bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatial-temporal patterns of malaria incidence in Uganda using HMIS data from 2015 to 2019
Authors: Kigozi Simon , Kigozi Ruth N , Sebuguzi Catherine M , Cano Jorge , Rutazaana Damian , Opigo Jimmy , Bousema Teun , Yeka Adoke , Gasasira Anne , Sartorius Benn , Pullan Rachel L 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background. As global progress to reduce malaria transmission continues, it is increasingly important to track changes in malaria incidence rather than prevalence. Risk estimates for Africa have largely underutilized available health management information systems (HMIS) data to monitor trends. This study uses national HMIS data, together with environmental and geographical data, to assess spatial-temporal patterns of malaria incidence at facility catchment level in Uganda, over a recent 5-year period.Methods. Data reported by 3446 health facilities in Uganda, between July 2015 and September 2019, was analysed. To assess the geographic accessibility of the health facilities network, AccessMod was employed to determine a three-hour cost-distance catchment around each facility. Using confirmed malaria cases and total catchment population by facility, an ecological Bayesian conditional autoregressive spatial-temporal Poisson model was fitted to generate monthly posterior incidence rate estimates, adjusted for caregiver education, rainfall, land surface temperature, night-time light (an indicator of urbanicity), and vegetation index.Results. An estimated 38.8 million (95% Credible Interval [CI]: 37.9 – 40.9) confirmed cases of malaria occurred over the period, with a national mean monthly incidence rate of 20.4 (95% CI: 19.9 - 21.5) cases per 1000, ranging from 8.9 (95% CI: 8.7 – 9.4) to 36.6 (95% CI: 35.7 – 38.5) across the study period. Strong seasonality was observed, with June-July experiencing highest peaks and February-March the lowest peaks. There was also considerable geographic heterogeneity in incidence, with health facility catchment relative risk during peak transmission months ranging from 0 to 50.5 (95% CI: 49.0 – 50.8) times higher than national average. Both districts and health facility catchments showed significant positive spatial autocorrelation; health facility catchments had global Moran’s I = 0.3 (p<0.001) and districts Moran’s I = 0.4 (p<0.001). Notably, significant clusters of high-risk health facility catchments were concentrated in Acholi, West Nile, Karamoja, and East Central – Busoga regions.Conclusion. Findings showed clear countrywide spatial-temporal patterns with clustering of malaria risk across districts and health facility catchments within high risk regions, which can facilitate targeting of interventions to those areas at highest risk. Moreover, despite high and perennial transmission, seasonality for malaria incidence highlights the potential for optimal and timely implementation of targeted interventions.
Prognostic effect of increased left ventricular wall thickness in severe aortic stenosis
Authors: Park Kyungil , Park Tae-Ho , Jo Yoon-Seong , Cho Young-Rak , Park Jong-Sung , Kim Moo-Hyun , Kim Young-Dae 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background: It is unclear whether increased left ventricular (LV) thickness is associated with worse clinical outcomes in severe aortic stenosis (AS). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increased LV wall thickness (LVWT) on major clinical outcomes in patients with severe AS.Methods and Results: This study included 290 severe AS patients (mean age 69.4 ± 11.0 years; 136 females) between January 2008 and December 2018. For outcome assessment, the endpoint was defined as death from all causes, cardiovascular death, and the aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery rate. During follow-up (48.7 ± 39.0 months), 157 patients had AVR, 43 patients died, and 28 patients died from cardiovascular causes. Patients with increased LVWT underwent AVR surgery much more than those without LVWT (60.0% vs. 39.0%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients with increased LVWT, the all-cause and cardiovascular death rates were significantly lower in the AVR group than in the non-AVR group (8.8% vs. 27.3%, p < 0.001, 4.8%, vs. 21.0%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that increased LVWT, age, dyspnea, and AVR surgery were significantly correlated with cardiovascular death. Conclusions: In patients with severe AS, increased LVWT was associated with a higher AVR surgery rate and an increased rate of cardiovascular death independent of other well-known prognostic variates. Thus, these findings suggest that increased LVWT might be used as a potential prognostic factor in severe AS patients.
