bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Combined effects of physiotherapy and robotic therapy on gait balance and speed in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury
Authors: Carvalho Joyce Karoline Friosi de , Siegle Cristhina Bonilha Huster , Utiyama Daniela Mitiyo Odagiri , Matheus Denise , Ayres Denise Vianna Machado , Alfieri Fábio Marcon , De Castro Pedro Claudio Gonzales , Battistella Linamara Rizzo 
Published: July 2020

Restoring the ability to walk, especially independently, is one of the goals in the rehabilitation of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI). The G-EO System (GS) robotic gait training acts as a reinforcer of the repetitive and specific practice of the gait phases. Objective: Investigate the combined effects of physiotherapy and robotic therapy on gait functionality in relation to balance and gait speed in patients with ISCI. Methods: Retrospective cohort study with 14 patients in the chronic phase of the disease, using the GS as a robotic intervention for gait and stairs, consisting of a 20-session protocol associated with conventional physical therapy. We used the 10-meter Walk Test (10WT) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant using the Wilcoxon test at the beginning of conventional physical therapy and before and after intervention. Results: At the 10WT, the mean initial velocity ranged from 2.60 m/s ± 1.72 at the beginning of conventional physical therapy to 1.57 m/s ± 0.80 at the end of the 20 GS sessions with p = 0.0424. For BBS at the beginning of conventional physical therapy, the average was 31.85 points ± 12.50, and 42.35 ± 14.25 at the end of the 20 GS sessions, with p = 0.0096. Conclusions: Robotic gait therapy associated with conventional physiotherapy has been shown to be effective in promoting balance and gait speed improvement in individuals in the chronic phase after involvement of incomplete spinal cord injury.
Associations Between Salt‐Restriction Spoons and Long‐Term Changes in Urinary Na
+
/K
+
Ratios and Blood Pressure: Findings From a Population‐Based Cohort
Authors: Hou Lei , Guo Xiaolei , Zhang Jiyu , Chen Xi , Yan Liuxia , Cai Xiaoning , Tang Junli , Xu Chunxiao , Wang Baohua , Wu Jing , Ma Jixiang , Xu Aiqiang 
Published: July 2020

Background
There have been few studies on the relationship between long‐term changes in sodium intake and blood pressure. A method of reducing sodium intake in a population that is known for high‐sodium intake based on homemade cooking is also needed.

Methods and Results

Our study was based on a baseline survey of 15 350 individuals aged 18 to 69 years with multistage random sampling and a 3‐year salt‐restriction campaign across Shandong Province, China. We included 339 individuals from six districts/counties in this cohort study, and the 24‐hour urinary sodium‐potassium ratio (Na
+
/K
+
) served as an indicator of sodium intake. The average change in ratio was 2.39 (95% CI, 2.17–2.61) from 6.81 (95% CI, 6.41–7.21) at baseline to 4.41 (95% CI, 4.18–4.64) during the resurvey. Following a reduction from low to high quartiles of urinary Na
+
/K
+
ratio, the average increases were 10.9 (95% CI, 8.9–12.9), 9.2 (95% CI, 6.9–11.5), 6.3 (95% CI, 4.0–8.6), and 5.3 (95% CI, 2.9–7.7) mm Hg for systolic blood pressure (
P
for trend=0.019) and 3.8 (95% CI, 2.4–5.2), 2.9 (95% CI, 1.7–4.2), 1.6 (95% CI, 0.4–2.8), and −0.3 (95% CI, −1.4–0.8) mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure (
P
for trend=0.002), respectively. A reduction in salt intake was evident for people using a 2‐g salt‐restriction spoon for cooking (−3.49 versus −2.22;
P
=0.027) after adjustment of confounding factors, compared with nonusers. Similar findings were obtained for other salt‐restriction spoon–based indicators.

