bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The IL-1B Gene Polymorphisms rs16944 and rs1143627 Contribute to an Increased Risk of Coronary Artery Lesions in Southern Chinese Children with Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Fu Lan Yan , Qiu Xiantao , Deng Qiu Lian , Huang Ping , Pi Lei , Xu Yufen , Che Di , Zhou Huazhong , Lu Zhaoliang , Tan Yaqian , Jiang Zhiyong , Zhang Li , Liu Techang , Gu Xiaoqiong
Published: April 2019

Background. Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic form of self-limited vasculitis in children less than five years old, and the main complication is coronary artery injury. However, the etiology of KD remains unclear. The IL-1B polymorphisms rs16944 GG and rs1143627 AA and their diplotype GA/GA have been associated with significantly increased risk of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance in a Taiwanese population, but the relationship between rs16944 A/G and rs1143627 G/A and coronary artery lesions (CALs) in patients with KD has not been investigated. The present study is aimed at investigating whether the rs16944 A/G and rs1143627 G/A polymorphisms in IL-1B were associated with KD susceptibility and CALs in a southern Chinese population. Methods and Results. We recruited 719 patients with KD and 1401 healthy children. Multiplex PCR was used to assess the genotypes of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including two SNPs of IL-1B, rs16944 A/G and rs1143627 G/A. According to the results, no significant association was observed between the IL-1B (rs16944 and rs1143627) polymorphisms and KD risk in the patients compared with the healthy controls in our southern Chinese population. However, in further stratified analysis, we found that children younger than 12 months with the rs16944 GG and rs1143627 AA genotypes of IL-1B had a higher risk of CALs than those with the AA/AG genotypes of rs16944 and GG/AG genotypes of rs1143627 (OR=2.28, 95% CI=1.32-3.95, P=0.0032, adjusted OR=2.33, 95% CI=1.34-4.04, P=0.0027). Conclusions. Our results indicated that there was no association between the rs16944 A/G and rs1143627 G/A gene polymorphisms and KD susceptibility. However, the rs16944 GG and rs1143627 AA genotypes of IL-1B may significantly impact the risk of CAL formation in children younger than 12 months, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of KD. These findings need further validation in multicenter studies with larger sample sizes.
An Unusual Case of Left Atrial Mural Thrombus following Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Taha Mohamed E. , Eljack Ammar , Ibrahim Hisham , Roongsritong Chanwit
Published: April 2019

The left atrial thrombus is a well-known complication of atrial fibrillation and rheumatic mitral valve disease and carries a high risk for systemic thromboembolism. They are generally dissolved after a certain period of optimal anticoagulation. A large thrombus, on the other hand, may persist even with adequate anticoagulation. The surgical removal of a thrombus theoretically poses some risk of systemic embolization, making its management a clinical dilemma. Furthermore, a refractory thrombus is uncommon. Thus, an evidence-based guideline in selecting the optimal therapy is needed. We report a case of a 74-year-old male with atrial fibrillation and a history of unprovoked pulmonary embolism who was incidentally found to have a massive left atrial thrombus shortly after discontinuing warfarin about 4 months following bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. The thrombus was refractory to anticoagulation posing a clinical management dilemma. This case is interesting in terms of presentation and the approach to diagnosis and treatment.
Erectile Dysfunction Preceding Clinically Diagnosed α-Synucleinopathies: A Case-Control Study in Olmsted County
Authors: Hasan Shemonti , Mielke Michelle M. , Ahlskog J. Eric , Bower James , Turcano Pierpaolo , Savica Rodolfo
Published: April 2019

Objective. Autonomic symptoms are common in α-synuclein disorders: multiple system atrophy (MSA), Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD). These symptoms may precede the motor findings/clinical diagnosis by years. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an autonomic symptom that has rarely been studied in these α-synuclein disorders. In this population-based, case-control study, we investigated the association between premonitory erectile dysfunction surfacing prior to the clinical-motor manifestations of these α-synucleinopathies. Methods. We used the medical record-linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project to identify cases of α-synucleinopathies in Olmsted County from 1991 to 2010. Each male case was matched by age (±1 year) of symptom onset and sex to a control. We reviewed complete medical records of cases and controls to detect erectile dysfunction prior to the clinical-motor onset of α-synucleinopathies of any type. We used conditional logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio of all α-synucleinopathies, as well as by type, adjusting for diabetes, coffee, and smoking. Results. A history of male erectile dysfunction was associated with 1.5-fold increased odds of an α-synucleinopathy diagnosis of any type in univariate analyses (p=0.06). When stratifying α-synucleinopathies by type, early erectile dysfunction was most frequent in MSA cases than matched controls (45% vs. 9%). Premotor phase ED was next most frequent among the DLB cases (46% vs. 27% among the controls; OR = 2.83, p=0.03; when adjusted for diabetes, smoking, and coffee, OR = 2.98, p=0.04). Premotor phase ED was not significantly associated with PD or PDD. Conclusions. Early erectile dysfunction may be a premotor symptom of MSA and DLB, reflecting premonitory dysautonomia. It was not associated with premotor PD or PDD.
Oral Perampanel for the Treatment of Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus
Authors: Rahbani Abdallah , Adwane Grace , Jomaa Najo
Published: April 2019

