bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PITChing (professional organisations, innovative trial designs and collaborative approach) for evidence generation for proton therapy
Authors: Chilukuri Srinivas , Panda Pankaj Kumar , Jalali Rakesh 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDevelopments in the field of proton beam therapy (PBT) have recently crossed the tipping point wherein the modality is now more versatile than ever before, with possibilities and likely indications expanding rapidly.However the pace of evidence generation lags behind the developments in the field.Generating quality evidence has its own set of challenges owing to complexities of conducting randomized controlled trials, which are the hallmark of level 1 evidence generation.Here we discuss various challenges to clinical evidence generation in PBT and have suggested certain solutions including collaborative approaches and alternative study designs to mitigate these challenges.
Improved health-related quality of life in patients treated with topical sirolimus for facial angiofibroma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex
Authors: Hatano Takashi , Ohno Yuki , Imai Yu , Moritake Jun , Endo Katsuhisa , Tamari Mayumi , Egawa Shin 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder forming hamartomas throughout the body. Facial angiofibromas (FAs) occur in 75% of TSC patients, which are often enlarged, impairing the appearance of the face, and reducing the patient’s quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to characterize the impact of topical sirolimus treatment on the health-related QOL in patients with FA associated with TSC.

Methods
We investigated a total of 33 patients who received sirolimus gel treatment for FA associated with TSC and assessed the changes in the health-related QOL using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey. SF-36 surveys were performed before and after 3 months of treatment. The conditions of the patients after using the sirolimus gel were categorized into the following three categories: “improved,” “unchanged,” and “aggravated.” Adverse events were investigated using the CTCAE v5.0-JCOG.

Results
The median age of the patients was 25 (range 14–55) years. After 3 months of sirolimus gel treatment, three scale scores of the SF-36, vitality (VT), social function (SF), and mental health (MH), were significantly improved compared to before the treatment. The VT and SF in patients who had improved FA were significantly better than those in the other patients. There were no significant differences in any scale scores between patients with and without adverse events at 3 months after the initiation of sirolimus gel treatment.

Conclusions
This is the first report regarding improved health-related quality of life in patients treated with sirolimus gel for FA associated with TSC by using the SF-36. The three scale scores associated with mental health were significantly improved compared to before the treatment. The health-related QOL in patients receiving sirolimus gel treatment is more strongly affected by the treatment efficacy than adverse events.

Mini-abstract
Sirolimus gel treatment improves the health-related QOL in patients with FA associated with TSC.
Description of CRISPR/Cas9 development and its prospect in hepatocellular carcinoma treatment
Authors: Wu Xiaoling , Ma Weijie , Mei Chengjie , Chen Xi , Yao Ye , Liu Yingyi , Qin Xian , Yuan Yufeng 
Published: June 2020

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies today. Patients suffer from HCC since its high malignancy and limited treatment means. With the development of genetic research, new therapeutic strategy comes up in the way of gene editing. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated nuclease 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) was discovered as an immune sequence in bacteria and archaea. After artificial transformation and follow-up research, it is widely used as a gene editing tool. In this review, the development of CRISPR/Cas9 is summarized in retrospect. Through the evaluation of novel research in HCC, it is concluded that CRISPR/Cas9 would promote cancer research and provide a new tool for genetic treatment in prospect.
Role of point-of-care ultrasound during the COVID-19 pandemic: our recommendations in the management of dialytic patients
Authors: Vieira Ana Luisa Silveira , Pazeli Júnior José Muniz , Bastos Marcus Gomes 
Published: June 2020

