bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Detection of Epstein–Barr virus infection in thymic epithelial tumors by nested PCR and Epstein–Barr-encoded RNA ISH
Authors: li Zhao , jianyong Ding , Yunlan Tao , kun zhu , Chen Gang 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background：Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is well known to be associated with a lot of tumors, including lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, EBV associated gastric carcinoma and some other carcinomas with similar lymphoepithelioma-like features. However, the association between EBV and thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) is inconclusive as reports in this regard are not entirely consistent and the methods employed are of different sensitivity and specificity. The geographical difference of the patients is also one of the reasons for the different point of views. Methods：In our study, we examined 72 thymomas, including 3 cases of type A thymomas, 27 cases of type AB, 6 cases of type B1, 26 cases of type B2 and 10 cases of type B3 thymomas, and 15 thymic carcinomas to detect the viral genome at both DNA and RNA levels. The genome DNA of fresh tissues were first screened by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which could be regarded as the most sensitive method to detect small amounts of DNA. Then all the tissue blocks were further submitted for viral localization by Epstein–Barr-encoded RNA (EBER) ISH. Results：Nested PCR results showed that none of type A, eight (29.6%) type AB, one (16.7%) type B1, fifteen (57.7%) type B2 and four (40.0%) type B3 were positive for EBV genome. None of them detected EBER expression except for one case of B2 thymoma. Fourteen (93.3%) thymic carcinomas were positive for EBV by nested PCR, of which three displayed weak nuclear signals within the tumor cells by EBER ISH. Conclusions：These results showed that nested PCR was a sensitive method for screening the EBV genome in thymic epithelial tumors. As the malignancy of thymoma increases, the rate of EBV infection became higher. Thymic carcinomas were well associated with the Epstein–Barr virus. We further analyzed the association between EBV infection and myasthenia gravis. We found that EBV infection rate was higher in the thymomas with myasthenia gravis. This gave us a hint that EBV may also played some roles in thymoma-related myasthenia gravis.
Siltation Process and Metals Sediment Profile in a Hydroelectric Power Plant Reservoir Located in the Brazilian Most Industrialized Region, Paraíba Do Sul River Basin, Southeastern Brazil
Authors: Vieira Camille. D. , Oliveira Douglas. F. C. , Frota Maurício. N. , Viana Lude. Q. , Farias Cesar. A. S. , Gonçalves Rodrigo. A. , Godoy José Marcus de Oliveira 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
The middle Paraíba do Sul River region represents Brazil’s most industrialized area, where the largest steel industry in the country, the National Steel Company (Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional - CSN) is located, with an annual steel production of 5.8x106 tons. The Light hydropower complex is located downstream from the CSN. In the present study, four sediment cores samples were collected at the Vigário Reservoir. Following porosity profiling, three were selected for 210Pb dating. A high sediment accumulation rate (SAR) was observed, averaging 2.9 cm y− 1 for the last twenty years, which fits the mean SAR of 2.7 cm y− 1, for the 2001–20017 time interval, obtained based on bathymetric studies. Chromium and zinc, both associated to the CSN activities, presented a trend towards lower values during the last twenty years, attributed to the implementation of the ISO 14001 policy at the CSN. Chromium reached higher concentrations than the probable effect level (PEL), although actual values were close to the threshold effect level (TEL). Mercury concentration variations were attributed to sediment granulometry changes and not to eventual illegal gold mining activities along the middle of the Paraiba do Sul river, although mercury flux pointed out the contrary.
Accurate Clinical Toxicity Prediction using Multi-task Deep Neural Nets and Contrastive Molecular Explanations
Authors: Sharma Bhanushee , Chenthamarakshan Vijil , Dhurandhar Amit , Pereira Shiranee , Hendler James A. , Dordick Jonathan S. , Das Payel 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Explainable machine learning for molecular toxicity prediction is a promising approach for efficient drug development and chemical safety. A predictive ML model of toxicity can reduce experimental cost and time while mitigating ethical concerns by significantly reducing animal and clinical testing. Herein, we use a deep learning framework for simultaneously modeling in vitro, in vivo, and clinical toxicity data. Two different molecular input representations are used; Morgan fingerprints and pre-trained SMILES embeddings. A multi-task deep learning model accurately predicts toxicity for all endpoints, including clinical, as indicated by the area under the Receiver Operator Characteristic curve and balanced accuracy. In particular, pre-trained molecular SMILES embeddings as input to the multi-task model improved clinical toxicity predictions compared to existing models in MoleculeNet benchmark. Additionally, our multitask approach is comprehensive in the sense that it is comparable to state-of-the-art approaches for specific endpoints in in vitro, in vivo and clinical platforms. Through both the multi-task model and transfer learning, we were able to indicate the minimal need of in vivo data for clinical toxicity predictions. To provide confidence and explain the model’s predictions, we adapt a post-hoc contrastive explanation method that returns pertinent positive and negative features, which correspond well to known mutagenic and reactive toxicophores, such as unsubstituted bonded heteroatoms, aromatic amines, and Michael receptors. Furthermore, toxicophore recovery by pertinent feature analysis captures more of the in vitro (53%) and in vivo (56%), rather than of the clinical (8%), endpoints, and indeed uncovers a preference in known toxicophore data towards in vitro and in vivo experimental data. To our knowledge, this is the first contrastive explanation, using both present and absent substructures, for predictions of clinical and in vivo molecular toxicity.
