bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strategies for Gully Stabilization and Highland Protection in Chinese Loess Plateau
Authors: Liu Wanfeng , Zhang Huyuan , Zhu Jianghong , Hu Aiping 
Published: March 2022

Loess tablelands are large-scale platforms with flat top surfaces in the center of Chinese Loess Plateau, such as Dongzhiyuan, which is a ∼900 km2 loess stratum, with the thickness larger than 200 m. The break of loess tablelands is widely reported due to the retreat of gully systems, resulting in serious social problems and economic losses. The retreating rate of large gullies has been 0.5–6.6 m/year over the past 2,000 years, estimated by the calculation of erosion modulus, literature archaeology, and field monitoring. The retreating rate of a small gully can reach 7.5–27.0 m/year after a rainstorm. To protect the farmland, buildings, roads, and pipelines near to the gully head areas, a project named Gully Stabilization and Highland Protection (GSHP) was launched by the local government, including the small watershed management (SWM) around loess slopes and gully channels and sponge city construction (SCC) achieved by improving the drainage system of tableland surfaces. These efforts improve the soil and water conservations, although they contribute less to controlling gully expansion. From the perspective of mutual promotion of gravity erosion and hydraulic erosion, this paper proposes a technical framework for GSHP, focusing on the avoidance of geological disaster. This case study reports on an illustrative GSHP project, the restoration of Huoxianggou gully, including the backfilled loess embankment across the gully for convenient urban transportation, and the stabilization of unstable loess slopes. After the implementation, the retreat of the gully head has been stopped, and the soil erosion rate has been reduced by 90%.
The Theory of Hyperlipidemic Memory of Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Nwosu Benjamin Udoka 
Published: March 2022

Literature Search CriteriaA literature search was conducted to identify publications addressing the early phases of lipid phenotypes in children and adults with either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Medline, EMBASE, and Ovid were searched using the following search terms:clinical remission, partial remission, partial clinical remission, honeymoon phase, C-peptide, type 1 or 2 diabetes, children, pediatric type 1 or 2 diabetes, and paediatrics type 1 or 2 diabetes, adults, adult type 1 or type 2 diabetes.Partial clinical remission (PR) of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by continued endogenous production of insulin and C-peptide following the diagnosis and the introduction of exogenous insulin therapy. PR is associated with improved glycemic control and reduced prevalence of diabetes complications. The theory of hyperglycemic memory was proposed to explain this concept of improved glycemic outcomes in remitters (those who experienced PR) versus non-remitters (those who did not experience PR). However, this theory is incomplete as it does not explain the dichotomy in early lipid phenotypes in T1D based on PR status, which is an understudied area in diabetology and lipidology. To fill this knowledge gap, we propose the Theory of Hyperlipidemic Memory of T1D. This theory is premised on our 5-year research on early post-diagnostic dichotomy in lipid phenotypes between remitters and non-remitters across the lifespan. It provides a more rigorous explanation for the differences in lifelong atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk between remitters and non-remitters. We conducted 4 clinical studies in pediatric and adult subjects with diabetes mellitus to characterize the particulars of the hyperlipidemic memory. In the first investigation, we explored the impact of the presence or absence of PR on lipid parameters in children and adolescents with T1D. In the second, we investigated whether pubertal maturation influenced our findings in T1D; and whether these findings could be replicated in healthy, non-diabetic children and adolescents. In the third, we leveraged our findings from T1D and controls to investigate the mechanisms of early lipid changes in T2D by comparing the earliest lipid phenotype of subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) to those of remitters, non-remitters, and controls. In the fourth, we investigated the impact of PR on the earliest lipid phenotypes in adults with T1D and compared these early lipid data to those of T2D subjects and controls. This body of work across the lifespan in children, adolescents, and adults supports the Theory of Hyperlipidemic Memory. This new theory clarifies why PR largely determines the risks for early-phase dyslipidemia, mid-term microvascular disease risk, and long-term ASCVD risk in subjects with T1D.
11-Deoxycorticosterone Producing Adrenal Hyperplasia as a Very Unusual Cause of Endocrine Hypertension: Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Asla Queralt , Sardà Helena , Lerma Enrique , Hanzu Felicia A. , Rodrigo María Teresa , Urgell Eulàlia , Pérez José Ignacio , Webb Susan M. , Aulinas Anna 
Published: March 2022