AbstractCOVID-19 is a viral disease due to the infection of the novel Corona virus SARS-CoV-2, that has rapidly spread in many countries until the World Health Organization declared the pandemic from March 11, 2020. Elderly patients and those affected by hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions are more susceptible to present more severe forms of COVID-19. These conditions are often represented in dialytic renal end-stage patients. Moreover, dialysis patients are more vulnerable to infection due to suppression of the immune system. Growing evidences, although still supported by few publications, are showing the potential utility of ultrasound in patients with COVID-19. In this review, we share our experience in using point-of-care ultrasound, particularly lung ultrasound, to indicate the probability of COVID-19 in patients with end-stage renal disease treated by hemodialysis. We also propose recommendations for the application of lung ultrasound, focused echocardiography and inferior vena cava ultrasound in the management of patients in hemodialysis.
Defining immune correlates during latent and active chlamydial infection in sheep
Authors: Wattegedera Sean R. , Livingstone Morag , Maley Stephen , Rocchi Mara , Lee Susan , Pang Yvonne , Wheelhouse Nick M. , Aitchison Kevin , Palarea-Albaladejo Javier , Buxton David , Longbottom David , Entrican Gary 
Published: June 2020

AbstractOvine enzootic abortion (OEA) caused by the obligate intracellular bacterial pathogenChlamydia abortus(C. abortus), is an endemic disease in most sheep-rearing countries worldwide. Following infection,C. abortusestablishes a complex host–pathogen interaction with a latent phase in non-pregnant sheep followed by an active disease phase in the placenta during pregnancy leading to OEA. Improved knowledge of the host–pathogen interactions at these different phases of disease will accelerate the development of new diagnostic tests and vaccines to control OEA. Current evidence indicates that cellular immunity is essential for controllingC. abortusinfection. We have previously described a model of mucosal (intranasal) infection of non-pregnant sheep withC. abortusthat replicates the latent and active phases of OEA. We have investigated antigen-specific recall responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in sheep infected withC. abortusvia the intranasal route to determine how these change during the latent and active phases of disease. By analysing cytokines associated with the major CD4+veThelper(Th) cell subsets (Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)/Th1; Interleukin (IL)-4/Th2; IL-17A/Th17; IL-10/Tregulatory), we show that there is selective activation of PBMC producing IFN-γ and/or IL-10 during the latent phase following infection. These cytokines are also elevated during the active disease phase and while they are produced by sheep that are protected from OEA, they are also produced by sheep that abort, highlighting the difficulties in finding specific cellular immunological correlates of protection for complex intracellular pathogens.
Positive solutions for integral boundary value problems of fractional differential equations with delay
Authors: Li Shuai , Zhang Zhixin , Jiang Wei 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn this article, a class of integral boundary value problems of fractional delayed differential equations is discussed. Based on the Guo–Krasnoselskii theorem, some existence results on the positive solutions are derived. Two simple examples are given to show the validity of the conditions of our main theorems.
Efficient hybrid group iterative methods in the solution of two-dimensional time fractional cable equation
Authors: Salama Fouad Mohammad , Hj. Mohd. Ali Norhashidah , Abd Hamid Nur Nadiah 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn this paper, the development of new hybrid group iterative methods for the numerical solution of a two-dimensional time-fractional cable equation is presented. We use Laplace transform method to approximate the time fractional derivative which reduces the problem into an approximating partial differential equation. The obtained partial differential equation is solved by four-point group iterative methods derived from two implicit finite difference schemes. Matrix norm analysis together with mathematical induction are utilized to investigate the stability and convergence properties. A comparative study with the recently developed hybrid standard point (HSP) iterative method accompanied by their computational cost analysis are also given. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed hybrid group iterative methods over the HSP iterative method in terms of the number of iterations, computational cost as well as the CPU times.
Markov switched stochastic Nicholson-type delay system with patch structure
Authors: Wang Wentao , Deng Guifeng , Chen Wei 
Published: June 2020

