bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prognosis of asymptomatic versus symptomatic metastatic breast cancer: a multicenter retrospective study
Authors: Kuba Sayaka , Maeda Shigeto , Minami Shigeki , Moriuchi Hiroki , Tanaka Aya , Akashi Momoko , Morita Michi , Sakimura Chika , Baba Masayuki , Otsubo Ryota , Matsumoto Megumi , Yamanouchi Kosho , Yano Hiroshi , Kanetaka Kengo , Nagayasu Takeshi , Eguchi Susumu 
Published: August 2022

AbstractIn Japan, asymptomatic metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is often detected using tumor markers or imaging tests. We aimed to investigate differences in clinicopathological features, prognosis, and treatment between asymptomatic and symptomatic MBCs. Patients with MBC were retrospectively divided into asymptomatic and symptomatic groups to compare their prognosis by breast cancer subtype: luminal, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive, and triple negative. Of 204 patients with MBC (114 asymptomatic, 90 symptomatic), the symptomatic group had a higher frequency of multiple metastatic sites and TN subtype. All cohorts in the asymptomatic group tended to or had longer post-recurrence survival (PRS) than those in the symptomatic group. In contrast, all cohorts and TN patients in the asymptomatic group tended to have or had longer overall survival (OS) than those in the symptomatic group, although no significant difference was observed in the luminal and HER2 subtypes. In the multivariate analysis, TN, recurrence-free survival, multiple metastatic sites, and symptomatic MBC were independently predictive of PRS. Regarding the luminal subtype, the asymptomatic group had longer chemotherapy duration than the symptomatic group, with no significant difference in OS between the groups. Asymptomatic and symptomatic MBCs differ in terms of subtypes and prognosis, and whether they require different treatment strategies for each subtype warrants further investigation.
Efficient engraftment and viral transduction of human hepatocytes in an FRG rat liver humanization model
Authors: Carbonaro Marisa , Lee Jeffrey , Pefanis Evangelos , Desclaux Mathieu , Wang Kehui , Pennington Alexander , Huang Hui , Mujica Alejo , Rojas Jose , Ally Roxanne , Kennedy Daniel , Brown Michael , Rogulin Vitaliy , Moller-Tank Sven , Sabin Leah , Zambrowicz Brian , Thurston Gavin , Li Zhe 
Published: August 2022

AbstractHumanized liver rodent models, in which the host liver parenchyma is repopulated by human hepatocytes, have been increasingly used for drug development and disease research. Unlike the leading humanized liver mouse model in which Fumarylacetoacetate Hydrolase (Fah), Recombination Activating Gene (Rag)-2 and Interleukin-2 Receptor Gamma (Il2rg) genes were inactivated simultaneously, generation of similar recipient rats has been challenging. Here, using Velocigene and 1-cell-embryo-targeting technologies, we generated a rat model deficient in Fah, Rag1/2 and Il2rg genes, similar to humanized liver mice. These rats were efficiently engrafted with Fah-expressing hepatocytes from rat, mouse and human. Humanized liver rats expressed human albumin and complement proteins in serum and showed a normal liver zonation pattern. Further, approaches were developed for gene delivery through viral transduction of human hepatocytes either in vivo, or in vitro prior to engraftment, providing a novel platform to study liver disease and hepatocyte-targeted therapies.
Considering epitopes conservity in targeting SARS-CoV-2 mutations in variants: a novel immunoinformatics approach to vaccine design
Authors: Bagherzadeh Mohammad Aref , Izadi Mohammad , Baesi Kazem , Jahromi Mirza Ali Mofazzal , Pirestani Majid 
Published: August 2022

