bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Test–Retest Reliability of Repetitive Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Myasthenia Gravis Patients and Healthy Control Subjects
Authors: Keene Kevin R. , Bongers Julia , de Meel Robert H. P. , Venhovens Jeroen , Verschuuren Jan J. G. M. , Tannemaat Martijn R. 
Published: July 2022

Purpose:
Repetitive ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (ROVEMP) are a novel diagnostic test to quantify neuromuscular transmission deficits in extraocular muscles in myasthenia gravis. We aimed to investigate the test–retest reliability of the ROVEMP and the effect of amplitude and age.

Methods:
We performed the ROVEMP test twice in 19 patients with myasthenia gravis (52.7 ± 19.8 years) and in 15 healthy control subjects (46.5 ± 16 years). The Bland–Altman level of agreement was determined. The relationship between test–retest reliability and signal quality, participant age and signal amplitude was studied.

Results:
Limits of agreement were from −179.9 to 139.3 in myasthenia gravis patients and from −56.9 to 89.5 in healthy control subjects. Difference between measurements correlated with signal amplitude (r = −0.50, P < 0.001). Combining the primary cohort with previously published data from 114 subjects, we found a significant negative correlation between age and reference amplitude (r = −0.163, P = 0.045).

Conclusions:
This study shows that in our hands, the test–retest reliability of the ROVEMP is not optimal. Measurements with higher reference amplitude had a better quality, higher reproducibility, and increased diagnostic yield. We caution against the use of ROVEMP measurements of lower amplitude in clinical practice. In addition, given the correlation between age and amplitude, age matching of healthy control subjects and patients is essential in future studies.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Case Series of Long-Term Follow-up
Authors: Pigato Giorgio , Rosson Stella , Bresolin Nicola , Toffanin Tommaso , Sambataro Fabio , Olivo Daniele , Perini Giulia , Causin Francesco , Denaro Luca , Landi Andrea , D'Avella Domenico 
Published: July 2022

Objectives
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been shown to be effective for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, long-term (>5 years) studies on the efficacy and tolerability of this treatment have been lacking. Here, we report a long-term clinical follow-up of 5 patients with severe and long-standing TRD, who received a VNS implant.

Methods
Of the initial 6 patients with TRD implanted with VNS at our center, 5 of them were followed for 6 to 12 years after implantation. Primary efficacy outcomes were clinical response and improved functioning at follow-up visits. The primary safety outcome was all-cause discontinuation, and the secondary safety outcomes were the number and the severity of adverse events.

Results
The VNS implant was associated with a sustained response (>10 years) in terms of clinical response and social, occupational, and psychological functioning in 3 patients. Two patients dropped out after 6 and 7 years of treatment, respectively. Vagus nerve stimulation was well tolerated by all patients, who reported only mild adverse effects. One patient, who discontinued concomitant drug treatment, had a hypomanic episode in the 10th year of treatment. The parameters of the VNS device were fine-tuned when life stressors or symptom exacerbation occurred.

Conclusions
Our case series showed that VNS can have long-term and durable effectiveness in patients with severe multiepisode chronic depression, and this could be associated with its neuroplastic effects in the hippocampus. In light of good general tolerability, our findings support VNS as a viable treatment option for TRD.
CTPC, a combined transcriptome dataset of prostate cancer cell lines
Authors: Cheng Siyuan , Yu Xiuping 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCell lines are the most used model system in cancer research. The transcriptomic data of established prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines help researchers to explore the differential gene expression across the different PCa cell lines and develop hypothesis. Through large scale datamining, we established a curated Combined Transcriptome dataset of PCa Cell lines (CTPC) which contains the transcriptomic data of 1840 samples of seven commonly used PCa cell lines including LNCaP, C4-2, VCaP, 22Rv1, PC3, DU145, and NCI-H660. The CTPC dataset provides an opportunity for researchers to not only compare gene expression across different PCa cell lines but also retrieve the experiment information and associate the differential gene expression with meta data such as gene manipulation and drug treatment information. Additionally, based on the CTPC dataset, we built a platform for users to visualize the data (https://pcatools.shinyapps.io/CTPC_V2/). It is our hope that the combined CTPC dataset and the user-friendly platform are of great service to the PCa research community.
Exploring Ophthalmology Content on TikTok
Authors: Huang Austin , Zhu Dagny 
Published: July 2022

