bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity of diabetes as a risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular events in anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation: an analysis of the ARISTOTLE trial
Authors: De Caterina Raffaele , Patti Giuseppe , Westerbergh Johan , Horowitz John , Ezekowitz Justin A , Lewis Basil S , Lopes Renato D , McMurray John J V , Atar Dan , Bahit M Cecilia , Keltai Matyas , López-Sendón José L , Ruzyllo Witold , Granger Christopher B , Alexander John H , Wallentin Lars 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAimsWhether diabetes without insulin therapy is an independent cardiovascular (CV) risk factor in atrial fibrillation (AF) has recently been questioned. We investigated the prognostic relevance of diabetes with or without insulin treatment in patients in the ARISTOTLE trial.Methods and resultsPatients with AF and increased stroke risk randomized to apixaban vs. warfarin were classified according to diabetes status: no diabetes; diabetes on no diabetes medications; diabetes on non-insulin antidiabetic drugs only; or insulin-treated. The associations between such patient subgroups and stroke/systemic embolism (SE), myocardial infarction (MI), and CV death were examined by Cox proportional hazard regression, both unadjusted and adjusted for other prognostic variables. Patients with diabetes were younger and had a higher body mass index. Median CHA2DS2VASc score was 4.0 in patients with diabetes and 3.0 in patients without diabetes. We found no significant difference in stroke/SE incidence across patient subgroups. Compared with no diabetes, only insulin-treated diabetes was significantly associated with higher risk. When adjusted for clinical variables, compared with no diabetes, the hazard ratios (HRs) for MI (95% confidence intervals) were for diabetes on no medication: 1.15 (0.62–2.14); for diabetes on non-insulin antidiabetic drugs: 1.32 (0.90–1.94); for insulin-treated diabetes: 2.34 (1.43–3.82); interaction P = 0.008. HRs for CV death were for diabetes on no medication: 1.19 (0.86–166); for diabetes on non-insulin antidiabetic drugs: 1.12 (0.88–1.42); for insulin-treated diabetes 1.85 (1.36–2.53), interaction P = 0.001.ConclusionIn anticoagulated patients with AF, a higher risk of MI and CV death is largely confined to diabetes treated with insulin.
Dental age, agenesis, and morphological anomalies in individuals with Van der Woude syndrome and isolated cleft palate
Authors: Awadh Wael , Pegelow Marie , Heliövaara Arja , Rice David P 
Published: December 2020

Summary

Objectives
To analyse the differences between dental age and chronological age and dental anomalies in individuals with Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) and compare with non-syndromic cleft palate (NSCP) and non-cleft controls.

Materials and methods
In total, 204 oral panoramic radiographs (118 girls and 86 boys) consisting of 51 VWS patients (age x̅ = 8.17 ± 1.34 years), 51 NSCP patients (age x̅ = 8.09 ± 1.41 years), and 102 normative non-cleft children (age x̅ = 8.62 ± 1.24 years) were collected. Dental stages were assessed by the Demirjian method, with the local dental maturity index as reference. Dental anomalies including agenesis were investigated. Statistical differences were determined by One-way ANOVA and regression. Repeatability was calculated by an intra-class correlation test and 95% confidence interval.

Results
The difference between dental age and chronological age of the VWS group (0.12 years) and the NSCP group (0.09 years) was significantly lower than the non-cleft group (0.40 years) (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference between the VWS and NSCP groups (P = 0.885). Hypodontia was more prevalent in both the VWS group (37.25%, P = 0.0001) and the NSCP group (19.60%, P = 0.035) compared with the non-cleft group (5.88%). The odds for hypodontia in the VWS group were approximately double compared with the NSCP group. In VWS patients, the most commonly missing teeth were the permanent second premolars and the maxillary permanent laterals incisors. Peg-shaped teeth had a prevalence of 13.70% in VWS patients.

