bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations between vascular risk factors and subsequent Alzheimer’s disease in older adults
Authors: Lee Hyewon , Kim Kiwon , Lee Yeong Chan , Kim Soyeon , Won Hong-Hee , Yu Tae Yang , Lee Eun-Mi , Kang Jae Myeong , Lewis Matthew , Kim Doh Kwan , Myung Woojae 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: The clinical guidelines related to the primary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have focused on the management of vascular risk factors. However, the link between vascular risk factors and AD in older adults remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the association between vascular risk factors and subsequent AD in 178,586 older adults (age: ≥65 years). Methods: Participants were recruited from 2009 through 2010 and followed up for 6 years. We assessed various vascular risk factors (total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], triglycerides [TG], fasting glucose [FG], systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], pulse pressure [PP] and body mass index [BMI]) and their association with AD incidence, categorizing each vascular factor using current clinical guidelines. Results: AD was observed in 6.0% of participants at follow-up. All lipid profiles (TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG) were positively associated with the risk of AD. SBP and PP were in negative associations with AD, and DBP was positively associated with AD. BMI exhibited a negative association with AD incidence. We found no significant association between FG and AD risk. The sex difference was observed to have effects on vascular risk factors.Conclusions: In this study, we comprehensively investigated the association between eight vascular risk factors and the risk of incident AD. Our findings suggest that multiple vascular risk factors are related to the development of AD in older adults. These results can help inform future guidelines for reducing AD risk.
Early L-T4 intervention improves fetal heart development in pregnant rats with subclinical hypothyroidism rats by activating BMP4/Smad4 signaling pathway
Authors: Xue D , Sun JL , Yang J 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: It is unclear whether the offspring of SCH pregnant rats still have abnormal cardiac development, and whether early intervention with L-T4 can improve the abnormality of these offspring. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of early L-T4 intervention on the heart development of offspring of SCH pregnant rats and its possible molecular mechanism. Methods: Eighty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into Sham group (placebo control), SCH group, LT4-E10 group (L-T4 treatment started on the 10th day of gestation), and LT4-E13 group (L-T4 treatment started on the 13th day of gestation). Each group was further divided into E16, E18, P5 (postnatal day 5 rats), and P10 (postnatal day 10 rats) subgroups. The levels of serum TT4 and TSH, the ratio of heart weight to body weight of offspring rats, the expression of metabolic enzymes, and the histopathology of cardiomyocytes were determined. To elucidate the effects of L-T4 on cardiac development of offspring of SCH pregnant rats, the expression levels of GATA4, Nkx2-5 and proteins involved in BMP4/Smad4 signaling pathway were detected by immunohistochemistry, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting to elucidate the molecular mechanism of L-T4 regulating the heart development of the offspring of SCH pregnant rats. Results: Compared with Sham group, serum TSH was significantly increased in SCH pregnant rats. Moreover, early L-T4 intervention significantly reduced the levels of serum TSH. Compared with the offspring in the SCH group, early L-T4 intervention significantly increased the heart weight, heart weight to body weight ratio, the activities of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), Na+/K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase, but reduced myocardial cell shrinkage and nuclear staining, hyperemia/congestion and vacuolar degeneration. In addition, early L-T4 intervention not only significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression of Gata4 and Nkx2-5, but also increased the protein expression involved in BMP4/Smad4 signal pathway in myocardium of the offspring of SCH pregnant rats. Conclusions: Early L-T4 intervention can regulate the cardiac development of the offspring of SCH pregnant rats by activating BMP4/Smad4 signaling pathway and increasing the expression of Gata4 and Nkx2-5 proteins.
Application of OU processes to modelling temporal dynamics of the human microbiome, and calculating optimal sampling schemes.
