bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Infections in children with left ventricular assist device
Authors: Şen Semra , Ülger Zülal , Şahbudak Bal Zümrüt , Özbaran Mustafa 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundThere are limited data about pediatric left ventricular assist device (VAD) infections in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate device postimplantation infectious complications and their pathogenic profile.MethodsData were analyzed from patient charts involving 27 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who underwent left VAD implantation at a leading tertiary care center in Turkey.ResultsThe study included 17 boys and ten girls with a median age of 12.22 years (range 17 months to 18 years). Nineteen patients were diagnosed with idiopathic, and three were diagnosed with familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Twenty‐two out of 27 subjects (%81.48) developed 80 infection episodes in total. The most common type of left VAD‐specific infection was the exit site of the driveline. Infected patients with left VAD had a significantly prolonged hospitalization compared with the patients without infection (P = .014). Infection‐induced pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) admission was higher in patients with fungal infection(P = .023). Gram‐positive staphylococci were the most commonly isolated bacterial pathogens, followed by Gram‐negative bacteria. Five patients developed fungal infections. None of the fungal infection patients underwent transplantation(P = .035). Seven deaths occurred in our study group. All deaths were in the infected group. Mortality was associated with the presence of multidrug‐resistant Gram‐negative bacterial infections (P = .015), an increased number of infection episodes (P = .003), and hospitalization due to infection (P = .003).ConclusionVentricular assist device‐related infections were frequent among our study patients. The predominantly isolated agents were Gram‐positive bacterial pathogens. However, the emergence of relatively high rate of Gram‐negative bacterial and fungal infections was associated with mortality before the transplantation. Establishing local programs for surveillance data, controlling for infection rates, and antibiotic stewardship are essential to reduce mortality of VAD patients in developing countries.
Lessons learned from early compassionate use of convalescent plasma on critically ill patients with Covid‐19
Authors: Liu Miao , Chen Zhen , Dai Meng‐Yuan , Yang Jun‐Hui , Chen Xiao‐Bing , Chen Di , You Hua , Guo Xin , Leng Yan , Yu Li , Zhang Meng‐Li , Wu Xian , Yang Junyu , Gao Chong , Tenen Daniel G , Chai Li , Ai Fen 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe management of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), caused by a new human virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), is challenging. Recently, there have been several reports with inconsistent results after treatment with convalescent plasma (CP) on critically ill patients with COVID‐19, which was produced with a neutralizing antibody titer and tested in a P3 or P4 laboratory. However, due to the limitation of the conditions on mass production of plasma, most producers hardly had the capability to isolate the neutralizing antibody. Here, we report the clinical courses of three critically ill patients with COVID‐19 receiving CP treatments by total immunoglobulin G (IgG) titer collection.MethodsThree patients with COVID‐19 in this study were laboratory confirmed to be positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, with radiographic and clinical features of pneumonia. CP was collected by total IgG titer of 160 (range, 200‐225 mL), and patients were transfused between 20 and 30 days after disease onset at the critical illness stage as a trial in addition to standard care. The clinical courses of these patients, including laboratory results and pulmonary functional and image studies after receiving convalescent plasma infusions, were reviewed.ResultsNo therapeutic effect of CP was observed in any of the patients; instead, all three patients deteriorated and required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment. A potential cytokine storm 4 hours after infusion of CP in Patient 2 was observed. No more patients were put on the trial of CP transfusion.ConclusionsWe recommend extreme caution in using CP in critically ill patients more than 2 weeks after the onset of COVID‐19 pneumonia.