Conclusions
In VWS and NSCP patients compared with non-cleft children, the difference in dental age compared with chronological age decreased. Hypodontia occurs at a high prevalence in VWS and NSCP patients compared with non-cleft children.
Positional, Mobility, and Reference Effects: How Does Social Class Affect Life Satisfaction in Europe?
Authors: Kaiser Caspar , Trinh Nhat An 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
In this study, we analyse the effects of social class on life satisfaction. We develop a theoretical framework that shows how social class affects life satisfaction through five different pathways. Informed by this framework, we estimate the direct effects of class destination and class origin, the effect of own intergenerational class mobility, as well as the effects of others’ class position and mobility. To do so, we utilize European Social Survey waves 1 to 5 (2002–2010) and obtain information on life satisfaction as well as destination and origin class for about 80,000 respondents in 32 European countries. We find (i) class destination consistently and strongly structures life satisfaction across Europe, (ii) own class mobility has a significant impact on life satisfaction in Eastern Europe, as does (iii) the class mobility of others. The last finding points to the hitherto neglected importance of reference effects when considering the impact of social class on life satisfaction.
Automatic reconstruction of the left atrium activation from sparse intracardiac contact recordings by inverse estimate of fibre structure and anisotropic conduction in a patient-specific model
Authors: Lubrecht Jolijn M , Grandits Thomas , Gharaviri Ali , Schotten Ulrich , Pock Thomas , Plank Gernot , Krause Rolf , Auricchio Angelo , Conte Giulio , Pezzuto Simone 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Aims
Electric conduction in the atria is direction-dependent, being faster in fibre direction, and possibly heterogeneous due to structural remodelling. Intracardiac recordings of atrial activation may convey such information, but only with high-quality data. The aim of this study was to apply a patient-specific approach to enable such assessment even when data are scarce, noisy, and incomplete.

Methods and results
Contact intracardiac recordings in the left atrium from nine patients who underwent ablation therapy were collected before pulmonary veins isolation and retrospectively included in the study. The Personalized Inverse Eikonal Model from cardiac Electro-Anatomical Maps (PIEMAP), previously developed, has been used to reconstruct the conductivity tensor from sparse recordings of the activation. Regional fibre direction and conduction velocity were estimated from the fitted conductivity tensor and extensively cross-validated by clustered and sparse data removal. Electrical conductivity was successfully reconstructed in all patients. Cross-validation with respect to the measurements was excellent in seven patients (Pearson correlation r &gt; 0.93) and modest in two patients (r = 0.62 and r = 0.74). Bland–Altman analysis showed a neglectable bias with respect to the measurements and the limit-of-agreement at –22.2 and 23.0 ms. Conduction velocity in the fibre direction was 82 ± 25 cm/s, whereas cross-fibre velocity was 46 ± 7 cm/s. Anisotropic ratio was 1.91±0.16. No significant inter-patient variability was observed. Personalized Inverse Eikonal model from cardiac Electro-Anatomical Maps correctly predicted activation times in late regions in all patients (r = 0.88) and was robust to a sparser dataset (r = 0.95).

Conclusion
Personalized Inverse Eikonal model from cardiac Electro-Anatomical Maps offers a novel approach to extrapolate the activation in unmapped regions and to assess conduction properties of the atria. It could be seamlessly integrated into existing electro-anatomic mapping systems. Personalized Inverse Eikonal model from cardiac Electro-Anatomical Maps also enables personalization of cardiac electrophysiology models.
The geometry of signal space: a case study of direct mapping between seismic signals and event distribution
Authors: Harris David B , Dodge Douglas A 
Published: December 2020

