bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measles Virus as a Vector Platform for Glioblastoma Immunotherapy (Review)
Authors: Nikolaeva E. Yu. , Shchetinina Yu. R. , Shokhin I. E. , Zverev V. V. , Svitich O. A. , Susova O. Yu. , Mitrofanov A. A. , Ammour Yu. I. 
Published: February 2022

Introduction. Oncolytic virotherapy is one of the approaches in immunotherapy of solid brain tumors. Measles virus vaccine strains are prospective agents for the therapy of cancers such as neuroblastoma, mesothelioma, and glioblastoma multiforme. The hyperexpression of the CD46 and other receptors on the surface of malignant cells allows the measles virus to infect and lyse the tumor, thus inducing an immune response. However, widespread immunization of the population and the resistance of neoplasms to oncolysis present difficulties in clinical practice.Text. This review covers approaches to modifying the measles virus genome in order to increase specificity of virotherapy, overcome existing immunity, and enhance the oncolytic effect. It was shown that expression of proinflammatory cytokines on viral particles leads to tumor regression in mice and triggers a T-cell response. Several approaches have been used to overcome virus-neutralizing antibodies: shielding viral particles, using host cells, and altering the epitope of the protein that enables entry of the virus into the cell. Furthermore, the insertion of reporter genes allows the infection of target cells to be monitored in vivo. A combination with the latest immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, demonstrates synergistic effects, which suggests the successful use of combined approaches in the therapy of refractory tumors.Conclusion. Measles virus attenuated strains appear to be an easy-to-modify and reliable platform for the therapy of solid brain tumors.
Atencion auditiva y memoria verbal en niños y niñas con trastorno por deficit de Atención/Hiperactividad de la ciudad de Manizales
Authors: Delgado Reyes Andres Camilo , Aldana Lorena Aguirre , García Xilen Giselle Beltrán 
Published: February 2022

El Trastorno por déficit de atención/hiperactividad (TDAH) es una alteración del neurodesarrollo con alta prevalencia en el contexto mundial y en el departamento de caldas, el núcleo de esta condición se encuentra en alteraciones del funcionamiento ejecutivo, especialmente fallas a nivel atencional, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo describir el desempeño en tareas de atención auditiva y memoria verbal de un grupo de niños y niñas de 5 a 15 años con diagnóstico de TDAH en la ciudad de Manizales en comparación a un grupo control pareado por edad y sexo; también se busca establecer la correlación entre las pruebas de atención auditiva y la codificación de información verbal. Investigación de tipo no experimental, transversal y descriptiva. Se seleccionó una muestra intencional y por conveniencia de 76 participantes, de un total de 300 sujetos de una base de datos de la especialización en Neuropsicopedagogía de la universidad de Manizales, 36 (48%) de ellos pertenecientes al grupo de casos y 39 (52%) de ellos al grupo control. Se evaluaron por medio subpruebas extraídos de la Batería Neuropsicológica Infantil (ENI). Los resultados evidencian que el grupo control tuvo una mayor puntuación promedio en todos los tipos de pruebas aplicadas, se encuentran correlaciones estadísticamente significativas (valor p<0,05) entre dígitos en progresión y recuperación por claves. La correlación establecida se puede explicar a partir de la literatura científica debido a que la recuperación por claves requiere más recursos atencionales y ejecutivos para manipular la información previamente almacenada.
The Recovery of Weight-Bearing Symmetry After Total Hip Arthroplasty Is Activity-Dependent
Authors: Alves Sónia A. , Preuße Marco , Hommel Hagen , Duda Georg N. , Agres Alison N. 
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to characterize ipsilateral loading and return to weight-bearing symmetry (WBS) in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) during activities of daily living (ADLs) using instrumented insoles. A prospective study in 25 THA patients was performed, which included controlled pre- and postoperative follow-ups in a single rehabilitation center of an orthopedic department. Ipsilateral loading and WBS of ADLs were measured with insoles in THA patients and in a healthy control group of 25 participants. Measurements in the THA group were performed at 4 different visits: a week pre-THA, within a week post-THA, 3–6 weeks post-THA, and 6–12 weeks post-THA, whereas the healthy control group was measured once. ADLs included standing comfortably, standing evenly, walking, and sit-to-stand-to-sit (StS) transitions. All ADLs were analyzed using discrete methods, and walking included a time-scale analysis to provide temporal insights in the ipsilateral loading and WBS waveforms. THA patients only improved beyond their pre-surgery levels while standing comfortably (ipsilateral loading and WBS, p &lt; 0.05) and during StS transitions (WBS, p &lt; 0.05). Nevertheless, patients improved upon their ipsilateral loading and WBS deficits observed within a week post-surgery across all investigated ADLs. Ipsilateral loading and WBS of THA patients were comparable to healthy participants at 6–12 weeks post-THA, except for ipsilateral loading during walking (p &lt; 0.05) at the initial and terminal double-leg support period of the stance phase. Taken together, insole measurements allow for the quantification of ipsilateral loading and WBS deficits during ADLs, identifying differences between pre- and postoperative periods, and differentiating THA patients from healthy participants. However, post-THA measurements that lack pre-surgery assessments may not be sensitive to identifying patient-specific improvements in ipsilateral loading and WBS. Moreover, StS transitions and earlier follow-up time points should be considered an important clinical metric of biomechanical recovery after THA.
Effective Two-Stage Heterotrophic Cultivation of the Unicellular Green Microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis Enabled Ultrahigh Biomass and Astaxanthin Production
Authors: Chen Qiaohong , Chen Yi , Xu Quan , Jin Hu , Hu Qiang , Han Danxiang 
Published: February 2022

