bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IS PENTASACCHARIDE THE SMALLEST HEPARIN OLIGOSACCHARIDE WITH BINDING AFFINITY TO ANTITHROMBIN III ? AN OVERVIEW
Authors: Mardiguian J
Published: August 2018

The binding of heparin to antithrombin III is ascribed to the presence in the heparin molecule of a specific binding site which contains a typical 3-0- sulfate group located on a glucosamine residue. It has been postulated that the smallest heparin oligosaccharide capable of high affinity binding to antithrombin III and eliciting anti-factor Xa activity is a pentasaccharide containing three glucosamine units and two uronic acid residues. Such a pentasaccharide has been recently isolated after chemical depolymerization of pig mucosal heparin and its structure found to be very close to that of a synthetic pentasaccharide prepared by other investigators. However no convincing data have, so far, excluded the possibility that an oligosaccharide composed of less than five sugar units could not be able to bind to antithrombinlll and to elicit anti-factor Xa activity. We report now the isolation of new oligosaccharides obtained by beta-eliminative chemical depolymerization of heparin using three different procedures : depolymerization of heparin benzyl ester (1) in aqueous medium and (2) in non-aqueous medium: (3) alcaline depolymerization of a periodate oxydized acetyl heparin. The data reported show that the high affinity oligosaccharides isolated after affinity chromatography on immobilized antithrombin III are distinct from the previously isolated pentasaccharide and that there is some evidence that these are tetrasaccharides resulting from the cleavage of the non reducing end of the heparin molecule
LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARINS s ORAL ABSORPTION IN MONKEYS
Authors: Lasker S E , Lee B Y , Madden R E
Published: August 2018

An orally administered low molecular weight heparin-like derivative of the commercial polydisperse polysaccharide is desirable clinically. The dissociation of antithrombotic properties and the induction of bleeding as well as minimal effect on platelet function are characteristics of some low-molecular weight heparins; however the circulating level of the anti Xa activity associated with demonstrable theraputic efficacy is not yet defined.

The availability of a variety of low molecular weight heparins provided us with the opportunity to evaluate the gastrointestinal absorption characteristics of the preparations in the primate.

Average molecular weight is only one of a spectrum of variables associated with absorbability, while Xa/APTT ratio differences and non-equivalent structural alterations may be responsible for functional differences in a living test system. Nevertheless, because of the clinical potential it is instructive to evaluate the GI absorbability of several preparations for which we have precise molecular weight data.

Preparations: Low molecular weight heparins were prepared by a variety of methods including isolationby alcohol fractionation from broadly polydisperse commercial or crude heparins, depolymerization of commercial or crude heparin and franctionation of depolymerization products.

Methods:Molecular weights were established by equilibrium ultracentrifugation and anti Xa activity was assayed by the Yin-Wessler coagulation method. Faste rhesus monkeys weighing 8-13 kg. were anesthestized and intubated with a radio opaque catheter. One cubic centimeter of a heparin preparation in saline was instilled directly into the duodenum. Blood samples assayed for anti Xa activity and thromboelasticity were drawn at periodic intervals from an indwelling femoral catheter.

Results:Standard unfractionated heparin was detectable in blood only after one-half hour. The maximum activity for low molecular weight preparations was achieved after one-half to one hour.One fraction demonstrated activity in the plasma after four hours. Thedose response curve for one fraction at half-hour wascuyvilineal between 7 and 16 Mg/Kg.
PLATELET AGGREGATE-ASSOCIATED FIBRIN FORMATION AS A FUNCTION OF AGGREGATE SIZE AND HEPARIN CONCENTRATION
Authors: Wurzinger L J , Herbst K , Schmid-Schonbein H
Published: August 2018

The in vitro observation that fibrin forms withina few minutes in the crevices and niches inside and on the surface of platelet aggregates (PA), preparedfrom heparinized (5 U/ml) blood is consistent with the doubtful efficiency of heparin in the treatment of occlusive arterial disease (Thrcmb. Haemost. 46: 666,1981). Release of heparin-
neutralizing proteins into limited and largely disclosed plasma compartments between aggregated platelets was held responsible for this remarkable phenomenon. However, the minimum number of aggregated platelets necessary to overcome the heparin inhibition remained undetermined then.

PRP prepared from whole blood ant^coagulated with 0.5, 1 and 5 U/ml of mucosal heparin (Liquemin ), was aggregated with 10 or 100 pM ADP for 2 min at 37°C. Single PAs of various dimensions were withdrawn, washed, and incubated with a chromogenic substrate (S-2238, Kabi AB) to measure their thrombin content. Subsequently the number of platelets contained in the PA was evaluated by assaying the protein content of the aggregates. Microscopic PAs, their mass being toosmall to be determined precisely by a protein assay, were isolated with a filter technique, their extension was documented on photomicrographs for later calculation of aggregate volume and platelet content, before they were incubated with S-2238. Aggregates toosmall to develop detectable amidolytic activity, were checked microscopically for fibrin formed.

