bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Proximal and Distal Techniques for the Medial Antebrachial Cutaneous Sensory Nerve Conduction Study
Authors: Rubin Devon I. , Lamb Christopher J. 
Published: December 2020

Purpose:
The medial antebrachial cutaneous (MAC) sensory nerve conduction study (NCS) is a technique performed to evaluate for medial cord/lower trunk plexopathies. Low-amplitude responses and muscle artifact pose technical challenges for MAC NCS. To compare the recorded sensory NCS responses using a proximal MAC (pMAC) NCS technique with a distal (dMAC) technique.
To compare the recorded sensory NCS responses using a proximal MAC (pMAC) NCS technique with a distal (dMAC) technique.

Methods:
Adults referred to our neurophysiology laboratory for whom MAC NCS were clinically indicated were included. Medial antebrachial cutaneous NCS were performed using dMAC (stimulating at the elbow) and pMAC (stimulating in upper arm) techniques. Amplitudes and peak latencies were compared.

Results:
Forty-eight patients (82 arms: 39 right and 43 left) were studied. The mean amplitude difference (95% confidence interval) in right pMAC over right dMAC was 4.4 μV (range, 2.78–6.09 μV; P < 0.0001) and that of left pMAC over left dMAC was 5.23 μV (range, 3.35–7.12 μV; P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:
The pMAC technique recorded larger mean amplitudes than the dMAC technique, which may improve the technical reliability and diagnostic accuracy when identifying plexopathies.
Donghicola mangrovi sp. nov., a member of the family Rhodobacteraceae isolated from mangrove forest in Thailand
Authors: Charoenyingcharoen Piyanat , Kim Ji-Sun , Theeragool Gunjana , Lee Keun-Chul , Yukphan Pattaraporn , Lee Jung-Sook 
Published: December 2020

Two novel Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped and non-motile bacterial strains, designated B5-SW-15T and C2-DW-16, were isolated from water collected in mangrove forests in Ranong Province, Thailand. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains B5-SW-15T and C2-DW-16 belonged to the genus

Donghicola

and were most closely related to

Donghicola tyrosinivorans

DSM 100212T (98.2 and 98.1 %, respectively) and

Donghicola eburneus

DSM 29127T (97.7 and 97.6 %, respectively). The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain B5-SW-15T, strain C2-DW-16 and related species were 95.8 and 71.6 % (to strain C2-DW-16), 76.8 and 21.3 % (to

D. tyrosinivorans

DSM 100212T) and 80.3 and 24.2 % (to

D. eburneus

DSM 29127T), respectively. The predominant cellular fatty acids (>5 %) were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1
ω6c and/or C18 : 1
ω7c), C16 : 0 and C12 : 1 3-OH. Ubiquinone Q-10 was the sole respiratory quinone. DNA G+C contents of the isolates were 61.0 and 61.2 mol% based on whole genome sequences. Strains B5-SW-15T and C2-DW-16 contained aminolipid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipids. On the basis of the results from phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, strains B5-SW-15T and C2-DW-16 constitute a novel species of the genus

