bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Paracoracoid versus Costoclavicular Approach to Infraclavicular Block: A Prospective, Two Arm, Parallel design, Single-centre Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Brown Brigid , Magsaysay Pauline , Bureau Yves , Yu Janice , Dhir Shalini 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACTIntroductionParacoracoid approach to the brachial plexus block is the conventional infraclavicular technique for upper limb surgeries. In this approach, the ultrasound transducer is placed in the parasagittal plane below the clavicle, medial to the coracoid process. In this view, three cords are separated from each other and are rarely visualized in a single ultrasound window. In the costoclavicular approach, the ultrasound transducer is placed parallel to and below the clavicle. In this view, the cords are clustered together, at a more superficial level. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare these two infraclavicular brachial plexus approaches.MethodsSeventy patients were randomized to receive either a paracoracoid or costoclavicular infraclavicular block. Both groups received 35 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine under ultrasound guidance. The primary outcome was sensory block onset time while secondary outcomes included performance times, complications during block insertion (paresthesia, vascular puncture, pleural puncture), block failure, patient satisfaction, and postoperative complications. Telephone follow-up was done 24 h and 7 days later.ResultsSensory block onset time was significantly shorter in the paracoracoid group 18.7 (4.4) min versus 22.2 (6.2) min (p=0.045). Block success at 30 minutes was the same between both groups. There was no difference in any secondary outcomes.ConclusionsThis randomized controlled trial demonstrated that the novel costoclavicular approach to the infraclavicular brachial plexus block had similar procedure time, block success and similar complication rates for upper limb surgery when compared to the traditional paracoracoid technique. However, it resulted in longer sensory block onset time.
Sars-Cov-2 in Argentina: Lockdown, Mobility, and Contagion
Authors: Larrosa Juan M.C. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThere is a debate in Argentina about the effectiveness of mandatory lockdown measures in containing COVID-19 that lasts five months making it one of the longest in the World. The population effort to comply the lockdown has been decreasing over time given the economic and social costs that it entails. We contributes by analyzing the Argentinian case through information of mobility and contagion given answers to recurrent questions on these topics. This paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by assessing the effects of lockdown measures and the regional relaxation on the numbers of rate of new infections. We also respond to issues of internal political discussion on regional contagion and the effect of marches and unexpected crowd events. We use pool, fixed and random effects panel data modeling and Granger causality tests identifying relations between mobility and contagion. Our results show that lockdown in Argentina has been effective in reducing the mobility but not in way that reduces the rate of contagion. Strict lockdown seems to be effective in short periods of time and by extend it without complementary measures loss effectiveness. Contagion rate seems to be discretely displaced in time and resurging amidst slowly increasing in mobility.
SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence and Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers in Belgian Hospitals: Baseline Results of a Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Mortgat Laure , Barbezange Cyril , Fischer Natalie , Heyndrickx Leo , Hutse Veronik , Thomas Isabelle , Vuylsteke Bea , Arien Kevin , Desombere Isabelle , Duysburgh Els 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundGiven the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the occurrence of a second wave, assessing the burden of disease among health care workers (HCWs) is crucial. We aim to document the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG among HCWs in Belgian hospitals, and to study potential risk factors for the infection in order to guide infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in healthcare institutions.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline results (April 22 - April 26) of an ongoing cohort study. All staff who were present in the hospital during the sampling period and whose profession involved contact with patients were eligible. Fourteen hospitals across Belgium and 50 HCW per hospital were randomly selected. RT-qPCR was performed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA on nasopharyngeal swabs, and a semi-quantitative IgG ELISA was used to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in sera. Individual characteristics likely to be associated with seropositivity were collected using an online questionnaire.Findings698 participants completed the questionnaire; 80.8% were women, median age was 39.5, and 58.5% were nurses. Samples were collected on all 699 participants. The weighted anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence was 7.7% (95%CI, 4.7%-12.2%), while 1.1% (95%CI, 0.4%-3.0%) of PCR results were positive. Unprotected contact with a confirmed case was the only factor associated with seropositivity (PR 2.16, 95% CI, 1.4-3.2).InterpretationMost Belgian HCW did not show evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection by late April 2020, and unprotected contact was the most important risk factor. This confirms the importance of widespread availability of protective equipment and use of adequate IPC measures in hospital settings.
Characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 in Nepal: a multicenter, prospective cohort study
Authors: Chaudhary Ashok , Singh Uday Narayan , Paudel Pramod , Thapa Niresh , Khadka Kamal , Sah Prameshwar Kumar , Kamar Sher Bahadur , Joshi Jagadish , Ansari Kamar Hasan , Tiwari Shree Ram , Sharma Sarbesh , Jaiswal Sanjay Kumar , Joshi Ramesh , Baskota Samikchya , Tiwari Arjun Prasad , Pandey Hem Raj 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACTIntroductionThere is limited data on clinical course and outcomes of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 in Nepal. Thus, it is imperative to characterize the features of this disease in the domestic context.MethodologyWe identified all adult patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to five different hospitals in Nepal from June 15 to July 15, 2020. We collected epidemiological, socio-cultural and clinicopathologic data, and stratified the patients based on their symptom status.ResultsThe study included 220 patients with an overall median age of 31.5 (25-37) years, and 181 (82.3%) were males. 159 (72.3%) were asymptomatic, and 163 (74.1%) were imported cases. Of 217 patients with the available data, 110 (50.7%) reported their annual household income less than 2000 US dollars, and 122 (56.2%) practiced Pranayama (yogic rhythmic breathing techniques) regularly. Eight patients (3.6%) required supplemental oxygen and two patients (0.9%) died. None of the patients who practiced Pranayama regularly required supplemental oxygen. Compared to asymptomatic patients, symptomatic patients had greater proportion of females (31.1% vs. 12.6%, p=0.001), imported cases (85.2% vs. 69.8%, p=0.02), illiterates (26.8% vs. 12.1%, p=0.01), alcohol users (43.3% vs. 24.5%, p=0.01), patients feeling stigmatized by society (45.8% vs. 22.6%, p=0.001), and had higher platelet count (253× 109/L vs. 185×109/L, p=0.02).ConclusionsMost cases were imported, asymptomatic young males, with very few deaths. Pranayama practice was associated with protection against severe COVID-19, but more data is needed to substantiate this. The association of platelets count with symptom status in the Nepalese population needs further exploration.
Detecting and Monitoring Brain Disorders Using Smartphones and Machine Learning
Authors: Colbaugh Rich , Glass Kristin , Global Volv 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe ubiquity of smartphones in modern life suggests the possibility to use them to continuously monitor patients, for instance to detect undiagnosed diseases or track treatment progress. Such data collection and analysis may be especially beneficial to patients with i.) mental disorders, as these individuals can experience intermittent symptoms and impaired decision-making, which may impede diagnosis and care-seeking, and ii.) progressive neurological diseases, as real-time monitoring could facilitate earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment. This paper presents a new method of leveraging passively-collected smartphone data and machine learning to detect and monitor brain disorders such as depression and Parkinson’s disease. Crucially, the algorithm is able learn accurate, interpretable models from small numbers of labeled examples (i.e., smartphone users for whom sensor data has been gathered and disease status has been determined). Predictive modeling is achieved by learning from both real patient data and ‘synthetic’ patients constructed via adversarial learning. The proposed approach is shown to outperform state-of-the-art techniques in experiments involving disparate brain disorders and multiple patient datasets.