The clinical assessment of studies on orphan drugs in relation to the EMA’s authorization marketing decisions
Authors: Jakubowski Szczepan , Kawalec Paweł , Malinowski Krzysztof Piotr 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Introduction Clinical evidence on effectiveness and safety for orphan drugs is limited. We aimed to assess the correlation between clinical robustness of studies on orphan drugs and the status assigned by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Methods We assessed all medicines with an orphan designation included in the EMA website as of June 1, 2020. Clinical data were collected from the European public assessment report (EPAR) documents for each drug, containing such information as clinical trial characteristics as well as drug safety and efficacy. Data were categorized, and statistical analysis was performed. Results We identified 968 trials reporting the results of 1342 clinical evaluations of 105 orphan drugs in a total number of almost 130 000 patients. In the multiple regression model analysis, each additional dose-response trial was associated with a 33-fold increase in the odds for the drug being under additional monitoring (p=0.02). Each additional randomized controlled trial was associated with a 91% reduction in the odds for additional monitoring (p=0.02). Each additional 100 patients participating in clinical trials was associated with a 58% reduction in the odds for exceptional circumstances (p=0.04). Each additional percent point for a share of studies with a follow-up longer than 2 years was associated with a 98% reduction in the odds for accelerated assessment (p=0.01).Conclusions Our quantitative analysis of the EMA authorization decision-making process revealed that the characteristics of a clinical trial and the quality of available evidence can be significantly associated with the odds for a specific status.
The Association between Body Mass Index, Abdominal fatness, Weight Change and the risk of Adult Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies
Authors: Parasuaraman Ganeshkumar , Ayyasamy Lavanya , Aune Dagfinn , Sen Abhijit , Nagarajan Ramya , Rajkumar Prabhu , Velusamy Saravanakumar , P Manickam , Sivaprakasam Satish 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Obesity correlate with increasing risk of adult asthma. However, not all studies have found a clear association between overweight and the incidence of asthma, and data on other adiposity measures have been limited. Hence, we aimed to summarize evidence on association between adiposity and adult asthma. Relevant studies were retrieved through searches conducted in PubMed, and EMBASE up to March 2021. A total of fifteen studies (63,952 cases and 1,161,169 participants) were eligible for the quantitative synthesis. The pooled RR per 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was 1.32 (95% CI 1.21–1.44, I2 = 94.6%, pheterogeneity<0.0001, n = 13), 1.26 (95% CI: 1.09–1.46, I2 = 88.6%, pheterogeneity<0.0001, n = 5) per 10 cm increase in waist circumference and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.221.44, I2 = 62.3%, pheterogeneity=0.05, n = 4) per 10 kg increase in weight gain. There was a significant on test of nonlinearity for BMI (pnonlinearity<0.00001), weight change (pnonlinearity=0.002), and waist circumference (pnonlinearity=0.02). The magnitude of the associations and the consistency of the results across studies and adiposity measures provide strong evidence that overweight and obesity, waist circumference and weight gain increases asthma risk. These findings support policies to curb the global epidemic of excess weight.
Effect of climate and phenological stage on fungal endophytes community in Sorghum bicolor leaves
Authors: Silva Rejane M. F. , Neto Walter P.P. , Oliveira Rafael J. V. , Bezerra Jadson D.P. , Bezerra José L. , de Lima Vitor Xavier , Vieira Larissa Cardoso , Tabosa José Nildo , Souza-Motta Cristina M. , Silva Gladstone A. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Endophytic fungi comprise a group of polyphyletic microorganisms of great diversity, which can be modulated by biotic and abiotic factors. In the present study, we analyzed the diversity and distribution of the endophytic fungal community associated with leaves of Sorghum bicolor crops in two areas of Brazilian forests and inferred the influence of climate and host phenology on their occurrence. The results obtained in this study showed that S. bicolor has a rich and diverse community of endophytic fungi distributed in Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota, with members of Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes as dominant groups. The community of endophytic fungi was influenced by two factors: rainfall and plant phenological stage. Filamentous fungi colonization increases as the post-blooming stage, and the fungal response is relative to its growth form. Further researches are needed to better understand the implications of endophytic-host association with sorghum crops.
