bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A simple method for detection of a novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) using one‐step RT‐PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism
Authors: Son Ho Anh , Hang Dinh Thi Thu , Thuan Nghiem Duc , Quyen Le Thi Bao , Thuong Luong Thi Hoai , Nga Vu Thi , Quang Le Bach , Hung Trinh Thanh , Son Nguyen Thai , Linh Nguyen Tung , Nam Le Van , Van Ba Nguyen , Tien Tran Viet , Quyet Do , Van Luong Hoang , Su Hoang Xuan 
Published: June 2020

AbstractA novel coronavirus associated with acute respiratory disease (named SARS‐CoV‐2) is recently identified in Wuhan city, China, spread rapidly worldwide. Early identification of this novel coronavirus by molecular tools is critical for surveillance and control of the epidemic outbreak. We aimed to establish a simple method for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 in differentiating with SARS‐CoV. Primers of our in‐house reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) assays were designed to target conserved regions of the RdRP gene and E gene, selected restriction enzymes EcoRI, Tsp45I, and AluI to distinguish between SARS‐CoV‐2 and SARS‐CoV. In this report, a 396‐bp fragment of the RdRp gene and 345‐bp fragment of the E gene were amplified by one‐step RT‐PCR. Enzyme Tsp45I cuts the RdRP‐amplified product of SARS‐CoV‐2 generating three fragments of 45, 154, and 197 bp, but it did not cut the amplicon of SARS‐CoV. In contrast, the amplified product of SARS‐CoV was digested with EcoRI producing two fragments of 76 and 320 bp, whereas the amplicon of SARS‐CoV‐2 was undigested by Tsp45I help to distinguish clearly SARS‐CoV‐2 from SARS‐CoV on gel electrophoresis. In addition, AluI cut the amplicon of the E gene of SARS‐CoV‐2 generating two fragments of 248 and 97 bp without cutting to SARS‐CoV. The accuracy of the assay was confirmed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. When evaluated on clinical samples showed a high sensitivity of 95%, specificity of our assay was 100% and clinical performance for detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 in comparison with other reference assays. In conclusion, in the present study, we successfully developed a simple method for molecular detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 in differentiating with SARS‐CoV.
Simple methods to remove microbes from leaf surfaces
Authors: Saldierna Guzmán J. Paola , Nguyen Kennedy , Hart Stephen C. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractEndophytes have been defined as microorganisms living inside plant tissues without causing negative effects on their hosts. Endophytic microbes have been extensively studied for their plant growth‐promoting traits. However, analyses of endophytes require complete removal of epiphytic microorganisms. We found that the established tests to evaluate surface sterility, polymerase chain reaction, and leaf imprints, are unreliable. Therefore, we used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as an additional assessment of epiphyte removal. We used a diverse suite of sterilization protocols to remove epiphytic microorganisms from the leaves of a gymnosperm and an angiosperm tree to test the influence of leaf morphology on the efficacy of these methods. Additionally, leaf tissue damage was also evaluated by SEM, as damaging the leaves might have an impact on endophytes and could lead to inaccurate assessment of endophytic communities. Our study indicates, that complete removal of the leaf cuticle by the sterilization technique assures loss of epiphytic microbes, and that leaves of different tree species may require different sterilization protocols. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the importance of choosing the appropriate sterilization protocol to prevent erroneous interpretation of host‐endophyte interactions. Moreover, it shows the utility of SEM for evaluating the effectiveness of surface sterilization methods and their impact on leaf tissue integrity.
Post‐discharge venous thromboembolism after pancreatectomy for malignancy: Predicting risk based on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors
Authors: Schlick Cary Jo R. , Merkow Ryan P. , Yang Anthony D. , Bentrem David J. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesExtended chemoprophylaxis is recommended for high‐risk patients following pancreatectomy for malignancy. However, quantifying risk remains difficult. We sought to (a) identify factors associated with post‐discharge venous thromboembolism (VTE) following pancreatectomy for malignancy and (b) develop a post‐discharge VTE risk calculator to identify high‐risk patients.MethodsPatients who underwent pancreatectomy for malignant histology from 2014 to 2018 were identified from the ACS NSQIP pancreatectomy procedure targeted dataset. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors known at hospital discharge were evaluated for association with post‐discharge VTE via multivariable logistic regression. A post‐discharge VTE risk calculator was developed and validated.ResultsOf 19 340 analyzed patients, 280 (1.5%) developed post‐discharge VTE. Post‐discharge VTE was associated with increasing body mass index (BMI; eg, morbidly obese BMI odds ratio [OR]: 1.99 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.30‐3.02] vs normal BMI), procedure type (distal pancreatectomy OR: 1.47 [95% CI: 1.02‐2.12] vs pancreaticoduodenectomy), pancreatic fistula (OR: 1.59 [95% CI: 1.19‐2.13]) and delayed gastric emptying (OR: 1.81 [95% CI: 1.29‐2.52]). Patients’ predicted probability of post‐discharge VTE ranged from 0.7% to 9.0%. Twenty iterations of 10‐fold cross‐validation demonstrated internal validity.ConclusionsPreoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors were associated with post‐discharge VTE following pancreatectomy for malignancy. This post‐discharge VTE risk calculator allows for quantification of individual post‐discharge VTE risk, which ranged from 0.7% to 9.0%.