ABSTRACTTikTok has recently emerged as a rapidly growing global phenomenon that is becoming popular among medical professionals and patients alike. The use of other social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter by ophthalmologists is well-documented, but the prevalence of ophthalmologists on TikTok is not well understood. We sought to analyze the scope of popular ophthalmology content on TikTok.
Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination of healthy term infants at ages 6 and 10 weeks in Tshwane District, South Africa
Authors: Nel Marna , Feucht Ute , Mulol Helen , Eksteen Carina 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe neurodevelopmental progress of infants below 3 months is globally not well described. A lack of published data on normative values of child development in this age group has been identified. In South Africa (SA), neurodevelopmental characteristics of infants at well-baby 6- and 10-week visits are omitted from the ‘Road to Health Booklet’, a nationally used patient-held clinical record. The neurodevelopmental status of infants in these age groups is not routinely monitored and data not documented. Important changes occur in the maturation of the central nervous system of infants at 6 weeks that mark this age as an important milestone for monitoring neurodevelopmental progress.Methodology and findingsA prospective longitudinal study was performed on a sample of 35 healthy term-born, infants from low-risk pregnancies at 6- and 10-weeks postnatal age in the Tshwane District, SA. The status of infants’ posture, tone, reflexes, movements, orientation and behaviour were recorded on the Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination (HNNE). Cut-off points on the 5th and 10th centiles, according to the HNNE ‘optimality scoring system’, were applied to the raw scores of the 34 items in the proforma evaluation form. This study quantitatively supports patterns of characteristic change occurring in muscle tone, posture, and visual behaviour of infants between 6 and 10 weeks.Conclusion and significanceThis study recorded data on the neurodevelopmental assessment of infants from low-risk pregnancies at 6- and 10 weeks post-term age in Tshwane District, SA. The optimality scores obtained in this initial study in a low-middle-income country can guide health professionals using this method of examination during early neurodevelopmental screening at well-baby clinics. Further research is necessary to develop a SA norm for identifying the motor and neuro-behavioural characteristics of 6- and 10-week-old infants.
A national audit of pancreatic enzyme prescribing in pancreatic cancer from 2015 to 2023 in England using OpenSAFELY-TPP
Authors: Lemanska Agnieszka , Andrews Colm , Fisher Louis , Butler-Cole Ben , Mehrkar Amir , Roberts Keith J , Goldacre Ben , Walker Alex J ,   The OpenSAFELY Collaborative, MacKenna Brian 
Published: July 2022

