bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Robot-based assessment of HIV-related motor and cognitive impairment for neurorehabilitation
Authors: Bui Kevin D. , Wamsley Carol A. , Shofer Frances S. , Kolson Dennis L. , Johnson Michelle J. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThere is a pressing need for strategies to slow or treat the progression of functional decline in people living with HIV. This paper explores a novel rehabilitation robotics approach to measuring cognitive and motor impairment in adults living with HIV, including a subset with stroke. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 21 subjects exhibiting varying levels of cognitive and motor impairment. We developed three robot-based tasks trajectory tracking, N-back, and spatial span – to assess if metrics derived from these tasks were sensitive to differences in subjects with varying levels of executive function and upper limb motor impairments. We also examined if these metrics could estimate clinical cognitive and motor scores. The results showed that the average sequence length on the robot-based spatial span task was the most sensitive to differences between subjects’ cognitive and motor impairment levels. We observed strong correlations between robot-based measures and clinical cognitive and motor assessments relevant to the HIV population, such as the Color Trails 1 (rho = 0.83), Color Trails 2 (rho = 0.71), Digit Symbol – Coding (rho = 0.81), Montreal Cognitive Assessment – Executive Function subscore (rho = 0.70), and Box and Block Test (rho = 0.74). Importantly, our results highlight that gross motor impairment may be overlooked in the assessment of HIV-related disability. This study shows that rehabilitation robotics can be expanded to new populations beyond stroke, namely to people living with HIV and those with cognitive impairments.
A Natural Language Processing Tool to Extract Quantitative Smoking Status from Clinical Narratives
Authors: Yang Xi , Yang Hanyuan , Lyu Tianchen , Yang Shuang , Guo Yi , Bian Jiang , Xu Hua , Wu Yonghui 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis study presents a natural language processing (NLP) tool to extract quantitative smoking information (e.g., Pack-Year, Quit Year, Smoking Year, and Pack per Day) from clinical notes and standardized them into Pack-Year unit. We annotated a corpus of 200 clinical notes from patients who had low-dose CT imaging procedures for lung cancer screening and developed an NLP system using a two-layer rule-engine structure. We divided the 200 notes into a training set and a test set and developed the NLP system only using the training set. The experimental results on the test set showed that our NLP system achieved the best F1 scores of 0.963 and 0.946 for lenient and strict evaluation, respectively.NoteAccepted as a presentation at the 2020 IEEE International Conference on Healthcare Informatics (ICHI) Workshop on Health Natural Language Processing (HealthNLP 2020).https://ohnlp.github.io/HealthNLP2020/healthnlp2020#.
Optimizing training programs for athletic performance: a Monte-Carlo Tree Search variant method
Authors: Houy Nicolas 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPurposeUsing a variant of the Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) algorithm, we compute optimal personalized and generic training programs for athletic performance.MethodsWe use a non-linear performance model with population variability for athletes and non-athletes previously used in the literature. Then, we simulate an in-silico test population. For each individual of this population, we compute the performance obtained after implementing several widely used training programs as well as the one obtained by our variant of the MCTS algorithm. Two cases are considered depending on individual parameters being observed and personalized programs being possible or only parameter distributions being available and only generic training programs being implementable.ResultsCompared to widely used training programs, our optimization leads to an increase in performance between 1.1 (95% CI: 0.9 – 1.4) percentage point of the performance obtained with stationary optimal training dose (pp POTD) for athletes and unknown individual characteristics to 10.0 (95% CI: 9.6 – 10.3) pp POTD for nonathletes and known individual characteristics. The value of information when using MCTS optimized training strategies, i.e. the difference between the performance that can be reached with knowledge of individual characteristics and the performance that can be reached without it is 14.7 (95% CI: 12.8 – 16.7) pp POTD for athletes and 3.0 (95% CI: 2.6 – 3.4) pp POTD for non-athletes.
