bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global Impacts of Climate Change on Avian Functional Diversity
Authors: Stewart Peter S. , Voskamp Alke , Biber Matthias F. , Hof Christian , Willis Stephen G. , Tobias Joseph A. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractClimate change is predicted to drive geographical range shifts in many taxa, leading to the formation of novel species assemblages and fluctuations in species richness worldwide. However, the effect of these changes on functional diversity is not yet fully understood, in part because comprehensive species-level trait data are generally lacking at global scales. Here we use morphometric and ecological trait data for 8269 terrestrial bird species to compare functional diversity (FD) of current and future bird assemblages under a medium emissions scenario. We show that future assemblages are likely to undergo substantial shifts in trait structure, with the direction and magnitude of these shifts varying with geographical location and trophic guild. Specifically, invertivore FD is projected to increase at higher latitudes with concurrent losses at mid-latitudes, reflecting poleward shifts in range, whereas frugivore FD is projected to fluctuate in many tropical regions with major declines in much of South America and New Guinea. We show that these projected changes in FD are generally greater than expected from changing species richness alone, indicating that projected FD changes are primarily driven by the loss or gain of functionally distinct species. Our findings suggest that climate change will drive continental-scale shifts in avian functional diversity, with potentially far-reaching implications for ecosystem functions and resilience.
High-density, targeted monitoring of tyrosine phosphorylation reveals activated signaling networks in human tumors
Authors: Stopfer Lauren E. , Flower Cameron T. , Gajadhar Aaron S. , Patel Bhavin , Gallien Sebastien , Lopez-Ferrer Daniel , White Forest M. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractTyrosine phosphorylation (pTyr) plays a pivotal role in signal transduction and is commonly dysregulated in cancer. As a result, profiling tumor pTyr levels may reveal therapeutic insights critical to combating disease. Existing discovery and targeted mass spectrometry-based methods used to monitor pTyr networks involve a tradeoff between broad coverage of the pTyr network, reproducibility in target identification across analyses, and accurate quantification. To address these limitations, we developed a targeted approach, termed “SureQuant pTyr,” coupling low input pTyr enrichment with a panel of isotopically labeled, tyrosine phosphorylated internal standard (IS) peptides. Using internal standard guided acquisition, the real-time detection of IS peptides during the analysis initiates the sensitive and selective quantitation of endogenous pTyr targets. This framework allows for reliable quantification of several hundred commonly dysregulated pTyr targets with high quantitative accuracy, enhances target detection success rates, and improves the robustness and usability of targeted acquisition. We establish the clinical applicability of SureQuant pTyr by profiling pTyr signaling levels in human colorectal tumors using minimal sample input, characterizing patient specific oncogenic driving mechanisms. While in some cases pTyr profiles align with previously reported proteomic, genomic, and transcriptomic molecular characterizations, we highlight instances of new insights gained using pTyr characterization and emphasize the complementary nature of pTyr measurements with traditional biomarkers for improving patient stratification and identifying therapeutic targets. The turn-key nature of this approach opens the door to rapid and reproducible pTyr profiling in research and clinical settings alike and enable pTyr-based measurements for applications in precision medicine.SummaryA targeted, mass spectrometry-based method, termed “SureQuant pTyr,” enables highly sensitive and reproducible profiling of tyrosine phosphorylation levels in human colorectal tumors and reveals dysregulated signaling networks for enhanced tumor characterization and biomarker identification.
Minimal system for assembly of SARS-CoV-2 virus like particles
Authors: Swann Heather , Sharma Abhimanyu , Preece Benjamin , Peterson Abby , Eldridge Crystal , Belnap David M. , Vershinin Michael , Saffarian Saveez 
Published: June 2020

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 virus is the causative agent of COVID-19. Here we demonstrate that non-infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus like particles (VLPs) can be assembled by co-expressing the viral proteins S, M and E in mammalian cells. The assembled SARS-CoV-2 VLPs possess S protein spikes on particle exterior, making them ideal for vaccine development. The particles range in shape from spherical to elongated with a characteristic size of 129 ± 32 nm. We further show that SARS-CoV-2 VLPs dried in ambient conditions can retain their structural integrity upon repeated scans with Atomic Force Microscopy up to a peak force of 1 nN.
HyPR-seq: Single-cell quantification of chosen RNAs via hybridization and sequencing of DNA probes
Authors: Marshall Jamie L. , Doughty Benjamin R. , Subramanian Vidya , Wang Qingbo , Chen Linlin M. , Rodriques Samuel G. , Zhang Kaite , Guckelberger Philine , Fulco Charles P. , Nasser Joseph , Grinkevich Elizabeth J. , Noel Teia , Mangiameli Sarah , Greka Anna , Lander Eric S. , Chen Fei , Engreitz Jesse M. 