S 2238 amidolytic activity (thrombin) in heparinizedPRP samples evolved as a linear function of the logarithm of PA mass. For a given heparin concentration (in whole blood) the following lowerthreshold platelet numbers of aggregates were found sufficient to allow the formation of detectable quantities of thrombin:

These results suggest a fatal role platelet aggregates of minute dimensions may well play as a nidus of coagulation in fully heparinized blood.
COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF ASPIRIN (ASA) AND CHOLINE MAGNESIUM TRISALICYLATE (CMT) ON PLATELET AGGREGATION IN WHOLE BLOOD EX-VIVO
Authors: Danesh B J Z , Saniabadi A R , Russell R I , Lowe G D O , Forbes C D
Published: August 2018

Suppression of platelet aggregation by ASA limits the therapeutic use of this drug as an analgesic in patients with bleeding tendencies. CMT is a non-acetylated salicylate derivative with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect similar to that of ASA. We compared platelet aggregation in human whole blood ex-vivo, three hours after ingestion of ASA and. CMT. Using a whole blood platelet counter, platelet aggregation was quantified by measuring the fall in the number of single platelets at peak aggregation in response to collagen (lμg/ml) arachidonic acid (AA, 0.5 mM) as well as spontaneous aggregation. In double blind and random order, 12 healthy volunteers received a single oral dose of ASA and CMT containing 500 mg equivalent salicylate, on two separate occasions, 10 days apart. Despite a comparable absorption of salicylic acid from the two drugs, ingestion of ASA resulted in a marked inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by collagen, AA and spontaneous aggregation, whereas such effects were not observed after CMT ingestion.

We suggest that CMT may have therapeutic potential as an alternative to aspirin when inhibition of platelet aggregation can induce bleeding complications.
NORMAL URINARY PROSTAGLANDIN E2 EXCRETION IN THE PATIENT WITH PLATELET CYCLO-OXYGENASE DEFICIENCY
Authors: Takeshige T , Fuse I , Hattori I , Momotsu T , Shibata A , Abe K
Published: August 2018

Platelet (P) Cyclo-oxygenase (CO) deficiency is characterized by bleeding tendency due to platelet release mechanism defect. Pareti et al. have reported a patient with PCO deficiency whose CO activity was defective not only in platelets but also in vessel walls. But it has not been demonstrated whether other cells than platelets do have this enzyme in other.patients with PCO deficiency. Recent data suggest taht hemorrhagic or thrombotic diathesis is dependent on the site(s) (platelet, vessel wall or others) or CO deficiency. In order to determine the CO activity in kidney in a patient with PCO deficiency (Scand. J. Haematol., 32; 167 – 174, 1984), We studied the urinary PGE2 excretion and renal function at basal state and before and after intravenous administration of angiotensin II (ANG II). Before ANG II infusion to the patient, 600 ml H20 was orally intaked, and then AGN II (5, 10, 18 ng/min. each dose for 10 min.) was infused intravenously. Urine samples were collected before (20 min.) AGN II infusion. Urinary PGE2 was measured by RIA. Urine osmorality was determined by Fiske osmometer. To measure basal daily excretion of urinary PGE2, daily total urine was collected into ice box for 2 days, and then stocked at −80°C until PGE2 measurement by RIA.

A reduction of Uosm following the intravenous infusion of ANG II to normal humans has been reported by Usberti et al. (Am. J. Physiol. 248; 254-259, 1985), atK] aiso reported that Uosm increased after aspirin administration.

It was concluded that CO activity in thd kidney of this patient was no al least defective, but endogenous PGE2 synthesis stumulated by ANG II ma
be decreased.
PLATELET CONTENTS OF VON WILLEBRAND FACTOR ANTIGEN (vWF:Ag) AND FIBRINOGEN (I) AND PLATELET FUNCTION (PF) IN MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMS (MS)
Authors: Meschengieser S , Blanco A , Maugeri N , Fernandez J , Tezanos Pinto M de , Lazzari M
Published: August 2018

Bleeding in MS is usually associated with thrombocytopenia, but may occur in patients (P) with a normal platelet count (PC) and defects in the release (R) reaction and the arachidonic acid (AA) pathway. Weinvestigated the PF and contents of vWF:Ag and I in 6 P with diagnosis of: Acquired Idiopathic Sideroblastic Anemia (2), Refractory Anemia (2) and Refractory Anemia with Excess of Blasts (2). Laboratory testsincluded: PC; bleeding time (BT)(Ivy); platelet retention to glass beads (PR); platelet aggregation (PA)and R induced by ADP(2.5juM), epinephrine (E)(0.1mM), collagen (C) (l-8ug/ml), AA(0.8-lmM) and A23187 (A)(19jjM); spontaneous PA (SPA); generation (G) and response (Re) to thromboxane A2 like material (TXA2);vWF:Ag and I (electroimmunoassay)in platelet lysates. Results: PC were normal in 6/6, BT were prolonged in 3/6, PR were reduced in 4/6 , PA induced by E were absent in 4/6 and abnormal in the other 2, absenceof secondary PA induced by ADP were observed in 4/6, PA induced by C and AA were abnormal in 5/6. No SPA were observed in 6/6. ATP R were absent with ADP andE in 4/6, with C and AA in 5/6 and abnormal with A in 2/6. The G of TXA2 were absent or decreased and the Re to_TXA2 were normal in all the P. vWF:Ag (X: 0.088U/109Cells) and I (X: 16.8jμg/109cells) were de-creased in_6/6 P and the mean values were lower (p<0.001) than controls (X: 0.284U/109cells and X: 61.2jug/109cells respectively). The PF abnormalities observed are similar to those described by other authors, but the decrease of vWF:Ag and I have not been previously reported.These low levels could be the resultof platelet activation or megacaryocyte dys function.The re was no evidence of platelet hyperactivity inour P. So, we assume that defective megacaryocytopoiesis with an alteration in the storage of the granules contents could be responsible for the depletion observed.
IMMUNE AND COAGULATION RESPONSES IN CHRONIC MOUNTAIN SICKNESS AT HIGH ALTITUDE
Authors: Chohan I S
Published: August 2018