Cell phone mobility data and manifold learning: Insights into population behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Levin Roman , Chao Dennis L. , Wenger Edward A. , Proctor Joshua L. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAs COVID-19 cases resurge in the United States, understanding the complex interplay between human behavior, disease transmission, and non-pharmaceutical interventions during the pandemic could provide valuable insights to focus future public health efforts. Cell-phone mobility data offers a modern measurement instrument to investigate human mobility and behavior at an unprecedented scale. We investigate mobility data collected, aggregated, and anonymized by SafeGraph Inc. which measures how populations at the census-block-group geographic scale stayed at home in California, Georgia, Texas, and Washington since the beginning of the pandemic. Using manifold learning techniques, we find patterns of mobility behavior that align with stay-at-home orders, correlate with socioeconomic factors, cluster geographically, and reveal sub-populations that likely migrated out of urban areas. The analysis and approach provides policy makers a framework for interpreting mobility data and behavior to inform actions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Low dose hydroxychloroquine is associated with lower mortality in COVID-19: a meta-analysis of 26 studies and 44,521 patients
Authors: Di Castelnuovo Augusto , Costanzo Simona , Cassone Antonio , Cauda Roberto , de Gaetano Giovanni , Iacoviello Licia 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundHydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was proposed as potential treatment for COVID-19, but its association with mortality is not well characterized. We conducted two meta-analyses to evaluate the association between HCQ (with or without azithromycin (AZM)) and total mortality in COVID-19 patients.MethodsArticles were retrieved until October 20th, 2020 by searching in seven databases. Data were combined using the general variance-based method on relative risk estimates.ResultsA total of 26 articles were found (N=44,521 COVID-19 patients, including N=7,324 from 4 randomized clinical trials (RCTs)); 10 studies were valuable for analysing the association of HCQ+AZM. Overall, the use of HCQ was associated with 21% lower mortality risk (pooled risk ratio: 0.79, 95%CI: 0.67 to 0.93; high level of heterogeneity: I2=82%, random effects). This association vanished (1.10, 95%CI: 0.99 to 1.23 and 1.10, 95%CI: 0.99 to 1.23) when daily dose >400 mg or total dose >4,400 mg were used, respectively). HCQ+AZM was also associated with 25% lower mortality risk, but uncertainty was large (95%CI: 0.50 to 1.13; P=0.17). No association was apparent when only pooling the 4 RCTs (13.8% of the overall weight; pooled risk ratio: 1.11, 95%CI: 0.99 to 1.24).ConclusionsHCQ use was not associated with either increased or decreased mortality in COVID-19 patients when 4 RCTs only were evaluated, while a 7% to 33% reduced mortality was observed when observational studies were also included. The association was mainly apparent when pooling studies using lower doses of HCQ. These findings can help disentangling the debate on HCQ use in COVID-19.Key-pointsLow dose hydroxychloroquine was associated with reduced mortality in COVID-19 patients, as seen in observational studies but not in randomised clinical trials, which used high doses of hydroxychloroquine. These findings can help disentangling the debate on hydroxychloroquine use in COVID-19.
The impact of keeping a religious beard in the COVID-19 pandemic: an online cross sectional survey study exploring experiences of male medical healthcare professionals
Authors: Hamed Amer , Latif Asam , Haris Mohammad , Patel Sufyan , Patel Muhammad I , Rahman Mustafa Syed Abdur , Khan Omeair , Shoaib Ahmad , Waqar Salman 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThere has been a disproportionate effect on individuals from black Asian & Minority Ehnic (BAME) in the UK in Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, especially in the NHS staff. Many of them have been asked to remove their beard to be eligible to do the fit test which can have negative implications on their spiritual, psychological & emotional wellbeing. This paper surveyed the responses of 469 healthcare professionals (HCPs) with beards regarding the challenges they face in regard to personal protective equipment (PPE), mask fit testing and attitude of employers & colleagues.Professional discrimination through fit testing rejection, unavailability or inadequate PPE and the pressure to shave their beard are unpleasant outcomes of this pandemic for some of the NHS staff. NHS trusts & hospitals need to adjust their practices to include staff with beard in their COVID-19 arrangements.