Published: June 2020

ABSTRACTSingle-cell quantification of RNAs is important for understanding cellular heterogeneity and gene regulation, yet current approaches suffer from low sensitivity for individual transcripts, limiting their utility for many applications. Here we present Hybridization of Probes to RNA for sequencing (HyPR-seq), a method to sensitively quantify the expression of up to 100 chosen genes in single cells. HyPR-seq involves hybridizing DNA probes to RNA, distributing cells into nanoliter droplets, amplifying the probes with PCR, and sequencing the amplicons to quantify the expression of chosen genes. HyPR-seq achieves high sensitivity for individual transcripts, detects nonpolyadenylated and low-abundance transcripts, and can profile more than 100,000 single cells. We demonstrate how HyPR-seq can profile the effects of CRISPR perturbations in pooled screens, detect time-resolved changes in gene expression via measurements of gene introns, and detect rare transcripts and quantify cell type frequencies in tissue using low-abundance marker genes. By directing sequencing power to genes of interest and sensitively quantifying individual transcripts, HyPR-seq reduces costs by up to 100-fold compared to whole-transcriptome scRNA-seq, making HyPR-seq a powerful method for targeted RNA profiling in single cells.
Pulmonary Thromboembolic Disease in Patients with COVID-19 Undergoing Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA): Incidence and Relationship with Pulmonary Parenchymal Abnormalities
Authors: Fang Cheng , Garzillo Giorgio , Batohi Bhavna , Teo James T H , Berovic Marko , Sidhu Paul S , Robbie Hasti 
Published: June 2020

AbstractPurposeThis study aims to report the incidence, severity and extent of pulmonary thromboembolic disease (PTD) in patients with confirmed COVID-19 who have undergone CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in a tertiary centre.Materials and MethodsThis is a retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing CTPA between 23rd March 2020 and 19th April 2020 in a tertiary centre. The presence of PTD, location and involved pulmonary lobes were documented. The pattern and extent of pulmonary parenchymal abnormalities including the presence of fibrosis, lymph node enlargement and pleural effusion were evaluated by two experienced observers independently and consensus was achieved for the most disparate results. Inter-observer agreement was assessed using Kappa statistics. Student t-test, Chi square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare imaging features between PTD and non-PTD sub-groups.ResultsDuring the study period, 2157 patients were confirmed with COVID-19, 297/2157 (13.8%) had CT imaging, 100/2157 (4.6%) were CTPA studies, 93 studies were analysed, excluding suboptimal studies. Overall incidence of PTD was 41/93 (44%) with a third of patients showing segmental and subsegmental PTD (n = 28/93, 30%,). D-dimer was elevated in 90/93 (96.8%) of cases. High Wells’ score did not differentiate between PE and non-PE groups (p = 0.801). The inter-observer agreement was fair (Kappa = 0.659) for parenchymal pattern and excellent (Kappa = 0.816) for severity. Lymph node enlargement was found in 34/93 of cases (36.6%) with 29/34 (85.3%) showing no additional source of infection. Fibrosis was seen in 16/93 (17.2%) of cases, mainly demonstrating fibrotic organising pneumonia.ConclusionThere is a high incidence of PTD in COVID-19 patients undergoing CTPA, complicated by lack of a valid risk stratification tool. Our data indicates a much higher suspicion of PTD is needed in severe COVID-19 patients. The concomitant presence of fibrotic features on CT indicates the need for follow-up for evaluation of chronic pulmonary complications.
Trauma-spectrum symptoms among the Italian general population in the time of the COVID-19 outbreak
Authors: Rossi Rodolfo , Socci Valentina , Talevi Dalila , Niolu Cinzia , Pacitti Francesca , Di Marco Antinisca , Rossi Alessandro , Siracusano Alberto , Di Lorenzo Giorgio , Olff Miranda 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundRecent evidence showed substantial negative mental health outcomes associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic, including trauma-related symptoms although the effects on the Italian population who were subjected to unprecedented nationwide lockdown measure remains unknown. The Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS) is a brief instrument designed to assess a broad range of trauma-related symptoms with no available validation in the Italian population.AimsThis study aimed at examining the factor structure of the Italian version of the GPS in a general population sample exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic and at evaluating trauma-related symptoms in the Italian population in the context of specific COVID-19 related risk factors associated with the implementation of lockdown measures and social distancing.MethodsCross-sectional web-based observational study, as part of a long-term monitoring programme of mental health outcomes in the general population. 18147 participants completed a self-report online questionnaire to collect key demographic data and to evaluate trauma-related symptoms using the GPS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, ISI and PSS. Validation analyses included both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and correlation analyses.ResultsExploratory factor analyses supported both a two-factor and a three-factor model. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a one-factor solution that was used as a baseline comparison showed acceptable fit indices, the two-factor solution showed good fit indices, but the best fitting model was a three-factor solution, with Negative Affect (symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety, irritability), core Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS) (avoidance, re-experiencing, hyperarousal and insomnia) and Dissociative symptoms. GPS Risk factors as well as specific COVID-19 related stressful events, were associated with GPS total as well as the three factor scores.ConclusionsOur data suggest that a wide range of trauma-spectrum symptoms were reported by a large Italian sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. The GPS symptoms clustered best in three factors: Negative Affect symptoms, Core PTSS, and Dissociative symptoms. In particular high rates of core PTSS and negative affect symptoms were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy and should be routinely assessed in clinical practice.