Long‐term survival following minimally invasive extended cholecystectomy for gallbladder cancer: A 7‐year experience from the National Cancer Database
Authors: AlMasri Samer , Nassour Ibrahim , Tohme Samer , Adam Mohamed Abdelgadir , Hoehn Richard S. , Bartlett David L. , Lee Kenneth K. , Zureikat Amer H. , Paniccia Alessandro 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundOpen extended cholecystectomy (O‐EC) has long been the recommended treatment for resectable gallbladder cancer (GBC), while the minimally‐invasive approach for EC (MIS‐EC) remains controversial. Our aim was to analyze overall survival of GBC patients treated with MIS‐EC vs O‐EC at the national level.MethodsA retrospective review of the National Cancer Database of patients with resectable GBC (2010‐2016) and treated with either MIS‐EC or O‐EC was performed. Overall survival (OS) was compared by the surgical approach.ResultsA total of 680 patients were identified, of whom 235 (34.6%) underwent MIS‐EC. There were no differences in the rates of positive margins between MIS‐EC and O‐EC (14% vs 19%, respectively; P = .278), and in the mean lymph node yield (6.54 vs 6.66, respectively; P = .914). The median survival following MIS‐EC was significantly higher than that of O‐EC (39 vs 26 months; P = .048). After stratification by pathological stage and after adjustment, there was no significant difference in OS between the groups (HR = 0.9, 95% CI, 0.6‐1.5).ConclusionIn this large national cohort, MIS‐EC oncologic outcomes were noninferior to the O‐EC. Proficiency with MIS techniques, proper patient selection, and referral to specialized centers may allow a greater benefit from this treatment modality.
Effervescent tablet‐assisted demulsified dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplet for determination of methadone in water and biological samples prior to GC‐flame ionization and GC‐MS
Authors: Jafarinejad Masoomeh , Ezoddin Maryam , Lamei Navid , Abdi Khosrou , Babhadi‐Ashar Nima , Pirooznia Nazanin , Akhgari Maryam 
Published: June 2020

AbstractA novel effervescent tablet‐assisted demulsified dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on the solidification of floating organic droplet was developed to determine methadone prior to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. In this method, a tablet composed of citric acid, sodium carbonate, and 1‐undecanol was utilized. The resulting effervescent tablet generated carbon dioxide in situ to disperse 1‐undecanol in the sample. Thus, the dispersive and extraction processes were performed in one synchronous step. An aliquot of acetonitrile as the demulsifier solvent was used for the separation of two phases instead of centrifugation. Under optimal conditions, the developed method was linear up to 50 000 µg/L with correlation coefficients higher than 0.99. Moreover, limits of detection and limits of the quantification were in the range of 3‐10 and 7‐30 µg/L in water and biological samples, respectively. Intra‐ and interday precisions (n = 6) of the spiked methadone at a concentration level of 50 µg/L were over ranges of 5.1‐6.8% and 5.7‐7.1%, respectively. The preconcentration factors and recovery values were obtained in the range of 140‐145 and 98.1 to 101.6% in real samples, respectively.
