.47 [13.61–17.67] vs. 14.38 [13.20–15.81] pmol/mL; P&lt;0.001) and higher levels of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) (43.55 [31.43–71.43] vs. 35.95 [28.00–48.03] U/mL; P=0.008) but similar levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (1.46 [0.56–3.15] vs. 1.36 [0.81–1.92] mIU/mL; P=0.142) than the controls. There were no significant differences in adverse pregnancy outcomes between survivors and controls. Fetal macrosomia was lower among survivors (OR: 0.077, 95% CI: 0.009–0.668. P=0.020) than controls. Additionally, survivors had reduced weight gain during pregnancy (13.0 [10.0–15.0] vs. 14.00 [11.00–16.00] kg, P=0.005) and reduced placental weight (563.0 [514.5–620.0] vs. 572.0 [520.0–650.0] g, P=0.019), albeit with small absolute differences. Thyroidectomy or radioiodine therapy did not adversely affect pregnancy outcomes.ConclusionA history of treated papillary thyroid cancer was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Associations of Dietary Inflammatory Index With Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance
Authors: Shu Yanling , Wu Xiaocong , Wang Jiating , Ma Xiang , Li Huawen , Xiang Yun 
Published: February 2022

Background and AimsPrevious studies suggested that dietary inflammatory index (DII) was associated with a variety of adverse health conditions. However, less is known about the role of DII in prediabetes and insulin resistance (IR). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether DII is associated with prediabetes and IR in American adults.Method and ResultsDII scores were calculated using the average of two 24-hour dietary recalls. Linear regression models were performed to evaluate the associations of DII with markers of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk, and the associations of DII with prediabetes and IR were estimated using logistic regression model. The diet of the participants showed an anti-inflammatory potential, with a mean DII score of −0.14 (range: −5.83 to +5.32). After controlling for multiple potential confounders, DII scores were positively associated with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (β: 0.009; 95%CI: 0.005 to 0.012), fasting serum insulin (FSI) (β: 0.083; 95%CI: 0.067 to 0.099) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (β: 0.092; 95%CI: 0.075 to 0.109). Participants in the highest tertile of DII score have increased odds of prediabetes (OR: 1.40; 95%CI: 1.17 to 1.69; P for trend &lt;0.001) and IR (OR: 1.79; 95%CI: 1.49 to 2.14; P for trend &lt;0.001) compared with those in the first tertile of DII score.ConclusionsThis study indicates that DII was positively associated with FPG, FSI, and HOMA-IR, and a more pro-inflammatory diet was related to increased odds of insulin resistant and prediabetes.
Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Peripheral Immune Responses in Anti-Synthetase Syndrome-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
Authors: Zhu Lili , Cao Zhong , Wang Shiyao , Zhang Changshui , Fang Lei , Ren Yanhong , Xie Bingbing , Geng Jing , Xie Sheng , Zhao Ling , Ma Li , Dai Huaping , Wang Chen 
Published: February 2022

ObjectiveInterstitial lung diseases (ILDs) secondary to anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS) greatly influence the prognoses of patients with ASS. Here we aimed to investigate the peripheral immune responses to understand the pathogenesis of this condition.MethodsWe performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 5 patients with ASS-ILD and 3 healthy donors (HDs). Flow cytometry of PBMCs was performed to replenish the results of scRNA-seq.ResultsWe used scRNA-seq to depict a high-resolution visualization of cellular landscape in PBMCs from patients with ASS-ILD. Patients showed upregulated interferon responses among NK cells, monocytes, T cells, and B cells. And the ratio of effector memory CD8 T cells to naïve CD8 T cells was significantly higher in patients than that in HDs. Additionally, Th1, Th2, and Th17 cell differentiation signaling pathways were enriched in T cells. Flow cytometry analyses showed increased proportions of Th17 cells and Th2 cells, and decreased proportion of Th1 cells in patients with ASS-ILD when compared with HDs, evaluated by the expression patterns of chemokine receptors.ConclusionsThe scRNA-seq data analyses reveal that ASS-ILD is characterized by upregulated interferon responses, altered CD8 T cell homeostasis, and involvement of differentiation signaling pathways of CD4 T cells. The flow cytometry analyses show that the proportions of Th17 cells and Th2 cells are increased and the proportion of Th1 cells is decreased in patients with ASS-ILD. These findings may provide foundations of novel therapeutic targets for patients with this condition.
