bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Association Between Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Matter and Incidence of Hypertension Among Chinese Elderly: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Wensu Zhou , Wen Chen , Fenfen Zhou , Wenjuan Wang , Li Ling 
Published: January 2022

Background and Objectives: Studies that investigate the links between particulate matter ≤2. 5 μm (PM2.5) and hypertension among the elderly population, especially those including aged over 80 years, are limited. Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between PM2.5 exposure and the risk of hypertension incidence among Chinese elderly.Methods: This prospective cohort study used 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2018 wave data from a public database, the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, a national survey investigating the health of those aged over 65 years in China. We enrolled cohort participants who were free of hypertension at baseline (2008) from 706 counties (districts) and followed up in the 2011, 2014, and 2018 survey waves. The annual PM2.5 concentration of 706 counties (districts) units was derived from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group database as the exposure variable, and exposure to PM2.5 was defined as 1-year average of PM2.5 concentration before hypertension event occurrence or last interview (only for censoring). A Cox proportional hazards model with penalized spline was used to examine the non-linear association between PM2.5 concentration and hypertension risk. A random-effects Cox proportional hazards model was built to explore the relationship between each 1 μg/m3, 10 μg/m3 and quartile increment in PM2.5 concentration and hypertension incidence after adjusting for confounding variables. The modification effects of the different characteristics of the respondents were also explored.Results: A total of 7,432 participants aged 65–116 years were enrolled at baseline. The median of PM2.5 exposure concentration of all the participants was 52.7 (inter-quartile range, IQR = 29.1) μg/m3. Overall, the non-linear association between PM2.5 and hypertension incidence risk indicated that there was no safe threshold for PM2.5 exposure. The higher PM2.5 exposure, the greater risk for hypertension incidence. Each 1 μg/m3 [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR): 1.01; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02] and 10 μg/m3 (AHR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.09–1.16) increments in PM2.5, were associated with the incidence of hypertension after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Compared to first quartile (Q1) exposure, the adjusted HRs of hypertension incidence for the Q2, Q3 and Q4 exposure of PM2.5 were 1.31 (95% CI: 1.13–1.51), 1.35 (95% CI: 1.15–1.60), and 1.83 (95% CI: 1.53–2.17), respectively. The effects appear to be stronger among those without a pension, living in a rural setting, and located in central/western regions.Conclusion: We found no safe threshold for PM2.5 exposure related to hypertension risk, and more rigorous approaches for PM2.5 control were needed. The elderly without a pension, living in rural and setting in the central/western regions may be more vulnerable to the effects of PM2.5 exposure.
Geo-Temporal Signatures of Physicochemical and Heavy Metals Pollution in Groundwater of Khulais Region—Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Khan Mohd Yawar Ali , El Kashouty Mohamed , Gusti Waleed , Kumar Amit , Subyani Ali Mohammad , Alshehri Ahmed 
Published: January 2022

Seawater has intruded into many of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastal aquifers, with varying degrees of extension depending on location, hydrogeology, and population density. This study aimed to evaluate and comprehend the processes that influence the hydrogeochemical characteristics of the coastal aquifer in Saudi Arabia’s Khulais region. Groundwater samples were taken from nineteen locations during the winter and summer of 2021, and data from major ions and trace elements were examined and interpreted using ArcGIS software. The total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations ranged between 480 and 15,236 mg/L and 887–18,620 mg/L in winter and summer, respectively. Groundwater TDS concentration was observed to be influenced by groundwater flow, lithogenic, anthropogenic, and seawater intrusion in this study (2021) when compared to 2016. The concentration of nitrate (NO3−) and strontium (Sr) in most samples exceeds the drinking guidelines. The occurrence of high concentrations of bromide (Br), Fluoride (F), Iron (Fe) (winter and summer) and Aluminum (Al), Boron (B), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) (winter) was also exhibited and observed up to more than drinking and irrigation limits. The central part of the study area was affected by seawater intrusion. The hydraulic conductivity of the topsoil was measured, and it ranged from 0.24 to 29.3 m/day. Based on electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium absorption ratio, most aquifer samples were unsuitable for irrigation (SAR).
Effects of Dietary Phospholipids on Growth Performance, Digestive Enzymes Activity and Intestinal Health of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) Larvae
Authors: Wang Shilin , Han Zhihao , Turchini Giovanni M. , Wang Xiaoyuan , Fang Zishuo , Chen Naisong , Xie Ruitao , Zhang Haitao , Li Songlin 
Published: January 2022