A 72-year-old man presented with a super-refractory partial status epilepticus following evacuation of a right subdural hematoma. He failed to respond to treatment with high doses of intravenous valproic acid, Levetiracetam, Lacosamide, Thiopental, and Midazolam. He was given 4 mg of Perampanel orally via nasogastric tube and the dose was rapidly increased to 8 mg after 12 hours with cessation of clinical and electrical seizures. Other antiepileptic drugs were tapered progressively with an excellent clinical outcome.
Anterior Shoulder Dislocation during Breaststroke Swimming Technique: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Vasiliadis Angelo V. , Kalitsis Christos , Biniaris George , Saridis Antonios
Published: April 2019

A 36-year-old woman presented with anterior shoulder dislocation as a result of breaststroke swimming training. She complained of pain and restriction of movement. A radiograph revealed the shoulder was dislocated, and the patient was treated successfully with closed reduction. The mechanism of injury seemed to be a relation between the initial pull phase of breaststroke technique and the weakest position of the shoulder in extension and external rotation. In our experience, if a patient has a history including a shoulder dislocation, this needs to be considered carefully before incorporating aquatic therapy into the rehabilitation program. Attention must also be given to the crucial timing of initiating swimming training.
Complementary Longitudinal Serum Biomarkers to CA125 for Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Simmons Archana R. , Fourkala Evangelia Ourania , Gentry-Maharaj Aleksandra , Ryan Andy , Sutton Margie N. , Baggerly Keith , Zheng Hui , Lu Karen H. , Jacobs Ian , Skates Steven , Menon Usha , Bast Robert C.
Published: April 2019

Early detection of ovarian cancer has the potential to impact mortality. A multimodal screening strategy where rising CA125 values over time, analyzed with the risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (ROCA), triggers transvaginal sonography and possible surgery has high sensitivity and specificity, but still fails to detect the 20% of early-stage cases that do not express CA125. Use of multiple biomarkers could detect cases missed by CA125. We have studied the sensitivity and lead time of a multi-marker panel (CA125, HE4, MMP-7, and CA 72-4) compared with CA125 alone. We used PRoBE design principles to select preclinical longitudinal specimens from 75 women (50 screen-positive, 25 screen-negative) who developed invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (3–5 serial specimens each) and 547 corresponding healthy controls (1–10 serial specimens each) from the ovarian cancer screening trial, UKCTOCS, in a blinded fashion. We measured the multi-marker concentrations in ultra-low serum volumes (16 μL) utilizing multiplexed bead-based immunoassays with low detection limits, high inter- and intra-assay precision, negligible cross-reactivity, and good correlation with standard immunoassays. While, at least one of the complementary biomarkers rose with CA125 in 44% (22/50) of screen-positive cases, there was no advantage in lead time over CA125. Therefore, we developed single-marker longitudinal algorithms (ROCA-like) to determine the presence of a change point to distinguish between the cases and controls. Using these algorithms, at 98% specificity, HE4 and CA72-4 identified 16% (4/25) of screen-negative cases, while MMP-7 identified none. Taken together, HE4 and CA72-4 show promise as complementary biomarkers to CA125 for longitudinal screening.
Einfluss eines komplementärmedizinischen telefonischen Beratungssystems auf den Antibiotikaeinsatz bei Nutztieren in der Schweiz
Authors: Maeschli Ariane , Schmidt Andreas , Ammann Werner , Schurtenberger Priska , Maurer Erika , Walkenhorst Michael
Published: April 2019

Hintergrund: Der Antibiotikaeinsatz bei Nutztieren fördert die Entwicklung antibiotikaresistenter Bakterien. Die Komplementärmedizin könnte einen Beitrag zur Reduktion von Antibiotika leisten, wird bisher jedoch nicht flächendeckend angeboten. Das Beratungsprogramm “Kometian” unter­stützt teilnehmende Landwirte darin, ihre Tiere komplementärmedizinisch zu behandeln. Methoden und Resultate: 128 von 223 teilnehmenden Betrieben nutzten in den ersten 3 Projektjahren die telefonische Beratung von Kometian. Die Mehrheit der Landwirte hielt Milchkühe. Frühestens 1 Woche nach der Kometianberatung wurde eine telefonische Nachfrage beim Tierbesitzer hinsichtlich des Gesundheitszustandes des Tieres durchgeführt. Es konnten so 661 Beratungsfälle recherchiert werden. In 486 Fällen erfolgte keine weitere schulmedizinische Behandlung, in 373 Fällen gab der Landwirt einen Behandlungserfolg an. Von 188 angefragten und seit mindestens einem Jahr an Kometian teilnehmenden Betrieben stellten 46 ihre Behandlungsjournale zur Verfügung. Die betriebliche antibiotische Behandlungsinzidenz sank signifikant (p < 0,001) von 27 vor Beitritt auf 18 Behandlungen pro 100 Tiere im ersten Jahr. Schlussfolgerung: Es scheint, dass Kometian einen Beitrag dazu leisten konnte, den Antibiotikaeinsatz auf Betriebsebene zu reduzieren.
Human Mast Cell Sensitization with IgE Increases miRNA-210 Expression
Authors: Just Jesper , Munk Ipsen Pernille , Kruhøffer Mogens , Lykkemark Simon , Skjold Tina , Schiøtz Peter Oluf , Hoffmann Hans Jürgen
Published: April 2019

