bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risk-stratification of febrile African children at risk of sepsis using sTREM-1 as basis for a rapid triage test
Authors: Leligdowicz Aleksandra , Conroy Andrea , Hawkes Michael , Richard-Grennblatt Melissa , Zhong Kathleen , Opoka Robert , Namasopo Sophie , Bell David , Liles W , Costa Bruno da , Jüni Peter , Kain Kevin 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Identifying febrile children at risk of sepsis in low-resource settings can improve survival, but recognition triage tools are lacking. Here we test the hypothesis that measuring circulating markers of immune and endothelial activation may identify children at risk of sepsis due to all causes. In a prospective cohort study of 2,502 children in Uganda, we show that Soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) measured at first clinical presentation, had high predictive accuracy for subsequent in-hospital mortality. sTREM-1 had the best performance, versus 10 other markers, with an AUROC for discriminating children at risk of death of 0.893 in derivation (95% CI 0.843-0.944) and 0.901 in external validation (95% CI 0.856-0.947). sTREM-1 cutoffs corresponding to a negative likelihood ratio (LR) of 0.10 and a positive LR of 10 classified children into low (1306 children, 53.1%), intermediate (942, 38.3%) and high (212, 8.6%) risk zones. The estimated incidence of death was 0.3%, 3.6%, and 31.0%, respectively, suggesting sTREM-1 could be used to risk-stratify febrile children. These findings support sTREM-1 as the basis for rapid triage test for all cause fever syndromes in children in low-resource settings.
Distributed Region-Based Monitoring in Low-Power Listening Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Pattamasiriwat Krita , Jaikaeo Chaiporn 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Advancement in IoT technology and the concept of Information-Centric Networking lead to less importance of node individuality since several nodes can work interchangeably. Multiple sensor nodes can be grouped into a region and monitored as one instance to guarantee sufficient coverage over the region. Therefore, a single node fault often does not need to be reported unless it is the last node in the region. In addition, there are occasions where a central monitor station cannot rely on continuous data delivery from nodes or regions to decide whether they are still alive, such as situations when nodes are deployed to detect rare events. Moreover, low-power listening MAC protocols, which significantly help reducing power consumption while nodes are mostly idle, put a lot more work on the transmission process. In such situations it is desirable to minimize status reports to the central monitor station. A distributed region-based monitoring scheme, or DRMON, is then proposed to facilitate this circumstance. This approach designates a representative to each region so that it can be used as an indicator of the region's status with a mechanism to re-elect a new representative until all nodes in the respective region are dead, implying region inactiveness. We evaluate the suitability of DRMON over various scenarios in two aspects: centralized vs. distributed monitoring schemes and individual-based vs. region-based monitoring schemes. Simulation results indicate that region-based schemes outperform the individual schemes in terms of power consumption and scalability when the number of regions is low. The distributed schemes also yield better efficiency in terms of message overhead and load distribution. In addition, detection accuracy of all schemes is not significantly different and fault detection delay is guaranteed. This outcome suggests that in the case where existence of individual node is out of concern, distributed region-based fault monitoring scheme could be employed to reduce energy usage and lower message overhead while retaining the detection accuracy.
Serum sialic acid could be a diagnostic candidate of unstable angina and its expression in different numbers of lesion vessels in acute myocardial infarction: a retrospective study
Authors: Wu Yuling , Pan Nana , Tan Lijuan 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Acute coronary syndrome is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Intracoronary thrombosis caused by atherosclerotic unstable plaque rupture or erosion is considered as main pathological basis. There have no identified biomarkers about diagnosis of unstable angina and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction. Methods: A total of 509 consecutive patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from February 2019 to December 2019 were successively recruited in this retrospective study and divided into three groups, unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and death occurred within 24 hours of acute myocardial infarction in hospital and then to compare with a total of 87 healthy people (control group) during the same time from Regular Physical Examination Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Chisquared test were used to analyze different types of grouping. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors. Relative operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was also performed to determine the power of test. Results: our study suggested that serum sialic acid has a good diagnostic value in patients with unstable angina. Moreover, serum sialic acid is an independent risk factor of acute myocardial infarction. Serum sialic acid could be a candidate to distinguish Single/Double vascular lesions from Triple vascular lesions in acute myocardial infarction. Conclusions: serum sialic acid is a potential biomarker to distinguish unstable angina from normal and estimate the number of diseased vessels in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
Activity of BDNF and MMP-9 in Structural Synaptic Modulation in Patients with Schizophrenia Undergoing Rehabilitation
Authors: Markiewicz Renata , Dobrowolska Beata , Plech Tomasz 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in two groups of schizophrenic patients receiving rehabilitation and to find out whether there existed relationships between the levels of these biomarkers and the severity of psychopathological symptoms, changes in event-related potentials (ERP), and quantitative EEG parameters. The study involved two groups of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission who participated in a 12-week conventional rehabilitation program (Group 1) or Biofeedback training (Group 2). The following parameters were assessed: BDNF levels, MMP-9 levels, ERP, QEEG, and psychopathological symptoms (PANSS). (1) The magnitude of changes in the investigated parameters was similar in both groups. (2) Comparable therapy outcomes were obtained for all the dependent variables except for BDNF, whose levels were higher in the GSR-BF patients. GSR Biofeedback can be used as a new alternative to conventional rehabilitation. BDNF can be used as a target in the evaluation of the effectiveness of various rehabilitation modalities, in contrast to MMP-9, which, despite its role in neuromodulation, cannot be treated as a marker of treatment outcomes.