Global Metabolomic and Lipidomic Analysis Reveals the Potential Mechanisms of Hemolysis Effect of Ophiopogonin D and Ophiopogonin D’ in vivo
Authors: Huan-Hua Xu , Jiang Zhen-Hong , Huang Cong-Shu , Sun Yu-Ting , Xu Long-Long , Tang Xiang-Ling , Tan Hong-Ling , Ma Zeng-Chun , Gao Yue 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background: OPD and OPD' are the two main active components of Ophiopogon japonicas in Shenmai injection (SMI). Being isomers of each other, they are supposed to have similar pharmacological activities, but the actual situation is complicated. The difference of hemolytic behavior between OPD and OPD' in vivo and in vitro was discovered and reported by our group for the first time. In vitro, only OPD' showed hemolysis reaction, while in vivo, both OPD and OPD' caused hemolysis. In vitro, the primary cause of hemolysis has been confirmed to be related to the difference between physical and chemical properties of OPD and OPD'. In vivo, although there is a possible explanation for this phenomenon, the one is that OPD is bio-transformed into OPD' or its analogues in vivo, the other one is that both OPD and OPD' were metabolized into more activated forms for hemolysis. However, the mechanism of hemolysis in vivo is still unclear, especially the existing literature are still difficult to explain why OPD shows the inconsistent hemolysis behavior in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, the study of hemolysis of OPD and OPD' in vivo is of great practical significance in response to the increase of adverse events of SMI.Methods: Aiming at the hemolysis in vivo, this manuscript adopted untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics technology to preliminarily explore the changes of plasma metabolites and lipids of OPD- and OPD'-treated rats. Metabolomics and lipidomics analyses were performed on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) system tandem with different mass spectrometers (MS) and different columns respectively. Multivariate statistical approaches such as principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were applied to screen the differential metabolites and lipids.Results: Both OPD and OPD' groups experienced hemolysis, Changes in endogenous differential metabolites and differential lipids, enrichment of differential metabolic pathways, and correlation analysis of differential metabolites and lipids all indicated that the causes of hemolysis by OPD and OPD' were closely related to the interference of phospholipid metabolism.Conclusions: This study provided a comprehensive description of metabolomics and lipidomics changes between OPD- and OPD'-treated rats, it would add to the knowledge base of the field, which also provided scientific guidance for the subsequent mechanism research. However, the underlying mechanism require further research.
The evaluation of annuloplasty in bicuspid aortic valve repair using cardiac magnetic resonance
Authors: Jasinski Marek , Miszalski-Jamka Karol , Kosiorowska Kinga , Gocol Radoslaw , Wenzel-Jasinska Izabella , Bielicki Grzegorz , Berezowski Mikolaj , Lukaszewski Marceli , Kansy Andrzej , Deja Marek 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background: The incompetent bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) can be replaced or repaired using various surgical techniques. This study sought to assess the efficacy of external annuloplasty and postoperative reverse remodelling using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and compare the results of external and subcommissural annuloplasty. Methods: Out of a total of 200 BAV repair performed between 2004 and 2018, 21 consecutive patients (median age 54 years) with regurgitation requiring valve repair with annuloplasty without concomitant aortic root surgery were prospectively referred for CMR and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) one year after the operation. Two aortic annulus stabilization techniques were used: external, circumferential annuloplasty (EA), and subcommissural annuloplasty (SCA). Results: 11 patients received EA and 10 patients were treated using SCA. There was no in-hospital mortality and all patients survived the follow-up period (median: 12.6 months (first quartile: 6.6; third quartile: 14.1). CMR showed strong correlation between postoperative aortic recurrent regurgitant fraction and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (r = 0.62; p = 0.003) as well as left ventricular ejection fraction (r = -0.53; p = 0.01). Patients treated with EA as compared with SCA had larger anatomic aortic valve area measured by CMR (3.5 (2.5; 4.0) vs. 2.5 cm2 (2.0; 3.4); p = 0.04). In both EA and SCA group, aortic valve area below 3.5 cm2 correlated with no regurgitation recurrency. EA (vs. SCA) was associated with lower peak transvalvular aortic gradients (10 (6; 17) vs. 21mmHg (15; 27); p = 0.04). Conclusions: The repair of the bicuspid aortic valve provides significant postoperative reverse remodelling, provided no recurrent regurgitation and durable reduction annuloplasty can be achieved. EA is associated with lower transvalvular gradients and higher aortic valve area assessed by CMR, compared to SCA.