Conclusions
Our study indicated that using a salt‐restriction spoon for cooking was associated with reduced salt intake that led to a blunting of blood pressure deterioration. This finding further supports the salt‐restriction spoon–based strategy for people whose primary salt intake is from homemade cooking.
Evolocumab, a PCSK9‐Monoclonal Antibody, Rapidly Reverses Coronary Artery Endothelial Dysfunction in People Living With HIV and People With Dyslipidemia
Authors: Leucker Thorsten M. , Gerstenblith Gary , Schär Michael , Brown Todd T. , Jones Steven R. , Afework Yohannes , Weiss Robert G. , Hays Allison G. 
Published: July 2020

Background
PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) is well recognized for its important role in cholesterol metabolism. Elevated levels are associated with increased cardiovascular risk and inhibition with PCSK9 antibodies (PCSK9i) lowers cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease. PCSK9 levels are also elevated in people living with HIV (PLWH) and those with dyslipidemia. Because increased PCSK9 in PLWH is associated with impaired coronary endothelial function, a barometer of coronary vascular health, we tested the hypothesis that PCSK9i improves impaired coronary endothelial function in dyslipidemia without coronary artery disease and in PLWH with nearly optimal/above goal low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

Methods and Results

We performed a single‐center study in 19 PLWH and 11 with dyslipidemia to evaluate the effects of the PCSK9i evolocumab on coronary endothelial function using cine 3T MRI to noninvasively measure coronary endothelial function, assessed as the changes in coronary cross‐sectional area and coronary blood flow from rest to that during isometric handgrip exercise, a known endothelial‐dependent vasodilator. Before evolocumab, there was a decrease or no coronary vasodilation and no increase in coronary blood flow (the normal responses) to isometric handgrip exercise in either group. Following 6 weeks of evolocumab, 480 mg q4 weeks, the % cross‐sectional area changes from rest to isometric handgrip exercise were +5.6±5.5% and +4.5±3.1% in the PLWH and dyslipidemia groups, respectively, both
P
<0.01 versus baseline. Improved cross‐sectional area was paralleled by a significant coronary blood flow improvement in both groups.

Conclusions
To our knowledge, these data represent the first evidence that PCSK9 inhibition improves coronary artery health in PLWH and people with dyslipidemia.

Registration

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03500302.
“Nothing is Left to Tell”
Authors: Nashef Hania A.M. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
In the Arab world, Beckett’s plays or their adaptations have not only been popular with audiences and directors but have also inspired other literary and media genres. The Beckettian wait itself has become synonymous with the condition of the Arab person. It is a wait that offers an unrealized potential of hope that reverberates with the diminishing prospects of the Beckettian protagonist. In this paper, I discuss how in times of war, migrations, and despair, performances of Beckett’s plays abound.
A Long-Distance Nexus in the Indian Ocean: Gujarati Banias, Brokers, and Middlemen in Eighteenth-Century Portuguese East Africa
Authors: Antunes Luís Frederico Dias 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Historiography has long recognized the strategic importance of Diu as a commercial hub in the Indian Ocean, despite the decline it experienced in the last quarter of the seventeenth century. A great deal of Diuese commerce, along with the island’s privileged connections with East Africa (especially Mozambique), was sustained by the activity of the Banias—Hindus and Jain—who had long used this small island as a platform for trade. This article analyzes the forms of organization, commercial and financial techniques, and main roles of the Banias of Gujarat, one of the largest and most important urban merchant communities in India and in other Asian and African markets along the Indian Ocean. In the case of Diu, we seek to understand the extent to which the financial capacity and commercial experience of the local Banias allowed them to dominate most commercial activity in Mozambique from the late seventeenth century onwards. We examine the internal structure of the Banias’ merchant communities, the hierarchical dependencies and trade links between the Banias of Diu and of Mozambique, and, lastly, the adaptation of their experience and commercial techniques to the East African coast.
The Convulsive European Space of Mobilities
Authors: De Genova Nicholas 
Published: July 2020