Red blood cell alloimmunization prevalence and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn in Israel: A retrospective study
Authors: Rahimi‐Levene Naomi , Chezar Judith , Yahalom Vered ,   The Israeli HDFN Study Group Investigators
Published: August 2020

BackgroundHemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) is a severe form of anemia caused by maternal antibodies against fetal red blood cells (RBC) that can cause intrauterine and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The prevalence and specificities of alloantibodies among Israeli pregnant women and clinical outcomes for their fetuses and newborns are unknown.Study Design and MethodsA retrospective study of women who gave birth between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011, was performed. Data were obtained for obstetric admissions from 16 of 27 hospitals, which included results of maternal ABO, D, antibody screens, antibody identification, and requirements for intrauterine or newborn exchange transfusions.ResultsData on 90 948 women representing 70% of all births during 2011 were analyzed. Antibody screen was positive in 5245 (5.8%) women. Alloantibodies, excluding anti‐D titer (<16) were identified in 900 (1.0%) women. Of 191 D– women, 75 (39.3%) had anti‐D titer of 16 or greater. Other common clinically significant antibodies were anti‐E (204, 23%), anti‐K (145, 16%), and anti‐c (97, 10.8%) alone or in antibody combinations. Multiple alloantibodies were observed in 132 of 900 (15%) of women. Severe HDFN developed in 6.8% (9/132) of these pregnancies. Seventeen fetuses and newborns (0.02% of births) including one set of twins required RBC transfusions. Two fetuses whose mothers had multiple alloantibodies received intrauterine transfusions; one of them was hydropic and died.ConclusionThe prevalence of RBC alloantibodies was 1.0% among Israeli pregnant women. Transfusion was required in 0.02% of the fetuses and newborns. Severe HDFN developed in 6.8% of pregnancies with multiple maternal alloantibodies.
Inhibitory role of long non‐coding RNA OIP5‐AS1 in rheumatoid arthritis progression through the microRNA‐448–paraoxonase 1–toll‐like receptor 3–nuclear factor κB axis
Authors: Qing Pingying , Liu Yi 
Published: August 2020

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?
What are the functions of long non‐coding (lnc) RNA OIP5‐AS1 in development of rheumatoid arthritis inflammation and what is the molecular mechanism?

What is the main finding and its importance?
LncRNA OIP5‐AS1 mitigates rheumatoid arthritis progression through the competitive endogenous RNA network involving the miR‐448–paraoxonase 1 axis and through the inactivation of the toll‐like receptor 3–nuclear factor κB signalling pathway. This study may offer new ideas for molecularly based control of rheumatoid arthritis.

AbstractRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder with dysregulation of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) possibly involved. This study aimed to inquire into the roles of lncRNA OIP5‐AS1 in RA progression. A rat model of RA was induced. Overexpression of OIP5‐AS1 was introduced in the model rats, and the changes in paw swelling, RA severity and the inflammatory factors interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐10, IL‐6 and tumour necrosis factor α were measured. Fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLSs) from RA patients were collected for in vitro experiments. A gain‐ and loss‐of function study of OIP5‐AS1, miR‐448 and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) was performed to explore their roles in RA‐FLS growth, apoptosis and inflammation. A toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3)‐specific agonist, polyinosine‐polycytidylic acid, or a nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB)‐specific antagonist, QNZ, was administrated in RA‐FLSs. Consequently, overexpression of OIP5‐AS1 reduced the symptom severity and the levels of inflammatory factors in RA rats. OIP5‐AS1 could bind to miR‐448 to up‐regulate PON1 expression. Further overexpression of miR‐448 reversed the effects of OIP5‐AS1, while overexpression of PON1 inhibited RA‐FLS growth and inflammation. In addition, TLR3 activation promoted RA progression. To conclude, this study evidenced that lncRNA OIP5‐AS1 may mitigate RA progression through the miR‐448–PON1 axis and through the inactivation of the TLR3–NF‐κB signalling pathway.
