bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ameliorating role of microRNA-378 carried by umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-released extracellular vesicles in mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis
Authors: Chen Wenbiao , Zhang Feng , Hou Xianliang , Xu Huixuan , Tang Donge 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their released extracellular vesicles (Evs) have shown protective effects against kidney diseases. This study aims to study the functions of umbilical cord MSCs-released Evs (ucMSC-Evs) and their implicated molecules in mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN).

Methods
A rat model of MsPGN was induced by anti-Thy-1.1, and rat mesangial cells (rMCs) HBZY-1 were treated with PDGF-BB/DD to mimic MsPGN condition in vitro. Rats and cells were treated with different doses of ucMSC-Evs, and then the pathological changes in renal tissues and proliferation of rMCs were determined. Differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) after Evs treatment were screened by microarray analysis. The interactions among miR-378, PSMD14, and TGFBR1 were analyzed. Gain- and loss-of function studies of miR-378 and PSMD14 were performed to explore their effects on tissue hyperplasia and rMC proliferation and their interactions with the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway.

Results
The ucMSC-Evs treatment ameliorated mesangial hyperplasia and fibrosis in rat renal tissues and suppressed the aberrant proliferation of rMCs in a dose-dependent manner. miR-378 was the most upregulated miRNA in tissues and cells after ucMSC-Evs treatment. miR-378 directly targeted PSMD14, and PSMD14 maintained the stability of TGFBR1 through deubiquitination modification, which led to TGF-β1/Smad2/3 activation. Either miR-378 knockdown or PSMD14 overexpression diminished the protective functions of ucMSC-Evs by activating the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway.

Conclusion
UcMSC-Evs ameliorate pathological process in MsPGN through the delivery of miR-378, which suppresses PSMD14-mediated TGFBR1 stability and inactivates the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway to reduce tissue hyperplasia and rMC proliferation.

Graphical Abstract
Biomechanical effects of fixed-bearing femoral prostheses with different coronal positions in medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty
Authors: Ma Pengcheng , Muheremu Aikeremujiang , Zhang Siping , Zheng Qian , Wang Wei , Jiang Kan 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
To study the biomechanical effects of femoral prostheses at different coronal positions using finite element analysis and provide a clinical reference for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA).

Methods
A normal knee joint model was established and verified, establishing 13 working conditions for the femoral prosthesis: the standard position, varus and valgus angles of 3°, 6° and 9° and medial and lateral translations of 1 mm, 3 mm and 5 mm. The stress changes at different positions were analysed, including the polyethylene (PE) insert upper surface, the surface of lateral compartment cartilage and the surface of cancellous bone under tibial prosthesis.

Results
The stresses on the PE insert upper surface and the cancellous bone surface increased with increasing femoral prosthesis valgus/varus, and the stress increased gradually during medial to lateral translation. The stress change is more significant during valgus and lateral translation. However, the stress on the cartilage surface decreases in the process of varus to valgus and medial translation to lateral translation.

Conclusion
The fixed-bearing femoral prosthesis of the medial UKA should avoid translation or varus/valgus tilt on the coronal plane as much as possible. The obvious misalignment of the femoral prosthesis will significantly affect the stress on the internal structure of the knee joint, especially the PE insert and cartilage surface. A femoral prosthesis coronal tilt of more than 6° may significantly increase the stress on the PE surface, and varus of more than 6° may significantly increase the stress on the cartilage surface. For the femoral prosthesis position at the distal end of the femoral condyle, it is recommended to be placed in the centre.
The comparison of catastrophic health expenditure and its inequality between urban and rural households in China
Authors: Fu Xian-zhi 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
In recent years, the goal of universal coverage of the basic medical insurance schemes has been basically achieved in China, but the heavy economic burden of diseases is still the main cause of poverty in many households. Exploring catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and its inequality are highly important for forward-looking policymaking. This study aims to compare the incidence, intensity and inequality of CHE between urban and rural households in China.

Methods
This study was based on a national representative household survey—the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS)—that was conducted from 2012 to 2018. Concentration index (CI) was employed to measure the inequality of CHE incidence and overshoot, while the decomposition method of the CI was used to estimate the main influencing factors affecting inequality of CHE incidence.

Results
From 2012 to 2018, the CHE incidence of urban households increased from 11.01 to 11.88%, while the CHE incidence of rural households decreased from 18.42 to 18.31%. During the same period, the CI of CHE incidence for urban households decreased from − 0.1480 to − 0.1693, while that for rural households declined from − 0.1062 to − 0.1501. The major contribution to the pro-poor inequality in CHE incidence was associated with socioeconomic status, lagged CHE, receiving inpatient services, having elderly members, education of household head, and self-assessed health status of household head.