Alarmist reactions to an ostensible “migrant” or “refugee crisis” in Europe have inadvertently lent an unprecedented prominence to the veritable and undeniable autonomy of (transnational, cross-border) migrant and refugee mobilities, replete with their heterogeneity of insistent, disobedient, and incorrigible practices of appropriating mobility and making claims to space. Between an asylum system predicated upon suspicion and a border regime ever increasingly dedicated to intensifying the purview of detention and deportation, on the one hand, and the increasing virulence of anti-immigrant racist populist movements, on the other, Europe—rather than a space of refuge or freedom—has become a space of rejection for most migrants and refugees. This dialectic of autonomous human mobilities and the forces arrayed to alternately govern, discipline, punish, and repel them render Europe a convulsive space, a space of convulsions.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Sports Medicine Fellowship Class of 2020
Authors: Perrone Michael A. , Youssefzadeh Keon , Serrano Brian , Limpisvasti Orr , Banffy Michael 
Published: July 2020

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many US health systems suspended elective surgery at the recommendation of the US Surgeon General. This dramatically decreased case volumes for orthopaedic sports medicine fellows at academic institutions. Purpose: To describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of the sports medicine fellowship class of 2020 as well as the subsequent effects on their career plans and psychological well-being. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A 33-item survey was distributed via email to all American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) 2020 fellow members on April 22, 2020. Frequencies are presented as raw totals and percentages of respondents. The Fisher exact test was used to determine statistical significance between nominal variables, with significance set at P < .05. Results: Of 210 registered fellows, 101 (48.1%) responded. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the typical case volume per week for most fellows (47.5%) was 11 to 15 cases. From the enactment of COVID-19 mitigation policies to the date of survey completion, 90.1% of fellows had performed fewer than 20 cases. A total of 32 fellows were presented with redeployment options by their fellowship program, with 10 redeployed mandatorily to other hospital departments. Fellows reported that web-based didactics (n = 100) and web-based journal clubs (n = 72) were utilized as alternative supplements in the absence of clinical education. There were 8 respondents who had either their prior contract or job offer rescinded, while 1 had a signed contract voided. As a result, 6 fellows now plan to matriculate into a previously unplanned fellowship. Also, 10 respondents’ intended practice start date was being delayed by their employer. Respondents whose postfellowship plans were affected were statistically more likely to experience doubts about readiness for practice (58.8% vs 20.3%, respectively; P = .005), anxiety about future career plans (94.4% vs 63.8%, respectively; P = .01), anxiety about their financial situation (86.7% vs 50.8%, respectively; P = .018), stress in personal relationships (58.8% vs 29.9%, respectively; P = .045), and signs or symptoms of depression (41.2% vs 11.1%, respectively; P = .007) compared with those whose plans were not affected. Conclusion: This survey illustrates that during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent suspension of elective surgery, there have been downstream effects to this group’s education, careers, board certification timeline, and potentially their social and/or emotional well-being.
Cholecystectomy outcomes after endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with choledocholithiasis: a meta-analysis
Authors: Xu Jie , Yang Chuang 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) is the standard treatment for common bile duct stones. The reported findings regarding complications, such as biliary pancreatitis and cholangitis, differ between cholecystectomy after ES. The purpose of this study is to compare cholecystectomy outcomes after endoscopic treatment of common bile duct stones whether or not the incidence of recurrent pancreatitis and cholangitis is reduced, especially in high-risk patients.

Methods
We analyzed 8 studies, including 7 randomized controlled trials retrieved from the PubMed (1990–2019), Embase (1990–2019), and Cochrane (1990–2019) databases for trials comparing the two strategies for treatment of gallstones after ES. A related study on gallbladder removal after ES was acquired, followed by analysis of each group using RevMan. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated for categorical variables and differences in means were calculated for continuous variables.

