bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Drug discontinuation in pregnant women with psoriasis: The PSO‐MOTHER cohort study
Authors: Belleudi Valeria , Poggi Francesca R. , Perna Serena , Naldi Luigi , Bortolus Renata , Rosa Alessandro C. , Kirchmayer Ursula , Davoli Marina , Addis Antonio 
Published: June 2020

AbstractPurposeTo analyse the drug use pattern in women with psoriasis before, during and after pregnancy.MethodsAll children born (2009‐2016) in a central Italian region (Lazio) to mothers with a diagnosis of psoriasis were identified. Drug use patterns (biologicals, systemic, and topical), and discontinuation and switching of drug therapies before, during, and after pregnancy were studied. Findings were compared with data from a population exposed to similar drug therapies (eg, antirheumatic drugs).ResultsAmong 3499 deliveries by women affected by psoriasis, 1876 (53.6%) were diagnosed with this condition before the Last Menstrual Period (LMP). Of these, 525 (27.9%) had at least one drug prescription for psoriasis therapy during 6 months before LMP. For each class of drugs considered, there was a general decrease in its use during pregnancy. Considering the two trimesters preceding LMP and the three trimesters of pregnancy, the following percentages of prescriptions were observed: from 10.5% to 0% for biologicals, 7.2% to 2.5% for the conventional systemic drugs, and 51.1% to 9.4% for the topical treatments. After delivery, previous treatments were resumed. Similar results were observed for rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic condition.ConclusionsMajority of drugs come with warnings regarding potential embryo‐fetotoxicity, which might play a role in the decision to continue treatments during pregnancy. According to our study pregnancy appears to have a significant influence on drug prescriptions of different pharmacological treatments for psoriasis.
Development of a fluorescent three‐hybrid system for the identification of protein‐protein associators
Authors: Foster Andrew D. , Chung Chun‐wa , Hann Michael M. , Simpson Graham L. , Tavassoli Ali 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe chemically‐induced dimerization of proteins is fundamental to many key regulatory pathways. A number of natural products exert their downstream effect through the stabilization of a protein complex, either by direct binding to two distinct protein partners or via an allosteric mechanism. Here, we report a bacterial three‐hybrid system, with dual life/death and fluorescent reporters, which detects protein association and is compatible with high‐throughput screening. We use rapamycin mediated mTOR‐FKBP12 (mammalian target of rapamycin—FK506 Binding Protein 12 kDa) dimerization to validate this platform; the addition of rapamycin results in the association of these target proteins, leading to the expression of two essential life/death reporter genes and a fluorescent signal. We further used this system to quantify the activity of rapamycin by utilizing the fluorescent readout, exemplifying its potential in screening and for ranking large in vivo libraries for compounds that upregulate the association of any two given proteins.
Evaluating Correlations of Coracohumeral Ligament Thickness with Restricted Shoulder Range of Motion and Clinical Duration of Adhesive Capsulitis with Ultrasound Measurements
Authors: Wu Pin‐Yi , Hsu Po‐Cheng , Chen Tzu‐Ning , Huang Jian‐Ru , Chou Chen‐Liang , Wang Jia‐Chi 
Published: June 2020

ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study is to evaluate, using ultrasound measurements, the correlation between coracohumeral ligament (CHL) thickness and restricted shoulder range of motion (ROM) in patients with adhesive capsulitis (AC). The secondary objective is to investigate the correlation between CHL thickness and disease duration.DesignProspective cross‐sectional survey.SettingClinical research of a tertiary care hospital.MethodsOverall, 65 patients with clinically diagnosed AC were enrolled. Ultrasound measurements of CHL thickness in the axial oblique plane were obtained under maximal external rotation of the glenohumeral joint. Both Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and shoulder ROM were prospectively evaluated by an experienced investigator. CHL thickness was compared with shoulder ROM and SPADI. The association between CHL thickness and disease duration was also investigated.ResultsSimple linear regression analysis showed significant inverse correlation between CHL thickness and shoulder ROM including external rotation (ER) (r = −0.335, P = .006) and internal rotation (IR) (r = −0.409, P = .001). CHL thickness also correlated with disease duration (r = −0.352, P = .004). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that CHL thickness was significantly associated with restricted ER (r = −0.293, P = .02) and IR (r = −0.363, P = .003) after adjusting for age and disease duration. On the other hand, CHL thickness showed no significant correlation with abduction (r = −0.210, P = .09), flexion (r = −0.170, P = .176), or total SPADI score (r = 0.176, P = .16). Moreover, CHL was significantly thicker in patients with disease duration >6 months (P = .004, difference in means: 0.55 mm, 95% confidence interval: −0.922, −0.183).ConclusionsCHL was significantly thicker in later‐stage AC. CHL thickness correlated negatively with ER and IR of the shoulder. Furthermore, CHL thickening could be observed in the early stage of the disease course. These imaging findings may assist in confirming the diagnosis of AC, leading to early intervention and treatment options.
