bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tocilizumab may slow radiographic progression in patients with systemic or polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis: post hoc radiographic analysis from two randomized controlled trials
Authors: Malattia Clara , Ruperto Nicolino , Pederzoli Silvia , Palmisani Elena , Pistorio Angela , Wouters Carine , Dolezalova Pavla , Flato Berit , Garay Stella , Giancane Gabriella , Wells Chris , Douglass Wendy , Brunner Hermine I. , De Benedetti Fabrizio , Ravelli Angelo ,   for the Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation (PRINTO) and the Pediatric Rheumatology Collaborative Study Group (PRCSG)
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background
Few clinical trials have investigated the prevention of radiographic progression in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with antirheumatic drugs. This study aimed to investigate radiographic progression in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and patients with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pcJIA) treated with the anti–interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab for 2 years in the TENDER and CHERISH randomized controlled trials, respectively.

Methods
Standard radiographs of both wrists and both hands in the posteroanterior view were obtained within 4 weeks of baseline and were repeated at weeks 52 ± 4 and 104 ± 4 in both trials. All films were scored by two independent readers using the adapted Sharp–van der Heijde (aSH) and Poznanski scoring methods. Although the Poznanski score indicates bone growth limitation or cartilage growth decrease, which are not the same as joint space narrowing in rheumatoid arthritis, its change reflects damage to cartilage. Therefore, impairment in the Poznanski score as well as the aSH score was considered as a measure of structural joint damage. Radiographic progression was defined as worsening of radiographic scores beyond the smallest detectable difference.

Results
Poznanski and aSH scores were available at baseline and at one or more postbaseline time points for 33 and 47 of 112 sJIA patients and 61 and 87 of 188 pcJIA patients, respectively, providing a representative subset of the study populations. The inter-reader and intra-reader agreement intra-class correlation coefficient was > 0.8. Median baseline Poznanski and aSH scores, respectively, were − 2.4 and 24.6 for sJIA patients and − 1.5 and 8.0 for pcJIA patients. Compared with baseline, aSH scores remained stable for all sJIA patients at week 52, whereas 9.4% of sJIA patients had radiographic progression according to Poznanski scores at week 52; at 104 weeks, radiographic progression according to aSH and Poznanski scores was observed in 5.4% and 11.5%, respectively. In pcJIA patients, radiographic progression from baseline at 52 weeks and at 104 weeks was 12.5% and 2.9%, respectively, using aSH scoring and 6.5% and 4%, respectively, using Poznanski scoring.

Conclusion
Tocilizumab may delay radiographic progression in children with sJIA and children with pcJIA.

Trial registration
Trial registration numbers and dates: TENDER, NCT00642460 (March 19, 2008); CHERISH, NCT00988221 (October 1, 2009)
Genetic relatedness of the Enterococcus faecalis isolates in stool and urine samples of patients with community-acquired urinary tract infection
Authors: Ghalavand Zohreh , Alebouyeh Masoud , Ghanati Kiandokht , Azimi Leila , Rashidan Marjan 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background
Community-acquired urinary tract infection (CA-UTI) could be caused by endogenous or exogenous routes. To show this relationship, we investigated molecular fingerprints and genotypes of paired Enterococcus faecalis isolated from the urine of symptomatic patients and their fecal samples.

Results
Out of the studied patients, 63 pairs of E. faecalis isolates were obtained simultaneously from their urine and feces samples. All the strains were sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid, nitrofurantoin, and daptomycin (MIC value: ≤ 4 µg/ml), while resistance to tetracycline (urine: 88.9%; stool: 76.2%) and minocycline (urine: 87.3%, stool: 71.4%) was detected in most of them. The most common detected virulence genes were included efbA, ace, and gelE. RAPD-PCR and PFGE analyses showed the same patterns of molecular fingerprints between paired of the isolates in 26.9% and 15.8% of the patients, respectively.