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has gained mutations at an alarming rate in the past years. Developing mutations can increase the virus's pathogenicity and virulence; reduce the efficacy of vaccines, antibodies neutralization, and even challenge adaptive immunity. So, it is essential to identify conserved epitopes (with fewer mutations) in different variants with appropriate antigenicity to target the variants by an appropriate vaccine design. Yet as, 3369 SARS-CoV-2 genomes were collected from global initiative on sharing avian flu data. Then, mutations in the immunodominant regions (IDRs), immune epitope database (IEDB) epitopes, and also predicted epitopes were calculated. In the following, epitopes conservity score against the total number of events (mutations) and the number of mutated sites in each epitope was weighted by Shannon entropy and then calculated by the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Based on the TOPSIS conservity score and antigenicity score, the epitopes were plotted. The result demonstrates that almost all epitopes and IDRs with various lengths have gained different numbers of mutations in dissimilar sites. Herein, our two-step calculation for conservity recommends only 8 IDRs, 14 IEDB epitopes, and 10 predicted epitopes among all epitopes. The selected ones have higher conservity and higher immunogenicity. This method is an open-source multi-criteria decision-making platform, which provides a scientific approach to selecting epitopes with appropriate conservity and immunogenicity; against ever-changing viruses.
Organic amendments and conservation tillage improve cotton productivity and soil health indices under arid climate
Authors: Ahmad Saeed , Hussain Ijaz , Ghaffar Abdul , Rahman Muhammad Habib ur , Saleem Muhammad Zain , Yonas Muhammad Waqas , Hussnain Hammad , Ikram Rao Muhammad , Arslan Muhammad 
Published: August 2022

AbstractLong-term different tillage system field trials can provide vital knowledge about sustainable changes in soil health indices and crop productivity. This study examined cotton productivity and soil health indices under different tillage systems and organic materials. The present study was carried out at MNS University of Agriculture, Multan to explore the effect of different tillage systems: conventional tillage (T1), conservation tillage (T2), and organic materials: control (recommended dose of synthetic fertilizers; 160:90:60 kg ha−1NPK), poultry manure (10 t ha−1PM), compost (10 t ha−1CM), farmyard manure (20 t ha−1FYM), and biochar (7 t ha−1BC) on cotton productivity and soil health indices. Two years field trials showed that different tillage systems and organic materials significantly improved the growth, morphological, and yield attributes of cotton and soil health indices. The cotton showed highest seed cotton yield (3692–3736 kg ha−1), and soil organic matter (0.809–0.815%), soil available nitrogen (74.3–74.6 mg kg−1), phosphorus (7.29–7.43 mg kg−1), and potassium (213–216 mg kg−1) under T2in comparison to T1system during both years of field experiment, respectively. Similarly, PM (10 t ha−1) showed highest seed cotton yield (3888–3933 kg ha−1), and soil organic matter (0.794–0.797%), nitrogen (74.7–75.0 mg kg−1), phosphorus (7.39–7.55 mg kg−1), and potassium (221–223 mg kg−1) when these are compared to FYM (20 t ha−1), CM (10 t ha−1), and BC (7 t ha−1) during both years of field experiment, respectively. These findings indicate that conservation tillage system with application of 10 t ha−1PM are the best practices for the sustainable cotton production and to ensure improvement in the soil health indices under arid climatic conditions.
Time to antibiotics is unrelated to outcome in pediatric patients with fever in neutropenia presenting without severe disease during chemotherapy for cancer
Authors: Koenig Christa , Kuehni Claudia E. , Bodmer Nicole , Agyeman Philipp K. A. , Ansari Marc , Roessler Jochen , von der Weid Nicolas X. , Ammann Roland A. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractFever in neutropenia (FN) remains an unavoidable, potentially lethal complication of chemotherapy. Timely administration of empirical broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics has become standard of care. But the impact of time to antibiotics (TTA), the lag period between recognition of fever or arrival at the hospital to start of antibiotics, remains unclear. Here we aimed to analyze the association between TTA and safety relevant events (SRE) in data from a prospective multicenter study. We analyzed the association between time from recognition of fever to start of antibiotics (TTA) and SRE (death, admission to intensive care unit, severe sepsis and bacteremia) with three-level mixed logistic regression. We adjusted for possible triage bias using a propensity score and stratified the analysis by severity of disease at presentation with FN. We analyzed 266 FN episodes, including 53 (20%) with SRE, reported in 140 of 269 patients recruited from April 2016 to August 2018. TTA (median, 120 min; interquartile range, 49–180 min) was not associated with SRE, with a trend for less SREs in episodes with longer TTA. Analyses applying the propensity score suggested a relevant triage bias. Only in patients with severe disease at presentation there was a trend for an association of longer TTA with more SRE. In conclusion, TTA was unrelated to poor clinical outcome in pediatric patients with FN presenting without severe disease. We saw strong evidence for triage bias which could only be partially adjusted.
DenseUNets with feedback non-local attention for the segmentation of specular microscopy images of the corneal endothelium with guttae
Authors: Vigueras-Guillén Juan P. , van Rooij Jeroen , van Dooren Bart T. H. , Lemij Hans G. , Islamaj Esma , van Vliet Lucas J. , Vermeer Koenraad A. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractCorneal guttae, which are the abnormal growth of extracellular matrix in the corneal endothelium, are observed in specular images as black droplets that occlude the endothelial cells. To estimate the corneal parameters (endothelial cell density [ECD], coefficient of variation [CV], and hexagonality [HEX]), we propose a new deep learning method that includes a novel attention mechanism (named fNLA), which helps to infer the cell edges in the occluded areas. The approach first derives the cell edges, then infers the well-detected cells, and finally employs a postprocessing method to fix mistakes. This results in a binary segmentation from which the corneal parameters are estimated. We analyzed 1203 images (500 contained guttae) obtained with a Topcon SP-1P microscope. To generate the ground truth, we performed manual segmentation in all images. Several networks were evaluated (UNet, ResUNeXt, DenseUNets, UNet++, etc.) and we found that DenseUNets with fNLA provided the lowest error: a mean absolute error of 23.16 [cells/mm$$^{2}$$2] in ECD, 1.28 [%] in CV, and 3.13 [%] in HEX. Compared with Topcon’s built-in software, our error was 3–6 times smaller. Overall, our approach handled notably well the cells affected by guttae, detecting cell edges partially occluded by small guttae and discarding large areas covered by extensive guttae.
Demonstration of an intense lithium beam for forward-directed pulsed neutron generation
Authors: Okamura Masahiro , Ikeda Shunsuke , Kanesue Takeshi , Takahashi Kazumasa , Cannavó Antonino , Ceccio Giovanni , Cassisa Anastasia 
Published: August 2022