AbstractObjectivesCancer treatments were variably disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. UK guidelines recommend pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to all people with unresectable pancreatic cancer. The aim was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on PERT prescribing to people with unresectable pancreatic cancer and to investigate the national and regional rates from January 2015 to January 2023.Data sourcesWith the approval of NHS England, we conducted this study using 24 million electronic healthcare records of people within the OpenSAFELY-TPP research platform. There were 22,860 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the study cohort. We visualised the trends over time and modelled the effect of COVID-19 with the interrupted time series analysis.ConclusionsIn contrast to many other treatments, prescribing of PERT was not affected during the pandemic. Overall, since 2015, the rates increased steadily over time by 1% every year. The national rates ranged from 41% in 2015 to 48% in early 2023. There was substantial regional variation with the highest rates of 50% to 60% in West Midlands.Implications for Nursing PracticeIn pancreatic cancer, if PERT is prescribed, it is usually initiated in hospitals by clinical nurse specialists and continued after discharge by primary care. At just under 50% in early 2023, the rates were still below the recommended 100% standard. More research is needed to understand barriers to prescribing of PERT and geographic variation to improve quality of care. Prior work relied on manual audits. With OpenSAFELY, we developed an automated audit allowing for regular updates.
Postoperative radiotherapy timing, molecular subgroups and treatment outcomes of Thai pediatric patients with medulloblastoma
Authors: Jaruthien Thitiporn , Nantavithya Chonnipa , Santisukwongchote Sakun , Shuangshoti Shanop , Techavichit Piti , Sosothikul Darintr , Amornfa Jiraporn , Shotelersuk Kanjana 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIntroductionMedulloblastoma (MB) is the most common childhood malignant brain tumor worldwide. Recently, molecular classification was established and started to play a role in the management of MB; however, studies involving molecular defined MB in Southeast Asia have been limited. We aimed to describe, and correlate clinical characteristics and molecular subgroups with therapeutic outcomes of Thai pediatric patients with MB.Materials and MethodsPediatric MB patients treated at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Thailand from 2008 to 2018 were recruited. Patients were classified by clinical characteristics into standard- and high-risk groups, which determined treatment regimen. Retrospectively, available tumor tissues were classified into 3 molecular subgroups using immunohistochemistry: 1) WNT, 2) SHH, and 3) non-WNT/non-SHH. The primary outcome was 5-year overall survival (OS). Risk factors associated with OS were analyzed using cox regression analysis.ResultsFifty-three Thai pediatric patients with MB were enrolled. The median follow-up time was 60 months. The 5-year OS for all patients, and patients with standard-risk and high-risk were 74.2%, 76.3% and 71.4%, respectively. Tumor tissues of 24 patients were available, of which 23 could be molecularly classified. Two, one and 20 were in the WNT, SHH and non-WNT/non-SHH subtypes with 5-year OS of 100%, 100% and 78.9%, respectively. Using multivariate analysis, the interval of more than 8 weeks between surgery and radiotherapy was significantly correlated with a decrease in the 5-year OS.ConclusionInterval between surgery and radiotherapy within 8 weeks was associated with good therapeutic outcomes among Thai pediatric patients with MB. Simplified molecular subtyping combined with clinical characteristics is practical in risk classification of patients with MB in institutes with limited resources.
Possible association of nucleobindin-1 protein with depressive disorder in patients with HIV infection
Authors: Yang Yun , Zhang Qian , Yang Jing , Wang Yun , Zhuang Ke , Zhao Changcheng 
Published: July 2022

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence for depressive disorder among HIV-infected population and preliminarily explore the underlying mechanisms.MethodsIndividuals who were newly HIV diagnosed were assessed on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD-A and HAD-D). Then SHIV-infected rhesus monkey model was used to investigate the possible involvement of NUCB1 and CB1 protein in depression-like behavior.ResultsThe prevalence rate of depression disorder among newly confirmed HIV cases was 27.33% (41/150). The mechanism research results showed elevated NUCB1 levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from HIV-infected patients suffering from depression were confirmed by western blotting compared to those of HIV-infected patients. Also, immunohistochemical analysis indicated expression of NUCB1 in the cerebral cortex neurons of SHIV-infected monkey was higher than that of healthy control. Conversely, CB1 expression were down-regulated at protein level.ConclusionsDepression are common in HIV infection and associate with NUCB1 expression increase, and NUCB1 may be a potential target for depression among HIV-infected subjects.
The choline-binding proteins PspA, PspC and LytA of Streptococcus pneumoniae and their role on host cellular adhesion and damage
Authors: Vilhena Cláudia , Du Shanshan , Battista Miriana , Westermann Martin , Kohler Thomas , Hammerschmidt Sven , Zipfel Peter F. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractStreptococcus pneumoniae is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that can colonize the upper respiratory tract. It is a leading cause of a wide range of infectious diseases, including community-acquired pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media and bacteraemia. Pneumococcal infections cause 1–2 million deaths per year, most of which occur in developing countries, where this bacterial species is probably the most important pathogen during early infancy. Here, we focused on choline-binding proteins (CBPs), i.e., PspC, PspA and LytA, and their integration into and interaction with the cell wall of S. pneumoniae. The three pneumococcal proteins have different surface-exposed regions but share related choline-binding anchors. These surface-exposed pneumococcal proteins are in direct contact with host cells and have diverse functions. PspC and PspA bind several host plasma proteins, whereas LytA plays a role in cell division and the lytic phase. We explored the role of the three CBPs on adhesion and pathogenicity in a human host by performing relevant imaging and functional analyses, such as electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy and functional quantitative assays targeting biofilm formation and the haemolytic capacity of S. pneumoniae. In vitro biofilm formation assays and electron microscopy experiments were used to examine the ability of knockout mutant strains lacking the lytA, pspC or pspA genes to adhere to surfaces. The mutant strains were compared with the S. pneumoniae D39 reference strain. We found that LytA plays an important role in robust synthesis of the biofilm matrix. PspA and PspC appeared crucial for the haemolytic effects of S. pneumoniae on human red blood cells. Furthermore, all knockout mutants caused less damage to endothelial cells than wild-type bacteria, highlighting the significance of CPBs for the overall pathogenicity of S. pneumoniae. Hence, in addition to their structural function within the cell wall of S. pneumoniae, each of these three surface-exposed CBPs controls or mediates multiple steps during bacterial pathogenesis.
An efficient UV-C disinfection approach and biological assessment strategy for microphones
Authors: Vignali Valentina , Hoff Tobi , de Vries-Idema Jacqueline , Huckriede Anke , van Dijl Jan Maarten , van Rijn Patrick 
Published: July 2022

