bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gel-based Microemulsion Design and Evaluation for Topical Application of Rivastigmine
Authors: Fang Chih-Wen , Tsai Ling-Chun , Fu Yaw-Syan , Cheng Ting-Yu , Wu Pao-Chu 
Published: November 2019

Objective:
The aim of the present study was to design nanocarriers for the topical application
of rivastigmine.

Methods:
The effect of cosurfactants, hydrophilic gel and loading amount on the permeability of rivastigmine
through rat skin was evaluated. Skin irritation tests and stability tests were performed to
evaluate the utility of tested formulations.

Results:
The results showed that the microemulsion formation and characteristics of drug-loaded formulations
were related to many parameters of the components. When using microemulsion systems as
a vehicle, the permeation rate remarkably increased about 13.2~24.3-fold and the lag time was significantly
shortened from 24 h to 4.7 h. Formulations containing a cosurfactant of Diethylene Glycol
Monobutyl Ether (DEGBE) showed higher enhancement effect, while increasing the loading dose from
0.5% to 5% further increased the flux about 2.1-fold and shortened the lag time.

Conclusion:
The drug-loaded experimental formulation did not cause skin irritation and had good stability
at 20ºC and 40ºC storage for at least 3 months. The result showed that gel-based microemulsion
formulation could be a promising approach for topical administration.
Household Food Insecurity and Health-related Quality of Life in an Urban Adult Population in Iran
Authors: Gholami Ali , Jahromi Leila M. , Shams-Beyranvand Mehran , Khazaee-Pool Maryam , Naderimagham Shohreh , Mehrizi Ali A.H. , Amirkalali Bahareh , Asadi-lari Mohsen 
Published: November 2019

Background:
The relationship between food insecurity and mental and physical components of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been less addressed by healthcare professionals.

Objective:
We aimed to investigate the relationship between household food insecurity and mental
and physical components of HRQOL in a large sample of urban people and to determine whether
household food insecurity has a negative effect on mental and physical components of HRQOL.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted across twenty-two districts of Tehran (capital of
Iran) during 2011. The participants were selected through multistage cluster random sampling. Two
questionnaires were used to measure household food insecurity and HRQOL in the study population,
while descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to test the relationships between these two parameters.

Results:
The mean age of the study population was 44.5 ± 15.5 years and most were female (64.8%).
The results of this study indicated an independent relationship between household food insecurity
and different subscales of HRQOL (P<0.001). Household food insecurity had a significant negative
relationship with physical (β= -5.93; P<0.001) and mental (β= -6.54; P<0.001) summary scores of
HRQOL. Likewise, average scores on all subscales of HRQOL according to household food security
status were significantly different (P<0.001).

Conclusion:
Food insecurity was associated with mental and physical components of HRQOL
among urban participants and can be considered as a part of comprehensive interventions that target
to improve general health.
Predicting the Mode of Delivery by Angle of Progression (AOP) before the Onset of Labor by Transperineal Ultrasound in Nulliparous Women
Authors: Minajagi Priyanka Shankerappa , Srinivas Sujatha Bagepalli , Hebbar Shripad 
Published: November 2019

Background:
Prediction of the mode of delivery is crucial for better labour outcome.
Recent studies suggest that the angle of progression (AOP), measured using transperineal ultrasound,
can substantially aid the assessment of fetal head descent during labor, thereby predicting
the mode of delivery.

Objective:
To assess the ability of the AOP measured by transperineal ultrasound to predict the
mode of delivery in nulliparous women before the onset of labor.

Methods:
A prospective observational study was conducted at our hospital, of nulliparous women
who had presented to the antenatal clinic at ≥ 38 weeks of gestation but not in labor. AOP was
measured using transperineal ultrasonography and compared among the women having Caesarean
section (CS) due to labor dystocia and vaginal delivery (VD). Various other confounding factors
which increase the risk of caesarean section were analyzed.