Chromochloris zofingiensis has obtained particular interest as a promising candidate for natural astaxanthin production. In this study, we established a two-stage heterotrophic cultivation process, by using which both the growth of C. zofingiensis and astaxanthin accumulation are substantially enhanced. Specifically, the ultrahigh biomass concentration of 221.3 g L−1 was achieved under the optimum culture conditions in 7.5 L fermenter during 12 days. When scaled-up in the 500 L fermentor, the biomass yield reached 182.3 g L−1 in 9 days, while the astaxanthin content was 0.068% of DW. To further promote astaxanthin accumulation, gibberellic Acid-3 (GA3) was screened from a variety of phytohormones and was combined with increased C/N ratio and NaCl concentration for induction. When C. zofingiensis was grown with the two-stage cultivation strategy, the astaxanthin yield reached 0.318 g L−1, of which the biomass yield was 235.4 g L−1 and astaxanthin content was 0.144% of DW. The content of the total fatty acids increased from 23 to 42% of DW simultaneously. Such an astaxanthin yield was 5.4-fold higher than the reported highest record and surpassed the level of Haematococcus pluvialis. This study demonstrated that heterotrophic cultivation of C. zofingiensis is competitive for industrial astaxanthin production.
Impact of Age and Sex on COVID-19 Severity Assessed From Radiologic and Clinical Findings
Authors: Statsenko Yauhen , Al Zahmi Fatmah , Habuza Tetiana , Almansoori Taleb M. , Smetanina Darya , Simiyu Gillian Lylian , Neidl-Van Gorkom Klaus , Ljubisavljevic Milos , Awawdeh Rasha , Elshekhali Hossam , Lee Martin , Salamin Nassim , Sajid Ruhina , Kiran Dhanya , Nihalani Sanjay , Loney Tom , Bedson Antony , Dehdashtian Alireza , Al Koteesh Jamal 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundData on the epidemiological characteristics and clinical features of COVID-19 in patients of different ages and sex are limited. Existing studies have mainly focused on the pediatric and elderly population.ObjectiveAssess whether age and sex interact with other risk factors to influence the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Material and MethodsThe study sample included all consecutive patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria and who were treated from 24 February to 1 July 2020 in Dubai Mediclinic Parkview (560 cases) and Al Ain Hospital (605 cases), United Arab Emirates. We compared disease severity estimated from the radiological findings among patients of different age groups and sex. To analyze factors associated with an increased risk of severe disease, we conducted uni- and multivariate regression analyses. Specifically, age, sex, laboratory findings, and personal risk factors were used to predict moderate and severe COVID-19 with conventional machine learning methods.ResultsNeed for O2 supplementation was positively correlated with age. Intensive care was required more often for men of all ages (p &lt; 0.01). Males were more likely to have at least moderate disease severity (p = 0.0083). These findings were aligned with the results of biochemical findings and suggest a direct correlation between older age and male sex with a severe course of the disease. In young males (18–39 years), the percentage of the lung parenchyma covered with consolidation and the density characteristics of lesions were higher than those of other age groups; however, there was no marked sex difference in middle-aged (40–64 years) and older adults (≥65 years). From the univariate analysis, the risk of the non-mild COVID-19 was significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) in midlife adults and older adults compared to young adults. The multivariate analysis provided similar findings.ConclusionAge and sex were important predictors of disease severity in the set of data typically collected on admission. Sexual dissimilarities reduced with age. Age disparities were more pronounced if studied with the clinical markers of disease severity than with the radiological markers. The impact of sex on the clinical markers was more evident than that of age in our study.
Mitochondrial DNA Variation Correlated With the High Altitude Intolerance in Chinese Young Han Males
Authors: Li Zongbin , Liu Chunwei , Guo Jun , Shi Yajun , Li Yang , Wang Jinli , Zhou Shanshan , Chen Yundai 
Published: February 2022