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent important post-transcriptional regulators with a dynamic expression profile during health and disease. Objectives: We explored the miRNA profile of human mast cells (MCs) during sen­sitization with IgE, during activation through IgE, and relat ed it to prostaglandin D2 synthesis and histamine release. Method: We investigated the expression pattern of 762 miRNAs during the IgE-mediated sensitization and activation of MCs cultured from CD133+ stem cells that were isolated from allergic asthmatic patients and nonatopic controls. Results: IgE-mediated sensitization increased the expression of miRNA-210 eight-fold. This increase was sustained during IgE-mediated MC activation. Furthermore, we confirmed the increase of the miRNA-132/212 cluster after MC activation. Predicted target genes of miRNA-210/132/212 were enriched in several pathways known to be involved in MC activation. Histamine release was significantly higher in MCs from allergic patients when compared to controls, and a number of miRNAs correlated with histamine release and prostaglandin D2 synthesis during MC activation. Conclusion: The miRNAs and analysis presented here can help to elucidate the role of miRNAs in mediator release during MC activation. We speculate that miRNA-210 could be important in MC sensitization that leads to allergic symptoms.
Frailty in Older Adults with Mild Dementia: Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Borda Miguel Germán , Soennesyn Hogne , Steves Claire J. , Osland Vik-Mo Audun , Pérez-Zepeda Mario Ulises , Aarsland Dag
Published: April 2019

Introduction: The aim of the study is to describe the frequency of frailty in people with a new diagnosis of mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Dementia Study of Western Norway (Demvest). For this study, we analysed a sample of 186 patients, 116 with AD and 70 with DLB. Subjects were included at a time in which mild dementia was diagnosed according to consensus criteria after comprehensive standardized assessment. Frailty was evaluated retrospectively using a frailty index generated from existing data. The cut-off value used to classify an older adult as frail was 0.25. Results: The prevalence of frailty was 25.81% (n = 48). In the DLB group, 37.14% (n = 26) were classified as frail, compared to 18.97% (n = 22) of those with AD (p < 0.001). The adjusted multivariate analysis revealed an OR of 2.45 (1.15–5.23) for being frail in those with DLB when using AD as the reference group. Conclusion: Frailty was higher than expected in both types of dementia. The prevalence of frailty was higher in those with DLB compared to AD. This new finding underscores the need for a multi-systems approach in both dementias, with a particular focus on DLB.
Coma with Glasgow Coma Scale Score 3 at Admission following Acute Head Injury: Experiencing the Complete Recovery Supported through Ayurveda – A Case Report
Authors: Rastogi Sanjeev
Published: April 2019

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a common cause of untimely death, particularly of youth. RTA mortality and morbidity are predominantly associated with trauma to the brain tissue resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is commonly employed to predict the prognosis of such cases at the time of hospital admission. A lower GCS score is invariably found to be associated with poor prognosis, often resulting in death or severely com­promised recovery. A 17-year-old male suffering from TBI due to a RTA was treated with Ayurveda after initially been kept under modern neurological care. The whole course of Ayurvedic therapy began 2 weeks after the initial trauma, continued for about 3 months, and resulted in coma reversal with near complete recovery. This case is one among few reports describing a complete recovery despite presence of bad prognostic predictors in TBI. This is the first such case reported where Ayurveda was used as the intervention in case of TBI, resulting in coma reversal and near complete recovery of neurological deficits.
Cryopreservation of Human Ovarian Tissue: A Review
Authors: Rivas Leonel Ellen Cristina , Lucci Carolina M. , Amorim Christiani A.
Published: April 2019

Background: Cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue has been increasingly applied worldwide to safeguard fertility in cancer patients, notably in young girls and women who cannot delay the onset of their treatment. Moreover, it has been proposed to patients with benign pathologies with a risk of premature ovarian insufficiency. So far, more than 130 live births have been reported after transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue, and almost all patients recovered their ovarian function after tissue reimplantation. Summary: This review aims to summarize the recent results described in the literature regarding human ovarian tissue cryopreservation in terms of methods and main results obtained so far. To cryopreserve human ovarian tissue, most studies describe a slow freezing/rapid thawing protocol, which is usually an adaptation of a protocol developed for sheep ovarian tissue. Since freezing has been shown to have a deleterious effect on ovarian stroma and granulosa cells, various research groups have been vitrifying ovarian tissue. Despite promising results, only 2 babies have been born after transplantation of vitrified/warmed ovarian tissue. Optimization of both cryopreservation strategies as well as thawing/warming protocols is therefore necessary to improve the survival of follicles in cryopreserved ovarian tissue. Key Messages: Human ovarian tissue cryopreservation has been successfully applied worldwide to preserve fertility in patients with malignant or nonmalignant pathologies that have a detrimental effect on fertility. Human ovarian tissue cryopreservation could also be applied as an alternative to postpone pregnancy or menopause in healthy women. Slow freezing and vitrification procedures have been applied to cryopreserve human ovarian tissue, but both alternatives require optimization.
Factors Influencing Not Perceiving Family Health History Assessments as Important: Opportunities to Improve Dissemination of Evidence-Based Population Screening for Cancer
Authors: Allen Caitlin G. , Escoffery Cam , Haardörfer Regine , McBride Colleen M.
Published: April 2019