Donghicola

in the family

Rhodobacteraceae

for which the name Donghicola mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B5-SW-15T (=BCC 56522T=TBRC 9562T=KCTC 72743T).
In-silico analysis of differentially expressed genes and their regulating microRNA involved in lymph node metastasis in invasive breast carcinoma
Authors: Modi Anupama , Purohit Purvi , Gadwal Ashita , Ukey Shweta , Roy Dipayan , Fernandes Sujoy , Banerjee Mithu 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIntroductionAxillary nodal metastasis is related to poor prognosis in breast cancer (BC). The metastatic progression in BC is related to molecular signatures. The currently popular methods to evaluate nodal status may give false negatives or give rise to secondary complications. In this study, key candidate genes in BC lymph node metastasis have been identified from publicly available microarray datasets and their roles in BC have been explored through survival analysis and target prediction.MethodsGene Expression Omnibus datasets have been analyzed for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in lymph node-positive BC patients compared to nodal-negative and healthy tissues. The functional enrichment analysis was done in database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed in Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes and proteins (STRING) and visualized on Cytoscape. The candidate hub genes were identified and their expression analyzed for overall survival (OS) in Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). The target miRNA and transcription factors were analyzed through miRNet.ResultsA total of 102 overlapping DEGs were found. Gene Ontology revealed eleven, seventeen, and three significant terms for cellular component, biological process, and molecular function respectively. Six candidate genes, DSC3, KRT5, KRT6B, KRT17, KRT81, and SERPINB5 were significantly associated with nodal metastasis and OS in BC patients. A total of 83 targeting miRNA were identified through miRNet and hsa-miR-155-5p was found to be the most significant miRNA which was targeting five out of six hub genes.ConclusionIn-silico survival and expression analyses revealed six candidate genes and 83 miRNAs, which may be potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets in BC patients and miR-155-5p shows promise as it targeted five important hub genes related to lymph-node metastasis.
Ethnicity, Household Composition and COVID-19 Mortality: A National Linked Data Study
Authors: Nafilyan Vahé , Islam Nazrul , Ayoubkhani Daniel , Gilles Clare , Katikireddi Srinivasa Vittal , Mathur Rohini , Summerfield Annabel , Tingay Karen , Asaria Miqdad , John Ann , Goldblatt Peter , Banerjee Amitava , Khunti Kamlesh 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundEthnic minorities have experienced disproportionate COVID-19 mortality rates. We estimated associations between household composition and COVID-19 mortality in older adults (≥ 65 years) using a newly linked census-based dataset, and investigated whether living in a multi-generational household explained some of the elevated COVID-19 mortality amongst ethnic minority groups.MethodsUsing retrospective data from the 2011 Census linked to Hospital Episode Statistics (2017-2019) and death registration data (up to 27th July 2020), we followed adults aged 65 years or over living in private households in England from 2 March 2020 until 27 July 2020 (n=10,078,568). We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for COVID-19 death for people living in a multi-generational household compared with people living with another older adult, adjusting for geographical factors, socio-economic characteristics and pre-pandemic health. We conducted a causal mediation analysis to estimate the proportion of ethnic inequalities explained by living in a multi-generational household.ResultsLiving in a multi-generational household was associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 death. After adjusting for confounding factors, the HRs for living in a multi-generational household with dependent children were 1.13 [95% confidence interval 1.01-1.27] and 1.17 [1.01-1.35] for older males and females. The HRs for living in a multi-generational household without dependent children were 1.03 [0.97 - 1.09] for older males and 1.22 [1.12 - 1.32] for older females. Living in a multi-generational household explained between 10% and 15% of the elevated risk of COVID-19 death among older females from South Asian background, but very little for South Asian males or people in other ethnic minority groups.ConclusionOlder adults living with younger people are at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality, and this is a notable contributing factor to the excess risk experienced by older South Asian females compared to White females. Relevant public health interventions should be directed at communities where such multi-generational households are highly prevalent.FundingThis research was funded by the Office for National Statistics.
Wearing masks and establishing COVID-19 areas reduces secondary attack risk in nursing homes
Authors: Reyné Bastien , Selinger Christian , Sofonea Mircea T , Miot Stéphanie , Pisoni Amandine , Tuaillon Edouard , Bousquet Jean , Blain Hubert , Alizon Samuel 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundCOVID-19 is spreading rapidly in nursing homes (NHs). It is urgent to evaluate the effect of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures to reduce COVID spreading.MethodsWe analysed COVID-19 outbreaks in 12 NH using rRT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2. We estimated secondary attack risks (SARs) and identified cofactors associated with the proportion of infected residents.ResultsThe SAR was below 5%, suggesting a high efficiency of IPC measures. Mask-wearing or establishment of COVID-19 zones for infected residents were associated with lower SAR.ConclusionsWearing masks and isolating potentially infected residents appear to limit SARS-CoV-2 spread in nursing homes.
Effective post-exposure prophylaxis of Covid-19 associated with hydroxychloroquine: Prospective dataset re-analysis incorporating novel, missing data
Authors: Wiseman David M. , Kory Pierre , Saidi Samir A , Mazzucco Dan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDA key trial (NCT04308668) of post-exposure prophylaxis found hydroxychloroquine-associated (HCQ) reductions of Covid-19 by 17% overall and 31% to 49% in subgroups. To understand these trends, we re-analyzed the dataset.METHODSOur protocol conformed to the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT). We compared the incidence of Covid-19 after HCQ or placebo, stratifying by intervention lag, age, and gender.RESULTSNewly requested data missing from the dataset revealed that 52% and 19% of subjects received medication 1-2 days after intended and assumed overnight delivery or four-day intervention lag respectively. After re-analysis, we found reduced HCQ-associated incidence of Covid-19 with Early (up to 3 days post-exposure) (RR 0.58, 95%CI 0.35 - 0.97; p=0.044; NNT 14.5) but not Late (RR 1.22, 95%CI 0.72 - 2.04) prophylaxis.We found a significant HCQ-associated Covid-19 reduction in subjects 18 to 45 years old with Early (RR 0.54, 95%CI 0.29-0.97; p=0.0448, NNT 11.5) but not Late (RR 1.02, 95%CI 0.55-1.89) prophylaxis, attenuated in older subjects (RR 0.75, 95%CI 0-27-2.05) and by co-morbidities. Although, we did not detect effects of gender, folate, zinc, or ascorbate, confounding effects cannot be excluded.CONCLUSIONSUsing novel data and prospective re-analysis, hydroxychloroquine, in an age-dependent manner, was associated with reduced Covid-19 compatible illness when supplied for post-exposure prophylaxis between 1 and 3 days after high- or moderate-risk exposure, at higher loading and maintenance doses than in similar studies. The original study conclusions are controverted, and our finding warrants prospective confirmation.Protocol registered at Open Science Framework: osf.io/fqtnw (last revised September 27, 2020,HighlightsMissing data integrated with dataset re-analysis reversed findings of original studyHydroxychloroquine associated reduction (42%) of Covid-19 compatible illness foundEffect in Post-exposure Prophylaxis when received 1-3 days after exposureRisk Ratio 0.58 (95% CI 0.35-0.97, p=0.044, NNT14.5)Findings controvert the conclusions of original study