ObjectiveAcute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia can trigger acute mountain sickness (AMS), while the exact mechanism has not been fully revealed. The role of genetic factors in the susceptibility of various high-altitude diseases has also gained much interest. Previous studies have provided evidence for the link between AMS and certain nuclear genes or mitochondrial haplogroup. The correlation between point mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and AMS was further explored in the present study.MethodsA total of 84 young Han males residing at low altitude were taken to an elevation of 4,000 m within 40 h. We collected data of their heart rate, blood pressure, peripheral oxygen saturation (SaO2), and obtained blood samples, at sea level and at high altitude. AMS was diagnosed using the revised version of the Lake Louise Questionnaire Score. Sequencing was utilized to identify the association between mtDNA alleles and the occurrence of AMS. We also assessed the association between the presence of AMS and physiological variables, and provided a preliminary discussion of the association between genotypic and phenotypic variation.ResultsThe percentage of neutrophils [Odds ratio (OR): 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.12, P = 0.034) and SaO2 level (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79–0.95, P = 0.004) were independently associated with the development of AMS. A4576G was a risk factor for AMS (OR: 6.27, 95% CI: 1.2–32.7). T11613C (OR: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.01–0.83), A8923G (OR: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.03–0.76), and T5543C (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.04–0.95) were protective factors for AMS. The level of SaO2 was significantly lower in the individual with A4576G mutation as compared with the individual without A4576G mutation (68.1 ± 7.9 vs. 75.8 ± 6.1, P = 0.001). The level of serum sodium was significantly higher in the individual with A8923G mutation as compared to the individual without A8923G mutation (144.6 ± 1.9 vs. 143.2 ± 1.9, P = 0.027).ConclusionsThe increase in neutrophils and the disability to preserve oxygen saturation may be associated with the high altitude intolerance in young Chinese Han males. A4576G is the risk factor for AMS. T11613C, A8923G, and T5543C are protective factors for AMS. The role of A8923G mutation may correlate with the sodium and water balance and the role of the A4576G mutation may be related to the disability to maintain blood oxygen level after quickly entering the plateau.
Effect of Composition on the Compressibility and Shear Strength of Dredged Cohesive Sediment
Authors: Barciela-Rial Maria , Vardon Philip J. , Van Kessel Thijs , Griffioen Jasper , Winterwerp Johan C. 
Published: February 2022