Conclusions
Similarity of E. faecalis strains between the urine and feces samples confirmed the occurrence of endogenous infection via contamination with colonized bacteria in the intestinal tract. Carriage of a complete virulence genotype in the responsible strains was statistically in correlation with endogenous UTI, which shows their possible involvement in pathogenicity of uropathogenic E. faecalis strains.
Annotated genome sequences of the carnivorous plant Roridula gorgonias and a non-carnivorous relative, Clethra arborea
Authors: Hartmann Stefanie , Preick Michaela , Abelt Silke , Scheffel André , Hofreiter Michael 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Objective
Plant carnivory is distributed across the tree of life and has evolved at least six times independently, but sequenced and annotated nuclear genomes of carnivorous plants are currently lacking. We have sequenced and structurally annotated the nuclear genome of the carnivorous Roridula gorgonias and that of a non-carnivorous relative, Madeira’s lily-of-the-valley-tree, Clethra arborea, both within the Ericales. This data adds an important resource to study the evolutionary genetics of plant carnivory across angiosperm lineages and also for functional and systematic aspects of plants within the Ericales.

Results
Our assemblies have total lengths of 284 Mbp (R. gorgonias) and 511 Mbp (C. arborea) and show high BUSCO scores of 84.2% and 89.5%, respectively. We used their predicted genes together with publicly available data from other Ericales’ genomes and transcriptomes to assemble a phylogenomic data set for the inference of a species tree. However, groups of orthologs showed a marked absence of species represented by a transcriptome. We discuss possible reasons and caution against combining predicted genes from genome- and transriptome-based assemblies.
Altered vaginal microbiome and relative co-abundance network in pregnant women with penicillin allergy
Authors: Li Xiaohua , Luo Jun , Nie Chuan , Li Qingxia , Sun Xiaofeng , Li Hongping , Zhang Yong 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background
Penicillin allergy is frequently reported in adults and children. Recent studies suggest that microbiota plays a key role in the development and progression of allergy. In this study, the relationship between vaginal microbiome and pregnant women with penicillin allergy was investigated.

Methods
Vaginal samples before labor from 12 pregnant women with penicillin allergy and 15 non-allergic pregnant women were collected. Bacterial community structure of all study subjects and the discrepancies between the two groups were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing based on Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform.

Results
The abundant phyla among all participants were Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The predominant genus was Lactobacillus. Compared to non-allergic pregnant women, Actinobacteria, Coriobacteriaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Paraprevotella and Anoxybacillus significantly decreased, whereas Deltaproteobacteria, Peptostreptococcaceae, Enterococcus and Megamonas were more abundant in penicillin allergic women. Additionally, obvious discrepancies were observed in the co-abundance network at the genus level between the two groups.

Conclusions
There were differences in the microbial community structure and composition of reproduction tract between penicillin allergic and non-allergic pregnant women. These shifts may be related to maternal and neonatal health.
Pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade requiring pericardial window in an otherwise healthy 30-year-old patient with COVID-19: a case report
Authors: Walker Christina , Peyko Vincent , Farrell Charles , Awad-Spirtos Jeanine , Adamo Matthew , Scrocco John 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background
This case report demonstrates pericardial effusion, acute pericarditis, and cardiac tamponade in an otherwise healthy woman who had a positive test result for coronavirus disease 2019. Few case reports have been documented on patients with this presentation, and it is important to share novel presentations of the disease as they are discovered.

Case presentation
A Caucasian patient with coronavirus disease 2019 returned to the emergency department of our hospital 2 days after her initial visit with worsening chest pain and shortness of breath. Imaging revealed new pericardial effusion since the previous visit. The patient became hypotensive, was taken for pericardial window for cardiac tamponade with a drain placed, and was treated for acute pericarditis.

