bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The LAUsanne STAPHylococcus aureus ENdocarditis (LAUSTAPHEN) score: A prediction score to estimate initial risk for infective endocarditis in patients with S. aureus bacteremia
Authors: Papadimitriou-Olivgeris Matthaios , Monney Pierre , Mueller Linda , Senn Laurence , Guery Benoit 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionInfective endocarditis (IE) is a common complication of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB). The study aimed to develop and validate a prediction score to determine IE risk among SAB.MethodsThis retrospective study included adults with SAB (2015–2021) and divided them into derivation and validation cohorts. Using the modified 2015 European Society of Cardiology modified Duke Criteria for definite IE, the LAUSTAPHEN score was compared to previous scores.ResultsAmong 821 SAB episodes, 419 and 402 were divided into derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) were performed in 77.5 and 42.1% of episodes, respectively. Definite IE was diagnosed in 118 episodes (14.4%). Derivation cohort established that cardiac predisposing factors, such as cardiac implantable electronic devices, prolonged bacteremia ≥48 h, and vascular phenomena were independently associated with IE. In addition to those parameters, native bone and joint infections were used to constitute the LAUSTAPHEN score. LAUSTAPHEN and VIRSTA scores misclassified &lt;4% of IE cases as low risk. Misclassification using POSITIVE and PREDICT scores was &gt;10%. The number of TOEs required to safely exclude IE were 66.9 and 51.6% with VIRSTA and LAUSTAPHEN, respectively.DiscussionLAUSTAPHEN and VIRSTA scores exhibited the lowest misclassification rate of IE cases to the low-risk group. However, the number of patients requiring TOE was higher for VIRSTA than for LAUSTAPHEN.
Correlation analysis of serum IGF-1 and IL-6 and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio in patients with type 2 diabetic kidney disease
Authors: Liu Guan-Wen , Zeng Jiao-E , Li Lan-Fang 
Published: December 2022

ObjectivesDiabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most common chronic complications in diabetic patients, and there are major limitations in its pathological diagnosis. This study’s objectives were to examine the changes in serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in DKD patients with various urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and to evaluate the utility of these two biological markers in the clinical diagnosis of the condition.MethodsWe chose 80 type 2 diabetic patients as the experimental group and 20 healthy normal participants as the control group. The experimental group was split into three groups based on the ACR range: diabetes without nephropathy group (ACR &lt; 30 mg/g), microalbuminuric group (30 &lt; ACR &lt; 300 mg/g), and macroalbuminuric group (ACR &gt; 300 mg/g). The levels of serum IL-6 and IGF-1 were assessed in each trial participant.ResultsSerum IGF-1 was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P &lt; 0.01), and serum IL-6 levels were also higher than in the control group (P &lt; 0.001). In DKD patients, serum levels of IL-6 and IGF-1 tended to rise when ACR levels rose. By Pearson correlation analysis, serum IGF-1 and IL-6 were positively correlated with ACR (r = 0.765 and r = 0.651, all P &lt; 0.001) and negatively correlated with eGFR (r = -0.389 and r = -0.364, all P &lt; 0.01). Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values for serum IGF-1 and IL-6 were 0.9056 and 0.7850, respectively, while the AUR value for both combined was 0.9367.ConclusionSerum IGF-1 and IL-6 levels can be used to diagnose DKD, and the combined analysis of these two indicators can improve the sensitivity and specificity of the disease diagnosis.
Cognition and brain oxygen metabolism improves after bariatric surgery-induced weight loss: A pilot study
Authors: Anwar Nareen , Tucker Wesley J. , Puzziferri Nancy , Samuel T. Jake , Zaha Vlad G. , Lingvay Ildiko , Almandoz Jaime , Wang Jing , Gonzales Edward A. , Brothers Robert Matthew , Nelson Michael D. , Thomas Binu P. 
