bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Social Isolation among Mothers Caring for Infants in Japan: Findings from the Nationwide Survey of Healthy Parents and Children 21
Authors: Yamazaki Sayaka , Akiyama Yuka , Shinohara Ryoji , Yamagata Zentaro 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundChild-rearing isolation may increase the risk of child abuse and negatively affect child development owing to increased urbanization and decline in family and community support systems.PurposeThis study aimed to identify the prevalence of child-rearing isolation and the related sociodemographic factors among mothers in Japan using data from the Final Survey of Healthy Parents and Children 21.ParticipantsMothers of young children attending their health checkups.MethodsMultivariate logistic regression models assessed the association between child-rearing isolation and socio-demographic variables. Data from 69,337 women were analyzed.ResultsMothers who experienced child-rearing isolation comprised 0.2% of all participants. Mothers who were 35- to 39-years-old at childbirth (OR = 1.6, CI[1.0, 2.4], p = .036), unemployed (OR = 1.7, CI[1.3, 2.4], p = .001), experienced financial difficulty (OR = 1.8, CI[1.3, 2.5], p < .001), had husbands with limited participation in child-rearing (OR = 5.7, CI[4.2, 7.9], p < .001), lived in special wards in Tokyo Metropolis (OR = 4.2, CI[2.2, 8.3], p < .001), had child abuse concerns (OR = 2.1, CI [1.5, 2.9], p < .001), and had no time to relax with their child (OR = 4.5, CI [3.1-6.7], p < .001) exhibited higher odds ratio for child-rearing isolation, compared to those who did not.ConclusionsFindings showed the impact of urban living on maternal health, the influence of isolation on mothers’ anxiety about child-rearing and their potential for child maltreatment. The importance of fathers’ involvement in child-rearing for preventing maternal child-rearing isolation was highlighted.SignificancePrevious studies have shown that social isolation is significantly associated with morbidity and mortality. One of the most pressing issues in Japan is child-rearing isolation of mothers with infants. Child-rearing isolation is considered a risk factor for abuse and disruption of healthy parent-child relationships. However, no studies have examined the associated factors of child-rearing isolation among mothers, adjusting for confounding factors. Our results provide evidence that child-rearing isolation is a risk factor for maltreatment. In addition, we found new evidence that maternal child-rearing isolation is significantly associated with age at birth, lack of spousal participation in parenting, and urban living.
Association between climate and new daily diagnoses of COVID-19
Authors: Mattiuzzi Camilla , Henry Brandon M. , Sanchis-Gomar Fabian , Lippi Giuseppe 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundAlthough evidence is accumulating that climate conditions may positively or negatively influence the scale of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks, uncertainty remains concerning the real impact of climate factors on viral transmission. Methods. The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Verona (Italy) was retrieved from the official website of Veneto Region, while information on daily weather parameters in the same area was downloaded from IlMeteo website, a renowned Italian technological company specialized in weather forecasts. The search period ranged between March 1 to November 11, 2020. The number of new daily COVID-19 cases and meteorological data in Verona were correlated using both univariate and multivariate analysis.ResultsThe number of daily COVID-19 diagnoses in Verona was positively associated with the number of days in lockdown and humidity, and inversely correlated with mean, min and max temperature, mean wind speed and number of days with rainfall. Days of lockdown, mean air temperature, humidity, mean wind speed and number of days with rainfall remained significantly associated in multivariate analysis. The four weather parameters contributed to explaining 61% of variance in new daily COVID-19 diagnoses. Each 1% increase in air temperature, 1% decrease in humidity, 1 km/h increase in wind speed and day with rainfall were independently associated with 1.0%, 0.3%, 1.2% and 5.4% reduction in new COVID-19 daily diagnoses. A significant difference was observed in values of all-weather parameters recorded in Verona between days with <100 or ≥100 new daily COVID-19diagnoses.ConclusionsClimate conditions may play an essential role in conditions of viral transmission, and influence the likelihood or course of local outbreaks. Preventive measures, testing policies and hospital preparedness should be reinforced during periods of higher meteorological risk and in local environments with adverse climate conditions.