Conclusions
Rural households had higher risk of incurring CHE than urban households. The strong pro-poor inequality for CHE incidence and overshoot could be found in both two groups. The problem of poverty due to illness was more severe among low-income groups in rural areas than in urban areas. The relevant policy interventions should further focus on encouraging the development of supplementary medical insurance and increasing the reimbursement rate for hospitalization expenses in the medical assistance system.
Back to basics: measuring the impact of interventions to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Europe
Authors: Cortis Dominic , Vella King Fiona 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe at the start of 2020, most countries had implemented various measures in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. This study analyses the main non-pharmaceutical interventions and their impact on the rate by which cumulative cases and deaths were growing in Europe during the first wave of this pandemic.

Methods
The interventions analysed are the school closures, restrictions on travel, cancellation of events, restrictions on gatherings, partial and full lockdowns. Data was collected on the implementation date of these interventions, and the number of daily cases and deaths during the first wave of the pandemic for every country and territory geographically located in Europe. The study uses growth rates to calculate the increase in cumulative cases and deaths in Europe before, during, and after these interventions were implemented.

Results
The results show that decisions to close schools, cancel events, and restrict travel were taken during the same time period, whereas the decisions for the other interventions were taken when the growth rates were similar. The most effective interventions at lowering the rate by which cumulative cases were increasing were the travel restrictions, school closures, and the partial lockdown, while most effective against cumulative deaths were the partial lockdown, travel restrictions, and full lockdown.

Conclusion
All the interventions reduced the rate by which cumulative cases and deaths were increasing with the partial lockdowns being the most effective from the other interventions, during the first wave of the pandemic in Europe.
Anticipation of recovery of native renal function and liberation from renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with severe acute kidney injury
Authors: Schiffl Helmut 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is used to manage critically ill patients with severe acute kidney injury (AKI-D), and it is undoubtedly life-sustaining for most patients. However, the prolonged unnecessary use of these techniques may be harmful. At present, no consensus guidelines provide specific recommendations for clinicians on when (optimal timing of discontinuation) and how (liberation or weaning) to stop RRT in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with recovering native kidney function.

Methods and results
Numerous variables such as clinical parameters, classical surrogate markers for glomerular filtration rate, novel biomarkers of kidney function and damage, and new imaging techniques in AKI-D have been described to predict successful discontinuation of RRT. Most available studies are limited by study design, heterogeneity of variable assessment and thresholds of biomarkers, and lack of prospective validation. At present, the decision on discontinuation of RRT in ICU patients is based on three clinical scenarios: (a) intrinsic kidney function (defined as spontaneous urine output > 500 ml/24 h, timed creatinine clearance > 15 to 20 ml/min) has adequately improved to match the demands and continued RRT is no longer consistent with goals of care (transition to intermittent RRT); (b) the acute illness that prompted RRT has improved; (c) the clinical practice of switching haemodynamic stable patients with persistent AKI-D from continuous RRTs to intermittent RRTs is variable, but de-escalation of RRT (frequency, dose) may facilitate mobilization and discharge of ICU patients.

Conclusions
The predictive ability of novel kidney biomarkers, surrogate markers of kidney function, and direct measurements of kidney function should be evaluated in future studies.
Lip print evaluation of Indian and Malaysian-Chinese subjects by manual and digital methods: a correlational study with gender and ethnicity
Authors: Chadha Aditi , Vineetha Ravindranath , Kumar Mathangi , Bansal Divyansh , Pai Keerthilatha M. , Aithal Prakash K 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Cheiloscopy is a reliable method of personal identification which may augment the established methods like dactylography, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) profiling, and dental records.

Aim
This study aimed to determine the correlation of lip prints with ethnicity and gender of individuals in an attempt to bridge the gap between conventional manual methods and digital methods of cheiloscopy.

Methods
Lip prints of 300 gender-matched subjects of Indian and Malaysian-Chinese descents were collected and analyzed using the Suzuki K and Tsuchihashi Y classification system. The lip sizes were measured and lip print patterns were analyzed. The analysis was carried out using manual and computer-aided methods. A customized software for lip print analysis and validate it with the manual lip print analysis was developed.

Results
Independent sample t test showed a statistically significant difference between the width and length of the lips between males and females of the total population (p < 0.001). Pearson’s chi-square test showed no statistically significant difference between the Indian males and females in the width of the lower lip (p = 0.074). In the Malaysian-Chinese population, there was a statistically significant difference between males and females in the length of the upper lip (p = 0.032) and lower lip (p = 0.035). The type V grooves were predominant in the total study population (51.3%) followed by type III pattern (38.7%). The new customized software could not provide reliable results.

