bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preoperative false-negative transthoracic echocardiographic results in native valve infective endocarditis patients: a retrospective study from 2001 to 2018
Authors: Ren Zuning , Zhang Jian , Chen Hongjie , Mo Xichao , Cai Shaohang , Peng Jie 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a lethal disease that is difficult to diagnosis early. Although echocardiography is one of the most widely used diagnostic technique, it has limited sensitivity. This study surveyed the clinical features of IE patients who underwent surgery and compared transthoracic echocardiography and histological findings to explore the factors related to false-negative echocardiographic results.Methods: Medical records were extracted from IE patients consecutively hospitalized between June 2001 and June 2018. Results: A total of 182 patients with native valve IE who underwent surgery were included. Compared to the non-surgery group, the surgery group was more likely to have pre-existing valvular lesions and more serious cardiac conditions and a relative lack of signs of infection and cerebrovascular events, leading to a lower proportion of “definite cases” before surgery. The false-negative rate of echocardiography was 14.5%. Echocardiography has significant disadvantages in diagnosing perivalvular abscesses, valve perforations, and left-sided endocarditis, especially for subjects with both aortic and mitral valve infections. The multivariate analysis identified congenital heart disease and small vegetations (<10 mm) as independent predictors of false-negative echocardiography results. Conversely, fever and heart murmurs on admission served as protective factors. Conclusions: Under some circumstances, echocardiography provides inconsistent results compared with surgical findings, and negative echocardiography results do not rule out IE. The diagnosis of IE depends on comprehensive evaluations using multiple methods.
The SARS-CoV-2 RNA with mild pulmonary consolidation lasts longer in non-severe COVID-19 patients: an observational study
Authors: Zhang Chi , Li Jiawen , Mu Jing , Zhang Daitao , Wang He , Jin Yunv , Han Yan , Li Haiyang , Zhang Chunxiao , Yu Peng , Guo Rui , Dou Xiangfeng , Chu Yanhui , Wu Zhao , Dong Xiaoqin , Wang Guiqiang , Zhao Hong 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background: Since December 2019, COVID-19 has rapidly swept the world. It is particularly important to understand the dynamic changes of the whole disease course of non-severe patients from the onset to the follow-up after discharge.Methods: On February 1, 2020, 18 cases of non-severe COVID-19 appeared in a hospital in Beijing. All patients were SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive by RT-PCR for pharyngeal swabs. We recorded the clinical information and viral dynamics of these patients from the onset of the disease to 2 months after discharge. According to the severity of lung consolidation, 18 patients were divided into two groups (mild pulmonary consolidation group [imaging score ≤10]; severe pulmonary consolidation group [imaging score >10]).Results: Eighteen patients (median age 43) were included, including 14 females. Fever (11/18) and cough (8/18) were the most common symptoms. The duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive in mild pulmonary consolidation group was significantly longer than severe pulmonary consolidation group (the median time was 30 days and 13 days, respectively, P= 0.0031). Two months after discharge, almost all patients were followed up for IgM antibody disappearance and IgG antibody production.Conclusion: In non-severe COVID-19 patients, the positive duration of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patients with mild pulmonary consolidation was longer than the severe pulmonary consolidation. However, it is necessary for a large sample to verify our conclusions.
Research on Early Warning of Renal Damage in Hypertensive Patients Based on Stacking Strategy
Authors: Bi Qiubo , Kuang Zemin , E Haihong , Song Meina , Tang Xinying , Liu Xing 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background: Among the problems caused by hypertension, the early renal damage is often ignored. It can not be diagnosed until the condition is serious and irreversible damage occurs. So we decide to screen and explore related risk factors for hypertensive patients with early renal damage, and establish early-warning model of renal damage based on the data-mining method to achieve early diagnosis for hypertensive patients with renal damage. Methods: With the aid of electronic information management system for hypertensive specialist out-patient, we collected 513 cases of original untreated hypertensive patients, and recorded their demographic data, ambulatory blood pressure parameters, blood routine index and blood biochemical index to establish the clinical database, then we screen risk factors for early renal damage through feature engineering, and use Random Forest, Extra-Trees and XGBoost to build a early-warning model respectively. Finally, we build a new model by model fusion based on Stacking strategy. We use cross validation to evaluate the stability and reliability of each mode to determine the best risk assessment model. Results: According to the degree of importance, the descending order of features selected by feature engineering is the drop rate of systolic blood pressure at night, the red blood cell distribution width, blood pressure circadian rhythm, the average diastolic blood pressure at daytime, body surface area, smoking, age and HDL. Among the early-warning models of renal damage without model fusion, XGBoost has the best effect, the average accuracy of 5-fold cross validation is 0.90457. And the average accuracy of the two-dimensional fusion model based on Stacking strategy is 0.91428, which is greatly improved. Conclusions: Through feature engineering and risk factor analysis, we select the drop rate of systolic blood pressure at night, the red blood cell distribution width, blood pressure circadian rhythm and the average diastolic blood pressure at daytime as early-warning factors of early renal damage in patients with hypertension. On this basis, the two-dimensional fusion model based on Stacking strategy has a better effect than the single model, which can be used for risk assessment of early renal damage in hypertensive patients.