Alteration of Transthyretin and Thyroxine-Binding Globulin in Major Depressive Disorder: Multiple Reaction Monitoring-Based Proteomic Analysis
Authors: Woo Hye In , Park Jisook , Lim Shinn-Won , Kim Doh Kwan , Lee Soo-Youn 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD), common mental disorder, lacks objective diagnostic and prognosis biomarkers. The objective of this study was to perform proteomic analysis to identify proteins with changed expression levels after antidepressant treatment and investigate differences in protein expression between MDD patients and healthy individuals.Methods: A total of 111 proteins obtained from literature review were subjected to multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-based protein quantitation. Finally, seven proteins were quantified for plasma specimens of 10 healthy controls and 78 MDD patients (those at baseline and at 6 weeks after antidepressant treatment of either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or mirtazapine). Results: Among 78 MDD patients, 35 patients were treated with SSRIs and 43 patients were treated with mirtazapine. Nineteen (54.3%) and 16 (37.2%) patients responded to SSRIs and mirtazapine, respectively. Comparing MDD patients with healthy individuals, alteration of transthyretin was observed in MDD (p = 0.026). There was no significant difference in protein levels related to SSRIs treatment. Plasma thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) was different between before and after mirtazapine treatment only in responders (p = 0.007).Conclusions: In proteomic analysis of plasma specimens from MDD patients, transthyretin and TBG levels were altered in MDD and changed after antidepressant treatment.
Seizure in HIV-infected Patients: Clinical Presentation, Cause and Treatment Outcome in Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Amare Amanuel 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: The estimated number of adult patients living with HIV infection in Ethiopia in 2012 was approximately 800,000. Seizure occurs in 2 to 3 % and 6.1 % to 34.3% in patients with HIV infection and patients with neurological complications of HIV infection, respectively. Studies on HIV infection and seizure are rare in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to assess clinical presentation, cause and treatment outcome of patients with HIV infection presented with seizure. Methods: In this retrospective study, patients aged ≥ 13 years with HIV infection presented with seizure were included. Medical records were reviewed and demographic and clinical data were collected.Results: Records of 146 patients were analysed. Males were 55.5% and the mean age was 34 years. The diagnosis of HIV infection was made after current hospital admission in 69% of patients. Almost all patients (98.6 %) had stage 4 HIV infection with very low CD4 count (mean = 77/mm3). In almost all patients seizure was a recent onset at current admission; either it started after admission (42.5%) or within 3 months prior to admission (52.5%). The types of seizures were: generalized tonic-clonic seizure [GTCS] (69.2%), focal motor with secondarily generalization [FMWSG] (19.9%) and simple focal motor (11%). The common causes of seizure were: cerebral toxoplasmosis (46%), tuberculous meningitis (35.6%) and cryptococcal meningitis (13.7%). Case-fatality was 53% and predictors of mortality were: seizure started after admission, change in mentation and comatose at initial evaluation. Conclusions: Most patients had stage 4 HIV infection with very low CD4 count and a recent onset seizure which started within 3 months at initial evaluation. GTCS was the commonest seizure type and most causes of seizure were central nervous system opportunistic infections. The case-fatality was high and change in sensorium was an independent predictor of mortality. To prevent the high mortality and morbidity prevention of HIV infection, early diagnosis and treatment, improving diagnostic facilities and access to non-enzyme inducing antiepileptic drugs are recommended.
