bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of atorvastatin on inflammatory markers in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Hussein Hussein S. , Mady Gamal E. , Shawky Sahar M. , Omran Noha A. , Teama Nahla M. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background
Cardiovascular disease is the commonest cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) under maintenance hemodialysis. Dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and low-grade inflammation with increased circulating cytokines are factors that increase the cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic kidney disease, in addition to traditional risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. We aimed to investigate the possible anti-inflammatory effects of atorvastatin in prevalent hemodialysis patients. Fifty-three stable adult hemodialysis patients were assigned into two groups (a drug group and a control group). Patients in the drug group received 20 mg of atorvastatin daily for 6 months. Serum levels of highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in both groups at baseline and at the end of the study period.

Results
Atorvastatin therapy caused a statistically significant decrease in levels of hs-CRP but no change in levels of IL-6 after 6 months of therapy.

Conclusions
In addition to its favorable effect on lipid profile parameters, atorvastatin therapy can be considered as an effective and safe modality to overcome the problem of chronic inflammation encountered in end-stage renal disease patients.
Characterizing the Clinical and Genetic Spectrum of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Electronic Health Records
Authors: Actkins Ky’Era V , Singh Kritika , Hucks Donald , Velez Edwards Digna R , Aldrich Melinda , Cha Jeeyeon , Wellons Melissa , Davis Lea K 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Context
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the leading causes of infertility, yet current diagnostic criteria are ineffective at identifying patients whose symptoms reside outside strict diagnostic criteria. As a result, PCOS is underdiagnosed and its etiology is poorly understood.

Objective
We aim to characterize the phenotypic spectrum of PCOS clinical features within and across racial and ethnic groups.

Methods
We developed a strictly defined PCOS algorithm (PCOSkeyword-strict) using the International Classification of Diseases, ninth and tenth revisions and keywords mined from clinical notes in electronic health records (EHRs) data. We then systematically relaxed the inclusion criteria to evaluate the change in epidemiological and genetic associations resulting in 3 subsequent algorithms (PCOScoded-broad, PCOScoded-strict, and PCOSkeyword-broad). We evaluated the performance of each phenotyping approach and characterized prominent clinical features observed in racially and ethnically diverse PCOS patients.

Results
The best performance came from the PCOScoded-strict algorithm, with a positive predictive value of 98%. Individuals classified as cases by this algorithm had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), insulin levels, free testosterone values, and genetic risk scores for PCOS, compared to controls. Median BMI was higher in African American females with PCOS compared to White and Hispanic females with PCOS.

Conclusions
PCOS symptoms are observed across a severity spectrum that parallels the continuous genetic liability to PCOS in the general population. Racial and ethnic group differences exist in PCOS symptomology and metabolic health across different phenotyping strategies.
Hormone References for Ultrasound Breast Staging and Endocrine Profiling to Detect Female Onset of Puberty
Authors: Madsen Andre , Bruserud Ingvild S , Bertelsen Bjørn-Erik , Roelants Mathieu , Oehme Ninnie Helen Bakken , Viste Kristin , Bjerknes Robert , Almås Bjørg , Rosendahl Karen , Mellgren Gunnar , Sagen Jørn V , Juliusson Petur B 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Context
Application of ultrasound (US) to evaluate attainment and morphology of glandular tissue provides a new rationale for evaluating onset and progression of female puberty, but currently no hormone references complement this method. Furthermore, previous studies have not explored the predictive value of endocrine profiling to determine female puberty onset.

Objective
To integrate US breast staging with hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal hormone references and test the predictive value of an endocrine profile to determine thelarche.

Design Setting and Participants
Cross-sectional sample of 601 healthy Norwegian girls, ages 6 to 16 years.

Main Outcome Measures
Clinical and ultrasound breast evaluations were performed for all included girls. Blood samples were analyzed by immunoassay and ultrasensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to quantify estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) from the subpicomolar range.