Aquaporin 3 promotes human extravillous trophoblast migration and invasion
Authors: Nong Yingqi , Li Shifen , Liu Wenjuan , Zhang Xiqian , Fan Lin , Chen Ye , Huang Qianwen , Zhang Qianyu , Liu Fenghua 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Problem: Does aquaporin 3 (AQP3) affect the migration and invasion of human extravillous trophoblast (HTR8/Svneo) cells?Method of Study: A lentivirus infection system was used to construct stable cell lines with either AQP3 knockdown or overexpression. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to verify the efficiencies of AQP3 knockdown or overexpression in HTR8/Svneo cells at mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the influence of AQP3 knockdown or overexpression on proliferation and apoptosis of HTR8/Svneo cells. In addition, wound healing and Transwell invasion assays were used to detect the effects of AQP3 knockdown or overexpression on migration and invasion capabilities of HTR8/Svneo cells. An Agilent gene chip was used to screen for significant differentially expressed genes after AQP3 knockdown. Finally, mechanisms by which AQP3 influences the migration and invasion of HTR8/Svneo cells were explored using bioinformatic analysis.Results: Compared with controls, migration and invasion capabilities of HTR8/Svneo cells were significantly reduced after AQP3 knockdown, and significantly increased after AQP3 overexpression. Subsequent bioinformatic analysis of gene chip expression profiles indicated downregulation of genes related to adhesion such as PDGF-B, as well as signaling pathways (such as PIK3/AKT, NF-κB, and TNF) after AQP3 knockdown. Conclusions: AQP3 could significantly promote migration and invasion capabilities of human extravillous trophoblasts, it may mediate embryo invasion and adhesion to endometrium by regulating PDGF-B, PIK3/AKT signaling pathways, although this requires further verification.
G6PD deficiency and severity of COVID19 pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome: tip of the iceberg?
Authors: Youssef Jihad G. , Zahiruddin Faisal , Youssef George , Padmanabhan Sriram , Ensor Joe , Pingali Sai Ravi , Zu Youli , Sahay Sandeep , Iyer Swaminathan P. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The severe pneumonia caused by the human Coronavirus (hCoV)- SARS-CoV-2 has inflicted heavy casualties, especially among the elderly and those with co-morbid illnesses irrespective of their age. The high mortality in African-Americans and males, in general, raises the concern for a possible X-linked mediated process that could affect the viral pathogenesis and the immune system. We hypothesized that G6PD, the most common X linked enzyme deficiency associated with redox status, may have a role in severity of pneumonia. Retrospective chart review was performed in hospitalized patients with COVID19 pneumonia needing supplemental oxygen. A total of 17 patients were evaluated; six with G6PD deficiency (G6PDd), and 11 with normal levels. The two groups (Normal and G6PDd) were comparable in terms of age, sex and co-morbidities, and laboratory parameters-LDH, IL-6, CRP, and Ferritin, respectively. Thirteen patients needed ventilatory support with 8 in the normal group and 5 in the G6PDd group (72% vs.83%). The main differences indicating increasing severity in normal vs. G6PDd groups included G6PD levels (12.2 vs. 5.6, P=0.0002), PaO2/FiO2 ratio (159 vs. 108, P=0.05), days on mechanical ventilation (10.25 vs. 21 days P=0.04), hemoglobin level (10 vs. 8.1 P=0.03) and Hematocrit (32 vs. 26 P=0.015). Only one patient with G6PDd died; 16 were discharged home. Our clinical series ascribes a possible biological role for G6PDd in SARS-CoV2 viral proliferation. It is imperative that further studies are performed to understand the interplay between the viral and host factors in G6PDd that may lead to disparity in outcomes.