Results:
Among total 120 nulliparous women, the mean AOP was narrower in patients undergoing
CS (n = 28) compared to those with VD (n = 92) (91.6 ± 6.1° vs. 100.7 ± 6.9°; P < 0.01). Multivariable
logistic regression analysis revealed that narrow AOP values (OR 3.66; P < 0.001; 95% CI 1.7-
14.5) and occiput-posterior fetal position (OR 1.63; P = 0.04; 95% CI 1.0-7.5) were the independent
risk factors for CS. An AOP ≥ 96° (calculated from the ROC curve) was associated with VD in
95% (76/80) of women and an AOP < 96° was observed among 60% (24/40) of women who underwent
CS.

Conclusion:
Narrow AOP (< 96°) and occiput-posterior fetal position are at higher risk for CS due
to labor dystocia. AOP measured at the antenatal period could accurately predict the mode of delivery,
thereby modifying labor outcome.
Multi-level 3D Densenets for False-positive Reduction in Lung Nodule Detection Based on Chest Computed Tomography
Authors: Lu Xiaoqi , Gu Yu , Yang Lidong , Zhang Baohua , Zhao Ying , Yu Dahua , Zhao Jianfeng , Gao Lixin , Zhou Tao , Liu Yang , Zhang Wei 
Published: November 2019

Objective:
False-positive nodule reduction is a crucial part of a computer-aided detection
(CADe) system, which assists radiologists in accurate lung nodule detection. In this research, a
novel scheme using multi-level 3D DenseNet framework is proposed to implement false-positive
nodule reduction task.

Methods:
Multi-level 3D DenseNet models were extended to differentiate lung nodules from falsepositive
nodules. First, different models were fed with 3D cubes with different sizes for encoding
multi-level contextual information to meet the challenges of the large variations of lung nodules. In
addition, image rotation and flipping were utilized to upsample positive samples which consisted of
a positive sample set. Furthermore, the 3D DenseNets were designed to keep low-level information
of nodules, as densely connected structures in DenseNet can reuse features of lung nodules and then
boost feature propagation. Finally, the optimal weighted linear combination of all model scores
obtained the best classification result in this research.

Results:
The proposed method was evaluated with LUNA16 dataset which contained 888 thin-slice
CT scans. The performance was validated via 10-fold cross-validation. Both the Free-response Receiver
Operating Characteristic (FROC) curve and the Competition Performance Metric (CPM)
score show that the proposed scheme can achieve a satisfactory detection performance in the falsepositive
reduction track of the LUNA16 challenge.

Conclusion:
The result shows that the proposed scheme can be significant for false-positive nodule
reduction task.
Quantitation of Pregabalin by HPLC-UV Method using Ninhydrin Derivatization: Development and Validation
Authors: Mutalabisin Fathiy , Helaluddin Abul Bashar Mohammed , Sengupta Pinaki , Mohamed Farahidah , Chatterjee Bappaditya 
Published: November 2019

Introduction:
A simple and reliable high performance liquid chromatographic method has
been developed for the quantitative determination of pregabalin in bulk and dosage form. Pregabalin, a
γ amino butyric acid analogue, has negligible sensitivity to UV or fluorescence detection. Hence, it has
been derivatized by ninhydrin to form a chromophoric complex that could be quantified by UV detection.

Materials and Methods:
The concentration of ninhydrin was set to 5 mg/ml and a phosphate buffer
solution (pH 7.4) was used as a solvent for the reaction. The resultant complex was separated by HPLC
and detected by a UV detector at 569nm wavelength.

Results:
The developed method showed a linear response within 50 to 600 μg/mL of pregabalin. The
method was accurate with mean recovery values within 100 ± 2%. The repeatability of the method was
established by intra-day and inter-day precision study. Finally, a commercial pregabalin capsule was
assayed by the developed HPLC method including ninhydrin derivatization. The result of the mean
assay was found to be 100.37 ±2.94 %.