Published: December 2022

ObjectiveThe primary objectives of this pilot study were to assess cognition and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) consumption in people with severe obesity before (baseline), and again, 2- and 14-weeks after sleeve gastrectomy bariatric surgery.MethodsSix people with severe/class 3 obesity (52 ± 10 years, five females, body mass index (BMI) = 41.9 ± 3.9 kg/m2), and 10 normal weight sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HC) (48 ± 6 years, eight females, 22.8 ± 1.9 kg/m2). Global CMRO2 was measured non-invasively using MRI and cognition using the Integneuro testing battery.ResultsFollowing a sleeve gastrectomy induced weight loss of 6.4 ± 2.5 kg (% total-body-weight-lost = 5.4) over two-weeks, cognition total scores improved by 0.8 ± 0.5 T-scores (p=0.03, 15.8% improvement from baseline). Weight loss over 14-weeks post-surgery was 15.4 ± 3.6 kg (% total-body-weight-lost = 13.0%) and cognition improved by 1.1 ± 0.4 (p=0.003, 20.6% improvement from baseline). At 14-weeks, cognition was 6.4 ± 0.7, comparable to 6.0 ± 0.6 observed in the HC group. Baseline CMRO2 was significantly higher compared to the HC (230.4 ± 32.9 vs. 177.9 ± 33.9 µmol O2/100 g/min, p=0.02). Compared to baseline, CMRO2 was 234.3 ± 16.2 µmol O2/100 g/min at 2-weeks after surgery (p=0.8, 1.7% higher) and 217.3 ± 50.4 at 14-weeks (p=0.5, 5.7% lower) after surgery. 14-weeks following surgery, CMRO2 was similar to HC (p=0.17).ConclusionSleeve gastrectomy induced weight loss was associated with an increase in cognition and a decrease in CMRO2 observed 14-weeks after surgery. The association between weight loss, improved cognition and CMRO2 decrease should be evaluated in larger future studies.
Effects of shrub encroachment on grassland community and soil nutrients among three typical shrubby grasslands in the alpine subhumid region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China
Authors: Yu Shuhan , Liu Xiaolong , Chen Xueling , Sun Meiling , Cao Yongqiang , Hu Jinjiao , Yang Lixue , Hu Jian 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionThe alpine meadows are distributed widely and play a vital role in ecosystem service functions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Under the combined effect of climate change and overgrazing, shrubs display an apparent expansion trend, leading to the shrinking of alpine meadows, and directly affecting the structure and function of grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of shrub encroachment on the plant community and soil nutrients of alpine grassland ecosystems still need to be clarified.MethodWe aimed to determine differences in vegetation characteristics and nutrient distribution along the soil profile between shrub patches and their adjacent grassland at three sites, which were three typical types of shrub-encroached grassland, including Spiraea alpina Pall. (SA), Lonicera tubuliflora Rehd. (LT), and Salix cupularis Rehd. (ST).ResultsThe results showed that shrub invasion changed the plant community structure of alpine grassland ecosystems, and shrub type was the critical factor driving this alteration. The expansion of the three shrubs reduced grassland species diversity. Shrub encroachment in SA positively impacted vegetation biomass but significantly decreased the soil organic content (SOC) and total nutrients. Shrub invasion in the ST had the most substantial impact on vegetation and soil, resulting in significantly lower nutrient content in shrubs than in grassland patches. The effect of LT was a significant reduction in vegetation biomass but no significant changes in biodiversity or soil nutrients. Grassland patches were more strongly correlated than shrub patches for SA and LT, while the opposite was true for ST. Vegetation characteristics were correlated least with soil nutrients for SA, while ST was most correlated, and LT was between them. Soil nutrients show more positive correlations with vegetation, enzyme activity, and microbial biomass in deeper soils (20–100 cm) than in shallow soils (0–20 cm). The deeper the soil layer is, the more significant the positive correlations in the shrub patches. Our findings indicated that shrubs play critical roles in the dynamics of vegetation patterns and soil environments for managing and sustainable utilization of shrubby alpine grasslands.
Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors plus molecular targeted agents after the progression of lenvatinib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xie Fucun , Chen Bowen , Yang Xu , Wang Huaiyuan , Zhang Ge , Wang Yanyu , Wang Yunchao , Zhang Nan , Xue Jingnan , Long Junyu , Li Yiran , Sun Huishan , Xun Ziyu , Liu Kai , Chen Xiangqi , Song Yang , Yang Xiaobo , Lu Zhenhui , Mao Yilei , Sang Xinting , Lu Yinying , Zhao Haitao 
Published: December 2022

BackgroundLenvatinib is a standard first-line systemic therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) and is widely used in all lines. However, the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus molecular targeted agents (MTAs) after the progression of lenvatinib treatment are unclear.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the anticancer effects of ICI plus MTA in patients with aHCC who progressed after lenvatinib.MethodsWe retrospectively included aHCC patients treated with ICI plus MTA after the progression of lenvatinib from two medical centers. Participants who continued lenvatinib treatment were classified into the “ICI+Lenva” group, while the “ICI+Others” group included patients receiving other MTAs. The efficacy endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), post-progression survival (PPS), overall survival (OS), and tumor response following RECIST v1.1. Safety was evaluated according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v5.0.ResultsIn this study, 85 eligible aHCC patients were enrolled, including 58 in the ICI+Lenva group and 27 in the ICI+Others group. At a median follow-up time of 22.8 months, the median PPS and PFS were 14.0 (95% CI: 9.0-18.2) and 4.5 months (95% CI: 3.5-8.3), respectively. The objective response and disease control rates were 10.6% and 52.9%, respectively. No significant differences were observed in any of the efficacy endpoints between the two groups. Prolonged PPS was associated with Child–Pugh grade A, AFP &lt; 400 IU/ml, and concomitant locoregional treatment. All patients experienced adverse events (AEs), but no fatal AEs were observed.ConclusionICI plus MTA in aHCC patients after the progression of lenvatinib presented high antitumor activity and safety. Patients could continue lenvatinib treatment and receive ICIs as well as locoregional treatment to achieve better OS.
Overall feasibility assessment of polyester polyurethane concrete used as steel bridge deck pavement
Authors: Niu Shi-Lei , Wang Jun-Yi , Wang Zuo-Cai , Wang Dong-Hui , Sun Xiao-Tong , Zhao Xi 
Published: December 2022

Traditional pavement materials used in the orthotropic steel bridge deck suffer from various pavement distresses and thus reduce the service life of the steel bridge. Therefore, this study proposed a novel engineered material named polyester polyurethane concrete (PPUC) for the steel bridge deck pavement. Indoor laboratory experiments and numerical comparison analysis were conducted to comprehensively assess the feasibility of PPUC as the steel bridge deck pavement and ordinary Portland cement (OPC), guss asphalt concrete (GAC), asphalt mastic concrete (SMAC) and epoxy asphalt concrete (EAC) were used as references compared with PPUC. After the specimens of PPUC were prepared by mixing polyester polyurethane binder (PPUB) and aggregate with the binder-aggregate ratio of 15%, the specimens were subjected to compressive test, splitting tensile test, flexural tensile strength test, wheel tracking test, low-temperature cracking test, freeze-thaw splitting test, shear test and pull-out test. The mechanical performance comparison of different pavement structures with different materials was also analyzed using finite element analysis method. Results show that PPUC presents higher mechanical properties (compressive, tensile and flexural strength) compared to OPC, and it has good durability properties compared to SMAC, GAC, and EAC, such as high temperature stability, low temperature cracking resistance and water stability. In addition, PPUC has strong adhesive property with steel deck and does not change significantly with temperature changes. The finite element simulation results show that the maximum tensile strength and maximum compressive strength of PPUC in the single-layer structure are 0.51 MPa and 3.52 MPa respectively, which are much smaller than the experimental values and those of other materials. The maximum tensile strength and maximum shear strength of PPUC in the PPUC + SMAC composite structure are 0.232 MPa and 0.148 MPa respectively, which are also much smaller than the experimental values and those of other structures. The mechanical performance comparison results indicate that PPUC pavement structure can improve the overall stiffness of the steel bridge deck and protect the wear layer. These results support that the PPUC has a promising application for the steel bridge deck pavement.
Porous single-crystalline molybdenum nitride enhances electroreduction of nitrogen to ammonia
Authors: Li Xue , Xie Kui 
Published: December 2022

The industrial ammonia synthesis reaction has the disadvantage of large energy consumption; thus, the electrochemical reduction method of ammonia synthesis characterized by its clean nature and environmental protectiveness has received extensive attention. Molybdenum nitride is a commonly used electrocatalyst for ammonia synthesis, and its Faraday efficiency is low, which may be due to many internal grain boundaries and few active sites. In this work, we grow microscale porous Mo2N single crystals and polycrystalline Mo2N from non-porous MoO3 single crystals. Porous molybdenum nitride materials facilitate charge transport in grain boundaries due to their single-crystal nature and enhance the catalytic properties of ammonia synthesis reactions. Compared with polycrystalline Mo2N, the porous Mo2N single crystal shows better performance, with a high NH4+ yield of 272.56 μg h−1 mg−1 and a Faradaic efficiency of 7.3%. In addition, the porous Mo2N single crystal exhibits superior long-term stability with little attenuation after 16 h electrolysis reaction. It provides a new method for the catalyst of ammonia synthesis.
