bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hearing loss and cognitive function among Chinese older adults: Therole of participation in leisure activities
Authors: Gao Jiamin , Armstrong Nicole M. , Deal Jennifer A. , Lin Frank R. , He Ping 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background Hearing loss, a highly prevalent sensory impairment affecting older adults, is a risk factor for cognition decline. However, there were very limited studies on this association in low-resource countries. This study aimed to assess the association between self-reported hearing loss and cognitive decline, and whether engagement in leisure activities moderated this association among older adults in China.Methods Data were obtained from two waves of the nationally representative survey of China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 2011/12-2014. 8,844 individuals aged 65 years old or above with a dichotomized measure of self-reported hearing status were included. Modified Mini-Mental Examination (MMSE) was used to measure global cognition. Fixed-effects models were used to estimate whether leisure activity engagement moderated the association of self-perceived hearing loss with global cognitive change in the overall sample and sex subsamples.Results Self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive impairment, with an odds ratio of 2.48 [1.22, 5.06]. Sex difference in the association of hearing loss and cognitive impairment was not found. Self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline, with 8% [-1.22, -0.39] increase in risk compared with those with normal hearing. Frequent engagement in leisure activities moderated the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline for the whole and male samples.Conclusion Hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline, and leisure activities engagement moderated the association among males rather than females.
Trends of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and rifampicin Resistance in Adigrat General Hospital, Eastern zone of Tigrai, North Ethiopia
Authors: Abay Getachew Kahsu , Hailay Bahlibi 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. The global emergence of mono- or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis poses a considerable challenge to tuberculosis control programs. There has been no reliable and organized data on trends and drug Resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the trends of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin Resistance in the Adigrat General Hospital, eastern zone of Tigrai, North Ethiopia.Methods: A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Adigrat General Hospital from January 2015 to 2018. Data were collected retrospectively from the GenexpertTM TB registration book using a data extraction format. Data was entered into Epi-Info 3.1 and subsequently exported and analyzed using SPSS Version 20. The results were summarized using descriptive statistics, tables, and figures. Bivariate and multi-variant regression analysis were employed to measure the association between dependent and independent variables. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Result: A total of 5,944 Mycobacterium tuberculosis presumptive patients were included in the study. The majority of the study participants were male (58.1%) with participants’ median age of 40.0 (IQR 26-57) years, the majority were 30-44 years. The overall positive cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was 24.3% (1446) with a total of 132 (9.1%) found to be resistant to Rifampicin. Within the total Rifampicin resistant sub-group, 129/1385 (9.3 %) were newly identified cases and the rest were previously treated, tuberculosis patients. Age, the reason for diagnosis, site of presumptive tuberculosis, and/or being HIV infected showed significant association with our dependent variable; however, only age and being HIV infected were associated with Rifampicin Resistance.Conclusion: In our study, the overall trends of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin Resistance were found to be constant. HIV co-infected and previously treated patients were more likely to develop Rifampicin Resistance. Therefore, maximizing early detection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and strengthening tuberculosis infection control activities are recommended to reduce the burden of this contagious and potentially deadly disease.
Multiple Cross Displacement Amplification-a more applicable technique in detecting Pseudomonas Aeruginosa of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia ( VAP)
Authors: Wang Juxiang , Chen Huimin , Lin Xiaomin , Ji Chengyi , Chen Bin 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background: Early and rapid identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) provides theoretical clinical advantages in therapeutic optimization strategies. Methods: The P. aeruginosa-multiple cross displacement amplification (PA-MCDA) assay was conducted at an isothermal temperature during the amplification stage, and products were visually detected by color changes. The entire process was completed within 1 h. A total of 77 strains, including P. aeruginosa species and various other species of non-P. aeruginosa were used to evaluate PA-MCDA assays. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of suspected VAP patients were examined by the MCDA assay. Results: The MCDA assay exhibited a 100 percent analytical specificity in detecting PA from all 77 strains, and the limit of detection were as low as 100 fg DNA per reaction. A temperature of 65ºC was recommended as standard during the amplification stage. The agreement between PA-MCDA and bacteria culture was 91.18% (κ= 0.787; p =0.000) in identification of P. aeruginosa in BALF from suspected VAP. The PA-MCDA assay showed values of 92.31%, 90.78%, 77.41% and 97.18% for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value, respectively. PA-MCDA had higher detective rate of P. aeruginosa than bacteria culture in patients with antipseudomonal therapy. Conclusions: The instrument-free platform of the MCDA assay makes it a simple, rapid and applicable procedure for “on-site” diagnosis and point-of-care testing for the presence of P. aeruginosa without the need for specific bacterial culture.