Conclusion:
This is the first time we are reporting pregabalin analysis using ninhydrin derivatization
for HPLC analysis. Therefore, the developed method can be considered as a significant improvement in
pregabalin quantitation and it can be easily applied for routine quality control tests of pregabalin.
A Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study of Schisandrol B After Oral Administration of Schisandrol B Monomer and Schisandra chinensis Extract
Authors: Wu Zijing , Liang Dahu , Xu Maodi , Liu Yanhao , Xie Haitang 
Published: November 2019

Background:
Schisandra chinensis Turcz. (Baill.) is a perennial deciduous woody vine
plant, which is beneficial to all systems of the body.

Objective:
The goals of the present study were to compare the pharmacokinetics of schisandrol B in
rats after the oral administration of schisandrol B monomer (10 mg/kg) and S. chinensis extract (equivalent
to 10 mg/kg schisandrol B) and to explore interactions among the components in S. chinensis
extract.

Methods:
Twelve Sprague-Dawley rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into the monomer and
S.chinensis extract groups. Plasma samples were extracted with methyl tert-butyl ether, and chromatographic
separation was performed on an Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C18 (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 μm)
column with the mobile phase consisting of methanol (containing 0.1% formic acid)-water (containing
0.1% formic acid and 5 mmol ammonium acetate). This analysis was achieved by multiple reaction
monitoring modes in an electrospray interface.

Results:
The seven lignans had a good linear relationship within the determination range (r>0.9950);
the intra- and inter-day precision was <12.08% and accuracy was 88.64%-111.61%. The pharmacokinetic
parameters (T1/2, Tmax, MRT0-∞, CL, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞) of schisandrol B showed significant
differences between the two groups (P<0.05).

Conclusion:
The validated method has been successfully applied to the pharmacokinetics of schisandrin,
schisandrol B, schisandrin A, schisandrin B, schisandrin C, schisanhenol, and schisantherin A.
The pharmacokinetic differences indicate that other components in the extract may increase the absorption
of schisandrol B, decrease the rate of elimination, and improve the bioavailability of schisandrol B.
The Role of Hyperhomocysteinemia in the Development of Changes in the Lungs
Authors: Samborska Inga , Kovalchuk Oleksandr , Fagoonee Sharmila , Falalyeyeva Tetyana , Maievskyi Oleksandr 
Published: November 2019

Background:
In recent years, attention of the scientific community has been drawn to the
study of the role of homocysteine in the pathology of diseases in general and the respiratory system
in particular. Violations of the synthesis and disposal of homocysteine are the cause of its excessive
accumulation in the body, which subsequently leads to damage to all organs and systems.

Methods:
We conducted this study on 64 white non-linear rats of 6-8 and 24-26 months old rats,
which were divided into two control and experimental groups during the experiment. The study of
ultrastructural changes in the lungs of rats was performed using an electron microscope.

Results:
The results of the conducted study show that all the animals of the experimental group, corresponding
to 32 (50%) cases, possess conspicuous morphological changes in the structure of the
lungs.

:
The specific features of mature animals were the narrowing of the alveolar space of the part of the
alveoli and the increase in the number of macrophages in them. Partial desquamation of capillary
endothelial lining and a slight increase of collagen fibers in interalveolar membranes were observed
compared to control animals. A characteristic feature for older animals was the growth of connective
tissue, predominantly collagen fibers, which led to pneumosclerosis. The thickening of the aerogemic
barrier was also detected, and the endothelial lining was intermittent or desquamated.

Conclusion:
Mature animals of the experimental group were characterized by activation of
inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, due to increased production of macrophages and, as a
consequence, the launch of the humorous link of immunity, while in old rats were determined by
fibrosis, disorders of the trophic and gas metabolism, as well as damage to the endothelium part of
lungs.
The Impact of Spironolactone on Markers of Myocardial Oxidative Status, Inflammation and Remodeling in Hyperthyroid Rats
Authors: Mayyas Fadia A , Aljohmani Ahmad I , Alzoubi Karem H 
Published: November 2019

Background:
Hyperthyroidism promotes the development and progression of cardiovascular
diseases (CVD). Aldosterone, a key mediator of myocardial inflammation, oxidative stress and fibrosis,
may be activated in hyperthyroidism.

