bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decellularization and recellularization of the ovary for bioengineering applications; studies in the mouse
Authors: Alshaikh Ahmed Baker , Padma Arvind Manikantan , Dehlin Matilda , Akouri Randa , Song Min Jong , Brännström Mats , Hellström Mats 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Fertility preservation is particularly challenging in young women diagnosed with hematopoietic cancers, as transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian cortex in these women carries the risk for re-introducing cancer cells. Therefore, the construction of a bioengineered ovary that can accommodate isolated small follicles was proposed as an alternative to minimize the risk of malignancy transmission. Various options for viable bioengineered scaffolds have been reported in the literature. Previously, we reported three protocols for producing mouse ovarian scaffolds with the decellularization technique. The present study examined these scaffolds further, specifically with regards to their extracellular composition, biocompatibility and ability to support recellularization with mesenchymal stem cells.

Material and methods
Three decellularization protocols based on 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (Protocol 1; P1), or 2% sodium deoxycholate (P2), or a combination of the two detergents (P3) were applied to produce three types of scaffolds. The levels of collagen, elastin and sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) were quantified in the remaining extracellular matrix. Detailed immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy imaging were conducted to assess the morphology and recellularization efficiency of the constructs after 14 days in vitro utilizing red fluorescent protein-labelled mesenchymal stem cells.

Results
All protocols efficiently removed the DNA while the elastin content was not significantly reduced during the procedures. The SDS-protocol (P1) reduced the sGAG and the collagen content more than the SDC-protocol (P2). All scaffolds were biocompatible and recellularization was successful, particularly in several P2-derived scaffolds. The cells were extensively distributed throughout the constructs, with a denser distribution observed towards the ovarian cortex. The cell density was not significantly different (400 to 550 cells/mm2) between scaffold types. However, there was a tendency towards a higher cell density in the SDC-derived constructs. Scanning electron microscope images showed fibrous scaffolds with a dense repopulated surface structure.

Conclusions
While there were differences in the key structural macromolecules between protocols, all scaffolds were biocompatible and showed effective recellularization. The results indicate that our SDC-protocol might be better than our SDS-protocol. However, additional studies are necessary to determine their suitability for attachment of small follicles and folliculogenesis.
Precise quantification of the time course of voluntary activation capacity following Botulinum toxin injections in the biceps brachii muscles of chronic stroke survivors
Authors: Chandra S. , Afsharipour B. , Rymer W. Z. , Suresh N. L. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Spasticity is a key motor impairment that affects many hemispheric stroke survivors. Intramuscular botulinum toxin (BT) injections are used widely to clinically manage spasticity-related symptoms in stroke survivors by chemically denervating muscle fibers from their associated motor neurons. In this study, we sought to understand how BT affects muscle activation, motor unit composition and voluntary force generating capacity over a time period of 3 months. Our purpose was to characterize the time course of functional changes in voluntary muscle activity in stroke survivors who are undergoing BT therapy as part of their physician-prescribed clinical plan.

Method
Our assessment of the effects of BT was based on the quantification of surface electromyogram (sEMG) recordings in the biceps brachii (BB), an upper arm muscle and of voluntary contraction force. We report here on voluntary force and sEMG responses during isometric elbow contractions across consecutive recording sessions, spread over 12 weeks in three segments, starting with a preliminary session performed just prior to the BT injection. At predetermined time points, we conducted additional clinical assessments and we also recorded from the contralateral limbs of our stroke cohort. Eight subjects were studied for approximately 86 experimental recording sessions on both stroke-affected and contralateral sides.

Results
We recorded an initial reduction in force and sEMG in all subjects, followed by a trajectory with a progressive return to baseline over a maximum of 12 weeks, although the minimum sEMG and minimum force were not always recorded at the same time point. Three participants were able to complete only one to two segments. Slope values of the sEMG-force relations were also found to vary across the different time segments. While sEMG-force slopes provide assessments of force generation capacity of the BT injected muscle, amplitude histograms from novel sEMG recordings during the voluntary tasks provide additional insights about differential actions of BT on the overall motor unit (MU) population over time.