Data Fairy in Engineering Land: The Magic of Data Analysis as a Sociotechnical Process in Engineering Companies
Authors: Eckert Claudia , Isaksson Ola , Eckert Calandra , Coeckelbergh Mark , Hagström Malin Hane 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn the era of digitalization, manufacturing companies expect their growing access to data to lead to improvements and innovations. Manufacturing engineers will have to collaborate with data scientists to analyze the ever-increasing volume of data. This process of adopting data science techniques into an engineering organization is a sociotechnical process fraught with challenges. This article uses a participant observation case study to investigate and discuss the sociotechnical nature of the adoption data science technology into an engineering organization. In the case study, a young data scientist/statistician interacted with experienced production engineers in a global automotive organization to mutual satisfaction. However, the case study highlights the mis-aligned expectations between engineers and data scientists and knowledge in what is necessary to successfully benefit from manufacturing process data.The results reveal that the engineers had an initially romantic and idealistic view on how data scientists can bring value out of dispersed and complex information residing in the multisite manufacturing organization’s datasets in a “magic” way. Conversely, the data scientist had not enough engineering and contextual understanding to ask the right questions. The case reveals important shortcomings in the sociotechnical processes that undergo changes as digitalization is brought into mature engineering organizations and points to a lack of knowledge on multiple levels of the data analysis process and the ethical implications this could have.
Advanced Welding Manufacturing: A Brief Analysis and Review of Challenges and Solutions
Authors: Zhang Yu Ming , Yang Yu-Ping , Zhang Wei , Na Suck-Joo 
Published: August 2020

AbstractWelding is a major manufacturing process that joins two or more pieces of materials together through heating/mixing them followed by cooling/solidification. The goal of welding manufacturing is to join materials together to meet service requirements at lowest costs. Advanced welding manufacturing is to use scientific methods to realize this goal. This paper views advanced welding manufacturing as a three step approach: (1) pre-design that selects process and joint design based on available processes (properties, capabilities, and costs); (2) design that uses models to predict the result from a given set of welding parameters and minimizes a cost function for optimizing the welding parameters; and (3) real-time sensing and control that overcome the deviations of welding conditions from their nominal ones used in optimizing the welding parameters by adjusting the welding parameters based on such real-time sensing and feedback control. The paper analyzes how these three steps depend on process properties/capabilities, process innovations, predictive models, numerical models for fluid dynamics, numerical models for structures, real-time sensing, and dynamic control. The paper also identifies the challenges in obtaining ideal solutions and reviews/analyzes the existing efforts toward better solutions. Special attention and analysis have been given to (1) gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) as benchmark processes for penetration and materials filling; (2) keyhole plasma arc welding (PAW), keyhole-tungsten inert gas (K-TIG), and keyhole laser welding as improved/capable penetrative processes; (3) friction stir welding (FSW) as a special penetrative low heat input process; (4) alternating current (AC) GMAW and double-electrode GMAW as improved materials filling processes; (5) efforts in numerical modeling for fluid dynamics; (6) efforts in numerical modeling for structures; (7) challenges and efforts in seam tracking and weld pool monitoring; (8) challenges and efforts in monitoring of keyhole laser welding and FSW; and (9) efforts in advanced sensing, data fusion/sensor fusion, and process control using machine learning/deep learning, model predictive control (MPC), and adaptive control.
Recent Studies of Fuels Used in Wankel Rotary Engines
Authors: Otchere Peter , Pan Jianfeng , Fan Baowei , Chen Wei , Lu Yao 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
During the decades past, the engine industries have witnessed a remarkable upsurge in the research and development (R&D) of modern technologies due to factors such as energy security and environmental concerns. Focus is on improved engine performance, sustainable energy, fuel economy, and minimal harmful exhaust emissions. Even though globally large database now captures modern engine technologies, a skillful presentation of those data is a demanding task. Based on this analogy, the authors made a conscious effort to brief audience on the various fuels used in Wankel rotary engine (RE) which is a type of internal combustion engine (ICE). Wankel REs various operating models, their merits, and demerits regarding modern engine technologies, the type of fuels and their utilization methods, and the future prospect of biofuel as its engine fuel has been made accessible in a subtle manner in this paper. In summary, this paper provides a wide scope review of basic principles that govern practical Wankel RE design and operation, the widely used single fuels and multi fuels in Wankel RE operation with their properties as well as emissions, and the practical Wankel RE design and operation in the present era and the prospects in the near future. It also outlines simplified frameworks of modern Wankel RE technologies structured in a systematic way to contribute to enhanced engine performance, sustainable energy, reduce fuel consumption, and reduce exhaust emissions in this pragmatic field.