CLINICAL BLEEDING PATTERNS AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES OF ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING IN WESTERN KENYA.
Authors: Mutakha Godfrey Shichenje , Mwaliko Emily , Kirwa Philip 
Published: June 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundAbnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) affects 30% of reproductive age women globally. However, there are limited local studies evaluating the management of these women. The diagnostic guideline using structural and functional causes of AUB adopts the PALM-COEIN criteria, namely: Polyp; Adenomyosis; Leiomyoma; Malignancy and Hyperplasia; Coagulopathy; Ovulatory dysfunction; Endometrial; Iatrogenic; and Not yet classified. This study aimed to determine the clinical bleeding patterns and management of AUB among women in their reproductive age.MethodsA cross-sectional study among 108 women with AUB aged 18-45 years was conducted at the gynaecology department of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Western Kenya between April 2018 and April 2019. Their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected using interviewer administered structured questionnaire and chart reviews. Adherence to diagnosis recommendations was assessed using PALM COEIN classification. Descriptive and inferential data analysis was conducted at 95% confidence interval.ResultsThe median age was 30 (IQR: 22, 41) years with prolonged bleeding as the most predominant pattern at 41.7%. Bleeding patterns were significantly associated with age (p = 0.04). Only 16.7% were diagnosed as per the PALM-COEIN criteria with PALM and COEIN accounting for 60% and 40% respectively. Leiomyoma (44.5%) was the common cause of AUB. Laboratory evaluation included: pregnancy tests, full Haemogram, hormonal profile and biopsy. Most (79.6%) of the women had abdominopelvic ultrasound done. Medical management was provided for 78.7% of women.ConclusionProlonged bleeding was the most common pattern with medical management preferred. There is need for in-hospital algorithms to ensure adherence to PALM-COEIN guidelines.
SCALE19: A scalable and cost-efficient method for testing Covid-19 based on hierarchical group testing
Authors: Kim Jeremie S. , Kim Justine S. , Kim Hyong S. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractContainment of Covid-19 requires an extensive testing of the affected population. Some propose global testing to effectively contain Covid-19. Current tests for Covid-19 are administered individually. These tests for Covid-19 are expensive and are limited due to the lack of resources and time. We propose a simple and efficient group testing method for Covid-19. We propose a group testing method where test subjects are grouped and tested. Depending on the result of the group test, subsequent sub groups are formed and tested recursively based on a quartery search algorithm. We designed and built an evaluation model that simulates test subject population, infected test subjects according to available Covid-19 statistics, and the group testing processes in SCALE19. We considered several population models including USA and the world. Our results show that we can significantly reduce the required number of tests up to 89% without sacrificing the accuracy of the individual test of the entire population. For USA, up to 280 million tests can be reduced from the total US population of 331 million and it would be equivalent saving of $28 billion assuming a cost of $100 per test. For the world, 6.96 billion tests can be reduced from the total population of 7.8 billion and it would be equivalent to saving $696 billion. We propose SCALE19 can significantly reduce the total required number of tests compared to individual tests of the entire population. We believe SCALE19 is efficient and simple to be deployed in containment of Covid-19.
Public’s Knowledge and Practices regarding COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey from Pakistan
Authors: Saqlain Muhmmad , Ahmed Ali , Gulzar Aqsa , Naz Sahar , Munir Muhammad Muddasir , Ahmed Zaheer , Kamran Sohail 
Published: June 2020

AbstractEffective mitigation of coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) pandemic required true adoption of precautionary measures by the masses, that primarily depends upon their knowledge and practices behaviors. The current study aimed to evaluate the knowledge; practices of Pakistani residents regarding COVID-19 and factors associated with good knowledge and positive practices. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 15-April 2020 to 20 May 2020 among 689 Pakistanis by using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Regression analysis was applied to find potential predictor of knowledge and practices. Of 689 participants, more than half had good knowledge; 80% had good practices regarding COVID-19 and majority seek knowledge from social media. Knowledge was significantly higher (OR>1.00, p< 0.05) among educated and higher income participants. Positive practices were significantly (OR>1.00, p< 0.05) related to the older age (≥50 years), higher education, higher income and good knowledge regarding COVID-19. The study concluded that Pakistani residents had good knowledge and practices towards COVID-19 yet there are gaps in specific aspects of knowledge, and practice that should be focused in future awareness and educational campaigns. The study recommends the ministry of health authorities to promote all precautionary and preventive measures of COVID-19-consisting of a better-organized approach-to all strata of society: less privileged people, older ones and less educated people, in order to have equilibrium of knowledge about COVID-19; hence effective implementation of precautionary measures.