Introduction: Public willingness to collect personal family health history (FHH) assessments is integral to implement population screening to identify those at high cancer risk who could benefit most from lifesaving interventions. Yet, surprisingly little consideration has been given to factors associated with the public’s perceived importance of FHH in the context of cancer. Methods: Using data from the 2013 Health Information National Trends survey, we assessed the association of intrapersonal (e.g., cancer worry), sociodemographic (e.g., education), and interpersonal-level factors (e.g., family trust) associated with not perceiving FHH assessment to be very important for personal health. Associations were tested with bivariate analyses and hierarchical logistic regression. Results: Of the 3,007 respondents, 32.7% reported perceiving FHH as not very important to their health. Whites (p < 0.001), males (p = 0.003), and those born in the United States (p = 0.004) were most likely to perceive FHH as not very important. Those who were least worried about cancer and perceived that cancer risk could not be lowered also viewed FHH as not very important (p = 0.002, p = 0.018, respectively). In hierarchical regression analyses, the association of low cancer worry remained significant after accounting for sociodemographic and interpersonal factors. The addition of sociodemographic factors modestly improved the model; the addition of interpersonal factors did not improve the model. Conclusions: A sizable proportion of the public does not perceive FHH to be very important, may be hard to reach, and impede implementation of population screening guidelines for inherited cancers. Campaigns to increase the perceived value of FHH assessment may need to be tailored to demographic subgroups, emphasize cancer prevention, and encourage family communication.
Ejaculation Sparing Bladder Neck Incision with Holmium Laser in Patients with Urinary Symptoms and Small Prostates: Short-Term Functional Results
Authors: Porreca Angelo , Mineo Bianchi Federico , D’Agostino Daniele , Sadini Paolo , Romagnoli Daniele , Del Rosso Alessandro , Cindolo Luca , Corsi Paolo , Schiavina Riccardo , Brunocilla Eugenio , Giampaoli Marco
Published: April 2019

Background: The treatment options for male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) widely range from self-monitoring to oral medications to surgical procedures. As far as concerns surgical treatment of obstructive LUTS, transurethral incision of the prostate is considered as the gold standard in patients with mild benign prostatic enlargement. Objectives: The aim of our study is to describe this novel approach to perform ejaculation sparing Holmium laser bladder neck incision (ES-HoBNI), with particular regard to its effect on ejaculation and LUTS relief. Methods: We evaluated prospective clinical data from 143 consecutive patients who underwent ES-HoBNI at our institution from January 2012 to February 2018. Procedures were performed with a continuous flow 26 Ch resectoscope and a 550 µm holmium laser end-fire fiber. The stenotic bladder neck was deeply incised at 3 and 9’o clock down to the prostatic capsule in a retrograde direction to either side in front of the veromontanum. Results: Median Qmax, postvoid residual volume, International Prostate Symptom Score, and quality of life were 9 mL/s (7.4–10.2), 130 mL (100–190), 15 (13–19), and 3 (2–4), respectively. In total, 110 (76.9) reported regular anterograde ejaculation. Median operative time was 20 min (15–26). Median catheterization time and hospital stay were 3 days (3–4) and 22 h (20–24), respectively. Moreover, we have compared the frequency of anterograde ejaculation, which slightly increases after ES-HoBNI (77 vs. 81.2%) when compared to baseline data, despite not reaching statistical significancy. Conclusions: ES-HoBNI is a safe, reproducible technique to relieve obstructive LUTS in men with small prostates while preserving ejaculation in younger and sexually active individuals.
Efficacy of Mucosal Cutting Biopsy for the Histopathological Diagnosis of Gastric Submucosal Tumors
Authors: Adachi Akihisa , Hirata Yoshikazu , Kawamura Hayato , Harada Takahito , Hattori Reika , Kumai Daisuke , Yamamoto Yuki , Kojima Yuki , Ikeuchi Hirokazu , Hayashi Noriyuki , Mochizuki Hisato , Takada Hiroki , Yamaguchi Ryuzo , Sobue Satoshi
Published: April 2019

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors occur frequently. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is performed commonly for diagnosis. However, the success rate of histological diagnosis is insufficient when the submucosal tumor (SMT) is small. Recently, another technique, mucosal cutting biopsy (MCB) has been reported. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MCB. Method: Between January 2012 and August 2018, MCB and EUS-FNA were performed 16 and 31 times for diagnosing gastric SMT. The diagnostic rate, the rate of successful immunohistochemistry, and the safety were reviewed. Difficult locations for EUS-FNA were also evaluated. Results: The mean SMT sizes measured on MCB and EUS-FNA were 21.2 and 36.2 mm. The diagnostic rates of MCB and EUS-FNA were almost the same (88 vs. 81%), but successful immunohistochemistry was significantly higher in the MCB group (93 vs. 59%, p = 0.03). In the subgroup of SMTs < 20 mm, the successful histological diagnosis rate from EUS-FNA was relatively low. There were no complications. Failures of EUS-FNA were more frequent in the middle third of the stomach. Conclusions: MCB was an effective procedure for diagnosing gastric SMT, especially in the case of small SMTs located at the middle third of the stomach.
Fetuin-B Links Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease to Chronic Kidney Disease in Obese Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Lin Mingzhu , Liu Changqin , Liu Yongwen , Wang Dongmei , Zheng Caiyu , Shi Xiulin , Chen Zheng , Liu Jing , Li Xuejun , Yang Shuyu , Li Zhibin
Published: April 2019