AbstractAs an alternative to research nuclear reactors, a compact accelerator-driven neutron generator that uses a lithium beam driver could be a promising candidate since it produces almost no undesired radiation. However, providing an intense lithium-ion beam has been difficult, and it has been thought that the practical application of such a device would be impossible. The most critical problem of insufficient ion fluxes has been solved by applying a direct plasma injection scheme. In this scheme, a pulsed high-density plasma from a metallic lithium foil generated by laser ablation is efficiently injected and accelerated by a radio-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator (RFQ linac). We have obtained a peak beam current of 35 mA accelerated to 1.43 MeV, which is two orders of magnitude higher than a conventional injector and accelerator system can deliver.
The evolutionary drivers of primate scleral coloration
Authors: Mearing Alex S. , Burkart Judith M. , Dunn Jacob , Street Sally E. , Koops Kathelijne 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe drivers of divergent scleral morphologies in primates are currently unclear, though white sclerae are often assumed to underlie human hyper-cooperative behaviours. Humans are unusual in possessing depigmented sclerae whereas many other extant primates, including the closely-related chimpanzee, possess dark scleral pigment. Here, we use phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) analyses with previously generated species-level scores of proactive prosociality, social tolerance (both n = 15 primate species), and conspecific lethal aggression (n = 108 primate species) to provide the first quantitative, comparative test of three existing hypotheses. The ‘self-domestication’ and ‘cooperative eye’ explanations predict white sclerae to be associated with cooperative, rather than competitive, environments. The ‘gaze camouflage’ hypothesis predicts that dark scleral pigment functions as gaze direction camouflage in competitive social environments. Notably, the experimental evidence that non-human primates draw social information from conspecific eye movements is unclear, with the latter two hypotheses having recently been challenged. Here, we show that white sclerae in primates are associated with increased cooperative behaviours whereas dark sclerae are associated with reduced cooperative behaviours and increased conspecific lethal violence. These results are consistent with all three hypotheses of scleral evolution, suggesting that primate scleral morphologies evolve in relation to variation in social environment.
Dielectric breakdown of 2D muscovite mica
Authors: Maruvada Anirudh , Shubhakar Kalya , Raghavan Nagarajan , Pey Kin Leong , O’Shea Sean J. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractLocalized electrical breakdown (BD) measurements are performed on 2D muscovite mica flakes of ~ 2 to 15 nm thickness using Conduction Atomic Force Microscopy (CAFM). To obtain robust BD data by CAFM, the probed locations are spaced sufficiently far apart (> 1 µm) to avoid mutual interference and the maximum current is set to a low value (< 1 nA) to ensure severe damage does not occur to the sample. The analyses reveals that 2D muscovite mica has high electrical breakdown strength (12 MV/cm or more) and low leakage current, comparable to 2D hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) of similar thickness. However, a significant difference compared to h-BN is the very low current necessary to avoid catastrophic damage during the BD event, even for very thin (2–3 nm) flakes. Further, for mica the BD transient always appear to be very abrupt, and no progressive BD process was definitively observed. These marked differences between mica and h-BN are attributed to the poor thermal conductivity of mica.
Altered metabolic connectivity between the amygdala and default mode network is related to pain perception in patients with cancer
Authors: Lin Wen-Ying , Hsieh Jen-Chuen , Lu Ching-Chu , Ono Yumie 
Published: August 2022