Conclusions
The results of our study indicate that there are potential short term as well as long term decrements in muscle control and activation properties after BT administration on the affected side of chronic stroke survivors. Muscle activation levels as recorded using sEMG, did not routinely return to baseline even at three months’ post injection. The concurrent clinical measures also did not follow the same time course, nor did they provide the same resolution as our experimental measures. It follows that even 12 weeks after intramuscular BT injections muscle recovery may not be complete, and may thereby contribute to pre-existing paresis.
Developing a Theory of Change model of service user and caregiver involvement in mental health system strengthening in primary health care in rural Ethiopia
Authors: Abayneh Sisay , Lempp Heidi , Alem Atalay , Kohrt Brandon A. , Fekadu Abebaw , Hanlon Charlotte 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe involvement of service users and caregivers is recommended as a strategy to strengthen health systems and scale up quality mental healthcare equitably, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Service user and caregiver involvement is complex, and its meaningful implementation seems to be a worldwide challenge. Theory of Change (ToC) has been recommended to guide the development, implementation and evaluation of such complex interventions. This paper aims to describe a ToC model for service user and caregiver involvement in a primary mental health care in rural Ethiopia.MethodsThe ToC was developed in two workshops conducted in (i) Addis Ababa with purposively selected psychiatrists (n = 4) and multidisciplinary researchers (n = 3), and (ii) a rural district in south-central Ethiopia (Sodo), with community stakeholders (n = 24). Information from the workshops (provisional ToC maps, minutes, audio recordings), and inputs from a previous qualitative study were triangulated to develop the detailed ToC map. This ToC map was further refined with written feedback and further consultative meetings with the research team (n = 6) and community stakeholders (n = 35).ResultsThe experiential knowledge and professional expertise of ToC participants combined to produce a ToC map that incorporated key components (community, health organisation, service user and caregiver), necessary interventions, preconditions, assumptions and indicators towards the long-term outcomes. The participatory nature of ToC by itself raised awareness of the possibilities for servicer user and caregiver involvement, promoted co-working and stimulated immediate commitments to mobilise support for a grass roots service user organization.ConclusionsThe ToC workshops provided an opportunity to co-produce a ToC for service user and caregiver involvement in mental health system strengthening linked to the planned model for scale-up of mental health care in Ethiopia. The next steps will be to pilot a multi-faceted intervention based on the ToC and link locally generated evidence to published evidence and theories to refine the ToC for broader transferability to other mental health settings.
The accuracy of preliminary diagnoses made by paramedics – a cross-sectional comparative study
Authors: Koivulahti Outi , Tommila Miretta , Haavisto Elina 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Clinical decision-making skills of paramedics have been emphasized because of the growing complexity of emergency medicine nursing. A preliminary diagnosis made by a paramedic has an essential role in directing the subsequent care. An accurate preliminary diagnosis improves the patient’s outcome. The research in this area is relatively scarce and there are no previous studies in Finland describing the accuracy of preliminary diagnoses made by paramedics. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether paramedics are making accurate preliminary diagnoses for the patients they are transporting to hospital. In addition, the aim was to describe the variables related to an accurate preliminary diagnosis.

Methods
A cross-sectional comparative approach was used and conducted through a questionnaire to gather data from the paramedics. A total of 71 paramedics participated in the study and 378 patient cases were included. The paramedics were asked to describe the basic information of a case, to state their preliminary diagnosis, and give their own educational background. The accuracy of the paramedic’s preliminary diagnosis was compared with the discharge diagnosis of the ED physicians retrieved from hospital’s patient records. Logistic regression analysis and a binomial test were used to test the statistical significance.

Results
The agreement between the paramedics’ preliminary diagnosis vs. hospital diagnosis was 70% (n = 261). Diagnostic accuracy varied according to the medical condition from mental diseases and intoxication (86%, p = 0,000), cerebral strokes (81%, p = 0,007) to infections (31% p = 0,029). The educational background of a bachelor-degree-level paramedic (p = 0,016, 95% Cl 1,7-139,6) and a good self-assessment value (p = 0,003, 95% Cl 1,2-2,7) were related to making a correct diagnosis.

Conclusions
Paramedics are able to determine preliminary diagnoses at satisfactory level. The relationship between educational background and diagnostic accuracy suggests that there is a definitive need for a specific pre-hospital nursing education.
The effect of blue dishware versus white dishware on food intake and eating challenges among residents living with dementia: a crossover trial
Authors: Donnelly Rachael , Wei Cindy , Morrison-Koechl Jill , Keller Heather 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Objective
Residents living with dementia (RLWD) often experience changes in their visual perception, which could reduce food intake. Inadequate food intake is known to cause malnutrition, which increases the risk of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. This study evaluated the effectiveness of using blue dishware compared to white dishware to improve food intake and mitigate eating challenges among 18 RLWD (mean age 84.6 ± 7.9 years, 72.2% female).