Factors Associated with Coronavirus (COVID-19) Deaths and Infections: A Cross Country Evidence
Authors: Shimul Shafiun Nahin , Kadir Fariha , Ihsan- Ul- Kabir Muhammad 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThough most of the countries across the world are crippled with COVID-19, there has been substantial variations in death and infection rates. While some countries are overwhelmed, a few are spared. Little is known what explains this variation. This study attempts to understand the covariates of death and infection rates of COVID-19 across countries using multivariate regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. The OLS estimates show that the aging population and hospital bed per capita are significantly associated with the fatality rate of COVID-19, while urbanization has a positive correlation with the inflection rate. The study suggests that an increase in health systems capacity can significantly reduce the fatality rates due to COVID-19.
Reproducibility and sensitivity of 36 methods to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal in raw wastewater: findings from an interlaboratory methods evaluation in the U.S.
Authors: Pecson Brian M. , Darby Emily , Haas Charles N. , Amha Yamrot , Bartolo Mitchel , Danielson Richard , Dearborn Yeggie , Di Giovanni George , Ferguson Christobel , Fevig Stephanie , Gaddis Erica , Gray Don , Lukasik George , Mull Bonnie , Olivas Liana , Olivieri Adam , Qu Yan ,   SARS-CoV-2 Interlaboratory Consortium
Published: November 2020

1AbstractIn response to COVID-19, the international water community rapidly developed methods to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal in untreated wastewater. Wastewater surveillance using such methods has the potential to complement clinical testing in assessing community health. This interlaboratory assessment evaluated the reproducibility and sensitivity of 36 standard operating procedures (SOPs), divided into eight method groups based on sample concentration approach and whether solids were removed. Two raw wastewater samples were collected in August 2020, amended with a matrix spike (betacoronavirus OC43), and distributed to 32 laboratories across the U.S. Replicate samples analyzed in accordance with the project’s quality assurance plan showed high reproducibility across the 36 SOPs: 80% of the recovery-corrected results fell within a band of +/- 1.15-log10 genome copies/L with higher reproducibility observed within a single SOP (standard deviation of 0.13-log10). The inclusion of a solids removal step and the selection of a concentration method did not show a clear, systematic impact on the recovery-corrected results. Other methodological variations (e.g., pasteurization, primer set selection, and use of RT-qPCR or RT-dPCR platforms) generally resulted in small differences compared to other sources of variability. These findings suggest that a variety of methods are capable of producing reproducible results, though the same SOP or laboratory should be selected to track SARS-CoV-2 trends at a given facility. The methods showed a 7-log10 range of recovery efficiency and limit of detection highlighting the importance of recovery correction and the need to consider method sensitivity when selecting methods for wastewater surveillance.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma is not a biomarker for Huntington’s disease
Authors: Andy Ou Zhen-Yi , Byrne Lauren M. , Rodrigues Filipe B. , Tortelli Rosanna , Johnson Eileanoir B. , Foiani Martha S. , Arridge Marzena , De Vita Enrico , Scahill Rachael I. , Heslegrave Amanda , Zetterberg Henrik , Wild Edward J. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is implicated in the survival of striatal neurons. BDNF function is reduced in Huntington’s disease (HD), possibly because mutant huntingtin impairs its cortico-striatal transport, contributing to striatal neurodegeneration. The BDNF trophic pathway is a therapeutic target, and blood BDNF has been suggested as a potential biomarker for HD, but BDNF has not been quantified in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in HD.BDNF in CSF and plasma in the HD-CSF cohort (20 pre-manifest and 40 manifest HD mutation carriers and 20 age and gender-matched controls) were quantified using conventional ELISAs and an ultra-sensitive immunoassay.BDNF concentration was below the limit of detection of the conventional ELISAs, raising doubt about previous CSF reports in neurodegeneration. Using the ultra-sensitive method, BDNF concentration was quantifiable in all samples but did not differ between controls and HD mutation carriers in CSF or plasma, was not associated with clinical scores or MRI brain volumetric measures, and had poor ability to discriminate controls from HD mutation carriers, and premanifest from manifest HD.BDNF in CSF and plasma is unlikely to be a biomarker of HD progression, and urge caution in interpreting studies where conventional ELISA was used to quantify CSF BDNF.