Convalescent Plasma in COVID-19. Mortality-Safety First Results of the Prospective Multicenter FALP 001-2020 Trial
Authors: Gazitúa Raimundo , Briones José Luis , Selman Carolina , Villarroel-Espíndola Franz , Aguirre Adam , González-Steigmaier Roxana , Cereceda Karina , Mahave Mauricio , Rubio Betzabé , Ferrer-Rosende Pedro , Sapunar Jorge , Marsiglia Hugo , Morales Ricardo , Yarad Fernanda , Balcells María Elvira , Rojas Luis , Nervi Bruno , Nien Jyh Kae , Garate Javier , Prieto Carolina , Palma Sofía , Escobar Carolina , Bascuñan Josefina , Muñoz Rodrigo , Pinto Mónica , Cardemil Daniela , Navarrete Marcelo , Reyes Soledad , Espinosa Victoria , Yáñez Nicolás , Caglevic Christian 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe use of convalescent plasma (CP) to treat COVID-19 has shown promising results; however, its effectiveness remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and mortality of CP among patients hospitalized with COVID-19.Study Design and MethodsThis multicenter, open-label, uncontrolled clinical trial is currently being conducted at nine hospitals in Chile. Patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 who were still within 14 days since symptom onset were classified into four groups: Patients with cancer and severe COVID-19. Patients with cancer and non-severe COVID-19. Patients with severe COVID-19 and patients with non-severe COVID-19 only. The intervention involved two 200-cc. CP transfusions with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers ≥ 1:320 collected from COVID-19-recovered donors.Results192 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 received CP transfusions. At the first transfusion, 90.6% fulfilled the criteria for severity, and 41.1% required mechanical ventilation. 11.5% of the patients had cancer. Overall 7-day and 30-day mortality since the first CP transfusion was 5.7% and 16.1% respectively. There were no differences at either time point in mortality between the four groups. Patients on mechanical ventilation when receiving CP had higher mortality rates than those who were not (22.8% vs. 11.5%; p = 0.037). Overall 30-day mortality was higher in patients over 65 than in younger patients (p = 0.019). Severe adverse events were reported in four patients (2.1%) with an overall transfusion-related lung injury rate of 1.56%. No CP-related deaths occurred.DiscussionCP is safe when used in patients with COVID-19 even when also presenting severity criteria or risk factors. Our mortality rate is comparable to reports from larger studies. Controlled clinical trials are required to determine efficacy.RegistrationNCT04384588
Validation of a combined ELISA to detect IgG, IgA and IgM antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in mild or moderate non-hospitalised patients
Authors: Cook A M , Faustini S E , Williams L J , Cunningham A F , Drayson M T , Shields A M , Kay D , Taylor L , Plant T , Huissoon A , Wallis G. , Beck S , Jossi S E , Perez-Toledo M , Newby M L , Allen J D , Crispin M , Harding S , Richter A G 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundFrequently SARS-CoV-2 results in mild or moderate disease with potentially lower concentrations of antibodies compared to those that are hospitalised. Here, we validated an ELISA using SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike glycoprotein, with targeted detection of IgG, IgA and IgM (IgGAM) using serum and dried blood spots (DBS) from adults with mild or moderate disease.MethodsTargeting the SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike, a combined anti-IgG, IgA and IgM serology ELISA assay was developed using 62 PCR-confirmed non-hospitalised, mild or moderate COVID-19 samples, ≥14 days post symptom onset and 624 COVID-19 negative samples. The assay was validated using 73 PCR-confirmed non-hospitalised COVID-19 and 359 COVID-19 negative serum samples with an additional 81 DBSs, and further validated in 226 PCR-confirmed non-hospitalised COVID-19 and 426 COVID-19 negative clinical samples.ResultsA sensitivity and specificity of 98.6% (95% CI, 92.6–100.0), 98.3% (95% CI, 96.4–99.4), respectively, was observed following validation of the SARS-CoV-2 ELISA. No cross-reactivities with endemic coronaviruses or other human viruses were observed, and no change in results were recorded for interfering substances. The assay was stable at temperature extremes and components were stable for 15 days once opened. A matrix comparison showed DBS to correlate with serum results. Clinical validation of the assay reported a sensitivity of 94.7% (95% CI, 90.9-97.2%) and a specificity of 98.4% (95% CI, 96.6-99.3%).ConclusionsThe human anti-IgGAM SARS-CoV-2 ELISA provides accurate and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in non-hospitalised adults with mild or moderate disease. The use of dried blood spots makes the assay accessible to the wider community.Supplementary MaterialNo
Retinal implantation of electronic vision prostheses to treat retinitis pigmentosa: A systematic review
Authors: Hallum Luke E. , Dakin Steven C. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPurposeRetinitis pigmentosa is an hereditary disease causing photoreceptor degeneration and permanent vision loss. Retinal implantation of a stimulating electrode array is a new treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, but quantification of its efficacy is the subject of ongoing work. This review evaluates vision-related outcomes resulting from retinal implantation in participants with retinitis pigmentosa.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE and Embase for journal articles published since 1 January 2015. We selected articles describing studies of implanted participants that reported post-implantation measurement of vision. We extracted study information including design, participants’ residual vision, comparators, and assessed outcomes. To assess risk of bias, we used signalling questions and a target trial.ResultsOur search returned 425 abstracts. We reviewed the full text of 34 articles. We judged all studies to be at high risk of bias due to study design or experimental conduct. Regarding design, studies lacked the measures that typical clinical trials take to protect against bias (e.g., control groups and masking). Regarding experimental conduct, outcome measures were rarely comparable before and after implantation, and psychophysical methods were prone to bias (subjective, not forced-choice, methods). The most common comparison found was between post-implantation visual function with the device powered off versus on. This comparison is at high risk of bias.ConclusionsThere is a need for high-quality evidence of efficacy of retinal implantation to treat retinitis pigmentosa.Translational RelevanceFor patients and clinicians to make informed choices about retinitis pigmentosa treatment, visual function restored by retinal implantation must be properly quantified and reported.
Retrospective development and evaluation of prognostic models for exacerbation event prediction in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease using data self-reported to a digital health application
Authors: Chmiel F. P. , Burns D. K. , Pickering J. B. , Blythin Alison , Wilkinson T. M. A. , Boniface M. J. 
Published: December 2020