Objective:
To assess the impact of hyperthyroidism on aldosterone levels and myocardial oxidative
status, inflammatory and fibrotic markers in hyperthyroid rats, and to test if the use of spironolactone
(an aldosterone antagonist) attenuates these changes.

Methods:
Adult Wistar rats were randomly distributed into 4 groups; controls, spironolactone treated
rats (Spir, 50mg/kg/day), hyperthyroid rats (Hyper, daily intraperitoneal levothyroxine 0.3mg/kg/day),
and spironolactone treated hyperthyroid rats (Hyper+Spir) for 4 weeks. Blood pressure (Bp), and levels
of serum and myocardial aldosterone, oxidants/antioxidants, inflammatory and fibrotic markers were
measured.

Result:
Levothyroxine increased serum thyroid hormones and increased Bp, heart rate and heart to
bodyweight ratio. Relative to control, serum aldosterone levels were increased in Hyper and Hyper+
Spir groups. In parallel, cardiac lipid peroxides and serum endothelin-1 were increased whereas
cardiac superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and matrix metalloproteinase -2 were reduced in
the Hyper group. Spironolactone decreased serum thyroid hormones and improved cardiac lipid peroxides
and metalloproteinase -2 levels. The use of spironolactone decreased serum nitrite levels and increased
cardiac SOD and glutathione. Cardiac levels of aldosterone, endothelin-1, transforming growth
factor-beta and nitrite were similar among all groups.

Conclusion:
Hyperthyroid status was associated with an increase in aldosterone and oxidant/
inflammatory biomarkers. The use of spironolactone enhanced antioxidant defenses. Aldosterone
antagonists may serve as potential drugs to attenuate the development of cardiac disease in hyperthyroidism.
FRET Study Between Carbon Quantum Dots and Malachite Green by Steady-State and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Authors: Rooj Bipin , Dutta Ankita , Mukherjee Debojyoti , Islam Sahidul , Mandal Ujjwal 
Published: November 2019

Background:
Understanding the interaction between different organic dyes and
carbon quantum dots helps us to understand several photo physical processes like electron
transfer, energy transfer, molecular sensing, drug delivery and dye degradation processes
etc.

Objective:
The primary objective of this study is to whether the carbon quantum dots can
act as an electron donor and can participate in the different photo physical processes.

Methods:
In this work, Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDLs) are synthesized in most economical
and simple carbonization method where petals of Nelumbo nucifera L. are used as a
carbon precursor. The synthesized CQDLs were characterized by using experimental techniques
like UV−Vis absorption, FT-IR, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), steadystate
and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy.

Results:
The spectral analysis shows that the so synthesized CQDLs are spherical in shape
and its diameter is around 4.2 nm. It shows the fluorescence emission maximum at 495 nm
with a quantum yield of 4%. In this work the interaction between Carbon Quantum Dots
(CQDLs) and an organic dye Malachite Green (MG) is studied using fluorescence spectroscopic
technique under ambient pH condition (At pH 7). The quenching mechanism of
CQDLs with MG was investigated using Stern-Volmer equation and time-resolved fluorescence
lifetime studies. The results show that the dominant process of fluorescence
quenching is attributed to Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) having a donor acceptor
distance of 53 Å where CQDLs act as a donor and MG acts as an acceptor.

Conclusion:
This work has a consequence that CQDLs can be used as a donor species for
different photo physical processes such as photovoltaic cell, dye sensitized solar cell, and
also for antioxidant activity study.
An Automatic Question Generation System Using Rule-Based Approach in Bloom’s Taxonomy
Authors: Gnanasekaran Deena , Kothandaraman Raja , Kaliyan Kannan 
Published: November 2019

Background:
In this competing era, education has become part of everyday life. The process
of imparting the knowledge to the learner through education is the core idea in the Teaching-
Learning Process (TLP). An assessment is one way to identify the learner’s weak spot in the area
under discussion. An assessment question has higher preferences in judging the learner's skill. In
manual preparation, the questions are not assured in excellence and fairness to assess the learner’s
cognitive skill. To generate questions is the most important part of the teaching-learning process. It
is clearly understood that generating the test question is the toughest part.

