bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of maternal body mass index on the steroid profile in women with gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Sun Yanni , Zhu Bo , Meng Xingjun , Yin Binbin , Wu Kaiqi , Liu Yifeng , Zou Dandan , Xue Jianyou , Sun Xiao , Zhang Dan , Ma Zhixin 
Published: November 2022

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of maternal body mass index (BMI) on steroid hormone profiles in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).MethodsWe enrolled 79 women with NGT and 80 women with GDM who had a gestational age of 24–28 weeks. The participants were grouped according to their BMI. We quantified 11 steroid hormones profiles by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and calculated the product-to-precursor ratios in the steroidogenic pathway.ResultsWomen with GDM and BMI&lt;25kg/m2 showed higher concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) (p&lt;0.001), testosterone (T) (p=0.020), estrone (E1) (p=0.010) and estradiol (E2) (p=0.040) and lower Matsuda index and HOMA-β than women with NGT and BMI&lt;25kg/m2. In women with GDM, concentrations of E1 (p=0.006) and E2 (p=0.009) declined, accompanied by reduced E2/T (p=0.008) and E1/androstenedione (A4) (p=0.010) in the BMI&gt;25 kg/m2 group, when compared to that in the BMI&lt;25 kg/m2 group. The values of E2/T and E1/A4 were used to evaluate the cytochrome P450 aromatase enzyme activity in the steroidogenic pathway. Both aromatase activities negatively correlated with the maternal BMI and positively correlated with the Matsuda index in women with GDM.ConclusionsNGT women and GDM women with normal weight presented with different steroid hormone profiles. Steroidogenic pathway profiling of sex hormones synthesis showed a significant increase in the production of DHEA, T, E1, and E2 in GDM women with normal weight. Additionally, the alteration of steroid hormone metabolism was related to maternal BMI in women with GDM, and GDM women with overweight showed reduced estrogen production and decreased insulin sensitivity compared with GDM women with normal weight.
Distribution and bioaccumulation of trace metals in urban semi-arid mangrove ecosystems
Authors: Robin Sarah Louise , Marchand Cyril , Mathian Maximilien , Baudin François , Alfaro Andrea C. 
Published: November 2022

Mangrove ecosystems are known to act as filters for contaminants between land and sea. In New Caledonia, urbanization has increased along the coastline during the last decades. However, the impact of urbanization on contaminant cycling in mangrove forests has remained unexplored. In this study, we investigated trace metals (TM) dynamics in an urban mangrove soil and their transfer to mangrove tissues for the two dominant mangrove species in New Caledonia: Avicennia marina and Rhizophora stylosa. The results suggest that decades of urban rainwater runoff from an upper neighborhood induced large variations of mangrove soil physico-chemical properties compared to a control mangrove site sharing the same geological watershed. The urban mangrove site had a neutral pH and low salinity in the upper soil, while the control mangrove site presented acidic pH and a salinity ranging from 24 to 62 g L−1. Most TM were significantly less concentrated in the urban mangrove soil varying from 1.3 ± 0.3 μg g−1 at the urban site and 1.9 ± 0.5 μg g−1 at the control site for Cd, to 30 ± 8 mg g−1 and 49 ± 11 mg g−1 for Fe at the urban and control site, respectively. However, higher root bioconcentration factors were measured for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb in the urban mangrove soil (1.7 ± 0.9, 0.14 ± 0.06, 0.23 ± 0.13, 0.042 ± 0.026, 0.088 ± 0.057, 0.47 ± 0.39, 0.21 ± 0.12, and 0.25 ± 0.09, respectively) compared to the control mangrove soil (0.11 ± 0.03, 0.041 ± 0.016, 0.045 ± 0.021, 0.010 ± 0.004, 0.013 ± 0.007, 0.094 ± 0.030, 0.022 ± 0.011, and 0.12 ± 0.03, respectively). The bioavailability of TM in the urban mangrove soil may be favored by suboxic conditions associated to less Cl-TM complexes and pyrite-TM complexes in the soil. Only Cu, Pb, Ti, and Zn, usually associated with urbanization, were more concentrated in the urban mangrove soil with mean concentrations of 27 ± 4, 17 ± 2, 4,571 ± 492, and 62 ± 12 μg g−1 at the urban site, respectively, and 21 ± 4, 10 ± 3, 2,834 ± 541, and 57 ± 12 μg g−1 at the control site, respectively. No significant difference in translocation factors was measured between the two sites, evidencing a regulation of TM translocation to the upper tissues by mangrove trees.
Population genetic structure analysis and identification of backfat thickness loci of Chinese synthetic Yunan pigs
Authors: Qiao Ruimin , Zhang Menghao , Zhang Ben , Li Xinjian , Han Xuelei , Wang Kejun , Li Xiuling , Yang Feng , Hu Panyang 
Published: November 2022