Analysis of forensic autopsy cases associated with epilepsy: Comparison between sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and not-SUDEP groups
Authors: Zhang Xian , Zhang Jianhua , Wang Jinming , Zou Donghua , Li Zhengdong 
Published: December 2022

Background and aimsEpilepsy is a common and chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures that increase the risk of mortality. SUDEP is the most common seizure-related category of death. The study aimed to evaluate the key characteristics between SUDEP and not-SUDEP death cases.MethodsA retrospective study of forensic autopsy cases from 2002 to 2021, performed by the Academy of Forensic Science (Ministry of Justice, China), identified a total of 31 deaths associated with epilepsy. We compared the different characteristics between individuals who died of SUDEP (SUDEP group) and individuals with epilepsy died suddenly due to unrelated causes (not-SUDEP group).Results and conclusions13 cases met the general accepted definition of SUDEP; and 18 cases were classified as not-SUDEP. The mean age of the not-SUDEP group was significantly higher than that of the SUDEP groups (p &lt; 0.05) and there were more cases without a clear cause of epilepsy in the SUDEP group than in the not-SUDEP group (p &lt; 0.05). Death position differed significantly between the two groups, with more cases dying in the prone position in the SUDEP group (p &lt; 0.05). Complete autopsies were performed in 24 of the 31 cases. There were no significant differences in heart, lungs and brain weights, or in ventricular thickness (p &gt; 0.05) between the SUDEP and not-SUDEP groups. In addition, compared to the not-SUDEP group, the SUDEP group featured a significantly more cases with coronary lesions (grades 1-3, p &lt; 0.05). Neuropathological lesions were identified in 12 of the 13 SUDEP cases (92.3%), cardiac lesions were present in 10 cases (76.9%) and pulmonary edema and pulmonary congestion were present in all cases. The primary cause of death in 13 of the 31 cases was seizure disorder or epilepsy. The primary mechanism of death in SUDEP group was mainly asphyxia while that in the not-SUDEP group was cardiopulmonary failure (p &lt; 0.05). Patients in the prone position had a significantly higher risk of asphyxia than those who were not. Here, we investigated the key characteristics between SUDEP and not-SUDEP death cases, which may help to facilitate forensic diagnosis in presumed SUDEP cases.
Home-based portable fNIRS-derived cortical laterality correlates with impairment and function in chronic stroke
Authors: Lee Friesen Christopher , Lawrence Michael , Ingram Tony Gerald Joseph , Boe Shaun Gregory 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionImproved understanding of the relationship between post-stroke rehabilitation interventions and functional motor outcomes could result in improvements in the efficacy of post-stroke physical rehabilitation. The laterality of motor cortex activity (M1-LAT) during paretic upper-extremity movement has been documented as a useful biomarker of post-stroke motor recovery. However, the expensive, labor intensive, and laboratory-based equipment required to take measurements of M1-LAT limit its potential clinical utility in improving post-stroke physical rehabilitation. The present study tested the ability of a mobile functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system (designed to enable independent measurement by stroke survivors) to measure cerebral hemodynamics at the motor cortex in the homes of chronic stroke survivors.MethodsEleven chronic stroke survivors, ranging widely in their level of upper-extremity motor deficit, used their stroke-affected upper-extremity to perform a simple unilateral movement protocol in their homes while a wireless prototype fNIRS headband took measurements at the motor cortex. Measures of participants' upper-extremity impairment and function were taken.ResultsParticipants demonstrated either a typically lateralized response, with an increase in contralateral relative oxyhemoglobin (ΔHbO), or response showing a bilateral pattern of increase in ΔHbO during the motor task. During the simple unilateral task, M1-LAT correlated significantly with measures of both upper-extremity impairment and function, indicating that participants with more severe motor deficits had more a more atypical (i.e., bilateral) pattern of lateralization.DiscussionThese results indicate it is feasible to gain M1-LAT measures from stroke survivors in their homes using fNIRS. These findings represent a preliminary step toward the goals of using ergonomic functional neuroimaging to improve post-stroke rehabilitative care, via the capture of neural biomarkers of post-stroke motor recovery, and/or via use as part of an accessible rehabilitation brain-computer-interface.