AbstractConsidering stochastic perturbations of white and color noises, we introduce the Markov switched stochastic Nicholson-type delay system with patch structure. By constructing a traditional Lyapunov function we show that solutions of the addressed system are not only positive, but also do not explode to infinity in finite time and, in fact, are ultimately bounded. Then we estimate its ultimate boundedness, moment, and Lyapunov exponent. Finally, we present an example of numerical simulations to verify theoretical results.
One Health in hospitals: how understanding the dynamics of people, animals, and the hospital built-environment can be used to better inform interventions for antimicrobial-resistant gram-positive infections
Authors: Dalton Kathryn R. , Rock Clare , Carroll Karen C. , Davis Meghan F. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDespite improvements in hospital infection prevention and control, healthcare associated infections (HAIs) remain a challenge with significant patient morbidity, mortality, and cost for the healthcare system. In this review, we use a One Health framework (human, animal, and environmental health) to explain the epidemiology, demonstrate key knowledge gaps in infection prevention policy, and explore improvements to control Gram-positive pathogens in the healthcare environment. We discuss patient and healthcare worker interactions with the hospital environment that can lead to transmission of the most common Gram-positive hospital pathogens – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus – and detail interventions that target these two One Health domains. We discuss the role of animals in the healthcare settings, knowledge gaps regarding their role in pathogen transmission, and the absence of infection risk mitigation strategies targeting animals. We advocate for novel infection prevention and control programs, founded on the pillars of One Health, to reduce Gram-positive hospital-associated pathogen transmission.
Shock wave lithotripsy, for the treatment of kidney stones, results in changes to routine blood tests and novel biomarkers: a prospective clinical pilot-study
Authors: Hughes Stephen F. , Jones Nathan , Thomas-Wright Samantha J. , Banwell Joseph , Moyes Alyson J. , Shergill Iqbal 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background
The number of patients undergoing shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) for kidney stones is increasing annually, and as such the development of post-operative complications, such as haematuria and acute kidney injury (AKI) following SWL, is likely to increase. The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in routine blood and novel biomarkers following SWL, for the treatment of kidney stones.

Methods
Twelve patients undergoing SWL for solitary unilateral kidney stones were recruited. From patients (8 males and 4 females) aged between 31 and 72 years (median 43 years), venous blood samples were collected pre-operatively (baseline), at 30, 120 and 240 min post-operatively. Routine blood tests were performed using a Sysmex XE-5000, and Beckman Coulter AU5800 and AU680 analysers. NGAL, IL-18, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10 and IL-8 concentrations were determined using commercially available ELISA kits.

Results
Significant (p ≤ 0.05) changes were observed in several blood parameters following SWL. NGAL concentration significantly increased, with values peaking at 30 min post-treatment (p = 0.033). Although IL-18 concentration increased, these changes were not significant (p = 0.116). IL-6 revealed a statistically significant rise from pre-operative up to 4 h post-operatively (p < 0.001), whilst TNF-α significantly increased, peaking at 30 min post-SWL (p = 0.05). There were no significant changes to IL-10 and IL-8 concentrations post-SWL (p > 0.05).

Conclusions
Changes to routine blood tests and specific biomarkers, in the future, may be more useful for clinicians. In turn, identification of a panel of biomarkers could provide valuable data on “normal” physiological response after lithotripsy. Ultimately, studies could be expanded to identify or predict those patients at increased risk of developing post-operative complications, such as acute kidney injury or. These studies, however, need validating involving larger cohorts.
A head-to-head comparison between two commercial software packages for hybrid dosimetry after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy
Authors: Huizing Daphne M. V. , Peters Steffie M. B. , Versleijen Michelle W. J. , Martens Esther , Verheij Marcel , Sinaasappel Michiel , Stokkel Marcel P. M. , de Wit-van der Veen Berlinda J. 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background
Dosimetry after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is increasing; however, comparing or pooling of dosimetric results can be challenging since different approaches are used. The aim of this study was to perform a head-to-head comparison of post-PRRT curve fitting and dosimetry obtained from two commercial software Hybrid Viewer Dosimetry and PLANET Dose.