Differential long-term retention of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis by age group from the FIRST registry
Authors: Kawabe Akio , Nakano Kazuhisa , Kubo Satoshi , Asakawa Takeshi , Tanaka Yoshiya 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background. The effectiveness and safety of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) by age group (<65, 65–74, and ≥75 years) are uncertain. We examined retention rates reflecting the effectiveness and safety of bDMARDs in actual clinical practice for clarifying optimal therapeutic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by age groups.Methods. Data of patients who were treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), abatacept (ABA), and tocilizumab (TCZ) between February 2011 and April 2017 were collected from a prospective observational registry of RA patients. A total of 1,362 patients were enrolled, of which 695 were aged <65 years, 402 were aged 65–74 years, and 265 were aged ≥75 years. Primary outcome was the drug retention rate in adjusted data using inverse probability of treatment weighting based on generalized propensity scores.Results. In patients aged <65 years, three-year retention rates of TNFi, ABA, and TCZ were 43%, 47%, and 69%, respectively (ABA versus TCZ, p = 0.017; TNFi versus TCZ, p = 0.002). In patients aged 65–74 years, three-year retention rates of TNFi, ABA, and TCZ were 44%, 53%, and 60%, respectively (TCZ versus TNFi, p = 0.034). In patients aged ≥75 years, three-year retention rates for TNFi, ABA, and TCZ were 38%, 63%, and 58%, respectively (ABA versus TNFi, p = 0.017).Conclusions. We found that the effectiveness and safety of TCZ were maximal in patients aged <75 years and that patients aged ≥75 years might be suitable candidates for TCZ and ABA therapy. The use of therapeutic strategies appropriate to each age group might improve the outcomes of bDMARD therapy for RA.
User scheduling for multicast transmission in High Throughput Satellite systems
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Jia Min , Wei Yuming , Guo Qing 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Adopting full frequency reuse in High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems is expected to cope with huge communication demands and large user populations. Moreover, a kind of multicast transmission, which embeds the data of several users in each frame, can be employed to increase the efficiency of HTS systems. Multicast precoding is usually utilized in such systems to mitigate the co-frequency interference between beams and improve the efficiency of transmission. In this context, considering that the number of users may exceed the number of available communication resources in the system, we investigate user scheduling for the multicast transmission in HTS systems with full frequency reuse and multicast precoding. We perform user scheduling according to the user channel state information and decouple the scheduling problem into two phases: intra-beam and inter-beam scheduling. Intra-beam scheduling determines the users involved in the transmission of each frame with the purpose of reducing the influence of the multicast fashion. For intra-beam scheduling, we put forth a fixed-size user grouping algorithm. In contrast to previous studies, this algorithm takes the interference among beams into consideration during the scheduling. In inter-beam scheduling, user groups belonging to different beams are scheduled to improve the performance of the multiplexed transmission. An inter-beam scheduling algorithm is proposed to improve the fairness among users. The simulation results verify the superiority of the proposed algorithms in terms of fairness and spectral efficiency.
In-situ formed and low-temperature deposited Nb: TiO2 compact-mesoporous layer for hysteresis-less perovskite solar cells with high performance
Authors: Yu Miao , Sun Haoxuan , Huang Xiaona , Yan Yichao , Zhang Wanli 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Recently, reported perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with high power conversion efficiency (PCE) are mostly based on mesoporous structures containing mesoporous titanium oxide (TiO2 ) which is the main factor to reduce the overall hysteresis. However, existing fabrication approaches for mesoporous TiO2 generally require a high temperature annealing process. Moreover, there is still a long way to go for improvement in terms of increasing the electron conductivity and reducing the carrier recombination. Herein, a facile one-step, in situ and low-temperature method was developed to prepare an Nb: TiO2 compact-mesoporous layer to serve as both scaffold and electron transport layer (ETL) in PSCs. The Nb: TiO2 compact-mesoporous ETL based PSCs exhibit suppressed hysteresis, which is attributed to the synergistic effect of the large interface surface area caused by nano-pin morphology and the improved carrier transportation caused by Nb doping. Such a high-quality compact-mesoporous layer allows the PSC to achieve a remarkable PCE of 19.74%. This work promises an effective approach for creating hysteresis-less and high-efficiency PSCs based on compact-mesoporous structures with lower energy consumption and cost.