Chronic mountain sickness (CMS), syndrome with manifestations of hypoventilation, hypoxemia, hyperviscosity, polycythemia, pulmonary hypertension, and right ventricular hypertrophy, is a recent history inthe western Himalyas (42675888 m asl). Six well defined subjects studied revealed: significant increasein fibrinogen (400±37 vs normal 275 ± 33 mg/dl), Hct(74.3±3.1 vs 45.2±3.2%) and Hb (23.1±2.6 vs 17.9±0.8g/dl); significant decrease in APTT (27.1±5.2 vs 54.6±7.9 sec), platelets (177.8±10.9 vs 197.4±19.3 thous/cmm), ELT (165±75 vs 399±48 min) and ESR (3.5±2.5 vs 6.0±3.5 mm/1 hr); and absolute eosinophil counts (465±69 vs 384±106). An accelerated Cell mediated immunity (CMI), in them, was evident by 'Spontaneous Flare', 4 + DNCB (di-nitro-chloroben- zene)-phenomenon and profuse lymphocyte recruitment in dermis.Theseresults indicate a state of hypercoagulability inCMS. Muscularisation and thrombosis of pulmonary arteris do occur in CMS. Accelerated CMI and augmented fibrinolytic activity in CMS account for its protracted course (8-25 months) to develop. Yogic breathing, acetazolamide, aspirin and evacuation to low heightshave a salutary effect. Steroids, medroxyprogesterone and phlebotomy bring reflief to these subjuects. Oxygen therapy, in CMS, has no role.
EFFECT OF TREATMENT WITH STREPTOKINASE AND HEPARIN ON FIBRINOGEN, FIBRIN AND RELATED PROTEINS IN ACUIE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (/ME) PATIENTS
Authors: Vila V , Reganon E , Aznar J , Lacueva V , Ruano M
Published: August 2018

The properties of fibrinogen and fibrin, the levels of fibrincpeptide A (FPA) and fibrin(ogen) degradation products (FDP) were studied in 34 patients with AMI who were undergoing thrombolytic and heparin therapy. They were classified into 6 groups accordingto their stage of treatment: group 1, before intravenous administration of 800.000 U streptokinase over 30 min; group 2, after a<Mnistraticn of SK but before adninistraticn of heparin; group 3, during 24 h ofthe 5 ng/h heparin continuous infusion; group 4, during 48-72 h of the 16.6 ng/h heparin continuous infhsion; group 5, after 1 week of administration of SK and with a bolus inyection of 50 rg heparin every 4 h; group 6, patients who were undergoing only heparin treatment. The Fg 1/ Fg II ratio varies during treatment with SK and heparin. In group 1 a sligjnt increase (2.5) is observed. Group 2 shows a significantdecrease (0.6) as a result of fibrinolysis. In group3 the ratio reaches normal value (1.8) while in the fourth group it is twice the normal value (4). The value for group 5 is nearly normal (2.1), and in group 6 it reaches values similar to those obtained in group 4, which implies that the rise in the Fgl/Fgll ratio is not a result of fibrinolytic treatment. TheFPA level shows and increase in patients with AMI (group 1,126 ng/ml). When SK treatment is applied (group 2), FPA decreases to 52 ng/ml. Later treatment with heparin (group-3, 82; group-4, 44 and group-5, 81ng/ml) does not neutralize thrcmbinic activity. Patients treated only with heparin (group 6) show an FPAvalue of 19 ng/ml, which is lower than in the other groups. All of this indicates that thrombin is activated after fibrinolytic treatment. FDP values show asignificant increase in the six groups (1, 53; 2, 430; 3, 128; 4, 270; 5, 139 and 6, 141 ug/ml), which indicates that during treatment with heparin the fibrinolytic activity persists. he formation of highly cross-linked fibrin is altered in groups 1,2,3 and 4,as a consequence of circulating FDP effect and fibrincgeno- lysis.The permeability of the fibrin clotdecreases in groups 1 (0.42), 2 (1.3), 4 (1.1) and 5(0.5 ml/s/ng) and increases in group 2 (23.2 ml/s/nig) with respect to the normal plasma value (3.2 ml/s/nrg). The decrease in permeability must be related to the existence of hypercoagulability resistant to heparinization. FPA values, tine Fgl/Fgll ratio, andfibrin permeability can be used to evaluate the degree of thrcmbin activity during thrombolytic treatmentinAMI.
Access and Disclosure of Personal Health Information: A Challenging Privacy Landscape in 2016-2018
Authors: Kloss Linda , Brodnik Melanie , Rinehart-Thompson Laurie
Published: August 2018

Objectives: To assess the current health data access and disclosure environment for potential privacy-protecting mechanisms that enable legitimate use of personal health information while preserving the rights of individuals. To identify the gaps and challenges between increasing requests and expanding uses of such information and the regulations, technologies, and management practices that permit appropriate access and disclosure while guarding against harmful misuse of such information.

