bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Circulating sex hormones and risk of atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hu Peng , Huang Jun , Lu Yi , Zheng Murui , Li Haiyi , Duan Xueru , Deng Hai , Zhao Wenjing , Liu Xudong 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundSex hormones are associated with many cardiovascular risk factors, but their effects on atrial fibrillation (AF) incidence remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of circulating sex hormones with AF risk by pooling available data from observational studies.MethodsA systematic literature search for pertinent articles with case-control and cohort designs was conducted via five databases up to 7 July 2021. A meta-analysis with six cohort studies was conducted separately on men and women. Adjusted relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was derived by comparing the highest with the lowest levels of a specific sex hormone and by using a random-effect or fixed-effect model. Heterogeneity was tested using the I2 statistic and the Q-test.ResultsA total of six cohort studies and four case-control studies were included. In a meta-analysis of cohort studies, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) was associated with a decreased risk of AF in men (RR: 0.729, 95% CI: 0.559–0.952, I2 = 50.0%, P–heterogeneity = 0.157) after combining results from two cohort studies; total testosterone was not associated with any risk of AF in men and postmenopausal women, and AF risk was not associated with estradiol in men after synthesizing available studies.ConclusionThis study indicates that a higher endogenous DHEAS level was associated with a lower AF risk in men, whereas total testosterone and estradiol were not associated with AF risk. Longitudinal studies with multiple monitoring are needed to further promulgate the relationship between various circulating sex hormones and AF risk.
The effect of percutaneouS vs. cutdoWn accEss in patients after Endovascular aorTic repair (SWEET): Study protocol for a single-blind, single-center, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zhou Yuhang , Wang Jiarong , Zhao Jichun , Yuan Ding , Weng Chengxin , Wang Tiehao , Huang Bin 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundEndovascular abdominal aortic repair (EVAR) and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) have become the first-line treatment for aortic diseases, but current evidence is uncertain regarding whether a percutaneous approach has better outcomes than cutdown access, especially for patient-centered outcomes (PCOs). This study is designed to compare these outcomes of percutaneous access vs. cutdown access after endovascular aortic repair.MethodThe SWEET study is a randomized, controlled, single-blind, single-center non-inferiority trial with two parallel groups in two cohorts respectively. After eligibility screening, subjects who meet the inclusion criteria will be divided into Cohort EVAR or Cohort TEVAR according to clinic interviews. And then participants in two cohorts will be randomly allocated to either intervention groups receiving percutaneous access endovascular repair or controlled groups receiving cutdown access endovascular repair separately. Primary clinician-reported outcome (ClinRO) is access-related complication, and primary patient-centered outcome (PCO) is time back to normal life. Follow-up will be conducted at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months postoperatively.DiscussionThe choice of either percutaneous or cutdown access may not greatly affect the success of EVAR or TEVAR procedures, but can influence the quality of life and patient-centered experience. Given the very low evidence for ClinROs and few data for PCOs, comparison of the percutaneous vs. cutdown access EVAR and TEVAR is essential for both patient-centered care and clinical decision making in endovascular aortic repair.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100053161 (registered on 13th November, 2021).