Results
A within-within person crossover design determined differences in food intake and eating challenges between blue and white dishware conditions. Five participants responded to the blue dishware and increased their average food intake by ≥ 10%. Responders were not different from non-responders in terms of demographic or health characteristics. The proportion of eating challenges experienced was not significantly different between the blue and white dishware conditions. Percent food intake was significantly greater at lunch (83.5 ± 19.0%) compared to dinner (75.8 ± 22.1%; p < 0.0001), regardless of dishware condition. However, there were no significant differences for food intake between the dishware conditions, even after matching food choices. Promoting food intake and reducing eating challenges in RLWD likely needs multi-component interventions targeting meal quality, meal access, and mealtime experience.
Trial registration ClincialTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04298788. Retrospectively registered: 6 March 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04298788?term=NCT04298788&draw=2&rank=1.
Integrated epigenetic biomarkers in circulating cell-free DNA as a robust classifier for pancreatic cancer
Authors: Cao Feng , Wei Ailin , Hu Xinlei , He Yijing , Zhang Jun , Xia Lin , Tu Kailing , Yuan Jue , Guo Ziheng , Liu Hongying , Xie Dan , Li Ang 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
The high lethal rate of pancreatic cancer is partly due to a lack of efficient biomarkers for screening and early diagnosis. We attempted to develop effective and noninvasive methods using 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) markers from circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for the detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Results
A 24-feature 5mC model that can accurately discriminate PDAC from healthy controls (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.977, sensitivity = 0.824, specificity = 1) and a 5hmC prediction model with 27 features demonstrated excellent detection power in two distinct validation sets (AUC = 0.992 and 0.960, sensitivity = 0.786 and 0.857, specificity = 1 and 0.993). The 51-feature model combining 5mC and 5hmC markers outperformed both of the individual models, with an AUC of 0.997 (sensitivity = 0.938, specificity = 0.955) and particularly an improvement in the prediction sensitivity of PDAC. In addition, the weighted diagnosis score (wd-score) calculated with the 5hmC model can distinguish stage I patients from stage II–IV patients.

Conclusions
Both 5mC and 5hmC biomarkers in cfDNA are effective in PDAC detection, and the 5mC-5hmC integrated model significantly improve the detection sensitivity.

Graphical abstract
Different fertilization treatments in coal mining-affected soils change bacterial populations and enable soil reclamation
Authors: Cao Yanzhuan , Zhou Bingrui , Wang Xiangying , Meng Huisheng , Zhang Jian , Li Li , Hong Jianping 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Coal mining activities result in large-scale soil degradation and ecosystem imbalances in many countries. Fertilization is an effective way to improve soil fertility and microbial activity. However, the effect of different fertilizers and remediation time on the subsided soil is not clear. The aim of this study is to explore the effects on soil fertility and the bacterial community.

Methods
In this study, we compared three fertilization regimes (inorganic, organic, and combined) applied over a 5-year period for the purpose of rehabilitating subsoil through measurement of soil’s chemical properties and microbial biomass. Bacterial diversity was evaluated in different reclaimed soils via high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing; 1,938,561 total sequences were obtained.

Results
The results showed that fertilization improved various soil properties, including the concentrations of available phosphorus, available potassium, and alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, therefore, increasing microbial biomass. A significant increase in soil microbial diversity was observed in fertilized soils compared to the initial conditions. A positive correlation between microbial diversity and soil properties was observed. Regarding an improvement in soil properties and crop yields, the organic fertilizer demonstrated significantly more effectiveness compared to the inorganic fertilizer. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia increased, but the relative abundance of Chloroflexi and Nitrospirae decreased. More specifically, we found that several Proteobacteria subgroups, such as Rhizobiales, Myxococcales, Sphingomonadales, Rhodospirillales, Xanthomonadales, and Burkholderiales, increased after the restoration. Additionally, the composition of the bacterial community in the 5-year groups (M5, O5, and MO5) was similar to the composition of the FS group, and the yield of the maize test crop following the 5-year restoration period was close to the average in China.

