bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapies on symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large cohort of patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis
Authors: Favalli Ennio Giulio , Bugatti Serena , Klersy Catherine , Biggioggero Martina , Rossi Silvia , De Lucia Orazio , Bobbio-Pallavicini Francesca , Murgo Antonella , Balduzzi Silvia , Caporali Roberto , Montecucco Carlomaurizio 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background: Prevalence and outcomes of Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19 in relation to immunomodulatory medications are still unknown. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents on COVID-19 in a large cohort of patients with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory arthritis.Methods: The study was conducted in the arthritis outpatient clinic at two large Academic Hospitals in the COVID-19 most endemic area of Northern Italy (Lombardy). We circulated a cross-sectional survey exploring the prevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 nasopharyngeal swab positivity and the occurrence of acute respiratory illness (fever and/or cough and/or dyspnea), administered face-to-face or by phone to consecutive patients from 25th February to 20th April 2020. COVID-19 cases were defined as confirmed or highly suspicious according to the World Health Organization criteria. The impact of medications on COVID-19 development was evaluated. Results: The study population included 2050 adults with chronic inflammatory arthritis receiving glucocorticoids, conventional-synthetic (cs), or targeted-synthetic/biological (ts/b) disease-modifying drugs (DMARDs). Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and highly suspicious infection were recorded in 1.1% and 1.4% of the population, respectively. Treatment with glucocorticoids was independently associated with increased risk of COVID-19 (adjusted OR [95% CI] ranging from 1.23 [1.04-1.44] to 3.20 [1.97-5.18] depending on the definition used). Conversely, patients treated with ts/bDMARDs were at reduced risk (adjusted OR ranging from 0.46 [0.18-1.21] to 0.47 [0.46-0.48]). No independent effects of csDMARDs, age, sex, and comorbidities were observed.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 outbreak, treatment with immunomodulatory medications appears safe. Conversely, glucocorticoids, even at low-dose, may confer increased risk of infection.Trial registration: retrospectively registered
Neuropsychiatric symptoms are early indicators of an upcoming metabolic decline in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Ng Kok Pin , Pascoal Tharick A. , Mathotaarachchi Sulantha , Chan Yiong Huak , Jiang Lai , Therriault Joseph , Benedet Andrea L. , Shin Monica , Kandiah Nagaendran , Greenwood Celia M.T. , Rosa-Neto Pedro , Gauthier Serge 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are increasingly recognized as early non-cognitive manifestations in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) continuum. However, the role of NPS as an early marker of pathophysiological progression in AD remains unclear. Dominantly inherited AD (DIAD) mutation carriers are young individuals who are destined to develop AD in future due to the full penetrance of the genetic mutation. Hence, the study of DIAD mutation carriers enables the evaluation of the associations between pure AD pathophysiology and metabolic correlates of NPS without the confounding effects of co-existing pathologies. In this longitudinal study, we aimed to identify regional brain metabolic dysfunctions associated with NPS in cognitively intact DIAD mutation carriers.Methods: We stratified 221 cognitively intact participants from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network according to their mutation carrier status. The interactions of NPS measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q), age, and estimated years of onset (EYO) as a function of metabolism measured by [18F]flurodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography, were evaluated by the mixed-effects regression model with family-level random effects in DIAD mutation carriers and non-carriers. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify the neuropsychiatric subsyndromes in DIAD mutation carriers using the NPI-Q sub-components. Then the interactions of specific neuropsychiatric subsyndromes with EYO on metabolism were evaluated with the mixed-effects regression model.Results: A total of 119 mutation carriers and 102 non-carriers were studied. The interaction of higher NPI-Q and shorter EYO was associated with more rapid declines of global and regional [18F]FDG uptake in the posterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices, the bilateral parietal lobes and the right insula in DIAD mutation carriers. The neuropsychiatric subsyndromes of agitation, disinhibition, irritability and depression interacted with the EYO to drive the [18F]FDG uptake decline in the DIAD mutation carriers. The interaction of NPI and EYO was not associated with [18F]FDG uptake in DIAD mutation non-carriers.Conclusions: The NPS in cognitively intact DIAD mutation carriers may be a clinical indicator of subsequent metabolic decline in brain networks vulnerable to AD, which supports the emerging conceptual framework that NPS represent early manifestations of neuronal injury in AD. Further studies using different methodological approaches to identify NPS in preclinical AD are needed to validate our findings.