SUMMARYUnder favourable circumstances, seismic waveforms corresponding to an ensemble of events related by a common, spatially distributed process collectively exhibit a regular, signal-space geometry. When events in the ensemble have a common, or nearly common, source mechanism, this geometry is a distorted image of the distribution of events in the source region. The signal-space image can be visualized using a relatively simple waveform alignment and projection operation. Ensemble waveform correlation measurements can be inverted to estimate the distribution of the events in the source region, up to an arbitrary rotation, reflection and scaling, with residual distortion. We demonstrate these concepts with synthetic waveforms and with observations of long-wall mining induced seismicity for which substantial ground truth information is available. Our experience with these data has implications for location, correlation detection and machine learning and possible application to studies of repeating events in induced, volcanic and glacial seismicity. Our results place limits on the widely held assumption that waveform correlation is a useful measure of event separation. We suggest that the constraints on event separation need to be evaluated in the context of a population of related events, whose waveforms sample the signal space image of the source region. A better indicator of event separation is the length of the shortest path in signal space along the image.
Merlin cooperates with neurofibromin and Spred1 to suppress the Ras–Erk pathway
Authors: Cui Yan , Ma Lin , Schacke Stephan , Yin Jiani C , Hsueh Yi-Ping , Jin Hongchuan , Morrison Helen 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe Ras–Erk pathway is frequently overactivated in human tumors. Neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2 (NF1, NF2) are characterized by multiple tumors of Schwann cell origin. The NF1 tumor suppressor neurofibromin is a principal Ras-GAP accelerating Ras inactivation, whereas the NF2 tumor suppressor merlin is a scaffold protein coordinating multiple signaling pathways. We have previously reported that merlin interacts with Ras and p120RasGAP. Here, we show that merlin can also interact with the neurofibromin/Spred1 complex via merlin-binding sites present on both proteins. Further, merlin can directly bind to the Ras-binding domain (RBD) and the kinase domain (KiD) of Raf1. As the third component of the neurofibromin/Spred1 complex, merlin cannot increase the Ras-GAP activity; rather, it blocks Ras binding to Raf1 by functioning as a ‘selective Ras barrier’. Merlin-deficient Schwann cells require the Ras–Erk pathway activity for proliferation. Accordingly, suppression of the Ras–Erk pathway likely contributes to merlin’s tumor suppressor activity. Taken together, our results, and studies by others, support targeting or co-targeting of this pathway as a therapy for NF2 inactivation-related tumors.
Association of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D With Prevalence, Incidence, and Clearance of Vaginal HPV Infection in Young Women
Authors: El-Zein Mariam , Khosrow-Khavar Farzin , Burchell Ann N , Tellier Pierre-Paul , Eintracht Shaun , McNamara Elizabeth , Coutlée Francois , Franco Eduardo L ,   for the HITCH study group, Rodrigues Allita , Kelsall Gail , Dumais Suzanne , Morykon Natalia , Rocamora Amelia , Slavtcheva Nathalie , Moravan Veronika , Wissing Michel , Roger Michel 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background
We assessed the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and genital human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence, incidence, and clearance among female participants in the HPV Infection and Transmission among Couples through Heterosexual activity (HITCH) Cohort Study.

Methods
We genotyped HPV DNA in vaginal samples and quantified baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels using Roche’s Linear Array and Total vitamin D assay, respectively. We used logistic and Cox proportional hazards models, respectively, to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results
There was no association between vitamin D levels (every 10-ng/mL increase) at baseline and HPV prevalence (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, .73–1.03) or incidence (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, .73–1.06), but we observed a modest negative association with HPV clearance (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, .60–.96). Vitamin D levels &lt;30 ng/mL, compared with those ≥30 ng/mL, were not associated with HPV prevalence (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, .57–1.69) or incidence (HR, .87; 95% CI, .50–1.43), but they were associated with a marginally significant increased clearance (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, .99–4.64). We observed consistent results with restricted cubic spline modeling of vitamin D levels and clinically defined categories. HPV type-specific analyses accounting for multiple HPV infections per participant showed no association between vitamin D levels and all study outcomes.

Conclusions
This study provided no evidence of an association between low vitamin D levels and increased HPV prevalence, acquisition, or clearance.
Will the COVID-19 pandemic transform infection prevention and control in surgery? Seeking leverage points for organizational learning
Authors: Toccafondi Giulio , Di Marzo Francesco , Sartelli Massimo , Sujan Mark , Smyth Molly , Bowie Paul , Cardi Martina , Cardi Maurizio 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background
In response to the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare systems worldwide have stepped up their infection prevention and control efforts in order to reduce the spread of the infection. Behaviours, such as hand hygiene, screening and cohorting of patients, and the appropriate use of antibiotics have long been recommended in surgery, but their implementation has often been patchy.

Methods
The current crisis presents an opportunity to learn about how to improve infection prevention and control and surveillance (IPCS) behaviours. The improvements made were mainly informal, quick and stemming from the frontline rather than originating from formal organizational structures.
The adaptations made and the expertise acquired have the potential for triggering deeper learning and to create enduring improvements in the routine identification and management of infections relating to surgery.