Results
We retrieved a total of 8 studies, including seven randomized controlled trials and one retrospective study. A total of 12,717 patients were included in the study (4922 in the early cholecystectomy group and 7795 in the gallbladder in situ group). During the follow-up period, 41 patients had pancreatitis after ES in the cholecystectomy group and 177 patients in the wait-and-see group. The incidence of pancreatitis in the cholecystectomy group was significantly reduced (RR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.27–0.53; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0%). The incidence of cholangitis and jaundice in the cholecystectomy group was also less than the preserved gallbladder group (RR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.26–0.38; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0%). There was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups (RR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.52–1.02; P = 0.07; I2 = 14%). There was a significant difference in cholecystitis and biliary colic (RR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.24–0.32; P < 0.00001; I2 = 17%).

Conclusion
Early cholecystectomy after removal of common bile duct stones can effectively reduce biliary complications. This is still true for high-risk patients and has no significant effect on the mortality of patients. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is recommended after ES.
Full-length genome sequences of the first H9N2 avian influenza viruses isolated in the Northeast of Algeria
Authors: Barberis Abdelheq , Boudaoud Amine , Gorrill Angelina , Loupias Josianne , Ghram Abdeljelil , Lachheb Jihene , Alloui Nadir , Ducatez Mariette F. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIV) has a worldwide geographic distribution and affects poultry of different types of production. H9N2 AIV was first reported in the Northeast of Algeria in April 2017, following an outbreak associated with high mortality, in broiler flocks. In the present study, we report full-length genome sequences of AIV H9N2, and the detailed phylogeny and molecular genetic analyses.

Methods
Ten AIV H9N2 strains, collected in broiler flocks, were amplified in 9-day-old embryonated specific pathogen free (SPF) chicken eggs. Their full-length genomes were successfully sequenced and phylogenetic and molecular characterizations were conducted.

Results
Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolates were monophyletic, grouped within the G-1 lineage and were very close to Moroccan and Algerian strains identified in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The low pathogenicity of the strains was confirmed by the sequence motif (335RSSR/GLF341) at the hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site. An exclusive substitution (T197A) that had not been previously reported for H9N2 viruses; but, conserved in some pandemic H1N1 viruses, was observed. When compared to the G1-like H9N2 prototype, the studied strains showed one less glycosylation site in HA, but 2–3 additional ones in the stalk of the neuraminidase (NA). The HA protein harbored the substitution 234 L, suggesting binding preference to human-like receptors. The NA protein harbored S372A and R403W substitutions, previously detected in H9N2 from Asia and the Middle East, and especially in H2N2 and H3N2 strains that caused human pandemics. Different molecular markers associated with virulence and mammalian infections have been detected in the viral internal proteins. The matrix M2 protein possessed the S31N substitution associated with drug resistance. The non-structural 1 (NS1) protein showed the “GSEV” PDZ ligand (PL) C-terminal motif and no 80–84 deletion.

Conclusion
Characterized Algerian AIV isolates showed mutations that suggest increased zoonotic potential. Additional studies in animal models are required to investigate the pathogenicity of these H9N2 AIV strains. Monitoring their evolution in both migratory and domestic birds is crucial to prevent transmission to humans. Implementation of adequate biosecurity measures that limit the introduction and the propagation of AIV H9N2 in Algerian poultry farm is crucial.
Elliptic shape prior for object 2D-3D pose estimation using circular feature
Authors: Li Cui , Chen Derong , Gong Jiulu , Wu Yangyu 
Published: July 2020