Results
References for E2, E1, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and sex hormone–binding globulin were constructed in relation to chronological age, Tanner stages, and US breast stages. An endocrine profile index score derived from principal component analysis of these analytes was a better marker of puberty onset than age or any individual hormone, with receiver-operating characteristic area under the curve 0.91 (P &lt; 0.001). Ultrasound detection of nonpalpable glandular tissue in 14 out of 264 (5.3%) girls with clinically prepubertal presentation was associated with significantly higher median serum levels of E2 (12.5 vs 4.9 pmol/L; P &lt; 0.05) and a distinct endocrine profile (arbitrary units; P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions
We provide the first hormone references for use with US breast staging and demonstrate the application of endocrine profiling to improve detection of female puberty onset.
“Eu segurei e ela nasceu!”: percepções do corpo em narrativas de parto
Authors: Barcellos Rezende Claudia 
Published: September 2020

Analiso neste artigo como a experiência do corpo no parto é narrada por mulheres de camadas médias no Rio de Janeiro, tendo como eixo central de análise o modo como falam da anestesia no parto. Nos relatos dos dois grupos etários estudados, cada parto traz uma constelação de elementos distintos, como o momento de vida da mulher, a equipe médica e o contexto hospitalar, que produzem uma experiência corporal particular. As referências ao corpo vão além da questão da dor, colocando em foco como ele se torna conhecido e manejado durante o parto. O modo de falar sobre a anestesia destaca, portanto, o tema do controle e sensação do corpo. Assim, busco examinar aqui a articulação entre corpo e subjetividade no modo de narrar o parto. Argumento que a vivência do corpo é mediada não apenas por ontologias sobre a relação entre corpo e subjetividade, como também pelas interações com as pessoas presentes no momento do parto, atravessadas por valores morais.
Movimentos de contraconduta: o caso das beguinas
Authors: Carvalho Rosângela Tenório de 
Published: September 2020

Este artigo analisa enunciados literários sobre mulheres que viveram no século XIII e estabeleceram formas de vida religiosa fora da estrutura da Igreja Católica no contexto das lutas antipastorais – as beguinas. O objetivo da análise é compreender como as lutas antipastorais dessas mulheres estão relacionadas a práticas conventuais que estão na gênese da pedagogia escolar. Sustentada nas noções de práticas disciplinares e práticas de contraconduta desenvolvidas por Michel Foucault e de literatura como uma narrativa sobre a vida examinamos enunciados sobre essas mulheres em um corpus de textos literários. A análise desenvolvida sugere que elementos dos modos de vida dessas mulheres foram recontextualizadas ao longo do tempo e incorporadas a pedagogia na modernidade.
Sider’s Puzzle and the Mormon Afterlife
Authors: Miller Taylor-Grey , Haderlie Derek 
Published: September 2020

There is a puzzle about divine justice stemming from the fact that God seems required to judge on the basis of criteria that are vague. Justice is proportional, however, it seems God violates proportionality by sending those on the borderline of heaven to an eternity in hell. This is Ted Sider’s problem of Hell and Vagueness. On the face of things, this poses a challenge only to a narrow class of classical Christians, those that hold a retributive theory of divine punishment. We show that this puzzle can be extended to the picture of divine judgement and the afterlife found in Mormon theology. This is significant because at first glance, the Mormon picture of the afterlife looks like it fails to co-operate with Sider’s puzzle. In Mormon theology, there are not two afterlife states, but three: a low, a middle, and a high kingdom. There is no afterlife state quite like Hell, and the states that function similarly to Hell aren’t places of eternal suffering. We argue that appearances are misleading. While it may be true that no place in the Mormon afterlife is bad in the sense that its inhabitants suffer eternal bodily harm, it is true that many of the places in the Mormon afterlife are bad in the sense that their inhabitants lack access to significant goods. This allows Sider’s puzzle to re-engage as a puzzle about distributive Justice. After setting out this alternative version of the puzzle, we argue that Mormon theology has sufficient resources to reject proportionality as a constraint on divine judgment by adopting a nuanced version of universalism called escapism.
Mid-wave infrared polarization imaging system for detecting moving scene
Authors: Yang Min , Xu Wenbin , Sun Zhenyuan , Wu Hao , Tian Yuze , Li Longting 
Published: September 2020