Immune-Mediated Cerebellar Ataxia Associated With Neuronal Surface Antibodies
Authors: Jia Yu , Li Mingyu , Li Dawei , Zhang Mengyao , Wang Huifang , Jiao Lidong , Huang Zhaoyang , Ye Jing , Liu Aihua , Wang Yuping 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundImmune-mediated cerebellar ataxias (IMCAs) are common in paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) but rarely occur in patients with neuronal surface antibodies (NSAbs). Although cerebellar ataxias (CAs) associated with anti-NMDAR and anti-CASPR2 have been reported in a few cases, they have never been studied systematically. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of anti-NSAbs-associated CAs.MethodsA retrospective investigation was conducted to identify patients using the keywords IMCAs and NSAbs. We collected the clinical data of 14 patients diagnosed with anti-NSAbs-associated CAs.ResultsThe median age was 33 years (16-66), and the male-to-female ratio was 4:3. Nine were positive for NMDAR-Ab, two for LGI1-Ab, two for CASPR2-Ab, and one for AMPA2R-Ab. CAs were initial symptoms in three patients and presented during the first two months of the disease course (10 days on average) among the rest of the patients. After the immunotherapy, two cases were free from symptoms, and eight cases recovered satisfactorily (10/14, 71.4%). Compared with other causes of IMCAs, anti-NSAbs were more frequently associated with additional extra-cerebellar symptoms (85.7%), mostly seizures (78.6%) and mental abnormalities (64.3%). In the CSF analysis, pleocytosis was detected in ten patients (71.4%) and oligoclonal bands (OB) were observed in nine patients (64.3%). Moreover, compared with PCD and anti-GAD65-Ab-associated CAs, anti-NSAbs-associated CAs showed a better response to immunotherapy.ConclusionIMCAs are rare and atypical in autoimmune encephalitis with neuronal surface antibodies. Compared with other forms of IMCAs, more symptoms of encephalopathy, a higher rate of pleocytosis and positive OB in CSF, and positive therapeutic effect were the key features of anti-NSAbs-associated CAs.
Sustainable Composites Using Landfill Bound Materials
Authors: Mort Rebecca , Cecon Victor S. , Mort Paul , McInturff Kelsey , Jiang Shan , Vorst Keith , Curtzwiler Greg 
Published: February 2022

The demand for new methods of diverting materials from waste streams has grown as sustainability and landfill reduction goals continue to be set. Municipal solid waste combustion and waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities reduce landfill waste accumulation but ash material by-products are commonly sent to landfills. In this work, we evaluate the potential for fly ash to be used as an inert filler in post-consumer recycled polyethylene to maximize landfill diversion of high-volume materials. Using fly ash from solid waste combustion as a filler increases landfill diversion, reduces associated costs, and offsets the cost of the recycling for post-consumer plastics by blending with a low cost filler. Characterization of the fly ash revealed high variability in ash particle composition and size, which was expected due to the municipal solid waste source. A series of composites were compounded incorporating fly ash into recycled linear low-density polyethylene utilizing various compatibilizers. The composites were characterized for molecular interactions, thermal properties, mechanical properties and changes in melt processing via infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, electromechanical testing, and oscillatory melt rheology, respectively. Mechanical testing of the fly ash composites indicated that the fly ash did not significantly change the Young’s modulus or yield stress and the addition of various compatibilizer additives increased impact strength. The impact strength of the neat polymer decreased drastically from ∼55 kJ/m2 to ∼20 kJ/m2 at 5 wt. % fly ash. However, the addition of PGME compatibilizer at 0.75 wt. % increased the composite’s impact strength to roughly the same value as the neat polymer. Thus, the addition of a compatibilizer could be used to alter the fly ash filler composite’s resistance to flexural shock. These results indicate that fly ash can be added to recycled linear low-density polyethylene up to 10% while maintaining physical properties.