Authors: Kenney Toby , Gao Junqiu , Gu Hong 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: The vast majority of microbiome research so far has focused on the structure of the microbiome at a single time-point. There have been several studies that measure the microbiome from a particular environment over time. A few models have been developed by extending time series models to accomodate specific features in microbiome data to address questions of stability and interactions of the microbime time series. Most research has observed the stability and mean reversion for some microbiomes. However, little has been done to study the mean reversion rates of these stable microbes and how sampling frequencies are related to such conclusions. In this paper, we begin to rectify this situation. We analyse two widely studied microbial time series data sets on four healthy individuals. We choose to study healthy individuals because we are interested in the baseline temporal dynamics of the microbiome. Results: For this analysis, we focus on the temporal dynamics of individual genera, absorbing all interactions in a stochastic term. We use a simple stochastic differential equation models to assess the following three questions. (1) Does the microbiome exhibit temporal continuity? (2) Does the microbiome have a stable state? (3) To better understand the temporal dynamics, how frequently should data be sampled in future studies? We find that a simple Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model which incorporates both temporal continuity and reversion to a stable state fits the data for almost every genus better than a Brownian motion model that contains only temporal continuity. The Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model also fits the data better than modelling separate time points as independent. Under the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model, we calculate the variance of the estimated mean reversion rate (the speed with which each genus returns to its stable state). Based on this calculation, we are able to determine the optimal sample schemes for studying temporal dynamics. Conclusions: There is evidence of temporal continuity for most genera; there is clear evidence of a stable state; and the optimal sampling frequency for studying temporal dynamics is in the range of one sample every 0.8–3.2 days.
Time-restricted feeding reduces the detrimental effects of a high-fat diet, possibly by modulating the circadian rhythm of hepatic lipid metabolism and gut microbiota
Authors: Ye Yuqian , Xu Haopeng , Xie Zhibo , Wang Lun , Sun Yuning , Yang Huayu , Hu Dandan , Mao Yilei 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Time-restricted feeding, also known as intermittent fasting, can confer various beneficial effects, especially protecting against obesity and related metabolic disorders, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effects of time-restricted feeding on the circadian rhythm of gut microbiota and hepatic metabolism. Methods: Eight-week-old male Kunming mice received either a normal diet ad libitum, a high-fat diet ad libitum, or a high-fat diet restricted to an 8-h temporal window per day for an experimental period of 8 weeks. Weight gain and calorie intake were measured weekly. Serum metabolites, hepatic sections and lipid metabolites, gut microbiota and the hepatic expression of Per1, Cry1, Bmal1, SIRT1, SREBP and PPARα were measured at the end of the experimental period. The composition of gut microbiota and the expression of hepatic genes were compared between four timepoints. Results: Mice that received a time-restricted high-fat diet had less weight gain, milder liver steatosis, and lower hepatic levels of triglycerides than mice that received a high-fat diet ad libitum (p<0.05). The numbers of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes differed between mice that received a time-restricted high-fat diet and mice that received a high-fat diet ad libitum (p<0.05). Mice fed a time-restricted high-fat diet showed distinct circadian rhythms of hepatic expression of SIRT1, SREBP and PPARα compared with mice fed a normal diet ad libitum, as well as the circadian rhythm of the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Conclusions: Time-restricted feeding is associated with better metabolic conditions, perhaps owing to alterations in gut microbiota and the circadian pattern of molecules related to hepatic lipid metabolism, which were first to report.
