bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Persons post-stroke restore step length symmetry by walking asymmetrically
Authors: Padmanabhan Purnima , Sreekanth Keerthana , Gulhar Shivam , Cherry-Allen Kendra M. , Leech Kristan A. , Roemmich Ryan T. 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background: Restoration of step length symmetry is a common rehabilitation goal after stroke. Persons post-stroke often retain the ability to walk with symmetric step lengths (“symmetric steps”); however, the resulting walking pattern remains effortful. Two key questions with direct implications for rehabilitation have emerged: 1) how do persons post-stroke generate symmetric steps, and 2) why do symmetric steps remain so effortful? The objective of this study was to understand how persons post-stroke generate symmetric steps and how the resulting gait pattern relates to the metabolic cost of transport. Methods: We recorded kinematic, kinetic, and metabolic data as ten persons post-stroke walked on an instrumented treadmill under two conditions: preferred walking and symmetric stepping (using visual feedback).Results: Persons post-stroke restored step length symmetry using energetically costly, asymmetric patterns. Impaired paretic propulsion and abnormal vertical movement of the center of mass were evident during both preferred walking and symmetric stepping. These deficits contributed to diminished positive work performed by the paretic limb on the center of mass in both conditions. Decreased positive paretic work correlated with increased metabolic cost of transport, decreased self-selected walking speed, and increased asymmetry in limb kinematics.Conclusions: It is critical to consider the mechanics used to restore symmetric steps when designing interventions to improve walking after stroke. Facilitating symmetric steps via increased paretic propulsion or enabling paretic limb advancement without excessive vertical movement may enable persons post-stroke to walk with a less effortful gait pattern.
SPOP accelerates acute myeloid leukemia initiation and development through miR-183-mediated METAP2 inhibition
Authors: Yu Jifeng , Li Yingmei , Sun Ling , Han Lijie , Liu Yu , Zhang Danfeng , Xing Haizhou , Xie Xinsheng , Wan Dingming , Jiang Zhongxing 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background: Recent miRNA profiling studies have implicated the potential use of miRNAs as as diagnostic and prognostic indicators in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which has been reportedly implicated in the interplay with certain mRNAs. Herein this study, we intend to characterize the functional relevance of SPOP/miR-183/METAP2 axis in AML in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Differentially expressed mRNAs and downstream regulatory miRNA were predicted by in silico analysis. We induced SPOP/miR-183/METAP2 overexpression or inhibition to examine their effects on AML cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro and tumor growth in vivo , along with their interaction with β-catenin. Results: SPOP and miR-183 were highly expressed, while METAP2 was poorly expressed in patient peripheral blood samples and cell lines of AML. SPOP accelerated the proliferation of AML cells and repressed apoptosis. Mechanistically, SPOP enhanced β-catenin protein stability and nuclear translocation leading to upregulated expression of miR-183. MiR-183 facilitated proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of AML cells by targeting METAP2. Furthermore, miR-183 inhibition and METAP2 overexpression reversed SPOP-induced AML cell malignancy. Besides, in vitro findings were reproduced by in vivo findings. Conclusion: SPOP stimulated AML malignant progression by inducing β-catenin stability and miR-183/METAP2 axis activation, highlighting a potential therapeutic target against AML recurrence and metastasis.
Genetic variation in toll like Receptor 2, 7, 9 and interleukin-6 influences risk of Cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy
Authors: Mhandire Doreen , Mhandire Kudakwashe , Magadze Mulalo , Wonkam Ambroise , Kengne Andre P , Dandara Collet 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background: Maternal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and/or reactivation in pregnancy is associated with a myriad of adverse infant outcomes. However, the role of host genetic polymorphisms in modulating maternal CMV status is inconclusive. This study investigated the possible association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in toll like receptor (TLR) and cytokine genes with maternal plasma CMV DNA status in black Zimbabweans. Results: The TLR2 rs1816702C/C (p=0.002), TLR7 rs179008C/C (p<0.001) and TLR9 rs352139C/C (p=0.003) genotypes were associated with a CMV+ status. In contrast, the interleukin ( IL)-6 rs10499563T/C TLR2 rs1816702C/C (p=0.002) genotype was associated (p<0.001) with CMV- status. Furthermore, genotype and allele frequencies of SNPs in TLR2, TLR4, TLR9, TLR7 , IL - 6 , IL-10 , IL-28B , IL-1A and interferon AR1 ( IFNAR1 ) genes are being reported here in a Zimbabwean population. Conclusions: Toll like receptor and interleukin genetic polymorphisms influence CMV status in late gestation among black Zimbabweans. This is attributable to possible modulation of immune responses to CMV reactivation in a population that was previously exposed to CMV infection.