Prevalence, Risk Factors and Intervention for Depression and Anxiety in Pulmonary Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Mai Aaron Shengting , Lim Oliver Zi Hern , Ho Yeung Jek , Kong Gwyneth , Lim Grace En Hui , Ng Cheng Han , Ho Cyrus , Ho Roger , Lim Yinghao , Kuntjoro Ivandito , Tay Edgar , Yip James , Chew Nicholas W. S. , Low Ting-Ting 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundCurrent guidelines recommend psychological support for patients with pulmonary hypertension suffering from psychological adversity. However, little is known about the prevalence and risk factors of depression and anxiety in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH).MethodsMedline and Embase were searched from inception to 6 May 2021. Meta-analysis of proportions using the generalized linear mixed model was conducted to analyze the pooled prevalence rates of depression and anxiety in PH patients. Risk factors for depression and anxiety in PH patients were evaluated using meta regression.ResultsA total of 24 studies involving 2,161 PH patients were included. The pooled prevalence of depression in PH was 28.0% (95% CI: 20.5–36.8) and pooled prevalence of anxiety was 37.1% (95% CI: 28.7–46.4). There was a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety (p = 0.0013) amongst PH patients in Asia (61.1%) compared to Europe (40.3%) and North America (22.9%). In terms of risk factors, congenital heart disease-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH-CHD) were significantly associated with both depression (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.27–2.23, p = 0.024) and anxiety (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.45–1.83, p = 0.002). On the other hand, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH, OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.10–1.26, p = 0.004) was significantly associated with depression, whereas worse pulmonary vascular resistance (β: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.09–0.52, p = 0.005) and cardiac index (β: −0.96, 95% CI: −1.58 to −0.35, p = 0.002) were significantly correlated with anxiety.ConclusionThe prevalence of anxiety and depression in PH patients is alarmingly high, with an increased prevalence of anxiety in Asia compared to Europe or North America. Psychological support is warranted for patients with PH, particularly those with underlying congenital heart disease, CTEPH, and severe disease.Systematic Review RegistrationCRD42021251733.
Short-Term Efficacy in Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy Patients Treated With Intravitreal Aflibercept or Conbercept
Authors: Xue Yin , Qinhua Cai 
Published: February 2022

PurposeTo compare the short-term efficacy in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) treated using either aflibercept or conbercept.MethodsThis prospective study included 41 patients with treatment-naive PCV (42 eyes). All the patients were treated with either aflibercept or conbercept using an initial series of 3 monthly loading injections. Changes in the best-corrected logMAR visual acuity (BCVA) and anatomic outcomes were evaluated at 3 months.ResultsBCVA was improved with reduction in central choroidal thickness (CCT), central foveal thickness (CFT), and subretinal fluid (SRF) after 3 monthly loading injections in both aflibercept (IVA) and conbercept (IVC) groups. There was no significant difference in either visual or anatomic outcomes between the two groups after 3 months of treatment. However, compared with the IVC group, significantly higher BCVA improvement was observed in the patients in the IVA group with baseline BCVA better than 1. A visual outcome improved ≥3 lines in 13 patients in the IVA group (59%), and 9 patients in the IVC group (45%). A relatively high proportion of polyp regression was observed in the IVA group (63%) compared with the IVC group (55%) via OCTA.ConclusionsVisual and anatomic outcomes were significantly improved in both IVA and IVC groups, but the results suggest a potentially superior short-term response in the IVA group.
A Bibliometric Analysis of Atrophic Gastritis From 2011 to 2021
Authors: Zhang Tai , Zhang Beihua , Tian Wende , Ma Xiangxue , Wang Fengyun , Wang Ping , Wei Yuchen , Liu Lin , Tang Xudong 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundAtrophic gastritis (AG), which is characterized by a decreased number or disappearance of the glandular structures and secretory dysfunction, is linked to chronically inflamed stomach. It has been estimated that the annual incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is 0.1% for patients with AG. Early eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can reduce the risk of GC development. Additionally, the follow-up and management of AG are necessary to prevent GC. Exploring novel methods of the automatized analysis of data for apprehending knowledge in any medical field is encouraged, especially when a body of literature suggests the necessity of doing so. Accordingly, herein, we aim to systematically review the current foci and status of AG research using bibliometric analysis.MethodsArticles and reviews related to AG published from 2011 to 2021 in the Web of Science Core Collection were retrieved. Microsoft Office Excel 2019 and GraphPad Prism were used to show the annual number of publications and scientific productivity of authors through time. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to generate network maps about the collaborations among countries, institutions, and authors as well as reveal hotspots of AG research. The relationships among the author's keywords, cited references, and the top authors were summarized by a Sankey plot (three-fields plot).ResultsA total of 1,432 publications were included in the present study. China remained the most productive country, with the highest number of publications (377, 26.32%). Vanderbilt University contributed the most publications of any single institution (56, 3.91%). James R Goldenring was the most active and influential scholar, with the highest number of publications and greatest centrality. The most prolific journal in this field was World Journal of Gastroenterology (62, 4.32%). Gastroenterology (997, 69.62%) was the most co-cited journal. Exploring the origin of gastric metaplasia, especially spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) was a major topic in AG research.ConclusionsThis bibliometric study provides a comprehensive analysis of the scientific progress of AG over the past decade. Metaplasia is a hot topic and could be a promising area of research in the coming years.