Conclusion
This result indicates that soil reclamation via fertilization can contribute to soil recovery over time. Therefore, we concluded that fertilization is an effective strategy for the restoration of soil properties and bacterial communities in mining soil.
The prognostic value of gender in gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Rong Jianfang , Chen Sihai , Song Conghua , Wang Huan , Zhao Qiaoyun , Zhao Rulin , He Yajing , Yan Lili , Song Yanping , Wang Fangfei , Xie Yong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundGastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) of the stomach are the most common GISTs. The risk, incidence, and outcome of cancer are different between the sexes. Whether gender is related to the prognosis of gastric stromal tumors is unclear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between gender and gastric GIST prognosis.MethodsData from gastric GIST patients were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce confounding factors, and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of GIST patients were comprehensively evaluated.ResultsThere were 512 male patients and 538 female patients with gastric GIST. The gender of gastric GIST patients was associated with marital status, surgical treatment, tumor size, and mitotic index (P< 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test revealed that male patients had a higher mortality rate than female patients (P= 0.0024). After matching all the potential confounding factors, the survival of the female gastric GIST patients was better than that of the male gastric GIST patients (P= 0.042). Cox regression analysis revealed that gender was an independent risk factor for overall survival. The risk of death was higher for males than for females (HR 1.677, 95% CI 1.150–2.444,P= 0.007).ConclusionGender could be a prognostic factor for gastric GIST survival, and male patients had a higher risk of death.
SARS-CoV-2 post-infective myocarditis: the tip of COVID-19 immune complications?
Authors: Tissières Pierre , Teboul Jean-Louis 
Published: July 2020

AbstractRecent paediatric cases of acute myocarditis following a SARS-CoV-2 infection have raised the possibility of post-infective complications of COVID-19. This short editorial is reviewing current understanding of this new complication, its pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapeutic strategy.
Improved synchronization criteria for fractional-order complex-valued neural networks via partial control
Authors: Li Hong-Li , Muhammadhaji Ahmadjan , Zhang Long , Jiang Haijun , Teng Zhidong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this article, without dividing a complex-valued neural network into two real-valued subsystems, the global synchronization of fractional-order complex-valued neural networks (FOCVNNs) is investigated by the Lyapunov direct method rather than the real decomposition method. It is worth mentioning that the partial adaptive control and partial linear feedback control schemes are introduced, by constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, some improved synchronization criteria are derived with the help of fractional differential inequalities and L’Hospital rule as well as some complex analysis techniques. Finally, simulation results are given to demonstrate the validity and feasibility of our theoretical analysis.
Nonparametric threshold estimation of spot volatility based on high-frequency data for time-dependent diffusion models with jumps
Authors: Cai Jingwei , Zhu Quanxin , Chen Ping 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWe construct a spot volatility kernel estimator of time-dependent diffusion models with jumps. Instead of idiomatic intraday return over an observation interval, in the proposed estimator, we use intraday range. Since the range represents the maximum difference among all observations within an interval, all data are used, and no information is lost. By setting a reasonable threshold and making the range not greater than it we effectively eliminate the negative effect of jump on volatility estimation. In this paper, we also prove the consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimator and testify its higher accuracy.
Measuring disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to low back pain in Malta
Authors: Cuschieri Sarah , Wyper Grant M. A. , Calleja Neville , Gorasso Vanessa , Devleesschauwer Brecht 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Low back pain (LBP) is a public health concern and a leading cause of ill health. A high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints has been reported for Malta, a small European state. The aim was to estimate for the first time the burden of LBP at population level in Malta in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and compare to estimates obtained by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.

Method
The Maltese European Health Interview Survey dataset for 2015 provided the LBP prevalence data through representative self-reported history of chronic LBP within the past 12 months in combination with limitations to daily activities. Proportions of LBP severity (with and without leg pain – mild, moderate, severe and most severe) and their corresponding disability weights followed values reported in the GBD study. Years lived with disability (YLD) for LBP were estimated for the whole population by age and sex. Since LBP does not carry any mortality, YLD reflected DALYs. The estimated local DALYs per 100,000 were compared to the GBD 2017 study results for Malta for the same year.

Results
LBP with activity limitation gave a point prevalence of 6.4% (95% Uncertainty Interval [UI] 5.7–7.2%) (5.6% males [95% UI 4.6–6.6%]; 7.3% females [95% UI 6.2–8.4%]), contributing to a total of 23,649 (95% UI 20,974–26,463) Maltese suffering from LBP. The LBP DALYs were of 716 (95% UI 558–896) per 100,000. Females experienced higher LBP burden (739 [95% UI 575–927] DALYs per 100,000) than males (693 [95% UI 541–867] DALYs per 100,000). Our DALY estimates were lower than those reported by the GBD 2017 study (i.e., 1829 [95% UI 1300–2466] per 100,000).

Conclusions
LBP imposes a substantial burden on the Maltese population. Differences observed between national estimates and those of the GBD study suggest the integration of updated locally sourced data into the model and encouraging local contributors in order to improve the DALY estimates of each country.