Objective:
The proposed system is to generate the test questions that are mapped with bloom’s taxonomy
to determine the learner’s cognitive level. The cloze type questions are generated using the
tag part-of-speech and random function. Rule-based approaches and Natural Language Processing
(NLP) techniques are implemented to generate the procedural question of the lowest bloom’s cognitive
levels.

Methods:
Proposed an Automatic Question Generation (AQG) system which autom Proposed an Automatic Question Generation (AQG) system which, automatically generates
the assessment questions from the input file Dynamically.atically generates the assessment questions dynamically from the input file.

Results and Conclusion:
The outputs are dynamic to create a different set of questions at each execution.
Here, the input paragraph is selected from the computer science domain and their output efficiency
is measured using precision and recall.
Perspectives of People Who Are Overweight and Obese on Using Wearable Technology for Weight Management: Systematic Review
Authors: Hu Ruiqi , van Velthoven Michelle Helena , Meinert Edward 
Published: November 2019

Background
Obesity is a large contributor to preventable chronic diseases and health care costs. The efficacy of wearable devices for weight management has been researched; however, there is limited knowledge on how these devices are perceived by users.

Objective
This study aimed to review user perspectives on wearable technology for weight management in people who are overweight and obese.

Methods
We searched the online databases Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and the Cochrane library for literature published from 2008 onward. We included all types of studies using a wearable device for delivering weight-loss interventions in adults who are overweight or obese, and qualitative data were collected about participants' perspectives on the device. We performed a quality assessment using criteria relevant to different study types. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used for randomized controlled trials. The Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) was used for nonrandomized studies. The Oxman and Guyatt Criteria were used for systematic reviews. We used the critical appraisal checklist for qualitative studies. Data were extracted into a data extraction sheet and thematically analyzed.

Results
We included 19 studies: 5 randomized controlled trials, 6 nonrandomized studies, 5 qualitative studies, and 3 reviews. Mixed perceptions existed for different constructs of wearable technologies, which reflects the differences in the suitability of wearable technology interventions for different individuals in different contexts. This also indicates that interventions were not often tailored to participants' motivations. In addition, very few wearable technology interventions included a thorough qualitative analysis of the participants' view on important features of the intervention that made it successful.

Conclusions
This study highlights the importance of determining the type of intervention most suitable for an individual before the intervention is used. Our findings could help participants find a suitable intervention that is most effective for them. Further research needs to develop a user-centered tool for obtaining comprehensive user feedback.

Trial Registration
PROSPERO CRD42018096932; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=96932
Comparing the Relaxing Effects of Different Virtual Reality Environments in the Intensive Care Unit: Observational Study
Authors: Gerber Stephan M , Jeitziner Marie-Madlen , Sänger Simon D , Knobel Samuel E J , Marchal-Crespo Laura , Müri René M , Schefold Joerg C , Jakob Stephan M , Nef Tobias 
Published: November 2019

Background
After a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay, approximately 50%-75% of all critically ill patients suffer from neurocognitive late effects and a reduction of health-related quality of life. It is assumed that the noisy and stressful ICU environment leads to sensory overload and deprivation and potentially to long-term cognitive impairment.

Objective
In this study, we investigated three different virtual reality environments and their potentially restorative and relaxing effects for reducing sensory overload and deprivation in the ICU.

Methods
A total of 45 healthy subjects were exposed to three different environments, each 10 minutes in length (dynamic, virtual, natural, and urban environments presented inside the head-mounted display, and a neutral video on an ICU TV screen). During the study, data was collected by validated questionnaires (ie, restoration and sickness) and sensors to record physiological parameters (240 hertz).

Results
The results showed that the natural environment had the highest positive and restorative effect on the physiological and psychological state of healthy subjects, followed by the urban environment and the ICU TV screen.

Conclusions
Overall, virtual reality stimulation with head-mounted display using a dynamic, virtual and natural environment has the potential, if directly used in the ICU, to reduce sensory overload and deprivation in critically ill patients and thus to prevent neurocognitive late effects.