Methods
Post-therapy imaging included planar scintigraphy at 0.5, 4, 24 and 72 h post-injection of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE for kinetics and SPECT/CT at 24 h for quantification. On planar imaging, 2 cm regions-of-interest were positioned within the inferior pole of the kidneys and kidney cortex was segmented on low-dose CT. On both planar and SPECT/CT, 2 cm spheres were positioned in the proximal humerus (red marrow equivalent) and in the region with the highest uptake in tumour lesions. TACs were estimated with mono- and bi-exponential fits in both software systems, after which tissue absorbed (kidney, red marrow, tumour) and biological effective doses (kidney) were calculated. Agreement-ICC, Spearman correlation and Bland-Altman plots were used to compare results.

Results
Mono-exponential fits showed the most comparable correlation between the measured and fitted data between both software. The ICC between absorbed dose outcomes was > 0.7 in tumour lesions and kidneys, but negative for the red marrow. Spearman correlation was > 0.9 for mono-exponential fits in kidneys and tumour lesions, and −0.7 in red marrow. Bi-exponential fits resulted in lower correlations and agreement values. Concordance between both software packages concerning the number of PRRT cycles with 7.4 GBq was observed based on a biological effective dose limit of 27 Gy to the kidneys.

Conclusion
[177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE dosimetry results of two software packages were comparable in the same dataset, despite the limited number of imaging time-points. However, these results should be verified in a larger cohort before pooling of clinical data, as the obtained results will depend on acquisition protocol, timing and lesions definition.
Helping Babies Breathe (2nd edition) implementation on a shoestring budget in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Authors: Wilson Gina M. , Ame Ame M. , Khatib Maimuna Mohamed , Khalfan Bimkubwa Suleiman , Thompson Julie , Blood-Siegfried Jane 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background
To assess the efficacy and viability of implementing Helping Babies Breathe, a neonatal resuscitation program for resource-limited environments on a small budget in two of the largest delivery centers in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The quality improvement initiative concentrated on training midwives, who directly care for neonates at birth on Helping Babies Breathe to address high rates of neonatal mortality secondary to birth asphyxia.

Methods
The convenience sample was 59 midwives working in the two delivery centers of interest in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The train-the-trainer implementation strategy with repeated measures design was used to assess knowledge and skills at three time points. Observations were completed through supportive supervision of deliveries in both facilities. A budget was kept throughout the implementation.

Results
Knowledge scores and resuscitation skills significantly improved and were sustained over a 6-month period of time, Ps < .001. 130 supportive supervision observations were completed. Eighteen times (14%) a baby did not cry at birth and needed intervention. All were appropriately intervened for and survived the Golden Minute. The budget for this implementation was 9015.50 USD. Considering in-kind donations and financial support by the Zanzibar Ministry of Health the bottom line cost was much lower.

Conclusion
Results indicate that participants retained knowledge and skills over time and were able to translate these skills into clinical practice. This initiative provides an alternative approach to implementing Helping Babies Breathe, relying on a small budget, local leadership and government support.

Trial registration
Not applicable.
Cyber risk at the edge: current and future trends on cyber risk analytics and artificial intelligence in the industrial internet of things and industry 4.0 supply chains
Authors: Radanliev Petar , De Roure David , Page Kevin , Nurse Jason R. C. , Mantilla Montalvo Rafael , Santos Omar , Maddox La’Treall , Burnap Pete 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDigital technologies have changed the way supply chain operations are structured. In this article, we conduct systematic syntheses of literature on the impact of new technologies on supply chains and the related cyber risks. A taxonomic/cladistic approach is used for the evaluations of progress in the area of supply chain integration in the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, with a specific focus on the mitigation of cyber risks. An analytical framework is presented, based on a critical assessment with respect to issues related to new types of cyber risk and the integration of supply chains with new technologies. This paper identifies a dynamic and self-adapting supply chain system supported with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) and real-time intelligence for predictive cyber risk analytics. The system is integrated into a cognition engine that enables predictive cyber risk analytics with real-time intelligence from IoT networks at the edge. This enhances capacities and assist in the creation of a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and threats that arise when edge computing nodes are deployed, and when AI/ML technologies are migrated to the periphery of IoT networks.
Estimated glomerular filtration rate as one of the main predictors of in-hospital mortality in Egyptian patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction: a two-year retrospective study
Authors: Wadie Moheb , Samaan Emad , Nassar Mohammed Kamal , Abdelsalam Mostafa 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background
Renal dysfunction is one of the major causes of in-hospital mortality in STEMI patients. In this study, we evaluated the combined predictive value of eGFR by CKD-EPI equation and shock index for in-hospital mortality and other adverse clinical outcomes in Egyptian patients with STEMI.