Adding team-based financial incentives to the Carrot Rewards physical activity app increases daily step count on a population scale: A 24-week matched case control study
Authors: Pearson Emma , Prapavessis Harry , Higgins Christopher , Petrella Robert , White Lauren , Mitchell Marc 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background: Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) targeting physical inactivity have increased in popularity yet are usually limited by low engagement. This study examined the impact of adding team-based incentives (Step Together Challenges, STCs) to an existing mHealth app (Carrot Rewards) that rewarded individual physical activity achievements.Methods: A 24-week quasi-experimental study (retrospective matched pairs design) was conducted in three Canadian provinces (pre-intervention: weeks 1-12; intervention: weeks 13-24). Participants who used Carrot Rewards and STCs (experimental group) were matched with those who used Carrot Rewards only (controls) on age, gender, province and baseline mean daily step count (±500 steps/d). Carrot Rewards users earned individual-level incentives (worth $0.04 CAD) each day they reached a personalized daily step goal. With a single partner, STC users could earn team incentives ($0.40 CAD) for collaboratively reaching individual daily step goals 10 times in seven days (e.g., Partner A completes four goals and Partner B completes six goals in a week).Results: The main analysis included 61,170 users (mean age=32yrs; % female=64). Controlling for pre-intervention mean daily step count, a significant difference in intervention mean daily step count favoured the experimental group (p<0.0001; ηp2=0.024). The estimated marginal mean group difference was 537 steps per day, or 3759 steps per week (about 40 walking min/wk). Linear regression suggested a dose-response relationship between the number of STCs completed (app engagement) and intervention mean daily step count (adjusted R2=0.699) with each new STC corresponding to approximately 200 more steps per day.Conclusion: Despite an explosion of physical activity app interest, low engagement leading to small or no effects remains an industry hallmark. In this paper, we found that adding modest team-based incentives to the Carrot Rewards app increased mean daily step count, and importantly, app engagement moderated this effect. Others should consider novel small-teams based approaches to boost engagement and effects.
Factors influencing Adolescent Girls and Young Women's participation in a Combination HIV Prevention Intervention in South Africa
Authors: Appollis Tracy McClinton , Duby Zoe , Jonas Kim , Dietrich Janan , Maruping Kealeboga , Abdullah Fareed , Slingers Nevilene , Mathews Catherine 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background: For interventions to reach those they are intended for, an understanding of the factors that influence their participation, as well as the facilitators and barriers of participation are needed. This study explores factors associated with participation in a combination HIV prevention intervention targeting adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15–24-years-old, as well as the experiences of AGYW, intervention implementers, and facilitators who participated in this intervention. Methods: This study used mixed-methods approach with quantitative household survey data from 4399 AGYW aged 15-24-years-old in six of the ten districts in which the intervention was implemented. In addition, qualitative methods included semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in five of the ten intervention districts with 185 AGYW who participated in one or more of the key components of the intervention, and 13 intervention implementers and 13 facilitators. Results: Findings reveal that almost half of AGYW (48.4%) living in the districts where the intervention took place, participated in at least one of the components of the intervention. For both 15-19-year-olds and 20-24-year-olds, factors associated with increased participation in the intervention included being HIV negative, in school, never been pregnant, and having had a boyfriend. Experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or sexual violence in the past 12 months was associated with increased levels of participation in the intervention for 20-24-year-olds only. In our analysis of the qualitative data, facilitators to participation included motivating participants to join the interventions through explaining the benefits of the programme. Barriers included misguided expectations about financial rewards or job opportunities; competing responsibilities, interests or activities; family responsibilities including childcare; inappropriate incentives; inability to disrupt the school curriculum and difficulties with conducting interventions after school hours due to safety concerns; miscommunication about meetings; as well as struggles to reach out-of-school AGYW.Conclusion: Designers of combination HIV prevention interventions need to address the structural barriers to participation so that AGYW can attend without risking their safety and compromising their family, childcare and schooling responsibilities. Strategies to create demand need to include clear communication about the nature and potential benefits of such interventions, and the inclusion of valued incentives.
