bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Atopic dermatitis in the elderly Caucasian population: diagnostic clinical criteria and review of the literature
Authors: Chello Camilla , Carnicelli Giorgia , Sernicola Alvise , Gagliostro Nazareno , Paolino Giovanni , Di Fraia Marco , Faina Valentina , Muharremi Rovena , Grieco Teresa 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing eczematous dermatitis typically affecting young patients in a percentage from 15 to 20%; although it typically affects young people and adults, recent papers highlighted the emerging of the disease in the elderly population.MethodsThe aim of the study was to identify the clinical criteria and allergic sensitization that may be able to support physicians and dermatologists in making a correct diagnosis of AD in the elderly. The second aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, the main features, the gender prevalence, the immunological profile, and comorbidities characterizing patients older than 65 years affected by AD.ResultsBased on clinical and serological patterns, different phenotypes of AD were identified: generalized AD (55%) characterized by eczematous lesions involving typical areas of the body or prurigo nodularis‐like AD; chronic eczematous hand dermatitis (23%); face and neck involvement (9%); and nummular eczema (13%). Skin prick tests revealed a positivity for aeroallergens in 49.6% of patients, most of them being polysensitized (55%). Additionally, food skin prick tests were positive in 25% of patients. Most of the patients reported comorbidities, particularly IgE‐mediated diseases, such as seasonal rhino‐conjunctivitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as meteorism, dyspepsia, cramps/abdominal pain, and diarrhea/constipation, were observed in 35% of patients consequent to food allergy.ConclusionIn our study, we suggest clinical and serological criteria that may be able to guide in the diagnosis of AD in Caucasian elderly, and to design an appropriate treatment according to the current standard protocol.
Clinical variability of the GJB4:c.35G > A gene variant: a study of a large Brazilian erythrokeratodermia pedigree
Authors: de Oliveira Renan Tironi G. , Christofolini Denise Maria , Criado Paulo R. , Lacaz Martins Eduardo , Kelsell David , Machado Filho Carlos D’Apparecida Santos 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundErythrokeratodermas are a heterogeneous group of keratinization disorders. They are inherited in both autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive pattern. Erythrokeratoderma variabilis et progressive (EKVP) is a disorder caused by variations in genes that codify connexins (GJA1, GJB3, GJB4). The distinction between different phenotypes is not always simple. Age of presentation varies from birth to adulthood; stationary or migratory erythematous plaques associated with nonmigratory hyperkeratosis are characteristic of this disorder. Nails, hair, and teeth are not affected.MethodsIn order to describe the clinical phenotypes and molecular findings in a large Brazilian pedigree affected by erythrokeratoderma, we performed a clinical evaluation of four patients with different presentations of erythrokeratoderma from the same family, in which there are 35 affected members distributed in six generations. Genomic DNA evaluation by Sanger sequencing of GJB3 and GJB4 was performed in two affected family members with different phenotypes.ResultsClinical heterogeneity in affected patients was remarkable. In patients investigated with genetic testing, a heterozygous pathogenic gene variant in the GJB4 (gap junction protein beta‐4) gene was found positive for GJB4:c.35G>A (rsrs80358211). One patient also presented a synonymous variant in GJB3:c.357C>T (rs41310442).ConclusionVariants in GJB4 are classically associated with Erythrokeratodermia variabilis, but there is remarkable clinical heterogeneity. Our observation that the same variant caused different phenotypes within the same family corroborates clinical heterogeneity and suggests that other genes that compose the genetic background exert some influence on the disease phenotype.