Progress towards the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) target for Bangladesh: The role of female education
Authors: Ahsan Karar Zunaid , Streatfield Peter Kim , Jamil Kanta , El Arifeen Shams 
Published: June 2020

AbstractEducational attainment among women is a well-recognized predictor for maternal mortality. Data from nationally representative surveys and the United Nations are used in the analysis for estimating maternal mortality due to improved education status up to 2030. Analysis of data from 2001 and 2010 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey shows that MMR varies considerably by education level. The study shows that during 2011–2030, 15% maternal deaths will be averted due to fertility change (i.e. fewer births) and 24% of the maternal deaths can be averted only by improving the female education levels. However, in order to achieve the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) target of 59 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 for Bangladesh, a further 64% reduction will be required. Factors outside the health sector, like female education, will continue to have an impact maternal mortality in Bangladesh. However, reaching the EPMM target for Bangladesh by 2030 will also require significant investments in maternal health programs, in particular those to increase access to and quality of services.
Application accuracy of the sleep decision tree to standardized patient cases by physiotherapists: an observational study
Authors: Siengsukon Catherine F. , He Jianghua , Miller Kenneth , Jewell Dianne 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundPhysiotherapists assess lifestyle factors, including sleep health, that contribute to poor health outcomes. Recommendations of sleep screening assessments have been provided; however, physical therapists’ ability to successfully identify which patients would benefit from additional consultation has not been established.ObjectiveTo determine if physiotherapists can accurately apply an evidence-based sleep decision tree to four hypothetical standardized patient cases.MethodsParticipants applied the sleep decision tree to the four standardized cases via an online platform. Likert scales were used to assess perception of ease of use, likelihood of use, and how helpful they thought the sleep decision tree would be. Descriptive analyses and multiple linear regression models were conducted.ResultsEighty-eight individuals participated in the study. Eighty-one respondents (92%) correctly answered the least complex case while 12 (14%) correctly answered the most complex case. Seventy-four (84%) respondents indicated the sleep decision tree was easy to use, 57 (65%) answered they were likely to use the sleep decision tree in clinical practice, and 66 (75%) said the sleep decision tree would be helpful to their clients.ConclusionsPhysiotherapists were able to accurately apply a sleep decision tree to simpler patient cases but were frequently unable to apply it to more complex patient cases. This may be due to lack of education, perceived ease of using, and relevance of the sleep decision tree to their clinical practice. The sleep decision tree may aid physiotherapists in assessing sleep health, screening for sleep disturbances, and referring for further assessment.
Comparison of Glycemic Control between Intensive Insulin Regimen and Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin infusion: A Meta-Analysis Report of Type-1 Diabetics from Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Aziz Kamran Mahmood Ahmed , Othman Abdullah 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAchieving glycemic control and targets are challenging in type-1 diabetes management. To achieve this, intensive insulin therapy or multiple daily injections (MDI) and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or pump therapy have been used in various health care settings. However, there has been a debate on their superiority. Some of researchers have recommended MDI, while others SCII. We compared MDI with CSII by a literature search. We have conducted mata-analysis for MDI and CSII on ten randomized controlled trials on 809 type-1 diabetics 809, MDI (N = 394) or CSII (N = 415). Heterogeneity between trials was quantified by conventional Q-statistic (Cochran’s heterogeneity statistic) and Higgins I2 statistic with 0-40% representing negligible heterogeneity, 30-60% moderate heterogeneity, 50-90% substantial heterogeneity and 75-100% considerable heterogeneity. tau-squared (τ2) was used to observe between-study random-effects variance. Meta Analyst software was used to analyze the data and to conduct meta-analysis. SPSS was used to analyze HbA1c student’s t-test for MDI and CSII. A random-effect analysis ((DerSimonian-Laird method) performed on ten studies found that the percentage of HbA1c was lower in patients receiving CSII compared with those receiving MDI; standardized mean difference (SMD) was 0.441, 95% confidence interval 0.267 to 0.616, p < 0.001; equivalent to a difference of 0.39%, favoring CSII. I2 statistic was 20.9; τ2 = 0.016; Q = 11.378 with df = 9, indicating that heterogeneity was not significant (heterogeneity p-value = 0.251). Patients on CSII demonstrated significantly lower values (8.2±0.72 versus 7.73±0.72; p-value < 0.001 respectively). This statistical and meta-analysis favors the usage of insulin pump therapy. We concluded that patient centered approach should be used while selecting the patients for insulin pump (CSII) or MDI.