Graphenic Aerogels Decorated with Ag Nanoparticles as 3D SERS Substrates for Biosensing
Authors: Biasotto Glenda , Chiadò Alessandro , Novara Chiara , Fontana Marco , Armandi Marco , Zaghete Maria Aparecida , Giorgis Fabrizio , Rivolo Paola 
Published: June 2020

AbstractA versatile and efficient surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on a hybrid aerogel composed of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) decorated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), suitable for highly sensitive label‐free detection of chemical and biological species, is presented. The simple and low‐cost one‐pot hydrothermal synthesis allows obtaining of a 3D nanostructured spongy‐like matrix that shows good spatial distribution of Ag nanoparticles in intimate contact with rGO flakes, characterized by means of several morphological, structural, and compositional techniques. The nanostructured material, tested by SERS analysis with both rhodamine 6G (R6G) and 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA), shows a satisfying SERS efficiency, quantified in terms of minimum detectable concentration of 10−10 and 10−7 m, corresponding to on‐ and off‐resonant excitation, respectively. The versatility of chemical/biochemical functionalization is successfully demonstrated by exploiting different routes, by immobilizing both protoporphyrin IX (PRPIX) and hemin (H) that take advantage of π−π non‐covalent bonding with the graphene layers, as well as thiol‐ended oligonucleotides (DNA probes/aptamers) directly grafted on the AgNPs. Finally, after the successful integration of the hybrid aerogel into a microfluidic chip, the biorecognition of miR222 is obtained demonstrating the reliability of the aerogel substrate as SERS platform for biosensing.
Amphiphilic Carbon Dots with Excitation‐Independent Double‐Emissions
Authors: Liu Yun , Sun Dong‐ming , Zhang Zhi‐ying , Zhang Li , Nie Shi‐dong , Xiao Jun‐ping , Chung Yeon Sook , Choi Hyeonho , Kim Sunghan , Liu Chun‐yan 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDeveloping total carbon‐based multicolor emissive carbon dots (Cdots), especially amphiphilic Cdots (A‐Cdots) with several luminescent bands and limited emissive sites, is still a challenge. Herein, A‐Cdots with bright excitation‐independent blue/yellow photoluminescence (PL) bands from two types of fluorophores are synthesized by the solvothermal treatment of citric acid and dodecylamine in cyclohexane (c‐hexane) solution. Due to the hydrogen‐bonding interaction of carboxylic groups linked with A‐Cdots and the hydrophobic effects of long‐chain alkyl groups, assemblies of A‐Cdots with reversed micelle‐like structure formed in c‐hexane solution lead to remarkable yellow‐PL (y‐PL) with quantum yield of 33.1%. Time‐resolved fluorescence and the distinct solvation effects of A‐Cdots conclude that the blue‐PL and y‐PL are from the radiative recombination of emissive sites of amide and carboxylic groups. For the solvent‐dependent optical properties and the amplification effect of dual‐color PL, the A‐Cdots exhibit good potential in the very sensitive detection of trace impurities in alkane solution, such as ethanol in c‐hexane with content as low as 0.033% (v/v). With A‐Cdots as phosphors, white‐light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs) are successfully constructed with luminous efficiency of 52.72 lm W−1. This work provides a new thinking for the design of multicolor luminous Cdots materials and their potential applications.