High-thermally conductive AlN-based microwave attenuating composite ceramics with spherical graphite as attenuating agent
Authors: Fang Xia , Jiang Lei , Pan Limei , Yin Shuang , Qiu Tai , Yang Jian 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
High-thermally conductive AlN-based microwave attenuating composite ceramics with spherical graphite (SG) as the attenuating agent were fabricated through hot-pressing sintering. The SG maintains its three-dimensional morphology within the sintered bodies, which considerably impedes the sintering of the composites to some extent but slightly influences on the growth of AlN grains. The addition of SG reduces the strength of the composites, but provides a moderate toughening effect at the optimal addition amount (3.8 MPa·m 1/2 at 4 wt% SG). Benefiting from the low anisotropy, high thermal conductivity, and the three-dimensional morphology of SG, the composites exhibit a relatively higher thermal conductivity (76.82 W·m -1 ·k -1 at 10 wt% SG) compared with composites added with non-spherical attenuating agent. The dielectric constant and loss (8.2–12.4 GHz) increase remarkably as the amount of SG added increases up to 8 wt%, revealing that the incorporation of SG improves the dielectric property of the composite. The composite with 7 wt% SG exhibits the best absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss of -14 dB at 12.4 GHz and an effective absorbing bandwidth of 0.87 GHz. The excellent overall properties of the SG/AlN microwave attenuating composites render them as a promising material for various applications. Moreover, SG has a great potential as an attenuating agent for microwave attenuating composites due to its strong attenuation upon integration, high thermal conductivity, and low anisotropy.
Knowledge, attitude and practice of health care workers on measuring adult vitamin D level, diagnosis of deficiency, and management of consequent health conditions in three ecologies of Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Mekonnen Wubegzier , Feleke Yeweyenhareg , Desalegn Yakob , Tarekegne Getahun , Lambisso Biruk , Haidar Jemal , Zewede Tewabech 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background: Vitamin D is essential for health and its shortage exacerbates overall mortality. Health care workers (HCWs) need to educate on its uses and sources although studies indicate their low level of practice. The main aim of this study is therefore to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of measuring adult vitamin D status, diagnosis of deficiency and managing health consequences among HCWs in Ethiopia. Methods: This study was conducted in three ecologies covering lowland, midland and highland districts. A total of 405 health care workers with different levels were interviewed. Tablets were used for data collection to archiving in a cloud server. Data were exported to Stata version 14 software for cleaning and analysis. Rates were computed and the Chi-square test was used to compare differences between the two groups. Binary logistic regression was used to measure the strength, direction and significance of the association between different covariates and the practice of HCWs.Result: The level of knowledge, positive attitude and good practice in measuring adult vitamin D status, diagnosis of deficiency and managing health consequences among HCWs was 210 (51.8%), 261(63.5%) and 195(47.4%) respectively. The odds of good practice in the provision of adult vitamin D service were AOR=6.87: 95% CI (3.57, 13.21) and AOR= 2.20: 95% CI (1.23, 3.92) times higher among HCWs in Addis Ababa and highlands compared with those working in lowlands. Good practice among clinicians was AOR=4.26: 95% CI (1.48, 12.25) times higher compared with those working in leadership positions. The likelihood was AOR=1.96: 95% CI (1.19, 3.23) times higher among those with good knowledge compared with those with poor knowledge. Besides, good practice in adult vitamin D service provision was AOR=2.30: 95% CI (1.40, 3.78) times higher among those with positive attitude compared with those who had negative attitude.Conclusions: A little over half of HCWs have good knowledge and close to two-thirds of them have positive attitude while less than half of them have good practice on adult vitamin D deficiency. Besides, HCWs’ residential ecology, clinical position, knowledge and attitude is associated with good practice on adult vitamin D. It is essential to provide rigorous and continuous training for HCWs focusing on their deployment ecology.
The Cosmetic Potential of The Medicinal Halophyte Tamarix Gallica L. (Tamaricaceae) Growing in The Eastern Part of Algeria: Photoprotective and Antioxidant Activities
Authors: Lefahal Mostefa , Makhloufi El-Hani , Trifa Warda , Ayad Radia , El Hattab Mohamed , Benahmed Merzoug , Keskin Merve , Akkal Salah 
Published: December 2020