Conclusions
Lip sizes differed significantly among the Indian and Malaysian-Chinese subjects. There was no significant gender dimorphism in the distribution of lip print patterns. The results from manual and computer-aided methods were comparable.
Effect of nitrogen application level on cotton fibre quality
Authors: VAN DER SLUIJS Marinus H. J. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe nitrogen (N) requirements of cotton are well understood and have been extensively studied since 1887, with practical guides, decision support systems, models and recent reviews providing information on the importance of providing cotton crops with a sufficient supply of nutrients and improving nitrogen use efficiency. Given that the financial return to the grower depends on both the cotton quantity and quality and the growing importance of the latter, this review focusses specifically on information and knowledge about the effect of nitrogen application level on fibre quality.
Intervening to prevent suicide at railway locations: findings from a qualitative study with front-line staff and rail commuters
Authors: Katsampa Dafni , Mackenzie Jay-Marie , Crivatu Ioana , Marzano Lisa 
Published: March 2022

BackgroundFor every suicide on the British railway network, at least six potential attempts are interrupted by front-line staff or rail commuters. However, the factors that maximise or hinder the likelihood and effectiveness of such interventions are poorly understood.AimsThe aim of the current study was to shed light on the experience of intervening to prevent a suicide at a railway location, including how and why people intervene, and their feelings and reflections in the aftermath.MethodIn-depth interviews were carried out with rail commuters (n = 11) and front-line railway staff (n = 10) who had intervened to stop a suicide by train. Data were analysed thematically.ResultsParticipants had intervened to prevent suicide in several ways, both from afar (e.g. by calling a member of staff) and more directly (verbally or non-verbally), in some cases with no prior training or experience in suicide prevention, and often as a ‘quick, gut reaction’ given the limited time to intervene. In more ‘reasoned’ interventions, poor confidence and concerns around safety were the greatest barriers to action. Although often privy to their final outcome, most participants reflected positively on their intervention/s, stressing the importance of training and teamwork, as well as small talk and non-judgemental listening.ConclusionsSuicides in railway environments can present bystanders with little time to intervene. Potential interveners should therefore be resourced as best as possible through clear infrastructure help/emergency points, visibility of station staff and training for gatekeepers.
Circulating Cell-Free DNA Captures the Intratumor Heterogeneity in Multinodular Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Coto-Llerena Mairene , Benjak Andrej , Gallon John , Meier Marie-Anne , Boldanova Tuyana , Terracciano Luigi M. , Ng Charlotte K.Y. , Piscuoglio Salvatore 
Published: March 2022

PURPOSE Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, with more than 40% of patients initially diagnosed with multinodular HCCs. Although circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been shown to effectively detect somatic mutations, little is known about its utility to capture intratumor heterogeneity in patients with multinodular HCC undergoing systemic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tumor biopsies and plasma were synchronously collected from seven prospectively recruited patients with HCC before and during systemic therapy. Plasma-derived cfDNA and matched germline were subjected to high-depth targeted sequencing with molecular barcoding. The mutational profile of the cfDNA was compared with whole-exome sequencing from matched tumor biopsies. RESULTS Genomic data revealed that out of the seven patients, five were considered intrahepatic metastasis and two multicentric HCCs. cfDNA captured the majority of mutations in the tumors and detected significantly more mutations than tumor biopsies. Driver mutations such as CTNNB1 S33C, NRAS Q61R, ARID1A R727fs, and NF1 E2368fs as well as standard-of-care biomarkers of response to targeted therapy were detected only in cfDNA. In the two patients with multicentric HCC, cfDNA detected mutations derived from the genetically independent and spatially distinct nodules. Moreover, cfDNA was not only able to capture clonal mutations but also the subclonal mutations detected in only one of the multiple biopsied nodules. Furthermore, serial cfDNA detected variants of tumor origin emerging during treatment. CONCLUSION This study revealed that the genetic analysis of cfDNA captures the intratumor heterogeneity in multinodular HCC highlighting the potential for cfDNA as a sensitive and noninvasive tool for precision medicine.
Radiomics for differentiating minimally invasive adenocarcinoma from precursor lesions in pure ground-glass opacities on chest computed tomography
Authors: Zhu Yan-qiu , Liu Chaohui , Mo Yan , Dong Hao , Huang Chencui , Duan Ya-ni , Tang Lei-lei , Chu Yuan-yuan , Qin Jie 
Published: March 2022

Objective
To explore the correlation between radiomic features and the pathology of pure ground-glass opacities (pGGOs), we established a radiomics model for predicting the pathological subtypes of minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) and precursor lesions.

Methods:
CT images of 1521 patients with lung adenocarcinoma or precursor lesions appearing as pGGOs on CT in our hospital (The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University) from January 2015 to March 2021 were analyzed retrospectively and selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. pGGOs were divided into an atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH)/adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) group and an MIA group. Radiomic features were extracted from the original and preprocessed images of the region of interest. ANOVA and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator feature selection algorithm were used for feature selection. Logistic regression algorithm was used to construct radiomics prediction model. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the classification efficiency.