A human-in-the-loop based Bayesian network approach to improve imbalanced radiation outcomes prediction for hepatocellular cancer patients with stereotactic body radiotherapy
Authors: Luo Yi , Cuneo Kyle C. , Lawrence Theodore S. , Matuszak Martha M. , Dawson Laura A. , Niraula Dipesh , Ten Haken Randall K. , El Naqa Issam 
Published: December 2022

BackgroundImbalanced outcome is one of common characteristics of oncology datasets. Current machine learning approaches have limitation in learning from such datasets. Here, we propose to resolve this problem by utilizing a human-in-the-loop (HITL) approach, which we hypothesize will also lead to more accurate and explainable outcome prediction models.MethodsA total of 119 HCC patients with 163 tumors were used in the study. 81 patients with 104 tumors from the University of Michigan Hospital treated with SBRT were considered as a discovery dataset for radiation outcomes model building. The external testing dataset included 59 tumors from 38 patients with SBRT from Princess Margaret Hospital. In the discovery dataset, 100 tumors from 77 patients had local control (LC) (96% of 104 tumors) and 23 patients had at least one grade increment of ALBI (I-ALBI) during six-month follow up (28% of 81 patients). Each patient had a total of 110 features, where 15 or 20 features were identified by physicians as expert knowledge features (EKFs) for LC or I-ALBI prediction. We proposed a HITL based Bayesian network (HITL-BN) approach to enhance the capability of selecting important features from imbalanced data in terms of accuracy and explainability through humans’ participation by integrating feature importance ranking and Markov blanket algorithms. A pure data-driven Bayesian network (PD-BN) method was applied to the same discovery dataset of HCC patients as a benchmark.ResultsIn the training and testing phases, the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves of the HITL-BN models for LC or I-ALBI prediction during SBRT are 0.85 (95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.95) or 0.89 (0.81-0.95) and 0.77 or 0.78, respectively. They significantly outperformed the during-treatment PD-BN model in predicting LC or I-ALBI based on the discovery cross-validation and testing datasets from the Delong tests.ConclusionBy allowing the human expert to be part of the model building process, the HITL-BN approach yielded significantly improved accuracy as well as better explainability when dealing with imbalanced outcomes in the prediction of post-SBRT treatment response of HCC patients when compared to the PD-BN method.
A novel hybrid approach for “Scarless” (at the neck) lateral neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case series and literature review
Authors: Chen Zhen-Xin , Chen Jing-Bao , Pang Feng-Shun , Lin Zhan-Hong , Zhang Xiao-Bo , Cai Bei-Yuan , Zheng Wei-Wu , Cao Ying , Qin You 
Published: December 2022

Lateral neck dissection (LND) is a necessary treatment for thyroid cancer with lateral lymph node metastasis. However, the defect created during open surgery leaves a visible scar on the neck. With advancements in surgical technology, many robotic and endoscopic surgical techniques have been reported as alternatives to open surgery. In this study, we present a case series demonstrating the successful application of a novel hybrid approach for endoscopic LND and a review of different surgical approaches for “scarless” (at the neck) LND. We performed endoscopic LND via a combined chest and transoral approach in 24 patients between January 2021 and March 2022. The surgery was completed successfully in all patients with an average operation time of 298.1 ± 72.9 min. The numbers of positive/retrieved lymph nodes at levels II, III-IV, and VI were 0.7 ± 0.9/8.4 ± 4.1, 3.6 ± 2.7/19.5 ± 6.8, and 4.9 ± 3.9/10.3 ± 4.5, respectively. Complications included transient hypoparathyroidism in 10 patients, transient recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in 1 patient, internal jugular vein (IJN) injury in 1 patient, IJN sacrifice due to cancer invasion in 1 patient, and chyle leak in 1 patient, and no cases of tumor recurrence were observed during follow-up. The present case series indicates that the combined chest and transoral approach is feasible and effective for performing LND. Our review of different approaches for “scarless” (at the neck) LND identified advantages and disadvantages for all techniques. Our novel approach has unique advantages, and thus, it can provide an ideal surgical procedure for specific papillary thyroid carcinoma patients.