COVID‐19 and the clinical hematology laboratory
Authors: Frater John L. , Zini Gina , d’Onofrio Giuseppe , Rogers Heesun J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. The etiologic agent is a novel coronavirus of presumed zoonotic origin with structural similarity to the viruses responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Like SARS and MERS, COVID‐19 infection manifests most frequently with lower respiratory symptoms. A minority of patients progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome/ diffuse alveolar damage. In addition to its central role in the diagnosis of COVID‐19 infection, the clinical laboratory provides critical information to clinicians regarding prognosis, disease course, and response to therapy. The purpose of this review is to (a) provide background context about the origins and course of the pandemic, (b) discuss the laboratory's role in the diagnosis of COVID‐19 infection, (c) summarize the current state of biomarker analysis in COVID‐19 infection, with an emphasis on markers derived from the hematology laboratory, (d) comment on the impact of COVID‐19 on hematology laboratory safety, and (e) describe the impact the pandemic has had on organized national and international educational activities worldwide.
M2 polarization of tumor‐associated macrophages is dependent on integrin β3 via peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ up‐regulation in breast cancer
Authors: Shu Yuxin , Qin Menghao , Song Yue , Tang Qing , Huang Yahong , Shen Pingping , Lu Yan 
Published: April 2020

SummaryMacrophages are particularly abundant and play an important role throughout the tumor progression process, namely, tumor‐associated macrophages (TAM) in the tumor microenvironment. TAM can be polarized to disparate functional phenotypes, the M1 and M2 macrophages. M1‐like type macrophages are defined as pro‐inflammatory cells involved in killing cancer cells, while M2‐like type cells can specially promote tumor growth and metastasis, tissue remodeling and immunosuppression. In this study, we first found that integrin β3 was highly expressed on the surface of TAM, both in vivo and in vitro, that displayed the M2‐like characteristics. Under intervention of CYC or triptolide, the integrin β3 inhibitors, the M2 polarization of TAM could be inhibited. Moreover, in the cell model of M2 polarization, either blockade or knockout/knockdown of integrin β3 could also suppress macrophage M2 polarization, which suggested that the M2 polarization was dependent on integrin β3. Using knockdown of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPARγ), an M2 regulator, we found that expression and activation of PPARγ participated in M2 polarization that was mediated by integrin β3. Finally, to verify the activity of integrin β3 inhibitors on TAM in vivo, 4T1 tumor‐bearing mice were treated with CYC or triptolide; in response, the M1/M2 ratio of TAM was up‐regulated, while the infiltration of total lymphocytes into tumor tissue was not altered. In general, our study found a connection between integrin β3 and macrophage polarization, which provides a strategy for facilitating M2 to M1 repolarization and reconstructing the tumor immune microenvironment.
A 50‐year history of the health impacts of Westernization on the lifestyle of Japanese Americans: A focus on the Hawaii–Los Angeles–Hiroshima Study
Authors: Yoneda Masayasu , Kobuke Kazuhiro 
Published: April 2020

AbstractA medical survey of Japanese Americans have been carried out since 1970; in particular, this survey was administered to the Japanese emigrants from Hiroshima (Japan) to Hawaii or Los Angeles (USA) and their offspring. Labeled the Hawaii–Los Angeles–Hiroshima Study, it constituted a long‐term epidemiological study of Japanese Americans who are genetically identical to the native Japanese people, but have experienced rapid and intense Westernization in terms of their lifestyles. The authors have compared the medical survey data procured from two Japanese populations, evincing very disparate lifestyles; that is, the native Japanese inhabitants of Hiroshima (Japan) and Japanese Americans living in Hawaii or Los Angeles (USA). The focus was particularly on differences in the intake of nutrients, the frequency of obesity, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus, and the progression of atherosclerosis. The authors believe that the health effects of the lifestyles of Japanese Americans can predict the imminent health prospects of native Japanese people who adopt Westernized lifestyles in Japan. This review thus summarized the major results accumulated from the Hawaii–Los Angeles–Hiroshima Study over the past 50 years.
Validation of the Risk Analysis Index for Evaluating Frailty in Ambulatory Patients
Authors: Shah Rupen , Borrebach Jeffrey D. , Hodges Jacob C. , Varley Patrick R. , Wisniewski Mary Kay , Shinall Myrick C. , Arya Shipra , Johnson Jonas , Nelson Joel B. , Youk Ada , Massarweh Nader N. , Johanning Jason M. , Hall Daniel E. 