Assessment of Regional Left Ventricular Myocardial Strain in Patients with Left Anterior Descending Coronary Stenosis Using Computed Tomography Feature Tracking
Authors: Han Xiaoyu , Cao Yukun , Ju Zhiguo , Lu Jia , Li Na , Li Yumin , Liu Tong , Shi Heshui , Gu Jin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Computed tomography feature tracking (CT-FT) has emerged as a valuable method for the assessment of cardiac function. However, no studies have investigated the usefulness of CT-derived assessments of left ventricular (LV) strain in coronary artery disease (CAD). Our aim was to evaluate regional LV systolic deformation in patients with left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) stenosis using CT-FT.Methods: Seventy-six patients with LAD stenosis were enrolled. The patients were divided into four groups according to the percentage of LAD stenosis: ≤25% was defined as group I (24 patients), 26% to 49% as group II (17 patients), 50% to 74% as group III (21 patients), and ≥75% as group IV (14 patients). Thirty-two sex- and age-matched healthy subjects were included as controls.Results: No intergroup differences were found between groups I-IV and the controls in terms of the left ventricular ejection fraction, end-diastolic volume and end-systolic volume. However, the longitudinal strain (LS) of the LAD territory was significantly reduced in groups I-IV compared with the controls (-20.8%, -18.6%, -18.6%, and -17.0% vs -23.7%, respectively). The circumferential strain (CS) of the LAD territory was significantly reduced in groups III and IV compared with the controls and groups I and II (-22.4% and -22.1% vs -25.4%, -24.1%, and -25.3%, respectively). Compared with the non-LAD territory, the LAD territory in groups II-IV showed significantly increased LS (-18.6% vs -21.9%, p=0.07; -18.6% vs -21.9%, p=0.024; -17.5% vs -20%, p=0.032, respectively). The severity of LAD stenosis was positively correlated with the LS of the LAD territory (r = 0.438, p=0.002).Conclusion: CT‑FT can detect decreasing LV systolic function in patients with LAD stenosis. LV regional systolic deformation of the LAD territory was reduced with increasing LAD stenosis severity.
Prevalence of middle mesial canal and radix entomolaris of mandibular first permanent molars in a western Chinese population: an in vivo cone-beam computed tomographic study
Authors: Qiao Xin , Zhu Hualing , Yan Yujia , Li Jinglin , Ren Jiayin , Gao Yuan , Zou Ling 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the middle mesial canal (MMC) and radix entomolaris (RE) in mandibular first permanent molars in a western Chinese population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: A total of 1174 CBCT images of the mandibular first molars were collected from West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University. The following information was recorded and evaluated: the detection rate and location of the MMC and RE, the curvature of the RE, the canal configuration and bilateral symmetry. Results: The detection rates of the MMC and RE were 3.41% and 25.04%, respectively, as calculated by individuals, and 1.79% and 22.15%, respectively, as calculated by total teeth. The average curvature in the buccolingual (BL) orientation ( 40.63±14.3 9°) was significantly larger than that in the mesiodistal (MD)orientation ( 17.64±7.8 2°) (p<0.05). Of 587 patients, 71.72% (421/587) had bilateral symmetry according to the root canal morphology. The incidence of three-rooted mandibular first molars was higher in males than in females, while the incidence of two-rooted mandibular first molars was higher in females than in males. Conclusions: Our results showed that the RE could be detected in almost 1/4 of the western Chinese population; thus, RE detection requires special attention and careful assessment in endodontic treatment.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Emergency Contraceptive Pills among Community Pharmacy Practitioners working in Kathmandu Valley: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Shakya Sujyoti , shrestha sweta , Shrestha Rojeena Koju , Giri Usha , Shrestha Sunil 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background Unintended pregnancy occurs due to incorrect or inconsistent use of a contraception method. Such pregnancies can create an economic burden on the family, society and nation as a whole. Unintended pregnancy is the underlying cause of abortion which can also result in infertility and maternal death. Adequate knowledge of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) and positive attitudes among the community pharmacy practitioners (CPPs) is a prerequisite for timely access of ECP, thus ultimately lessening the incidence of unintended pregnancies. This study intended to explore the knowledge, attitude and practice of CPPs toward ECPs in Kathmandu valley. Methods Cross-sectional study conducted in community pharmacies located in three districts of Kathmandu valley. A convenience sampling method was employed to interview CPPs in 227 community pharmacies using a validated questionnaire. Questionnaire assessed the demographic characteristics; knowledge, attitude and dispensing practice of the CPPs. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential analysis using SPSS 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results Approximately 74.9% of respondents had a good practice on dispensing ECPs, and 70% of them counselled all the users. A significant association (p-value<0.05) was obtained between the dispensing practice of respondents and their knowledge level. ECP related knowledge was higher among the age group 40-49 years, BPharm degree holders with experience above ten years and community pharmacies located inside the city and in the Kathmandu district. After adjusting the possible confounder variables, age, degree and district of pharmacy were significantly associated with knowledge. Similarly, respondents' practice towards ECP was higher among the age group 40-49 years with experience above ten years and community pharmacies located inside the city and in the Kathmandu district. Adjusted for other variables, only community pharmacies located at Kathmandu district was significantly associated with the practice. Conclusion CPPs lacked specific important information on ECP and opined against its' availability as an OTC drug, despite good overall knowledge and positive attitude. Many thought that ECP without prescription would increase promiscuity towards sexual behaviour and result in unsafe sex along with its' repeated use. Hence, training and proper counselling strategies should be afoot to refine the delivery of service by CPPs.
