bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recent Advances in Ethnopharmacological and Toxicological Properties of Bioactive Compounds from Aloe barbadensis (Miller), Aloe vera
Authors: Gupta Vivek Kumar , Yarla Nagendra Sastry , de Lourdes Pereira Maria , Siddiqui Nikhat Jamal , Sharma Bechan 
Published: August 2020

Background:
Aloe barbadensis (Miller) is one of the most used medicinal herbs in the
world since antiquity due to its valuable pharmacological properties. The species of A. vera are
widely distributed and cultivated throughout the world.

Objective:
This review article aims to present an account of information on the phytochemistry and
pharmacological properties of bioactive compounds from A. vera, highlighting their mechanism of
action and function as food supplement to improve human health. The development of A. vera
based phytomedicines and its future trends were also evaluated.

Methods:
A bibliographic search of scientific literature published till March 2020 was carried out
from the scientific databases and different search engines such as PubMed, ScienceDirect,
Cochrane library, and Scopus. The keywords used in several combinations included: Aloe vera,
phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, treatment, prevention, disease, health, in vitro, in vivo
and clinical studies. From eligible articles, the data were independently extracted by the standard
data extraction method.

Results:
A. vera is a good source of bioactive compounds. A. vera has been reported for its numerous
therapeutic applications. Besides, several valuable therapeutic potentials, the plant has also
been used as crop and food preservation as well as a functional food supplement due to the presence
of high content of carbohydrates, vitamins and several antioxidant molecules. Its oral ingestion
has been related to diarrhea, electrolyte imbalance, kidney dysfunction, drug interactions, dermatitis,
erythema, and phototoxicity.

Conclusion:
Although there are several A. vera-based products available, the knowledge on the relationship
between biological and therapeutic properties should be clearly defined to ascertain the
exact action mechanism(s) to develop new drugs.
Evaluation of Prophylactic and Therapeutic Roles of N-Acetylcysteine on Biochemical and Oxidative Changes Induced by Acute Poisoning of Diazinon in Various Rat Tissues
Authors: Tahmasebi Kavoos , Jafari Mahvash , Izadi Farideh , Asgari Alireza , Bahadoran Hoosein , Heydari Javad , Khazaie Saeed 
Published: August 2020

Background:
Exposure to diazinon (DZN) as an organophosphorus insecticide is
associated with reducing the antioxidant capacity of cells. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is widely
used in clinics to treat several diseases related to oxidative stress.

Objective:
The current study was aimed to evaluate the prophylactic and therapeutic roles of
NAC on biochemical and oxidative changes induced by acute poisoning of DZN in various
tissues of male Wistar rats.

Methods:
Thirty rats were divided into five groups: control group received corn oil as DZN
solvent; DZN group received 100 mg/kg of DZN; NAC group received 160 mg/kg of NAC;
NAC-DZN and DZN-NAC groups received 160 mg/kg of NAC before and after 100 mg/kg
of DZN injection, respectively. Plasma and various tissues were prepared and evaluated for
the measurement of the biochemical parameters and oxidative stress biomarkers.

Results:
Both prophylactic and therapeutic treatments by NAC ameliorated the increased
lipid peroxidation and decreased glutathione level and superoxide dismutase, catalase and
glutathione S-transferase activities in tissues (P<0.05). Moreover, treatment with the NAC
caused a significant reduction in DZN-induced high levels of plasma biochemical parameters.
Furthermore, acetylcholinesterase activity was positively correlated with both LDH
(P=0.000) activity and GSH (P=0.001) level and negatively correlated with MDA (P=0.009)
level in the brain.

Conclusion:
Results suggest that NAC could effectively ameliorate the DZN-induced oxidative
stress and cholinergic hyperactivity in various tissues especially in the brain, through
free radicals scavenging and GSH synthesis. Prophylactic approach exerted a stronger protective
effect compared to a therapeutic treatment.
Effect of Ionic Strength on the Aggregation Propensity of Aβ1-42 Peptide: An In-silico Study
Authors: Borah Priyanka , Mattaparthi Venkata S.K. 
Published: August 2020

Background:
Aggregation of misfolded proteins under stress conditions in the cell
might lead to several neurodegenerative disorders. Amyloid-beta (Aβ1-42) peptide, the causative
agent of Alzheimer’s disease, has the propensity to fold into β-sheets under stress, forming
aggregated amyloid plaques. This is influenced by factors such as pH, temperature, metal
ions, mutation of residues, and ionic strength of the solution. There are several studies that
have highlighted the importance of ionic strength in affecting the folding and aggregation
propensity of Aβ1-42 peptide.

Objective:
To understand the effect of ionic strength of the solution on the aggregation propensity
of Aβ1-42 peptide, using computational approaches.