Background: There is no evidence available on the association of Fetuin-B with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and mechanisms linking nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to CKD are not fully understood. We aimed to explore the independent associations and potential mechanisms of Fetuin-B and NAFLD with CKD. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1,072 Chinese adults who underwent serum Fetuin-B test and hepatic ultrasonography scanning was conducted in Xiamen, China. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or the presence of albuminuria. Results: Subjects with CKD showed significantly higher prevalence of NAFLD (69.5 vs. 57.2%, p < 0.001) and serum Fetuin-B levels (4.32 ± 1.45 vs. 4.05 ± 1.36 µg/mL, p = 0.007) than their controls. Increased serum Fetuin-B was also significantly associated with increased levels of fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment – insulin resistance (both p values < 0.05). NAFLD and higher serum Fetuin-B were significantly associated with increased risk of CKD, and the unadjusted ORs (95% CIs) were 1.701 (1.256–2.303, p = 0.001) and 1.213 (1.053–1.399, p = 0.008, per SD increase of Fetuin-B), respectively. With adjustment for potential confounding factors, including metabolic/insulin resistance syndrome, NAFLD but not serum Fetuin-B was still significantly associated with increased risk of CKD, and the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) were 1.820 (1.327–2.496, p < 0.001) and 1.116 (0.959–1.298, p = 0.153, per SD increase of Fetuin-B), respectively. Conclusions: Fetuin-B might link NAFLD to CKD via inducing insulin resistance, and NAFLD contributes independently to the pathogenesis of CKD via multiple mechanisms besides of metabolic/insulin resistance syndrome.
Maternal Anemia and Coagulation/Fibrinolysis after Fetoscopic Laser Photocoagulation for Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome
Authors: Morikawa Mamoru , Yamada Takashi , Nakagawa Kinuko , Hosokawa-Miyanishi Ami , Umazume Takeshi , Chiba Kentaro , Kawaguchi Satoshi , Cho Kazutoshi , Watari Hidemichi
Published: April 2019

Aim: This study was performed to evaluate maternal changes in laboratory characteristics after fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (FLP) for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Methods: A retrospective review was conducted among 30 women with monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy with TTTS who underwent FLP at 16–26 weeks of gestation. Maternal laboratory parameters were measured before and after FLP. Results: The pre-FLP mean hemoglobin level (10.0 g/dL), hematocrit level (30.0%), platelet count (229 × 109/mL), fibrinogen level (461 mg/dL), and antithrombin activity (96.8%) decreased after FLP (8.5 g/dL, 25.5%, 204 × 109/mL, 403 mg/dL, and 83.6%, respectively) and returned to normal spontaneously within 2 weeks (9.6 g/dL, 29.4%, 293 × 109/mL, 460 mg/dL, and 102.4%, respectively). The D-dimer level before FLP (2.41 μg/mL) increased after FLP (4.28 μg/mL), and the elevated level was maintained for 2 weeks (3.24 μg/mL). The symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) was not detected after FLP in any of the 30 patients. However, one woman had pulmonary embolism after subsequent cesarean section. Conclusion: Changes in maternal anemia and coagulation/fibrinolysis after FLP for TTTS returned to normal spontaneously within 2 weeks. Maternal elevation of D-dimer level after FLP might be a warning indicator of VTE.
Clinical and Angiographic Predictors of Patient-Reported Angina 1 Year After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
Authors: Hattler Brack , Carr Brendan M. , Messenger John , Spertus John , Ebrahimi Ramin , Bishawi Muath , Quin Jacquelyn A. , Almassi G. Hossein , Collins Joseph F. , Kozora Elizabeth , Grover Frederick L. , Shroyer A. Laurie W.
Published: April 2019

Background:

Studies of the relationship between patient self-reported angina symptoms using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) and angiographic findings after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) are lacking. Nested within a randomized controlled trial, this prospective observational cohort comparison study aimed to assess which clinical characteristics and angiographic findings are associated with self-reported angina 1 year after CABG.

Methods and Results:

Patients from the ROOBY trial (Randomized On/Off Bypass) with protocol-specified 1-year post-CABG coronary angiography and SAQ assessments were included (n=1258). Patients reporting no angina (62.3%) within 4 weeks before the 1-year post-CABG study visit on the SAQ angina frequency domain were compared with patients reporting angina (37.7%). Multivariable modeling identified clinical variables and angiographic findings associated with angina. Sequential univariate and multivariable modeling found the following demographic and clinical factors were associated with angina after CABG: younger age, worse preoperative SAQ angina frequency score, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and pre-CABG depression. The only 1-year angiographic finding significantly associated with angina was incomplete revascularization of the left anterior descending (LAD) territory. Graft occlusions, incomplete revascularization of non-LAD territories, and ≥70% lesions in nonrevascularized native coronary arteries were not correlated with the presence or absence of angina. Further, only 30.6% of subjects reporting angina at 1 year had a residual major coronary artery stenosis of ≥70%.

