bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of dietary choline, betaine, and L‐carnitine on the generation of trimethylamine‐N‐oxide in healthy mice
Authors: Yu Zhu‐Lin , Zhang Ling‐Yu , Jiang Xiao‐Ming , Xue Chang‐Hu , Chi Naiqiu , Zhang Tian‐Tian , Wang Yu‐Ming 
Published: June 2020

AbstractTrimethylamine‐N‐oxide (TMAO) is considered to have negative effect on human health. Different precursors of TMAO, such as choline, betaine, and L‐carnitine, are commonly found in daily foods. The aim of the present study was to compare the ability of different precursors to be metabolized into TMAO, as well as the possible effect of chronic administration with TMAO precursors on TMAO production. The rate of TMAO generation after single gavage with different precursors was L‐carnitine > choline >betaine. Moreover, the serum TMAO level of mice increased more than twofold after administration with choline for 3 weeks compared with L‐carnitine and betaine groups, which was accompanied by the change of intestinal flora. After the gavage of choline chloride, the production for TMAO was 2.8 and 1.6 times higher in chronic choline‐treated group compared with L‐carnitine and betaine groups, respectively. In addition, administration with choline increased the lowest TMAO level after intraperitoneal injection of trimethylamine (TMA) hydrochloride among the three treated groups. These findings indicated that different TMAO precursors had different ability to form TMAO in vivo, and long‐term dietary intervention would affect the metabolism of precursors to generate TMA and the TMA oxidation to form TMAO, suggesting that TMAO levels in vivo could be regulated by dietary intervention.Practical ApplicationDiverse TMAO precursors exhibited different ability to be converted into TMAO in vivo. The ability of choline to produce TMAO was stronger than that of betaine and L‐carnitine. Long‐term dietary intervention would affect the metabolism of precursors to generate TMA and the TMA oxidation to form TMAO, suggesting that TMAO levels in vivo could be regulated by adjustment of dietary structure.
Identification of LBX2 as a novel causal gene of lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Hu Jingwen , Bai Yongkang , Zhang Quanli , Li Ming , Yin Rong , Xu Lin 
Published: June 2020

BackgroundLung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most predominant histological type of lung cancer with a poor prognosis. In this study, we demonstrate that LBX2 regulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion and the potential molecular mechanism in LUAD.MethodsThe Cancer Genome Atlas dataset was accessed to screen for novel genes and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were performed to determine the association between LBX2 expression and clinicopathological features of LUAD. 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine, colony formation and Real Time xCELLigence analysis system were used to evaluate the cell proliferation abilities of LUAD. Wound healing, transwell and Matrigel assays were used to detect cell migration and invasion capacities. Xenograft tumor models were used to assess the oncogenic role of LBX2 in vivo.ResultsWe found that LBX2 was hyperexpressed in LUAD and correlated with clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in LUAD patients. Knockdown of LBX2 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion of LUAD, whereas ectopic expression of LBX2 enhanced tumor growth, migration, and invasion. We further found that LBX2 might participate in epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression and influence EMT‐related gene expression.ConclusionsThe current study suggests that LBX2 plays an oncogenic role in LUAD and may participate in tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion through EMT progression.Key pointsSignificant findings of the studyLBX2 might participate in LUAD cell proliferation, migration and invasion via EMT progression.What this study addsLBX2 may represent a potential biomarker and a promising therapeutic target for LUAD.