Progressively, more dredged sediments are being reused for engineering projects. For example, the Marker Wadden is a new wetland constructed in lake Markermeer, the Netherlands, with dredged cohesive sediments originating from the bed of the lake. Such dredged sediments are often dominated by cohesive sediment particles with varying amounts of sand and organic matter. In addition, during and after the construction process, the material consolidates and is often compressed from a very loose state into a significantly denser condition. To assess the mechanical behavior of this material, the compressibility of the Markermeer dredged sediment samples with various sand and organic matter contents was analyzed with incremental loading oedometer tests, whereas the undrained shear strength was studied using the fall cone test. The behavior was theoretically analyzed assuming a fractal structure of the sediment and applying power law constitutive equations for effective stress, hydraulic conductivity, and undrained shear strength. These constitutive equations, usually used at low initial sediment densities, worked well at the relatively high initial densities studied and proved to be a useful tool to identify the transition fines content TFC. The constitutive equations were put in context with indicators traditionally used in soil mechanics. Samples, each with an identical composition of the fines fraction (particles&lt; 63 μm), but with a sand content varying from 9 to 40%, showed the same compressibility and undrained shear strength behavior when considering the sand a filler material. For a natural sand content of 70%, the behavior was dominated by sand. The organic matter oxidation was observed to drastically decrease the compressibility and the shear strength, and even to decrease the amount of sand needed to exhibit sand-dominated behavior, showing the importance of the reactivity or state of organic matter on the TFC.
A Randomized Cohort Study: Is It Worth the Time to Receive Antiandrogenic Pretreatment Before Ovulation Induction for Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
Authors: Chen Zhiyan , Tan Jichun , Wang Huichun , Zheng Beihong , Liu Jian , Hao Guimin , Guo Zaixin , Sun Zhengyi , Yu Qi 
Published: February 2022

ObjectiveTo assess the effect of antiandrogenic pretreatment using combined oral contraceptives (COCs) before ovulation induction in infertile patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with hyperandrogenism.DesignProspective, randomized open-labeled cohort studySettingMulticenterPatientsPCOS patients with hyperandrogenism and requiring infertility treatmentsInterventionsRandomization to direct ovulation induction of letrozole (letrozole group) or ethinylestradiol/cyproterone acetate (EE/CPA) for 3 months and subsequent letrozole-induced ovulation (EE/CPA+ letrozole group). The maximum number of ovulation induction cycle was three to four.Main Outcome MeasuresOvulation rate, conception rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, and live birth rate were the main outcomes of the study.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the cumulative ovulation, conception, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates between the letrozole and EE/CPA+ letrozole groups (cumulative ovulation: 206/254 [81.10%] vs. 169/205 [82.44%], risk ratio [RR]= 1.09 [0.68,1.76], P=0.713; conception: 44/90 [48.89%] vs. 42/76 [55.26%], RR= 1.29 [0.70,2.38], P=0.413; ongoing pregnancy: 33/90 [36.67%] vs. 33/76 [43.42%], RR=1.33 [0.71,2.47], P=0.376; and live birth: 32/90 [35.56%] vs. 31/76 [40.79%], RR=1.25 [0.67, 2.34], P=0.489).ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that COC pretreatment was not superior to direct letrozole-induced ovulation therapy in improving ovulation and pregnancy results in women with PCOS. There is no benefit to perform antiandrogenic therapy before ovulation induction in patients with PCOS in clinical practice.Clinical Trial Registrationwww.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier ChiCTR1900022839
Identifying Non-Linear Association Between Maternal Free Thyroxine and Risk of Preterm Delivery by a Machine Learning Model
Authors: Zhou Yulai , Liu Yindi , Zhang Yuan , Zhang Yong , Wu Weibin , Fan Jianxia 
Published: February 2022

ObjectivePreterm delivery (PTD) is the primary cause of mortality in infants. Mounting evidence indicates that thyroid dysfunction might be associated with an increased risk of PTD, but the dose-dependent association between the continuous spectrum maternal free thyroxine (FT4) and PTD is still not well-defined. This study aimed to further investigate this relationship using a machine learning-based model.MethodsA hospital-based cohort study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2018 in Shanghai, China. Pregnant women who delivered singleton live births and had first-trimester thyroid function data available were included. The generalized additive models with penalized cubic regression spline were applied to explore the non-linear association between maternal FT4 and risk of PTD and also subtypes of PTD. The time-to-event method and multivariable Cox proportional hazard model were further applied to analyze the association of abnormally high and low maternal FT4 concentrations with the timing of PTD.ResultsA total of 65,565 singleton pregnancies with completed medical records and no known thyroid disease before pregnancy were included for final analyses. There was a U-shaped dose-dependent relationship between maternal FT4 in the first trimester and PTD (p &lt;0.001). Compared with the normal range of maternal FT4, increased risk of PTD was identified in both low maternal FT4 (&lt;11.7 pmol/L; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.34, 95% CI [1.13–1.59]) and high maternal FT4 (&gt;19.7 pmol/L; HR 1.41, 95% CI [1.13–1.76]). The association between isolated hypothyroxinemia and PTD was mainly associated with spontaneous PTD (HR 1.33, 95% CI [1.11–1.59]) while overt hyperthyroidism may be attributable to iatrogenic PTD (HR 1.51, 95% CI [1.18–1.92]) when compared with euthyroid women. Additionally, mediation analysis identified that an estimated 11.80% of the association between overt hyperthyroidism and iatrogenic PTD risk was mediated via the occurrence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (p &lt;0.001).ConclusionsWe revealed a U-shaped association between maternal FT4 and PTD for the first time, exceeding the clinical definition of maternal thyroid function test abnormalities. Our findings provide insights towards the need to establish optimal range of maternal FT4 concentrations for preventing adverse outcomes in pregnancy.
Superposition Effects of Zinc Smelting Atmospheric Deposition on Soil Heavy Metal Pollution Under Geochemical Anomaly
Authors: Yu Enjiang , Liu Hongyan , Tu Yu , Gu Xiaofeng , Ran Xiaozhui , Yu Zhi , Wu Pan 
Published: February 2022