Role of serum C1q/TNF-related protein family levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Liu Yixiang , Wei Chen , Ding Zhenjiang , Xing Enhong , Zhao Zhuoyan , Shi Fei , Tian Yanan , Zhang Ying , Fan Wenjun , Sun Lixian 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundThe C1q/TNF-related protein (CTRP) family affects inflammation regulation, energy metabolism, and insulin signaling. However, their role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) development is unclear. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate the association between CTRP family and ACS.MethodsWe enrolled 289 consecutive inpatients with suspected ACS. Serum CTRP family, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and adiponectin (ADP) levels were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Multivariate logistic regression and subgroup analyses were used to assess risk factors for ACS. Spearman's tests were used to analyze correlations between CTRP family and continuous variables.ResultsSerum CTRP family levels differed significantly between ACS and Control groups (p &lt; 0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors, CTRP family were independently associated with ACS (p &lt; 0.05). The association between serum CTRP family levels and ACS was stable in various subgroups according to sex, age, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia status (p for interaction &gt; 0.05). Increasing tertiles of serum CTRP1 levels, significantly increased ACS risks, which decreased gradually with increasing CTRP2, CTRP12, and CTRP13 tertiles (p for trend &lt; 0.05). Additionally, serum CTRP1, CTRP2, CTRP13, and CTRP15 levels were weakly correlated with the severity of coronary artery stenosis.ConclusionCTRP1 and CTRP5 were identified as independent ACS risk factors, whereas CTRP2, CTRP3, CTRP9, CTRP12, CTRP13, and CTRP15 were independent protective factors for ACS. CTRP family, especially CTRP1 and CTRP3 could be novel potential clinical biomarkers of ACS.
Effects of sitagliptin on intrahepatic lipid content in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Wang Xingchun , Zhao Bangfeng , Sun Hang , You Hui , Qu Shen 
Published: August 2022

PurposeDipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4I), key regulators of the actions of incretin hormones, exert anti-hyperglycemic effects in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. A major unanswered question concerns the potential ability of DPP-4I to improve intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sitagliptin on IHL in NAFLD patients.MethodsA prospective, 24-week, single-center, open-label, comparative study enrolled 68 Chinese NAFLD patients with T2DM. Subjects were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group who did not take medicine (14 patients); sitagliptin group who received sitagliptin treatment (100mg per day) (17 patients); metformin group who received metformin (500mg three times per day) (17 patients); and sitagliptin plus metformin group who received sitagliptin (100mg per day) and metformin (500 mg three times per day) (20 patients). IHL, physical examination (waist circumstances, WC; body mass index, BMI), glucose-lipid metabolism (fasting plasma glucose, FPG; hemoglobin A1c, Hb1A1c; triglycerides; cholesterol; alanine aminotransferase, ALT; aspartate aminotransferase, AST) were measured at baseline and at 24 weeks.Results1) WC and BMI were decreased significantly in all groups except control group (all P&lt;0.05). 2) There was no statistically significant difference in IHL among the sitagliptin, metformin, and sitagliptin plus metformin groups before and after treatment(all P&gt;0.05). Only the metformin group showed a statistically significant difference in IHL before and after treatment(P&lt;0.05). 3) Sitagliptin treatment led to a significant decrease in FBG and HbA1c when compared with the control group (all P&lt;0.01). Additionally, HhA1c was significant decreased in the sitagliptin group when compared with the metformin group (P&lt; 0.05). 4) HbA1c and FBG were decreased by 0.8% and 0.7 mmol/l respectively and the percentage of patients with HbA1c less than 7% was 65% with sitagliptin treatment.ConclusionSitagliptin improves abnormalities in glucose metabolism, but not reduces the IHL in T2DM with NAFLD, indicating that sitagliptin might be a therapeutic option for treatment of NAFLD indirectly while not directly on IHL. Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier CTR# NCT05480007.
Nomogram based on radiomics analysis of ultrasound images can improve preoperative BRAF mutation diagnosis for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma
Authors: Tang Jiajia , Jiang Shitao , Ma Jiaojiao , Xi Xuehua , Li Huilin , Wang Liangkai , Zhang Bo 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundThe preoperative identification of BRAF mutation could assist to make appropriate treatment strategies for patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). This study aimed to establish an ultrasound (US) radiomics nomogram for the assessment of BRAF status.MethodsA total of 328 PTMC patients at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital between February 2019 and November 2021 were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into training (n = 232) and validation (n = 96) cohorts. Radiomics features were extracted from the US images. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied to select the BRAF status-related features and calculate the radiomics score (Rad-score). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were subsequently performed to identify the independent factors among Rad-score and conventional US features. The US radiomics nomogram was established and its predictive performance was evaluated via discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness in the training and validation sets.ResultsMultivariate analysis indicated that the Rad-score, composition, and aspect ratio were independent predictive factors of BRAF status. The US radiomics nomogram which incorporated the three variables showed good calibration. The discrimination of the US radiomics nomogram showed better discriminative ability than the conventional US model both in the training set (AUC 0.685 vs. 0.592) and validation set (AUC 0.651 vs. 0.622). Decision curve analysis indicated the superior clinical applicability of the nomogram compared to the conventional US model.ConclusionsThe US radiomics nomogram displayed better performance than the conventional US model in predicting BRAF mutation in patients with PTMC.