How to equalize the leg length in total hip arthroplasty for patients with unilateral Crowe type IV developmental dysplasia of the hip
Authors: Du Yinqiao , Sun Jingyang , Ma Haiyang , Wang Sen , Ni Ming , Zhou Yonggang 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to explore that how to equalize the leg length in total hip arthroplasty (THA) with shortening subtrochanteric osteotomy (SSTO) or not for unilateral Crowe type IV developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) through the evaluation of the postoperative full-length anteroposterior radiographs. Methods: The postoperative radiographs of 60 patients with unilateral Crowe type IV DDH from July 2012 to May 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. These data included leg length, femoral length, height of center of rotation (COR) of hip, height of greater trochanter, and depth of the sleeve or cone. Patients with leg length discrepancy (LLD) < 10 mm were defined as the non-LLD group. Results: In the non LLD group (26 patients of SSTO and 22 of non-SSTO), the femoral length both SSTO and non-SSTO groups were significantly shorter on operated side, compared with the contralateral side, and the mean discrepancy in SSTO group was approximately equal to the mean length of SSTO. The mean height of COR of hip on operated sides both SSTO and non-SSTO groups were 13.2 mm, and the contralateral sides were 15.2 mm and 15.5 mm, respectively. The depth of the sleeve or cone between SSTO and non-SSTO groups were 21.7 mm and 30.6 mm, respectively. The depth of the sleeve or cone in SSTO group was negatively correlated with the length of SSTO. The height of the greater trochanter of the operated and contralateral sides were 5.3 mm and 16.6 mm in SSTO group, and those in the non-SSTO group were 13.2 mm and 17.2 mm. Conclusions: SSTO leaded to femoral shortening on the operated side for patients with unilateral Crowe type IV DDH. The position of sleeve or cone should be close to the apex of greater trochanter to compensate the lengh of SSTO.
Valgus Stability is Enhanced by Flexor Digitorum Superficialis Muscle Contraction of the Index and Middle Fingers
Authors: Hoshika Shota , Nimura Akimoto , Takahashi Norimasa , Sugaya Hiroyuki , Akita Keiichi 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background: Flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscle provides dynamic stabilization and medial elbow support for ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). The FDS contraction significantly affects the medial joint distance (MJD) through grip contraction. However, it remains unclear whether FDS activity alone contributes to medial elbow stability, or together with the activation of the flexor digitorum profundus during grip contraction, and which finger’s FDS is the main contributor to elbow stability. We investigated the resistive effects of isolated FDS contraction in individual fingers against valgus stress in the elbow joint using stress ultrasonography (US). Methods: We investigated 17 healthy males (mean age, 27 ± 5 years). Valgus stress US was performed using the Telos device, with the elbow at 30° flexion. MJD was measured for each arm during 3 separate conditions: at rest (unloaded), under valgus load (50 N) (loaded), and under valgus load with FDS contracted in individual fingers (loaded-contracted). Results : MJD was significantly longer when loaded (5.4 ± 0.4 mm) than unloaded (4.1 ± 0.2 mm, P = .007 ) or loaded-contracted (4.6 ± 0.3 mm, P = .003 ) for each finger. When loaded-contracted, MJD differed statistically between the index and ring fingers ( P = .03 ) and between the middle and ring fingers ( P = .04 ). However, the difference between the index and middle fingers was not statistically significant ( P = . 08 ). Conclusion s : Individual FDS contraction, particularly of the index and middle fingers contributes most to stabilization against valgus stress. Thus, injury care programs should incorporate FDS exercises of these fingers.
An Order Independent Algorithm for Inferring Gene Regulatory Network Using Quantile Value for Conditional Independent Tests
Authors: Mahmoodi Mir Hadi , Aghdam Rosa , Eslahchi Changiz 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background: In recent years, due to the difficulty and inefficiency of experimental methods, numerous computational methods have been introduced for inferring structure of Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). Bayesian network is one of the popular methods in this field, however, still has many drawbacks and there is still a great space to be improved. For example, the Path Consistency (PC)-based algorithms as Bayesian network methods are still sensitive to the ordering of nodes i.e. different node orders results in different network structures. The second is that the networks inferred by these methods are highly dependent on the threshold used for independence testing. Also, it is still a challenge to select the set of conditional genes in an optimal way, which affects the performance and computation complexity of the PC-based algorithm. Results: We introduce a novel algorithm, namely Order Independent PC-based algorithm using Quantile value (OIPCQ), which improves the accuracy of the learning process of GRNs and solves the order dependency issue. The quantile-based thresholds are considered for different order of CMI test. For conditional gene selection, we consider the paths between genes with length equal or greater than 2 while others well-known PC-based methods only considers the paths of length 2. We applied OIPCQ on the various networks of the DREAM3 and DREAM4 in silico challenges. As a real-world case study, we used OIPCQ to reconstruct SOS DNA network obtained from Escherichia coli and GRN for acute myeloid leukemia based on the RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The results show that OIPCQ produces the same network structure for all the permutations of the genes and improves the resulted GRN through accurately quantifying the causal regulation strength in comparison with others well-known PC-based methods. Conclusions: According to the GRN constructed by OIPCQ, for acute myeloid leukemia, two regulators BCLAF1 and NRSF reported by Zhang et al are significantly important. However, the highest degree nodes in this GRN are ZBTB7A and PU1 which play a significant role in cancer, and especially in leukemia. OIPCQ is freely accessible at https://github.com/haammim/OIPCQ-and-OIPCQ2.