While the beneficial roles of dietary phospholipids on health status and overall performances of fish larvae have been well demonstrated, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To address this gap, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary phospholipids on growth performance, intestinal development, immune response and microbiota of larval largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic micro-diets were formulated to contain graded inclusion levels of phospholipids (1.69, 3.11, 5.23, 7.43 and 9.29%). Results showed that the supplementation of dietary phospholipids linearly improved the growth performance of largemouth bass larvae. The inclusion of dietary phospholipids increased the activity of digestive enzymes, such as lipase, trypsin and alkaline phosphatase, and promoted the expression of tight junction proteins including ZO-1, claudin-4 and claudin-5. Additionally, dietary phospholipids inclusion alleviated the accumulation of intestinal triacylglycerols, and further elevated the activity of lysozyme. Dietary phospholipids inhibited the transcription of some pro-inflammatory cytokines, including il-1β, and tnf-α, but promoted the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines tgf-β, with these modifications being suggested to be mediated by the p38MAPK/Nf-κB pathway. The analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA V3-4 region indicated that the intestinal microbiota profile was significantly altered at the genus level with dietary phospholipids inclusion, including a decreased richness of pathogenic bacteria genera Klebsiella in larval intestine. In summary, it was showed that largemouth bass larvae have a specific requirement for dietary phospholipids, and this study provided novel insights on how dietary phospholipids supplementation contributes to improving the growth performance, digestive tract development and intestinal health.
Controlled Growth of Indium Selenides by High-Pressure and High-Temperature Method
Authors: Dai Yajie , Zhao Shouxin , Han Hui , Yan Yafei , Liu Wenhui , Zhu Hua , Li Liang , Tang Xi , Li Yang , Li Hui , Zhang Changjin 
Published: January 2022

The controlled growth of indium selenides has attracted considerable research interests in condensed matter physics and materials science yet remains a challenge due to the complexity of the indium–selenium phase diagram. Here, we demonstrate the successful growth of indium selenides in a controllable manner using the high-pressure and high-temperature growth technique. The γ-InSe and α-In2Se3 crystals with completely different stoichiometries and stacking manner of atomic layers have been controlled grown by subtle tuning growth temperature, duration time, and growth pressure. The as-grown γ-InSe crystal features a semiconducting property with a prominent photoluminescence peak of ∼1.23 eV, while the α-In2Se3 crystal is ferroelectric. Our findings could lead to a surge of interest in the development of the controlled growth of high-quality van der Waal crystals using the high-pressure and high-temperature growth technique and will open perspectives for further investigation of fascinating properties and potential practical application of van der Waal crystals.
Genetic Predisposition to Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol May Increase Risks of Both Individual and Familial Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Tan Jiang-Shan , Hu Meng-Jin , Yang Yan-Min , Yang Yue-Jin 
Published: January 2022