In this Letter, a polarimetric analyzer is designed for a mid-wave infrared camera. This kind of infrared camera transforms into the mid-wave infrared polarization imaging system to measure the infrared polarization characteristics of the object in the moving scene. The polarimetric analyzer is designed by using the ultra-high-speed and high-position method to drive the polarizer to rotate uniformly at the speed of 900 rpm. The polarization state of the object scene is changed, and the mid-wave infrared camera synchronously acquires the infrared intensity image in different polarized directions, those of 0°, 120°, and 240°. Then, a Stokes vector model is established with the basic rotation angles, and a sort-iteration method is proposed to process the original infrared intensity image. Three continuously neighboring infrared intensity images are used to calculate the degree of linear polarization (DoLP) and the angle of polarization (AoP), which make the infrared polarization image the same imaging frame as the infrared intensity image. Test results show that the mid-wave infrared polarization imaging system can complete the acquisition of the DoLP and the AoP images well with the frame frequency of 45 fps, which is suitable for the infrared polarization detection of the moving scenes. The study has great potential for polarization remote sensing and marine object detection.
Multiport swept-wavelength interferometer with laser phase noise mitigation employing a broadband ultra-weak FBG array
Authors: Chen Haoshuo , Fontaine Nicolas K. , Alvarado-Zacarias Juan Carlos , Cheng Cheng , Bigot Marianne , Sillard Pierre , Ryf Roland , Mazur Mikael , Neilson David T. , Amezcua-Correa Rodrigo , Yang Minghong 
Published: September 2020

Optical vector network analyzers (OVNAs) based on swept-wavelength interferometry are applied widely in optical metrology and sensing to measure the complex transfer functions of optical components, devices, and fibers. Phase noise from laser sweep nonlinearities degrades the measurement quality as the distance increases and limits the usage of the OVNA in characterizing systems with long impulse responses as required in space-division multiplexing links with a high mode count or in the presence of large modal differential group delay (DGD). In this Letter, we use a densely distributed broadband ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating array to directly measure the distortion due to phase noise at a 5-m increment up to 400 m and use this measured data to directly eliminate the distortion. We experimentally extend the measurement range of the swept-wavelength OVNA over 400 m and successfully characterize a 2-km six-mode multimode fiber link with an accumulated impulse response as wide as 20 ns.
Fabrication of antireflection microstructures on the surface of GaSe crystal by single-pulse femtosecond laser ablation
Authors: Bushunov Andrey A. , Teslenko Andrei A. , Tarabrin Mikhail K. , Lazarev Vladimir A. , Isaenko Lyudmila I. , Eliseev Alexander P. , Lobanov Sergei I. 
Published: September 2020

GaSe crystals are promising as nonlinear optical converters in the mid- and far-IR ranges. However, it is challenging to increase the GaSe surface transmittance of 77% with conventional antireflection coatings because of poor surface quality, leading to coating adhesion problems. Antireflection microstructures (ARMs) offer an alternative way of increasing surface transmittance. In this work, ARMs were fabricated on the surface of a GaSe plate by single-pulse femtosecond laser ablation. An average GaSe surface transmittance of 94% in the 7–11 µm range and a maximum transmittance of 97.8% at 8.5 µm were obtained. The proposed method can be used to increase the efficiency of GaSe-based nonlinear converters.
What do we know about the possibility of predicting the potential efficacy and safety of methotrexate, by measuring the concentration of its metabolites in rheumatoid arthritis?
Authors: Gridneva G. I. , Aronova E. S. , Sygyrta V. S. , Kudryavtseva A. V. , Nurbaeva K. S. 
Published: September 2020