Emotion Dysregulation Prospectively Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity 3 Months After Trauma Exposure
Authors: Forbes Courtney N. , Tull Matthew T. , Rapport Daniel , Xie Hong , Kaminski Brian , Wang Xin 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDespite growing evidence in support of emotion dysregulation as a risk factor for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma exposure, few studies have examined temporal relations between emotion dysregulation and the onset and/or worsening of PTSD symptoms over time. The aim of the present study was to extend research on temporal associations between emotion dysregulation and PTSD in a sample of individuals recruited from hospital emergency departments soon after a traumatic event. Adult participants (N = 85; 62.4% female) completed self‐report measures of emotion dysregulation and PTSD symptoms within 2 weeks of experiencing a traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD were assessed approximately 3 months posttrauma. The results of a hierarchical linear regression analysis demonstrated that the inclusion of emotion dysregulation accounted for a significant amount of unique variance, β = .23, ΔR2 = .04, p = .042, in 3‐month PTSD symptom severity over and above other risk factors and baseline PTSD symptoms. No specific facet of emotion dysregulation emerged as a significant predictor of 3‐month PTSD symptoms when all facets were included on the same step of the model, βs = −.04–.33, ps = .133–.954. These results demonstrate that posttraumatic emotion dysregulation may predict PTSD symptoms 3 months after trauma exposure. These findings are consistent with a growing body of literature that speaks to the relevance of emotional processes to the onset and maintenance of PTSD following exposure to a traumatic event.
Sol–Gel Transitions of Comb‐Like Polymethacrylate Copolymers by Mechano‐Thermal Stimuli in Water
Authors: Jonnalagadda Umesh S. , Nguyen Tuan Minh , Li Feifei , Lee Jim H. C. , Liu Xu , Goto Atsushi , Kwan James J. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractSonogelation by supramolecular gelators is highlighted as a paradigm shift for their potential applications in material and biomedical sciences. Yet, these materials require organic solvents and low‐frequency ultrasound, limiting their utility. Here, a comb‐like polymethacrylate copolymer is synthesized with 2,6‐bis(1‐methylbenzimidazolyl)‐4‐oxypyridine tridentate ligand randomly distributed on poly(ethylene glycol) side chains. Upon addition of zinc perchlorate salt, this copolymer rapidly forms a hydrogel after exposure to either mechanical (i.e., ultrasound) or thermal stimuli. Spectroscopic analysis, to elucidate the mechanism, indicates metal ion coordination to ligand as well as the carbonyl and ethylene glycol units; interestingly, 1H‐NMR suggests that the coordination between tridentate ligand moiety and Zn2+ is unexpectedly weaker in water than in acetonitrile. Investigations by dynamic light scattering indicates that the copolymer forms nanodispersions in excess salt, which coalesces to form a hydrogel by either heating or high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Rheological quantification of these gels suggests stronger crosslinking by HIFU compared to heating.
Wear behavior of laser metal deposited 17‐4 PH SS‐W composite at varied tungsten powder flow rate
Authors: Mahamood R.M. , Adeyemi A.A. , Akinlabi S.A. , Hassan S. , Fatoba O.S. , Akinlabi E.T. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThis research studies the wear behavior of laser metal deposition of 17‐4 PH SS‐W composite using a 6 mm alumina‐stainless steel ball under a load of 10 N, for 16 minutes, 40 seconds and with acquisition rate of 100 Hz conducted at 25 °C. The effect of laser power of between 2600 W and 1500 W; and powder flow rate of between 0.5 min−1 and 2.0 min−1 on wear resistance is investigated. Other processing parameters are constant throughout the experiments. The results show that the 17‐4 PH SS‐W composite produced at a high laser power of 2600 W exhibits a higher wear resistance as compared to the 17‐4 PH SS‐W composite samples produced at low laser power of 1500 W. The 17‐4 PH SS‐W composite sample produced at high laser power of 2600 W with tungsten powder flow rate of 2.0 min−1 has the highest wear resistance with wear volume of 0.0276 mm3 and wear rate of 8.8 ⋅ 10−5 mm3/N m while the 17‐4 PH SS‐W composite sample produced at a low laser power of 1500 W with tungsten powder flow rate of 1.0 min−1 has the wear volume of 0.02834 mm3 and wear rate of 9.0 ⋅ 10−5 mm3/N m.
Effects of side‐groove and loading rate on the fracture properties of aluminium alloy AL‐6061
Authors: Kadhim M.H. , Latif N.A. , Harimon M.A. , Shamran A.A. , Abbas D.R. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe side‐groove effect on the fracture behavior of aluminum alloy AL‐6061 in single edge notch bending (SENB) specimens was studied. Aluminum alloys are broadly used to reduce the weight of vehicles as a structural component due to the excellent mechanical properties, lightweight characteristics, easy fabrication, and high specific strength, as aluminum alloys are exposed to high velocity and different loads during accidents. Therefore, acknowledging the impact behaviors of aluminum alloys are crucial. In the current research, 3‐point bending test was performed at various loading rates of 10 mm/min, 30 mm/min and 50 mm/min on different specimen thicknesses of 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm and 25 mm and several side‐groove depths. The side‐groove depth is determined according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM E399) requirements standard. The result indicates that the shear lips ratio of fracture surface was decreased, which consequently showed a change of large scale yielding to small scale yielding with increasing the specimen thicknesses. Accordingly, J values were increased with increasing the specimen thicknesses. Fracture surface observation shows that the fracture manners are ductile and less ductile as the side‐groove increased. Conclusively, the ductility of Al‐6061 alloy slightly decreased with increasing side‐groove depths and loading rates.
