bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical Impact of Interruption in Adjuvant Trastuzumab Therapy in Patients with Operable HER-2 Positive Breast Cancer
Authors: Sardesai Sagar , Sukumar Jasmine , Kassem Mahmoud , Palettas Marilly , Stephens Julie , Evan Morgan , Addison Daniel , Baliga Ragavendra , Stover Daniel G. , VanDeusen Jeffrey , Williams Nicole , Cherian Mathew , Lustberg Maryam , Wesolowski Robert , Ramaswamy Bhuvaneswari 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity (TIC) can lead to early discontinuation of adjuvant therapy, however there is limited evidence on long-term survival outcomes in patients with operable human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) experiencing treatment interruption or discontinuation. Methods: The primary objective of the study was to evaluate disease-free survival (DFS) in non-metastatic, HER2-positive, female BC patients who experienced treatment interruption or early discontinuation of trastuzumab therapy. Clinical and histopathological data were collected on 400 patients at The Ohio State University, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center between January 2005 and December 2015. Treatment interruption was defined as any delay of ≥2 weeks during trastuzumab therapy, including permanent cessation prior to completing planned therapy. TIC was defined as LVEF <50% or >15 points decline from baseline as evaluated by 2D echocardiogram after initiation of (neo) adjuvant therapy. DFS was defined as the time from diagnosis to first recurrence (loco-regional or distant recurrence) including second primary BC or death. Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from diagnosis to death or last known follow up. OS/DFS estimates were generated using Kaplan-Meier methods and compared using Log-rank tests. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for OS/DFS. Results: A total of 369 patients received trastuzumab therapy; 106 (29%) patients experienced treatment interruption at least once and 42 (11%) permanently discontinued trastuzumab prior to completing planned therapy. TIC was the most common reason for interruption (66 patients, 62%). The median duration of trastuzumab in patients with treatment interruption was 11.3 months (range: 0.5-16.9) with 24 (23%) patients receiving ≤6 months of therapy. Patients with any treatment interruption had worse DFS (aHR: 4.9, p<0.001) and OS (aHR: 2.4, p=0.058) after adjusting for age, stage, grade, ER, node status and TIC. Conclusions: Treatment interruption or early discontinuation of trastuzumab therapy in early HER2-positive BC, most often from TIC, is an independent prognostic marker for worse DFS and OS in operable HER2-positive BC. Future prospective studies should consider targeting at-risk populations and optimizing cardiac function to avoid interruption in trastuzumab therapy.
Molecular Characterization of a Re-Emergent Brugia Malayi Parasite in Sri Lanka, Suggestive of a Novel Strain With Close Nucleotide Homology to Brugia Pahangi
Authors: Mallawarachchi Chandana Harendra , Chandrasena Nilmini T. G. A. N , Premarathna Ranjan , Mallawarachchi S.M.N.S.M. Maleesha , Gunawardane Nilmini Y. I. S. , Dasanayake Ranil S , Silva Nilanthi R de 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background Brugian filariasis has re-emerged in Sri Lanka after four decades of quiescence. As microscopy alone was insufficient for ascertaining the species identity of the re-emerged sub-periodic Brugia spp. parasite, molecular speciation was performed. The transmission dynamics of the parasite was studied by entomological procedures.Methods Human blood samples positive for Brugia spp. microfilariae (MF) (n=8) were collected and DNA extracted using ReliaPrep™ Blood DNA Miniprep System (modified). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with pan-filarial primers specific for the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of MF. Results Of those tested, seven (87.5%) yielded a band at 615bp establishing the species identity of the re-emerged filarial parasite as B. malayi. Comparison of the ITS2 region gene sequences of B. malayi MF isolated from humans (n=2), dogs (n=3) and cats (n=6) with GenBank sequences revealed a higher sequence homology with B. pahangi than B. malayi, but phylogeny was closer to B. malayi. A total of 82 mosquitoes of genus Mansonia comprising of M. annulifera (65), M. uniformis (14) and M. indiana (3) were collected by cattle-baited traps. Mosquito dissections identified 17 infected mosquitoes: one M. uniformis (7.14%) and 16 M. annulifera (24.6%). The DNA extracts of all infected Mansonia mosquitoes elicited the 615bp band on pan-filarial primer specific PCR. Conclusions The re-emergent B. malayi is a genetic variant or a novel species closely related to B. malayi and B. pahangi. Mansonia spp. mosquitoes were vectors of this zoonotic variant B. malayi circulating among cats, dogs and humans in Sri Lanka.
Association of Lipoprotein Cholesterol With Future Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in Older Adults: A Korean Nationwide Longitudinal Study