Association of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia on incident hyperuricemia: An 8-year prospective cohort study
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Zhang Miaomiao , Yu Xiawen , Wei Fengjiang , Chen Chen , Zhang Kai , Feng Shuzhi , Wang Yaogang , Li Wei-Dong 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background Hypertension and high triglyceride are two of the most important risk factors for hyperuricemia. Epidemiological records show that hypertension and dyslipidemia often coexist and may significantly increase the risk of target organ damage. However, their combined effect on incident hyperuricemia is poorly understood. Thus, we aimed to investigate the separate and combined effect of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia on the incidence of hyperuricemia. Methods A prospective cohort study of 6424 hyperuricemia-free participants aged 20 to 94 years between August 2009 and October 2017 was performed at Tianjin General Hospital of China. Participants were categorized into four groups by combining hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia status at baseline. The restricted cubic spline fitting Cox regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between blood pressure and triglyceride and hyperuricemia. Cox regression models were performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confident intervals (CIs) to estimate baseline factors and their association with the incidence of hyperuricemia. A Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was performed to compare the incidence of hyperuricemia among subjects in each separate and combined hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia group. Results During the 8-year follow-up period, 1,259 subjects developed hyperuricemia (20.6%). There existed positive relationships between blood pressure and triglyceride levels and hyperuricemia. This risk factor arising from a combination of the two (HR, 3.02; 95% CI: 2.60-3.50) is greater than that from hypertension (HR, 1.48; 95% CI: 1.28-1.71) or hypertriglyceridemia (HR, 1.84; 95% CI: 1.55-2.18) separately. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis indicated that combined effect of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia may predict higher onset of hyperuricemia. Conclusion The combined effect of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia on the risk of hyperuricemia is much stronger than that by hypertension or hypertriglyceridemia separately. Hypertension combined with hypertriglyceridemia may be an independent and powerful predictor for hyperuricemia.
Intracholecystic papillary neoplasm arising in a patient with pancreaticobiliary maljunction: A case report
Authors: Iwasaki Toshimitsu , Otsuka Yasuhiro , Miyata Yoichi , Einama Takahiro , Tsujimoto Hironori , Ueno Hideki , Ogata Sho , Kishi Yoji 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background: Pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) is a congenital abnormality in which the pancreatic and biliary ducts join anatomically outside the duodenal wall resulting in the regurgitation of pancreatic juice into the biliary tract (pancreatobiliary reflux). Persistent pancreatobiliary reflux causes injury to the epithelium of the biliary tract and promotes the risk of biliary cancer. Intracholecyctic papillary neoplasm (ICPN) has been highlighted in the context of a cholecystic counterpart of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas and the bile duct, but the tumorigenesis of ICPNs remains unclear. Case presentation: A 52-year-old Japanese woman was referred for the assessment of dilation of the bile duct. Computed tomography revealed an enhanced mass in the gallbladder and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography confirmed that the confluence of main pancreatic duct and extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) was located outside the duodenal wall. Under the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer with PBM, cholecystectomy with full thickness dissection, EHBD resection, lymph node dissection, and hepaticojejunostomy were performed. Macroscopic examination of the resected specimen showed that the cystic duct was dilated and joined into the EHBD just above its confluence with the pancreatic duct, and the inflamed change of noncancerous mucosa of gallbladder indicating that there was considerable mucosal injury due to pancreatobiliary reflux to the gallbladder. Histopathological examination revealed that the gallbladder tumor was a gastric-type ICPN with non-invasive component. Either KRAS gene mutation or p53 protein expression that were known to be associated with the carcinogenesis of biliary cancer under the condition of pancreatobiliary reflux was not detected in the tumor cells of ICPN. Conclusion: The present case might suggest that there was no association between PBM and ICPN. To reveal the tumorigenesis of ICPN and its attribution to pancreatobiliary reflux, however, further study is warranted.
Serial measurements of Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) activity in horses with experimentally induced endotoxemia
Authors: Scavone Donatella , SGORBINI MICAELA , Borges Alexandre Secorun , de Oliveira-Filho Josè Paes , Vitale Valentina , Paltrinieri Saverio 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background: Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is an antioxidant enzyme, whose activity decreases during the acute phase response in many species. Little is known about PON-1 and its role as a negative acute phase protein during septic inflammation in horses, but promising findings about its utility in diagnosing SIRS and predicting the outcome in diseased horses, were recently highlighted. The objective of the study was to investigate the behaviour of PON-1 in horses after experimentally induced endotoxemia. To this aim, PON-1 activity was measured on 66 plasma samples collected from six clinically healthy mares, previously included in another study, before and at multiple time points between 12 and 240 hours after intravenous infusion of Escherichia coli O55:B5 lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results: compared with baseline values, a progressive transient decrease of PON-1 activity was observed starting from 24 hours post-infusion, with lowest values observed between 3 to 7 days post-infusion, followed by a normalisation to pre-infusion levels the tenth day. Conclusions: the results of this study suggest that measurement and monitoring of PON-1 activity might be useful to evaluate progression and recovery from endotoxemia in horses. Further studies in horses with naturally occurring sepsis are warranted.
Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part I: Colorimetry and interferometric microscopy of gilded models
Authors: Wu Qing , Hauldenschild Meret , Rösner Benedikt , Lombardo Tiziana , Schmidt-Ott Katharina , Watts Benjamin , Nolting Frithjof , Ganz David 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
In the history of medieval gilding, a common view has been circulated for centuries that the substrate colour can influence the visual appearance of a gilded surface. In order to fully understand the correlation between the gilding substrate and the colour appearance of the gold leaf laid above, in this paper (Part I) analytical techniques such as colorimetry and interferometric microscopy are implemented on models made from modern gold leaves. This study demonstrates that the substrate colour is not perceptible for gold leaf of at least 100 nm thickness, however the surface burnishing can greatly alter the visual appearance of a gold surface, and the quality of the burnishing is dependent on the substrate materials. Additionally, surface roughness and texture of the substrate can play supplementary roles, which can be visually observed through digital microscopy and quantified through interferometric microscopy. The findings in this paper will form the basis for the study of gold leaf samples taken from medieval European gilded sculptures in Part II.
Epidemiological and genomic characteristics of Acinetobacter baumannii from different infection sites using comparative genomics
Authors: Bian Xingchen , Liu Xiaofen , Zhang Xuefei , Li Xin , Zhang Jing , Zheng Huajun , Song Sichao , Li Xiang , Feng Meiqing 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
Acinetobacter baumannii is a common nosocomial pathogen that poses a huge threat to global health. Owing to the severity of A. baumannii infections, it became necessary to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of A. baumannii in Chinese hospitals and ascertain the reasons for the high antibiotic resistance rate and severe infections. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiologic and genetic characteristics of A. baumannii isolated from patients with hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP), bloodstream infection (BSI) and urinary tract infection (UTI) in China and uncover potential mechanisms for multi-drug resistance using whole genome sequencing.
Results
All isolates were classified into one of two primary clades. Clonal complex 208 (CC208) mainly consisted of ST195 (32%) and ST208 (24.6%). CC208 and non-CC208 isolates had carbapenem resistance rates of 96.2% and 9.1%, respectively. UTI isolates possessed the greatest number of unique genes enriched in 'Replication, recombination, and repair' and ‘Amino acid transport and metabolism’ although the numbers of genes specific to HAP-isolates were fewer. No specific virulence gene was identified when comparing isolates from the three infection sites, but most isolates possessed virulence factors related to polysaccharide biosynthesis, capsular polysaccharide synthesis and motility. ABGRI1 antibiotic resistance islands were responsible for streptomycin, tetracycline and sulfonate resistance. The blaOXA−23 gene was the most probable cause for carbapenem resistance, although the blaOXA−66 gene with nonsynonymous SNPs (F82L, I129L) was not.
Conclusions
Our study illustrates epidemiological and genomic characteristics of A. baumannii from HAP, BSI and UTI in China and reveals possible molecular mechanisms of multi-drug resistance. The differential resistance, virulence and genetic features provide supportive evidence for the diverse sites of infection caused by A. baumannii.
Differential DNA Methylation is associated with Hippocampal Abnormalities in Pediatric Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Ensink Judith , Keding Taylor , Henneman Peter , Venema Andrea , Papale Ligia , Alisch Reid , Westerman Yousha , Wingen Guido van , Zantvoord Jasper , Middeldorp Christel , Mannens Marcel , Herringa Ryan , Lindauer Ramón 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Recent findings in neuroimaging and epigenetics offer important insights into brain structures and biological pathways of altered gene expression associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is unknown to what extent epigenetic mechanisms are associated with PTSD and its neurobiology in youth. Therefore, we combine genome-wide epigenetic and structural neuroimaging measures in a Dutch cohort of youth with PTSD (ages 8-18 years). We aimed to replicate findings in a similar independent American cohort. We found significant methylome-wide associations for pediatric PTSD (FDR p<0.05) compared to non-PTSD control groups (traumatized and non-traumatized youth). Methylation differences on 9 genes were replicated, including genes related to glucocorticoid functioning. In both cohorts, methylation on OLFM3 gene was further associated with anterior hippocampal volume. These findings point to molecular pathways involved in inflammation, stress response, and neuroplasticity as potential contributors to neural abnormalities and provide potentially unique biomarkers and treatment targets for pediatric PTSD.