Materials and Methods:
In this study, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were performed
on Aβ1-42 peptide monomer placed in (i) 0 M, (ii) 0.15 M, and (iii) 0.30 M concentration
of NaCl solution. To prepare the input files for the MD simulations, we have used the
Amberff99SB force field. The conformational dynamics of Aβ1-42 peptide monomer in different
ionic strengths of the solutions were illustrated from the analysis of the corresponding
MD trajectory using the CPPtraj tool.

Results:
From the MD trajectory analysis, we observe that with an increase in the ionic
strength of the solution, Aβ1-42 peptide monomer shows a lesser tendency to undergo aggregation.
From RMSD and SASA analysis, we noticed that Aβ1-42 peptide monomer undergoes
a rapid change in conformation with an increase in the ionic strength of the solution. In addition,
from the radius of gyration (Rg) analysis, we observed Aβ1-42 peptide monomer to be
more compact at moderate ionic strength of the solution. Aβ1-42 peptide was also found to
hold its helical secondary structure at moderate and higher ionic strengths of the solution.
The diffusion coefficient of Aβ1-42 peptide monomer was also found to vary with the ionic
strength of the solution. We observed a relatively higher diffusion coefficient value for Aβ1-42
peptide at moderate ionic strength of the solution.

Conclusion:
Our findings from this computational study highlight the marked effect of ionic
strength of the solution on the conformational dynamics and aggregation propensity of Aβ1-42
peptide monomer.
Improved Background Subtraction Technique for Detecting Moving Objects
Authors: Pal Tannistha 
Published: August 2020

Introduction:
Moving object detection from videos is among the most difficult task in different areas of
computer vision applications. Among the traditional object detection methods, researchers conclude that Background
Subtraction method carried out better in aspects of execution time and output quality.

Mehtod:
Visual background extractor is a renowned algorithm in Background Subtraction method for detecting moving
object in various applications. In the recent years, lots of work has been carried out to improve the existing Visual
Background extractor algorithm.

Result:
After investigating many state of art techniques and finding out the research gaps, this paper presents an improved
background subtraction technique based on morphological operation and 2D median filter for detecting moving object
which reduces the noise in the output video and also enhances its accuracy at a very limited additional cost. Experimental
results in several benchmark datasets confirmed the superiority of the proposed method over the state-of-the-art object
detection methods.

Conclusion:
In this article, a method has been proposed for moving object detection where the quality of the output object
is enhanced and good accuracy is achieved. This method provide with accurate experimental results, which helps in
efficient object detection. The proposed technique also deals with Visual Background extractor Algorithm along with the
Image Enhancement Procedure like Morphological and 2-D Filtering at a limited additional cost

Discussion:
This article worked on certain specific field, like noise reduction and image enhancement of output images of
the existing ViBe Algorithm. The technique proposed in this article will be beneficial for various computer vision
applications like video surveillance, road condition monitoring, airport safety, human activity analysis, monitoring marine
border for security purpose etc.
Robotik@, a strategy to motivate students to choose engineering careers.
Authors: Rios Natividad , Payares Daissy , Meza L Alisawer , Hernández Juan D. , Baldiris Silvia 
Published: August 2020

Educational robotics is a demonstrated didactical strategy that motivates students to consider engineering careers and benefits both their professional development as well as the learning process. This paper shows an experience carried out in the city of Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) that includes training teachers and facilitating them to take into consideration teaching educational robotics in the secondary school curriculum. The teachers’ training was based on the use of ROBOTREINO, an OER intended to be an educational resource for teachers that introduces them to the world of Educational Robotics. After the training, teachers were able to offer secondary education students a learning experience called ROBOTIK@ based on the use of mobile robots in the field of physics. The experience shows promising results.
Estrategia Ecológica Para Reducir El Impacto Ambiental Generado Por El Co2 Emitido Por Aeronaves De La Aviación Policial
Authors: TORRES ROBINSSON  C. , DIAZ JOHN  E. 
Published: August 2020