Results
This paper aims to illustrate how adopting a human factors and ergonomics perspective can provide insights into how clinical work systems have been adapted and reconfigured in order to keep patients and staff safe.

Conclusion
For achieving sustainable change in IPCS practices in surgery during COVID-19 and beyond we need to enhance organizational learning potentials.
Comparative genomics of ESBL-producingEscherichia coli(ESBL-Ec) reveals a similar distribution of the 10 most prevalent ESBL-Ec clones and ESBL genes among human community faecal and extra-intestinal infection isolates in the Netherlands (2014–17)
Authors: Verschuuren T D , van Hout D , Arredondo-Alonso S , Fluit A C , Reuland E A , Top J , Schürch A C , Bosch T , Bonten M J M , Kluytmans J A J W , Willems R J L 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIntroductionThe human gut microbiota is an important reservoir of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-Ec). Community surveillance studies of ESBL-Ec to monitor circulating clones and ESBL genes are logistically challenging and costly.ObjectivesTo evaluate if isolates obtained in routine clinical practice can be used as an alternative to monitor the distribution of clones and ESBL genes circulating in the community.MethodsWGS was performed on 451 Dutch ESBL-Ec isolates (2014–17), including 162 community faeces and 289 urine and blood isolates. We compared proportions of 10 most frequently identified STs, PopPUNK-based sequence clusters (SCs) and ESBL gene subtypes and the degree of similarity using Czekanowski’s proportional similarity index (PSI).ResultsNine out of 10 most prevalent STs and SCs and 8/10 most prevalent ESBL genes in clinical ESBL-Ec were also the most common types in community faeces. The proportions of ST131 (39% versus 23%) and SC131 (40% versus 25%) were higher in clinical isolates than in community faeces (P &lt; 0.01). Within ST131, H30Rx (C2) subclade was more prevalent among clinical isolates (55% versus 26%, P &lt; 0.01). The proportion of ESBL gene blaCTX-M-1 was lower in clinical isolates (5% versus 18%, P &lt; 0.01). Czekanowski’s PSI confirmed that the differences in ESBL-Ec from community faeces and clinical isolates were limited.ConclusionsDistributions of the 10 most prevalent clones and ESBL genes from ESBL-Ec community gut colonization and extra-intestinal infection overlapped in majority, indicating that isolates from routine clinical practice could be used to monitor ESBL-Ec clones and ESBL genes in the community.
Validation and Optimization of qPCR Method for Identification of Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh) NHPs
Authors: Shanmughanandhan Jeevitha , Shanmughanandhan Dhivya , Ragupathy Subramanyam , Henry, Thomas A , Newmaster Steven G 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background
Actaea racemosa (black cohosh) herbal dietary supplements are commonly used to treat menopausal symptoms in women. However, there is a considerable risk of contamination of A. racemosa herbal products in the natural health product (NHP) industry, impacting potential efficacy. Authentication of A. racemosa products is challenging because of the standard, multi-part analytical chemistry methods that may be too costly and not appropriate for both raw and finished products.

Objective
In this paper, we discuss developing and validating quick alternative biotechnology methods to authenticate A. racemosa herbal dietary supplements, based on the use of a species-specific hydrolysis PCR probe assay.

Methods
A qPCR-based species-specific hydrolysis probe assay was designed, validated, and optimized for precisely identifying the species of interest using the following analytical validation criteria: (1) specificity (accuracy) in determining the target species ingredient, while not identifying other non-target species; (2) sensitivity in detecting the smallest amount of the target material; and (3) reliability (repeatability and reproducibility) in detecting the target species in raw materials on a real-time PCR platform.

Results
The results show that the species-specific hydrolysis probe assay was successfully developed for the raw materials and powders of A. racemosa. The specificity of the test was 100% to the target species. The efficiency of the assay was observed to be 99%, and the reliability of the assay was 100% for the raw/starting and powder materials.