Conclusion
Much is still unknown about the implications of coronavirus disease 2019. With the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, research is still in process, and we are slowly learning about new signs and symptoms of the disease. This case report documents a lesser-known presentation of a patient with coronavirus disease 2019 and will help to further understanding of a rare presentation.
Global cerebral infarction after aortic arch replacement surgery in a patient with postoperatively revealed factor XII deficiency: a case report
Authors: Yoshida Keisuke , Tanaka Shiori , Sato Yuki , Watanabe Kazuhiro , Muramatsu Kenichi , Murakawa Masahiro 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundThis case report presents a case of a patient with global cerebral infarction of uncertain etiology following an emergency surgery for acute type A aortic dissection. As a result, factor XII deficiency was revealed postoperatively. To date, there have been several reports of cardiovascular surgery in patients with factor XII deficiency. However, all previous reports were of patients whose factor XII deficiency had been detected preoperatively; therefore, before this, there had been no reports of complications associated with factor XII deficiency following cardiovascular surgery.Case presentationWe report a case of emergency aortic arch replacement surgery for acute type A aortic dissection in a 57-year-old Japanese man. A blood test prior to the surgery showed coagulopathy, a platelet count of 117 × 109/L, a prothrombin time–international normalized ratio of 1.78, an activated partial thromboplastin time of 69.7 seconds, and fibrinogen < 50 mg/dl. A smaller-than-usual dose of heparin (8000 IU) was administered because the patient’s activated clotting time was extremely prolonged (> 999 seconds). After the heparin administration, the activated clotting time, measured every 30–60 minutes, remained unchanged (> 999 seconds); therefore, additional heparin was not administered during the surgery, and there was no clinical problem during cardiopulmonary bypass. However, a diagnosis of global cerebral infarction was made on the first postoperative day. An additional blood coagulation test performed on postoperative day 9 revealed factor XII deficiency (8.0%). Regarding the reason that global cerebral infarction occurred in the present case, two reasons were considered: One was factor XII deficiency itself, and the other was low-dose heparin administration during the cardiopulmonary bypass due to excessively prolonged activated clotting time caused by factor XII deficiency.ConclusionsFactor XII deficiency should be considered in patients with prolonged activated clotting time and spontaneous thrombosis in vascular surgeries. Moreover, the present case emphasizes that management of heparin during cardiopulmonary bypass should not be performed on the basis of activated clotting time monitoring alone, especially in a case with prolonged activated clotting time.
Association between fetal sex and maternal plasma microRNA responses to prenatal alcohol exposure: evidence from a birth outcome-stratified cohort
Authors: Salem Nihal A. , Mahnke Amanda H. , Wells Alan B. , Tseng Alexander M. , Yevtushok Lyubov , Zymak-Zakutnya Natalya , Wertlecki Wladimir , Chambers Christina D. , Miranda Rajesh C. ,   Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD)
Published: September 2020

AbstractMost persons with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) remain undiagnosed or are diagnosed in later life. To address the need for earlier diagnosis, we previously assessed miRNAs in the blood plasma of pregnant women who were classified as unexposed to alcohol (UE), heavily exposed with affected infants (HEa), or heavily exposed with apparently unaffected infants (HEua). We reported that maternal miRNAs predicted FASD-related growth and psychomotor deficits in infants. Here, we assessed whether fetal sex influenced alterations in maternal circulating miRNAs following prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). To overcome the loss of statistical power due to disaggregating maternal samples by fetal sex, we adapted a strategy of iterative bootstrap resampling with replacement to assess the stability of statistical parameter estimates. Bootstrap estimates of parametric and effect size tests identified male and female fetal sex-associated maternal miRNA responses to PAE that were not observed in the aggregated sample. Additionally, we observed, in HEa mothers of female, but not male fetuses, a network of co-secreted miRNAs whose expression was linked to miRNAs encoded on the X-chromosome. Interestingly, the number of significant miRNA correlations for the HEua group mothers with female fetuses was intermediate between HEa and UE mothers at mid-pregnancy, but more similar to UE mothers by the end of pregnancy. Collectively, these data show that fetal sex predicts maternal circulating miRNA adaptations, a critical consideration when adopting maternal miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers. Moreover, a maternal co-secretion network, predominantly in pregnancies with female fetuses, emerged as an index of risk for adverse birth outcomes due to PAE.
Pathobiology of the highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses H7N1 and H5N8 in different chicken breeds and role of Mx 2032 G/A polymorphism in infection outcome
Authors: Sánchez-González Raúl , Ramis Antonio , Nofrarías Miquel , Wali Nabil , Valle Rosa , Pérez Mónica , Perlas Albert , Majó Natàlia 
Published: September 2020