Yunan is a crossed lean meat pig breed in China. Backfat thickness is the gold standard for carcass quality grading. However, over 14 years after breed registration, the backfat of Yunan thickened and the consistency of backfat thickness decreased. Meanwhile, no genetic study has been ever performed on Yunan population. So, in this study we collected all the 120 nucleus individuals of Yunan and recorded six backfat traits of them, carried out population genetic structure analysis, selection signals analysis and genome-wide association study of Yunan pigs with the help of their founder population Duroc and Chinese native Huainan pigs, to determine the genomic loci on backfat of Yunan. Genetic diversity indexes suggested Yunan pigs had no inbreeding risk while population genetic structure showed they had few molecular pedigrees and were stratified. A total of 71 common selection signals affecting growth and fat deposition were detected by FST and XP-CLR methods. 34 significant loci associated with six backfat traits were detected, among which a 1.40 Mb region on SSC4 (20.03–21.43 Mb) were outstanding as the strong region underlying backfat. This region was common with the results of selection signature analysis, former reported QTLs for backfat and was common for different kinds of backfat traits at different development stage. ENPP2, EXT1 and SLC30A8 genes around were fat deposition related genes and were of Huainan pig’s origin, among which Type 2 diabetes related gene SLC30A8 was the most reasonable for being in a 193.21 Kb haplotype block of the 1.40 Mb region. Our results had application value for conservation, mating and breeding improvement of backfat thickness of Yunan pigs and provided evidence for a human function gene might be reproduced in pigs.
ERBB2 as a prognostic biomarker correlates with immune infiltrates in papillary thyroid cancer
Authors: Jin Yuchen , Qiu Xian , He Ziyan , Wang JunYao , Sa Ri , Chen Libo 
Published: November 2022

Epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ERBB2) is commonly over-expressed in advanced or metastatic tissues of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with poor prognosis, while it remains unknown whether ERBB2 plays a role in the progression of PTC. Thus, we analyzed the data derived from online repositories, including TCGA, KEGG, GO, GeneMANIA, and STRING, to explore the relationship between ERBB2 expression and prognosis, tumor phenotypes of interest, and immune infiltrates in PTC. Compared to normal thyroid tissue, ERBB2 was up-regulated in PTC samples (p &lt; 0.001); In comparison with the group with low expression of ERBB2, the group with high expression of ERBB2 had poorer progression-free interval in stage III/IV patients (p = 0.008) and patients aged &gt;45 years (p = 0.019). The up-regulated ERBB2 was associated with iodine metabolism dysfunction, proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance. The expression of ERBB2 negatively correlated with enrichment scores of B cells (r = −0.176, p &lt; 0.001), CD8+ T cells (r = −0.160, p &lt; 0.001), cytotoxic cells (r = −0.219, p &lt; 0.001), NK CD56dim cells (r = −0.218, p &lt; 0.001), plasmacytoid dendritic cells (r = −0.267, p &lt; 0.001), T cells (r = −0.164, p &lt; 0.001), T follicular helper cells (r = −0.111, p = 0.012), gamma delta T cells (r = −0.105, p = 0.017), and regulatory T cells (r = −0.125, p = 0.005). In conclusion, ERBB2 may serve as a prognostic biomarker and an immunotherapeutic target in PTC, deserving further exploration.
Causal associations between CD40/CD40L and aortic diseases: A mendelian randomization study
Authors: Cui Xiao , Xuan Tianming , Chen Siyuan , Guo Xiaogang 
Published: November 2022