Aim and Objective:
urrently, the use of ingredients from natural sources has gained
great attention in the cosmetic field, especially for the development of new photoprotective
formulations. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the cosmetic potential of the crude
methanol extract and the ethyl acetate fraction of the medicinal halophyte Tamarix gallica L. (Tg)
growing in the area of Tebessa in the eastern part of Algeria, by assessing their phenolic and
flavonoid contents, photoprotective and antioxidant activities.

Methods:
The research approach consisted of determination phenolic and flavonoid contents of aerial parts via FolinCiocalteu and aluminum chloride methods respectively. The antioxidant activity was measured through two in vitro methods
DPPH radical scavenging activity and total antioxidant capacity test (TAC). The in vitro photoprotective effect was
performed according to the parameter SPF (Sun Protection Factor) by using UV spectroscopic method in UV-B region
(290-320 nm).

Results:
The methanol extract (Tg-MeOH) and ethyl acetate (Tg-EtOAc) fraction showed good
antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 14.05±0.66, 27.58±1.98 μg/mL respectively in the DPPH
test. Furthermore, both extracts displayed strong total antioxidant capacity (287.01±7.85,
246.7±1.12 mg AAE/g, respectively) in the TAC test. Both extracts exhibited high photoprotective
activity, with sun protection factor (SPF) values 37.03±0.22 and 36.08±0.03. The antioxidant and
photoprotective activities of these extracts were probably related to polyphenols content
(190.27±0.74 mg AGE /g and 121.77±1.29 mg AGE /g, respectively) and flavonoids (78.75±0.06
mg QE /g and 58.67±1.19mg/g).

Conclusion:
Our finding show that extracts of Tamarix gallica L could be a promising source to be mixed as natural
sunscreens and antioxidants agent into photoprotective cosmetic formulations.
Bounds on the Partition Dimension of Convex Polytopes
Authors: Liu Jia-Bao , Nadeem Muhammad Faisal , Azeem Mohammad 
Published: December 2020

Aims and Objective:
The idea of partition and resolving sets plays an important role in various areas of
engineering, chemistry and computer science such as robot navigation, facility location, pharmaceutical chemistry,
combinatorial optimization, networking, and mastermind game.

Method:
In a graph to obtain the exact location of a required vertex which is unique from all the vertices, several vertices
are selected this is called resolving set and its generalization is called resolving partition, where selected vertices are in the
form of subsets. Minimum number of partitions of the vertices into sets is called partition dimension.

Results:
It was proved that determining the partition dimension a graph is nondeterministic polynomial time (NP) problem.
In this article, we find the partition dimension of convex polytopes and provide their bounds.

Conclusion:
The major contribution of this article is that, due to the complexity of computing the exact partition dimension
we provides the bounds and show that all the graphs discussed in results have partition dimension either less or equals to 4,
but it cannot been be greater than 4.
The Prion-like Properties of Amyloid-beta Peptide and Tau: Is there Any Risk of Transmitting Alzheimer's Disease During Neurosurgical Interventions?
Authors: Padilla-Zambrano Huber S. , García-Ballestas Ezequiel , Quiñones-Ossa Gabriel A. , Sibaja-Perez Andrés E. , Agrawal Amit , Moscote-Salazar Luis R. , Menéndez-González Manuel 
Published: December 2020

:
Recent studies have recognized similarities between the peptides involved in the neuropathology
of Alzheimer’s disease and prions. The Tau protein and the Amyloid β peptide represent the theoretical
pillars of Alzheimer’s disease development. It is probable that there is a shared mechanism for the
transmission of these substances and the prion diseases development; this presumption is based on the
presentation of several cases of individuals without risk factors who developed dementia decades after a
neurosurgical procedure.

:
This article aims to present the role of Aβ and Tau, which underlie the pathophysiologic mechanisms
involved in the AD and their similarities with the prion diseases infective mechanisms by means of the
presentation of the available evidence at molecular (in-vitro), animal, and human levels that support the
controversy on whether these diseases might be transmitted in neurosurgical interventions, which may
constitute a wide public health issue.
Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Like Effects of Berberis baluchistanica
Authors: Pervez Samreen , Saeed Muhammad , Khan Haroon , Ghaffar Rukhsana 
Published: December 2020

Background:
Numerous therapeutic agents are in clinical practice for the treatment of inflammatory and painful
conditions, but their applications has been challenged by various side /toxic effects. Therefore, new effective and safe
therapies are most warrant, for which medicinal plant could be a significant alternative. Berberis baluchistanica has
traditionally been used as analgesic and antiinflammatory without any scientific background.

Objective:
The current study was designed to evaluate the analgesic and antiinflammatory like effects of extract B.
baluchistanica in animal models.

Methods:
For the study of antinociceptive effect, an of extract of B. baluchistanica (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg i.p.), were
tested in acetic acid induced writhing and formalin tests. while for the antiinflammatory action, carrageenan induced paw
edema, cotton pellet induced granuloma and xylene induced ear edema tests were used.