Methods: A scoping literature review focused on (1) regulations affecting access and disclosure of personal health information, (2) the uses of health information that challenge access and disclosure boundaries, and (3) privacy management practices that may help mitigate gaps in protecting patient privacy.

Results: Countries and jurisdictions are developing laws, regulations, and public policies to balance the privacy rights of individuals and the unprecedented opportunities to advance health and health care through expanded uses of health data. Regulations and guidance are evolving, but they are outpaced by the increasing demand for and the challenges of managing access and disclosure. Mechanisms such as consent and authorization may not always be adequate. Mechanisms that advance principled stewardship are more important than ever.

Conclusions: Access and disclosure management are important dimensions of privacy management practices. This is a volatile period in which diverging public policies may reveal how best to balance access and disclosure of personal health information by individuals and by institutional custodians of the information. Approaches to access and disclosure management, including the roles of individuals, should be a focus for research and study in the years ahead.
Findings from 2017 on Health Information Management
Authors: Bloomrosen Meryl , Berner Eta ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Health Information Management
Published: August 2018

Objective: To summarize the recent literature and research and present a selection of the best papers published in 2017 in the field of Health Information Management (HIM) and Health Informatics.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed by the two HIM section editors of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook with the help of a medical librarian. We searched bibliographic databases for HIM-related papers using both MeSH descriptors and keywords in titles and abstracts. A shortlist of 15 candidate best papers was first selected by section editors before being peer-reviewed by independent external reviewers.

Results: Health Information Exchange was a major theme within candidate best papers. The four papers ultimately selected as ‘Best Papers’ represent themes that include health information exchange, governance and policy issues, results of health information exchange, and methods of integrating information from multiple sources. Other articles within the candidate best papers include these themes as well as those focusing on authentication and de-identification and usability of information systems.

Conclusions: The papers discussed in the HIM section of IMIA Yearbook reflect the overall theme of the 2018 edition of the Yearbook, i.e., the tension between privacy and access to information. While most of the papers focused on health information exchange, which reflects the “access” side of the equation, most of the others addressed privacy issues. This synopsis discusses these key issues at the intersection of HIM and informatics.
Findings from the 2018 Yearbook Section on Human Factors and Organizational Issues
Authors: Pelayo Sylvia , Kaipio Johanna ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Human Factors and Organizational Issues
Published: August 2018

Objective: To summarize significant research contributions published in 2017 on Human Factors and Organizational Issues (HFOI) in medical informatics.

Methods: An extensive search using PubMed/Medline and Web of Science® was conducted to identify the scientific contributions published in 2017 that HFOI issues in medical informatics. The selection process comprised three steps: (i) 15 candidate best papers out of 695 references were first selected by the two section editors, (ii) external reviewers from internationally renowned research teams reviewed each candidate best paper, and (iii) the final selection of five best papers was conducted by the editorial board of the Yearbook.

Results: The five best papers offer a glimpse of the quality and breadth of the work being conducted in the HFOI community.

Conclusion: The selection of the HFOI section of the 2018 IMIA Yearbook highlights a growing number of high quality studies. There are especially more studies interested in testing Human Factors and Ergonomics methods and demonstrating the benefits.
Recent Advancement of Clinical Information Systems: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Islam Md. Mohaimenul , Poly Tahmina Nasrin , Li Yu-Chuan
Published: August 2018

Objectives: Clinical information systems (CISs) have generated opportunities for meaningful improvements both in patient care and workflow but there is still a long way to perfection. Healthcare providers are still facing challenges of data exchange, management, and integration due to lack of functionality among these systems. Our objective here is to systematically review, synthesize, and summarize the literature that describes the current stage of clinical information systems, so as to assess the current state of knowledge, and identify benefits and challenges.

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the bibliographies of articles were searched for studies published until September 1, 2017, which reported on significant advancement of clinical information systems, as well as problems and opportunities in this field. Studies providing the most detailed information were included and the others were kept only as references.

Results: We selected 23 papers out of 1,026 unique abstracts for full-text review using our selection criteria, and 20 out of these 23 studies met all of our inclusion criteria. We focused on three major areas: 1) Ambulatory and inpatients clinical information systems; 2) Specialty information systems; and 3) Ancillary information systems. As CIS can support evidence-based practices that, in turn, improve patient's safety, quality and efficacy of care, advancement, acceptability, and adaptability of CIS have increased worldwide. Although, the demand for CIS functionality is rising fast, current CISs still have data integration challenges and lack of functionality to exchange patient information from all or some parts of the healthcare system. These limitations can be attributed to technical, human, and organizational factors

Conclusion: Clinical information systems provide tremendous opportunities to reduce clinical errors such as medication errors and diagnostic errors and to support healthcare professionals by offering up-to-date patient information. They promise to improve workflow and efficiency of care, thus boosting the overall quality of healthcare.
On the Way to Close the Loop in Information Logistics: Data from the Patient — Value for the Patient
Authors: Hackl Werner , Hoerbst Alexander ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Clinical Information Systems
Published: August 2018

Objective: To summarize recent research and to propose a selection of best papers published in 2017 in the field of Clinical Information Systems (CIS).