Conclusions:

Self-reported angina 1 year after CABG is associated with younger age, worse baseline SAQ angina frequency score, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and depression. The only angiographic finding associated with angina was a poorly revascularized LAD territory. These results may help guide physicians when counseling patients on expected improvements in angina symptoms and in making decisions regarding the need for coronary angiography after CABG. Whether intensive treatment of these comorbidities improves post-CABG angina symptoms requires further study.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00032630.
Haemolysis and lipemia interfere with resistin and myeloperoxidase BioVendor ELISA assays
Authors: Saracevic Andrea , Dukic Lora , Simundic Ana-Maria
Published: April 2019

Introduction: The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of haemolysis and lipemia on resistin (RES) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) measurement by BioVendor enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).
Materials and methods: Blood was taken from healthy volunteers into lithium heparin tubes. Plasma samples were spiked with Lipofundin®
emulsion (B. Braun Melsungen AG, Germany) for lipemia interference testing. Haemolysed samples were obtained by drawing aliquots of heparinized blood through a 26 gauge needle. Index of haemolysis (H), lipemia (L) and triglyceride concentration were measured on Abbott Architect c8000. Haemoglobin concentration was measured on Sysmex XN-1000. Concentrations of RES and MPO in all samples were determined with RES and MPO ELISA kits (BioVendor, Czech Republic). All measurements were performed in triplicate. Biases from the native samples were calculated for both analytes and compared with an arbitrary value (e.g. ± 10%).
Results: Triglyceride concentration in the investigated samples ranged from 0.57 to 38.23 mmol/L, which corresponds to L index from - 0.01 to
13.77. Haemoglobin concentration in all samples ranged from 0 to 8 g/L which correspond to H index from 0.05 to 8.77. Both MPO and RES showed significant biases at 1 g/L haemoglobin (58.7% and 66.7%, respectively). Also, both MPO and RES showed significant biases at 4.66 mmol/L triglycerides (33.8% and - 12.2%, respectively).
Conclusions: Resistin BioVendor assays are affected by haemolysis and lipemia already at low degree of interferent. Haemolysis was found to interfere at 1 g/L haemoglobin for both assays, while lipemia interferes at 4.66 mmol/L of triglycerides.
The external larval morphology of aquatic and terrestrial Luciolinae fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
Authors: FU XINHUA , BALLANTYNE LESLEY , LAMBKIN CHRISTINE
Published: April 2019

The external morphology of aquatic, semiaquatic and terrestrial lucioline larvae was investigated in order to provide anoverview of what traits constitute the extremely ecologically diverse Luciolinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae). The aquaticspecies, Aquatica ficta (Olivier), A. leii (Fu et Ballantyne), A. hydrophila (Jeng et al.), A. lateralis (Motschulsky), A. wu-hana Fu et Ballantyne, Luciola cruciata Motschulsky and L. owadai Satô et Kimura cannot swim, but instead crawl onthe substrate. They have soft bodies, lateral abdominal tracheal gills and glands on eversible structures that secrete repel-lent substances. The back-swimming species, Luciola substriata Gorham and L. aquatilis Thancharoen, which inhabit thesurface of ponds, have hardened exoskeletons, and lack gills and eversible glands. Unlike the crawling species, the back-swimmers have sense organs along the ventral surface of the apical maxillary and labial palpomeres, and are metapneusticin their later instars. The larval morphology of the aquatic species is contrasted with Pygoluciola qingyu Fu et Ballantyne, whose larvae are semiaquatic and lack gills, and with the terrestrial larvae of Asymmetricata circumdata (Motsch.) (newly
A new species of stream-dwelling frog of the genus Cycloramphus (Anura, Cycloramphidae) from the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: DA SILVA HELIO RICARDO , OUVERNAY DAIANE
Published: April 2019

A new anuran species, Cycloramphus lithomimeticus sp. nov., of the C. granulosus species group is described from theMunicipality of Itaguaí, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (22°54'3.44"S; 43°53'34.59"W, 160 m). The new species isdistinguished from all other species in the C. granulosus group (and many others in the genus) by lacking inguinal macroglands (on males). We also present data on its natural history, a few aspects of its osteology, tadpole, and discuss evidence for the relationships of the genus based primarily on the morphology of the tadpole.
Optimization of Aerodynamic Parameters of Cropped Delta Wing with Fence at Sonic Mach Number
Authors: Arun M. P. , Satheesh M. , Dhas Edwin Raja J.
Published: April 2019

Manufacturing and maintaining different aircraft fleet leads to various purposes, which consumes
more money as well as man power. Solution to this, nations that are leading in the field of aeronautics
are performing much research and development works on new aircraft designs that could
do the operations those were done by varied aircrafts. The foremost benefit of this delta wing is,
along the huge rearward sweep angle, the wing’s leading edge would not contact the boundary of
shock wave. Further, the boundary is produced at the fuselage nose due to the speed of aircraft
approaches and also goes beyond the transonic to supersonic speed. Further, rearward sweep
angle greatly worse the airspeed: wings under normal condition to leading edge, so permits the
aircraft to fly at great transonic, subsonic, or supersonic speed, whereas the over wing speed is kept
to minimal range than that of the sound speed. The cropped delta wing with fence has analysed in
three cases: Fences at 3/4th distance from the centre, with fences at half distance from the centre
and with fences at the centre. Further, the delta wing that cropped is exported to ANSYS FLUENT
V14.0 software and analysed by making the boundary condition settings like sonic Mach number
of flow over wing along with the angle of attack.
Pyrolysis Electricity Generation and Biomass
Authors: Nandagopal V. , Maheswari V. , Anbarasi J.
Published: April 2019