Role of serum HBV RNA and hepatitis B surface antigen levels in identifying Asian patients with chronic hepatitis B suitable for entecavir cessation
Authors: Seto Wai-Kay , Liu Kevin SH , Mak Lung-Yi , Cloherty Gavin , Wong Danny Ka-Ho , Gersch Jeffrey , Lam Yuk-Fai , Cheung Ka-Shing , Chow Ning , Ko Kwan-Lung , To Wai-Pan , Fung James , Yuen Man-Fung 
Published: August 2020

BackgroundTreatment cessation in chronic HBV infection may be durable in certain patient subgroups before hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance. The role of serum HBV RNA in determining treatment cessation suitability has not been well-investigated.MethodsNucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) treatment was discontinued in non-cirrhotic patients with chronic HBV with serum HBsAg <200 IU/mL and fulfilling internationally recommended criteria for treatment cessation. Patients were monitored till 48 weeks with baseline and serial measurements of serum HBsAg, HBV RNA and hepatitis B core-related antigen. NUCs were resumed when HBV DNA reaches >2000 IU/mL regardless of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels.Results114 entecavir-treated patients (median age 58.4 years, median serum HBsAg 54.4 IU/mL) with median treatment duration of 6.7 years were recruited. The 48-week cumulative rate of HBV DNA >2000 IU/mL was 58.1%. End-of-treatment serum HBV RNA and off-treatment serial HBV RNA were both independently associated with HBV DNA >2000 IU/mL (HR 2.959, 95% CI 1.776 to 4.926, p<0.001; HR 2.278, 95% CI 1.151 to 4.525, p=0.018, respectively). Patients with HBV RNA ≥44.6 U/mL had a cumulative 48-week rate of 93.2%, while combining HBV RNA undetectability and HBsAg <10 IU/mL had a cumulative 48-week rate of 9.1%. 24 patients (38.7%) developed off-treatment ALT elevation, highest peak ALT was 1515 U/L. 8 patients (median serum HBsAg 2.6 IU/mL) developed HBsAg seroclearance.ConclusionSerum HBV RNA measurement is essential for deciding on entecavir cessation in patients with chronic HBV, especially with low HBsAg levels. Patients can be stratified on their risk of off-treatment relapse based on both viral determinants.Trial registration numberNCT02738554
Extracorporeal CO2removal (ECCO2R) in patients with stable COPD with chronic hypercapnia: a proof-of-concept study
Authors: Pisani Lara , Nava Stefano , Desiderio Emilia , Polverino Mario , Tonetti Tommaso , Ranieri V Marco 
Published: August 2020

AbstractDomiciliary non-invasive ventilation (NIV) effectively reduces arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2) in patients with stable hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but a consistent percentage of them may remain hypercapnic. We hypothesised that extracorporeal CO2removal (ECCO2R) may lower their PaCO2. Ten patients hypercapnic despite ≥6 months of NIV underwent a 24-hour trial of ECCO2R. Six patients completed the ECCO2R-trial with a PaCO2drop ranging between 23% and 47%. Time to return to baseline after interruption ranged 48–96 hours. In four patients, mechanical events led to ECCO2R premature interruption, despite a decreased in PaCO2. This time window ‘free’ from hypercapnia might allow to propose the concept of ‘CO2dialysis’.