Background: Previous observational studies provided conflicting results on the association between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD).Objective: We used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore the causal associations between LDL-C level and the risks of individual, paternal, maternal, and family history of AD.Methods: Summary-level genetic data for LDL-C were acquired from results of the UK Biobank GWAS. Corresponding data for paternal, maternal, and family history of AD were obtained from the NHGRI-EBI Catalog of human genome-wide association studies. Data for individual AD were obtained from the MR-Base platform. A two-sample MR study was performed to explore the causal association between LDL-C level and the risks of individual, paternal, maternal, and family history of AD.Results: Genetically predicted LDL-C was positively associated with individual [Odds ratio (OR) = 1.509, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.140–1.999; P = 4.0 × 10−3], paternal [OR = 1.109, 95% CI = 1.053–1.168; P = 9.5 × 10−5], maternal [OR = 1.132, 95% CI = 1.070–1.199; P = 2.0 × 10−5], and family history of AD [OR = 1.124, 95% CI = 1.070–1.181; P = 3.7 × 10−6] in inverse variance weighted analysis. After performing weighted median and MR-Egger analysis, consistent results were observed. There was no horizontal pleiotropy in the two-sample MR analysis.Conclusions: High level of LDL-C may increase the risks of both individual and familial AD. Decreasing the LDL-C to a reasonable level may help to reduce the related risk.
Rare Occurrence of Inhibitors in Von Willebrand Disease: A Case Report
Authors: Kulkarni Bipin P. , Ghargi Kirti , Shanmukhaiah Chandrakala , Shetty Shrimati D. 
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Type 3 Von Willebrand Disease (VWD) is the least common but the most severe form of a disease, with a prevalence of about 0. 5 to 1 per million in Western countries. The prevalence of type 3 VWD in the developing countries, with a high degree of consanguinity, is about 6 per million. Moreover, due to underdiagnosis of the milder cases, the prevalence of type 3 VWD is about 50% of the cases. Rarely, some patients develop the Von Willebrand Factor (VWF) inhibitors, which may subsequently develop severe anaphylactic reactions on further exposure to the VWF containing factor replacement therapy. The prevalence of inhibitor development in patients with type 3 VWD has been shown to be in the range of 5.8 to 9.5%. In the absence of a gold standard assay for the quantitation of VWF inhibitors, a correct diagnosis and management of these patients are often challenging.Objectives: The objective of this study is to standardize the Bethesda assay for the VWF inhibitors and to estimate the VWD inhibitor titer in two cases of congenital type 3 VWD, which developed the VWF inhibitors.Results and Conclusions: We could successfully standardize the Bethesda assay for the quantitation of VWF inhibitors in two patients with congenital type 3 VWD with inhibitors.
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Subclinical Tuberculosis in a Low-Incidence Setting in China
Authors: Tang Peijun , Liang Ermin , Zhang Xuxia , Feng Yanjun , Song Huafeng , Xu Junchi , Wu Meiying , Pang Yu 
Published: January 2022

Objectives: Subclinical tuberculosis (TB) represents a substantial proportion of individuals with TB disease, although limited evidence is available to understand the epidemiological characteristics of these cases. We aimed to explore the prevalence of subclinical patients with TB and identify the underlying association between the subclinical TB cases in the study setting and the Beijing genotype.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among patients with incident TB at the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou between January and December 2018. A total of 380 patients with TB were included in our analysis.Results: Of the 380 patients, 81.8% were active TB cases, whereas the other 18.2% were subclinical TB cases. Compared with patients aged 65 years and older, the risk of having subclinical TB is higher among younger patients. The use of smear, culture, and Xpert identified 3, 16, and 13 subclinical TB cases, respectively. When using a combination of positive culture and Xpert results, the sensitivity improved to 33.3%. In addition, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was significantly elevated in the active TB group compared with that in the subclinical TB group. We also observed that the proportion of the Beijing genotype in the subclinical TB group was significantly lower than that in the active TB group.Conclusion: To conclude, our data demonstrate that approximately one-fifth of patients with TB were subclinical in Suzhou. Mycobacterium tuberculosis could be detected by the existing microbiologic diagnostics in one-third of patients with subclinical TB. The patients with subclinical TB are more prone to having low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values than those with active TB. Additionally, non-Beijing genotype strains are associated with subclinical TB.
Parkinson's Disease With Visual Hallucinations Is Associated With Epileptiform Activity on EEG
Authors: Fry Adam , Singh Dharampreet , Manganas Louis , Gordon Marc L. , Christodoulou Christopher , Leung Hoi-Chung , Schwartz Guy J. 
Published: January 2022