Authors: Kim Seung Hee , Son Ki Young 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
BackgroundDyslipidemia is an independent health risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of mortality in older adults. Despite their importance, there have been few reports on the association between lipoprotein cholesterol and future CVD and cardiovascular (CV) mortality among elderly Asians. This longitudinal study investigated the correlations in an elderly Korean population by using a large nationwide sample.MethodsAmong participants in the cohort database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service who completed the National Screening Program, a total of 62,604 adults aged 65 years or older (32,584 men and 30,020 women) were included. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values were categorized by quartiles. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between the quartiles of lipoprotein cholesterol and CV events or CV mortality.ResultsThe mean follow-up period was 3.3 years. The incidence rates of ischemic heart disease and ischemic brain disease were 0.97 and 0.61 per 1,000 person-years, while the mortality rates from these diseases were 0.22 and 0.34 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. In a fully adjusted model, high HDL-C and LDL-C levels were not associated with the total CV events and CV mortality; however, high LDL-C levels were significantly associated with a lower incidence of ischemic brain disease. Furthermore, diabetic patients with high LDL-C were more likely to have higher CV mortality, whereas non-smokers with high LDL-C were less likely to be at risk of CV events. ConclusionsNeither high LDL-C nor HDL-C was significantly associated with future CV mortality in older adults aged ≥65 years. Older adults with diabetes were significantly associated with a higher risk of CV mortality in high LDL-C levels.
Towards the Easing of Restrictions During an Infectious Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey to Assess the Knowledge, Misperceptions, Attitudes and Behaviour of Ghanaians on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Essel Harry Barton , Tachie-Menson Akosua , Osei Mavis , Yeboah Emmanuel 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Ghana’s COVID-19 caseloads stretched to 32,437 with 161 deaths. After the first COVID-19 case recorded in March, the Government of Ghana imposed several restrictions on the life of citizenry to prevent the spread of the infection. However, it is imperative to assess and track the knowledge, misperceptions, attitudes and behaviour of Ghanaian on this public health emergency that is moving fast and not well understood before lives are restored to normalcy. This study investigated the knowledge, misperceptions, attitudes and behaviour of Ghanaians on the COVID-19 pandemic through a rapid online survey system.Methods: The Cochran sample size determination formula was used to estimate a representative sample of adult Ghanaian residents (n = 420) for the cross-sectional survey. An online questionnaire (eQuestionnaire) designed with Google Form was administered to the participants who consented to be part of this study. SMS and popular social media handles were used for the distribution of the eQuestionnaire URL to the participants. The survey commenced on July 5th 2020 through to July 15th,2020. Socio-demographic data of participants were gathered on age, gender, religion and level of education. Data collected were analysed using summary and inferential statistics. Results: A total of 475 adult Ghanaian participants completed the eQuestionnaire. Some Ghanaians believed that the COVID-19 pandemic is a myth (95% CI 25.6%-48.1%) and it does not have any effect on a Ghanaian (African) because of the hot temperate we experience. Majority of the participants (78.2%) thought that older adults were at high risk of death when disease-ridden with COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the participants (81.5%) were poise that Ghana can successfully manage the COVID-19 pandemic. About 31.5% of the participants indicated they did not wear facial or nose masks when going out of their homes. The participants (81.9%, 389/475) approved that the government should ease the COVID-19 restrictions for life to return normalcy.Conclusion: Although Ghanaians have appreciable knowledge, positive attitude and appropriate behaviour in response to COVID-19 pandemic, a well-coordinated effort is needed to ensure stringent compliance with healthcare protocols toward the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Ghana.
A Novel Tool For Fast Feature Selection