Electrical power generation by means of renewable energy resources are more common now a days. In this method we used biomass energy to generate electrical power. We used a renewable energy resource of several reasons. Some of Reasons are increasing the usage of power, available resources
are not satisfying the demand, urbanization. Biomass is a greenhouse gas. It does not cause any harmfull effects to the environment. On decomposing biomass we get electricity. The method we used is pyrolysis.
Quantum Dot-Sensitized Solar Cells via Integrated Experimental and Modeling Study
Authors: Gangadhar Lekshmi , Kannan Anusha , Praseetha P. K.
Published: April 2019

The solar energy is one of the potential renewable green energy source considering the availability of sunlight in abundance and the need for clean and renewable source of energy. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals having considerable interest in photovoltaic research areas.
Cadmium sulfide-sensitized solar cells are synthesized by Chemical bath deposition and titanium nanowires were fabricated by hydrothermal method. The synthesized CdS quantum dots are sensitized to nanoporous TiO2 films to form quantum dots-sensitized solar cell applications. The
introduction of TNWs enables the electrolyte to penetrate easily inside the film which increases the interfacial contact between the nanowires, the quantum dots and the electrolyte results in improvement in efficiency of solar cell. The goal of our research is to understand the fundamental
physics and performance of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells with improved photoconversion efficiency at the low cost based on selection of TiO2 nanostructures, sensitizers and electrodes through an integrated experimental and modeling study.
Vehicular Ad Hoc Network as a Supplementary Cellular Tower by Using Open BTS
Authors: Tripathi Vijay Kumar , Venkateswari S.
Published: April 2019

VANET (Vehicular Ad Hoc Network) used in vehicular communication which is trending are of current research and it is the future of vehicles industry. Many companies are investing lots of money to make their vehicles smart and effective so that need of driver can be reduced or omitted
as well as journey should be safe and secure. Recently, Google tested its driverless car and the test was successful. Vehicular communication is becoming intelligent and efficient day by day. In this paper we are proposing a realistic approach to use VANET as an additional cellular tower by
using Open BTS to reduce RSU (Road Side Units) and cellular towers. This will result reducing cost of installing more cell tower and increase communication speed along with reduction in harmful gasses which spreads in atmosphere due to use of diesel Generators which provide electricity to
Cell Towers. VANET's OBU (On Board Unit) will work as Medium Range Cellular Tower (MRCT) to facilitate mobile phone and other subscribers in range of 1 to 2 Kilometer.
A Real Time Transit Tracker for College Bus
Authors: Senthamilarasi C. , Soundari D. V. , Vidhya B. , Karthikeyan R.
Published: April 2019

Unusual and unexpected conditions on the roads affect the smooth operation of the organizational bus systems and the movement of vehicles. Also, everyday problems such as traffic congestion, unexpected delays and irregular vehicle dispatching times take place. As a result of which students
and staffs of an organization get affected and they inevitably have to wait for the arrival of their respective bus. A student or a staff waiting for the college bus may want to enquire about the current location of the college bus. This inconvenience can be avoided by introducing Android
based bus tracking system which helps to retrieve the location coordinates of the college bus. The main aim of this Android application is to track the college bus which would give the location of bus with the help of Google map and help the users to plan their way to reach their college on
time. This application is highly used by the students and staffs of educational institutions since the android mobiles have become common used and it is an easy way of tracking the buses.
A Study on Techniques of Underwater Optical Communication
Authors: Rani Jansi J. , Anusuya S. , Vidhya B. , Tephila Benedict M.
Published: April 2019

In recent years, the higher data rate and a higher degree of accuracy in transmissions have been achieved through wireless communication technology. The underwater communication is one of the trending technologies in wireless communication. The underwater data transmission is carried
out by the acoustic waves which produce vibrations of sounds during its transmission. These vibrations have disturbed the creatures present underwater and additionally it may cause some noise. The results of many recent researches have concluded that the vibrations produced by the acoustic
waves cause the disturbances in the earth plates and due to which the natural calamities like tsunami, earthquakes etc., have been occurring. The underwater communication is mostly used for military applications and for the transmission of sensitive information within the shortest distance
of a particular area. The use of acoustic waves produces a low data rate and increased time delay. In addition to that, these waves are unreliable and complex due to multipath propagations in water. The acoustic waves employ modulation techniques like FSK, PSK and OFDM for the data transmission
and consume more energy and power. So lately, the transmission of data in underwater is carried out by using the optical waves. ON–OFF keying technique is most commonly used modulation technique with attractive features such as high data rate, less delay, low power consumption, energy
saving, and better accuracy than the other techniques.
A Study on Parallel and Pipelining Simulation Techniques for Edge Detection and Their Performance Analysis
Authors: Livingston Merlin L. M. , Singh Senthil C. , Manojkumar K. , Kumar Sathish S.
Published: April 2019