Background and Objectives11-deoxycorticosterone overproduction due to an adrenal tumor or hyperplasia is a very rare cause of mineralocorticoid-induced hypertension. The objective is to provide the most relevant clinical features that clinicians dealing with patients presenting with the hallmarks of hypertension due to 11-deoxycorticosterone-producing adrenal lesions should be aware of.Design and MethodsWe report the case of a patient with an 11-deoxycorticosterone-producing adrenal lesion and provide a systematic review of all published cases (PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE) between 1965 and 2021.ResultsWe identified 46 cases (including ours). Most cases (31, 67%) affected women with a mean age of 42.9 ± 15.2 years and presented with high blood pressure and hypokalemia (average of 2.68 ± 0.62 mmol/L). Median (interquartile range) time from onset of first suggestive symptoms to diagnosis was 24 (55) months. Aldosterone levels were low or in the reference range in 98% of the cases when available. 11-deoxycorticosterone levels were a median of 12.5 (18.9) times above the upper limit of the normal reference range reported in each article and overproduction of more than one hormone was seen in 31 (67%). Carcinoma was the most common histological type (21, 45.7%). Median tumor size was 61.5 (60) mm. Malignant lesions were larger, had higher 11-deoxycorticosterone levels and shorter time of evolution at diagnosis compared to benign lesions.Conclusions11-deoxycorticosterone-producing adrenal lesions are very rare, affecting mostly middle-aged women with a primary aldosteronism-like clinical presentation and carcinoma is the most frequent histological diagnosis. Measuring 11-deoxycorticosterone levels, when low aldosterone levels or in the lower limit of the reference range are present in hypertensive patients, is advisable.Systematic Review RegistrationOpen Science Framework, 10.17605/OSF.IO/NR7UV.
Differences in Glycemic Abnormalities Between Primary Aldosteronism and Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Manosroi Worapaka , Atthakomol Pichitchai , Wattanawitawas Pittaporn , Buranapin Supawan 
Published: March 2022

BackgroundThe relationship of glycemic abnormalities between primary aldosteronism (PA) patients and essential hypertension (EH) patients is still debatable. This meta-analysis aimed to explore differences in the prevalence of glycemic abnormalities and levels of abnormal glucose metabolism in PA and EH patients.MethodsA search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Web of Science databases from their inception through January 2022. Inclusion criteria for this study were 1) observational studies which contained specific data of interest, 2) studies including data which compared adult PA and EH patients and 3) studies which used appropriate methods to diagnose PA. Risk ratio (RR) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated.ResultsTwenty-six studies involving 53,186 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Patients with PA demonstrated significantly higher overall incidence of glycemic abnormalities than patients with EH [RR 1.54; 95% CI (1.20,1.98)]. Risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in PA patients were higher than in EH patients [RR 1.27; 95%CI (1.08, 1.49) and RR 2.99; 95%CI (1.74, 5.16), respectively]. There was no statistically significant difference of risk between these groups for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) [RR 1.70; 95%CI (0.55, 5.26)]. Moderate heterogeneity was observed in overall glycemic abnormalities outcomes. A high level of heterogeneity was observed for IFG, while the level was low for DM and IGT.ConclusionsPA patients have a higher risk of glycemic abnormalities than in EH patients. Further study should be conducted to investigate underlying mechanisms of glycemic abnormalities in PA.Systematic Review Registrationwww.inplasy.com, INPLASY, identifier 202220004.
Microalgae as a Natural CO2 Sequester: A Study on Effect of Tobacco Smoke on Two Microalgae Biochemical Responses
Authors: Barati Bahram , Fazeli Zafar Fatemeh , Amani Babadi Arman , Hao Chen , Qian Lili , Wang Shuang , El-Fatah Abomohra Abd 
Published: March 2022