Results:
The results showed significant dose dependent antinociceptive effect of extract of B. baluchistanica in acetic acid
induced writhing and formalin induced flinching behavior tests. However, the effect was strongly antagonized by the
injection of naloxone, suggesting the expression via opioidergic receptors. Similarly, strong antiinflammatory action was
illustrated in carrageenan induced paw edema, cotton pellet induced granuloma and xylene induced ear edema tests and
thus provided evidence for the versatile phytochemical nature of its phytochemical.

Conclusion:
In short, it is concluded that the extract of B. baluchistanica exhibited significant
antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in animal models. Further detailed studies on the efficacy
and safety as well as on the phytochemical investigation are required to ascertain its clinical
uses.
Nanoscale Reciprocating Sliding Contact Behaviors of an Isosceles Trapezoid Textured Surface in Space Environment
Authors: Tong Ruiting , Quan Zefen , Liu Geng 
Published: December 2020

Background:
In the space environment, microgravity and vacuum influence the mechanical
behaviors of the devices. In the microgravity environment, the mechanical components vibrate
with a small amplitude once there is a disturbance. The vibration can be seen as a reciprocating sliding
contact with a small amplitude. In addition to the vibration, adhesion effects are predominant in
a vacuum, which will induce a high friction force.

Objective:
To reduce the friction force, textured surfaces are widely used in mechanical engineering
on the earth, and nanoscale textures are also verified to be used to improve the frictional behaviors
of components in the size of nanometers.

Methods:
In this paper, the adhesion effects are considered by using molecular dynamics (MD)
simulation, and the microgravity induced vibration is simplified as a reciprocating sliding contact.
Coupling MD simulation and the finite element method which is a multiscale method are used to
investigate the frictional properties of nanoscale reciprocating sliding contact between rigid multiasperity
tips and an isosceles trapezoid textured surface.

Results:
Average friction forces for the different tips are presented, and the friction processes are
analyzed. A stable friction process is discovered for a specific case, and the average friction force is
kept at two stable values corresponding to two sliding directions.

Conclusion:
Compared with the total average friction forces of a smooth surface, the textured surface
can reduce the friction forces greatly. This work could contribute to the textured surface design
to improve frictional properties in the space environment.
The Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its Manifestation
Authors: Debnath Bikash , Singh Waikhom Somraj , Manna Kuntal 
Published: December 2020

:
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China,
and soon the infection turned into a pandemic. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the spread of COVID-19 infection. The World Health Organization
(WHO) confirmed 4.20% of total deaths globally (March 21, 2020). Within four months (July
21, 2020), the rate of confirmed total deaths was recorded up to 4.17% globally. In India, 909 confirmed
cases and 19 deaths were reported by Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, on
March 28, 2020. Over a period of 123 days in India, 1638870 confirmed cases and 35684 deaths
were reported. COVID-19 can potentially spread from person to person through direct contact or respiratory
droplets from coughing and sneezing. The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough,
difficulty in breathing, and fatigue. A pregnant mother with COVID-19 has fewer chances of transferring
this infection to her newborn baby. Children are less affected than adults from this virus. A
specific antiviral drug or vaccine has not been developed to cure the disease to date. Drugs including
chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir, nafamostat, nitazoxanide, and remdesivir,
have been observed to be effective for treating COVID-19. Many vaccine candidates are under
investigation in pre-clinical and clinical studies. In this review, we highlight the epidemiology,
signs and symptoms, pathogenesis, and mode of transmission of the infection caused by
COVID-19, and its effects on a pregnant mother and newborn, and children. We also highlight the
preventive measures and drugs that are effective for treating COVID-19.
A Recent Update on Therapeutics to Treat Emerging n-COVID 19: A Review
Authors: Ashique Sumel , Sandhu Navjot K. , Haque Sk. Niyamul , Koley Kartick 
Published: December 2020

:
A coronavirus is a group of nonsegmented, single-stranded, enveloped viruses having
positive RNA genomes. This virus was first described in 1931, and the first coronavirus was isolated
(HCoV-229E) from humans in 1965. People be-come infected with four human coronavirus
strains: 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1, which cause respiratory associated problems such as
SARS and MERS. Lately, a new version of a strain called SARD-CoV-2 has been found. WHO
called it novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia (NCIP) and later officially renamed as COVID-19
on 11th Feb 2020. The outbreak began in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in Dec 2019 and from now the outbreak
becomes pandemic. Here, we have reviewed various categories of therapeutics, vaccines, and
clinically investigated drugs to treat and prevent n-COVID-19. Till now, no specific FDA approved
drugs or vaccines are available against n-COVID-19. Several options can be visualized to
control or prevent emerging infections, including antivirals, immunomodulators, interferons,
vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and bio- molecules. Given the urgency of the outbreak, we have
discussed some potential existing therapeutics for treating n-COVID-19.