Bone Marrow Dosimetric Analysis of Lymphopenia in Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With Chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Wang Qian , Qiu Qingtao , Zhang Zicheng , Zhang Jing , Yang Guanghui , Liu Chengxin , Li Baosheng 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Lymphocytes as a marker of immune function are essential to the immune response. Sternum and vertebra bone marrow (BM) exposed to radiation may affect lymphocytes during radiotherapy (RT) for esophageal carcinoma (EC). We analyzed the relationship among peripheral blood lymphocytes, exposed sternum and vertebra body BM, and overall survival (OS) to find BM dosimetric parameters of lymphopenia during chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: We examined 476 ESCC patients from January 2012 to January 2015, all of whom received concurrent or sequential CRT. Absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) during RT of each patient were collected from the routine workup at the following RT times: pretreatment ALC (ALC0), at 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–20, and 21–25, and more than 26 sessions (called ALC1–6, respectively). The sternum and vertebral body BM were delineated in accordance with uniform standards, and the irradiated volumes were calculated by dose-volume histograms (DVH). The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to analyze the survival of the patients. Comparisons of DVH were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test or two-sample t-test where appropriate. Results: A relative volume of sternum BM irradiated by more than 20 Gy could clearly affect the peripheral blood lymphocytes. The V20 of sternum BM and V50 of vertebra body BM were related to the OS of the patients, and the level of ALC2(at 6–10 times of RT) could predict the patients’ outcomes. The Cox regression analyses showed that the 218 patients with ALC2 ≥ 0.8×109/L had a significantly longer OS (47.0 vs. 30.9, p<0.0001) than the 258 patients with ALC2 < 0.8×109/L. Conclusion: In patients with ESCC, the relative volume of sternum BM irradiated by more than 20 Gy was associated with lymphocyte. The V20 of the sternum BM and the V50 of the vertebra body BM were related to the OS of the patients. The level of ALC2 is a significant prognostic factor in esophageal carcinoma patients.
Application of TEM: Dynamic changes of AKAP95-Cx43 complex during G1 phase of lung cancer cells
Authors: Deng Zifeng , Liu Rong , Guo Huiling , Yao Luming , Ruan FengKai , Wang Kai , Qiu Guihua , Luo Zhen , Luo Guangping , Guo DongBei , Yao Youliang , Zhang Yongxing 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
BackgroundAKAP95(A-kinase anchoring protein) and Cx43 (connexin 43) express abnormally in lung cancer cells. As potential tumor therapeutic targets, specific process of bindings and dynamic changes of Cx43-AKAP95 complex in lung cancer cells may guide further treatments and detections of lung cancer. However, the process remains unclear now. We are aiming at investigating the dynamic changes of expression, localization, and binding of AKAP95 and Cx43, as well as their interaction with cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 in lung cancer cells during G1 phase.MethodsA549 and Beas-2B cells were arrested at preliminary stage(P), middle stage(M) and restriction point(R) of G1 phase and Western blot(WB), Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used in our study to detect proteins to provide further evidence of the correlation of these proteins.Results: 1) AKAP95 carries Cx43 into the nucleus through the nuclear pore by binding to it during G1 phase. Some AKAP95 and Cx43 can aggregate and form larger protein aggregates. The process happens mainly during R stage. 2) AKAP95 and Cx43 mainly bind to cyclin D1 during P and M stage while bind to cyclin E1 during R stage respectively. Complexes of AKAP95-cyclin D1 and Cx43-cyclin D1 cannot enter nucleus while AKAP95-cyclin E1 and Cx43-cyclin E1 can.Conclusions1) Binding process of AKAP95-Cx43 complexes/ aggregates can be summarize as ‘bind and aggregate -target and enter nucleus- keep binding/aggregating in nucleus’. 2) Cyclin E1 was involved in the binding/aggregation and nuclear entry of AKAP95 and Cx43 while cyclin D1 only binds to them respectively in the cytoplasm.
The feasibility and reliability of actigraphy to monitor sleep in intensive care patients: An observational study
Authors: Delaney L.J. , Litton E. , Melehan K.L , Huang H-C.C , Lopez V , Haren F Van 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Sleep amongst intensive care patients is reduced and highly fragmented which may adversely impact on recovery. The current challenge for Intensive Care clinicians is identifying feasible and accurate assessments of sleep that can be widely implemented. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and reliability of a minimally invasive sleep monitoring technique compared to the gold standard, polysomnography, for sleep monitoring. Methods: Prospective observational study employing a within subject design in adult patients admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. Sleep monitoring was undertaken amongst minimally sedated patients via concurrent polysomnography and actigraphy monitoring over a 24-hour duration to assess agreement between the two methods; total sleep time and wake time. Results: We recruited 80 patients who were mechanically ventilated (24%) and non-ventilated (76%) within the intensive care unit. Sleep was found to be highly fragmented, composed of numerous sleep bouts and characterized by abnormal sleep architecture. Actigraphy was found to have a moderate level of overall agreement in identifying sleep and wake states with polysomnography (69.4%; K = 0.386, p < 0.05) in an epoch by epoch analysis, with a moderate level of sensitivity (65.5%) and specificity (76.1%). Monitoring accuracy via actigraphy was improved amongst non-ventilated patients (specificity 83.7%; sensitivity 56.7%). Actigraphy was found to have a moderate correlation with polysomnography reported total sleep time (r = 0.359, p < 0.05) and wakefulness (r = 0.371 p < 0.05). Bland-Altman plots indicated that sleep was underestimated by actigraphy, with wakeful states overestimated. Conclusions: Actigraphy was easy and safe to use, provided moderate level of agreement with polysomnography in distinguishing between sleep and wakeful states, and may be a reasonable alternative to measure sleep in intensive care patients. Clinical Trial Registration number: ACTRN12615000945527 (Registered 9/9/2015)
Improvement of Urinary Tract Symptoms and Quality of Life in Benign Prostate Hyperplasia Patients, Associated with Consumption of a Newly Developed whole Tomato Based Food Supplement. A phase II prospective, Randomized Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Study.