Background: CD40 and CD40L have been reported as associated with aortic dissection (AD) and aortic aneurysm (AA), but the causality of the associations has not been established yet.Methods: We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to assess the causal inference between CD40/CD40L and aortic diseases including AD and AA. The instrumental variables (IVs) for CD40 and CD40L were selected from a high-quality protein quantitative trait loci dataset released by a genomic study involving 30,931 individuals of European ancestry. The genome-wide association studies summary statistics for AD and AA were from the FinnGen Release 7, with 288638 controls for all outcomes of interests, 680 cases for AD and 6,092 cases for AA, also from European ancestry. For AA subtypes, there were 5,881 cases of thoracic AA (TAA) and 2,434 cases of abdominal AA (AAA) respectively. Inverse-variance weighted and Wald ratio were applied for calculating causal estimates. Horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity were assessed using MR-Egger regression analysis and Cochran Q test, respectively. Leave-one-out analyses were further performed.Results: Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for CD40 and one SNP for CD40L were selected as IVs. We found genetic proxied CD40 levels inversely associated with the risk of AD (odds ratio [OR]: 0.777, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.618–0.978, p = 0.031) and AA (OR: 0.905, 95% CI: 0.837–0.978, p = 0.012), consistent across TAA (both p &lt; 0.050). There were trends of increased risks of AD and AA in the presence of CD40L while not reaching statistical significance. No significant horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity was observed.Conclusion: Our MR study provides evidence supporting the causal association between CD40 and the reduced risks of both AD and AA.
SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral and cellular immune responses to BNT162b2 vaccine in Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva patients
Authors: Smetanova Jitka , Milota Tomas , Rataj Michal , Hurnakova Jana , Zelena Hana , Horvath Rudolf 
Published: November 2022

IntroductionFibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is characterized by progressive heterotopic ossification triggered by various conditions, such as trauma, infection, including COVID-19 infection, and vaccination. Although SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations prevent poor outcomes in the general population, there is limited evidence on safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for inpatients with FOP.MethodsA case series of two patients with FOP focused on humoral, cellular post-vaccination response, and the incidence of adverse events after administration of the BNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty).ResultsInjection site reactions, fever, myalgia, and fatigue were the most common adverse events (AE). Neither severe AE (SAE), nor disease flare-ups were observed. No differences between patients with FOP and healthy controls were observed in humoral and cellular responses.ConclusionsThe BNT162b2 vaccine induced high humoral and cellular response levels in patients with FOP. Vaccination was not associated with SAE or disease relapse. The AEs spectrum was comparable to that of the general population.
CD8+ T cell/cancer-associated fibroblast ratio stratifies prognostic and predictive responses to immunotherapy across multiple cancer types
Authors: Zheng Xinlong , Jiang Kan , Xiao Weijin , Zeng Dongqiang , Peng Wenying , Bai Jing , Chen Xiaohui , Li Pansong , Zhang Longfeng , Zheng Xiaobin , Miao Qian , Wang Haibo , Wu Shiwen , Xu Yiquan , Xu Haipeng , Li Chao , Li Lifeng , Gao Xuan , Zheng Suya , Li Junhui , Wang Deqiang , Zhou Zhipeng , Xia Xuefeng , Yang Shanshan , Li Yujing , Cui Zhaolei , Zhang Qiuyu , Chen Ling , Lin Xiandong , Lin Gen 
Published: November 2022

BackgroundCancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the tumor microenvironment (TME) are critical for immune suppression by restricting immune cell infiltration in the tumor stromal zones from penetrating tumor islands and changing their function status, particularly for CD8+ T cells. However, assessing and quantifying the impact of CAFs on immune cells and investigating how this impact is related to clinical outcomes, especially the efficacy of immunotherapy, remain unclear.Materials and methodsThe TME was characterized using immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis using a large-scale sample size of gene expression profiles. The CD8+ T cell/CAF ratio (CFR) association with survival was investigated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) lung cancer cohorts. The correlation between CFR and immunotherapeutic efficacy was computed in five independent cohorts. The correlation between CFR and objective response rates (ORRs) following pembrolizumab monotherapy was investigated in 20 solid tumor types. To facilitate clinical translation, the IHC-detected CD8/α-SMA ratio was applied as an immunotherapeutic predictive biomarker in a real-world lung cancer cohort.ResultsCompared with normal tissue, CAFs were enriched in cancer tissue, and the amount of CAFs was overwhelmingly higher than that in other immune cells. CAFs are positively correlated with the extent of immune infiltration. A higher CFR was strongly associated with improved survival in lung cancer, melanoma, and urothelial cancer immunotherapy cohorts. Within most cohorts, there was no clear evidence for an association between CFR and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) or tumor mutational burden (TMB). Compared with TMB and PD-L1, a higher correlation coefficient was observed between CFR and the ORR following pembrolizumab monotherapy in 20 solid tumor types (Spearman’s r = 0.69 vs. 0.44 and 0.21). In a real-world cohort, patients with a high CFR detected by IHC benefited considerably from immunotherapy as compared with those with a low CFR (hazard ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.75; p &lt; 0.001).ConclusionsCFR is a newly found and simple parameter that can be used for identifying patients unlikely to benefit from immunotherapy. Future studies are needed to confirm this finding.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive and behavioral tests in rodents treated with different doses of D-ribose
Authors: Song Ying , Du Yage , An Yu , Zheng Jie , Lu Yanhui 
Published: November 2022