Prevalence of dyslipidemia and associated risk factors among adults aged ≥ 35 years in northern China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Xi Yunfeng , Niu Liwei , Cao Ning , Bao Han , Xu Xiaoqian , Zhu Hao , Yan Tao , Zhang Nan , Qiao Liying , Han Ke , Hang Gai , Wang Wenrui , Zhang Xingguang 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence has increased continuously over the last 30 years in China. Dyslipidemia is an important modifiable risk factor in CVD. We aimed to collect current data on the prevalence of dyslipidemia in northern China and explore potential influencing factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we selected a representative sample of 65,128 participants aged ≥35 years in Inner Mongolia during 2015–2017. All participants completed a questionnaire and were examined for risk factors. Dyslipidemia was defined according to 2016 Chinese guidelines for adults. The associated factors for dyslipidemia were estimated by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The age-standardized prevalence of dyslipidemia was 31.2% overall, with 4.3%, 2.4%, 14.7%, and 17.4% for high total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), respectively. The dyslipidemia prevalence was significantly higher in men than women (37.9% vs. 27.5%, P <0.001), but postmenopausal women had a higher prevalence of dyslipidemia components (except low HDL-C). Compared with Han participants, Mongol participants had a lower prevalence of dyslipidemia (29.1% vs. 31.4%, P <0.001). Male sex, living in urban areas, Han ethnicity, smoking, obesity, central obesity, hypertension, and diabetes were all positively correlated with dyslipidemia; alcohol consumption was linked to lower risk of dyslipidemia. Conclusions: Our study revealed that dyslipidemia is a health problem in northern China. Greater efforts to prevent and manage dyslipidemia, especially in men under age 55 years, postmenopausal women, and people with unhealthy lifestyles or chronic diseases.
Morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients with invasive Group A streptococcus infection: an observational study
Authors: Björck Viveka , Påhlman Lisa I , Bodelsson Mikael , Petersson Ann_Cathrine , Kander Thomas 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background Group A streptococci (GAS) are known to cause serious invasive infections but little is known about outcomes when patients with these infections are admitted to intensive care. We wanted to describe critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock due to invasive GAS (iGAS) and compare them with other patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Methods Adult patients admitted to a general intensive care unit (ICU) in Sweden (2007-2019) were screened for severe sepsis or septic shock according to Sepsis 2 definition. Individuals with iGAS infection were identified. The outcome variables were mortality, days alive and free of vasopressors and invasive mechanical ventilation, maximum acute kidney injury score for creatinine, use of continuous renal replacement therapy and maximum sequential organ failure assessment score during the ICU stay. Age, simplified acute physiology score (SAPS 3) and iGAS were used as independent, explanatory variables in regression analysis. Cox regression was used for survival analyses. Results iGAS was identified in 53 of 1021 (5.2%) patients. Patients with iGAS presented lower median SAPS 3 score (62 [56–72]) vs 71 [61–81]), p < 0.001), had a higher frequency of cardiovascular cause of admission to the ICU (38 [72%] vs 145 [15%], p < 0.001) and had a higher median creatinine score (173 [100–311] vs 133 [86–208] µmol/L, p < 0.019). Of the GAS isolates, 50% were serotyped emm 1/T1 and this group showed signs of more pronounced circulatory and renal failure than patients with non- emm 1/T1, ( p = 0.036 and p = 0.007, respectively). After correction for severity of illness (SAPS 3) and age, iGAS infection was associated with lower mortality risk; 95% confidence interval (CI) of hazard ratio (HR) 0.204–0.746, p < 0.001. Morbidity analyses demonstrated that iGAS patients were more likely to develop renal failure. Conclusion Critically ill patients with iGAS infection had a lower mortality risk but a higher degree of renal failure compared to similarly ill sepsis patients. emm 1/T1 was found to be the most dominant serotype and patients with emm1 /T1 demonstrated more circulatory and renal failure than patients with other serotypes of iGAS.