Background: Visual hallucinations (VHs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are the cardinal symptoms which declare the onset of PD psychosis (PDP). The anthropomorphic and zoomorphic VHs of PD resemble those of Charles Bonnet syndrome and temporal lobe epilepsy. In both of these disorders electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities have been described. We therefore sought to examine whether VHs in PD were associated with similar EEG abnormalities.Methods: This retrospective observational study searched the medical records of 300 PD patients and filtered for those containing clinical 20-min scalp EEGs. Remaining records were separated into two groups: patients with reported VHs and those without. The prevalence of epileptiform discharges in the EEGs of both groups was identified.Results: Epileptiform discharges were present in 5 of 13 (38.5%) PD patients with VHs; all localized to the temporal lobe. No epileptiform discharges were observed in the EEGs of the 31 PD patients without VHs.Conclusion: The significantly high incidence of temporal lobe epileptiform discharges in PD patients with VHs as compared to those without VHs lends to the possibility of an association visual cortex epileptogenic focus. Accordingly, for treatment-refractory patients, antiepileptic drugs might be considered, as in the case of Charles Bonnet syndrome, temporal lobe epilepsy and migraine with visual aura. Future prospective studies involving larger samples and multi-center cohorts are required to validate these observational findings.
Levetiracetam Prophylaxis Therapy for Brain Tumor-Related Epilepsy (BTRE) Is Associated With a Higher Psychiatric Burden
Authors: Dono Fedele , Consoli Stefano , Evangelista Giacomo , Ricci Annalisa , Russo Mirella , Carrarini Claudia , Di Iorio Angelo , Bonanni Laura , Anzellotti Francesca , Onofrj Marco , Sensi Stefano L. 
Published: January 2022

Purpose: Brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) is a condition characterized by the development of seizures in the context of an undergoing oncological background. Levetiracetam (LEV) is a third-generation anti-seizure medication (ASM) widely used in BTRE prophylaxis. The study evaluated LEV neuropsychiatric side effects (SEs) in BTRE prophylaxis.Method: Twenty-eight patients with brain tumors were retrospectively selected and divided into two groups. In one group, we evaluated patients with a BTRE diagnosis using LEV (BTRE-group). The other group included patients with brain tumors who never had epilepsy and used a prophylactic ASM regimen with LEV (PROPHYLAXIS-group). Neuropsychiatric SEs of LEV were monitored using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) at the baseline visit and the 6- and 12-month follow-up.Results: Eighteen patients of the BTRE-group and 10 patients of the PROPHYLAXIS-group were included. Compared to the BTRE-group, the PROPHYLAXIS-group showed a higher severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms. According to Linear Mixed Models (LMM), a multiplicative effect was observed for the interaction between group treatment and time. For the caregiver distress score (CDS), only a time-effect was observed.Conclusion: Prophylactic ASM with LEV is associated with an increased frequency of neuropsychiatric SE. Accurate epileptological evaluations in patients with brain tumors are mandatory to select who would benefit most from ASM.
Contact Heat Evoked Potentials in China: Normal Values and Reproducibility
Authors: Sun Bo , Wang Hongfen , Chen Zhaohui , Cui Fang , Yang Fei , Huang Xusheng 
Published: January 2022

Background: Contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) is used to diagnose small fiber neuropathy (SFN). We established the normal values of CHEPs parameters in Chinese adults, optimized the test technique, and determined its reproducibility.Methods: We recruited 151 healthy adults (80 men; mean age, 37 ± 14 years). CHEPs was performed on the right forearm to determine the optimal number of stimuli, and then conducted at different sites to establish normal values, determine the effects of demographic characteristics and baseline temperature, and assess the short- (30 min) and long-term (1 year) reproducibility. N2 latency/height varied with age and sex, while P2 latency/height and N2–P2 amplitude varied with age. The optimal number of stimuli was three.Results: N2 latency/height (t = 5.45, P &lt; 0.001) and P2 latency/height (χ2 = −4.06, P &lt; 0.001) decreased and N2–P2 amplitude (t = −5.01, P &lt; 0.001) and visual analog scale score (χ2 = −5.84, P &lt; 0.001) increased with increased baseline temperature (35 vs. 32°C). CHEPs parameters did not differ with time (baseline vs. 30 min vs. 1 year).Conclusion: We established normal CHEPs values in Chinese adults. We found that CHEPs parameters changed with baseline temperature and that the short- and long-term test reproducibility were satisfactory.
An Immune Feature-Based, Three-Gene Scoring System for Prognostic Prediction of Head-and-Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Yamin , Luo Xiayan , Yu Jing , Qian Kejia , Zhu Huiyong 
Published: January 2022