Analysis of the Effect of Rural Residents Serious Illness Medical Insurance on Relieving the Economic Burden of Rural Residents in China:A Case Study in Jinzhai County
Authors: Li Yang , Duan Guangfeng , Xiong Linping 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background In 2003, China established a New Rural Cooperative Medical System(NRCMS) for rural residents, which had alleviated the burden of medical expenses of rural residents, but the reimbursement for high medical was insufficient. Therefore, China had gradually established a Serious Illness Insurance System (SIMIS) on the basis of NRCMS. After the payment of NRCMS, patients who met the requirements of SIMIS policy would be given a second payment to further alleviate the economic burden of patients with high medical expenses in rural areas. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the implementation of SIMIS on alleviating the economic burden of rural residents in Jinzhai County. Methods Based on the inpatient reimbursement data of NRCMS in Jinzhai County, Anhui Province from 2013 to 2016. We adopt descriptive and regression discontinuity (RD) method to analyze the payment effect of SIMIS. The RD analysis object (n = 7353) was the patients whose annual serious illness expenses were between CNY 10,000 and CNY 30,000, and the descriptive analysis object (n = 2720) was the patients compensated by SIMIS. Results The results of RD showed that the actual medical insurance payment proportion (AMIPP) increased by about 2.5% (lwald = 0.025, P < 0.01), inside medical insurance self-payment proportion (IMSPP) increased by about 2% (lwald = 0.020, P < 0.10), outside medical insurance self-payment proportion (OMISPP) decreased by about 1.6% (lwald = -0.016, P < 0.05). The descriptive results showed that the serious illness patients mostly chose to go to hospital outside the county. The annual average number of hospitalizations was 3.64. The reimbursement mainly came from the NRCMS. The payment amount of SIMIS was relatively small, and the out of pocket medical expenses were still high. Conclusion The medical technology level of Jinzhai County could not meet the needs of seriously illness patients, the number of beneficiaries of SIMIS was small, and the ability to relieve the burden of medical expenses of rural residents was insufficient. The high out of pocket expenses increased the possibility that people with good economic conditions could enjoy the reimbursement of SIMIS, resulting in inequity.
Evaluation of an integrated health and livelihood development program for marginalized communities in India
Authors: Sharma Shantanu , Akhtar Faiyaz , Singh Rajesh Kumar , Mehra Sunil 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background: Women from marginalized communities have poorer maternal health outcomes and limited utilization of health services compared to other communities. There is empirical evidence that comprehensively designed interventions targeting health education of women and social determinants of health, such as financial security, have better outcomes than focusing on health education alone. A community-based intervention was implemented to improve maternal, child, and adolescent health practices in marginalized communities. Besides, the project aimed to promote financial literacy and enhance livelihood opportunities for young people. This three-year peer-led intervention was done in the two districts of Rajasthan, namely Nagaur and Pali. The paper aimed at assessing the effectiveness of this community-based intervention. Methods: Pre-post study design based on qualitative research was used for the evaluation of the intervention. Purposive sampling was done both at baseline and the end-line assessments. Focus group discussions were done with women (15-49 years) and adolescents (10-19 years), and in-depth interviews with frontline workers and village health committees were done. Content analysis was done. Results: Overall, 4853 women, and 8158 adolescents were engaged in the intervention in two districts. We found a noticeable change in some of the practices like institutional delivery, breastfeeding, uptake of antenatal care among women, and knowledge about sexual and reproductive health among adolescents. Around 23% and 67% of the young people from Nagaur and Pali, respectively, were linked with jobs in computer training centers, tailoring centers, and beauty parlors. However, we found a lack of change in some of the indicators, such as knowledge about HIV testing during pregnancy, uptake of contraceptives, and iron-folic acid consumption among women. Early marriage was widely prevalent in the districts, the reduction of which was underachieved. In the interviews, frontline workers reported having been impartial and inclusive in delivering health services. Conclusions: We found evidence suggesting that peer-led interventions are equally effective in improving maternal and child health practices and livelihood promotion. The gaps at system-level, coupled with the presence of specific socio-cultural contextual factors might explain for lack of improvement in some of the indicators.