The systemic-level repercussions of cancer-associated inflammation mediators produced in the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Aguilar-Cazares Dolores , Chavez-Dominguez Rodolfo , Marroquin-Muciño Mario , Perez-Medina Mario , Benito-Lopez Jesus J. , Camarena Angel , Rumbo-Nava Uriel , Lopez-Gonzalez Jose S. 
Published: August 2022

The tumor microenvironment is a dynamic, complex, and redundant network of interactions between tumor, immune, and stromal cells. In this intricate environment, cells communicate through membrane–membrane, ligand–receptor, exosome, soluble factors, and transporter interactions that govern cell fate. These interactions activate the diverse and superfluous signaling pathways involved in tumor promotion and progression and induce subtle changes in the functional activity of infiltrating immune cells.The immune response participates as a selective pressure in tumor development. In the early stages of tumor development, the immune response exerts anti-tumor activity, whereas during the advanced stages, the tumor establishes mechanisms to evade the immune response, eliciting a chronic inflammation process that shows a pro-tumor effect.The deregulated inflammatory state, in addition to acting locally, also triggers systemic inflammation that has repercussions in various organs and tissues that are distant from the tumor site, causing the emergence of various symptoms designated as paraneoplastic syndromes, which compromise the response to treatment, quality of life, and survival of cancer patients. Considering the tumor–host relationship as an integral and dynamic biological system, the chronic inflammation generated by the tumor is a communication mechanism among tissues and organs that is primarily orchestrated through different signals, such as cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and exosomes, to provide the tumor with energetic components that allow it to continue proliferating. In this review, we aim to provide a succinct overview of the involvement of cancer-related inflammation at the local and systemic level throughout tumor development and the emergence of some paraneoplastic syndromes and their main clinical manifestations. In addition, the involvement of these signals throughout tumor development will be discussed based on the physiological/biological activities of innate and adaptive immune cells. These cellular interactions require a metabolic reprogramming program for the full activation of the various cells; thus, these requirements and the by-products released into the microenvironment will be considered. In addition, the systemic impact of cancer-related proinflammatory cytokines on the liver—as a critical organ that produces the leading inflammatory markers described to date—will be summarized. Finally, the contribution of cancer-related inflammation to the development of two paraneoplastic syndromes, myelopoiesis and cachexia, will be discussed.