AbstractWe investigated the neural correlates for chronic cancer pain conditions by retrospectively analyzing whole brain regions on 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography images acquired from 80 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal cancer. The patients were divided into three groups according to perceived pain severity and type of analgesic treatment, namely patients not under analgesic treatment because of no or minor pain, patients with good pain control under analgesic treatment, and patients with poor pain control despite analgesic treatment. Uncontrollable cancer pain enhanced the activity of the hippocampus, amygdala, inferior temporal gyrus, and temporal pole. Metabolic connectivity analysis further showed that amygdala co-activation with the hippocampus was reduced in the group with poor pain control and preserved in the groups with no or minor pain and good pain control. The increased although imbalanced activity of the medial temporal regions may represent poor pain control in patients with cancer. The number of patients who used anxiolytics was higher in the group with poor pain control, whereas the usage rates were comparable between the other two groups. Therefore, further studies should investigate the relationship between psychological conditions and pain in patients with cancer and analyze the resultant brain activity.Trial registration: This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 9/3/20 (NCT04537845).
Neural tube defects and uterus development in human fetuses
Authors: Diniz André L. L. , Vieiralves Rodrigo R. , Sampaio Francisco J. B. , Gallo Carla M. , Favorito Luciano Alves 
Published: August 2022

AbstractOne of the most common malformations of the central nervous system is related to embryonic neural tube alterations. We hypothesized that anencephaly affects the development of the uterus during the human second trimester of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to study the biometric parameters of the uterus in fetuses with anencephaly and compare them with normocephalic fetuses at that important. In our study, 34 female fetuses were analyzed, 22 normal and 12 anencephalic, aged between 12 and 22 weeks post-conception (WPC). After dissection of the pelvis and individualization of the genital tract, we evaluated the length and width of the uterus using the Image J software. We compared the means statistically using the Wilcoxon-Mann–Whitney test and performed linear regression. We identify significant differences between the uterus length (mm)/weight (g) × 100 (p = 0.0046) and uterus width (mm)/weight (g) × 100 (p = 0.0013) when we compared the control with the anencephalic group. The linear regression analysis indicated that 80% significance was found in the correlations in normocephalic fetuses (12.9 to 22.6 WPC) and 40% significance in anencephalic fetuses (12.3 to 18.6 WPC). The measurements of the uterus were greater in anencephalic group but there are no difference in the uterine width and length growth curves during the period studied. Further studies are required to support the hypothesis suggesting that anencephaly may affect uterine development during the human fetal period.
HSP70 upregulation in nasal mucosa of symptomatic children with allergic rhinitis and potential risk of asthma development
Authors: Fagotti Anna , Lucentini Livia , Simoncelli Francesca , La Porta Gianandrea , Brustenga Leonardo , Bizzarri Ilaria , Trio Silvia , Isidori Chiara , Di Rosa Ines , Di Cara Giuseppe 
Published: August 2022