Results
A total of 450 STEMI patients were divided into 2 groups according to their eGFR with a cutoff value of 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and compared as regards mortality, major bleeding, reinfarction, development of heart failure, stroke, and atrial fibrillation during the period of admission. Univariate analysis was performed to define significant factors that affected mortality; then, significant factors were subjected to a multivariate logistic regression.
Patients with eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 had higher rates of mortality (P  < 0.0005) and atrial fibrillation (P  =  .006) during the hospital admission. A multivariate logistic regression model showed the predictors of mortality were factors SI (OR = 28.56, 95% CI 8–101.97, P < 0.0001), cardiac troponin (OR = 2.89, 95% CI 1.08–7.77, P = 0.03), age (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.2, P = 0.002), and eGFR (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.96–0.99, P = 0.04).

Conclusions
Estimated GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 in STEMI patients is associated with higher rate of mortality. Estimated GFR, age, shock index, and cardiac troponin were the most significant predictors of mortality in STEMI patients
Nonhuman Labor and the Making of Resources
Authors: Krzywoszynska Anna 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWith soils increasingly seen as living ecosystems, the understanding of the relationship between soils and agricultural labor is changing. A shift from working the soil to working with the soil is hoped to deliver a true ecological modernization of capitalist agriculture, making the production of ever-growing yields and the maintenance of healthy ecosystems co-constitutive. Drawing on ethnographic data from English farming, this article argues that the current trends are in fact a continuation of the logic of capitalist soil improvement in which soils are made into economic resources. By proposing a new conceptualization of labor as a material process of transformation oriented toward the generation of capital value, the author establishes a dialogue between hitherto separate literatures on the making of economic resources and on nonhuman labor. This approach transforms the debates on the relationship between nature and capital by productively collapsing the distinction between labor and resources. The author argues that acknowledging the material co-constitution of (any form of) labor and resource making allows us to better analyze the processes through which natures are rolled into capital. Today’s enrollment of soil biota as labor thus opens up the whole biosphere to the logic of improvement, and to the operations of capital.
Geographies of Extinction
Authors: Garlick Ben , Symons Kate 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThis is an article about extinction, geography, and the geographies of extinction. The emerging field of extinction studies has brought a vibrant corpus of interdisciplinary scholarship that destabilizes static notions of species, traces the spatiality of death and violence in conservation contexts, and raises important political and ethical questions regarding how lives are lost, saved, and valued. Such work offers a counter to the biopolitical tendencies of contemporary conservation discourse, emphasizing the contingent and situated character of life’s forms and the processes by which these are, often slowly, severed from place. In this article, the authors draw upon research in diverse contexts—concerning the conservation of ospreys on Speyside, Scotland, and trans-border marine conservation in Mozambique—as a lens through which to demonstrate the multiple ways in which extinctions are “placed.” These are (1) an attention to geographical contingency of wildlife under threat from extinction; (2) the multiple, overlapping, and discordant political and economic geographies of violence, death, and attempted (necessarily partial) protections through which extinction unfolds; and (3) the geographies produced as a result of extinction, be they blasted, spectral, or sites for life amid ruins.