BackgroundSelf-reporting digital applications provide a way of remotely monitoring and managing patients with chronic conditions in the community. Leveraging the data collected by these applications in prognostic models could provide increased personalisation of care and reduce the burden of care for people who live with chronic conditions. This study evaluated the predictive ability of prognostic models for prediction of acute exacerbation events in people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease using data self-reported to a digital health application.MethodsRetrospective study evaluating the use of symptom and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease assessment test data self-reported to a digital health application (myCOPD) in predicting acute exacerbation events. We include data from 2,374 patients who made a total of 68,139 self-reports. We evaluated the degree to which the different variables self-reported to the application are predictive of exacerbation events and developed both heuristic and machine-learnt models to predict whether the patient will report an exacerbation event within three days of self-reporting to the application. The model’s predictive ability was evaluated on self-reports from an independent set of patients.FindingsUsers self-reported symptoms and standard Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease assessment tests display correlation with future exacerbation events. Both a baseline model (AUROC 0.655 (95 % CI: 0.689-0.676)) and a machine-learnt model (AUROC 0.727 (95 % CI: 0.720-0.735)) showed moderate ability in predicting exacerbation events occurring within three days of a given self-report. While the baseline model obtained a fixed sensitivity and specificity of 0.551 (95 % CI: 0.508-0.596) and 0.759 (95 % CI: 0.752-0.767) respectively, the sensitivity and specificity of the machine-learnt model can be tuned by dichotomizing the continuous predictions it provides with different thresholds.InterpretationData self-reported to healthcare applications designed to remotely monitor patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease can be used to predict acute exacerbation events with moderate performance. This could increase personalisation of care by allowing pre-emptive action to be taken to mitigate the risk of future exacerbation events. It is plausible future studies could improve the accuracy of these models by either the inclusion of symptom information recorded with greater granularity or including variables not considered in our study, for example vital signs, information on activity, local environmental data, and lifestyle information.FundingThis project was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 780495 BigMedilytics.
COVID-19 RISK EVALUATION AND TESTING STRATEGIES BASED ON CONTACT TRACING NETWORK AND INFORMATION ANALYSIS
Authors: Kumar Ankush 
Published: December 2020