An efficient supervised deep hashing method for image retrieval
Authors: Hussain Abid , li Heng-Chao , Ali Muqadar , Wali Samad , Hussain Mehboob , Rehman Amir 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Recently, retrieving and searching for relevant images from large datasets has become increasingly challenging for researchers. Hashing methods that mapped raw data into a short binary code have attracted increasing attention from the researcher. Most existing hashing approaches map samples to a binary vector with a single linear projection. This paper introduces a CNN-based hashing method that uses multiple nonlinear projections to produce additional short-bit binary code. Applying a convolutional neural network, we obtain an end-to-end. In order to maintain similarity between images, a loss function was also designed. Moreover, it minimized the quantization error by providing a uniform distribution of the hash bits. Extensive experimental results from various image retrieval benchmarks show the superiority of the proposed method and demonstrate its efficient performance compared with other state-of-art methods.
Evaluation of the near-surface wind field over the Adriatic region: Local wind characteristics in the convection-permitting model ensemble
Authors: Vozila Andreina Belušić , Belušić Danijel , Prtenjak Maja Telišman , Güttler Ivan , Bastin Sophie , Brisson Erwan , Demory Marie-Estelle , Dobler Andreas , Feldmann Hendrik , Hodnebrog Øivind , Kartsios Stergios , Keuler Klaus , Lorenz Torge , Milovac Josipa , Pichelli Emanuela , Raffa Mario , Soares Pedro M.M. , Tölle Merja H. , Truhetz Heimo , de Vries Hylke , Warrach-Sagi Kirsten 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
We present the first evaluation of the wind field from the CORDEX-FPS ensemble of kilometer-scale simulations, with focus on the Adriatic region. Kilometer-scale climate models, also known as convection-permitting models (CPMs), produce a good representation of small-scale topographic features and consequently a more detailed depiction of dynamical and thermal circulation. These enable a reliable view of climate characteristics of the wind field, especially in coastal regions and over complex terrain, such as the Adriatic. We investigate the (potential) added value introduced by CPMs compared to classical “cumulus-parametrized” regional climate models (RCMs), reanalysis and station observations. For this purpose, wind components at 10 meter level are used at 3-hourly frequency. All simulations cover a 10-year period, extending from 2000 to 2009. In terms of the standard statistical parameters such as correlation coefficient and temporal standard deviation, CPMs are very dependent on their parent RCM performance. However, the orographic forcing emphasizes the potential added value and CPMs contain some fine spatial scale variability (i.e. stronger extremes by 25% and accurate wind direction) that is absent in coarser RCMs and reanalysis. The potential added value is higher in the cold season compared to the warm season due to the proportion of severe wind events. CPMs reproduce well the typical wind regimes along the Adriatic coast, namely Bora and Sirocco. The benefit of using CPMs is especially pronounced in simulating Bora maximum wind speeds in northern Adriatic and Sirocco frequencies in southern Adriatic. Based on our overall analysis, we conclude that CPMs provide added value compared to coarser models, especially in the complex coastal terrain.
Medication administration time: an independent risk predictor for hypotension after induction of general anaesthesia for non-cardiac surgery: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Yang Yang , Zhang Wen-Sheng , Huang Qian 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background: Hypotension following induction of general anaesthesia (GAIH) is common, and it's associated with adverse outcomes. Although demographic and dose-related factors have been investigated, it is unknown whether administration time has an effect.Methods: Our analysis included 142 individuals who underwent elective otorhinolaryngologic procedures between March 1, 2017 and August 31, 2017. Under intravenous anaesthesia, patients were intubated using a single lumen endotracheal tube. The occurrence of GAIH, defined as a 30% decline in MAP from baseline, was recorded, and the risk variables for GAIH, including demographical, dose-related, and time-related factors, were investigated.Results: The final analysis includes 123 of the 142 participants that were enrolled in our trial. GAIH occurred 15.45 percent of the time between entering the operating room and intubation, and 55.28 percent of the time between intubation and the commencement of surgery. Propofol's time to peak effect (Ppropofol) (less than -0.4 min or more than 0.6 min) was associated with a lower risk of GAIH (OR 0.354, 95 percent CI, 0.142–0.884, p=0.026).Conclusions: Medication administration, especially Ppropofol, is a risk factor for GAIH.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, registered 04/05/2021 - Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=125840&htm=4
Utilization of aminoguanidine prevents cytotoxic effects of semen
Authors: Harms Mirja , von Maltitz Pascal , Mayer Benjamin , Deniz Miriam , Müller Janis , Münch Jan 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Studies of human semen in cell or tissue culture are hampered by the high cytotoxic activity of this body fluid. Responsible for the cell damaging activity of semen are amine oxidases, which convert abundant polyamines such as spermine or spermidine in seminal plasma into toxic intermediates. Amine oxidases are naturally present at low concentrations in seminal plasma and at high concentrations in fetal calf serum, a commonly used cell culture supplement. We here show that in the presence of fetal calf serum, seminal plasma as well as the polyamines spermine and spermidine are highly cytotoxic to immortalized cells, primary blood mononuclear cells, and vaginal tissue. Thus, experiments investigating the effect of polyamines and seminal plasma on cellular functions should be performed with great caution, considering confounding cytotoxic effects. Addition of the amine oxidase inhibitor aminoguanidine to fetal calf serum and/or utilization of serum-free medium greatly reduced this serum-induced cytotoxicity of polyamines and seminal plasma in cell lines, primary cells and tissues, and thus should be implemented in all future studies analyzing the role of polyamines and semen on cellular functions.
