bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of GnRH Receptor Autoantibodies in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Kem David C , Li Hongliang , Yu Xichun , Weedin Elizabeth , Reynolds Anna C , Forsythe Elizabeth , Beel Marci , Fischer Hayley , Hines Brendon , Guo Yankai , Deng Jielin , Liles Jonathan T , Nuss Zachary , Elkosseifi Myriam , Aston Christopher E , Burks Heather R , Craig LaTasha B 
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Objective
Is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) associated with activating autoantibodies (AAb) to the second extracellular loop (ECL2) of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR)?

Design and Methods
We retrospectively screened sera from 40 patients with PCOS and 14 normal controls (NCs) with regular menses using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of GnRHR-ECL2-AAb. We obtained similar data from 40 non-PCOS ovulatory but infertile patients as a control group (OIC) of interest. We analyzed GnRHR-ECL2-AAb activity in purified immunoglobulin (Ig)G using a cell-based GnRHR bioassay.

Results
The mean ELISA value in the PCOS group was markedly higher than the NC (P = .000036) and the OIC (P = .0028) groups. IgG from a sample of 5 PCOS subjects, in contrast to a sample of 5 OIC subjects, demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in GnRHR-stimulating activity qualitatively similar to the acute action of the natural ligand GnRH and the synthetic agonist leuprolide. The GnRHR antagonist cetrorelix significantly suppressed (P &lt; .01) the elevated GnRHR activity induced by IgG from 7 PCOS patients while the IgG activity level from 7 OIC subjects was unchanged. Five other OIC subjects had relatively high ELISA values at or above the 95% confidence limits. On further study, 3 had normal or low activity while 2 had elevated IgG-induced GnRHR activity. One suppressed with cetrorelix while the other did not. The copresence of PCOS IgG increased the responsiveness to GnRH and shifted the dosage response curve to the left (P &lt; .01).

Conclusions
GnRHR-ECL2-AAb are significantly elevated in patients with PCOS compared with NCs. Their presence raises important etiological, diagnostic, and therapeutic implications.
Simultaneous Ipsilateral Vascularized Lymph Node Transplantation and Contralateral Lymphovenous Anastomosis in Bilateral Extremity Lymphedema with Different Severities
Authors: Cheng M.-H. , Tee R. , Chen C. , Lin C.-Y. , Pappalardo M. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundExtremity lymphedema can occur bilaterally with different severities on each side. The aim of this study is to investigate the treatment outcomes of such patients with bilateral extremity lymphedema of different severities.Patients and MethodsBetween 2013 and 2017, patients with bilateral extremity lymphedema of different severities according to the Taiwan Lymphoscintigraphy Staging (TLS) system were retrospectively reviewed. Ipsilateral vascularized lymph node transplantation (VLNT) was indicated in TLS total obstruction and contralateral lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) in TLS partial obstruction with patent lymphatic vessels on indocyanine green lymphography. Outcomes were assessed using circumference improvement, frequency of cellulitis, and lymphedema-specific quality of life (LYMQoL) questionnaires.ResultsA total of 10 patients with bilateral extremity lymphedema with median age of 63 (range 12–75) years were included. The median symptom duration of the lymphedematous limb was 60 (range 36–168) months and 12 (range 1–60) months in the VLNT and LVA group, respectively (p < 0.05). At average follow-up of 37.5 (range 14–58) months, the average limb circumference improvement was 2.4 (range − 3.3 to 7.8) cm in the VLNT group and 2.3 (range 0.3–7) cm in the LVA group (p = 1). The median episodes of cellulitis decreased significantly from 4 to 0.5 and 1 to 0 times/year in the VLNT and LVA group, respectively (p = 0.02,p = 0.06). The overall LYMQoL score improved from 4.5 preoperatively to 7.5 postoperatively (p < 0.01).ConclusionsLimb-specific VLNT and LVA selected by TLS effectively treated bilateral extremity lymphedema with different severities.
Clinical Application of CT Navigation in treatment of Lumbar Spondylolisthesis with Minimally Invasive Surgery - Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
Authors: Sui Ru-de , Wang Chun-guo , Zhang Jin-cai , Wang Hai-tao 
Published: June 2020