Authors: Ramirez Ivan Alejandro Garcia , Calderon Arturo , Méndez Andrés , Ortega Susana 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Motivation: Datasets with high dimensionality represent a challenge to existing learning methods. The presence of irrelevant and redundant features in a dataset can degrade the performance of the models inferred from it. In large datasets, manual management of features tends to be impractical. Therefore, the development of automatic discovery techniques to remove useless features has attracted increasing interest. In this paper, we propose a novell framework to select relevant features in supervised datasets. Availability: This tool can be downloaded from https://github.com/ivangarcia88/selectionResults: This tool allow to identify relevant and remove redundant features, reducing computation time on training a machine learning model while improving the performance.
The Negative Association Between Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Severity and Gouty Nephropathy in a Non-diabetic Gouty Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Zhou Yue , Wang Yahao , Chi Jingwei , Lv Wenshan , Xing Mingzhao , Wang Yangang , Chen Ying 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) share common pathogenic mechanisms and risk factors, but the specific relationship between NAFLD and gouty nephropathy has not been well understood. We aim to evaluate the association between NAFLD and gouty nephropathy in a non-diabetic gouty population.Methods: The retrospective cross‑sectional study was performed on 1049 non-diabetic gouty participants, who were hospitalized between 2014 and 2020, across 4 districts in Shandong, China. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population were collected. The odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) in relation to the NAFLD severity determined by ultrasonography were obtained by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: An unexpectedly inverse relationship was found between NAFLD severity and the risk of gout nephropathy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher degree of NAFLD severity is independently associated with lower risk of gouty nephropathy, after adjusted for age, sex, smoking, gout duration, and metabolic risk factors including obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperuriacemia and dyslipidemia, with OR 0.392 (95 % CI 0.248–0.619, P < 0.001), 0.379 (95 % CI 0.233–0.616, P < 0.001) and 0.148 (95 % CI 0.043–0.512, P = 0.003) in participants with mild, moderate, and severe NAFLD, respectively, compared to those without NAFLD. We also observed a weakened association of serum uric acid (SUA) with metabolic risk factors and NAFLD under circumstances of gouty nephropathy (r = -0.054, P = 0.466). Conclusions: The presence and severity of NAFLD was negatively associated with the risk of gouty nephropathy in the non-diabetic gouty populations. Further investigation of NAFLD will provide insights into the pathogenesis of gouty nephropathy.Trials registration: Chinese Clinical Trials Registry ChiCTR2000035185. Registered 2 August 2020.
Mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 reveals a mild impact on newborns
Authors: Yang Pu , Zheng Junwen , Liu Pin , Wang Xia , Zhao Dongchi 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Could pregnant women infected with COVID-19 cause adverse consequences for their newborns?2. Mothers infected with COVID-19 did not cause serious adverse reactions during term labor, but premature infants were prone to gastrointestinal complications.3. It is necessary to strengthen the protective measures of nosocomial infection in NICU. Although the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has a serious impact on human health, the impact on newborns seems to be relatively moderate
Nitration of Jharia Basin Coals, India: a study of structural modifications by XRD and FTIR Techniques
Authors: Boral Prabal , Varma Atul K. , Maity Sudip 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Four coal samples from Jharia basin, India are treated with nitric acid in glacial acetic acid and aqueous media to find out the chemical, petrographic and spatial structure of the organic mass by X-ray diffraction and FT-IR techniques.X-ray parameters of coal like interlayer spacing (d002), crystallite size (Lc), aroamticity (fa), average number of aromatic layers (Nc), and coal rank (I26/I20) have been determined using profile-fitting software. Considerable variation is observed in treated coals in comparison to the demineralized coals. The d002 values of treated coals have increased in both the media showing increase in disordering of organic moieties. A linear relationship has been observed between d002 values with the volatile matter of the coals. Similarly, the d002 values show linear relationship with Cdmf contents for demineralized as well as for the treated coals in both the media. The Lc and Nc values have decreased in treated coals corresponding to demineralized coals. The present study shows that nitration in both the media is capable of removing the aliphatic side chains from the coals and aromaticity (fa) increases with increase in rank and shows a linear relationship with the vitrinite reflectance. The corresponding I26/I20 values are least for treated coals in glacial acetic acid medium followed by raw and then to treated coals in aqueous medium.FT-IR studies show that coal arenes of the raw coals are converted into nitro-arenes in structurally modified coals (SMCs) in both the media, the corresponding bands at 1550 – 1490 cm-1 and 1355 – 1315 cm-1 respectively. FT-IR study confirms that nitration is the predominant phenomenon, though, oxidation and nitration phenomena takes place simultaneously during treatment with nitric acid to form SMCs. In comparison to raw coals, the SMCs show higher aromaticity and may be easily converted to coal derived products like activated carbon and specialty carbon materials.