Out‐of‐hospital Respiratory Measures to Identify Patients With Serious Injury: A Systematic Review
Authors: Daya Mohamud R. , Cheney Tamara P. , Chou Roger , Fu Rongwei , Newgard Craig D. , O'Neil Maya E. , Wasson Ngoc , Hart Erica L. , Totten Annette M. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractObjectivesThe objective was to systematically review the published literature on the diagnostic accuracy of out‐of‐hospital respiratory measures for identifying patients with serious injury, focusing on measures feasible for field triage by emergency medical services personnel.MethodsWe searched Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane databases from January 1, 1996, through August 31, 2017. We included studies on the diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC]) for all respiratory measures used to identify patients with serious injury (resource use, serious anatomic injury, and mortality). We assessed studies for risk of bias and strength of evidence (SOE). We performed meta‐analysis for measures with sufficient data.ResultsWe identified 46 articles reporting results of 44 studies. Out‐of‐hospital respiratory measures included respiratory rate, pulse oximetry, and airway support. Meta‐analysis was only possible for respiratory rate, which demonstrated a pooled sensitivity for serious injury of 13% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5 to 29, I2 = 97.8%), specificity of 96% (95% CI = 83 to 99, I2 = 99.6%), and AUROC of 0.70 (95% CI = 0.66 to 0.79, I2 = 16.6%). For oxygen saturation, sensitivity ranged from 13% to 63%; specificity, 85% to 99%; and AUROC, 0.53 to 0.76. Need for airway support had a sensitivity of 8% to 53% and specificity of 61% to 100%; studies did not report AUROC. Across respiratory measures, the SOE was low. Other respiratory measures (pH, end‐tidal carbon dioxide [CO2], and sublingual partial pressure of CO2) were reported only in emergency department studies.ConclusionsData on the accuracy of out‐of‐hospital respiratory measures for field triage are limited and of low quality. Based on available research, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and need for airway intervention all have low sensitivity, high specificity, and poor to fair discrimination for identifying seriously injured patients.
Association Between Emergency Physician Length of Stay Rankings and Patient Characteristics
Authors: Chang Cindy Y. , Baugh Christopher W. , Brown Calvin A. , Weiner Scott G. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractObjectiveEmergency physicians are commonly compared by their patients’ length of stay (LOS). We test the hypothesis that LOS is associated with patient characteristics and that accounting for these features impacts physician LOS rankings.MethodsThis was a retrospective observational study of all encounters at an emergency department in 2010 to 2015. We compared the characteristics of patients seen by physicians in different quartiles of LOS. Primary outcome was variation in patient characteristics at time of physician assignment (age, sex, comorbidities, Emergency Severity Index [ESI], and chief complaint) across LOS quartiles. We also quantified the change in LOS rankings after accounting for difference in characteristics of patients seen by different physicians.ResultsA total of 264,776 encounters seen by 62 attending physicians met inclusion criteria. Physicians in the longest LOS quartile saw patients who were older (age = 49.1 vs 48.6 years, difference = +0.5 years, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3 to 0.7) with more comorbidities (Gagne score = 1.3 vs. 0.9, difference = +0.4, 95% CI = 0.4 to 0.4) and higher acuity (ESI = 2.8 vs. 2.9, difference = −0.1, 95% CI = 0.1 to 0.1) than physicians in the shortest LOS quartile. The odds ratio (OR) of physicians in the longest LOS quartile seeing patients over age 50 compared to the shortest LOS quartile was 1.1 (95% CI = 1.0 to 1.1); the OR of physicians in the longest LOS quartile seeing patients with ESI of 1 or 2 was also 1.1 (95% CI = 1.0 to 1.1). Accounting for variation in patient characteristics seen by different physicians resulted in substantial reordering of physician LOS rankings: 62.9% (39/62) of physicians reclassified into a different quartile with mean absolute percentile change of 25.8 (95% CI = 20.3 to 31.3). A total of 62.5% (10/16) of physicians in the shortest LOS quartile and 56.3% (9/16) in the longest LOS quartile moved into a different quartile after accounting for variation in patient characteristics.ConclusionsLength of stay was significantly associated with patient characteristics, and accounting for variation in patient characteristics resulted in substantial reordering of relative physician rankings by LOS. Comparisons of emergency physicians by LOS that do not account for patient characteristics should be reconsidered.