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of the application of CT navigation in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis with minimally invasive surgery - transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF).
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 30 patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis who were continuously treated in linyi central hospital from May 2018 to March 2019.The patients were divided into two groups,15 patients treated with MIS-TLIF with the aid of CT navigation during the operation were included into an observation group. Another 15 patients were treated with open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion as the control group. The baseline information, including gender, age and course of disease, perioperative period and imaging conditions, and VAS and ODI scores of patients in the two groups were collected and analyzed.
Results: Fifteen patients were included into the observation group, including 9 male and 6 female patients with an average age of 52.60 ± 6.31 and a course of disease of 16.33 ± 6.00 months. The other 15 patients were included into the observation group, including seven male and eight female patients with an average age of 52.87 ± 7.38 and a course of disease of 19.13 ± 9.89 months. The difference in the gender, age and course of disease between the two groups had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). However, the difference in the duration of operation and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups had statistical significance (P< 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in wound complications, neurological complications, preoperative slippage rate, postoperative slippage rate, slippage reduction rate and screw placement accuracy (P > 0.05). VAS scores of the two groups were statistically significant from six months after surgery (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in ODI between the two groups at any time point (P >0.05). VAS and ODI scores were improved at each time point compared with those before surgery.
Conclusion: The minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar fusion performed with the aid of CT navigation during the operation shortens the duration of operation and the amount of bleeding, reduces the back pain, is beneficial to the early postoperative functional exercise, and speeds up the postoperative recovery.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2341
How to cite this:Sui RD, Wang CG, Zhang JC, Wang HT. Clinical Application of CT Navigation in treatment of Lumbar Spondylolisthesis with Minimally Invasive Surgery - Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(5):935-940. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2341
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The evolution of universal adaptations of life is driven by universal properties of matter: energy, entropy, and interaction
Authors: Cohen Irun R. , Marron Assaf 
Published: June 2020

The evolution of multicellular eukaryotes expresses two sorts of adaptations: local adaptations like fur or feathers, which characterize species in particular environments, and universal adaptations like microbiomes or sexual reproduction, which characterize most multicellulars in any environment. We reason that the mechanisms driving the universal adaptations of multicellulars should themselves be universal, and propose a mechanism based on properties of matter and systems: energy, entropy, and interaction. Energy from the sun, earth and beyond creates new arrangements and interactions. Metabolic networks channel some of this energy to form cooperating, interactive arrangements. Entropy, used here as a term for all forces that dismantle ordered structures (rather than as a physical quantity), acts as a selective force. Entropy selects for arrangements that resist it long enough to replicate, and dismantles those that do not. Interactions, energy-charged and dynamic, restrain entropy and enable survival and propagation of integrated living systems. This fosters survival-of-the-fitted – those entities that resist entropic destruction – and not only of the fittest – the entities with the greatest reproductive success. The “unit” of evolution is not a discrete entity, such as a gene, individual, or species; what evolves are collections of related interactions at multiple scales. Survival-of-the-fitted explains universal adaptations, including resident microbiomes, sexual reproduction, continuous diversification, programmed turnover, seemingly wasteful phenotypes, altruism, co-evolving environmental niches, and advancing complexity. Indeed survival-of-the-fittest may be a particular case of the survival-of-the-fitted mechanism, promoting local adaptations that express reproductive advantages in addition to resisting entropy. Survival-of-the-fitted accounts for phenomena that have been attributed to neutral evolution: in the face of entropy, there is no neutrality; all variations are challenged by ubiquitous energy and entropy, retaining those that are “fit enough”. We propose experiments to test predictions of the survival-of-the-fitted theory, and discuss implications for the wellbeing of humans and the biosphere.
COVID-19: Identifying countries with indicators of success in responding to the outbreak
Authors: Kennedy David S. , Vu VK , Ritchie Hannah , Bartlein Rebecca , Rothschild Oliver , Bausch Daniel G. , Roser Max , Seale Anna C. 
Published: June 2020

Background: In designing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to understand what has already worked well. We aimed to identify countries with emerging success stories from whom policymakers might draw important lessons. Methods: We developed a process to first include countries with large enough populations that results were unlikely to be due to chance, that had sufficient cases for response mechanisms to be tested, and that shared the necessary publicly available data. Within these countries, we looked at indicators suggesting success in terms of detecting disease, containing the outbreak, and treating those who were unwell. To support comparability, we measured indicators per capita (per million) and across time. We then used the indicators to identify three countries with emerging success stories to include some diversity in global region, population demographics and form of government. Results: We identified 66 countries that met our inclusion criteria on 18th May 2020. Several of these countries had indicators of success against the set indicators at different times in the outbreak. Vietnam had high levels of testing and successful containment with no deaths reported. South Korea had high levels of testing early in the outbreak, supporting containment. Germany had high levels of sustained testing and slower increases in cases and deaths than seen in other comparable settings. Conclusions: At the time of our assessment, Vietnam and South Korea were able to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 and avoid the exponential growth in cases seen elsewhere. Germany had more cases and deaths, but was nevertheless able to contain and mitigate the outbreak. Despite the many limitations to the data currently available, looking at comparative data can help identify countries from whom we can draw lessons, so that countries can inform and adapt their strategies for success in response to COVID-19.
Pregnancy and delivery in patients with idiopathic scoliosis
Authors: Snetkov A. A. , Kolesov S. V. , Gorbatyuk D. S. , Panteleyev A. A. , Shvets V. V. , Eskin N. A. , Fedotov E. A. 
Published: June 2020