AbstractChickens are highly susceptible to highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs). However, the severity of infection varies depending of the viral strain and the genetic background of the host. In this study, we evaluated the pathogenesis of two HPAIVs (H7N1 and H5N8) and assessed the susceptibility to the infection of local and commercial chicken breeds from Spain. Eight chicken breeds were intranasally inoculated with 105 ELD50 of A/Chicken/Italy/5093/1999 (H7N1) or A/Goose/Spain/IA17CR02699/2017 (H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4. B) and monitored during 10 days. Chickens were highly susceptible to both HPAIVs, but H7N1 was considerably more virulent than H5N8 as demonstrated by the highest mortality rates and shortest mean death times (MDT). Both HPAIVs produced severe necrosis and intense viral replication in the central nervous system, heart and pancreas; however, the lesions and replication in other tissues were virus-dependent. High levels of viral RNA were detected by the oral route with both viruses. In contrast, a low number of H5N8-inoculated chickens shed by the cloacal route, demonstrating a different pattern of viral shedding dependent of the HPAIV. We found a high variation in the susceptibility to HPAIVs between the different chicken breeds. The birds carrying the genotype AA and AG at position 2032 in chicken Mx gene presented a slightly higher, but not significant, percentage of survival and a statistically significant longer MDT than GG individuals. Our study demonstrated that the severity of HPAI infection is largely dependent of the viral isolate and host factors, underlining the complexity of HPAI infections.
Construction of polycistronic baculovirus surface display vectors to express the PCV2 Cap(d41) protein and analysis of its immunogenicity in mice and swine
Authors: Chen Ya-Yi , Yang Wei-Chen , Chang Yu-Kang , Wang Chi-Young , Huang Wei-Ru , Li Jyun-Yi , Chuang Kuo-Pin , Wu Hung-Yi , Chang Ching-Dong , Nielsen Brent L. , Liu Hung-Jen 
Published: September 2020

AbstractTo increase expression levels of the PCV2 Cap(d41) protein, novel baculovirus surface display vectors with multiple expression cassettes were constructed to create recombinant baculoviruses BacSC-Cap(d41), BacDD-2Cap(d41), BacDD-3Cap(d41), and BacDD-4Cap(d41). Our results reveal that the recombinant baculovirus BacDD-4Cap(d41) was able to express the highest levels of Cap(d41) protein. Optimum conditions for expressing the PCV2 Cap(d41) protein were determined, and our results show that 107 of Sf-9 infected with the recombinant baculovirus BacDD-4Cap(d41) at an MOI of 5 for 3 days showed the highest level of protein expression. Mice immunized with the 4Cap(d41) vaccine which was prepared from the recombinant baculovirus-infected cells (107) elicited higher ELISA titers compared to the Cap (d41) vaccine. The 4Cap(d41) vaccine could elicit anti-PCV2 neutralizing antibodies and IFN-γ in mice, as confirmed by virus neutralization test and IFN-γ ELISA. Moreover, the swine lymphocyte proliferative responses indicated that the 4Cap(d41) vaccine was able to induce a clear cellular immune response. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the percentage of CD4+ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio was increased significantly in SPF pigs immunized with the 4Cap(d41) vaccine. Importantly, the 4Cap(d41) vaccine induced an IFN-γ response, further confirming that its effect is through cellular immunity in SPF pigs. An in vivo challenge study revealed that the 4Cap(d41) and the commercial vaccine groups significantly reduce the viral load of vaccinated pigs as compared with the CE negative control group. Taken together, we have successfully developed a 4Cap(d41) vaccine that may be a potential subunit vaccine for preventing the disease associated with PCV2 infections.
Undervirilized male infant with in utero exposure to maternal use of high dose antifungal therapy
Authors: Gujral Jasmine , Costin Gertrude , Khurana Divya , Yau Mabel , Wallach Elizabeth , Romero Christopher J. , Wilkes Meredith , Sethuram Swathi , Rapaport Robert 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background
Antifungals act on fungal sterols structurally similar to human cholesterol. Ketoconazole reversibly suppresses steroidogenesis by inhibiting cytochrome P450 enzymes and interferes with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) activity by binding to the androgen receptor. Hypospadias was reported in infants exposed to nystatin in utero.