Preoperative serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 and the incidence of early pulmonary infection after pediatric living donor liver transplantation
Authors: Tan Yu‐Le , Sun Li‐Ying , Zhu Zhi‐Jun , Wei Lin , Zeng Zhi‐Gui , Qu Wei , Liu Ying , Zhang Hai‐Ming , Wang Jun , He En‐Hui , Xu Rui‐Fang , Zhang Liang 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundPulmonary infection is a common complication in pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) recipients. It has been suggested that vitamin D has a role in immune defense against infection. Therefore, we investigated the effect of preoperative serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) on the risk of pneumonia in hospitalized patients undergoing LDLT.Materials and MethodsThis study was a retrospective review of patient records. Fifty consecutive pediatric patients (aged < 14 years) who underwent LDLT from January 2017 to December 2017 were included. Pulmonary infection in the early postoperative period was diagnosed using clinical, radiological, or laboratory criteria. Preoperative serum 25(OH)D3 level, demographic characteristics, primary diagnosis, ascites, time to extubation, length of intensive care unit stay, and perioperative laboratory values were recorded. Vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency were defined as a serum 25(OH)D3 concentration of less than 10, 10 to 20, and more than 20 ng/mL, respectively. Associations between serum 25(OH)D3 levels and pulmonary infection were analyzed.ResultsOf 50 pediatric patients who underwent LDLT, 19 (38%) developed pulmonary infections in the early postoperative period. The mean serum 25(OH)D3 level in these subjects was 18.7 ± 17.2 ng/mL (range, 3.0‐70.0 ng/mL). Twenty patients (40%) had severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/mL). The mean serum 25(OH)D3 level was significantly decreased (9.3 ± 7.4 vs 24.5 ± 19.1 ng/mL, P = .002) in patients with pulmonary infection compared with those without pulmonary infection. Serum 25(OH)D3 level as a continuous variable (odds ratio [OR], 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84‐0.97, P = .008) and a classification variable (≤10 ng/mL) (OR, 7.42, 95% CI, 2.06‐26.79, P = .002) were significantly associated with pulmonary infection in univariate analysis. After adjusting for other significant predictors (age, weight, and pediatric end‐stage liver disease score), severe 25(OH)D3 deficiency at presentation was independently associated with a higher risk of developing pulmonary infection in the early postoperative period (OR, 5.11, 95% CI, 1.30‐20.16, P = .02).Conclusions25(OH)D3 deficiency is common and inversely correlated with pulmonary infection within the first month after pediatric LDLT. Our results indicate that preoperative serum 25(OH)D3 deficiency is a potential biomarker for early pulmonary infection after pediatric LDLT.
Prognostic factors influencing overall survival in de novo oligometastatic prostate cancer patients
Authors: Rii Junryo , Sakamoto Shinichi , Yamada Yasutaka , Takeshita Nobushige , Yamamoto Satoshi , Sazuka Tomokazu , Imamura Yusuke , Nakamura Kazuyoshi , Komiya Akira , Komaru Atsushi , Fukasawa Satoshi , Nakatsu Hiroomi , Akakura Koichiro , Ichikawa Tomohiko 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundOligometastatic cancer has been suggested as an intermediate state between localized disease and wide‐ranging metastases. The clinical significance of local treatment in oligometastatic prostate cancer (PCa) has been a recent topic of interest. However, standard definitions of oligometastasis are lacking. Here we studied risk factors among Japanese de novo oligometastatic patients with PCa.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed clinical data from 264 patients, including locally advanced (T3 or T4N0M0) cancer, lymph‐node‐positive cancer (TanyN1M0), and cancer with ≤10 bone metastases. All patients received androgen deprivation therapy only. The number of bone metastases and clinical factors were evaluated in association with overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS). The Mann‐Whitney U test, Cox proportional hazard models, and Kaplan‐Meier methods were used as statistical analyses.ResultsMedian age, PSA at baseline and OS were 74 years, 55.2 ng/mL, and 129.0 months, respectively. The cutoff for the number of bone metastases having the greatest impact on OS was ≥3 (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.67; P = .0001). In multivariate analysis, non‐regional lymph node (LN) metastases (HR: 2.15; P = .0222), ISUP grade group (GG) 5 (HR: 2.04; P = .0186) and ≥3 bone metastases (HR: 1.82; P = .0390) were independent predictors of OS. In risk classification based on these factors, OS and PFS were significantly classifiable into poor (2‐3 factors), intermediate (1 factor), and good (no factors) risk groups (P < .0001).ConclusionNot only the number of bone metastases, but also non‐regional LN metastases predict OS in patients with de novo oligometastatic PCa.