Moving in on human motor cortex. Characterizing the relationship between body parts with non-rigid population Response Fields
Authors: Schellekens Wouter , Bakker Carlijn , Ramsey Nick F. , Petridou Natalia 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFor cortical motor activity, the relationships between different body part representations is unknown. Through reciprocal body part relationships, functionality of cortical motor areas with respect to whole body motor control can be characterized. In the current study, we investigate the relationship between body part representations within individual neuronal populations in motor cortices, following a 7 Tesla fMRI 18-body-part motor experiment in combination with our newly developed non-rigid population Response Field (pRF) model and graph theory. The non-rigid pRF metrics reveal somatotopic structures in all included motor cortices covering frontal, parietal, medial and insular cortices and that neuronal populations in primary sensorimotor cortex respond to fewer body parts than secondary motor cortices. Reciprocal body part relationships are estimated in terms of uniqueness, clique-formation, and importance. We report unique response profiles for the knee, a clique of body parts surrounding the ring finger, and a central role for the shoulder and wrist. These results reveal associations among body parts from the perspective of the central nervous system, while being in agreement with intuitive notions of body part usage.
A Digital Survey on the Acceptance and Affordability of COVID 19 Vaccine among the People of West Bengal, India- A Survey Based Study
Authors: Gautam Arunodaya , Dhara Bikram , Mukherjee Dattatreya , Mukhopadhyay Debraj , Roy Sayan , Ganguly Soumya Sarathi , Chowdhury Ankita Dutta , Goswami Shubham , Dey Swapnil , Basu Srishti , Banerjee Deboshmita , Chatterjee Soumi , Roy Ishita , Mitra Arup Kumar 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTOverviewCurrently, multiple vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are in clinical trials. In Oct-Nov 2020, 1078 individuals in West Bengal surveyed to evaluate possible acceptance rates, affordability and factors affecting the acceptance of a vaccine for COVID-19.Result77.27 percent of respondents reported that they would be very or very likely to take a vaccine for COVID-19, 5.3 percent don’t want to take vaccine and 12.24 don’t know about their decision. In that 58 percent respondents want to take Indian Vaccine; 19 percent respondents want to take foreign vaccine. Other respondents can take any vaccine. The affordability, 40 percent respondents want a vaccine bellow 500 INR, 25 percent respondents want a vaccine of 500-1000 INR. 11 percent respondents want vaccine of over 1000 INR.Method of StudyThe google form is prepared with the questions on acceptance and affordability of vaccines. The form is circulated digitally among the people and then we have collected the data in excel. Based on the result we have prepared our statistical graphs.ConclusionMajority of Responders want a COVID 19 vaccine. Majority responders want Indian COVID19 Vaccine. Majority responders want a vaccine in a cost of below 500 INR.
Epigenetic clocks are not accelerated in COVID-19 patients
Authors: Franzen Julia , Nüchtern Selina , Tharmapalan Vithurithra , Vieri Margherita , Nikolić Miloš , Han Yang , Balfanz Paul , Marx Nikolaus , Dreher Michael , Brümmendorf Tim H. , Dahl Edgar , Beier Fabian , Wagner Wolfgang 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAge is a major risk factor for severe outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but it remains unclear if this is rather due to increased chronological age or biological age. During lifetime, specific DNA methylation changes are acquired in our genome that act as “epigenetic clocks” allowing to estimate donor age and to provide a surrogate marker for biological age. In this study, we followed the hypothesis that particularly patients with accelerated epigenetic age are affected by severe outcomes of COVID-19. Using four different age predictors, we did not observe accelerated age in global DNA methylation profiles of blood samples of nine COVID-19 patients. Alternatively, we used targeted bisulfite amplicon sequencing of three age-associated genomic regions to estimate donor-age of blood samples of 95 controls and seventeen COVID-19 patients. The predictions correlated well with chronological age, while COVID-19 patients even tended to be predicted younger than expected. Furthermore, lymphocytes in nineteen COVID-19 patients did not reveal significantly accelerated telomere attrition. Our results demonstrate that these biomarkers of biological age are therefore not suitable to predict a higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection in elderly patients.