Method: Each year a systematic process is carried out to retrieve articles and to select a set of best papers for the CIS section of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook of Medical Informatics. The query aiming at identifying relevant publications in the field of CIS was refined by the section editors during the last years. For three years now, the query is stable. It comprises search terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus as well as additional free text search terms from PubMed and Web of Science®. The retrieved articles were categorized in a multi-pass review carried out by the two section editors. The final selection of candidate papers was then peer-reviewed by Yearbook editors and external reviewers. Based on the review results, the best papers were then selected by the IMIA Yearbook editorial board. Text mining, and term co-occurrence mapping techniques were used to get an overview on the content of the retrieved articles.

Results: The query was carried out in mid-January 2018, yielding a consolidated result set of 2,255 articles which had been published in 939 different journals. Out of them, 15 papers were nominated as candidate best papers and four of them were finally selected as best papers in the CIS section. Again, the content analysis of the articles revealed the broad spectrum of topics which is covered by CIS research.

Conclusions: Modern clinical information systems serve as backbone for a very complex, trans-institutional information logistics process. Data that is produced by, documented in, shared via, organized in, presented by, and stored within clinical information systems is more and more reused for multiple purposes. We found a lot of examples showing the benefits of such data reuse with various novel approaches implemented to tackle the challenges of this process. We also found that the patient moves in the focus of interest of CIS research. So the loop of information logistics begins to close: data from the patients is used to produce value for the patients.
As Ontologies Reach Maturity, Artificial Intelligence Starts Being Fully Efficient: Findings from the Section on Knowledge Representation and Management for the Yearbook 2018
Authors: Dhombres Ferdinand , Charlet Jean ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Knowledge Representation and Management
Published: August 2018

Objectives: To select, present, and summarize the best papers published in 2017 in the field of Knowledge Representation and Management (KRM).

Methods: A comprehensive and standardized review of the medical informatics literature was performed to select the most interesting papers of KRM published in 2017, based on a PubMed query.

Results: In direct line with the research on data integration presented in the KRM section of the 2017 edition of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook, the five best papers for 2018 demonstrate even further the added-value of ontology-based integration approaches for phenotype-genotype association mining. Additionally, among the 15 preselected papers, two aspects of KRM are in the spotlight: the design of knowledge bases and new challenges in using ontologies.

Conclusions: Ontologies are demonstrating their maturity to integrate medical data and begin to support clinical practices. New challenges have emerged: the query on distributed semantically annotated datasets, the efficiency of semantic annotation processes, the semantic representation of large textual datasets, the control of biases associated with semantic annotations, and the computation of Bayesian indicators on data annotated with ontologies.
Expanding the Diversity of Texts and Applications: Findings from the Section on Clinical Natural Language Processing of the International Medical Informatics Association Yearbook
Authors: Névéol Aurélie , Zweigenbaum Pierre ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Clinical Natural Language Processing
Published: August 2018

Objectives: To summarize recent research and present a selection of the best papers published in 2017 in the field of clinical Natural Language Processing (NLP).

Methods: A survey of the literature was performed by the two editors of the NLP section of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook. Bibliographic databases PubMed and Association of Computational Linguistics (ACL) Anthology were searched for papers with a focus on NLP efforts applied to clinical texts or aimed at a clinical outcome. A total of 709 papers were automatically ranked and then manually reviewed based on title and abstract. A shortlist of 15 candidate best papers was selected by the section editors and peer-reviewed by independent external reviewers to come to the three best clinical NLP papers for 2017.

Results: Clinical NLP best papers provide a contribution that ranges from methodological studies to the application of research results to practical clinical settings. They draw from text genres as diverse as clinical narratives across hospitals and languages or social media.

Conclusions: Clinical NLP continued to thrive in 2017, with an increasing number of contributions towards applications compared to fundamental methods. Methodological work explores deep learning and system adaptation across language variants. Research results continue to translate into freely available tools and corpora, mainly for the English language.
Sensor, Signal, and Imaging Informatics in 2017
Authors: Hsu William , Deserno Thomas , Kahn Charles ,   Section Editors for the IMIA Yearbook Section on Sensor, Signal and Imaging Informatics
Published: August 2018

Objective: To summarize significant contributions to sensor, signal, and imaging informatics literature published in 2017.

Methods: PubMed® and Web of Science® were searched to identify the scientific publications published in 2017 that addressed sensors, signals, and imaging in medical informatics. Fifteen papers were selected by consensus as candidate best papers. Each candidate article was reviewed by section editors and at least two other external reviewers. The final selection of the four best papers was conducted by the editorial board of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook.

Results: The selected papers of 2017 demonstrate the important scientific advances in management and analysis of sensor, signal, and imaging information.

Conclusion: The growth of signal and imaging data and the increasing power of machine learning techniques have engendered new opportunities for research in medical informatics. This synopsis highlights cutting-edge contributions to the science of Sensor, Signal, and Imaging Informatics.
SNOMED CT Concept Hierarchies for Sharing Definitions of Clinical Conditions Using Electronic Health Record Data
Authors: Willett Duwayne , Kannan Vaishnavi , Chu Ling , Buchanan Joel , Velasco Ferdinand , Clark John , Fish Jason , Ortuzar Adolfo , Youngblood Josh , Bhat Deepa , Basit Mujeeb
Published: August 2018

Background Defining clinical conditions from electronic health record (EHR) data underpins population health activities, clinical decision support, and analytics. In an EHR, defining a condition commonly employs a diagnosis value set or “grouper.” For constructing value sets, Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine–Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) offers high clinical fidelity, a hierarchical ontology, and wide implementation in EHRs as the standard interoperability vocabulary for problems.