El impacto ambiental que genera el gas contaminante (CO2) emitido por las aeronaves de instrucción de la Escuela de Aviación Policial, es un factor de afectación a la capa de ozono y conlleva consecuencias para la salud de los seres humanos, por lo que es necesario crear una estrategia ecologica con la cual se puedan mitigar los efectos. Con la investigación se pudo establecer que los niveles de CO2 en la Escuela de Aviación Policial, ubicada en el municipio de San Sebastián de Mariquita, Tolima. Son más elevados de los que se recomienda en los estudios consultados por el grupo investigador, por tanto es fundamental la siembra de plantas purificadoras de aire en el área cartografiada. La investigación se encuentra estructurada en ocho (8) capítulos. El primero consiste el planteamiento y descripción de la situación problemática. El segundo comprende el análisis de los antecedentes literarios y teóricos que dan soporte a la investigación ya que aportan metodológica y epistemológicamente a la misma. Posteriormente se aborda el proceso metodológico. La investigación es de tipo cuasi-experimental y con un alcance de tipo descriptivo, ya que se diseñó un experimento pero no se pueden controlar ni manipular con rigor todas las variables. El capítulo cuarto analiza resultados con base en las características técnicas definidas en la metodología de investigación, el quinto nos habla de los indicadores de impacto en la implementación de la estrategia institucional, el sexto es el presupuesto, el séptimo contiene las conclusiones del proceso y el octavo es la bibliografía.
Family Members’ Perspectives on Family and Social Support Available to Suicidal Patients, and Health Systems’ Interactions and Responses to Suicide Cases in Alberta: Protocol for a Quantitative Research Study
Authors: Abou El-Magd Rabab M , Urichuk Liana , Surood Shireen , Li Daniel , Greenshaw Andrew , Grunau Mara , MacNeil Laureen , Challborn Ione , Grauwiler David , Olson Robert , Agyapong Vincent Israel Opoku 
Published: August 2020

Background
Suicide is a major cause of preventable death globally and a leading cause of death by injury in Canada. To support people who experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors and to ultimately prevent people from dying by suicide, it is important to understand individual and familial experiences with the health care system.

Objective
We present the protocol for a study, the objective of which is to explore how people who died by suicide, and their family members, interacted with the health care system.

Methods
This is a quantitative research study. Data will be collected through a self-administered paper-based or online survey of the family member of patients who died by suicide. The sample size was calculated to be 385 (margin of error ±3%).

Results
Data collection will start in October 2020 and results will be available by March 2021. We expect the results to shed light on the experiences of individuals who died by suicide and their family members with the health care system. The study has received ethical clearance from the Health Ethics Research Board of the University of Alberta (Pro00096342).

Conclusions
Our study may inform practice, policy, and future research. The findings may shape how members of the health care system respond to people who are at risk of suicide and their families.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
PRR1-10.2196/19112
Factors Impacting Clinicians’ Adoption of a Clinical Photo Documentation App and its Implications for Clinical Workflows and Quality of Care: Qualitative Case Study
Authors: Jacob Christine , Sanchez-Vazquez Antonio , Ivory Chris 
Published: August 2020

Background
Mobile health (mHealth) tools have shown promise in clinical photo and wound documentation for their potential to improve workflows, expand access to care, and improve the quality of patient care. However, some barriers to adoption persist.

Objective
This study aims to understand the social, organizational, and technical factors affecting clinicians’ adoption of a clinical photo documentation mHealth app and its implications for clinical workflows and quality of care.

Methods
A qualitative case study of a clinical photo and wound documentation app called imitoCam was conducted. The data were collected through 20 in-depth interviews with mHealth providers, clinicians, and medical informatics experts from 8 clinics and hospitals in Switzerland and Germany.

Results
According to the study participants, the use of mHealth in clinical photo and wound documentation provides numerous benefits such as time-saving and efficacy, better patient safety and quality of care, enhanced data security and validation, and better accessibility. The clinical workflow may also improve when the app is a good fit, resulting in better collaboration and transparency, streamlined daily work, clinician empowerment, and improved quality of care. The findings included important factors that may contribute to or hinder adoption. Factors may be related to the material nature of the tool, such as the perceived usefulness, ease of use, interoperability, cost, or security of the app, or social aspects such as personal experience, attitudes, awareness, or culture. Organizational and policy barriers include the available clinical practice infrastructure, workload and resources, the complexity of decision making, training, and ambiguity or lack of regulations. User engagement in the development and implementation process is a vital contributor to the successful adoption of mHealth apps.

Conclusions
The promising potential of mHealth in clinical photo and wound documentation is clear and may enhance clinical workflow and quality of care; however, the factors affecting adoption go beyond the technical features of the tool itself to embrace significant social and organizational elements. Technology providers, clinicians, and decision makers should work together to carefully address any barriers to improve adoption and harness the potential of these tools.
Use of Telemedicine for Chronic Liver Disease at a Single Care Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Guarino Maria , Cossiga Valentina , Fiorentino Andrea , Pontillo Giuseppina , Morisco Filomena 
Published: August 2020

Background
The COVID-19 outbreak has overwhelmed and altered health care systems worldwide, with a substantial impact on patients with chronic diseases. The response strategy has involved implementing measures like social distancing, and care delivery modalities like telemedicine have been promoted to reduce the risk of transmission.

Objective
The aim of this study was to analyze the benefits of using telemedicine services for patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) at a tertiary care center in Italy during the COVID-19–mandated lockdown.