Head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by a high frequency of neck lymph node metastasis (LNM), a key prognostic factor. Therefore, identifying the biological processes during LNM of HNSCC has significant clinical implications for risk stratification. This study performed Gene Ontology enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes between tumors with LNM and those without LNM and identified the involvement of immune response in the lymphatic metastasis of HNSCC. We further identified greater infiltrations of CD8+ T cells in tumors than in adjacent normal tissues through immunochemistry in the patient cohort (n = 62), indicating the involvement of CD8+ T cells in the antitumor immunity. Hierarchical clustering analysis was conducted to initially identify the candidate genes relevant to lymphocyte-mediated antitumor response. The candidate genes were applied to construct a LASSO Cox regression analysis model. Three genes were eventually screened out as progression‐related differentially expressed candidates in HNSCC and a risk scoring system was established based on LASSO Cox regression model to predict the outcome in patients with HNSCC. The score was calculated using the formula: 0.0636 × CXCL11 − 0.4619 × CXCR3 + 0.2398 × CCR5. Patients with high scores had significantly worse overall survival than those with low scores (p &lt; 0.001). The risk score showed good performance in characterizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and provided a theoretical basis for stratifying patients receiving immune therapies. Additionally, a nomogram including the risk score, age, and TNM stage was constructed. The prediction model displayed marginally better discrimination ability and higher agreement in predicting the survival of patients with HNSCC compared with the TNM stage.
Impact of Epstein-Barr Virus on Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Not Otherwise Specified and Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Kim Tong-Yoon , Min Gi-June , Jeon Young-Woo , Park Sung-Soo , Park Silvia , Shin Seung-Hawn , Yahng Seung-Ah , Yoon Jae-Ho , Lee Sung-Eun , Cho Byung-Sik , Eom Ki-Seong , Kim Yoo-Jin , Lee Seok , Kim Hee-Je , Min Chang-Ki , Lee Jong-Wook , Cho Seok-Goo 
Published: January 2022

PurposeThe significance of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections for the prognosis of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs), specifically angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) and PTCL not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), remains unclear. The Epstein-Barr encoding region can be used to detect EBV in tissue sections by in situ hybridization (ISH) and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays of peripheral blood samples from patients with PTCLs. This study compared the outcomes patients with AITL or PTCL-NOS for whom the presence of EBV infection was assessed by these two methods.Patients and MethodsThis was a retrospective study of patients newly diagnosed with AITL or PTCL-NOS. All patients were selected from a single transplantation center. EBV-positive lymphomas were detected at the time of diagnosis in tissue sections by ISH or in the blood by PCR.ResultsOut of a cohort of 140 patients with histologically confirmed AITL or PTCL-NOS, 105 were EBV-positive. The 3-year overall survival of patients with EBV-positive TCL was 43.3% compared to 68.6% in patients with EBV-negative TCL (p = .01). Patients who were treated with autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (n = 28 and n = 11, respectively) or chemotherapy alone (n = 66) had 3-year survival rates of 67.0%, 62.3%, and 30.2%, respectively (p &lt;.02). Patients with EBV-positive TCL had a better prognosis after treatment with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation compared to chemotherapy alone, but no difference was seen among patients with EBV-negative TCL.ConclusionsEBV infection was shown to negatively affect the clinical outcomes of patients with TCL. Stem cell transplantation has been found to be an effective treatment for EBV-associated lymphomas. Further investigations are warranted to determine the optimal treatment for these patients.
A Study on Propagation Models for 60 GHz Signals in Indoor Environments
Authors: Carneiro de Souza Letícia , de Souza Lopes Celso Henrique , de Cassia Carlleti dos Santos Rita , Cerqueira Sodré Junior Arismar , Mendes Luciano Leonel 
Published: January 2022

The millimeter-waves band will enable multi-gigabit data transmission due to the large available bandwidth and it is a promising solution for the spectrum scarcity below 6 GHz in future generations of mobile networks. In particular, the 60 GHz band will play a crucial role in providing high-capacity data links for indoor applications. In this context, this tutorial presents a comprehensive review of indoor propagation models operating in the 60 GHz band, considering the main scenarios of interest. Propagation mechanisms such as reflection, diffraction, scattering, blockage, and material penetration, as well as large-scale path loss, are discussed in order to obtain a channel model for 60 GHz signals in indoor environments. Finally, comparisons were made using data obtained from a measurement campaign available in the literature in order to emphasize the importance of developing accurate channel models for future wireless communication systems operating in millimeter-waves bands.