Published: April 2020

BACKGROUNDFrailty is a marker of dependency, disability, hospitalization, and mortality in community‐dwelling older adults. However, existing tools for measuring frailty are too cumbersome for rapid point‐of‐care assessment. The Risk Analysis Index (RAI) of frailty is validated in surgical populations, but its performance outside surgical populations is unknown.OBJECTIVEValidate the RAI in ambulatory patients.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSObservational cohort study of outpatient surgical clinics within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Healthcare System between July 1, 2016, and December 31, 2016. Frailty was assessed using the RAI. Current Procedural Terminology codes following RAI assessment identified patients with and without minor office‐based procedures (eg, joint injection, laryngoscopy).MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESAll‐cause 1‐year mortality, assessed by stratified Cox proportional hazard models.RESULTSOf 28,059 patients, 13,861 were matched to a minor, office‐based procedure and 14,198 did not undergo any procedure. The mean (SD) age was 56.7 (17.2) years; women constituted 15,797 (56.3%) of the cohort. Median time (interquartile range 25th‐75th percentile) to measure RAI was 30 (22–47) seconds. Mortality among the frail was two to five times that of patients with normal RAI scores. For example, the hazard ratio for frail ambulatory patients without a minor procedure was 3.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.51‐5.41), corresponding to 30‐, 180‐, and 365‐day mortality rates of 2.9%, 11.2%, and 17.4%, respectively, compared to 0.3%, 2.3%, and 4.0% among patients with normal RAI scores. Discrimination of mortality (overall, and censored at 30, 180, and 365 days) was excellent, ranging from c = 0.838 (95% CI = 0.773‐0.902) for 30‐day mortality after minor procedures to c = 0.909 (95% CI = 0.855‐0.964) without a procedure.CONCLUSIONRAI is a valid, easily administered tool for point‐of‐care frailty assessment in ambulatory populations that may help clinicians and patients make better informed decisions about care choices—especially among patients considered high risk with a potentially limited life span. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1818‐1824, 2020.
Coronaviruses and people with intellectual disability: an exploratory data analysis
Authors: Tummers J. , Catal C. , Tobi H. , Tekinerdogan B. , Leusink G. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundCorona virus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has been announced as a new coronavirus disease by the World Health Organization. At the time of writing this article (April 2020), the world is drastically influenced by the COVID‐19. Recently, the COVID‐19 Open Research Dataset (CORD‐19) was published. For researchers on ID such as ourselves, it is of key interest to learn whether this open research dataset may be used to investigate the virus and its consequences for people with an ID.MethodsFrom CORD‐19, we identified full‐text articles containing terms related to the ID care and applied a text mining technique, specifically the term frequency–inverse document frequency analysis in combination with K‐means clustering.ResultsTwo hundred fifty‐nine articles contained one or more of our specified terms related to ID. We were able to cluster these articles related to ID into five clusters on different topics, namely: mental health, viral diseases, diagnoses and treatments, maternal care and paediatrics, and genetics.ConclusionThe CORD‐19 open research dataset consists of valuable information about not only COVID‐19 disease but also ID and the relationship between them. We suggest researchers investigate literature‐based discovery approaches on the CORD‐19 and develop a new dataset that addresses the intersection of these two fields for further research.