Physicochemical analysis and biological characterization of FKB327 as a biosimilar to adalimumab
Authors: Schreiber Stefan , Yamamoto Katsuhiko , Muniz Rafael , Iwura Takafumi 
Published: June 2020

AbstractFKB327 was approved by the European Medicines Agency as a biosimilar to European‐authorized adalimumab (Humira®; AbbVie Inc). Adalimumab is a monoclonal antibody, binding and inhibiting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α with use indicated for several immune‐mediated, chronic, and inflammatory disorders. The approval is based on high similarity in the physicochemical properties between FKB327 and adalimumab. The objective of this study is to assess the biological similarity, with regard to Fab‐ and Fc‐associated functions, and describe the relationship between physicochemical and biological characterization and functional activity. State‐of‐the‐art orthogonal techniques were implemented to assess the structure and function of FKB327. Peptide mapping with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis–sodium dodecyl sulfate, ultraviolet circular dichroism, size‐exclusion high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and cation exchange HPLC were the techniques used to assess structure. Functional activity was assessed with enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, surface plasmon resonance, and cell‐based assays. The polypeptide sequence of FKB327 was identical to that of adalimumab. FKB327 also was demonstrated to have a similar secondary and tertiary structure to adalimumab. Posttranslational heterogeneities, along with size and charge variants, were not clinically meaningful. FKB327 binds to TNF‐α, FcγR, the neonatal Fc receptor, and C1q, and induces apoptosis, antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and complement‐dependent cytotoxicity. The binding and activity of FKB327 were similar to that of adalimumab. FKB327 shares similar structure and activity with adalimumab. Based on characterization of physicochemical and biological properties, FKB327 is expected to have a similar safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy profile to adalimumab.
Towards a dry‐mass conserving hydrostatic global spectral dynamical core in a general moist atmosphere
Authors: Peng Jun , Zhao Jun , Zhang Weimin , Zhang Lifeng , Wu Jianping , Yang Xiangrong 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe aim of this article is to develop a dry‐mass conserving hydrostatic global spectral dynamical core in a general moist atmosphere, which can be regarded as an alternative, improved version of that used in the current Integrated Forecast System (IFS) of the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). In contrast to the original IFS‐like core, the dry‐mass vertical coordinate is employed and the mass continuity equation is expressed in terms of the dry air density, which ensures the inherent conservation of dry air mass. Meanwhile, the thermodynamic equation is reformulated with a modified temperature variable and the formula used to compute the full pressure vertical velocity is derived rigorously. To assess the performance of this new core, an idealized tropical cyclone (TC) test is conducted. Simulation results from both the new core and the original IFS‐like dynamical core are presented and compared. The results show that the TC‐like storm produced by the new dynamical core is more intense, more compact and more concentric, and is thus much more in line with previous results from other global models. In this new dynamical core, the diagnosed full pressure vertical velocity is decomposed into four components, of which the first component, the dry hydrostatic pressure vertical velocity, dominates. Sensitivity experiments imply that despite their small numerical value the other three components should not be neglected, especially for medium‐range forecasts.
Recycling of LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 Material from Spent Lithium‐ion Batteries Using Mixed Organic Acid Leaching and Sol‐gel Method
Authors: Gao Ruichuan , Sun Conghao , Zhou Tao , Zhuang Luqi , Xie Huasheng 
Published: June 2020

AbstractA novel closed‐loop recycling system of mixed organic acid leaching and sol‐gel method re‐synthesis for LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 cathode material is designed. Mixed organic acid solution consisting of 0.4 mol/L DL‐malic acid and 0.1 mol/L ascorbic acid was applied to the leaching procedure. Under optimal conditions (temperature: 70 °C, time: 30 min, slurry density: 20 g/L), the leaching efficiency of Li, Ni, Co, and Mn is 99.06 %, 97.11 %, 96.46 %, and 97.22 %, respectively. DL‐malic acid has a stronger chelate tendency with metal ions in the mixed acid leachate, which is verified by the UV‐Vis spectra and FT‐IR spectra. Without adding extra chelating reagents to the leachate, LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 material is regenerated by the sol‐gel method directly. Electrochemical performances of the re‐synthesized LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 material exhibit an excellent initial charge and discharge capacity of 156.0 mAh g−1 and 145.2 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C, respectively. As an alternative to LIBs recovery, the advantages of this recovery method are low reagents consumption and environmentally benign.