Temporal Analysis of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donations Reveals Significant Decrease in Neutralizing Capacity Over Time
Authors: Girardin Roxie C. , Dupuis Alan P. , Payne Anne F. , Sullivan Timothy J. , Strauss Donna , Parker Monica M. , McDonough Kathleen A. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractCOVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) received approval for use under an Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA for treatment of seriously ill patients. Use of CCP units with a signal-to-cutoff ratio of ≥12 using the Ortho VITROS SARS-CoV-2 IgG test (OVSARS2IgG) is authorized. Little is known about the relationship between this ratio and the neutralizing capacity of plasma/sera against genuine SARS-CoV-2 virus. We measured the neutralizing capacity of 981 samples from 196 CCP donors 7-119 days post initial donation (DPID). Neutralizing capacity was assessed for 50% (PRNT50) and 90% (PRNT90) reduction of infectious virus using the gold standard plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Importantly, while 32.7%/79.5% (PRNT90/PRNT50) of donations met the FDA minimum titer of 1:80 initially, only 14.0%/48.8% (PRNT90/PRNT50) met this cut-off ≥85 DPID. A subset of 91 donations were evaluated using the OVSARS2IgG and compared to PRNT titers for diagnostic accuracy. The correlation of OVSARS2IgG results to neutralizing capacity allowed extrapolation to CCP therapy efficacy results. CCP with OVSARS2IgG ratios in the therapeutically beneficial group had neutralizing titers of ≥1:640 (PRNT50) and/or ≥1:80 (PRNT90). This information provides a new basis for refining the recommended properties of CCP that is used to treat severe COVID-19.
Deep Homology-Based Protein Contact-Map Prediction
Authors: Ronen Omer , Zuk Or 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPrediction of Proteins’ three dimensional structure and their contact maps from their amino-acid sequences is a fundamental problem in structural computational biology. The structure and contacts shed light on protein function, enhance our basic understanding of their molecular biology and may potentially aid in drug design. In recent years we have seen significant progress in protein contact map prediction from Multiple Sequence Alignments (MSA) of the target protein and its homologous, using signals of co-evolution and applying deep learning methods.Homology modelling is a popular and successful approach, where the structure of a protein is determined using information from known template structures of similar proteins, and has been shown to improve prediction even in cases of low sequence identity. Motivated by these observations, we developedPeriscope, a method for homology-assisted contact map prediction using a deep convolutional network. Our method automatically integrates the co-evolutionary information from the MSA, and the physical contact information from the template structures.We apply our method to families of CAMEO and membrane proteins, and show improved prediction accuracy compared to the MSA-only based method RaptorX. Finally, we use our method to improve the subsequent task of predicting the proteins’ three dimensional structure based on the (improved) predicted contact map, and show initial promising results in this task too - our overall accuracy is comparable to the template-based Modeller software, yet the two methods are complementary and succeed on different targets.
Proteolytic activation of SARS-CoV-2 spike at the S1/S2 boundary: potential role of proteases beyond furin
Authors: Tang Tiffany , Jaimes Javier A. , Bidon Miya K. , Straus Marco R. , Daniel Susan , Whittaker Gary R. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses its spike (S) protein to mediate viral entry into host cells. Cleavage of the S protein at the S1/S2 and/or S2’ site(s) is associated with viral entry, which can occur at either the cell plasma membrane (early pathway) or the endosomal membrane (late pathway), depending on the cell type. Previous studies show that SARS-CoV-2 has a unique insert at the S1/S2 site that can be cleaved by furin, which appears to expand viral tropism to cells with suitable protease and receptor expression. Here, we utilize viral pseudoparticles and protease inhibitors to study the impact of the S1/S2 cleavage on infectivity. Our results demonstrate that S1/S2 pre-cleavage is essential for early pathway entry into Calu-3 cells, a model lung epithelial cell line, but not for late pathway entry into Vero E6 cells, a model cell line. The S1/S2 cleavage was found to be processed by other proteases beyond furin. Using bioinformatic tools, we also analyze the presence of a furin S1/S2 site in related CoVs and offer thoughts on the origin of the insertion of the furin-like cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2.