Development of the Aerial Remote Triage System: Result of a survey of international experts
Authors: Álvarez-García Cristina , Cámara-Anguita Sixto , López-Hens José María , Granero-Moya Nani , López-Franco María Dolores , María-Comino-Sanz Inés , Sanz-Martos Sebastián , Pancorbo-Hidalgo Pedro Luis 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe use of drones for the triage of victims in mass-casualty incidents has recently emerged as a promising technology. However, there is not a triage system really adapted to a remote usage. The objective of our study was to develop a remote triage procedure using drones. The research was performed in three stages: literature review, development of a remote triage algorithm using drones and evaluation of the algorithm by experts. A qualitative synthesis and the calculation of content validity ratios were done to achieve the Aerial Remote Triage System. The system assesses first major bleeding, second walking, third conscious (awake) and fourth sign of life; and classify the victims inside priority categories: priority 1 (red), priority 2 (yellow), priority 3 (green) and priority * (violet). It includes the possibility to indicate save-living interventions to victims and bystanders, like the compression of bleeding injuries or the recovery position. The Aerial Remote Triage System is valid in complex health emergencies when it is difficult or impossible an immediate access to the scene due to physical, chemical or biological risks. It can be useful to know vital information about the emergencies.
Assessment of the Impacts of Pharmaceutical and Non-pharmaceutical Intervention on COVID-19 in South Africa Using Mathematical Model
Authors: Musa Rabiu , Ezugwu Absalom E. , Mbah Godwin C. E. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe novel coronal virus has spread across more than 213 countries within the space of six months causing devastating public health hazard and monumental economic loss. In the absence of clinically approved pharmaceutical intervention, attentions are shifted to non-pharmaceutical controls to mitigate the burden of the novel pandemic. In this regard, a ten mutually exclusive compartmental mathematical model is developed to investigate possible effects of both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical controls incorporating both private and government’s quarantine and treatments. Several reproduction numbers were calculated and used to determine the impact of both control measures as well as projected benefits of social distancing, treatments and vaccination. We investigate and compare the possible impact of social distancing incorporating different levels of vaccination, with vaccination programme incorporating different levels of treatment. Using the officially published South African COVID-19 data, the numerical simulation shows that the community reproduction threshold will be 30 when there is no social distancing but will drastically reduced to 5 (about 83% reduction) when social distancing is enforced. Furthermore, when there is vaccination with perfect efficacy, the community reproduction threshold will be 4 which increases to 12 (about 67% increment) with-out vaccination. We also established that the implementation of both interventions is enough to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa which is in confirmation with the recommendation of the world health organization.
Evaluation of the Panbio™ rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 in primary health care centers and test sites
Authors: Bulilete Oana , Lorente Patricia , Leiva Alfonso , Carandell Eugenia , Oliver Antonio , Rojo Estrella , Pericas Pau , Llobera Joan 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundRapid antigen tests (Ag-RDT) are emerging as new diagnostic tools for COVID-19 and real-world evaluations are needed to establish their performance characteristics.Main objectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of the Panbio™ Ag-RDT at primary health care (PHC) centers and test sites in symptomatic patients and close contacts, using the Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test as the gold standard.MethodsThis was a prospective diagnostic study conducted in four PHC centers and two test sites in Mallorca, Spain. Consecutive patients older than 18 years, attending the sites for RT-PCR testing either for suggestive symptoms of infection or a close contact, were included. Two nasopharyngeal samples were collected, one for RT-PCR and the other was processed on-site using the Panbio™ rapid antigen test kit for SARS-CoV-2. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated using RT-PCR as the reference, and the predictive values using the pretest probability results for each analyzed group.ResultsA total of 1369 participants were included; mean age 42.5 ± 14.9 years and 54.3% women. The overall prevalence was 10.2%. Most participants (70.6%) presented within 5 days of the onset of symptoms or close contact, and more than 70% had high viral loads. The overall sensitivity was of 71.4% (95% CI: 63.1%, 78.7%), the specificity of 99.8% (95% CI: 99.4%, 99.9%), the positive predictive value of 98.0% (95% CI: 93.0%, 99.7%) and a negative predictive value of 96.8% (95% CI: 95.7%, 97.7%). The sensitivity was higher in symptomatic patients, in those arriving within 5 days since symptom onset and in those with high viral load.ConclusionAg-RDT had relatively good performance characteristics in suspected symptomatic patients within five days since the onset of symptoms. However, our results concludes that a negative Ag-RDT in these settings must be considered as presumptive.