BackgroundD-ribose is an aldehyde sugar and a necessary component of all living cells. Numerous reports have focused on D-ribose intervention in animal models to assess the negative effects of D-ribose on cognition. However, the results across these studies are inconsistent and the doses and actual effects of D-ribose on cognition remain unclear. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effect of D-ribose on cognition in rodents.MethodsThe articles from PubMed, Embase, Sciverse Scopus, Web of Science, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, SinoMed, Wanfang, and Cqvip databases were screened. The results from the abstract on cognitive-related behavioral tests and biochemical markers from the included articles were extracted and the reporting quality was assessed.ResultsA total of eight trials involving 289 rodents met the eligibility criteria, and both low- and high-dose groups were included. Meta-analyses of these studies showed that D-ribose could cause a significant decrease in the number of platform crossings (standardized mean difference [SMD]: –0.80; 95% CI: –1.14, –0.46; p &lt; 0.00001), percentage of distance traversed in the target quadrant (SMD: –1.20; 95% CI: –1.47, –0.92; p &lt; 0.00001), percentage of time spent in the target quadrant (SMD: –0.93; 95% CI: –1.18, –0.68; p &lt; 0.00001), and prolonged escape latency (SMD: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.65; p = 0.001) in the Morris water maze test. Moreover, D-ribose intervention increased the levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the brain (SMD: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.63; p &lt; 0.00001) and blood (SMD: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.92; p = 0.02). Subsequently, subgroup analysis for the dose of D-ribose intervention revealed that high doses injured cognitive function more significantly than low D-ribose doses.ConclusionD-ribose treatment caused cognitive impairment, and cognition deteriorated with increasing dose. Furthermore, the increase in AGEs in the blood and brain confirmed that D-ribose may be involved in cognitive impairment through non-enzymatic glycosylation resulting in the generation of AGEs. These findings provide a new research idea for unveiling basic mechanisms and prospective therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of patients with cognitive impairment.
Cognitive impairments in patients with subacute coronavirus disease: Initial experiences in a post-coronavirus disease clinic
Authors: Chang Jhin Goo , Ha Eun-Hye , Lee Wangjun , Lee Su Young 
Published: November 2022

BackgroundA significant number of patients experience persistent cognitive impairment after coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study aimed to investigate the cognitive function of patients in the subacute phase of COVID-19 and to identify the clinical factors associated with cognitive sequelae.Materials and methodsData from patients who visited the psychiatric department of our post-COVID clinic between March and May 2022 were analyzed. The results of neuropsychiatric function tests, including the digit span forward (attention/processing speed) and backward (working memory) tests, the trail making test part A (attention/processing speed) and part B (executive functioning), and the Stroop word color interference test (executive functioning), as well as clinical data from 40 patients in the subacute phase of COVID-19 were analyzed. We calculated the frequency of impairments in each cognitive measure, defined as a z-score of ≤−1.5 standard deviations below measure-specific age- and sex-adjusted norms.ResultsOf the participants, 72.5% (n = 29) had impairments in at least one cognitive domain. Impairment in executive function was the most frequent (64.9%), followed by impairments in processing speed/attention (52.5%) and working memory (42.5%). Age was inversely correlated with T scores in all cognitive function tests.ConclusionRegular examination of cognitive function is needed, especially in elderly individuals, regardless of the subjective symptom manifestations.
Subclinical alterations of resting state functional brain network for adjunctive bright light therapy in nonseasonal major depressive disorder: A double blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Huang Chun-Chao , Huang Hui-Chun , Lin Chen-Ju , Hsu Chien-Chi , Lee Chau-Shoun , Hsu Yu-Hsin , Chen Ting-Lin , Liao Wei-Hsin , Wu Yun-Hsiang , Yang Fan-Pei Gloria , Liu Shen-Ing 
Published: November 2022