Novel inhibitors ofE. colilipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase are insensitive to resistance caused bylppdeletion
Authors: Diao Jingyu , Komura Rie , Sano Tatsuya , Pantua Homer , Storek Kelly M. , Inaba Hiroko , Ogawa Haruhiko , Noland Cameron L. , Peng Yutian , Gloor Susan L. , Yan Donghong , Kang Jing , Katakam Anand Kumar , Nickerson Nicholas N. , Austin Cary D. , Murray Jeremy , Rutherford Steven T. , Reichelt Mike , Xu Yiming , Xu Min , Yanagida Hayato , Nishikawa Junichi , Reid Patrick C , Cunningham Christian N. , Kapadia Sharookh B. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractLipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase (Lgt) catalyzes the first step in the biogenesis of Gram-negative bacterial lipoproteins which play crucial roles in bacterial growth and pathogenesis. We demonstrate that Lgt depletion in a clinical uropathogenicEscherichia colistrain leads to permeabilization of the outer membrane and increased sensitivity to serum killing and antibiotics. Importantly, we identify the first ever described Lgt inhibitors that potently inhibit Lgt biochemical activityin vitroand are bactericidal against wild-typeAcinetobacter baumanniiandE. colistrains. Unlike inhibition of other steps in lipoprotein biosynthesis, deletion of the major outer membrane lipoprotein,lpp, is not sufficient to rescue growth after Lgt depletion or provide resistance to Lgt inhibitors. Our data validate Lgt as a novel druggable antibacterial target and suggest that inhibition of Lgt may not be sensitive to one of the most common resistance mechanisms that invalidate inhibitors of downstream steps of bacterial lipoprotein biosynthesis and transport.
Motif Analysis in k-mer Networks: An Approach towards Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Geographical Shifts
Authors: Biswas Sourav , Saha Suparna , Bandyopadhyay Sanghamitra , Bhattacharyya Malay 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWith an increasing number of SARS-CoV-2 sequences available day by day, new genomic information is getting revealed to us. As SARS-CoV-2 sequences highlight wide changes across the samples, we aim to explore whether these changes reveal the geographical origin of the corresponding samples. Thek-mer distributions, denoting normalized frequency counts of all possible combinations of nucleotide of size uptok, are often helpful to explore sequence level patterns. Given the SARS-CoV-2 sequences are highly imbalanced by its geographical origin (relatively with a higher number samples collected from the USA), we observe that with proper under-samplingk-mer distributions in the SARS-CoV-2 sequences predict its geographical origin with more than 90% accuracy. The experiments are performed on the samples collected from six countries with maximum number of sequences available till July 07, 2020. This comprises SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Australia, USA, China, India, Greece and France. Moreover, we demonstrate that the changes of genomic sequences characterize the continents as a whole. We also highlight that the network motifs present in the sequence similarity networks have a significant difference across the said countries. This, as a whole, is capable of predicting the geographical shift of SARS-CoV-2.
Gait-symmetry-based human-in-the-loop optimization for unilateral transtibial amputees with robotic prostheses
Authors: Feng Yanggan , Mao Chengqiang , Wang Qining 
Published: October 2020

AbstractGait asymmetry due to the loss of unilateral limb increases the risk of injury or progressive joint degeneration. The development of wearable robotic devices paves a way to improve gait symmetry of unilateral amputees. Moreover, the state-of-the-art studies on human-in-the-loop optimization strategies through decreasing the metabolic cost as the optimization task, have met several challenges, e.g. too long period of optimization and the optimization feasibility for unilateral amputees who have the deficit of gait symmetry. Here, in this paper, we proposed gait-symmetry-based human-in-the-loop optimization method to decrease the risk of injury or progressive joint degeneration for unilateral transtibial amputees. The experimental results (N= 3 unilateral transtibial subjects) demonstrate that only average 9.0±4.1minof convergence was taken. Compared to gait symmetry while wearing prosthetics, after optimization, the gait symmetry indicator value of the subjects wearing the robotic prostheses was improved by 21.0% and meanwhile the net metabolic energy consumption value was reduced by 9.2%. Also, this paper explores the rationality of gait indicators and what kind of gait indicators are the optimization target. These results suggest that gait-symmetry-based human-in-the-loop strategy could pave a practical way to improve gait symmetry by accompanying the reduction of metabolic cost, and thus to decrease the risk of joint injury for the unilateral amputees.