Outbreak investigation of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Borena Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, November 2019: Case Control study
Authors: Regassa Belay , Deyessa Negussie , Addissie Adamu , Abagero Abdulnasir , Shumi Gemechu , Gudina Gemechu 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundVisceral Leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania parasites, infects mammals transmitted by Phlebotomine sand-flies and mostly affects the poorest. VL distributed worldwide and prevalent in Ethiopia. Knowing occurrence of disease and risk factor is a remedy for controlling. The aim of study was to identify factors associated with VL.MethodsCase control study was carried out during October-November 2019 in Borena. A 1:2 Cases and controls were identified by case definition and 33 cases were included in the study. Participants >18years interviewed and caregivers of <18 were questioned for legal issue. Epi-info and SPSS were used for data entry and analysis. Primarily predictors were identified using chi-square at significant level P<0.05 with 95%CI, then candidate predictors were analysed using bivariate and multivariate analysis to identify associated factors.ResultAmong 153 suspected cases, 9 suspected deaths reported; 33 (22%) cases and 3 deaths were verified for VL. Among 33 verified cases 15(45.5%) were in July 2019, in comparison of 4years data, there is surge cases in July-August 2019, 26(79%) of cases were from Dire, Attack Rate (AR) = 15/100,000, CFR=9.1%. Among all, 15-64year were highly affected with AR=19.3. A case control engaged 99(100%) respondents and among all 93(93.9%) were male, 68(68.8%) were 15-64years. Adult education Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 30.438(2.378, 389.602), bed-net AOR=9.024 (1.763, 46.205) and walling AOR=0.052(0.004, 0.739) were associated factors with VL at 95%CI with p-value<0.05.ConclusionMale 15-64years were highly susceptible. Level of education, ITNs and walling were associated factors with VL. Formulating policies and guidelines for male 15-64 years related vector control and awareness creation regarding feeding habit of sand fly, prevention and control were recommended. Awareness of community on prevention method; using repellents, ITNs utilization, and safe sleeping mechanisms are mandatory. Further investigation on the issue is best remedy to overcome future VL outbreak occurrence.
Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Detection by Carbon Nanotube-Based Near-Infrared Nanosensors
Authors: Pinals Rebecca L. , Ledesma Francis , Yang Darwin , Navarro Nicole , Jeong Sanghwa , Pak John E. , Kuo Lili , Chuang Yung-Chun , Cheng Yu-Wei , Sun Hung-Yu , Landry Markita P. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractTo effectively track and eliminate COVID-19, it is critical to develop tools for rapid and accessible diagnosis of actively infected individuals. Here, we introduce a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based optical sensing approach towards these ends. We construct a nanosensor based on SWCNTs noncovalently functionalized with ACE2, a host protein with high binding affinity for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein elicits a robust, two-fold nanosensor fluorescence increase within 90 min of spike protein exposure. We characterize the nanosensor stability and sensing mechanism, and passivate the nanosensor to preserve sensing response in saliva and viral transport medium. We further demonstrate that these ACE2-SWCNT nanosensors retain sensing capacity in a surface-immobilized format, exhibiting a 73% fluorescence turn-on response within 5 s of exposure to 35 mg/L SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles. Our data demonstrate that ACE2-SWCNT nanosensors can be developed into an optical tool for rapid SARS-CoV-2 detection.Abstract Figure
Covid-19 fatality prediction in people with diabetes and prediabetes using a simple score at hospital admission
Authors: Sourij H. , Aziz F. , Bräuer A. , Ciardi C. , Clodi M. , Fasching P. , Karolyi M. , Kautzky-Willer A. , Klammer C. , Malle O. , Oulhaj A. , Pawelka E. , Peric S. , Ress C. , Sourij C. , Stechemesser L. , Stingl H. , Stulnig TM. , Tripolt N. , Wagner M. , Wolf P. , Zitterl A. , Kaser S. ,   for the COVID-19 in Diabetes in Austria - study group
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTAIMWe assessed predictors of in-hospital mortality in people with prediabetes and diabetes hospitalized for COVID-19 infection and developed a risk score for identifying those at the highest risk of a fatal outcome.MATERIALS AND METHODSA combined prospective and retrospective multicenter cohort study was conducted in 10 sites in Austria on 247 people with diabetes or newly diagnosed prediabetes, who were hospitalised for COVID-19. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and predictor variables at the time of admission included clinical data, comorbidities of diabetes or laboratory data. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors and develop a risk score for in-hospital mortality.RESULTSThe mean age of people hospitalized (n=238) for COVID-19 was 71.1 ± 12.9 years, 63.6% were males, 75.6% had type 2 diabetes, 4.6% had type 1 diabetes, and 19.8% had prediabetes. The mean duration of hospital stay was 18 ± 16 days, 23.9% required ventilation therapy, and 24.4% died in the hospital. Mortality rate in people with diabetes was numerically higher (26.7%) as compared to those with prediabetes (14.9%) but without statistical significance (p=0.128). A score including age, arterial occlusive disease, CRP, eGFR and AST levels at admission predicted in-hospital mortality with a C-statistics of 0.889 (95%CI: 0.837 – 0.941) and calibration of 1.000 (p=0.909).CONCLUSIONSThe in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 was high in people with diabetes and not significantly different to the risk in people with prediabetes. A risk score using five routinely available patient parameters demonstrated excellent predictive performance for assessing in-hospital mortality.