Differential diagnosis for suspected cases of coronavirus disease 2019: a retrospective study
Authors: Chi Qiong , Dai Xinjian , Jiang Xiangao , Zhu Lefei , Du Junyan , Chen Yuxi , Zheng Jiyang , Huang Jianping 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 12,310322,000 people and killed over 556,000 people worldwide. However, Differential diagnosis remains difficult for suspected cases of COVID-19 and need to be improved to reduce misdiagnosis.Methods: Sixty-eight cases of suspected COVID-19 treated in Wenzhou Central Hospital from January 21 to February 20, 2020 were divided into confirmed and COVID-19-negative groups based on the results of real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) nucleic acid testing of the novel coronavirus in throat swab specimens to compare the clinical symptoms and laboratory and imaging results between the groups.Results: Among suspected patients, 17 were confirmed to COVID-19-positive group and 51 were distinguished to COVID-19-negative group. Patients with reduced white blood cell (WBC) count were more common in the COVID-19-positive group than in the COVID-19-negative group (29.4% vs 3.9%, P = 0.003). Subsequently, correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant inverse correlation existed between WBC count and temperature in the COVID-19-positive patients (r=-0.587, P=0.003), instead of the COVID-19-negative group. But reduced lymphocyte count was no different between the two groups (47.1% vs 25.5%, P= 0.096). More common chest imaging characteristics of the confirmed COVID-19 cases by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) included ground-glass opacities (GGOs), multiple patchy shadows, and consolidation with bilateral involvement than COVID-19-negative group (82.4% vs 31.4%, P=0.0002; 41.2% vs 17.6% vs P=0.048; 76.5% vs 43.1%, P=0.017; respectively). The rate of clustered infection was higher in COVID-19-positive group than COVID-19-negative group (64.7% vs 7.8%, P=0.001). Through multiplex PCR nucleic acid testing, 2 cases of influenza A, 3 cases of influenza B, 2 cases of adenovirus, 2 cases of Chlamydia pneumonia, and 7 cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae were diagnosed in the COVID-19-negative group.Conclusions: WBC count inversely correlated with the severity of fever, GGOs, multiple patchy shadows, and consolidation in chest HRCT and clustered infection are common but not specific features in the confirmed COVID-19 group.Reduced WBC count inversely correlating with the severity of fever, GGOs, multiple patchy shadows, and consolidation in chest HRCT and clustered infection are features in the confirmed COVID-19 group but not unique. Multiplex PCR nucleic acid testing helped differential diagnosis for suspected COVID-19 casesexclude pathogenic diagnosis in COVID-19 patients.