Microalgae are known as the most efficient biological sequesters of carbon dioxide (CO2). Recently, they have been exploited to enhance air quality by decreasing CO2 levels and increasing oxygen (O2) concentrations. However, in public places, there are sources of toxic chemicals such as tobacco smoke that may affect the growth of microalgae. For the first time, the current study explores the influence of tobacco smoke on the cell growth, biodiesel characteristics, and biochemical composition of two strains of model microalgae. Chlamydomonas strains were treated with tobacco smoke in a sealed box for 7 days, wherein every 1 h, one cigarette was burnt. Upon exposure of microalgae to tobacco smoke, the specific growth rate (μmax) was unaffected in CHL-2220 and remained around 0.500 days−1, whereas in CHL-2221, it decreased notably from 0.445 days−1 to 0.376 days−1. In the CHL-2221, the lipid level considerably reduced from 15.55 %DW to 13.37 %DW upon exposure to tobacco smoke. In both strains, palmitic acid was the main constituent of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) that displayed significant (p &lt; 0.05) decreases in response to tobacco smoke exposure. In CHL-2221, oleic acid (C18:1) presented a substantial increase from 7.64 to 17.09% in response to tobacco smoke. Moreover, exposure of CHL-2220 to tobacco smoke decreased the cetane number (CN) from 30.34 to 25.28, while in CHL-2221, it increased from 26.07 to 29.73 upon treatment. Both strains demonstrated low-quality biodiesel to be used as feedstock. Conversely, their fatty acid profile revealed their promising use as nutrient food.
Comparison of Data Normalization Strategies for Array-Based MicroRNA Profiling Experiments and Identification and Validation of Circulating MicroRNAs as Endogenous Controls in Hypertension
Authors: Chekka Lakshmi Manasa S. , Langaee Taimour , Johnson Julie A. 
Published: March 2022

Introduction: MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs with potential regulatory roles in hypertension and drug response. The presence of many of these RNAs in biofluids has spurred investigation into their role as possible biomarkers for use in precision approaches to healthcare. One of the major challenges in clinical translation of circulating miRNA biomarkers is the limited replication across studies due to lack of standards for data normalization techniques for array-based approaches and a lack of consensus on an endogenous control normalizer for qPCR-based candidate miRNA profiling studies.Methods: We conducted genome-wide profiling of 754 miRNAs in baseline plasma of 36 European American individuals with uncomplicated hypertension selected from the PEAR clinical trial, who had been untreated for hypertension for at least one month prior to sample collection. After appropriate quality control with amplification score and missingness filters, we tested different normalization strategies such as normalization with global mean of imputed and unimputed data, mean of restricted set of miRNAs, quantile normalization, and endogenous control miRNA normalization to identify the method that best reduces the technical/experimental variability in the data. We identified best endogenous control candidates with expression pattern closest to the mean miRNA expression in the sample, as well as by assessing their stability using a combination of NormFinder, geNorm, Best Keeper and Delta Ct algorithms under the Reffinder software. The suitability of the four best endogenous controls was validated in 50 hypertensive African Americans from the same trial with reverse-transcription–qPCR and by evaluating their stability ranking in that cohort.Results: Among the compared normalization strategies, quantile normalization and global mean normalization performed better than others in terms of reducing the standard deviation of miRNAs across samples in the array-based data. Among the four strongest candidate miRNAs from our selection process (miR-223-3p, 19b, 106a, and 126-5p), miR-223-3p and miR-126-5p were consistently expressed with the best stability ranking in the validation cohort. Furthermore, the combination of miR-223-3p and 126-5p showed better stability ranking when compared to single miRNAs.Conclusion: We identified quantile normalization followed by global mean normalization to be the best methods in reducing the variance in the data. We identified the combination of miR-223-3p and 126-5p as potential endogenous control in studies of hypertension.
Facile Low-Cost Synthesis of Highly Photocatalitycally Active Zinc Oxide Powders
Authors: Kedruk Y. Y. , Baigarinova G. A. , Gritsenko L. V. , Cicero G. , Abdullin Kh. A. 
Published: March 2022