Topical application of a commercially available formulation of vitamin C stabilized by vitamin E and ferulic acid reduces tissue viability and protein synthesis in ex vivo human normal skin
Authors: Romana‐Souza Bruna , Silva‐Xavier Welker , Monte‐Alto‐Costa Andréa 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundAqueous formulations of vitamin C stabilized by vitamin E and ferulic acid at low pH effectively protect skin against reactive oxygen species‐induced damage. However, the effects of these formulations on human skin have not clearly been described. The aim of this study was to investigate whether topical application of two commercially available formulations of vitamin C alter human skin using an ex vivo model.MethodsHuman skin explants were topically treated on alternate days with commercially available formulation 1 (15% vitamin C) at 100% (without dilution), 50%, or 10% diluted in saline or formulation 2 (20% vitamin C) at 100% (without dilution), 50%, or 10% diluted in saline. Only saline was applied to control skin explants.ResultsTopical formulation 1 at 100%, 50%, or 10%, but not formulation 2 at 100%, 50%, or 10%, reduced the viability of ex vivo human skin compared to the control after 7, 10, and 13 days. In addition, compared to the control, ex vivo human skin treated with formulation 1 at 50%, but not formulation 2 at 50%, also decreased mRNA levels of actin and ribosomal protein L10 and gene expression of extracellular matrix components after 10 days. Furthermore, after 10 days, topical application of formulation 1 at 50%, but not formulation 2 at 50%, decreased the protein expression of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen, lysyl oxidase, β‐actin, and glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase compared to the control.ConclusionsTopical formulation 1, but not formulation 2, may reduce the viability of and protein synthesis in ex vivo human skin. Those effects might be due to action of vehicle of formulation 1 on ex vivo human skin.
Level of self-reported pain’s interference with work, and association with number of prescriptions and healthcare expenditures
Authors: Taira Deborah A , Stafford Michelle , Davis James W , Albright Cheryl L , Kataoka-Yahiro Merle , Sumida Wesley K 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Objectives
To examine the associations between pain interfering with work and family income and health status and to quantify the impact of pain on pharmaceutical utilization and cost using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).

Methods
The study population included adult respondents to a MEPS pain question asking how much pain interfered with normal work (including both work outside the home and housework) from 2007 to 2014 (n = 71 593 respondents). Generalized linear models estimated the association between pain and family income, self-reported health status, number of prescriptions and healthcare expenditures (prescription drug and total). Control variables included age, gender, education, marital status, poverty, race, immigration status, region, obesity, work status and insurance coverage.

Key findings
Nearly 43% of respondents reported pain did not interfere at all with their work, 32% responded it did ‘a little bit’, 14% said ‘moderately’, 8% reported ‘quite a bit’, and 3% said ‘extremely’. Older respondents were significantly more likely to report pain interfering with work than younger ones. Women were more likely than men to report pain interfering with work. Obesity was significantly associated with pain, with 5.3% of obese respondents stating pain extremely interfered with work compared to 2.2% of nonobese respondents. Those who reported pain interfered ‘extremely’ had, on average, 46 prescriptions filled per year compared to only 5 prescriptions for those reporting less severe pain. This translated into significantly higher prescription drug and total costs.

Conclusion
Innovative targeted interventions are needed to mitigate the severe consequences of pain on health, well-being and cost.
The germination niche of coastal dune species as related to their occurrence along a sea–inland gradient
Authors: Del Vecchio Silvia , Fantinato Edy , Roscini Mauro , Acosta Alicia T. R. , Bacchetta Gianluigi , Buffa Gabriella 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAimsThe early phases in the life cycle of a plant are the bottleneck for successful species establishment thereby affecting population dynamics and distribution. In coastal environments, the spatial pattern of plant communities (i.e. vegetation zonation) follows the ecological gradient of abiotic stress changing with the distance from the sea. This pattern has been mainly explained based on the adaptation and tolerance to the abiotic stress of adult plants. However, the adult niche may considerably differ from the germination niche of a plant species. The aim of this work was to investigate to what extent abiotic factors (specifically salinity, temperature, nitrogen and their interactions) constrain seed germination along the sea–inland gradient.LocationLatium coast (Central Italy).MethodsGermination tests were performed on seeds of focal species of three different plant communities which establish at increasing distances from the coastline: Cakile maritima subsp. maritima, Elymus farctus, Crucianella maritima. We tested increasing concentrations of NaCl (one of the main abiotic factors which decrease across the sea–inland gradient), and their interactions with temperature and KNO3, to consider other factors which drive germination processes.ResultsThe tolerance to salinity significantly decreased in relation to the position of species along the coastal zonation. Crucianella maritima was shown to be the least tolerant species, having a decrease in germination >80% across all conditions. KNO3 significantly (although slightly) increased the germination percentage in Cakile maritima subsp. maritima and Elymus farctus. When combined with NaCl, KNO3 alleviated the negative effects of salinity only in Cakile maritima subsp. maritima.ConclusionsThe germination responses to the interaction among the tested factors suggest that the germination niche may explain vegetation zonation filtering species at their early stages. Quantifying environmental niches in different phases of the life cycle of plants may provide important insights into community assembly processes.