Economic impact of clinical decision support interventions based on electronic health records
Authors: Lewkowicz Daniel , Wohlbrandt Attila , Boettinger Erwin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background Unnecessary healthcare utilization, non-adherence to current clinical guidelines or insufficient personalized care are perpetual challenges and remain potential major cost-drivers for healthcare systems around the world. Implementing decision support systems into clinical care is promised to increase quality of care and thereby yield substantial effects on reducing healthcare expenditure. In this article we evaluate the economic impact of clinical decision support (CDS) interventions which are based on electronic health records (EHR). Methods We searched for studies published after 2014 using MEDLINE, CENTRAL, WEB OF SCIENCE, EBSCO, and TUFTS CEA registry databases that encompass an economic evaluation or consider cost outcome measures of EHR based CDS interventions. Thereupon, we identified best practice application areas and categorized the investigated interventions according to an existing taxonomy of front-end CDS tools. Results and discussion Twenty-seven studies are investigated in this review. Of those, twenty-two studies indicate a reduction of healthcare expenditure after implementing an EHR based CDS system, especially towards prevalent application areas, such as unnecessary laboratory testing, duplicate order entry, efficient transfusion practice or reduction of antibiotic prescriptions. On the contrary, order facilitators and undiscovered malfunctions revealed to be threats and could lead to new cost drivers in healthcare. While high upfront and maintenance cost of CDS systems are a worldwide implementation barrier, most studies do not consider implementation cost. Finally, four included economic evaluation studies report mixed monetary outcome results and thus highlight the importance for further high quality economic evaluations for these CDS systems. Conclusion Current research studies lack to consider comparative cost-outcome metrics as well as detailed cost-components in their analyses. Nonetheless, the positive economic impact of EHR based CDS interventions especially with regard to reducing waste in healthcare is highly promising.
High sensitivity of one-step real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR to detect low virus titers in large mosquito pools
Authors: Tang Zhaoyang , Yamada Hanano , Kraupa Carina , Canic Sumejja , Busquets Núria , Talavera Sandra , Jiolle Davy , Vreysen Marc J. B. , Bouyer Jérémy , Abd-Alla Adly 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread diseases to humans causes millions of deaths every year. Due to the lack of efficient vaccines, the control of mosquito-borne diseases primarily relies on the management of the vector. Traditional control methods such as source reduction and chemical insecticides, have proven to be sufficient to prevent the proliferation and spread of mosquito populations. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an additional control method that can be combined with other control tactics to suppress specific mosquito populations. The SIT requires the mass-rearing and release of sterile males with the aim to induce sterility in the wild female population. Samples collected from the environment for laboratory colonization, as well as the released males, should be free from mosquito-borne viruses (MBV). Therefore, efficient detection methods with defined detection limits for MBV are required. Although a one-step reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method was developed to detect arboviruses in human and mosquito samples, its detection limit in mosquito samples has yet to be defined. Methods We evaluated the detection sensitivity of one step RT-qPCR for targeted arboviruses in large mosquito pools, using pools of non-infected mosquitoes of various sizes (165, 320 and 1600 mosquitoes) containing one infected mosquito body with defined virus titers of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), usutu virus (USUV), West Nile virus (WNV) and Zika virus (ZIKV).Results CHIK, USUV, ZIKV, and WNV virus were detected in all tested pools using the RT-qPCR assay. Moreover, in the largest mosquito pools (1600 mosquitoes), RT-qPCR was able to detect the targeted viruses using different total RNA quantities (10, 1, 0.1 ng per reaction) as a template. Correlating the virus titer with the total RNA quantity allowed the prediction of the maximum number of mosquitoes per pool in which the RT-qPCR can theoretically detect the virus infection. The corresponding equation uses a Ct value of 36 as a cut-off value for virus detection and a virus copy number of 108 for the positive mosquito body used to spike mosquito pools, to predict the possibility of detecting CHIK, USUV, ZIKV and WNV in mosquito pools composed of 5.08 x 105, 8.74 x 106, 2.33 x 107, and 5.24 x 105 mosquitoes respectively.Conclusion Mosquito borne viruses can be reliably detected by RT-qPCR assay in pools of mosquitoes exceeding 1000 specimens. This will represent an important step to expand pathogen-free colonies for mass-rearing sterile males for programmes that have an SIT component by reducing the time and the manpower needed to conduct this quality control process.