Induction of ferroptosis-like cell death of eosinophils exerts synergistic effects with glucocorticoids in allergic airway inflammation
Authors: Wu Yanping , Chen Haixia , Xuan Nanxia , Zhou Lingren , Wu Yinfang , Zhu Chen , Li Miao , Weng Qingyu , Shen Jiaxin , Zhang Hao , Zhang Bin , Lan Fen , Xia Lixia , Xiong Xuefang , Li Zhouyang , Zhao Yun , Wu Mindan , Ying Songmin , Li Wen , Shen Huahao , Chen Zhihua 
Published: August 2020

IntroductionEosinophils are critical in allergic disorders, and promoting eosinophil death effectively attenuates allergic airway inflammation. Ferroptosis is a recently described novel form of cell death; however, little is known about ferroptosis in eosinophils and related diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ferroptosis-inducing agents (FINs) on eosinophil death and allergic airway inflammation, and to explore their potential synergistic effect with glucocorticoids (GCs).MethodsEosinophils isolated from the peripheral blood of humans or mice were incubated with FINs, and eosinophil ferroptosis was assessed. The in vivo effects of FINs alone or in combination with dexamethasone (DXMS) were examined in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue were collected to examine airway inflammation.ResultsTreatment with FINs time and dose dependency induced cell death in human and mouse eosinophils. Interestingly, FINs induced non-canonical ferroptosis in eosinophils, which generated morphological characteristics unique to ferroptosis and was iron dependent but was independent of lipid peroxidation. The antioxidants glutathione and N-acetylcysteine significantly attenuated FIN-induced cell death. Treatment with FINs triggered eosinophil death in vivo and eventually relieved eosinophilic airway inflammation in mice. Furthermore, FINs exerted a synergistic effect with DXMS to induce eosinophil death in vitro and to alleviate allergic airway inflammation in vivo.ConclusionsFINs induced ferroptosis-like cell death of eosinophils, suggesting their use as a promising therapeutic strategy for eosinophilic airway inflammation, especially due to the advantage of their synergy with GCs in the treatment of allergic disorders.
Distinguishing inert Higgs doublet and inert triplet scenarios
Authors: Jangid Shilpa , Bandyopadhyay Priyotosh 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn this article we consider a comparative study between Type-I 2HDM and $$Y=0$$Y=0, SU(2) triplet extensions having one $$Z_2$$Z2-odd doublet and triplet that render the desired dark matter(DM). For the inert doublet model (IDM) either a neutral scalar or pseudoscalar can be the DM, whereas for inert triplet model (ITM) it is a CP-even scalar. The bounds from perturbativity and vacuum stability are studied for both the scenarios by calculating the two-loop beta functions. While the quartic couplings are restricted to $$0.1-0.2$$0.1-0.2 for a Planck scale perturbativity for IDM, these are much relaxed (0.8 ) for ITM. The RG-improved potentials by Coleman-Weinberg show the regions of stability, meta-stability and instability of the electroweak vacuum. The constraints coming from DM relic, the direct and indirect experiments like XENON1T, LUX and H.E.S.S., Fermi-LAT allow the DM mass $$\gtrsim 700, \,1176$$≳700,1176 GeV for IDM, ITM respectively. Though mass-splitting among $$Z_2$$Z2-odd particles in IDM is a possibility for ITM we have to rely on loop-corrections. The phenomenological signatures at the LHC show that the mono-lepton plus missing energy with prompt and displaced decays in the case of IDM and ITM can distinguish such scenarios at the LHC along with other complementary modes.
Inequalities of holographic entanglement of purification from bit threads
Authors: Du Dong-Hui , Shu Fu-Wen , Zhu Kai-Xin 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThere are increasing evidences that quantum information theory has come to play a fundamental role in quantum gravity especially the holography. In this paper, we show some new potential connections between holography and quantum information theory. Particularly, by utilizing the multiflow description of the holographic entanglement of purification (HEoP) defined in relative homology, we obtain several new inequalities of HEoP under a max multiflow configuration. Each inequality derived for HEoP has a corresponding inequality of the holographic entanglement entropy (HEE). This is further confirmed by geometric analysis. In addition, we conjecture that, based on flow considerations, each property of HEE that can be derived from bit threads may have a corresponding property for HEoP that can be derived from bit threads defined in relative homology.
N spike D-strings in AdS Space with mixed flux
Authors: Biswas Sagar , Pandit Priyadarshini , Panigrahi Kamal L. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractWe use Dirac-Born-Infeld action to study the spinning D-string in $$AdS_3 $$AdS3 background in the presence of both NS-NS and RR fluxes. We compute the scaling relation between the energy (E) and spin (S) in the ‘long string limit’. The energy of these spiky string is found to be a function of spin with the leading logarithmic behaviour and the scaling relation appears to be independent of the amount of flux present. We further discuss folded D-string solutions in $$AdS_3$$AdS3 background with pure NS-NS and R-R fluxes.