Objective This article demonstrates a practical approach to defining conditions with combinations of SNOMED CT concept hierarchies, and evaluates sharing of definitions for clinical and analytic uses.

Methods We constructed diagnosis value sets for EHR patient registries using SNOMED CT concept hierarchies combined with Boolean logic, and shared them for clinical decision support, reporting, and analytic purposes.

Results A total of 125 condition-defining “standard” SNOMED CT diagnosis value sets were created within our EHR. The median number of SNOMED CT concept hierarchies needed was only 2 (25th–75th percentiles: 1–5). Each value set, when compiled as an EHR diagnosis grouper, was associated with a median of 22 International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 and ICD-10 codes (25th–75th percentiles: 8–85) and yielded a median of 155 clinical terms available for selection by clinicians in the EHR (25th–75th percentiles: 63–976). Sharing of standard groupers for population health, clinical decision support, and analytic uses was high, including 57 patient registries (with 362 uses of standard groupers), 132 clinical decision support records, 190 rules, 124 EHR reports, 125 diagnosis dimension slicers for self-service analytics, and 111 clinical quality measure calculations. Identical SNOMED CT definitions were created in an EHR-agnostic tool enabling application across disparate organizations and EHRs.

Conclusion SNOMED CT-based diagnosis value sets are simple to develop, concise, understandable to clinicians, useful in the EHR and for analytics, and shareable. Developing curated SNOMED CT hierarchy-based condition definitions for public use could accelerate cross-organizational population health efforts, “smarter” EHR feature configuration, and clinical–translational research employing EHR-derived data.
Internet Gaming Disorder – Depression – Prokrastination
Authors: Pechler S.
Published: August 2018

Ziel der Arbeit: Diskussion der Zusammenhänge zwischen Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) und Prokrastination als maladaptive Strategien zur Emotionskontrolle sowie deren Einfluss auf Depressionen. Methodik: Übersichtsarbeit auf Basis der bekannten Studienergebnisse. Ergebnisse: Die Korrelationen zwischen dem Auftreten von Depressionen und suchtartigem Gebrauch des Internets konnten in zahlreichen Studien nachgewiesen werden. Trotz uneinheitlich verankerter Definition des Begriffs Internetsucht, Internet Gaming Disorder und exzessivem Spielverhalten zeigen sich durchgehend Verbindungen zu Prokrastination und depressiven Symptomen. Prokrastination und IGD können als Vulnerabilitätsfaktoren für Depressionen betrachtet werden. Schlussfolgerungen: Exzessiver Medienkonsum und Prokrastinationsverhalten können als maladaptive Strategie von Patienten mit Depressionen verstanden werden. Unklar bleibt aber inwieweit die Depression als Ursache des exzessiven Medienkonsums angesehen werden kann oder ob sie direkte Folge des hohen Medienkonsums ist. Die Trias aus Depression, IGD und Prokrastination sollte aus diesem Grund weiter untersucht werden.
EKT bei depressiven Störungen
Authors: Sartorius A.
Published: August 2018

Die Elektrokrampftherapie oder Elektrokonvulsionstherapie (EKT) gilt bei der Behandlung depressiver Störungen nicht nur als Routinetherapie, sondern bei schweren oder therapieresistenten oder wahnhaften Depressionen als Therapie der Wahl. Aufgrund bestehender Vorurteile und Stigmatisierungen ist die EKT in dieser Indikation in Deutschland im Vergleich zu anderen Industrieländern immer noch massiv unterrepräsentiert, obwohl sie mittlerweile ein modernes, sicheres, nebenwirkungsarmes und gut verträgliches Verfahren darstellt. In diesem Übersichtsartikel werden auch die Indikationen für schizodepressive Episoden, depressive Episoden mit führender stuporös-katatoner Symptomatik oder Depressionen mit vorbestehenden kognitiven Störungen oder begleitenden Parkinson-Syndromen diskutiert. Ebenso wird ein kurzer Überblick über die Durchführung einer EKT in Bezug auf Vorbereitung, Narkose und Stimulation, Überwachung, technische Parameter und Übergang in eine Erhaltungs-EKT gegeben.
Stylet slow-pull versus standard suction for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of solid pancreatic lesions: a multicenter randomized trial
Authors: Saxena Payal , El Zein Mohamad , Stevens Tyler , Abdelgelil Ahmed , Besharati Sepideh , Messallam Ahmed , Kumbhari Vivek , Azola Alba , Brainard Jennifer , Shin Eun , Lennon Anne , Canto Marcia , Singh Vikesh , Khashab Mouen
Published: August 2018

Background and study aim Standard endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) procedures involve use of no-suction or suction aspiration techniques. A new aspiration method, the stylet slow-pull technique, involves slow withdrawal of the needle stylet to create minimum negative pressure. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity of EUS-FNA using stylet slow-pull or suction techniques for malignant solid pancreatic lesions using a standard 22-gauge needle.