AbstractMany objects in real world have circular feature. It is a difficult task to obtain the 2D-3D pose estimation using circular feature in challenging scenarios. This paper proposes a method to incorporate elliptic shape prior for object pose estimation using a level set method. The relationship between the projection of the circular feature of a 3D object and the signed distance function corresponding to it is analyzed to yield a 2D elliptic shape prior. The method employs the combination of the grayscale histogram, the intensities of edge, and the smoothness distribution as main image feature descriptors that define the image statistical measure model. The elliptic shape prior combined with the image statistical measure energy model drives the elliptic shape contour to the projection of the circular feature of the 3D object with the current pose into the image plane. These works effectively reduce the impacts of the challenging scenarios on the pose estimate results. In addition, the method utilizes particle filters that take into account the motion dynamics of the object among scene frames, and this work provides the robust method for object 2D-3D pose estimation using circular feature in a challenging environment. Various numerical experiments are illustrated to show the performance and advantages of the proposed method.
Double controlled metric-like spaces
Authors: Mlaiki Nabil 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we introduce a new extension of the double controlled metric-type spaces, called double controlled metric-like spaces, by assuming that the “self-distance” may not be zero On the other hand, if the value of the metric is zero, then it has to be a “self-distance” (i.e., we replace $[\varsigma(g,h)=0 \Leftrightarrow g=h]$
[
ς
(
g
,
h
)
=
0
⇔
g
=
h
]
by $[\varsigma(g,h)=0 \Rightarrow g=h]$
[
ς
(
g
,
h
)
=
0
⇒
g
=
h
]
). Using this new type of metric spaces, we generalize many results in the literature. We prove fixed point results along with examples illustrating our theorems. Also, we present double controlled metric-like spaces endowed with a graph along with an open question.
The rapid and visual detection of methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification linked to a nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor
Authors: Chen Xu , Ma Kai , Yi Xu , Xiong Lijuan , Wang Yu , Li Shijun 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), including methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is an eminent human pathogen that can colonize the human host and cause severe life-threatening infections. The development of a reliable, simple and rapid assay for detecting S. aureus and identifying MRSA is important for diagnosis and follow-up treatment.

Methods
A novel molecular diagnosis technique, named multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification linked to a nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor (m-LAMP-LFB), was applied to detect all S. aureus species and identify MRSA. Two sets of primers were designed based on the femA gene (S. aureus-specific gene) and the mecA gene (encoding penicillin-binding protein 2a), and the multiple-LAMP products were analyzed using LFB. The m-LAMP-LFB amplification conditions, including the target DNA concentration, reaction temperature and time, were optimized. The sensitivity and specificity of the m-LAMP-LFB method were tested in the current study, and the multiple-LAMP-LFB technology was applied to detect the MSSA and MRSA strains from clinical samples.

Results
The S. aureus- and MRSA-specific primers based on the femA and mecA genes allowed the multiple-LAMP technology to detect S. aureus and MRSA, respectively. The multiple-LAMP conditions were optimized at 63 °C for 40 min. The full process, including genomic DNA template preparation, LAMP, and product identification, could be achieved in 80 min. The limit of detection (LoD) of the multiple-LAMP assay for femA and mecA detection was 100 fg of genomic DNA template per reaction. The specificity of m-LAMP-LFB detection was 100 %, and no cross-reactions to non-S. aureus strains were observed.

Conclusion
The multiple-LAMP-LFB technique developed in the current study is a reliable, simple, rapid, specific and sensitive method to identify MSSA and MRSA infections for appropriate antibiotic therapy.
Isotopic composition of lead white pigments on qeros: implications for the chronology and production of Andean ritual drinking vessels during the colonial era
Authors: Curley Allison N. , Thibodeau Alyson M. , Kaplan Emily , Howe Ellen , Pearlstein Ellen , Levinson Judith 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
For millennia, qeros have been a primary component of ceremonially and politically important toasting rituals in the Andes and retain their cultural significance to this day. These wooden drinking vessels underwent a stylistic and technical revolution in the colonial period (1532–1821 AD). Among an array of features that distinguish colonial qeros from their Inka predecessors is the presence of lead white, a pigment that was introduced to the Andes by the Spanish. Here, we present lead (Pb) isotope measurements of lead white pigments from 20 colonial qeros from the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in a private collection. Although most of the vessels are not known to be associated with one another, their lead white pigments fall into three distinct and internally consistent groupings in Pb isotope space. We interpret the isotopic signatures of two of the groups to indicate that the lead white was imported from Europe. We suggest that the largest grouping (comprising pigments sampled from 12 qeros) is decorated with lead white of Andean origin. These isotopic signatures may have a chronological component, and strongly suggest some form of centralization in pigment acquisition, manufacture, and/or distribution in the colonial period.