Real processing components along with component simulators are combined together to construct a new virtual prototyping system. The increase in component simulators result in degraded performance of the simulation in distributed systems. The speed of simulation can be increased by doing
parallel simulation techniques. Prime number test and Image edge detection are chosen to implement the parallel simulation techniques and achieved the expected results while implementing in real time applications. The prime number test calculates the number of processors in a system and the
image edge detection can be done in two stages by Canny Edge detection and Sobel Edge detection. The Canny Edge detection is used to detect the edges in the images by using a multi-stage algorithm. The smaller, separable and integer valued filter in images are combined in horizontal and vertical
directions by using the Sobel edge detection resulting in reduction of implementation cost. The tool named OpenMP is used for implementing the parallel simulation techniques by combining both the canny edge and Sobel edge detection. An add-on named MPI is used along with the OpenMP to reduce
the implementation time in parallel processing.
On-Line Patient Interaction Method for Disease Discovery by Data Mining Classification
Authors: Ibrahim Jafar Ali S. , Thangamani M.
Published: April 2019

Healthcare providers need to be up-to-date with all new discoveries about a certain treatment, in order to identify if it might have side effects for certain types of patients. It envisions the potential and value of the findings of our work as guidelines for the performance of a framework
that is capable to find relevant information about diseases and treatments in a medical domain repository. This research identifies the disease name with the symptoms specified and extract the sentence from the article and get the relation that exists between disease-treatment and classifies
the information into the cure, prevents any side effect to the user. It demonstrates the disease treatment interaction through the online form without going to the doctor.
Importance of Morphometry Studies, Landform Processes Using Remote Sensing and GIS for Tamiraparani Subbasin, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India
Authors: Seenirajan M. , Natarajan M. , Thangaraj R. , Kumar Vivek S.
Published: April 2019

An endeavor is created to think about the importance of morphometry, incorporating RS information and strategies notwithstanding the ordinary techniques in a GIS stage. A morphometric evaluation of Tamiraparanisubbasin was completed to decide the seepage attributes utilizing GIS system.
The examination has exhibited the potential utilization of the remotely detected information and the GIS in assessment of linear, relief and areal morphometric metrics. By breaking down their impact on the origin and procedures of landforms and qualities of soil metrics like surface, waste
and land erosion circumstances. The visual translation of satellite information is utilized for dissecting the topographical, landforms and land erosion attributes in conjunction with seepage design encourages powerful depiction of particular features to assess the impact of drainage morphometry.
After the execution, the model gives a seepage bowl Strahler's network stream organize upheld by topical layers like perspective, incline, help, and seepage mass. The proposed design uncovers the waste region of this hub is 734.84 km2 and presents subdendritic to dendritic seepage
design. The bowl incorporates seventh request stream and for the most part commanded by bring down stream pattern. The bowl incorporates seventh request stream and generally commanded by bring down stream arrange. The slant of the investigation region shifts from 0 in the east to 61 tin the
direction opposite to East. The nearness of WG is the head regulatory element for the slant variety. Besides, the slant variety is controlled by the nearby lithology and erosion cycles. The bifurcation proportion shows that the topographical assembly has small effect on the waste systems and
the seepage mass uncovers the idea of subsurface strata is porous.
Fuzzy Trust Based Energy Aware Multipath Secure Data Collection in Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Chittibabu Y. , Anuradha CH. , Murty Sri Rama Chandra P.
Published: April 2019

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is the most promising inventions that can find its application in diverse fields such as army surveillance and forest fire detection. Multi-hop routing is followed in WSN, and the greatest security with effect to identity deception is produced through replaying
routing information. An inevitable role is played by trust in the sensor network in case of military and other applications. Serious research work is being conducted on secured data aggregation. Longestablished cryptographic trust-aware routing protocols which are being used currently have
become outdated, and their proficiency in tackling the situation is not much satisfactory. This ultimately results in increased complexity, poor link quality and high overhead when it comes to a number of cryptographic methods. This work deals with fuzzy logic based trust evaluation technique
that can acquire secured routing. Direct Random Propagation (DRP) protocol and fuzzy logic are used in calculating the trust of the nodes. Flooding attack and black hole are proposed, and it eliminates the attack. The threshold value is compared with trust value. The ultimate result shows
that the method that is proposed provides lesser interception probability, packet loss and end-to-end delay.
Multiple-Input-Single-Output Based a Novel Pilot-Aided Channel Estimation for Cyclic Delay Diversity Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Frameworks
Authors: Jagadeesan D. , Palani K. , Asha G.
Published: April 2019

A low-complexity standard transmit diversity scheme for coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) frameworks is cyclic delay diversity (CDD). As the cyclic delay esteem expands the diversity effect also increases. However, the channel estimation turns out to be more troublesome
because of increased frequency selectivity as the increased cyclic delay value. In this paper we discussed about dissimilar channel estimation schemes and to conclude we proposed a novel pilot-aided channel estimation scheme for CDD to estimate the channel in an enhanced way. Our scheme estimates
each channel separately and achieves significant performance improvement.