Methods
From March 9 to May 3, 2020, a prospective observational study was conducted in the Liver Unit of the University Hospital of Naples Federico II to evaluate the impact of (1) a fully implemented telemedicine program, partially restructured in response to COVID-19 to include video consultations; (2) extended hours of operation for helpline services; and (3) smart-working from home to facilitate follow-up visits for patients with CLD while adhering to social distancing regulations.

Results
During the lockdown in Italy, almost 400 visits were conducted using telemedicine; only patients requiring urgent care were admitted to a non–COVID-19 ward of our hospital. Telemedicine services were implemented not only for follow-up visits but also to screen patients prior to hospital admission and to provide urgent evaluations during complications. Of the nearly 1700 patients with CLD who attended a follow-up visit at our Liver Unit, none contracted COVID-19, and there was no need to alter treatment schedules.

Conclusions
Telemedicine was a useful tool for following up patients with CLD and for reducing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This system of health care delivery was appreciated by patients since it gave them the opportunity to be in contact with physicians while respecting social distancing rules.
Qualitative Evidence Synthesis on Self-Collection for Human Papillomavirus–Based Cervical Screening: Protocol for Systematic Review
Authors: Camara Hawa , Zhang Ye , Lafferty Lise , Vallely Andrew , Guy Rebecca , Kelly-Hanku Angela 
Published: August 2020

Background
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer affecting women worldwide. In the 1980s, it was found that the sexually transmitted disease human papillomavirus causes over 90% of all cervical cancer cases. Since that discovery, diagnostic technologies have been developed for the detection of human papillomavirus DNA in cervical samples. However, significant sociocultural and structural barriers remain. Considerable strides have taken place in recent years to address these barriers, such as the self-collection for human papillomavirus–based cervical screening method.

Objective
The purpose of this review is to synthesize qualitative evidence around the self-collection method and identify strategies to increase acceptability and feasibility in different settings. This qualitative synthesis will be used to better understand how to conceptualize and implement more effective, accessible, and socially and culturally acceptable cervical screening programs and policies globally.

Methods
A systematic search will be conducted in Global Health, Cochrane, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), ProQuest, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, EMCARE, Medline (OVID), Scopus, and Web of Science. Published and peer-reviewed articles will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen and assess the studies. The data will be coded and analyzed using a thematic synthesis process. The socioecological model will be used to organize emergent themes at the micro and macro levels. The results will be presented in narrative and tabular form.

Results
The article search and data extraction were completed in May 2020. The data were analyzed in June 2020. The review will be submitted for publication in Fall 2020.

Conclusions
This review will present the global evidence of the perspectives and experiences of various key stakeholders and how these perspectives and experiences impact their decision-making process to perform or accept self-collection for human papillomavirus–based cervical screening. The review will provide guidance to implementation researchers as well as implications for future research.

Trial Registration
PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42019109073; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=109073

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/21093
Clinometric Gait Analysis Using Smart Insoles in Patients With Hemiplegia After Stroke: Pilot Study
Authors: Seo Minseok , Shin Myung-Jun , Park Tae Sung , Park Jong-Hwan 
Published: August 2020

Background
For effective rehabilitation after stroke, it is essential to conduct an objective assessment of the patient’s functional status. Several stroke severity scales have been used for this purpose, but such scales have various limitations.

Objective
Gait analysis using smart insole technology can be applied continuously, objectively, and quantitatively, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of other assessment tools.

Methods
To confirm the reliability of gait analysis using smart insole technology, normal healthy controls wore insoles in their shoes during the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. The gait parameters were compared with the manually collected data. To determine the gait characteristics of patients with hemiplegia due to stroke, they were asked to wear insoles and take the TUG test; gait parameters were calculated and compared with those of control subjects. To investigate whether the gait analysis accurately reflected the patients’ clinical condition, we analyzed the relationships of 22 gait parameters on 4 stroke severity scales.

Results
The smart insole gait parameter data were similar to those calculated manually. Among the 18 gait parameters tested, 14 were significantly effective at distinguishing patients from healthy controls. The smart insole data revealed that the stance duration on both sides was longer in patients than controls, which has proven difficult to show using other methods. Furthermore, the sound side in patients showed a markedly longer stance duration. Regarding swing duration, that of the sound side was shorter in patients than controls, whereas that of the hemiplegic side was longer. We identified 10 significantly correlated gait parameters on the stroke severity scales. Notably, the difference in stance duration between the sound and hemiplegic sides was significantly correlated with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) lower extremity score.

Conclusions
This study confirmed the feasibility and applicability of the smart insole as a device to assess the gait of patients with hemiplegia due to stroke. In addition, we demonstrated that the FMA score was significantly correlated with the smart insole data. Providing an environment where stroke patients can easily measure walking ability helps to maintain chronic functions as well as acute rehabilitation.

Trial Registration
UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000041646, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000047538