Role of air temperature and humidity in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States
Authors: Ma Yiqun , Pei Sen , Shaman Jeffrey , Dubrow Robert , Chen Kai 
Published: November 2020

AbstractImproved understanding of the effects of meteorological conditions on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent for COVID-19 disease, is urgently needed to inform mitigation efforts. Here, we estimated the relationship between air temperature or specific humidity (SH) and SARS-CoV-2 transmission in 913 U.S. counties with abundant reported infections from March 15 to August 31, 2020. Specifically, we quantified the associations of daily mean temperature and SH with daily estimates of the SARS-CoV-2 reproduction number (Rt) and calculated the fraction of Rt attributable to these meteorological conditions. Both lower temperature and lower SH were significantly associated with increased Rt. The fraction of Rt attributable to temperature was 5.10% (95% eCI: 5.00 - 5.18%), and the fraction of Rt attributable to SH was 14.47% (95% eCI: 14.37 - 14.54%). These fractions generally were higher in northern counties than in southern counties. Our findings indicate that cold and dry weather are moderately associated with increased SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, with humidity playing a larger role than temperature.
precisionFDA Truth Challenge V2: Calling variants from short- and long-reads in difficult-to-map regions
Authors: Olson Nathan D. , Wagner Justin , McDaniel Jennifer , Stephens Sarah H. , Westreich Samuel T. , Prasanna Anish G. , Johanson Elaine , Boja Emily , Maier Ezekiel J. , Serang Omar , Jáspez David , Lorenzo-Salazar José M. , Muñoz-Barrera Adrián , Rubio-Rodríguez Luis A. , Flores Carlos , Kyriakidis Konstantinos , Malousi Andigoni , Shafin Kishwar , Pesout Trevor , Jain Miten , Paten Benedict , Chang Pi-Chuan , Kolesnikov Alexey , Nattestad Maria , Baid Gunjan , Goel Sidharth , Yang Howard , Carroll Andrew , Eveleigh Robert , Bourgey Mathieu , Bourque Guillaume , Li Gen , ChouXian MA , Tang LinQi , YuanPing DU , Zhang ShaoWei , Morata Jordi , Tonda Raúl , Parra Genís , Trotta Jean-Rémi , Brueffer Christian , Demirkaya-Budak Sinem , Kabakci-Zorlu Duygu , Turgut Deniz , Kalay Özem , Budak Gungor , Narcı Kübra , Arslan Elif , Brown Richard , Johnson Ivan J , Dolgoborodov Alexey , Semenyuk Vladimir , Jain Amit , Tetikol H. Serhat , Jain Varun , Ruehle Mike , Lajoie Bryan , Roddey Cooper , Catreux Severine , Mehio Rami , Ahsan Mian Umair , Liu Qian , Wang Kai , Sahraeian Sayed Mohammad Ebrahim , Fang Li Tai , Mohiyuddin Marghoob , Hung Calvin , Jain Chirag , Feng Hanying , Li Zhipan , Chen Luoqi , Sedlazeck Fritz J. , Zook Justin M. 
Published: November 2020

SummaryThe precisionFDA Truth Challenge V2 aimed to assess the state-of-the-art of variant calling in difficult-to-map regions and the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). Starting with FASTQ files, 20 challenge participants applied their variant calling pipelines and submitted 64 variant callsets for one or more sequencing technologies (~35X Illumina, ~35X PacBio HiFi, and ~50X Oxford Nanopore Technologies). Submissions were evaluated following best practices for benchmarking small variants with the new GIAB benchmark sets and genome stratifications. Challenge submissions included a number of innovative methods for all three technologies, with graph-based and machine-learning methods scoring best for short-read and long-read datasets, respectively. New methods out-performed the 2016 Truth Challenge winners, and new machine-learning approaches combining multiple sequencing technologies performed particularly well. Recent developments in sequencing and variant calling have enabled benchmarking variants in challenging genomic regions, paving the way for the identification of previously unknown clinically relevant variants.