Results
129 pGGOs were included. 2107 radiomic features were extracted from each region of interest. 18 radiomic features were eventually selected for model construction. The area under the curve of the radiomics model was 0.884 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.818–0.949] in the training set and 0.872 (95% CI, 0.756–0.988) in the test set, with a sensitivity of 72.73%, specificity of 88.24% and accuracy of 79.47%. The decision curve indicated that the model had a high net benefit rate.

Conclusion
The prediction model for pathological subtypes of MIA and precursor lesions in pGGOs demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy.

Advances in knowledge:
We focused on lesions appearing as pGGOs on CT and revealed the differences in radiomic features between MIA and precursor lesions. We constructed a radiomics prediction model and improved the diagnostic accuracy for the pathology of MIA and precursor lesions.
Min-Sup-Min Robust Combinatorial Optimization with Few Recourse Solutions
Authors: Arslan Ayşe N. , Poss Michael , Silva Marco 
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we consider a variant of adaptive robust combinatorial optimization problems where the decision maker can prepare K solutions and choose the best among them upon knowledge of the true data realizations. We suppose that the uncertainty may affect the objective and the constraints through functions that are not necessarily linear. We propose a new exact algorithm for solving these problems when the feasible set of the nominal optimization problem does not contain too many good solutions. Our algorithm enumerates these good solutions, generates dynamically a set of scenarios from the uncertainty set, and assigns the solutions to the generated scenarios using a vertex p-center formulation, solved by a binary search algorithm. Our numerical results on adaptive shortest path and knapsack with conflicts problems show that our algorithm compares favorably with the methods proposed in the literature. We additionally propose a heuristic extension of our method to handle problems where it is prohibitive to enumerate all good solutions. This heuristic is shown to provide good solutions within a reasonable solution time limit on the adaptive knapsack with conflicts problem. Finally, we illustrate how our approach handles nonlinear functions on an all-or-nothing subset problem taken from the literature. Summary of Contribution: Our paper describes a new exact algorithm for solving adaptive robust combinatorial optimization problems when the feasible set of the nominal optimization problems does not contain too many good solutions. Its development relies on a progressive relaxation of the problem augmented with a row-and-column generation technique. Its efficient execution requires a reformulation of this progressive relaxation, coupled with dominance rules and a binary search algorithm. The proposed algorithm is amenable to exploiting the special structures of the problems considered as illustrated with various applications throughout the paper. A practical view is provided by the proposition of a heuristic variant. Our computational experiments show that our proposed exact solution method outperforms the existing methodologies and therefore pushes the computational envelope for the class of problems considered.
Value Sensitive Design in der digitalen Transformation
Authors: Jacobs Mattis , Jacobs Stephan 
Published: March 2022

ZusammenfassungEine zentrale Herausforderung der digitalen Transformation ist es, diese in Einklang mit gesellschaftlichen Normen und Werten zu bringen. Verschiedene Ansätze, dies zu erreichen, wurden in den vergangenen Jahren entwickelt und erprobt. In der Entwicklung von informationstechnischen Systemen wird beispielsweise das technische Design im Einklang mit ethischen Werten und Prinzipien (ethics by design) zunehmend als wichtiger Baustein diskutiert. Value Sensitive Design (VSD) ist ein Ansatz, um ethische Werte in einer systematischen Weise während eines Entwicklungsprozesses zu berücksichtigen. Der Begriff „digitale Transformation“ umfasst aber mehr als die Entwicklung von informationstechnischen Systemen. Er beschreibt den Einsatz von Informationstechnik als einen Prozess, durch den ein Mehrwert für ein Unternehmen oder für die Gesellschaft erzielt wird. Vier Dimensionen, die es bei einer digitalen Transformation zu beachten gilt, sind Informationstechnik, Organisation, Wertschöpfung und Compliance. Dieser Artikel stellt die Hypothese auf, dass VSD geeignet ist, nicht nur Entwicklungsprojekte, sondern auch die digitale Transformation in einem Unternehmen zu gestalten. Hierzu müssen allerdings Orientierungshilfen wie beispielsweise Methodensammlungen, die AnwenderInnen in der einschlägigen Literatur zur Verfügung gestellt werden, erweitert werden. Dieser Artikel diskutiert, wie und mithilfe der Integration welcher Methoden, die einzelnen Dimensionen in VSD berücksichtigt werden können. Der Artikel leistet hierdurch einen doppelten Beitrag. Einerseits zeigt er auf konzeptueller Ebene auf, wie VSD für die Gestaltung einer digitalen Transformation genutzt werden kann. Andererseits erläutert er, wie die Integration von Methoden der Wirtschaftsinformatik den Einsatz von VSD unterstützen kann.