Beneficial effect of Indigo Naturalis on acute lung injury induced by influenza A virus
Authors: Tu Peng , Tian Rong , Lu Yan , Zhang Yunyi , Zhu Haiyan , Ling Lijun , Li Hong , Chen Daofeng 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background: Infections induced by influenza viruses, as well as coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic induced by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to acute lung injury (ALI) and multi organ failure, during which traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) played an important role in treatment of the pandemic. The study aimed to investigate the effect of Indigo Naturalis on ALI induced by influenza A virus (IAV) in mice.Method: The anti-influenza and anti-inflammatory properties of aqueous extract of Indigo Naturalis (INAE) were evaluated in vitro. BALB/c mice inoculated intranasally with IAV (H1N1) were treated intragastrically with INAE (40, 80 and 160 mg·kg-1/d) 2 h later for 4 or 7 days. Animal lifespan and mortality were recorded. Expression of high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB-1) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) were evaluated through immunohistological staining. Inflammatory cytokines were also monitored by ELISA.Result: INAE inhibited virus replication on Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and decreased nitric oxide (NO) production from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peritoneal macrophages in vitro. The results showed that oral administration of 160 mg/kg of INAE significantly improved the lifespan (P < 0.01) and survival rate of IAV infected mice, improved lung injury and lowered viral replication in lung tissue (P < 0.01). Treatment with INAE (40, 80 and 160 mg/kg) significantly increased liver weight and liver index (P < 0.05), as well as weight and organ index of thymus and spleen at 160 mg/kg (P < 0.05). Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were reduced by INAE administration (P < 0.05). The expression of HMGB-1 and TLR4 in lung tissue were also suppressed. The increased production of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and methylene dioxyamphetamine (MDA) in lung tissue were inhibited by INAE treatment (P < 0.05). Treatment with INAE reduced the high levels of interferon α (IFN-α), interferon β (IFN-β), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted factor (RANTES), interferon induced protein-10 (IP-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (P < 0.05), with increased production of interferon γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The results showed that INAE alleviated IAV induced ALI in mice. The mechanisms of INAE were associated with its anti-influenza, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation properties. Indigo Naturalis might have clinical potential to treat ALI induced by IAV.
The Effect of Hatha Yoga on Low Back Pain and Sleep Quality in Nulliparous Pregnant Women: A Clinical Trial Study
Authors: namdar peyman , hoseini narges , dehghankar leila , yekefallah leili 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background“Sleep quality disorder” and “low back pain” are some of the most common complaints of pregnant women during pregnancy and disturb their daily activities. Currently, there are not enough interventions for these symptoms. Recently, the sport of yoga, one of the stretching sports and therapeutic methods, has attracted the attention of rehabilitation specialists. This study aimed to determine the effect of Hatha yoga on low back pain and sleep quality in nulliparous pregnant women.MethodsThis controlled clinical trial study was performed on 60 eligible nulliparous pregnant women at the gestation age of 24 to 28 weeks with normal pregnancy in the gynecology clinic of Kowsar Hospital in Qazvin city, Iran. The samples were selected using convenience sampling and were assigned to intervention and control groups via random sampling without replacement. In addition to receiving routine pregnancy care by referring to the gynecology clinic of the hospital, the intervention group attended Hatha yoga classes twice a week (each session lasting 75 minutes) at the Hatha yoga specialized sports club from week 26 to week 37 of their pregnancy. A demographic information questionnaire, a visual pain scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to collect information. In addition, SPSS software (version 24) and descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The significance level of all the tests was considered to be p <0.05.ResultsUsing Wilcoxon tests, the comparison of low back pain in the intervention group before (with the p-value of 0.057) and after (with the p-value of 0.172) the study showed that there was no significant difference between the pain scores in the intervention group. Moreover, using Wilcoxon tests, the comparison of the sleep quality score in the intervention group before (with the p-value of 0.007) and after (with the p-value of 0.001) the study indicated that there was a significant difference in the sleep quality scores in the intervention group. ConclusionBased on the results of the study, it can be said that Hatha yoga did not have a significant effect on the low back pain scores in the intervention group, however, it had a significant effect on their sleep quality. According to the findings of this study, the correct and regular use of Hatha yoga under the supervision of a specialist instructor can be valuable for pregnant women in their second trimester due to its being non-invasiveness and applicable.Trial registrationThe clinical trial registration code for this study was obtained from the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials on 19.02.2019 (IRCT code: IRCT20190919044819N1).