Brain disconnectivity mapping of post-stroke fatigue
Authors: Ulrichsen Kristine M. , Kolskår Knut K. , Richard Geneviève , Alnæs Dag , Dørum Erlend S. , Sanders Anne-Marthe , Tornås Sveinung , Sánchez Jennifer Monereo , Engvig Andreas , Ihle Hansen Hege , de Schotten Michel Thiebaut , Nordvik Jan E. , Westlye Lars T. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractStroke patients commonly suffer from post stroke fatigue (PSF). Despite a general consensus that brain perturbations constitute a precipitating event in the multifactorial etiology of PSF, the specific predictive value of conventional lesion characteristics such as size and localization remain unclear. The current study represents a novel approach to assess the neural correlates of PSF in chronic stroke patients. While previous research has focused primarily on lesion location or size, with mixed or inconclusive results, we targeted the extended structural network implicated by the lesion, and evaluated the added explanatory value of a disconnectivity approach with regards to the brain correlates of PSF. To this end, we estimated individual brain disconnectome maps in 84 stroke survivors in the chronic phase (≥ 3 months post stroke) using information about lesion location and normative white matter pathways obtained from 170 healthy individuals. PSF was measured by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Voxel wise analyses using non-parametric permutation-based inference were conducted on disconnectome maps to estimate regional effects of disconnectivity. Associations between PSF and global disconnectivity and clinical lesion characteristics were tested by linear models, and we estimated Bayes factor to quantify the evidence for the null and alternative hypotheses, respectively. The results revealed no significant associations between PSF and disconnectome measures or lesion characteristics, with moderate evidence in favor of the null hypothesis. These results suggest that symptoms of post-stroke fatigue are not simply explained by lesion characteristics or brain disconnectome measures in stroke patients in a chronic phase, and are discussed in light of methodological considerations.
Nutrient signaling pathways regulate amyloid clearance and synaptic loss in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Mondal Mrityunjoy , Bali Jitin , Tzioras Makis , Paolicelli Rosa C. , Jawaid Ali , Malnar Martina , Dominko Kristina , Udayar Vinod , Halima Saoussen Ben , Vadodaria Krishna C. , Manesso Erica , Thakur Garima , Decressac Mickael , Petit Constance , Sudharshan Ravi , Hecimovic Silva , Simons Mikael , Klumperman Judith , Brüstle Oliver , Ferguson Shawn , Nitsch Roger , Schulz Paul E. , Spires-Jones Tara L. , Koch Philipp , Gunawan Rudiyanto , Rajendran Lawrence 
Published: November 2020

SummaryExtra-cellular accumulation of Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques is causatively associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, mechanisms that mediate the pre-pathological state of amyloid plaque formation remain elusive. Here, using paired RNAi and kinase inhibitor screens, we discovered that AKT-mediated insulin/nutrient signaling suppresses lysosomal clearance of Aβ and promotes amyloid formation. This mechanism is cell-autonomous and functions in multiple systems, including iPSC-derived human neurons andin vivo.Nutrient signaling regulates amyloid formation via distinct lysosomal functional mechanisms, while enhanced amino acid signaling promotes amyloid formation by transcriptionally suppressing lysosome biogenesis, and high intracellular cholesterol levels suppress lysosomal clearance of amyloid by increasing the number of non-functional lysosomes. The nutrient signaling pathway, present in both neurons and microglia, regulates lysosomal clearance of amyloid and microglia mediated synapse loss, bothin vitroandin vivo.Clinically, older hyperlipidemic patients showed less synapse loss through microglia and performed better in cognitive tests. Thus, our results reveal a bi-partite cellular quality control system regulated by the insulinnutrient signaling that in neurons regulates Aβ peptide clearance and in microglia regulates synaptic loss, both processes causally associated with AD. Our results also caution against reducing amyloid through such processes as this might also result in synapse loss.