Guizhou Province is covered by a large area of carbonate rocks where, with a higher background of heavy metals under the geochemical anomaly, more than 3.6 × 105 ha of heavy metal–contaminated soil in the northwest area is related to historical indigenous zinc smelting. To explore the superposition effect of industrial source atmospheric deposition on soil, two watersheds were selected for study: 1) Maoshui reservoir watershed (MS), where there is a zinc smelting plant, and 2) Haishe lake watershed (HS), which was the control. We collected atmospheric depositions and soil for 3 years and analyzed Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) content. The results show that the heavy metals in the atmospheric deposition of the pollution watershed in MS were much higher than those in the control site, HS. The deposition fluxes of Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Zn in MS were 27.8, 602, 145, 43.9, and 2,225 mg·m−2·a−1, respectively, and were 1.37–2.01 times higher than in HS. Soil heavy metals in MS were 1.01–5.69 times higher than in HS. The elevated concentrations were found focused from northeast to southwest around the plant but was distributed uniformly in HS. The average concentration of Cd, Pb, and Zn in the soil was 6.54, 67.4, and 264 mg·kg−1, respectively, in HS, which represents a high geochemical background even without pollution. After 13 years of deposition by prediction, the contribution of the atmospheric deposition on the soil in the zinc-smelting area was lowest, at 5.10%, for Ni, and highest, at 17.9%, for Cd. Principal component analysis of atmospheric deposition and soil heavy metals reflected that the pollution sources in MS were more diversification than those in HS. Zinc smelting atmospheric deposition showed superposition effects on the accumulation of heavy metals in soil under the geochemical anomaly in this region.
Pretreatment Thoracic CT Radiomic Features to Predict Brain Metastases in Patients With ALK-Rearranged Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Wang Hua , Chen Yong-Zi , Li Wan-Hu , Han Ying , Li Qi , Ye Zhaoxiang 
Published: February 2022

Objective: To identify CT imaging biomarkers based on radiomic features for predicting brain metastases (BM) in patients with ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods: NSCLC patients with pathologically confirmed ALK rearrangement from January 2014 to December 2020 in our hospital were enrolled retrospectively in this study. Finally, 77 patients were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were divided into two groups: BM+ were those patients who were diagnosed with BM at baseline examination (n = 16) or within 1 year’s follow-up (n = 14), and BM− were those without BM followed up for at least 1 year (n = 47). Radiomic features were extracted from the pretreatment thoracic CT images. Sequential univariate logistic regression, LASSO regression, and backward stepwise logistic regression were used to select radiomic features and develop a BM-predicting model.Results: Five robust radiomic features were found to be independent predictors of BM. AUC for radiomics model was 0.828 (95% CI: 0.736–0.921), and when combined with clinical features, the AUC was increased (p = 0.017) to 0.909 (95% CI: 0.845–0.972). The individualized BM-predicting model incorporated with clinical features was visualized by the nomogram.Conclusion: Radiomic features extracted from pretreatment thoracic CT images have the potential to predict BM within 1 year after detection of the primary tumor in patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC. The radiomics model incorporated with clinical features shows improved risk stratification for such patients.