bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Heat Index and Ultraviolet Index on COVID-19 in Major Cities of Pakistan
Authors: Adnan Shahzada , Hanif Muhammad , Khan Azmat Hayat , Latif Muhammad , Ullah Kalim , Bashir Furrukh , Kamil Shahzad , Haider Sajjad 
Published: October 2020

Introduction:
The world population is under the grip of global pandemic of COVID-19. The present study analyzed relationship between meteorological parameters and COVID-19 in three major cities of Pakistan, that is, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar.

Methods:
The impacts of heat index (HI) and ultraviolet index (UVI) over daily COVID-19 cases have examined to identify its transmission and propagation. The significance of basic reproductive number (R
0), growth rate (G
r) and doubling time (T
d) of COVID-19 with HI and UVI was determined.

Results:
Both indices show a significant positive correlation (at 5% significance level) to R
0, T
d, and G
r of COVID-19 patients. Our results showed that the minimum threshold temperature of 33 °C for HI (with a positive variation of 3 °C to 5 °C) put a significant impact on new cases.

Conclusion:
HI and UVI impacted significantly to decline COVID-19 cases over the region.
Survival With Continuous Outpatient Intravenous Inotrope Therapy in the Modern Era
Authors: Mody Behram P. , Khan Mohammed Hasan , Zaid Syed , Ahn Chul , Lloji Amanda , Aronow Wilbert S. , Gupta Chhaya A. , Levine Avi , Gass Alan L. , Cooper Howard A. , Lanier Gregg M. 
Published: October 2020

Background:
To describe baseline characteristics and outcomes in the largest known registry of advanced heart failure (HF) patients receiving continuous outpatient intravenous inotrope therapy. Studies evaluating the use of outpatient inotropes for palliation or as a bridge to advanced therapies were performed before current guideline directed medical and device therapy (GDMDT). There are limited data on the modern experience using outpatient inotrope (OI) therapy.

Study Question:
We aimed to study current use and outcomes of OI.

Study Design:
Retrospective database analysis.

Measures and Outcomes:
From 2015 to 2017, 1540 advanced HF patients in a largess nationwide registry received OI with either milrinone or dobutamine. Baseline characteristics of 1149 patients data were retrospectively reviewed. Unadjusted Kaplan–Meier survival estimates censored at the time of transplant or mechanical circulatory support were reported.

Results:
Of 1149 patients, more patients were treated with milrinone than dobutamine (64.6% vs. 35.4%). Regardless of the indication for OI, estimated 1 and 2-years survival was 61.8% and 41.6%, respectively. Milrinone use was associated with a greater 1-year survival than dobutamine (70.7% vs. 46.2%, P < 0.0001). The superiority of milrinone over dobutamine extended to all indications for OI, including bridge to transplant (85.9% vs. 71.3%, P < 0.0001), bridge to mechanical support (91.4% vs. 71%, P = 0.001), and palliation (73.6% vs. 63.3%, P < 0.001). After adjusting for indication, age, gender and weight, milrinone was associated with lower mortality than dobutamine (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.39–0.64, P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:
In the largest dataset of HF patients receiving OI, survival on OI for palliation in the current era of GDMDT is significantly higher than previously reported. Compared with dobutamine, milrinone was associated with improved survival in all cohorts.
Microcirculatory, Endothelial, and Inflammatory Responses in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 Are Distinct From Those Seen in Septic Shock: A Case Control Study
Authors: Hutchings Sam D. , Watchorn James , Trovato Francesca , Napoli Salvatore , Mujib Salma F. , Hopkins Philip , McPhail Mark 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACT
Critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection frequently exhibit a hyperinflammatory response and develop organ failures; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We investigated the microcirculatory, endothelial, and inflammatory responses in critically ill COVID-19 patients and compared them to a group of patients with septic shock in a prospective observational case control study. Thirty critically ill patients with COVID-19 were compared to 33 patients with septic shock.
Measurements of sublingual microcirculatory flow using Incident Dark Field video-microscopy and serial measurements of IL-6 and Syndecan-1 levels were performed. COVID-19 patients had significantly less vasoactive drug requirement and lower plasma lactate than those with septic shock. Microcirculatory flow was significantly worse in septic patients than those with COVID-19 (MFI 2.6 vs 2.9 p 0.02, PPV 88 vs 97% P < 0.001). IL-6 was higher in patients with septic shock than COVID-19 (1653 vs 253 pg/mL, P 0.03). IL-6 levels in COVID 19 patients were not elevated compared to healthy controls except on the day of ICU admission. Syndecan-1 levels were not different between the two pathological groups. Compared to patients with undifferentiated septic shock an overt shock state with tissue hypoperfusion does not appear typical of COVID-19 infection. There was no evidence of significant sublingual microcirculatory impairment, widespread endothelial injury or marked inflammatory cytokine release in this group of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Toward Monocyte HLA-DR Bedside Monitoring: A Proof-of-Concept Study
Authors: Bourgoin Pénélope , Taspinar Ramazan , Gossez Morgane , Venet Fabienne , Delwarde Benjamin , Rimmelé Thomas , Morange Pierre-Emmanuel , Malergue Fabrice , Monneret Guillaume 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACT

Objectives:
Decreased expression of human leukocyte antigen-DR on monocytes (mHLA-DR) is recognized as the most appropriate marker for the monitoring of immune alterations in septic patients and critically ill subjects. Its measurement has been established for years by flow cytometry, but remains under-used due to pre-analytical constraints. The objectives of the present work were to develop a rapid and robust one-step protocol.

Methods:
A novel, simplified protocol has been developed to measure mHLA-DR in whole blood using flow cytometry. It is a one-step procedure that includes red cell lysis, antibodies, and fixative reagents. It has been compared to the standardized routine protocol in two consecutive cohorts of septic shock patients (n = 37). Finally, the protocol was applied to a few subjects in point-of-care settings, by collecting capillary blood from fingerpricks.

Results:
Strong correlation was observed between the one-step method and routine protocol in 24 patients. After testing several stabilizing agents, the procedure was further optimized by adding a low-dose formaldehyde to the stain and lyse solution. This improved method was tested in a second cohort of 13 patients, and again strongly correlated to the routine protocol. Finally, the fingerprick and venous puncture samples were shown to provide similar results.

Conclusions:
The present work demonstrates the feasibility of a bedside protocol for flow cytometry measurement of mHLA-DR in critically ill subjects. This helps overcome pre-analytical constraints previously identified, which have limited wider use of this biomarker in intensive care units. In addition, preliminary results from fingerprick samples are promising.
Neuroinflammation characterizes the earliest changes in Alzheimer’s disease pathology and associated subjective cognitive impairment in adult hydrocephalus biopsies
Authors: Huang Wenrui , Bartosch Anne Marie , Xiao Harrison , Flowers Xena , Leskinen Sandra , Tomljanovic Zeljko , Iodice Gail , Boyett Deborah , Spinazzi Eleonora , Menon Vilas , McGovern Robert A. , McKhann Guy M. , Teich Andrew F. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIn an effort to better characterize the transcriptomic changes that accompany early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology in living patients and correlate with contemporaneous cognitive data, we performed RNA-seq on 106 cortical biopsies that were taken during shunt placement for adult onset hydrocephalus with varying degrees of comorbid AD pathology. A restricted set of genes correlate with AD pathology in these biopsies, and co-expression network analysis demonstrates an evolution from microglial homeostasis to a disease-associated microglial phenotype in conjunction with increasing AD pathologic burden, along with a subset of additional astrocytic and neuronal genes that accompany these changes. Further analysis demonstrates that these correlations are driven by patients that report mild cognitive symptoms, despite similar levels of β-amyloid and tau pathology in comparison to patients who report no cognitive symptoms. Interestingly, downregulation of homeostatic genes and upregulation of disease-associated genes also correlate with microglial plaque invasion and an activated microglial morphology, and this change is not sensitive to cognitive status, suggesting that an initial microglial response to AD pathology is eventually maladaptive. Taken together, these findings highlight a restricted set of microglial and non-microglial genes and suggest that early AD pathology is largely characterized by a loss of homeostatic genes and an activated microglial phenotype that continues to evolve in conjunction with accumulating AD pathology in the setting of subjective cognitive decline.
Prevalence of Function-Limiting Late Effects in Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors
Authors: Enam Nabela , Chou Kathy , Stubblefield Michael D. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo define the prevalence of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, pain, visceral, oncologic and other late effects impacting function and quality of life in Hodgkin lymphoma(HL) survivors presenting to an outpatient cancer rehabilitation clinic.DesignA retrospective cohort analysis.SettingOutpatient cancer rehabilitation clinic.ParticipantsOne hundred consecutive HL survivors.InterventionsNone.Main Outcome MeasuresThe prevalence of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, pain, visceral, oncologic and other late effects contributing to functional impairment and disability in HL survivors.ResultsAmong the 100 HL survivors, 43% received chemotherapy, 94% radiation therapy, and 38% a combination of chemotherapy and radiation for initial treatment. Nearly all HL survivors were diagnosed with myelopathy (83%), radiculo-plexopathy (93%), mononeuropathy (95%) and localized myopathy (93%). Musculoskeletal sequelae were extremely common and included dropped head syndrome (83%), cervicalgia (79%), shoulder girdle dysfunction (73%), and dysphagia (42%). Visceral disorders were also common and included cardiovascular (70%), pulmonary (44%), endocrine (63%), gastrointestinal (29%), and genitourinary (11%) dysfunction. Lymphedema affected 21% of survivors and 30% had a history of a secondary malignancy. Pain (71%), fatigue (45%), and dyspnea (43%) were major function-limiting impairments. Nearly all (95%) of survivors were referred to at least one therapy discipline including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology and/or lymphedema therapy.ConclusionNeuromuscular, musculoskeletal, pain, visceral, oncologic and other late effectsare extremely common in HL survivors seeking physiatric evaluation. Multiple function-limiting disorders can co-exist in HL survivors with the potential to severely compromise function and quality of life. Safe and effective rehabilitation may depend on the physiatrist’s ability to identify, evaluate and manage the multitude of complex and often interrelated functional late effects seen in HL survivors.
Decoupling sleep and brain size in childhood: An investigation of genetic covariation in the ABCD study
Authors: Hernandez Leanna M. , Kim Minsoo , Hernandez Cristian , Thompson Wesley , Fan Chun Chieh , Galván Adriana , Dapretto Mirella , Bookheimer Susan Y. , Fuligni Andrew , Gandal Michael 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundChildhood sleep problems are common and among the most frequent and impairing comorbidities of childhood psychiatric disorders. However, little is known about the genetic architecture of childhood sleep and potential etiological links between sleep, brain morphology, and pediatric-onset psychiatric symptoms.MethodsUsing data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (NPhenotype=4,428 for discovery/replication, NGenetics=4,728, age: 9-10), we assessed phenotypic relationships, heritability, and genetic correlation between childhood sleep disturbances (SDs: insomnia, arousal, breathing, somnolence, hyperhidrosis, sleep-wake transitions), brain size (surface area [SA], cortical thickness, volume), and dimensional psychopathology.ResultsSDs showed widespread positive associations with multiple domains of childhood psychopathology; however, only insomnia showed replicable associations with smaller brain SA. Among the SDs assessed, only insomnia showed significant SNP-based heritability (h2SNP=0.15, p<0.05), and showed substantial genetic correlations with externalizing symptoms and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; rG’s>0.80, p’s<0.05), suggesting significant pleiotropy across these complex childhood traits. We find no evidence of genetic correlation between childhood insomnia and brain size. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) calculated from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of adult insomnia and adult brain size did not predict childhood insomnia; instead, PRS trained using ADHD GWAS predicted decreased SA at baseline, as well as insomnia and externalizing symptoms longitudinally.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate a distinct genetic architecture underlying childhood insomnia and brain size and indicate that childhood insomnia should be considered along the dimensional axis of externalizing traits. Uncovering shared and unique genetic risk across childhood traits may inform our understanding of the developmental origins of comorbid psychiatric disorders.
COVID-19 Outbreaks in Refugee Camps
Authors: Hernandez-Suarez Carlos , Verme Paolo , Radyakin Sergiy , Efren-Murillo  
Published: October 2020