SlowN‐acetylation as a possible contributor to bladder carcinogenesis
Authors: El Kawak Michelle , Dhaini Hassan R. , Jabbour Michel E. , Moussa Mohamad A. , El Asmar Khalil , Aoun Mona 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBladder cancer (BCa) is an exophytic tumor that presents as either noninvasive confined to the mucosa (NMIBC) or invading the detrusor muscle (MIBC), and was recently further subgrouped into molecular subtypes. Arylamines, major BCa environmental and occupational risk factors, are mainly metabolized by the genetically polymorphicN‐acetyltransferases 1, NAT1 andNAT2. In this study, we investigated the association betweenN‐acetyltransferases genetic polymorphism and key MIBC and NMIBC tumor biomarkers and subtypes. A cohort of 250 males with histologically confirmed urothelial BCa was identified. Tumors were genotyped forNAT1andNAT2using real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and characterized for mutations inTP53, RB1, andFGFR3by PCR‐restriction fragment length polymorphism. Pathology data and patients' smoking status were obtained from medical records. Pearsonχ2and Fisher exact tests were used to check for associations and interactions. Results show thatNAT1G560A polymorphism is significantly associated with higher muscle‐invasiveness (MIBC vs NMIBC;P = .001), higher tumor grade (high grade vs low grade;P = .011), and higherFGFR3mutation frequency within the MIBC subgroup (P = .042; .027).NAT2G857A polymorphism is also found to be significantly associated with higher muscle‐invasiveness (MIBC vs NMIBC;P = .041). Our results indicate that slowN‐acetylation is a contributor to bladder carcinogenesis and muscle‐invasiveness. These findings highlightNAT1as a biomarker candidate in BCa and a potential target for drug development.
Endocrine profiling in patients with Fanconi anemia, homozygous for a FANCG founder mutation
Authors: Dillon Bronwyn , Feben Candice , Segal David , du Plessis Johannes , Reynders David , Wainwright Rosalind , Poole Janet , Krause Amanda 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundFanconi anemia (FA) is phenotypically diverse, hereditary condition associated with bone marrow failure, multiple physical abnormalities, and an increased susceptibility to the development of malignancies. Less recognized manifestations of FA include endocrine abnormalities. International discourse has highlighted that these abnormalities are widespread among children and adults with FA. To date there has been no systematic study that has evaluated the endocrine abnormalities in a cohort of patients with FA, homozygous for a founder mutation (c.637_643del (p.Tyr213Lysfs*6)) in FANCG. The objectives of the study were to evaluate endocrine gland function in patients with FA of a single FA genotype, and to determine the frequency and nature of endocrine abnormalities in this group.MethodsCross‐sectional, descriptive study of 24 South African patients of African ancestry with FA (homozygous for a FANCG founder mutation). Outcomes measured included growth, pubertal status, growth hormone axis screening, thyroid gland function, glucose and insulin metabolism and bone age (BA).ResultsEndocrine dysfunction was present in 70.8% (17 of 24), including abnormal insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1)/insulin‐like growth factor‐binding protein 3 (IGFBP‐3) in 25.0% (6 of 24), insulin resistance in 41.7% (10 of 24), abnormal thyroid function in 16.7% (4 of 24) and short stature in 45.8% (11 of 24). No abnormalities of glucose metabolism were identified. Abnormal pubertal status was seen in three males (12.5%). Abnormal BAs were present in 34.8% (8 of 23).ConclusionEndocrine abnormalities occur at a high frequency in patients with FA, homozygous for a FANCG founder mutation, similar to other FA cohorts. Our data are specific to FA patients with a single genotype, and therefore provide the first genotype‐phenotype information on endocrine abnormalities in South African patients, homozygous for a FANCG founder mutation. Recommendations regarding endocrine screening in this patient subgroup are made, including, but not limited to, baseline testing of thyroid function, fasted insulin and glucose, and IGF‐1 and IGFBP‐3.