Authors: Cormio Luigi , Calò Beppe , Iezzi Manuela , Lamolinara Alessia , Vitaglione Paola , Silecchia Giovanni , Carrieri Giuseppe , Fogliano Vincenzo , Iacobelli Stefano , Natali Pier Giorgio , Piantelli Mauro 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the most common urologic disease among elderly men. The diagnosis of BPH is usually in response to the appearance of lower urinary tract obstructive, and post-micturition symptoms (LUTS) that can significantly affect the quality of life. In Aim of this study was to evaluate in a phase II prospective, randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, the efficacy and safety of a novel whole tomato-based food supplement on LUTS of patients affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia. Methods: Thirty-four consecutive patients with histologically proved BPH were included in a phase II prospective, randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Patients were randomized to receive daily for two months a sachet (5 grams) of the tomato-based food supplement Lycoprozen® or an identical sachet containing placebo. Patients were asked to fill the “International Prostatic Symptom Score” questionnaire before and after treatment. Results: All patients successfully completed the scheduled regimen. No side effects were recorded. Lycoprozen® significantly reduced the LUTS severity. Particularly, the IPSS mean values before and after the treatment were 7.5+1.1 SE (range 16-2) and 5.1+1.0 SD (range 14-2), respectively (paired t-test, two-tailed p value <0.0002). A trend toward a reduction of total PSA levels was observed in Lycoprozen® treated patients (9.346 ng/ml+1.839 SE vs.7.906+0.928 SE, P = 0.096) (Fig 1, left). This trend was sustained by the significant reduction of PSA levels seen in 5 patients, (2 obese, 2 over-weight and 1 normal-weight) with basal levels >10 ng/ml (18.520ng/ml+2.747 SE vs. 10.323ng/ml+2.073 SE, P = 0.009)
Predictive value of HMGB1 for atrial fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients
Authors: Li Xin-xin , Zhao Cui-ting , Li Meng , Yu Hong-xiao , Liu Xi-ping , Zhu Qing , Song Xiao-kun , Wang Yong-huai , Yu Bo , Ma Chun-yan 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of serum high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) released from the left atrium to predict atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence in paroxysmal AF (pAF) patients after catheter ablation (CA) at 1-year follow-up.Methods: We included 72 pAF patients who underwent CA. To determine the expression levels of HMGB1, left atrial blood samples were collected from the patients prior to CA and after the procedure through the transseptal sheath placed into the left atrium. Patients were followed-up for AF recurrence after 1 year of CA.Results: A total of 19 (26%) patients of the 72 experienced AF recurrence. No significant differences were noted in the clinical baseline data between the AF recurrence and AF nonrecurrence groups. The level of postoperative HMGB1 (HMGB1post) was higher in the AF recurrence group than in the AF nonrecurrence group (298.51µg/L vs. 278.17 µg/L; P = 0.03). However, no differences were noted in the levels of other biomarkers such as preoperative high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRPpre), postoperative hs-CRP (hs-CRPpost), and preoperative HMGB1 (HMGB1pre) between the two groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a higher level of serum HMGB1post from the left atrium (HMGB1post: ≥279.35 µg/L) was an independent predictor of AF recurrence (odds ratio [OR]: 5.29 [1.17–23.92], P = 0.04). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that HMGB1post had a moderate predictive power for AF recurrence (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.68; sensitivity: 72%; specificity: 68%). The 1-year AF-free survival was significantly lower in patients with a high serum HMGB1post level than in those with a low HMGB1post level (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.81 [1.49–9.75], P = 0.005).Conclusion: In pAF patients who underwent CA, the level of HMGB1 from the left atrium immediately after CA was associated with AF recurrence and demonstrated a moderate predictive power. Thus, we offer a potential predictor to identify pAF patients at high risk of AF recurrence.