Conclusion
The method developed in this study can be used to authenticate and perform qualitative analysis of A. racemosa supplements.
Structural studies of reelin N-terminal region provides insights into a unique structural arrangement and functional multimerization
Authors: Nagae Masamichi , Suzuki Kei , Yasui Norihisa , Nogi Terukazu , Kohno Takao , Hattori Mitsuharu , Takagi Junichi 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The large, secreted glycoprotein reelin regulates embryonic brain development as well as adult brain functions. Although reelin binds to its receptors via its central part, the N-terminal region directs multimer formation and is critical for efficient signal transduction. In fact, the inhibitory antibody CR-50 interacts with the N-terminal region and prevents higher-order multimerization and signalling. Reelin is a multidomain protein in which the central part is composed of eight characteristic repeats, named reelin repeats, each of which is further divided by insertion of a epidermal growth factor (EGF) module into two subrepeats. In contrast, the N-terminal region shows unique ‘irregular’ domain architecture since it comprises three consecutive subrepeats without the intervening EGF module. Here, we determined the crystal structure of the murine reelin fragment named RX-R1 including the irregular region and the first reelin repeat at 2.0-Å resolution. The overall structure of RX-R1 has a branched Y-shaped form. Interestingly, two incomplete subrepeats cooperatively form one entire subrepeat structure, though an additional subrepeat is inserted between them. We further reveal that Arg335 of RX-R1 is crucial for binding CR-50. A possible self-association mechanism via the N-terminal region is proposed based on our results.
Impacts of Different Winter Storage Conditions on the Physiology of Diutinus Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Authors: Hopkins Brandon K , Chakrabarti Priyadarshini , Lucas Hannah M , Sagili Ramesh R , Sheppard Walter S 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Global decline in insect pollinators, especially bees, have resulted in extensive research into understanding the various causative factors and formulating mitigative strategies. For commercial beekeepers in the United States, overwintering honey bee colony losses are significant, requiring tactics to overwinter bees in conditions designed to minimize such losses. This is especially important as overwintered honey bees are responsible for colony expansion each spring, and overwintered bees must survive in sufficient numbers to nurse the spring brood and forage until the new ‘replacement’ workers become fully functional. In this study, we examined the physiology of overwintered (diutinus) bees following various overwintering storage conditions. Important physiological markers, i.e., head proteins and abdominal lipid contents were higher in honey bees that overwintered in controlled indoor storage facilities, compared with bees held outdoors through the winter months. Our findings provide new insights into the physiology of honey bees overwintered in indoor and outdoor environments and have implications for improved beekeeping management.
Central Adiposity and Subsequent Risk of Breast Cancer by Menopause Status
Authors: Houghton Serena C , Eliassen Heather , Tamimi Rulla M , Willett Walter C , Rosner Bernard A , Hankinson Susan E 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundIncreased body mass index (BMI) is associated with higher postmenopausal breast cancer risk and lower premenopausal breast cancer risk. Less is known about the central adiposity-breast cancer risk association, particularly for tumor subtypes.MethodsWe used prospective waist (WC) and hip circumference (HC) measures in the Nurses’ Health Studies. We examined associations of WC, HC, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) with breast cancer independent of BMI, by menopausal status. Cox proportional hazards models estimated the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for breast cancer risk factors, with and without BMI.ResultsAdjusting for BMI, WC and HC were not associated, and WHR was positively associated with premenopausal breast cancer risk (WHR, quintile 5 vs 1: HRQ5vQ1, BMI-adjusted = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.54; Ptrend = .01), particularly for estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) and progesterone receptor-negative (PR-) and basal-like breast cancers. Premenopausal WC, HC, and WHR were not associated with postmenopausal breast cancer risk, with or without BMI adjustment. Postmenopausal WC, HC, and WHR were each positively associated with postmenopausal breast cancer (eg, WC HRQ5vsQ1 = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.36 to 1.86); after adjustment for BMI, only WC remained statistically significant (HRQ5vsQ1, BMI-adjusted = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.15 to 1.64; Ptrend = .002). In postmenopausal women, associations were stronger among never-users of hormone therapy and for ER+/PR+ breast cancers.ConclusionsCentral adiposity was positively associated with pre- and postmenopausal breast cancers independent of BMI. This suggests that mechanisms other than estrogen may also play a role in the relationship between central adiposity and breast cancer. Maintaining a healthy waist circumference may decrease pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer risk.