1AbstractWe built a mathematical model for SARS-CoV-2 transmission and analyze it using both a deterministic and a stochastic approach. We used this model to project the burden of the disease in refugee camps characterized by peculiar demographic characteristics and a high level of deprivation, including lack of medical facilities and personnel, as well as limited possibility to implement containment and quarantine measures. Most of the parameters in our model were adapted from published literature but we used our own estimates of the basic reproduction number, R0 as well as the lethality by age group and gender. We projected the burden in terms of number of infections, number of deaths and number of bed-days in hospitalization and intensive care, among others. We conclude that the harsh conditions of refugee camps combined with a high share of young people leads to a relatively mild scenario for the burden of the disease.
Pooled Saliva Specimens for SARS-CoV-2 Testing
Authors: Barat Bidisha , Das Sanchita , De Giorgi Valeria , Henderson David K. , Kopka Stacy , Lau Anna F. , Miller Tracey , Moriarty Theresa , Palmore Tara N. , Sawney Shari , Spalding Chris , Tanjutco Patricia , Wortmann Glenn , Zelazny Adrian M. , Frank Karen M. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWe evaluated saliva (SAL) specimens for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing by comparison of 459 prospectively paired nasopharyngeal (NP) or mid-turbinate (MT) swabs from 449 individuals with the aim of using saliva for asymptomatic screening. Samples were collected in a drive-through car line for symptomatic individuals (N=380) and in the emergency department (ED) (N=69). The percent positive and negative agreement of saliva compared to nasopharyngeal swab were 81.1% (95% CI: 65.8% – 90.5%) and 99.8% (95% CI: 98.7% – 100%), respectively. The sensitivity increased to 90.0% (95% CI: 74.4% – 96.5%) when considering only samples with moderate to high viral load (Cycle threshold (Ct) for the NP <=34). Pools of five saliva specimens were also evaluated on three platforms: bioMérieux NucliSENS easyMAG with ABI 7500Fast (CDC assay), Hologic Panther Fusion, and Roche COBAS 6800. The median loss of signal upon pooling was 2-4 Ct values across the platforms. The sensitivity of detecting a positive specimen in a pool compared with testing individually was 100%, 93%, and 95% for CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR, Panther Fusion® SARS-CoV-2 assay, and cobas® SARS-CoV-2 test respectively, with decreased sample detection trending with lower viral load. We conclude that although pooled saliva testing, as collected in this study, is not quite as sensitive as NP/MT testing, saliva testing is adequate to detect individuals with higher viral loads in an asymptomatic screening program, does not require swabs or viral transport media for collection, and may help to improve voluntary screening compliance for those individuals averse to various forms of nasal collections.
Poor metabolic health increases COVID-19-related mortality in the UK Biobank sample
Authors: Morys Filip , Dagher Alain 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPrevious studies link obesity, components of metabolic health, such as hypertension or inflammation, to increased hospitalisations and death rates of patients with COVID-19. Here, in two overlapping samples of over 1,000 individuals from the UK Biobank we investigate whether metabolic health as measured by waist circumference, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, diabetes, and systemic inflammation is related to increased COVID-19 infection and mortality rates. Using logistic regression and controlling for confounding variables such as socioeconomic status, age, sex or ethnicity, we find that individuals with worse metabolic health (measured on average eleven years prior to 2020) have an increased risk for COVID-19-related death (adjusted odds ratio: 1.67). We also find that specific factors contributing to increased mortality are increased serum glucose levels, systolic blood pressure and waist circumference.
Role of Statins in the Primary Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in the Population with Mean Cholesterol in the Near-Optimal to Borderline High Range: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Singh Bishnu M. , Lamichhane Hari K. , Srivatsa Sanjay S. , Adhikari Prabhat , Kshetri Bikash J. , Khatiwada Sijan , Shrestha Dhan B. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this meta-analysis was to analyze the benefits and harms of treating the population with statins in those having mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the near-optimal (100 to 129 mg/dl) to borderline high (130 to 159 mg/dl) range and free of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: We searched PubMed, PubMed Central, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 1994 and July 2020. We included RCTs with greater than 90% of participants free of CVD. Two reviewers independently screened the articles using the Covidence software, assessed the methodological quality using the risk of bias 2 tool, and analyzed the data using the RevMan 5.4 software. Results: Eleven trials were included. Statin therapy was associated with a decreased risk of myocardial infarction (RR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.67), major cerebrovascular events (RR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.96), major coronary events (RR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.80), composite cardiovascular outcome (RR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.62 to 0.82), revascularizations (RR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.74), angina (RR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.92) and hospitalization for cardiovascular causes (RR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.86). There was no benefit associated with statin therapy for cardiovascular mortality and coronary heart disease mortality. All-cause mortality benefit with statin therapy was seen in the population with diabetes and increased risk of CVD. Statin therapy was associated with no significant increased risk of myalgia, creatine kinase elevation, rhabdomyolysis, myopathy, incidence of any cancer, incidence of diabetes, withdrawal of the drug due to adverse events, serious adverse events, fatal cancer, and liver enzyme abnormalities. Conclusion: Statin therapy was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and procedures without increased risk of harm in populations with mean LDL-C near-optimal to the borderline high range without prior atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
SMORASO-DT : A hybrid machine learning classification model to classify individuals based on working memory load in mental arithmetic task
Authors: Shivabalan K R , Deb Brototo , Goel Shivam , Arivan R 
Published: October 2020