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by a progressive course with the formation of joint deformities and the development of severe functional disorders. The most favorable conditions for changing the course of the disease emerge in the first months after its onset. Methotrexate (MTX) occupies a leading position in the treatment of RA. There is a need to develop tools that will be able to predict the efficacy and tolerability of MTX at the earliest stages of RA treatment. The concentration of active metabolites of MTX is considered as a potential biomarker that enables one to predict what response to therapy with this drug will be.The paper analyzes the most relevant works devoted to the study of the concentration of active MTX metabolites polyglutamates (MTX PGs) in patients with RA. It is shown that the presented studies do not cover all the possibilities of therapeutic drug monitoring, in particular the determination of the levels of MTX PGs in mononuclear cells over time. Further investigation is needed to develop an objective approach to prescribing MTX in RA patients.
Psoriatic arthritis: clinical and ultrasound parallels
Authors: Fairushina I. F. , Kirillova E. R. , Abdulganieva D. I. , Sukhorukova E. V. , Mukhametshina E. I. 
Published: September 2020

Objective: to assess the relationship of the clinical characteristics and laboratory inflammatory markers to the ultrasound signs of synovitis and enthesitis in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).Patients and methods. Examinations were made in 63 patients diagnosed with PsA according to the 2006 Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR) criteria. Among the patients, the majority were females (54.2%); the mean age was 42.9±10.3 years; the median (Me) PsA duration was 7 [3; 10] years; Me Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) was 16.5 [11.6; 25] years.All the patients underwent estimation of tender joint count, swollen joint count, tender entheseal count, inter alia using the Leeds Enthesitis Index (LEI), Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesis Score (MASES), and Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC). The investigators determined PsA activity by DAPSA and the prevalence and severity of psoriasis by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and also estimated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels. Ultrasonography was used to assess bilateral upper and lower limb joints, by calculating joint counts (JC) with synovitis signs (SJC), as well as tendon and ligament entheses (a total number of 54 in one patient), by determining the presence of vascularized enthesis count (VEC) and structurally changed enthesis count (SCEC) and using the ultrasound indices (Glasgow Ultrasound Enthesitis Scoring System (GUESS), Belgrade Ultrasound Enthesitis Score (BUSES), Madrid Sonography Enthesitis Index (MASEI), Sonographic Enthesitis Index (SEI)).Results and discussion. There were no significant differences in the frequency of damage to the upper (15.7%) and lower (19.3%) limb joints (p>0.05), whereas inflammation in the entheses of the lower limbs (23.2%) was significantly more common than that in the upper limbs (15.3%) (p<0.01). A weak relationship was established between SPARCC and SEI (r=0.276; p<0.05). A positive correlation was found between VEC and hs-CRP levels (r=0.323, p=0.01), ESR (r=0.332, p<0.01). Ultrasound imaging showed that SJC (p<0.01), enthesitis count (p<0.01), and SCEC (p<0.05) increased with age. The relationship between SCEC and GUESS (r=0.724; p<0.01) and that between the VEC and BUSES (r=0.562, p<0.01) proved to be more pronounced.Conclusion. Ultrasound imaging indicates that the entheses of the lower limbs are more frequently affected in patients with PsA. There is no relationship between DAPSA and ultrasound inflammatory changes in the joints and extra-articular structures. A strong relationship is established between enthesiseal structural and inflammatory changes and GUESS and BUSES, respectively, which allows one to recommend the use of these indices for assessing enthesitis in PsA. Entheseal vascularization associated with inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, ESR) (p<0.05) is a manifestation of PsA activity regardless of age and DAPSA.
Association of <i>ERAP1</i> and <i>IL23R</i> gene polymorphisms with ankylosing spondylitis
Authors: Yakubova U. A. , Bugrova O. V. , Nagornova K. A. 
Published: September 2020