IntroductionThe treatment effect of bright light therapy (BLT) on major depressive disorder (MDD) has been proven, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Neuroimaging biomarkers regarding disease alterations in MDD and treatment response are rarely focused on BLT. This study aimed to identify the modulatory mechanism of BLT in MDD using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI).Materials and methodsThis double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial included a dim red light (dRL) control group and a BLT experimental group. All participants received light therapy for 30 min every morning for 4 weeks. The assessment of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 (HAMD-24) and brain MRI exam were performed at the baseline and the 4-week endpoint. The four networks in interest, including the default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), salience network (SN), and sensorimotor network (SMN), were analyzed. Between-group differences of the change in these four networks were evaluated.ResultsThere were 22 and 21 participants in the BLT and dRL groups, respectively. Age, sex, years of education, baseline severity, and improvement in depressive symptoms were not significantly different between the two groups. The baseline rfMRI data did not show any significant functional connectivity differences within the DMN, FPN, SN, and SMN between the two groups. Compared with the dRL group, the BTL group showed significantly increased functional connectivity after treatment within the DMN, FPN, SN, and SMN. Graph analysis of the BLT group demonstrated an enhancement of betweenness centrality and global efficiency.ConclusionBLT can enhance intra-network functional connectivity in the DMN, FPN, SN, and SMN for MDD patients. Furthermore, BLT improves the information processing of the whole brain.Clinical trial registrationThe ClinicalTrials.gov identifier was NCT03941301.
No sex difference was found in the safety and efficacy of intravenous alteplase before endovascular therapy
Authors: Fang Min , Xu Chenhaoyi , Ma Lan , Sun Yue , Zhou Xiaoyu , Deng Jiangshan , Liu Xueyuan 
Published: November 2022

Background and purposePrior studies on sex disparities were post-hoc analyses, had limited treatment modalities, and had controversial findings. Our study aimed to examine whether sex difference modifies the effect of intravenous alteplase before endovascular therapy.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study of 850 eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent endovascular therapy. A propensity score was utilized as a covariate to achieve approximate randomization of alteplase pretreatment. The baseline characteristics of women and men were compared. Logistic regression with interaction terms, adjusted for potential confounders, was used to investigate the effect of sex on the prognosis of bridging therapy.ResultsIn comparison to men, women were older [78.00 (70.00–84.00) vs. 67 (61.00–74.00), P &lt; 0.001], had more atrial fibrillation (61.4 vs. 35.2%, P &lt; 0.001), had a lower ASPECTS [10.00 (8.00–10.00) vs. 10 (9.00–10.00), P = 0.0047], and had a higher NIHSS score [17.00 (14.00–20.00) vs. 16 (13.00–19.00), P = 0.005]. Women tended to receive less bridging therapy (26.3 vs. 33%, P = 0.043) and more retrieval attempts [2.00 (1.00–2.00) vs. 1 (1.00–2.00), P = 0.026]. There was no sex difference in functional independence at 90 days after bridging therapy (OR 0.968, 95% CI 0.575–1.63), whereas men benefited more after EVT alone (OR 0.654, 95% CI 0.456–0.937). There were no sex-treatment interactions observed regardless of the location of the occlusion. There were no significant sex differences in all safety outcomes.ConclusionOur study could not confirm that sex modifies the treatment effect of intravenous alteplase before endovascular therapy. At the same time, we advocate for women to seek timely medical treatment.
Cerebello-brainstem dominant form of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy with intrafamilial phenotypic variability
Authors: Choi Jae-Hwan , Kim Hyun Sung , Oh Eun Hye , Lee Jae Hyeok , Cheon Chong Kun 
Published: November 2022

ObjectivesThis study aimed to describe the clinical and radiological characteristics of a cerebello-brainstem dominant form of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD).MethodsThree affected members from a family with cerebellar ataxia received full neurological, laboratory and radiological examinations. Genetic diagnoses were confirmed using whole-exome sequencing and protein structural modeling.ResultsAll affected members presented with slurred speech, ataxia, and spasticity, but showed obvious differences in phenotypic severity and radiological findings. The levels of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) were elevated in each member, while only one had adrenal dysfunction. Genetic analysis identified a hemizygous missense mutation (c.887A&gt;G, p.Tyr296Cys) of the ATP-binding cassette subfamily D member 1 gene (ABCD1) in all affected members, which is likely to destabilize the overall structure of the ABCD1 protein.ConclusionsWe report a cerebello-dominant form of X-ALD caused by a missense variant in ABCD1. This report highlights intrafamilial phenotypic variability in X-ALD.