Ultrasound-based radiomics nomogram combined with clinical features for the prediction of central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Authors: Jin Peile , Chen Jifan , Dong Yiping , Zhang Chengyue , Chen Yajun , Zhang Cong , Qiu Fuqiang , Zhang Chao , Huang Pintong 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundHashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is the most common autoimmune thyroid disease and is considered an independent risk factor for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), with a higher incidence of PTC in patients with HT.ObjectiveTo build an integrated nomogram using clinical information and ultrasound-based radiomics features in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) to predict central lymph node metastasis (CLNM).MethodsIn total, 235 patients with PTC with HT were enrolled in this study, including 101 with CLNM and 134 without CLNM. They were divided randomly into training and validation datasets with a 7:3 ratio for developing and evaluating clinical features plus conventional ultrasound features (Clin-CUS) model and clinical features plus radiomics scores (Clin-RS) model, respectively. In the Clin-RS model, the Pyradiomics package (V1.3.0) was used to extract radiomics variables, and LASSO regression was used to select features and construct radiomics scores (RS). The Clin-CUS and Clin-RS nomogram models were built using logistic regression analysis.ResultsTwenty-seven CLNM-associated radiomics features were selected using univariate analysis and LASSO regression from 1488 radiomics features and were calculated to construct the RS. The integrated model (Clin-RS) had better diagnostic performance than the Clin-CUS model for differentiating CLNM in the training dataset (AUC: 0.845 vs. 0.778) and the validation dataset (AUC: 0.808 vs. 0.751), respectively.ConclusionOur findings suggest that applying an ultrasound-based radiomics approach can effectively predict CLNM in patients with PTC with HT. By incorporating clinical information and RS, the Clin-RS model can achieve a high diagnostic performance in diagnosing CLNM in patients with PTC with HT.
“Reverse combustion” of carbon dioxide in water: The influence of reaction conditions
Authors: Quintana-Gómez Laura , Connolly Matthew , Shehab Amal K. , Al-Shathr Ali , McGregor James 
Published: August 2022

The synthesis of value-added organic products from the hydrothermal conversion of CO2 and H2O has been demonstrated, revealing the impact that reaction conditions have on the product distribution and yield. CO2 has the potential to become a valuable feedstock for the chemicals sector, in part displacing fossil resources and improving the economics of carbon capture. Herein the conversion of CO2 with H2O, in the absence of gas-phase H2, to methanol and other products is shown to occur under sub-critical water conditions in the presence of iron as a reductant and catalyst: this process can be considered as a form of “reverse combustion”. The influence of reaction temperature between 200–350°C and CO2:O2 mole ratio from 9 to 119 (in addition to pure 100% CO2) have been investigated in the presence of Fe powder. The influence of reaction time has also been investigated, employing Fe3O4 as a catalyst. Product analysis is conducted by GC-MS and MS for liquid- and gas-phase products respectively, while SEM and XRD are employed to analyse morphological changes in the catalyst and TPO investigates any coke deposited during reaction. Methanol is the major product formed at all conditions investigated, with a maximum concentration of 8 mmol L−1 after 12 h of reaction, or after 4 h in the presence of oxygen. Acetone and ethanol are also formed, although in smaller quantities than methanol, with larger-chained species also present. An inverse relationship is observed between acetone and ethanol concentrations. Based on the analysis of the reaction data it is hypothesized that ethanol and acetone may be competitively produced in one reaction pathway, while methanol is produced in an independent, parallel, pathway. The observation of acetaldehyde in the gas-phase at all studied conditions suggests that acetone may be produced from the dehydrogenation of ethanol via an acetaldehyde intermediate; catalyzed by zero-valent iron sites. Morphological characterization indicates that the catalysts are stable under the reaction conditions. These studies facilitate the development of improved catalysts and processes for the hydrothermal conversion of CO2, allowing further development of this promising sustainable process.
Self-assembly synthesis of petal-like MoS2/Co9S8/carbon nanohybrids for enhanced lithium storage performance
Authors: Wu Bo , Ma Ran , Liu Xuewei , Zheng Yuqi , Guo Sisheng , Yi Yanmeng , Sun Mingtai , Wang Suhua , Wen Tao 
Published: August 2022

Transition metal sulfides are favored as anode materials for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacities and abundant natural resources. However, serious volume changes during charging and discharging pose great challenges to their stability. In this work, petal-like MoS2/Co9S8/C nanohybrids were synthesized via the immobilization of molybdyl acetoacetonate MoO2(acac)2 in ZIF-67 and subsequent combined vulcanization and thermolysis process. Benefiting from the homogeneous bimetallic sulfide and highly conductive carbon layer, the as-obtained MoS2/Co9S8/C nanohybrids exhibited a high initial discharge capacity of 988.3 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 and a capacity retention &gt; 99.9% after 50 cycles. Even at a high current density of 1000 mA g−1, the reversible capacity of MoS2/Co9S8/C is still as high as 754.6 mAh g−1, revealing extraordinary rate ability. This work can provide a general approach to design and synthesize other advanced bimetallic chalcogenides for boosting lithium-ion batteries storage performance.