Currently, the causes of extra-axial and extra-skeletal manifestations of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and the possible impact of genetic aspects on its course and clinical features remain unresolved.Objective: to investigate the association of the polymorphic markers rs10050860 and rs17482078 in the ERAP1 gene and rs11209026 in the IL23R gene with the development and clinical manifestations of AS.Patients and methods. An allele-specific polymerase chain reaction assay was carried out to assess the alleles and corresponding genotypes of ERAP1 and IL23R gene polymorphisms in 70 patients (49 men and 21 women; mean age, 38 [31; 49] years) with AS and in 20 healthy donors. The activity indices, ESR, CRP, and extra-axial and extra-skeletal manifestations of AS were assessed in patients at the time of the investigation and in their history.Results and discussion. The results of genotyping showed a significant association of the studied markers with AS. The carriage of the C/T genotype of the polymorphic markers rs10050860 and rs17482078 in the ERAP1 gene was associated with the history of peripheral arthritis (p=0.029) and the presence of incomplete right bundle branch block (IRBBB) (p=0.003 and p=0.006); the carriage of the G/A genotype of the marker rs11209026 in the IL23R gene was significantly associated with psoriasis (p=0.017) and IRBBB (p=0.03) in patients with AS.Conclusion. The polymorphic markers of the ERAP1 and IL23R genes are associated with the risk of developing AS in this sample of patients. There is a significant correlation between the studied polymorphisms and some clinical manifestations of AS, which can be considered as a predictor of a more severe disease course.
Evaluation of the efficiency and safety of combined therapy with a symptomatic sustained-release drug and hyaluronic acid versus monotherapy with hyaluronic acid in patients with knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Berdyugin K. A. , Kadyntsev I. V. , Berdyugina O. V. , Taskina E. A. , Kashevarova N. G. 
Published: September 2020

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease. Searching for new treatment methods and regimens for OA is relevant.Objective: to evaluate the efficiency and safety of therapy with a symptomatic sustained-release drug (Alflutop) in combination with intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) injection versus monotherapy with HA in patients with knee OA in routine clinical practice.Patients and methods. A post-registration open-labeled prospective comparative randomized study was conducted to assess the results of treatment in 76 patients (31 men and 45 women; mean age, 49.3±8.5 years; body mass index, 28.4±0.8 kg/m2 ) in two clinical centers in Yekaterinburg and Perm. The patients were randomized into two equal groups, were homogeneous in terms of gender, the frequency of comorbidities, and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate).Group 1 patients received Alflutop as 1-ml daily intramuscular injections (a total of 20 injections) + 2 ml of 1% intraarticular (IA) HA solution injections three times at 1-week intervals; Group 2 patients were given 2 ml of 1% intraarticular HA solution injections three times at 1-week intervals. As an additional therapy, the use of meloxicam 7.5–15 mg/day was permitted, and, if non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were contraindicated, paracetamol 1–3 g/day might be used.Results and discussion. During treatment, both groups of patients showed improvement (compared to the baseline levels). At the same time, evaluating the intergroup values revealed clear differences: a more pronounced decrease in all WOMAC indicators in Group 1 patients: pain scores, 2 [1; 3] vs. 4 [2; 5] in Group 2 (p<0.001); stiffness, 1 [0; 2] vs. 2 [1; 4] (p<0.001); functional insufficiency, 8 [3; 12] vs. 15.5 [12; 20] (p<0.001); and total WOMAC scores, 12 [7; 13] vs. 21.5 [15; 28] (p<0.001). Pain-intensity assessment using the visual analogue scale also showed the more pronounced positive effect of the combination therapy in Group 1 (p<0.001).Alflutop used in combination with HA was shown to be more preferable than HA monotherapy, which was confirmed by the results achieved for all WOMAC indicators. At 6 months, by the last visit, there were pronounced positive changes in all the analyzed parameters in both groups. At the same time, the most significant changes were recorded in the Alflutop + HA group than in the HA group (p<0.001). Perhaps, the mechanism in exhibiting the found synergistic effect of these drugs lies in their different effect on the pathogenesis of the disease. However, further study of this issue is required in multicenter randomized controlled trials.The good safety of the drugs was confirmed: not a single adverse event was revealed.Conclusion. The patients receiving the combination therapy with Alflutop + HA had the best treatment results in all the parameters assessed.