AbstractNonlinear dynamics and chaos theory are being widely used nowadays in neuroscience to characterize complex systems within which the change of the output is not proportional to the change applied at the input. Such nonlinear systems compared to linear systems, often appear chaotic, unpredictable, or counterintuitive, however, yet their behaviour is not mapped out as random. Thus, hidden potential of the dynamical properties of the physiological phenomenon can be detected by these approaches especially to elucidate the complex human brain activity gathered from the electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. As it is known, brain is a chaotic dynamical system and its generated EEG signals are generally chaotic because, with respect to time, the amplitude changes continuously. A reliable and non-invasive measurement of memory load, to measure continuously while performing a cognitive task, is highly desirable to assess cognitive functions, crucial for prevention of decision-making errors. Such measurements help to keep up the efficiency and productivity in task completion, work performance, and to avoid cognitive overload, especially at high mental or physical workload places like traffic control, military operations, and rescue commands. In this work, we have measured the linear and nonlinear dynamics of the EEG signals in subjects undergoing mental arithmetic task. Further, we have also differentiated the subjects who can perform a mental task good or bad, and developed a hybrid machine learning model, the SMORASO-DT (SMOte + Random forest + lASso-Decision Tree), to differentiate good and bad performers during n-back task state with an accuracy rate of 78%.
Implementation of a Computing Pipeline for Evaluating the Extensibility of Boolean Networks’ Structure and Function
Authors: Segretain Rémi , Ivanov Sergiu , Trilling Laurent , Glade Nicolas 
Published: October 2020

AbstractFormal interaction networks are well suited for representing complex biological systems and have been used to model signalling pathways, gene regulatory networks, interaction within ecosystems, etc. In this paper, we introduce Sign Boolean Networks (SBNs), which are a uniform variant of Threshold Boolean Networks (TBFs). We continue the study of the complexity of SBNs and build a new framework for evaluating their ability to extend,i.e. the potential to gain new functions by addition of nodes, while also maintaining the original functions. We describe our software implementation of this framework and show some first results. These results seem to confirm the conjecture that networks of moderate complexity are the most able to grow, because they are not too simple, but also not too constrained, like the highly complex ones. Biological Regulation, Biological Networks, Sign Boolean Networks, Complexity, Extensibility, Network Growth