Retinal Microvascular Density Was Associated With the Clinical Progression of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Xu Bei , Wang Xin , Guo Jifeng , Xu Huizhuo , Tang Beisha , Jiao Bin , Shen Lu 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundRetinal microvascular density has been studied in neurodegenerative diseases, whereas patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) at different clinical stages have been rarely investigated. The present study aimed to evaluate the microvascular variations in superficial retinal capillary plexus (SCP) in patients with PD on different Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stages by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), as well as determine their relationships with clinical parameters.MethodsIn total, 115 patients with PD and 67 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The PD group was divided into three groups based on the H-Y stage. The OCTA examination was performed in all participants, and the macular vessel density (m-VD), peripapillary vessel density (p-VD), and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area were measured.ResultsThe m-VD in all regions, p-VD in center [6.1 (4.8, 6.95) mm–1 in healthy eyes vs. 5.1 (3.7, 6.4) mm–1 in patients], nasal inner (NI) [18.5 (17.8, 19.3) mm–1 in healthy eyes vs. 17.9 (17.1, 18.7) mm–1 in patients], temporal outer (TO) [19.6 (18.9, 20.2) mm–1 in healthy eyes vs. 19.3 (18.5, 19.7) mm–1 in patients] regions and FAZ area [0.36 (0.32, 0.39) mm2 in healthy eyes vs. 0.29 (0.26, 0.33) mm2 in patients] noticeably decreased in PD groups compared with HC (p &lt; 0.05). Moreover, the FAZ area was suggested to decline significantly in patients with PD with H-Y I stage (p &lt; 0.05), while it was more serious in the H-Y III stage in patients. Furthermore, we found that m-VD exhibited a significant negative correlation with age, disease duration, UPDRS scores, NMSS scores, and H-Y stage.ConclusionOCTA has the potential to non-invasively detect the microvascular changes in patients with PD with different clinical stages in vivo, and it may be a valuable tool to monitor the PD progression.
Electrical Properties of Lumbar Paraspinal Muscles in Young Adults With and Without Chronic Low Back Pain Based on Electrical Impedance Myography: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Wang Hongjiang , Zheng Jiaxuan , Yu Qiuhua , Fan Ziyan , Lo Wai Leung Ambrose , Li Le , Wang Chuhuai 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundLumbar paraspinal muscle (LPM) is important in spinal stabilization in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, the electrical properties of LPM in patients with CLBP remain unclear. Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a novel and non-invasive technique that provides a simple quantitative evaluation of electrical properties of the LPM.PurposeThis study aimed to apply EIM to assess the electrical properties of the LPM between patients with CLBP and healthy control (HC).MethodsThirty participants (15 CLBP participants; 15 healthy controls) were enrolled in the study. Participants in the CLBP group were asked to complete the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ) to assess the pain intensity and disability in daily life. Independent sample t-tests were adopted to analyze the basic characteristics between the two groups. At 5, 50, 100, and 200 kHz current frequencies, the electrical properties were measured on each side of the LPM. The EIM parameters of resistance (R), reactance (X), phase angle (PA), and Z value were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with age as covariate. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis was applied to explore the relationships between the questionnaires and the EIM parameters.ResultsThe R and Z values of bilateral LPM in the CLBP group were significantly larger than those in the HC group; the PA decreased and the X did not change at these four tested current frequencies. At 5 kHz, Z and R on the right side were non-significantly different between patients and HCs. Correlation analysis showed that at 50 kHz, ODI and RDQ scores correlated negatively with the R of the bilateral LPM (r = 0.523, r = 0.581, respectively; p &lt; 0.05). RDQ scores correlated positively with the PA of the right LPM (r = 0.521, p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionThe electrical properties of the bilateral LPM differed between CLBP participants and healthy individuals, regardless of the different frequencies used. These altered electrical properties of the LPM in the patients with CLBP correlated to some extent with disability in daily life.