Happily partnered older adults’ relationship‐enhancing behaviours
Authors: Rahn Alison , Bennett Cary , Jones Tiffany , Lykins Amy 
Published: June 2020

AbstractObjectiveRelationship‐enhancing behaviours that contribute to older adults’ well‐being are scarcely considered in “active ageing” discourses despite relationship quality having been repeatedly linked to health outcomes. This paper explores such behaviours in older adults.MethodsCross‐sectional data were collected in 2016 from 168 partnered baby boomers (born 1946 to 1965) using an online survey. The 36 qualitative and quantitative questions were analysed using mixed methods.ResultsParticipants were predominantly women (85%), with a mean age of 62 years (SD = 5.2). Relationship‐enhancing behaviours included verbal and non‐verbal cues, physical affection and pleasurable sexual activities. A couple's shared bed was an important relationship setting.ConclusionFor happily partnered older adults, relationship quality improves personal well‐being. As a social determinant of healthy ageing, health policies and programs are needed to support older adults’ relationship quality. To this end, the development of targeted relationship interventions for delivery in health settings is warranted.
Information on early medical abortion for women using an audiovisual animation vs face‐to‐face consultation: A consortium randomized and quasi‐randomized trial
Authors: Reynolds‐Wright John J. , Belleuvre Florence , Daberius Anette , Faucher Philippe , Gemzell‐Danielsson Kristina , Cameron Sharon T. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIntroductionThere is some evidence that audiovisual formats can be an effective way of providing information about early medical abortion (EMA). A short animation (3 minutes) was developed about EMA in three languages that summarized the EMA process for use in the UK, France and Sweden.Material and methodsWe conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial to compare information on EMA delivered by an animated film vs a face‐to‐face consultation. Women requesting EMA (≤9 weeks’ gestation) from abortion clinics in Edinburgh (UK), Paris (France) and Stockholm (Sweden) were recruited. The primary outcome was women’s recall of prespecified key information on EMA. Secondary outcomes were acceptability of mode of information delivery, clarity and helpfulness of information rated on a Likert scale. The study was prospectively registered with clinicaltrials.gov, ID number: NCT03417362.Results172 women completed the study (Edinburgh = 50, Paris = 78, Stockholm = 48). There was no statistically significant difference in recall scores between the animation and standard arms in Edinburgh and Stockholm sites. However, the difference between arms at the Paris site was statistically significant (P = .007) in favor of the animation. All participants in the animation arm rated it as an acceptable way to receive information on EMA.ConclusionsA “short” audiovisual animation can adequately and acceptably deliver key information about EMA. This intervention could be used routinely to provide standardized and high‐quality information to women seeking EMA.
Making the business case for corporate social responsibility and perceived trustworthiness: A cross‐stakeholder analysis
Authors: Peifer Jared L. , Newman David T. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe business case for corporate social responsibility (CSR) suggests that by doing good (i.e., engaging in CSR) a firm will do well (i.e., be profitable), and this notion has permeated the linguistic sensemaking of firm actors. But how are firms that articulate business‐case justifications evaluated by various stakeholders? We hypothesize that the way firms communicate their CSR engagement (i.e., accompanied by business‐case justifications or not) differentially impacts stakeholders’ perceived integrity, benevolence and ability trustworthiness of the firm. Conducting the same online experiment with two separate samples from the United States, we replicate three results; business‐case justification for CSR reduces benevolence trustworthiness among employees, increases ability trustworthiness among investors, and has no effect on perceived trustworthiness among consumers. We discuss the implications of our findings for the CSR literature and encourage future researchers to more carefully scrutinize the implications of justifying CSR with the business case.
Non‐invasive and surgical penile enhancement interventions for aesthetic or therapeutic purposes: a systematic review
Authors: Romero‐Otero Javier , Manfredi Celeste , Ralph David , Osmonov Daniar , Verze Paolo , Castiglione Fabio , Serefoglu Ege Can , Bozzini Giorgio , García‐Gómez Borja 
Published: June 2020

ObjectiveTo systematically review the literature in order to investigate the efficacy and safety of surgical and non‐invasive penile enhancement procedures for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes.MethodsA systematic search for papers investigating penile enhancement procedures was performed using the MEDLINE database. Articles published from January 2010 to December 2019, written in English, including >10 cases, and reporting objective length and/or girth outcomes, were included. Studies without primary data and conference abstracts were excluded. The main outcome measure was objective length and/or girth improvement. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) statement.ResultsOut of 220 unique records, a total of 57 were reviewed. Eighteen studies assessed interventions for penile enhancement in 1764 healthy men complaining of small penis. Thirty‐nine studies investigated 2587 men with concomitant pathologies consisting mostly of Peyronie's disease and erectile dysfunction. Twenty‐five studies evaluated non‐invasive interventions and 32 studies assessed surgical interventions, for a total of 2192 and 2159 men, respectively. Non‐invasive interventions, including traction therapies and injection of fillers, were safe and mostly efficacious, whereas surgical interventions were associated with minor complications and mostly increased penile dimensions and/or corrected penile curvature. Overall, the quality of studies was low, and standardized criteria to evaluate and report efficacy and safety of procedures, as well as patient satisfaction, were missing.ConclusionThe quality of the studies on penile enhancement procedures published in the last decade is still low. This prevents us from establishing recommendations based on scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of interventions that are performed to increase the penis size for aesthetic or therapeutic indications.