Sleeve gastrectomy promotes sustained weight loss while increasing heat production in middle aged, obese female mice
Authors: Emiliano Ana BF , He Ying , Higuchi Sei , Nemr Rabih , Lopatinsky Natalie , Schwartz Gary J. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundSleeve gastrectomy (SG) is currently the most frequently performed bariatric surgery in the United States. The majority of patients undergoing SG are middle aged women. Most preclinical models of bariatric surgery, however, utilize juvenile male mice. A long-term characterization of the response of mature wild type, obese female mice to SG has not been performed. Thus, we set out to characterize the response of middle aged obese female mice to SG.MethodsTen-month old C57bl/6J obese female mice were randomized to undergo SG, sham surgery without caloric restriction (SH) or sham surgery with caloric restriction to match body weight to the SG group (SWM). Body weight, body composition and glucose tolerance were matched at baseline. Mice were followed for 60 days following their respective surgeries.ResultsThe SG group had a more pronounced percent weight loss than the SH and SWM control groups (p<0.05), while consuming more calories than the SWM group (p<0.05). The SG group had a significant improvement in glucose tolerance compared to the SH control group (p<0.05). Plasma leptin was significantly decreased in the SG and SWM group, compared to the SH group (p<0.01). Unexpectedly, FGF-21 was increased in the SH group compared to the SG and SWM groups (p<0.01), while there was no difference in plasma insulin among the three groups. Heat production was increased in the SG group compared to SWM and SH groups (p<0.001). SG also had a significantly increased mRNA expression of Uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP-1), Adiponectin and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1-alpha) in brown adipose tissue (BAT), compared to SWM and SH groups. Both SG and SWM groups had increased fecal lipid excretion (p<0.05), compared to the SH group.ConclusionsSG in obese, middle aged female mice leads to sustained weight loss and blood glucose improvement. It appears that increased metabolism in BAT may be linked to these effects.
LTA4Hassociation with montelukast response in early and late-onset asthma
Authors: Maroteau Cyrielle , Espuela-Ortiz Antonio , Herrera-Luis Esther , Srinivasan Sundararajan , Carr Fiona , Tavendale Roger , Wilson Karen , Hernandez-Pacheco Natalia , Chalmers James D. , Turner Steve , Mukhopadhyay Somnath , Maitland-van der Zee Anke-Hilse , Burchard Esteban G. , Pino-Yanes Maria , Young Simon , Lassi Glenda , Platt Adam , Palmer Colin N. A. ,   on behalf of the PiCA consortium
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACTLeukotrienes play a central pathophysiological role in both pediatric and adult asthma. However, 35% to 78% of asthmatics do not respond to leukotriene inhibitors. To test the role of theLTA4Hregulatory variant rs2660845 and age of asthma onset in response to montelukast in ethnically diverse populations.We identified and genotyped 3,594 asthma patients treated with montelukast (2,514 late-onset and 1,080 early-onset) from seven cohorts (UKBiobank, GoSHARE, BREATHE, Tayside RCT, PAGES, GALA II and SAGE). Individuals under montelukast treatment experiencing at least one exacerbation in a 12-month period were compared against individuals with no exacerbation, using logistic regression for each cohort and meta-analysis.While no significant association was found with European late-onset subjects, a meta-analysis of 523 early-onset individuals from European ancestry demonstrated the risk of experiencing asthma exacerbations in the G allele carriers’ group (AG or GG), despite montelukast treatment, was increased (odds-ratio=3.27, 95%confidence interval: 0.98–10.93, I2=69%, p=0.05) compared to those in the AA group. When meta-analyzing with other ethnic groups, no significant increased risk of asthma exacerbations was found (OR=1.69, 95% CI: 0.56-5.09, I2=84.81%, p=0.35).Our study demonstrates that genetic variation inLTA4H, together with timing of asthma onset, may contribute to variability in montelukast response. Europeans individuals with early-onset (≤18y) carrying the rs2660845 G allele have increased risk of exacerbation under montelukast treatment, presumably due to the up-regulation ofLTA4Hactivity. These findings support a precision medicine approach for the treatment of asthma with montelukast.