Automated generation of oracled test cases with regular expressions and combinatorial techniques
Authors: Polo Macario , Pedreira Oscar , S. Places Ángeles , García Rodríguez de Guzmán Ignacio 
Published: June 2020

AbstractOne of the main challenges of software testing research is the automated addition of oracles to the generated test cases: Whereas the automated generation of operation sequences (which is one of the essential components of test cases) is in practice a solved problem, the automated addition of the oracle (another indispensable element) is still an important problem and an open research question. This article proposes an approach to get executable test suites composed by complete test cases (i.e., they include the oracle). The core of the method is based on annotated regular expressions. The test generation process, which is supported by a tool, follows three steps: (1) creation of annotated regular expressions, where each regular expression describes a set of sequences of operations to be executed against the system under test; (2) expansion of the regular expressions to get sequences of operations, which still do not have parameter values; and (3) generation of the executable test cases with oracle. In this third step, each test case is generated with the suitable oracle, depending on the conditions specified in the regular expression.
Sensei: Enforcing secure coding guidelines in the integrated development environment
Authors: De Cremer Pieter , Desmet Nathan , Madou Matias , De Sutter Bjorn 
Published: June 2020

SummaryWe discuss the potential benefits, requirements, and implementation challenges of a security‐by‐design approach in which an integrated development environment plugin assists software developers to write code that complies with secure coding guidelines. We discuss how such a plugin can enable a company's policy‐setting security experts and developers to pass their knowledge on to each other more efficiently, and to let developers more effectively put that knowledge into practice. This is achieved by letting the team members develop customized rule sets that formalize coding guidelines and by letting the plugin check the compliance of code being written to those rule sets in real time, similar to an as‐you‐type spell checker. Upon detected violations, the plugin suggests options to quickly fix them and offers additional information for the developer. We share our experience with proof‐of‐concept designs and implementations rolled out in multiple companies, and present some future research and development directions.
Selective and sensitive spectral signals on confocal Raman spectroscopy for detection of ex vivo skin lipid properties
Authors: Liu Yali , Lunter Dominique Jasmin 
Published: June 2020

AbstractSpectral signals of stratum corneum (SC) acquired from confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) are employed to track lipid variations and the most sensitive and efficient signals are of high interest. Herein, 1% of sodium lauryl sulfate treated SC was compared to water‐treated one to evaluate statistical difference of spectral signals concerning lipid content, SC thickness and lipid molecular structures. Results showed that peak ratio of 1425 to 1490 cm−1 and 1630 to 1710 cm−1 in fingerprint region and Gaussian‐function deconvoluted lipid‐keratin peak ratio in high wavenumber (HWN) region were both responsive for analyzing lipid content. SC thickness measurement using the full width of half‐maximum (FWHM) of 2920 to 2960 cm−1 signal presented good sensitivity. Nevertheless, the shift of peak 2850 cm−1 indicated less sensitivity compared to trans‐gauche peak signals and 1300 cm−1 peak position for lipid conformation analysis. Meanwhile, the ratio of peak 2880 and 2850 cm−1 indicating lipid lateral packing structure presented to be less responsive. More strikingly, FWHM of peak 2850 cm−1 appeared to be unable for lipid lateral packing order analysis in our study. In summary, this research can serve as a pilot study for further investigation of direct drug delivery and interaction between topical applied compounds and skin components.
Random attractors for stochastic partly dissipative systems
Authors: Kuehn Christian , Neamţu Alexandra , Pein Anne 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWe prove the existence of a global random attractor for a certain class of stochastic partly dissipative systems. These systems consist of a partial and an ordinary differential equation, where both equations are coupled and perturbed by additive white noise. The deterministic counterpart of such systems and their long-time behaviour have already been considered but there is no theory that deals with the stochastic version of partly dissipative systems in their full generality. We also provide several examples for the application of the theory.