Patients and methods Consecutive patients presenting for EUS-FNA of pancreatic mass lesions were randomized to the stylet slow-pull or suction techniques using a 22-gauge needle. Both techniques were standardized for each pass until an adequate specimen was obtained, as determined by rapid on-site cytology examination. Patients were crossed over to the alternative technique after four nondiagnostic passes.

Results Of 147 patients screened, 121 (mean age 64 ± 13.8 years) met inclusion criteria and were randomized to the stylet slow-pull technique (n = 61) or the suction technique (n = 60). Technical success rates were 96.7 % and 98.3 % in the slow-pull and suction groups, respectively (P > 0.99). The sensitivity for malignancy of EUS-FNA was 82 % in the slow-pull group and 69 % in the suction group (P = 0.10). The first-pass diagnostic rate (42.6 % vs. 38.3 %; P = 0.71), acquisition of core tissue (60.6 % vs. 46.7 %; P = 0.14), and the median (range) number of passes to diagnosis (2 1
2
3 vs. 1 1
2; P = 0.71) were similar in the slow-pull and suction groups, respectively.

Conclusions The stylet slow-pull and suction techniques both offered high and comparable diagnostic sensitivity with a mean of 2 passes required for diagnosis of solid pancreatic lesions. The endosonographer may choose either technique during FNA.
Concept drift detection on social network data using cross-recurrence quantification analysis
Authors: de Mello Rodrigo F. , Rios Ricardo A. , Pagliosa Paulo A. , Lopes Caio S.
Published: August 2018

This paper presents our efforts to detect Concept Drifts (changes in data generation processes), using the Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis, on time series produced by social network systems. Experiments were performed on the TSViz project (http://www.tsviz.com.br), which collects online tweets associated with predefined hashtags and processes them to generate different time series: one to measure the amount of information contained in textual short messages and another to quantify the positiveness and negativeness of users’ sentiments, etc. In that context, this work proposed and evaluated a Concept Drift approach to point out when generating processes change along time, indicating the detection of relevant textual changes in terms of the amount of information and sentiments. As a main contribution, results show that our approach indicates when the most important social events happen, which were confirmed by official news.
Recurrence threshold selection for obtaining robust recurrence characteristics in different embedding dimensions
Authors: Kraemer K. Hauke , Donner Reik V. , Heitzig Jobst , Marwan Norbert
Published: August 2018

The appropriate selection of recurrence thresholds is a key problem in applications of recurrence quantification analysis and related methods across disciplines. Here, we discuss the distribution of pairwise distances between state vectors in the studied system’s state space reconstructed by means of time-delay embedding as the key characteristic that should guide the corresponding choice for obtaining an adequate resolution of a recurrence plot. Specifically, we present an empirical description of the distance distribution, focusing on characteristic changes of its shape with increasing embedding dimension. Our results suggest that selecting the recurrence threshold according to a fixed percentile of this distribution reduces the dependence of recurrence characteristics on the embedding dimension in comparison with other commonly used threshold selection methods. Numerical investigations on some paradigmatic model systems with time-dependent parameters support these empirical findings.
Pressure-induced reversible phase transition on Mo2Ga2C
Authors: Niu Jingjing , Zhang Haibin , Wu Ye , Hu Chunfeng , Wu Xiang
Published: August 2018

The newly carbide α-Mo2Ga2C with P63/mmc space group presents a unique top-packed Ga double layer structure. Pressure-induced phase transition of Mo2Ga2C has been investigated by in-situ high-pressure synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy combined with diamond anvil cell technique, and first-principle calculations. Both experimental and theoretical results show that a first-order phase transition from P63/mmc to P3¯m1 occurs at ∼22 GPa, where the high-pressure phase named β-Mo2Ga2C has a close-packed Ga double layer zig-zag structure. The isothermal pressure-volume relationship of Mo2Ga2C is described by the second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, yielding K0 = 139(2) GPa, K0′ = 4(fixed), and V0 = 144.5(1) Å3 for α-Mo2Ga2C; K0 = 187(3) GPa, K0′ = 4(fixed), and V0 = 137.9(2) Å3 for β-Mo2Ga2C. The instability caused by the repulsive force between the Ga atoms in the top-packed double-layer under pressure mainly accounts for the phase transition. The newly discovered β-Mo2Ga2C reveals that the MAX-like M2A2X type ternary compounds with different compositions may form various structures with different space groups.
Impact ionization in β-Ga2O3
Authors: Ghosh Krishnendu , Singisetti Uttam
Published: August 2018

A theoretical investigation of extremely high field transport in an emerging wide-bandgap material β-Ga2O3 is reported from first principles. The signature high-field effect explored here is impact ionization. The interaction between a valence-band electron and an excited electron is computed from the matrix elements of a screened Coulomb operator. Maximally localized Wannier functions are utilized in computing the impact ionization rates. A full-band Monte Carlo simulation is carried out incorporating the impact ionization rates and electron-phonon scattering rates. This work brings out valuable insights into the impact ionization coefficient (IIC) of electrons in β-Ga2O3. The isolation of the Γ point conduction band minimum by a significantly high energy from other satellite band pockets plays a vital role in determining ionization co-efficients. IICs are calculated for electric fields ranging up to 8 MV/cm for different crystal directions. A Chynoweth fitting of the computed IICs is done to calibrate ionization models in device simulators.
Nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite nanocrystals by hydrothermal method
Authors: Zhu Yan , Xu Lingling , Liu Chenhui , Zhang Caoning , Wu Nan
Published: August 2018