Instruments to Measure Perceptions in the Emergency Department Provider-Patient with Sickle Cell Disease Interaction: Findings of an Integrative Review from a Ph.D. Project
Authors: Maddray Aindrea B. , Phillips Shannon M. 
Published: December 2020

Background & Purpose:
The purpose of this review is to examine instruments that measure providers' perceptions of adult patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), examine instruments that measure adult patients with SCD perceptions of providers' behaviors, and determine optimal instruments to use in evaluating the perceptions of Emergency Department (ED) providers and adult patients with SCD of one another's behaviors after an interaction in the ED.

Methods:
An integrative review was conducted searching EBSCOhost and PubMed databases using the keywords: measure [OR] measure* [OR] assess* [OR] scale [OR] survey [OR] tool [AND] stigma* [OR] stereotype [OR] prejudice [OR] bias [OR] perception [OR] attitude [OR] discrimination [OR] racism [OR] behavior [AND] interaction [OR] relationship [OR] communication [AND] sickle cell. Initial search located 256 articles, but only 15 articles were included in the final review.

Results:
Fifteen articles reporting six instruments were reviewed. Four instruments evaluated a provider’s perceptions of patients with SCD behaviors, and two instruments evaluated how patients with SCD perceived provider behaviors. The two patient-focused instruments and three provider-focused instruments were found to be adequately reliable and valid according to the Psychometric Grading Framework (PGF).

Conclusions:
The findings suggest that the General Perceptions About Sickle Cell Disease Patients Scale would be an optimal instrument to evaluate ED providers' perceptions of adult patients with SCD behaviors. One patient-focused instrument, The Sickle Cell Health-Related Stigma Scale (SCD-HRSS), reported adequate reliability and validity but was not specific to measuring the patient's perceptions of ED providers' behaviors, nor was it administered in the ED environment. The SCD-HRSS Doctors subscale has potential adaptability for use in measuring patients with SCD perceptions of ED provider behaviors in the ED environment.
Molecular-based Survey of Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii in Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from Fars Province, Southern Iran, during 2017-18
Authors: Hoseini Zahra , Alipour Hamzeh , Azizi Kourosh , Soltani Aboozar 
Published: December 2020

Objectives:
Since there have not been any studies on the roles of the Iranian mosquitoes in the transmission of Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burneti, the present study investigates the roles of mosquitoes in the transmission of the pathogens using the PCR techniques for the first time in Iran.

Methods:
The present study was conducted in Fars province during the activity seasons of mosquitoes in 2017-18. The primer design was done to investigate the probability of mosquito’s contamination with Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii. The conventional PCR was used after the extraction of DNA from mosquitoes to study the contamination.

Results:
A total of 1103 adult mosquitoes were collected and identified. Among them, 3 genera and 11 species were identified, including Anopheles (25.74%), Culex (51.84%) and Culiseta (22.39%) genera. All tested mosquitoes were negative in terms of contamination to Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii.

Conclusion:
Based on the results, mosquitoes are not considered as vectors of Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii in this part of the country currently. Further studies on a larger scale are needed to examine the exact role of mosquitoes (as a possible vector with high abundance and mobility) in the transmission of these pathogens in tropical areas of Iran.