A potential new threat on the coral reefs of Puerto Rico: The recent emergence of Ramicrusta spp.
Authors: Williams Stacey M. , García‐Sais Jorge R. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe rapid appearance of Ramicrusta spp. is described and analyzed from 40 permanent monitoring coral reef stations in Puerto Rico. Before 2016, Ramicrusta had not been observed from any of the reef monitoring stations. By 2018, it was present at 76% of all the monitoring stations. Ramicrusta was the dominant substrata type at all of the shallow reef sites sampled on the east coast (e.g., Fajardo, Culebra, and Vieques), reaching a cover (±SE) as high as 63.0 ± 5.8%. The spread of Ramicrusta occurred at the expense of historically resilient living benthic elements, such as turf algae. Since its detection in 2016, colonization of hard substrata by Ramicrusta remained constant, with the exception of two shallow reefs in Fajardo and Culebra, where the cover was significantly reduced by the scouring and or abrasive effects of two major hurricanes. The ecological implications of Ramicrusta prevalence on Puerto Rican reefs remain unclear; however, increasing herbivory might be a useful mitigation tool in the reduction of Ramicrusta abundance on coral reefs.
Abundance and site fidelity of bottlenose dolphins off a remote oceanic island (Reunion Island, southwest Indian Ocean)
Authors: Estrade Vanessa , Dulau Violaine 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis study represents the first comprehensive assessment of the population dynamics and residency of common bottlenose dolphin around Reunion Island (southwest Indian Ocean). Understanding dynamics and movement patterns of this local population is essential to guide effective conservation efforts, notably in a context of growing dolphin‐watching activities. Dedicated surveys based on photo‐identification methods were conducted over 6 years (2010–2015). The species was present year‐round, in groups of 25 individuals on average (1–150). Jolly‐Seber mark‐recapture models resulted in a population estimate of 254 individuals (95% CI = 191–337) and an apparent annual survival rate of 0.83. The population was almost equally split into three residency patterns: residents (33.1%), long‐term visitors (32.6%), and short‐term visitors (34.3%, including transients, i.e., individuals only seen once [14.9%]), suggesting that the majority of the population showed a moderate‐to‐high level of residency in the study area. Individuals from the three residency patterns associated randomly, mixing together and forming a single community. Models based on the lagged identification rate indicated emigration and reimmigration to the survey area, with some individuals occupying the study area for about 2 years (832 days), and remaining outside for an average of 276 days, probably exhibiting larger home ranges and extensive movement behavior.
Non‐Humeantheories of natural necessity
Authors: Hildebrand Tyler 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNon‐Humean theories of natural necessity invoke modally‐laden primitives to explain why nature exhibits lawlike regularities. However, they vary in the primitives they posit and in their subsequent accounts of laws of nature and related phenomena (including natural properties, natural kinds, causation, counterfactuals, and the like). This article provides a taxonomy of non‐Humean theories, discusses influential arguments for and against them, and describes some ways in which differences in goals and methods can motivate different versions of non‐Humeanism (and, for that matter, Humeanism). In short, this article provides an introduction to non‐Humeanism concerning the metaphysics of laws of nature and natural necessity.