New Nanosized (Gd3+, Sm3+) Co-doped Zinc Ferrite for Telecommunication Applications. Magnetic and Structural Properties.
Authors: belaiche yassine , Minaoui K. , Ouadou Mohamed , Elansary MMoustapha 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Highly crystalline ZnFe1.98Sm0.01Gd0.01O4 nanoferrites were prepared by co-precipitation method for the first time. The nanoparticles were characterized using thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry analysis (TGA and DSC), which shows the thermal behavior of the reagents mixture. XRD analysis confirms the formation of nanocrystalline ferrite phase with Fd3m space group, and the particle size was observed to be 11 nm . The FTIR reveals two based bands of absorption characterize the formation of the spinel structure. An exhaustive study of the magnetic properties, morphology, crystallinity and effects of co-doping Gd3 + and Sm3 + was presented in detail. The average crystallites size was observed to decrease for Gd3+ and Sm3+ co-doping. Magnetic measurements reveal weak ferrimagnetic behavior at low temperature and superparamagnetic at high temperature with a blocking temperature at 55 K.
Research on flood forecasting based on flood hydrograph generalization and random forest in Qiushui River basin, China
Authors: Tang Tiantian , Liang Zhongmin , Hu Yiming , Li Binquan , Wang Jun 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAt present, the use of hydrological models is the main technical approach for real-time flood forecasting. However, in semi-arid and arid areas, the use of the hydrological model is restricted by technical and data conditions. With the accumulation of hydrological data deluge, making full use of historical data and mining potential hydrological laws, causal relationships and other valuable information behind them provide new ideas for real-time flood forecasting in the study area. This paper develops a hybrid flood forecasting model that combines the flood hydrograph generalization method and random forest in the Qiushui River basin in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The performance of this hybrid model is compared to that of the antecedent precipitation index model. For the development of these models, 23 flood events occurring from 1980 to 2010 are selected, of which 18 are used for calibration and 5 are used for validation. The results show that the hybrid model yields accurate predictions. And the comparison shows that the hybrid model performs better than the empirical model in the Qiushui River basin. Thus, this study provides a method for improving the accuracy of flood forecasting.
Fate and seasonal change of Escherichia coli resistant to different antibiotic classes at each stage of conventional activated sludge process
Authors: Honda Ryo , Tachi Chihiro , Noguchi Mana , Yamamoto-Ikemoto Ryoko , Watanabe Toru 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
This study investigated the impact of each treatment stage of the activated sludge process on the fate of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Wastewater and sludge samples were collected monthly at each stage of a commercial-scale WWTP. After 20–25 strains of indicator Escherichia coli were isolated from each sample on Chromocult Coliform Agar, antibiotic resistance of the isolates to amoxicillin (AMX), ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NFX), kanamycin (KM), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (ST) and tetracycline (TC) were tested with the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method. As a result, activated sludge in the aeration tank and return sludge had higher abundance of antibiotic resistant E. coli than influent wastewater and secondary treatment effluent. AMX resistant E. coli was enriched in return sludge at the secondary clarifier. Higher temperature was also likely to cause an increase of AMX resistant E. coli in sludge. The antibiotic resistance profile of E. coli in secondary treatment effluent was more dependent on activated sludge than influent wastewater. These results suggested that activated sludge in WWTP possibly serves as a reservoir of ARB, and that behavior of ARB in WWTP differs by antibiotic classes.
Association between Antiretroviral Treatment and Markers of Systemic Inflammation among HIV Patients in Ghana
Authors: Haile Zelalem T. , Sarfo Bismark , Bonney Evelyn Y. , Mensah Eric A. , Deletsu Selase 
Published: August 2020