AbstractContact tracing and efficient testing can have an imperative part in mitigating the COVID-19 spread, with minimal social and economic disruption. Testing serves many purposes: isolating the COVID-19 positive tested individuals, identifying the contacts at the risk, and locating the hotspots and safe zones for administrative planning. However, it is a challenging task to identify the right individuals for the test in view of the high COVID -19 spread, a large number of presymptomatic and asymptomatic cases, and limited testing capabilities. The individuals for COVID -19 are currently identified based on direct-contact, travel history, and symptoms, which are more individualized and do not explicitly include a group risk assessment, and in turn, do not preclude the transmission from the superspreaders. Policymakers need to limit testing in the shortage of test resources, and focus on gaining the most information from the tests performed. In this work, we introduce a protocol for the identification of the group of individuals to be tested for acquiring maximum risk information of a community with minimum individual tests performed. Firstly, an algorithm is proposed to determine the risk profile of all the individuals in the community by incorporating serial and parallel pathways of the infection transmission considering multiple steps of transmission. Next, we consider several potential groups that could be tested from the community, and analyze them one by one for their comparison. In a group, few individuals can be positive, and the remaining few can be negative, generating sets of several test-outcomes with unequal probabilities. The protocol involves the probability calculation and reassessment of the network’s risk profile in all the test output cases. Finally, the best group is identified in all the groups studied, in which risk profiles between post and pre-test are maximally different. The analysis shows that in general, information increases with an increase in the group size. Notably, a strategically chosen small group may provide more information from the test results, than a standard larger group. The proposed systematic strategy would help in the selection of the right individuals for the testing, and in extracting far more information from the minimum samples, to effectively aid the epidemic mitigation. The protocol is generic, and can also be applied to any other epidemic spread in the future.