AbstractHygiene is a basic necessity to prevent infections and though it is regarded as vital in general, its importance has been stressed again during the pandemic. Microbes may spread through touch and aerosols and thereby find their way from host to host. Cleaning and disinfection of possibly contaminated surfaces prevents microbial spread thus reducing potential illnesses. One item that is used by several people in a way that promotes close contact by touch and aerosol formation is the microphone. A microphone is a complex piece of equipment with respect to shape and various materials used to fabricate it and, hence, its disinfection is challenging. A new device has been developed to efficiently sterilize microphones using UV-C and the biological assessment has been done to identify its efficacy and translatability. For this investigation, a contamination procedure was developed using M13 bacteriophage as a model to illustrate the effectiveness of the disinfection. The susceptibility to UV-C irradiation of M13 in solution was compared to that of PR8 H1N1 influenza virus, which has a similar UV-C susceptibility as SARS-CoV-2. It was found that 10 min of UV-C treatment reduced the percentage of infectious M13 by 99.3% based on whole microphone inoculation and disinfection. UV-C susceptibility of M13 and influenza in suspension were found to be very similar, indicating that the microphone sterilization method and device function are highly useful and broadly applicable.
Examining the Impact of Increasing Vaccine Coverage and Nonpharmaceutical Interventions against Coronavirus Disease 2019 In Ghana using Mathematical Modeling
Authors: Ofori Sylvia K. , Schwind Jessica S. , Sullivan Kelly L. , Chowell Gerardo , Cowling Benjamin J. , Fung Isaac Chun-Hai 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSeroprevalence studies assessing community exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Ghana concluded that population-level immunity remained low as of February 2021. Thus, it is important to demonstrate how increasing vaccine coverage reduces the economic and public health impacts associated with transmission of the novel coronavirus. To that end, this study used a Susceptible-Exposed-Presymptomatic-Symptomatic-Asymptomatic-Recovered-Dead-Vaccinated compartmental model to simulate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission and the role of public health interventions in Ghana. The impact of increasing vaccination rate and decline in transmission rates due to nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on cumulative infections and deaths averted was explored under different scenarios. Latin hypercube sampling-partial rank correlation coefficient (LHS-PRCC) was used to investigate uncertainty and sensitivity of the outcomes to the parameters. Simulation results suggest that increasing the vaccination rate to achieve 50% coverage was associated with almost 30,000 deaths and 25 million infections averted. In comparison, a 50% decrease in the transmission coefficient was associated with about 50 million infections and 120,000 deaths averted. The LHS-PRCC results also found that cumulative infections and deaths averted were most sensitive to three model parameters: Transmission rate, vaccination rate, and waning immunity rate from infection. There is a need to increase vaccination coverage by ensuring an increased supply. Adherence to NPIs and increased vaccine uptake would successfully mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Ghana.
Clinical trials are moving to countries with fewer data protections
Authors: Yom-Tov Elad , Ofran Yishai 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe European Union implemented data privacy laws in mid-2018 and the state of California enacted a similar law several weeks later. These regulations affect medical data collection and analysis.MethodsHere we investigate the effect of these laws on clinical trials through analysis of clinical trials recorded on ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and scientific papers describing clinical trials.ResultsThe number of phase 1 and 2 trials in countries not adhering to data privacy laws rose significantly after implementation of these laws. The largest rise occurred in countries which are less free, as indicated by the negative correlation (−0.48, p=0.008) between the civil liberties freedom score of countries and the increase in the number of trials. This trend was not observed in countries adhering to data privacy laws nor in the paper publication record.ConclusionsThe implementation of data privacy laws is associated with a move of clinical trials to countries where people have fewer protections for their data.