AbstractAllergic rhinitis and asthma are the most common causes of chronic inflammation of the upper and lower airways in childhood. However, a nasal biomarker that can link to pulmonary inflammation is yet to be found. The present paper aims to investigate the possible role in inflammation of two inducible 70-kDa Heat Shock Proteins (HSP70) members, HSPA1A/B and HSPA6, in nasal mucosa cells of allergic children through their mRNA expression analysis, and their correlation to both spirometric and FeNO values. The relationship between FeNO in lower airways and ∆Cts of HSPA1A/B in nasal mucosa seems to be influenced by clinical symptoms regardless of age, sex, and sensitization patterns. Therefore, HSP70 expression, as well as FeNO levels, could have a predictive capability to identify lower airways inflammation and thus to recognize rhinitic children having a potential risk of asthma development.
Hidden costs to building foundations due to sea level rise in a changing climate
Authors: Abdelhafez Mohamed A. , Ellingwood Bruce , Mahmoud Hussam 
Published: August 2022

AbstractCoastal civil infrastructure is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Hurricane storm surge and coastal flooding can cause significant hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads on structures while saltwater intrusion (SWI) may lead to deterioration of foundations. The effects of saltwater intrusion due to Sea Level Rise (SLR) on the foundations of buildings and other civil infrastructure is poorly understood. Such damages may not be detected in a timely fashion nor be insured, leading to significant and unanticipated expenses for building owners. In this study, we evaluate the impact of SWI due to various SLR scenarios on the corrosion of reinforcement in foundations of nearly 137,000 residential buildings in low-lying areas surrounding Mobile Bay, AL. We find that the potential for costly damage is significant. Under an extreme SLR scenario, the annual expected repair costs for the foundations of the studied homes may reach as much as US$90 million by 2100.
Intact face detection in young patients with major depressive disorder revealed by the face-specific N170 component
Authors: Chen Yang , Tong Feizhou , Zhao Lun , Sun Gang 
Published: August 2022

AbstractIt is unclear whether the face perceptual processing, especially the perceptual computation in early stages of processing faces, impaired in young patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). In this study, the face perception was investigated by analyzing the early ERP components in response to upright and inverted faces versus objects. Across all conditions, both the P1 and the N170 components were similar in MDD patients versus in the controls, regardless of latencies or amplitudes. Faces elicited larger N170 than objects (N170 face effect) and inverted faces elicited higher and delayed N170 (N170 inversion effect); however, none of these effects were modulated by depression. These findings suggest that there is intact perceptual mechanism of processing faces in young MDD patients, relying primarily on global/configural information versus non-face objects.
Madden–Julian Oscillation-induced extreme rainfalls constrained by global warming mitigation
Authors: Liang Shijing , Wang Dashan , Ziegler Alan D. , Li Laurent Z. X. , Zeng Zhenzhong 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe sixth assessment report of the IPCC indicates low-to-high confidence in trends of extreme rainfall with regional inconsistency in the tropics, where a key phenomenon causing intra-seasonal variations in weather is the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO). It remains unknown how the MJO-induced extreme rainfall and the societal exposure may change in response to global warming and climate mitigation attempts. Here, using eight CMIP6 models that capture the eastward-propagating MJO structure and amplitude, we detect a nearly 60% increase in extreme rainfall over tropical Asia and Australia by the end of the 21st century under the fossil-fueled warming scenario (SSP5-8.5); 84% of this change is associated with MJO-induced extreme rainfall. Extreme rainfall increases are modulated by the warming-induced asymmetric changes in MJO phase characteristics, occurring mostly over the lands with distinct zonal differences. The region that is most likely to be affected includes Malaysia, Indonesia, and northern Australia where 96.68 million people and 9.72 million km2of urban areas are exposed to potential danger stemming from extreme rainfall. More than 95% (99%) of the population (urban) exposure can be potentially avoided under the “middle of the road” development (SSP2-4.5) scenario, whereby CO2emissions hover around current levels before starting to fall mid-century.