Objective. To analyze the course of pregnancy and delivery that occurred before and after surgical correction of idiopathic scoliosis with instrumented fixation of the spine.Material and Methods. The paper presents a retrospective randomized study of 100 patients of reproductive age (18–35 years) with Lenke type 2–6 idiopathic scoliosis. The following aspects of pregnancy were analyzed: the possibility of independent conception, the pain severity according to VAS during each of the three trimesters of pregnancy, and the mode of delivery (naturally or by C-section). A comparative analysis of the data of patients operated on for the spine deformity correction before and after pregnancy and delivery was carried out. Data was collected using a questionnaire survey of patients. Detection and analysis of differences between groups were carried out using the χ 2 criterion.Results. A statistical relationship was found between the presence of instrumentation installed before delivery (during or before pregnancy) and the need for C-section. It was revealed that the lower the caudal end of instrumentation within the L3–S1 region, the higher the C-section occurrence. Predominantly thoracic scoliosis (Lenke types 2–4) is characterized by higher likelihood of independent conception and lower lumbar pain intensity during pregnancy than predominantly lumbar scoliosis (Lenke types 5–6). There are also certain difficulties in conducting spinal anesthesia in patients with installed instrumentation, which negatively affects the possibility of its use.Conclusion. The issue of the course of pregnancy and delivery in idiopathic scoliosis continues to be very significant for both patients and spine surgeons who supervise them. The solution to this issue is impossible without cooperation with obstetrician gynecologists and anesthetists planning and administering anesthetic management during delivery (which is especially important in case of impossibility or significant restriction of spinal anesthesia use in such patients).
Poyphenols – between neuroprotection and neurotoxicity
Authors: POGAČNIK Lea , SILVA Rui F.M. 
Published: June 2020

Polyphenols are a group of secondary metabolites found in a wide variety of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, wine, tea, olive oil and chocolate. These compounds, in addition to their antioxidant activity, also possess strong anti-inflammatory properties. Numerous studies have therefore confirmed their potential role in preventing and treating various pathological conditions associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Among these, the most prevalent ones include cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, which globally represent one of the main causes of death and are therefore a major social and financial burden, Numerous studies have clarified some of the mechanisms of action of polyphenols as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds and have clarified their role in treatment/prevention of certain conditions. It was shown that polyphenols could be used both as protective/prophylactic compounds and as therapeutic compounds. A sufficient amount can be achieved either by consuming a diet, rich in polyphenols, or in the form of dietary supplements and nevertheless with formulations such as nutraceuticals. The health effects of polyphenols depend not only on the amount consumed but also on their bioavailability. However, their overconsumption can cause safety concerns due to the accumulation of these molecules in the body, especially considering that the regulatory legislation in the field of dietary supplements is rather loose. Therefore, this review focuses on the major positive effects of natural-derived polyphenols, and addresses potential safety concerns, with a focus on neuroprotection and neurotoxicity.
Survival Without Major Morbidity Among Very Low Birth Weight Infants in California
Authors: Lee Henry C. , Liu Jessica , Profit Jochen , Hintz Susan R. , Gould Jeffrey B. 
Published: June 2020

OBJECTIVES:
To examine trends in survival without major morbidity and its individual components among very low birth weight infants across California and assess remaining gaps that may be opportune targets for improvement efforts.

METHODS:
The study population included infants born between 2008 and 2017 with birth weights of 401 to 1500 g or a gestational age of 22 to 29 weeks. Risk-adjusted trends of survival without major morbidity and its individual components were analyzed. Survival without major morbidity was defined as the absence of death during birth hospitalization, chronic lung disease, severe peri-intraventricular hemorrhage, nosocomial infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, severe retinopathy of prematurity or related surgery, and cystic periventricular leukomalacia. Variations in adjusted rates and/or interquartile ranges were examined. To assess opportunities for additional improvement, all hospitals were reassigned to perform as if in the top quartile, and recalculation of predicted numbers were used to estimate potential benefit.

RESULTS:
In this cohort of 49 333 infants across 142 hospitals, survival without major morbidity consistently increased from 62.2% to 66.9% from 2008 to 2017. Network variation decreased, with interquartile ranges decreasing from 21.1% to 19.2%. The largest improvements were seen for necrotizing enterocolitis and nosocomial infection. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia rates did not change significantly. Over the final 3 years, if all hospitals performed as well as the top quartile, an additional 621 infants per year would have survived without major morbidity, accounting for an additional 6.6% annual improvement.