Case presentation
A male infant exposed to antepartum nystatin presented with severe under-undervirilization and transient adrenal corticosteroid abnormalities. He was born in USA at 31 weeks gestation to a mother treated with vaginal Polygynax capsules (nystatin-100,000 international units, neomycin sulphate-35,000 international units and polymyxin B-35,000 international units) for vaginal discharge in the Ivory Coast. She used approximately 60 capsules between the first trimester until delivery. The infant was born with micropenis, chordee, perineo-scrotal hypospadias and bifid scrotum with bilaterally palpable gonads. The karyotype was 46,XY. No Mullerian structures were seen on ultrasound. Serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17 OHP) on newborn screening was high (304 ng/ml, normal < 35). Cortisol response to cosyntropin on the 3rd day of life (DOL) was 10 mcg/ml; the subnormal cortisol response may have resulted from prematurity and the predelivery treatment with betamethasone. The elevation of several adrenal corticosteroids was not consistent with any specific enzymatic defect. Hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone were initiated at another hospital for suspected mild glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid deficiencies. Genetic screening for adrenal and gonadal developmental defects performed when transferred to our care were normal. All medications were gradually discontinued over 5–8 months. Adrenal and testicular responses to cosyntropin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were normal at 8 months.

Conclusions
We report severe undervirilization in a 46,XY infant born to a mother treated with prolonged and high dose nystatin during pregnancy. This presentation suggests that prolonged antepartum use of high dose nystatin could lead to severe but transient defects in androgen synthesis and/or action possibly by acting as an endocrine disruptor. Further studies are warranted to confirm this finding. Thus, endocrine disruptors should be considered in male newborns with atypical genitalia not explained by common pathologies.
Solutions for impulsive fractional pantograph differential equation via generalized anti-periodic boundary condition
Authors: Ahmed Idris , Kumam Poom , Abubakar Jamilu , Borisut Piyachat , Sitthithakerngkiet Kanokwan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThis study investigates the solutions of an impulsive fractional differential equation incorporated with a pantograph. This work extends and improves some results of the impulsive fractional differential equation. A differential equation of an impulsive fractional pantograph with a more general anti-periodic boundary condition is proposed. By employing the well-known fixed point theorems of Banach and Krasnoselskii, the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the proposed problem are established. Furthermore, two examples are presented to support our theoretical analysis.
New finite-time synchronization analysis of a delayed memristive neurodynamic model
Authors: Ren Dandan , Yao Aidi 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThis paper presents theoretical results on the finite-time synchronization of delayed memristive neural networks (MNNs). Compared with existing ones on finite-time synchronization of discontinuous NNs, we directly regard the MNNs as a switching system, by introducing a novel analysis method, new synchronization criteria are established without employing differential inclusion theory and non-smooth finite time convergence theorem. Finally, we give a numerical example to support the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Uniqueness of meromorphic functions concerning their difference operators and derivatives
Authors: Wei Dong-Mei , Huang Zhi-Gang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractLet f and g be two nonconstant meromorphic functions. Shared value problems related to f and g are investigated in this paper. We give sufficient conditions in terms of weighted value sharing which imply that f is a linear transformation or inversion transformation of g. We also investigate the uniqueness problem of meromorphic functions with their difference operators and derivatives sharing some values.