Hydroxyapatite (HA) was synthesized by using a hydrothermal method with Ca(NO3)2·4H2O and H3PO4. We use x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy to investigate how pH, reaction temperature, hydrothermal-reaction time, and calcium-ion concentration affects the microstructure and the growth of HA crystals. In addition, we discuss the growth mechanism. The results show that the crystals grow more completely and that the aspect ratio tends to increase with increasing hydrothermal-reaction time, reaction temperature, and calcium-ion concentration. The pH of the system strongly impacts the growth of HA crystals. With increasing pH, the HA crystal grain size and aspect ratio decrease significantly. By using 1 mol/L calcium-ion concentration, pH = 10, and a hydrothermal reaction at 200 °C for 8 h, we obtain high crystallinity and crystal clear of the growth polarity with hexagonal 60–100-nm-long columnar HA, 30–40 nm in diameter. The mechanisms producing this growth may be the effect of growth conditions on ion concentration, thereby changing the HA crystal growth rate along the different crystal axes.
Laser beam angular stabilization system based on a compact interferometer and a precise double-wedge deflector
Authors: Tyszka Krzysztof , Dobosz Marek
Published: August 2018

To increase the laser beam pointing stability required for precise interferometric measurements, we designed an active laser beam angular stabilization system. We used two recently proposed techniques: an interferometric measurement method of laser beam angular deflection which allows compact sensor design and a double wedge-prism beam deflector for precise laser beam steering. Our system provides long-term angular stabilization independently in the horizontal and the vertical planes, providing a hundredfold reduction of the output beam deviations. First, we describe the compact sensor setup with a new measurement algorithm prepared specifically for our stabilization system. Then, the system is introduced, and experimental evaluation is described. The test results show a good performance for the proposed design. We reached a reduction in beam angular deviations amplitude down to 100 nrad/h (in terms of double standard deviation of beam fluctuations).
Interaction between the divacancy and hydrogen in silicon: Observation of fast and slow kinetics
Authors: Kolevatov I. L. , Svensson B. G. , Monakhov E. V.
Published: August 2018

The divacancy (V2) is one of the fundamental defects in silicon. However, the interaction of V2 with hydrogen is still not fully understood. In the present work, deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) results on hydrogen-assisted annealing of V2 are presented. H+ ions were implanted with multiple energies into n-type Czochralski-grown samples, yielding uniform (box-like) concentration-versus-depth profiles of V2 and hydrogen in the region probed by the DLTS measurements. The evolution kinetics of V2 reveals two distinct processes: (i) a fast one attributed to dissociation of phosphorus-hydrogen pairs and reaction with highly mobile atomic Hi and (ii) a slow one whose origin is not identified yet. During the slow process, we observe the formation of a hydrogen-related electronic state, labeled E5* and positioned ∼0.42 eV below the conduction band edge. The growth of E5* displays a close one-to-one proportionality with the loss of a V2-related DLTS peak, presumably due to V2H, overlapping with that of the single negatively charged V2.
Plasma interactions with the N2O background gas: Enhancing the oxidization of alkaline-earth species for pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Chen Jikun , Döbeli Max , Wokaun Alexander , Lippert Thomas
Published: August 2018

Using N2O as an alternative background gas to O2 when growing oxide thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was previously expected to result in larger oxygen contents of as-grown thin films. In this work, we investigate the composition and kinetic energy of the pulsed laser induced plasmas that propagated in N2O and O2 by using mass spectrometry and plasma imaging. Two distinguished features were observed when using N2O instead of O2. (1) In N2O background gas as compared to O2, a larger proportion of negative oxygen ions was detected. (2) The alkaline-earth elements were fully oxidized in the N2O background, which is not achievable in O2. These observations are attributed to the smaller dissociation energy of the N2O molecules as compared to O2. The smaller dissociation energy of the background gas molecule is expected to reduce the interaction strength during their central collisions with the plasma species. As a result, the dissociable or electron detachable plasma species can be formed in larger amounts in N2O background, compared to O2. Comparing the composition of the deposited thin films indicates a larger oxygen content of the film grown in N2O background gas, as compared to O2, at pressures of ∼10−1 mbar, which is the most commonly used deposition pressure in PLD. Nevertheless, this was not achieved when performing PLD at ∼10−2 mbar, since the pressure was not high enough to trigger the formation of the shockwave front during the plasma expansion and thereby the lightest oxygen plasma species were preferentially scattered.
Four single-spin Rabi oscillations in a quadruple quantum dot
Authors: Ito Takumi , Otsuka Tomohiro , Nakajima Takashi , Delbecq Matthieu R. , Amaha Shinichi , Yoneda Jun , Takeda Kenta , Noiri Akito , Allison Giles , Ludwig Arne , Wieck Andreas D. , Tarucha Seigo
Published: August 2018

Scaling up qubits is a necessary step to realize useful systems of quantum computation. Here, we demonstrate coherent manipulations of four individual electron spins using a micro-magnet method in each dot of a quadruple quantum dot—the largest number of dots used for the single spin control in multiple quantum dots. We observe Rabi oscillations for each dot through electron spin resonance, evaluate the spin-electric coupling of the four dots, and finally discuss practical approaches to independently address single spins in multiple quantum dot systems containing even more quantum dots.