Examining population structure across multiple collections of Cannabis
Authors: Halpin-McCormick Anna , Heyduk Karolina , Kantar Michael B. , Batora Nicholas L. , Masalia Rishi R. , Law Kerin , Kuntz Eleanor J. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractPopulation structure ofCannabis sativaL. was explored across nine independent collections that each contained a unique sampling of varieties. Hierarchical Clustering of Principal Components (HCPC) identified a range of three to seven genetic clusters across datasets with inconsistent structure based on use type indicating the importance of sampling particularly when there is limited passport data. There was broader genetic diversity in modern cultivars relative to landraces. Further, in a subset of geo-referenced landrace accessions, population structure was observed based on geography. The inconsistent structure across different collections shows the complexity withinCannabis, and the importance of understanding any particular collection which could then be leveraged in breeding programs for future crop improvement.
Small Molecule Antiviral Compound Collection (SMACC): a database to support the discovery of broad-spectrum antiviral drug molecules
Authors: Martin Holli-Joi , Melo-Filho Cleber C. , Korn Daniel , Eastman Richard T. , Rai Ganesha , Simeonov Anton , Zakharov Alexey V. , Muratov Eugene , Tropsha Alexander 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDiseases caused by new viruses costs thousands if not millions of human lives and trillions of dollars in damage to the global economy. Despite the rapid development of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, the lack of small molecule antiviral drugs that work against multiple viral families (broad-spectrum antivirals; BSAs) has left the entire world’s human population vulnerable to the infection between the beginning of the outbreak and the widespread availability of vaccines. Developing BSAs is an attractive, yet challenging, approach that could prevent the next, inevitable, viral outbreak from becoming a global catastrophe. To explore whether historical medicinal chemistry efforts suggest the possibility of discovering novel BSAs, we (i) identified, collected, curated, and integrated all chemical bioactivity data available in ChEMBL for molecules tested in respective assays for 13 emerging viruses that, based on published literature, hold the greatest potential threat to global human health; (ii) identified and solved the challenges related to data annotation accuracy including assay description ambiguity, missing cell or target information, and incorrect BioAssay Ontology (BAO) annotations; (iii) developed a highly curated and thoroughly annotated database of compounds tested in both phenotypic (21,392 entries) and target-based (11,123 entries) assays for these viruses; and (iv) identified a subset of compounds showing BSA activity. For the latter task, we eliminated inconclusive and annotated duplicative entries by checking the concordance between multiple assay results and identified eight compounds active against 3-4 viruses from the phenotypic data, 16 compounds active against two viruses from the target-based data, and 35 compounds active in at least one phenotypic and one target-based assay. The pilot version of our SMACC (Small Molecule Antiviral Compound Collection) database contains over 32,500 entries for 13 viruses. Our analysis indicates that previous research yielded very small number of BSA compounds. We posit that focused and coordinated efforts strategically targeting the discovery of such agents must be established and maintained going forward. The SMACC database publicly available at https://smacc.mml.unc.edu may serve as a reference for virologists and medicinal chemists working on the development of novel BSA agents in preparation for future viral outbreaks.