Modelling neurodegenerative diseases with 3D brain organoids
Authors: Chang Yujung , Kim Junyeop , Park Hanseul , Choi Hwan , Kim Jongpil 
Published: June 2020

ABSTRACTNeurodegenerative diseases are incurable and debilitating conditions characterized by the deterioration of brain function. Most brain disease models rely on human post‐mortem brain tissue, non‐human primate tissue, or in vitro two‐dimensional (2D) experiments. Resource limitations and the complexity of the human brain are some of the reasons that make suitable human neurodegenerative disease models inaccessible. However, recently developed three‐dimensional (3D) brain organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells and induced PSCs, may provide suitable models for the study of the pathological features of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of existing 3D brain organoid models and discuss recent advances in organoid technology that have increased our understanding of brain development. Moreover, we explain how 3D organoid models recapitulate aspects of specific neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington's disease, and explore the utility of these models, for therapeutic applications.
Reduced survival in patients who return to dialysis after kidney allograft failure
Authors: Bisigniano Liliana , Laham Gustavo , Giordani Maria Cora , Tagliafichi Viviana , Hansen Krogh Daniela , Maceira Alberto , Rosa‐Diez Guillermo Javier 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe outcome of patients who return to dialysis after Kidney allograft failure (KAF) remains unclear. Our aim was to compare the outcome of KAF patients vs two different types of transplant naive incident dialysis (TNID) patients, those on the waiting list (WL) and those with a kidney transplant contraindication (KTC).MethodsWe performed an observational study using data from the Argentinian Dialysis Registry between 2005 and 2016. We compare mortality between KAF, WL, and KTC.ResultsWe included 75 722 patients of which 2734 were KAF. Survival between the three cohorts (KAF vs WL (n = 14 630) vs KTC (n = 58 358) revealed a significant difference (log‐rank test: P < .0001) indicating worse survival for KTC patients and best survival for WL. We found that KAF patients had as poor outcome as KTC patients after multivariate adjustment. Cox regression showed that age >65 years: HR: 1.845 (1.79‐1.89) P < .0001, transient catheter: HR: 1.303 (1.26‐1.34) P < .0001, diabetic: HR: 1.273 (1.22‐1.31) P < .0001, hepatitis C: HR: 1.156 (1.09‐1.22) P < .0001, and albumin: HR: 1.247 (1.21‐1.28) P < .0001 were associated with mortality.ConclusionPatients who return to dialysis after KAF have higher mortality than WL patients and similar to KTC patients.
Moving attention along the mental number line in preschool age: Study of the operational momentum in 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children's non‐symbolic arithmetic
Authors: Haman Maciej , Lipowska Katarzyna 
Published: June 2020

AbstractPeople tend to underestimate subtraction and overestimate addition outcomes and to associate subtraction with the left side and addition with the right side. These two phenomena are collectively labeled 'operational momentum' (OM) and thought to have their origins in the same mechanism of 'moving attention along the mental number line'. OM in arithmetic has never been tested in children at the preschool age, which is critical for numerical development. In this study, 3–5 years old were tested with non‐symbolic addition and subtraction tasks. Their level of understanding of counting principles (CP) was assessed using the give‐a‐number task. When the second operand's cardinality was 5 or 6 (Experiment 1), the child's reaction time was shorter in addition/subtraction tasks after cuing attention appropriately to the right/left. Adding/subtracting one element (Experiment 2) revealed a more complex developmental pattern. Before acquiring CP, the children showed generalized overestimation bias. Underestimation in addition and overestimation in subtraction emerged only after mastering CP. No clear spatial‐directional OM pattern was found, however, the response time to rightward/leftward cues in addition/subtraction again depended on stage of mastering CP. Although the results support the hypothesis about engagement of spatial attention in early numerical processing, they point to at least partial independence of the spatial‐directional and magnitude OM. This undermines the canonical version of the number line‐based hypothesis. Mapping numerical magnitudes to space may be a complex process that undergoes reorganization during the period of acquisition of symbolic representations of numbers. Some hypotheses concerning the role of spatial‐numerical associations in numerical development are proposed.