Spin crossover properties of Fe(III) complexes in [Fe (bzacen)(tvp)]BPh4·nSolv chain structures: EPR study
Authors: Ivanova Tatyana A. , Ovchinnikov Igor V. , Turanova Olga A. , Bazan Leah V. , Shustov Vladimir A. , Batulin Ruslan G. , Cherosov Mikhail A. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractTwo types of Fe(III) polynuclear iron(III) 1D‐chain coordination compounds of the general formula [Fe (L)(tvp)]BPh4 nSolv, where L = dianion of N,N′‐ethylenebis (benzoylacetylacetone)2,2′‐imine (bzacen), tvp = 1,2‐di(4‐pyridyl)ethylene were synthesized and studied by the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and magnetic susceptibility methods in the temperature range (100–300) К. Two types of spin‐variable complexes are formed depending on the time of precipitation of the complexes from the same solution leading to differently solvated species. They have different characteristics of the local ligand field and the spin transition behavior. The thermodynamic parameters of spin transitions were determined from the temperature dependence of the EPR signals integral intensity. The energy levels splitting values obtained by analyzing g‐factors of low‐spin Fe(III) centers evidenced not only on the crucial role of low‐symmetry distortions on the principal possibility of spin‐crossover processes, but also on the temperature peculiarities of spin transitions.
Cooperativity in a cycloalkane‐1,2/1,3‐polyol corona: Topological hydrogen bonding in 1,2‐diol motifs
Authors: Lomas John S. , Rosenberg Robert E. , Brémond Eric 
Published: June 2020

AbstractA corona, consisting of 18 carbon atoms bearing 12 hydroxy groups in a continuous hydrogen‐bonded chain, is built up by alternating degenerate conformations of alternating alkane‐1,2‐diol and 1,3‐diol motifs. Geometries, proton nuclear magnetic resonance shifts and interaction energies for the dodecahydroxycyclo‐octadecane and selected fragments are determined by density functional calculations at the B3LYP/6‐311+G(d,p) level. Cooperative effects of O–H⋯O–H bonding are evident from the simple juxtaposition of these two motifs with a common OH group in butane‐1,2,4‐triol conformers. Bracketing a 1,2‐diol motif with two 1,3‐diol motifs in hexane‐1,3,4,6‐tetrol leads to a structure in which the 1,2‐diol motif displays a bond critical point for hydrogen bonding. This is associated with enhancement of the shift of the hydrogen‐bonded OH proton and of the corresponding H⋯O interaction energy. The full corona has a complete outer ring of O–H⋯O–H bond paths, and an inner ring of bond paths, due to C–H⋯H–C hydrogen–hydrogen bonding, which result in a central ring critical point. The topological O–H⋯O–H hydrogen bond, never seen in simple alkane‐1,2‐diols, is associated with cooperative enhancement of the H⋯O interaction energy, but this is not a necessary condition for a bond path: values for topological C–H⋯H–C hydrogen–hydrogen bonds can be as low as −0.4 kcal mol−1.
Development of a flowchart reflecting the current attitude and approach towards idiopathic overactive bladder treatment in Belgium: A Delphi study
Authors: Ghijselings Lynn , Hervé Francois , Van der Aa Frank , De Wachter Stefan , Pauwaert Kim , Haddad Rebecca , Beeckman Dimitri , Pattyn Piet , Everaert Karel 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAimsIdiopathic overactive bladder syndrome (iOAB) is a prevalent condition in urological practice. The variability in management between specialists and between centers remains high. Even existing guidelines contain inconsistencies. We aimed to develop a treatment algorithm for iOAB for use in daily clinical practice.MethodsFrom October 2018 till November 2019, a Delphi study was conducted to obtain expert consensus on the management of iOAB. Members from the Belgian Working Group of Functional Urology were asked to rate online statements, based on gaps and variabilities between the American Urology Association (AUA), European Association of Urology (EAU) and International Consultation on Incontinence (ICI) guidelines on iOAB. The consensus was reached if ≥75% of the panel agreed on the level of appropriateness. Two Delphi rounds and an open discussion session were held.ResultsTwenty out of 49 members completed the first round and 18 completed the second round. The consensus was reached on 44/143 statements and 15/56 statements in the first and second round, respectively. The consensus was reached on criteria by which to phenotype OAB patients, the terminology relating to the first‐, second‐ and third‐line treatment, the duration of therapies, the chronological order, and the choice between therapies. No consensus was reached on the role of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in the treatment algorithm.ConclusionsA flowchart reflecting the current attitude and approach of a Delphi expert panel towards the treatment of iOAB was developed. We propose its use in daily clinical practice to increase the standardization of OAB treatment.