Effects of computerized decision support in the context of a performance-based incentive intervention on maternal and neonatal health-worker performance in Upper East Region, Ghana: A qualitative study of professional perspectives
Authors: Aninanya Gifty Apiung , Williams John E. , Williams Afua , Otupiri Easmon , Howard Natasha 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
BackgroundComputerized decision support systems (CDSS) and performance-based incentives (PBIs) can improve health-worker performance. However, there is minimal evidence on the combined effects of these interventions or perceived effects among maternal and child healthcare providers in low-resource settings. We thus aimed to explore the perceptions of maternal and child healthcare providers of combined CDSS-PBI support on performance in twelve primary care facilities in Ghana’s Upper East Region.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study drawing on semi-structured key informant interviews with 24 nurses and midwives, 12 health facility managers, and 6 district-level staff familiar with the intervention. We analysed data thematically using deductive and inductive coding in NVivo 9 software.ResultsInterviewees suggested the combined CDSS-PBI intervention improved their performance, through enhancing knowledge of maternal health issues, facilitating diagnoses and prescribing, prompting actions for complications, and improving management. Some also reported improved and mortality. However, challenges described in patient care included CDSS software inflexibility (e.g. requiring administration of only one intermittent preventive malaria treatment to pregnant women), faulty electronic partograph leading to unnecessary referrals, increased workload for nurses and midwives who still had to complete facility forms, and power fluctuations affecting software. ConclusionsCombining CDSS and PBI interventions has potential to improve maternal and child healthcare provision in low-income settings. However, user perspectives and context must be considered, along with allowance for revisions, when designing and implementing CDSS and PBIs interventions.
Privacy preserving on personalized medical data in cloud IoT using Extended Fully Homomorphic Encryption
Authors: Bedi Pradeep , Goyal S B 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Transition of healthcare to digital platforms is necessary for the present era to provide a better diagnosis with reduced operational cost. Digital platform makes the patient data available in an appropriate time. Cloud computing in health care applications senses the data through IoT modules and stored in the cloud. Manipulating medical data needs an essential protection mechanism to ensure data privacy. To reduce the privacy issues, encryption algorithms are preferred generally but their efficiency needs to be improved without breaking the data confidentiality. This research work proposed an Extended Fully Homomorphic Encryption (EFHE) scheme to preserve medical data privacy. Parameters such as Signal to Noise Ratio, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio, Mean Square Error, encoding, and decoding time are considered for analysis and conventional homomorphic and fully homomorphic algorithms are used to compare with the proposed research model to validate the superior performance of the proposed encryption scheme.
Acupuncture Exerts Antidepressant Effects in Rats of Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress: The Involvement of Inflammation in Amygdala and Brain-Spleen Axis
Authors: Chen Wenjie , Chen Yiping , Cheng Wenjing , Li Peng , Shen Junliang , Tong Tao , Yan Simin , Huang Zichun , Li Jiawei , Huang Shuqiong , Meng Xianjun 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Background
Acupuncture has shown antidepressant effects in rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). However, the mechanisms of antidepressant effects of acupuncture still need to be explored. In the study, acupuncture was applied to a rat depression model of CUMS, high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1) / toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and brain-spleen axis were assessed.
Methods
Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to CUMS with two stressors per day for 28 days. In the meantime, manual acupuncture (at GV16 and GV23 acupoints, once every other day) and fluoxetine gavage (2.1 mg/kg, 0.21 mg/mL) were administered daily post-CUMS stressors. Behavioral tests and biological detection methods were conducted in sequence to evaluate depression-like phenotype in rats.
Results
The results showed CUMS induced depression-like behaviors, hyper-activation of HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway, elevated inflammation in amygdala and peripheral blood, and hyperactivation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These changes could be reversed by acupuncture to varying extents.
Conclusion
Acupuncture ameliorated depression-like symptoms induced by CUMS, possibly via regulating inflammation mediated by HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway in amygdala and peripheral blood circulation, thus improving behavioral outcomes through brain-spleen axis and HPA axis regulation.