Novel homozygous HEXB mutation identified in a consanguineous Iranian pedigree with Sandhoff disease
Authors: Rahmani Zahra , Banisadr Arsham , Ghodsinezhad Vadieh , Dibaj Mohsen , Aryani Omid 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background Sandhoff disease is a rare neurodegenerative and autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by a defect in ganglioside metabolism. It is caused by mutations in the HEXB gene for the β-subunit of β-N-acetyl hexosaminidase. Results In the present study, an Iranian 14- month -old girl with an 8- month history of unsteady walking and involuntary movements is described. Biochemical testing showed defects in the normal activity of beta-hexosaminidase protein. Following sequencing of HEXB gene, a novel homozygous p.A278V mutation was identified in the patient’s DNA. Conclusions The p.A278V mutation is pathogenic because of amino acid change and changing in biochemical activity. this mutation has not been reported previously, but based on In silico analysis and structural analysis, was predicted to be disease causing.
Adult spinal deformity and its relationship with height loss: A 34-year longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Shimizu Mutsuya , Kobayashi Tetsuya , Chiba Hisashi , Senoo Issei , Ito Hiroshi , Matsukura Keisuke , Saito Senri 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background Age-related height loss is a normal physical change that occurs in all individuals over 50 years of age. Many epidemiological studies were conducted on height loss worldwide, however, over the 30 years longitudinal epidemiological studies have not been conducted. This study was designed to investigate changes in adult spinal deformity and examine the relationship between adult spinal deformity and height loss. Methods Fifty-three local healthy subjects (32 men, 21 women) from Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, volunteered for this longitudinal cohort study. Their heights were measured in 1983 and again in 2017. Spino-pelvic parameters were compared between 1983 and 2017. Individuals with height loss were then divided into two groups, those with degenerative spondylosis and those with degenerative lumbar scoliosis, and different characteristics were compared between the two groups. Results The mean age of the subjects was 44.4 (31-55) years at baseline and 78.6 (65-89) years at the final follow-up. The mean height was 157.4 cm at baseline and 153.6 cm at the final follow-up, with a mean height loss of 3.8 cm over 34.2 years. All parameters except for thoracic kyphosis were significantly different between 1983 and 2017 (p<0.05). Height loss was related to changes in pelvic parameters including pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (R=0.553 p<0.0001), pelvic tilt (R=0.462 p<0.0001), and sagittal vertical axis (R=0.514 p<0.0001). Greater height loss was more commonly seen in women (p=0.001) and in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (p=0.02). Conclusions This longitudinal study revealed that height loss is more commonly observed in women and is associated with adult spinal deformity and degenerative lumbar scoliosis. Height loss is a normal physical change with aging, but excessive height loss is due to spinal kyphosis and scoliosis leading to spinal malalignment. Our findings suggest that height loss might be an early physical symptom for spinal malalignment.
Association between hip muscle cross-sectional area and hip pain and function in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study.
Authors: Peiris Waruna , Cicuttini Flavia M , Constantinou Maria , Yaqobi Abbas , Hussain Sultana Monira , Wluka Anita E , Urquhart Donna , Barrett Rod , Kennedy Ben , Wang Yuanyuan 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Objective: To examine the associations between hip muscle cross-sectional area and hip pain and function in community-based individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis. Methods: This study included 27 participants with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis. Cross-sectional area of hip muscles, including psoas major, rectus femoris, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and minimus, adductor longus and magnus, obturator internus, and obturator externus, were measured from magnetic resonance images. Hip pain and function were evaluated using the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS). Results: After adjusting for age and gender, greater cross-sectional area of adductor longus and magnus was associated with a higher HOOS score in quality of life (regression coefficient 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2-2.7, p=0.02), activity of daily living (regression coefficient 1.3, 95% CI 0.1-2.6, p=0.04) and sport and recreation function (regression coefficient 1.6, 95% CI 0.1-3.0, p=0.04). Greater cross-sectional area of psoas major was associated with a higher quality of life score (regression coefficient 3.6, 95% CI -0.5 to 7.7, p=0.08). The cross-sectional area of hip muscles was not significantly associated with HOOS pain or symptom score. Conclusion: Greater cross-sectional area of hip adductors was associated with better function and quality of life in individuals with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis. Greater cross-sectional area of hip flexors might be associated with better quality of life. These findings, while need to be confirmed in longitudinal studies, suggest that targeting the hip adductor and flexor muscles may improve function and quality of life in those with mild-to-moderate hip osteoarthritis.