Transcriptome-based Selection and Validation of Optimal House-keeping Genes for Skin Research in Goats (Capra hircus)
Authors: ZHANG JIPAN , Deng Chengchen , Li Jialu , Zhao Yong-Ju 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background: In Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) experiments, accurate and reliable target gene expression data is dependent on optimal amplification of house-keeping genes (HKGs). RNA-seq technology offers a novel approach to detect new HKGs with improved stability. Goat (Capra hircus) is an economically important livestock species and plays an indispensable role in the world animal fiber and meat industry. Unfortunately, uniform and reliable HKGs for use in goat skin research have not been identified. Therefore, this study seeks to identify a set of stable HKGs for the skin tissue of C. hircus using high-throughput sequencing technology.Results: Based on the transcriptome dataset of 39 goat skin tissue samples, 8 genes (SRP68, NCBP3, RRAGA, EIF4H, CTBP2, PTPRA, CNBP, and EEF2) with relatively stable expression levels were identified and selected as new candidate HKGs. Commonly used HKGs including SDHA and YWHAZ from a previous study, and 2 conventional genes (ACTB and GAPDH) were also examined. Four different experimental variables: (1) different development stages, (2) hair follicle cycle stages, (3) breeds and (4) sampling sites, were used for determination and validation. Four algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt method) and a comprehensive algorithm (ComprFinder, developed in-house) were used to assess the stability of each HKG. It was shown that NCBP3+SDHA+PTPRA were more stably expressed than previously used genes in all conditions analysed, and that this combination was effective at normalizing target gene expression. Moreover, a new algorithm for comprehensive analysis, ComprFinder, was developed and released.Conclusion: This study presents the first data of candidate HKGs for C. hircus skin tissues based on an RNA-seq dataset. We propose that the NCBP3+SDHA+PTPRA combination be used as a triplet set of HKGs in skin molecular biology experiments in C. hircus and other closely related species to standardize analyses across studies. In addition, we also encourage researchers who perform candidate HKG evaluations and who have the need for comprehensive analysis to adopt our new algorithm, ComprFinder.
Development and Validation of a New Method for Visual Acuity Assessment on Tablet in Pediatric Population: eMOVA Test
Authors: STOLL NOEMIE , SPEEG-SCHATZ Claude , Foggia Elsa Di , Sauer Arnaud 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background Amblyopia is a major public health problem. Its screening and management require reliable methods of assessing visual acuity. Many tests are available, some of which are used as a reference and the advent of new technologies sees many others whose validity is not proven. The objective of our study was to develop a tablet-based visual acuity test adapted to the pediatric population: the eMOVA test (electronic Measurement Of Visual Acuity). Methods We did a study comparing the eMOVA test with the Rossano-Weiss test. All children aged 3 to 8 attending the ophthalmic and pediatric consultation between September 2016 and June 2017 were included. The results in terms of visual acuity were compared as well as the duration of each test, its comprehension, its acceptability and the attention of the child during the test. Results The eMOVA test overestimated visual acuity by 0.06 logMAR. This difference, statistically significant, was not clinically relevant. The duration of the eMOVA test was longer than the reference test, but it was less painful and more appreciated by children and their parents. Conclusion The e-MOVA test appears as a reliable method of assessing visual acuity that could be used both in consultation and on a larger scale in the context of screening as well as for the care of the most difficult children.
Prognostic factors in patients with thyroid carcinoma: a competing-risks analysis
Authors: Wang Junhu , Heng Lisong , Yang Jie , Tian Feng , Liang Xiaojun , wang xinwen 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background: Cox proportional-hazards models are widely used to describe survival trends and identify prognostic factors for thyroid carcinoma, but the prognostic model is not accurate enough. This study therefore used a competing-risks model to identify the significant prognostic factors for different types of thyroid carcinoma.Methods: We identified 38,444 eligible patients in the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result) database. The potential prognostic factors for thyroid carcinoma were analyzed by Cox regression analysis, cause-specific hazard function (CS) analysis, and subdistribution hazard function (SD).Results: Cox regression analysis, CS analysis and SD analysis found identifying age, being unmarried, no regional lymph nodes examined, AJCC-6 II, III, IV vs I , having follicular, medullary, anaplastic vs Papillary carcinomas, no surgery, no radioiodine, liver metastasis, and lung metastasis as the significant risk factors for thyroid carcinoma, while being female was protective factor. However, the results from the three multivariate models for being black, tumor size >1 cm, and brain metastasis were inconsistent.Conclusion: In addition to finding that age, pathological type, tumor size, AJCC-6 stage, surgery status, radioiodine status, metastasis as common factors affected the prognosis, we also found that women, being unmarried and had their regional lymph nodes examined can improve the prognosis of thyroid cancer. The discovery of these factors will provide evidences for the prevention and treatment of thyroid cancer.