Design and fabrication of Al2O3f/SiCN composite with excellent microwave absorbing and mechanical properties
Authors: Liu Xiaoling , Xue Jimei , Yang Fan , Ye Fang , Fan Xiaomeng , Cheng Laifei 
Published: June 2020

AbstractA new kind of structural and functional integration ceramic matrix composite material was prepared from high‐performance alumina (Al2O3) fibers and absorbing silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramics via a combination of polymer infiltration pyrolysis (PIP) and chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) methods. The Al2O3 fiber annealed at its cracked temperature had enhanced permittivity, because the sizing agent on the Al2O3 fiber surface was cracked into pyrolysis carbon. For PIP + CVI Al2O3f/SiCN composites, PIP SiCN matrix with low conductivity was used as the matching phase, while CVI SiCN matrix with medium permittivity and dielectric loss was regarded as the reinforcing phase distributed in porous PIP SiCN matrix and inter‐bundles of Al2O3 fiber to improve their mechanical and microwave absorption properties. The fracture toughness and flexural strength of Al2O3f/SiCN composite were determined to be 9.4 ± 0.5 MPa m1/2 and 279 ± 28 MPa, respectively. Based on the design principles for impedance matching, the Al2O3f/SiCN composites before and after oxidation were used as loss and impedance layers, respectively. It was found that the optimized composite had the lowest reflection coefficient (RC) of −70 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth covering the whole X‐band. In conclusion, Al2O3f/SiCN composite can serve as a high‐temperature structural material with excellent microwave absorption properties for aerospace applications.
Family quality of life among Taiwanese children with developmental delay before and after early intervention
Authors: Chiu S.‐J. , Lin I.‐F. , Chou Y.‐T. , Chien L.‐Y. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundAlthough early intervention (EI) practitioners emphasise the importance of individualised family‐centred services for families of children with developmental delay (DD), few empirical studies have evaluated whether EI can improve family quality of life (FQOL). This study aimed to investigate the trajectory of FQOL and its predictors among families of children with DD during the first 12 months of EI.MethodsThis study employed a prospective cohort design. Data were collected using structured questionnaires at the placement meeting before the commencement of EI, as well as 3, 6 and 12 months later. We recruited 142 primary caregivers of children with DD in northern Taiwan from March 2015 to August 2016. FQOL was measured using the Mandarin Chinese version of the Beach Centre FQOL Scale. Family resilience (FR) was measured using the Mandarin Chinese version of the FR Assessment Scale. Other independent variables included socio‐demographics, type of DD and EI services. Generalised estimating equations were used to perform multivariate analysis.ResultsFamily quality of life exhibited a significant quadratic trend in the 12 months surrounding EI. The score was the lowest before EI started (89.85), then increased to peak (94.87) at 6 months and then decreased slightly to 92.34 at 12 months. FR followed a significantly increased linear trend during the period. There were significant and positive correlations between FQOL and FR across all time points. Multivariate analysis showed that employed caregivers, FR, sufficient caregiving manpower and satisfaction with marital quality were positively associated with FQOL. Receiving more types of EI services and having fathers who were not Taiwanese nationals were negatively associated with FQOL.ConclusionsFamily quality of life and FR increased significantly after receiving EI, revealing the latter's effectiveness. Unemployment, poor marital quality, father being an immigrant, low FR and insufficient family caregiving manpower were associated with lower FQOL, suggesting that these families require more assistance.