Spatiotemporal variation of household water consumption and coping strategies in water-stressed city of arid and semiarid Northwest China
Authors: Dang Xiaohu , Li Lin , Fan Liangxin 
Published: August 2022

Increasing water demand due to population growth and urbanization causes cities in arid and semiarid regions in China to face increasing water scarcity. Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of water consumption and its driving factors is of considerable importance in formulating public policy and alleviating the urban water crisis. In this study, spatiotemporal variations of water consumption in 42 cities in Northwest China were identified, and their influencing factors were determined by cluster tree and factor analyses. Results indicate that per capita household water consumption decreased by 9.5% from 2003 to 2020, with significant spatiotemporal variations decreasing in cities with medium consumption (86.87–193.66 L/d per capita per day) but increasing in cities with low (&lt;86.87 L/d per capita per day) and high consumption (&gt;193.66 L/d per capita per day). The influencing factors vary across the three types of cities. An increase in the capacity of water supply and popularization of washing machines are the main reasons for the rise in water consumption for low and high-consumption cities, whereas the implementation of water-saving activities and improvements of reuse rate are the main reasons for reduction of water consumption for medium-consumption cities. Findings suggest that improving water-saving appliances and water-use efficiency in cities with high-water consumption and increasing water supply capacity in cities with low-water consumption requires consideration in urban sustainable water management strategies in Northwest China.
Analysis of humus formation and factors for driving the humification process during composting of different agricultural wastes
Authors: Zhao Bing , Wang Yuyun , Sun Huarong , Xu Zhi 
Published: August 2022

Composting can convert organic materials into stable humus (HS), resulting in high-fertility organic fertilizers that were widely used in the treatment of agricultural wastes. Therefore, it would be beneficial to strengthen the degree of composting humification by exploring the formation law and the main influencing factors of composting humification for different agricultural wastes. In this study, straw, cabbage, chicken manure, and pig manure were used as research objects, and the industrial mixed-material strip-stack composting and the single-material laboratory reactor composting were carried out, respectively. The results showed that the industrial mixed-material composting mode was beneficial to the continuation of the high-temperature period for composting (the heat lasts for 20 days), and the high lignin treatment T2 (straw + chicken manure composting) helped to promote the degradation of lignin and formation of humic acid (HA). At the end of composting, the absolute degradation of lignin in T2 treatment increased by 13.18% and 120.02% (p &lt; 0.01) compared with T1 (straw + cabbage + chicken manure) and T3 (straw + pig manure) treatments, respectively (p &lt; 0.01), and the humic acid (HA) content increased by 11.78% and 26.59% (p &lt; 0.05). In the single-material laboratory reactor composting system, the continuous high-temperature period (31 days) contributed to the degradation of the composting materials and the formation of HA in the straw (TS) composting treatment; at the end of composting, the absolute degradation amount of TS lignin increased by 137.98%, 170.99%, and 196.82% compared with TV (cabbage), TC (chicken manure), and TP (pig manure) treatments (p &lt; 0.01), and the HA content increased by 281.76%, 377.57%, and 460.71% (p &lt; 0.01), respectively. Redundancy analysis showed that temperature was the main environmental factor affecting the decomposition and humification process of composting organic materials; the increase of lignin absolute degradation was helpful to promote the formation of HA. This study found that temperature was the main environmental factor that drove lignin degradation and promoted the humification process of agricultural waste composting; the lignin content in the composting material was the basis for the formation of HA, and the absolute degradation amount of lignin was the main material factor that promoted the humification process.