Prevalence Of COVID-19 In Rural Versus Urban Areas in a Low-Income Country: Findings from a State-Wide Study in Karnataka, India
Authors: Mohanan Manoj , Malani Anup , Krishnan Kaushik , Acharya Anu 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAlthough the vast majority of confirmed cases of COVID-19 are in low- and middle-income countries, there are relatively few published studies on the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in these countries. The few there are focus on disease prevalence in urban areas. We conducted state-wide surveillance for COVID-19, in both rural and urban areas of Karnataka between June 15-August 29, 2020. We tested for both viral RNA and antibodies targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD). Adjusted seroprevalence across Karnataka was 46.7% (95% CI: 43.3-50.0), including 44.1% (95% CI: 40.0-48.2) in rural and 53.8% (95% CI: 48.4-59.2) in urban areas. The proportion of those testing positive on RT-PCR, ranged from 1.5 to 7.7% in rural areas and 4.0 to 10.5% in urban areas, suggesting a rapidly growing epidemic. The relatively high prevalence in rural areas is consistent with the higher level of mobility measured in rural areas, perhaps because of agricultural activity. Overall seroprevalence in the state implies that by August at least 31.5 million residents had been infected by August, nearly an order of magnitude larger than confirmed cases.
Amplification of frog calls by leaf substrates: implications for terrestrial and arboreal species
Authors: Muñoz Matías I. , Halfwerk Wouter 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSignal detection is a minimum requirement for any communicative interaction. Acoustic signals, however, often experience amplitude losses during their transmission through the environment, reducing their detection range. Displaying from sites that increase the amplitude of the sound produced, such as cavities or some reflective surfaces, can improve the detectability of signals by distant receivers. Understanding how display sites influence sound production is, however, far from understood. We measured the effect of leaf calling sites on the calls of an arboreal (Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni) and a leaf-litter specialist (Silverstoneia flotator) frog species. We collected the leaves where males of both species were observed calling, and conducted playback experiments to measure their effect on the amplitude of frog calls. Overall, the leaves used byH. fleischmanniandS. flotatorwere of similar dimensions, and amplified the calls of each species by about 5.0 and 2.5 dB, respectively. The degree of call amplification was unrelated to leaf dimensions or the position of the frogs on the leaves, but explained by the different frequency content of the calls of each species. Depending on the spatial location of intended and unintended receivers, we suggest that amplification of frog calls by leaves could represent either a benefit or impose costs for arboreal and terrestrial species. We argue that the microhabitat of the substrate from which animals display needs to be considered when addressing signal evolution.Lay summaryAnimals produce signals from specific locations in the environment, yet we know surprisingly little about the effects of the small-scale habitat on animal communication. Here we show that the calls of a terrestrial and an arboreal frog species are amplified by the leaves they use as calling sites. We argue that the consequences of this enhancement need to be considered in relation to the spatial location of intended (males and females) and unintended receivers (predators and parasites).