Background:
Studies from high-income countries have reported that even after receiving antiretroviral treatment
(ART), HIV-infected adults may not achieve normal levels of certain inflammatory markers that are known to be associated
with the onset and development of non-communicable diseases.

Objective:
To examine the relationship between ART and markers of systemic inflammation in HIV/AIDS patients at an urban antiretroviral clinic in Ghana.

Methods:
We examined serum levels of high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-18(IL-18), and tumor necrosis factor-α (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) from 40 HIV infected patients. Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to examine the
differences in markers of systemic inflammation according to the types of ART medication taken. We then utilized generalized additive models (GAM) with non-linear function to examine the association between ART and markers of systemic inflammation after adjusting for potential confounders.

Results:
Overall, 30 (75.0%) of the participants received ART and 35 (85%) were female. Kruskal-Wallis Test revealed no
significant differences in the markers of systemic inflammation among the three categories of ART (none, AZT, 3TC,
EFV/NVP, and TDF, 3TC/FTC, EFV/NVP). In the multivariable-adjusted GAM model, we found a significant but nonlinear association between time since diagnosis and CRP levels (p=0.006).

Conclusion:
Although the relatively small sample size limits the scope of the study's findings, these results suggest that individuals on ART need to be screened periodically for the development of chronic conditions. This line of investigation has
the potential to influence treatment and clinical guidelines that will improve the quality of care for HIV-infected patients.
Discovery of 3-Cinnamamido-N-Substituted Benzamides as Potential Antimalarial Agents
Authors: Liu Haicheng , Futamura Yushi , Wu Honghai , Ishiyama Aki , Zhang Taotao , Shi Tao , Zheng Qunxiong , Iwatsuki Masato , Ōmura Satoshi , Zou Hongbin , Osada Hiroyuki 
Published: August 2020

Background:
Malaria is one of the most devastating parasitic diseases, yet the discovery
of antimalarial agents remains profoundly challenging. Very few new antimalarials have been developed
in the past 50 years, while the emergence of drug-resistance continues to appear.

Objective:
This study focuses on the discovery, design, synthesis, and antimalarial evaluation of 3-
cinnamamido-N-substituted benzamides.

Methods:
In this study, a screening of our compound library was carried out against the multidrugsensitive
Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain. Derivatives of the hit were designed, synthesized and
tested against P. falciparum 3D7 and the in vivo antimalarial activity of the most active compounds
was evaluated using the method of Peters’ 4-day suppressive test.

Results:
The retrieved hit compound 1 containing a 3-cinnamamido-N-substituted benzamide skeleton
showed moderate antimalarial activity (IC50 = 1.20 μM) for the first time. A series of derivatives
were then synthesized through a simple four-step workflow, and half of them exhibited slightly better
antimalarial effect than the precursor 1 during the subsequent in vitro assays. Additionally, compounds
11, 23, 30 and 31 displayed potent activity with IC50 values of approximately 0.1 μM, and
weak cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. However, in vivo antimalarial activity is not effective,
which might be ascribed to the poor solubility of these compounds.

Conclusion:
In this study, the phenotypic screen of our compound library resulted in the first report
of a 3-cinnamamide framework with antimalarial activity and 40 derivatives were then designed and
synthesized. Subsequent structure-activity studies showed that compounds 11, 23, 30 and 31 exhibited
the most potent and selective activity against the P. falciparum 3D7 strain with IC50 values
around 0.1 μM. Our work herein sets another example of phenotypic screen-based drug discovery,
leading to potentially promising candidates of novel antimalarial agents once given further optimization.