CONCLUSIONS:
Although trends are promising, bronchopulmonary dysplasia remains a common and persistent major morbidity, remaining a target for continued quality-improvement efforts.
Caracterización organoléptica, nutricional, microbiológica y digestibilidad in vitro de ensilados con diferentes niveles de inclusión de desperdicios de alimentos
Authors: Ramírez Navarro V. M. , Peñuela Sierra L. M. , Garcia Saavedra Y. M. , Pérez Rubio M. 
Published: June 2020

Objetivo.Caracterizar organoléptica, nutricional, microbiológica y digestibilidad in vitro de ensilados de desperdicios de alimentos recolectados en un restaurante de un centro estudios técnicos y tecnológicos con subproductos de cosecha. Metodología. Se realizó un análisis organoléptico, microbiológico, proximal de la composición, y digestibilidad in vitro de ensilajes con diferentes niveles de inclusión de desperdicios de alimentos Resultados. Se evidencia características de olor, color y textura óptimas para su palatabilidad, valores nutricionales favorables para el 30, 35 y 40% de inclusión de desperdicios, bajos promedios de proteína, pero con niveles de energía superiores a los del maíz, sorgo y soya. La Digestibilidad in vitro de la Materia Seca (DIVMS) fue mejor para el 35% de inclusión. Así mismo las Unidades Formadoras de Colonias UFC/g para el día 21 fue 1 x101 (Escherichia coli), que se ajusta a las normas para alimentos de animales. Conclusiones. La utilización de ensilados con un 35% de inclusión de desperdicios de alimento puede ser una importante herramienta de suplementación para la alimentación porcina.
Similarities among small watercourses based on multiparameter physico-chemical measurements
Authors: Kardos Máté Krisztián , Clement Adrienne 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWith the introduction of the Water Framework Directive, the relative importance of smaller waterways increased. This statement is particularly true for Hungary, where water-quality monitoring of most smaller rivers only began 12 years ago. Due to their large number, and the lack of historical data concerning their state, systematic monitoring is a challenge.In the current study, 101 creeks are characterized on the one hand by 13 physico-chemical quality parameters (pH, electric conductivity, chloride ion concentration, dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, ammonium nitrogen, total inorganic nitrogen, total nitrogen, orthophosphate and total phosphorus), on the other hand by their watershed's relief, land use, and point sources' pollution indicators. Euclidean distance between water bodies (henceforth WBs) is calculated according to normalized physico-chemical monitoring values. They are grouped into clusters using the hierarchical clustering method. Watershed characteristics are used to explain the clustering via linear discriminant analysis.The investigation revealed that the main driver of cluster group creation is related to human impact: diffuse agricultural and point-source pollution. The first of the three clusters involved water bodies with low or no human impact; the second cluster contained those with medium-level anthropogenic disturbance, while waters with high pollution values formed the third cluster. Mean distance between heavily polluted waters was 1.5 times higher than that between those showing no or low disturbance, meaning that pristine waters are more similar to one another than polluted ones. The current number of samples per river is twice as high in cluster 1 as in cluster 3, revealing that there is room for optimization of the monitoring system. This contribution uses Hungary as a case study.
Starten på et norsk teater
Authors: Engedal Tina Horrisland 
Published: June 2020

Ved åpningen av det første norske teateret i Bergen i 1850 markeres starten på en norsk spilltradisjon som vårt moderne tids teater bygger på. Denne artikkelen tar for seg skuespillerkunstens utvikling i Bergen på slutten av 1800-tallet, for å få en forståelse av hvordan teateret og skuespillerkunsten var de første tiårene etter etableringen av Det Norske Theater og Den Nationale Scene, og vil redegjøre for utviklingen av realismen som stilideal i skuespillerkunsten i Norge.
Skuespillerkunstens utvikling i løpet av siste halvdel av 1800-tallet kan ses i sammenheng med samtidsdramatikken, særlig Ibsen og Bjørnsons borgerlige dramaer. I tillegg sto skuespillerkunsten i en praktisk tradisjon, og skuespillerens rom for utvikling må ses i sammenheng med dette. Uten en teoretisk skolering må arbeidet skje i samarbeid med andre skuespillere og instruktør. Noen instruktører blir særs viktig i perioden, og disse trekkes frem i artikkelen. Utviklingen i skuespillerkunsten skjer i skuespillerens søken etter å formidle teksten på en kunstnerisk og samtidig virkelighetsnær måte.