The industrial waste can cause significant harm to human health and to the environment. Organic dyes in particular are environmentally dangerous since they may cause the death of aquatic life or contaminate the feed chain. Thus, one of the current research fields consists of the development of an inexpensive and environmentally friendly method to purify wastewater from organic contaminants. Among the others, Zinc oxide (ZnO) is considered one of the most effective photocatalysts for the decomposition of organic pollutants in water. In this work, we developed a highly efficient low-temperature and environmentally safe synthesis method to obtain photocatalytically active nanostructured ZnO by chemical precipitation from a solution. The effect of the technological conditions of synthesis on the photocatalytic properties is considered in detail, the correlation with the morphology, structural, and optical properties of the synthesized ZnO samples is determined. It was found that the maximum photocatalytic activity with respect to the decomposition of the dye rhodamine-B (RhB) is achieved for samples synthesized at NaOH molar concentration from 0.4 to 0.7 M; in this case, the sizes of crystallites along the crystallographic direction 002 reach maximum values of ∼42 nm. On the contrary, the sizes of crystallites along the directions 100 and 101 decrease monotonically from 30 to 25 nm with an increase in the molar concentration of NaOH from 0.14 to 1 M.
Frailty and Emergency Surgery: Results of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Leiner Tamas , Nemeth David , Hegyi Peter , Ocskay Klementina , Virag Marcell , Kiss Szabolcs , Rottler Mate , Vajda Matyas , Varadi Alex , Molnar Zsolt 
Published: March 2022

BackgroundFrailty, a “syndrome of loss of reserves,” is a decade old concept. Initially it was used mainly in geriatrics but lately its use has been extended into other specialties including surgery. Our main objective was to examine the association between frailty and mortality, between frailty and length of hospital stay (LOS) and frailty and readmission within 30 days in the emergency surgical population.MethodsStudies reporting on frailty in the emergency surgical population were eligible. MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, Scopus, CENTRAL, and Web of Science were searched with terms related to acute surgery and frail*. We searched for eligible articles without any restrictions on the 2nd of November 2020. Odds ratios (OR) and weighted mean differences (WMD) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI), using a random effect model. Risk of bias assessment was performed according to the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration. As the finally selected studies were either prospective or retrospective cohorts, the “Quality In Prognosis Studies” (QUIPS) tool was used.ResultsAt the end of the selection process 21 eligible studies with total 562.070 participants from 8 countries were included in the qualitative and the quantitative synthesis. Patients living with frailty have higher chance of dying within 30 days after an emergency surgical admission (OR: 1.99; CI: 1.76–2.21; p &lt; 0.001). We found a tendency of increased LOS with frailty in acute surgical patients (WMD: 4.75 days; CI: 1.79–7.71; p = 0.002). Patients living with frailty have increased chance of 30-day readmission after discharge (OR: 1.36; CI: 1.06–1.75; p = 0.015).ConclusionsAlthough there is good evidence that living with frailty increases the chance of unfavorable outcomes, further research needs to be done to assess the benefits and costs of frailty screening for emergency surgical patients.Systematic Review RegistrationThe review protocol was registered on the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021224689).
Effective Drugs Against Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in an in vitro Model
Authors: Bang Mi-Seon , Kim Choon-Mee , Kim Dong-Min , Yun Na Ra 
Published: March 2022

BackgroundSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne infectious disease caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). This syndrome is endemic in China, South Korea, and Japan, with a fatality rate of approximately 20–30%. Although the World Health Organization has listed SFTS as a disease that requires urgent steps for the development of its treatment, no treatments are available.MethodsWe analyzed the antiviral activity of 41 drugs against the SFTSV to explore potential therapeutic candidates using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and plaque assay in vitro.ResultsPeramivir, nitazoxanide, and favipiravir were found to have inhibitory effects on the SFTSV at concentrations below the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax). The concentrations that inhibited the SFTSV by 50% were as follows: peramivir, half maximal effective concentration (EC50) 12.9 μg/mL; nitazoxanide, EC50 0.57 μg/mL; and favipiravir, EC50 4.14 μg/mL.ConclusionThe effects of peramivir and nitazoxanide on the SFTSV were identified for the first time in this study. Future studies need to include animal models of SFTSV infection, clinical trials including dose-ranging trials, and evaluation of combination therapy with other potential antivirals.
Quantitative Assessment of Portal Hypertension by Two-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography in Rat Models of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Comparison With Four Composite Scores
Authors: Dong Bingtian , Chen Yuping , Lyu Guorong , Chen Yongjian , Qin Ran 
Published: March 2022

BackgroundMeasurement of hepatic venous pressure gradients is the gold standard for assessing portal hypertension (PH) but is invasive with potential complications. We aimed to assess the performance in liver and spleen stiffness measurement (LSM and SSM, respectively) by two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) and composite scores including liver stiffness-spleen diameter to platelet ratio score (LSPS), platelet (PLT) count/spleen diameter ratio (PSR), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), and AST-to-PLT ratio index (APRI) for diagnosing PH in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rat models.MethodsAnimal models with PH in NAFLD were established in 65 rats, which then underwent 2D-SWE measurements. Morphological and biological parameters were collected for calculation of four composite scores. Correlations of noninvasive methods with portal venous pressure were evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the performance of noninvasive methods in predicting PH.ResultsLSM and SSM were significantly associated with portal venous pressure (r = 0.636 and 0.602, respectively; all P &lt; 0.001). The AUCs of LSM and SSM in the diagnosis of PH were 0.906 (95% confidence interval [CI]:0.841–0.97) and 0.87 (95% CI:0.776–0.964), respectively, and were significantly higher than those in composite scores. The AUCs for LSPS, PSR, AAR, and APRI were 0.793, 0.52, 0.668, and 0.533, respectively, for diagnosing PH. The AUCs of the combined models of LSM and SSM, LSM and PLT, SSM and PLT, and LSM, SSM and PLT were 0.923, 0.913, 0.872, and 0.923, respectively. The four combined models showed no statistical differences compared to LSM and SSM in evaluating PH (all P &gt; 0.05).ConclusionsLSM and SSM by 2D-SWE can be used as promising noninvasive parameters for diagnosing PH in NAFLD and have higher accuracy than composite scores. The combined models, compared to LSM and SSM, did not significantly improve the performance in diagnosing PH.
The Integrated Study on the Chemical Profiling to Explore the Constituents and Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparation Huatuo Jiuxin Pills Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE and Network Pharmacology
Authors: Zhu Yulong , Zhu Yaqin , Tao Shuyue , Liang Wanhui , Zhang Jing , Zhang Yunjing , Xuan Zihua , Xu Jingjing , Peng Can , Wu Huan , Wu Deling 
Published: March 2022

Huatuo Jiuxin Pills (HJP), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation, has been widely used to treat Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) for more than 20 years. However, there were still gaps in the study of chemical components and potential pharmacological effects in the HJP. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE) combined with network pharmacology was used to comprehensively explore the chemical components in HJP and explore its potential active compounds and the mechanism for the treatment of CVDs. A total of 117 compounds, mainly including saponins, cholic acids, and bufadienolides, were rapidly identified and characterized. Simultaneously, the fragmentation mode and characteristic ion analysis of different types of representative compounds were carried out. Network pharmacology results showed that the more important active ingredients mainly include 5β‐hydroxybufotalin, 19 oxo‐cinobufagin, bufarenogin, etc. While, the main targets were PIK3CA, MAPK1, VEGFA and so on. Importantly, HJP has therapeutic effects on CVDs by acting on endocrine resistance, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, etc. In addition, molecular docking results showed that the core active ingredients with higher degrees in HJP have a strong affinity with the core targets of CVDs. The current work fills the gap in the chemical substance basis of HJP, and also facilitates a better understanding of the effective components, therapeutic targets, and signaling pathways of HJP in the treatment of CVDs.