bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Treprostinil, a prostacyclin analog, ameliorates renal ischemia–reperfusion injury: preclinical studies in a rat model of acute kidney injury
Authors: Ding Meiwen , Tolbert Evelyn , Birkenbach Mark , Akhlaghi Fatemeh , Gohh Reginald , Ghonem Nisanne S 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundRenal ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major factor causing acute kidney injury (AKI). No pharmacological treatments for prevention or amelioration of I/R-induced renal injury are available. Here we investigate the protective effects of treprostinil, a prostacyclin analog, against renal IRI in vivo.MethodsMale Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to bilateral renal ischemia (45 min) followed by reperfusion for 1–168 h. Treprostinil (100 ng/kg/min) or placebo was administered subcutaneously for 18–24 h before ischemia.ResultsTreatment with treprostinil both significantly reduced peak elevation and accelerated the return to baseline levels for serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen versus I/R-placebo animals following IRI. I/R-treprostinil animals exhibited reduced histopathological features of tubular epithelial injury versus I/R-placebo animals. IRI resulted in a marked induction of messenger RNA coding for kidney injury biomarkers, kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and for pro-inflammatory cytokines chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2, interleukin 1β, interleukin 6 and intracellular adhesion molecular 1 in animals treated with placebo only relative to sham controls. Upregulation of expression of all these genes was significantly suppressed by treprostinil. Treprostinil significantly suppressed the elevation in renal lipid peroxidation found in the I/R-placebo group at 1-h post-reperfusion. In addition, renal protein expression of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 and caspase-3, -8 and -9 in I/R-placebo animals was significantly inhibited by treprostinil.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the efficacy of treprostinil in ameliorating I/R-induced AKI in rats by significantly improving renal function early post-reperfusion and by inhibiting renal inflammation and tubular epithelial apoptosis. Importantly, these data suggest that treprostinil has the potential to serve as a therapeutic agent to protect the kidney against IRI in vivo.
Efficient rare earth cerium(III) complex with nanosecond d−f emission for blue organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Zhao Zifeng , Wang Liding , Zhan Ge , Liu Zhiwei , Bian Zuqiang , Huang Chunhui 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
In the field of RGB diodes, development of a blue organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a challenge because of the lack of an emitter which simultaneously has a short excited state lifetime and a high theoretical external quantum efficiency (EQE). We demonstrate herein a blue emissive rare earth cerium(III) complex Ce-2 showing a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 95% and a short excited state lifetime of 52.0 ns in doped film, which is considerably faster than that achieved in typical efficient phosphorescence or thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters (typical lifetimes &gt;1 μs). The corresponding OLED shows a maximum EQE up to 20.8% and a still high EQE of 18.2% at 1000 cd m−2, as well as an operation lifetime 70 times longer than that of a classic phosphorescence OLED. The excellent performance indicates that cerium(III) complex could be a candidate for efficient and stable blue OLEDs because of its spin- and parity-allowed d−f transition from the Ce3+ ion.
Ultra-high piezoelectric coefficients and strain-sensitive Curie temperature in hydrogen-bonded systems
Authors: Ren Yangyang , Wu Menghao , Liu Jun-Ming 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
We propose a new approach to obtain ultra-high piezoelectric coefficients that can be infinitely large theoretically, where ferroelectrics with strain-sensitive Curie temperature are necessary. We show the first-principles plus Monte Carlo simulation evidence that many hydrogen-bonded ferroelectrics (e.g. organic PhMDA) can be ideal candidates, which are also flexible and lead-free. Owing to the specific features of hydrogen bonding, their proton hopping barrier will drastically increase with prolonged proton transfer distance, while their hydrogen-bonded network can be easily compressed or stretched due to softness of hydrogen bonds. Their barriers as well as the Curie temperature can be approximately doubled upon a tensile strain as low as 2%. Their Curie temperature can be tuned exactly to room temperature by fixing a strain in one direction, and in another direction, an unprecedented ultra-high piezoelectric coefficient of 2058 pC/N can be obtained. This value is even underestimated and can be greatly enhanced when applying a smaller strain. Aside from sensors, they can also be utilized for converting either mechanical or thermal energies into electrical energies due to high pyroelectric coefficients.
All-optical attosecond time domain interferometry
Authors: Yang Zhen , Cao Wei , Mo Yunlong , Xu Huiyao , Mi Kang , Lan Pengfei , Zhang Qingbin , Lu Peixiang 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Interferometry, a key technique in modern precision measurements, has been used for length measurement in engineering metrology and astronomy. An analogous time-domain interferometric technique would represent a significant complement to spatial domain applications and require the manipulation of interference on extreme time and energy scales. Here, we report an all-optical interferometer using laser-driven high order harmonics as attosecond temporal slits. By controlling the phase of the temporal slits with an external field, a time domain interferometer that preserves both attosecond temporal resolution and hundreds of meV energy resolution is implemented. We apply this exceptional temporal resolution to reconstruct the waveform of an arbitrarily polarized optical pulse, and utilize the provided energy resolution to interrogate the abnormal character of the transition dipole near the Cooper minimum in argon. This novel attosecond interferometry paves the way for high precision measurements in the time-energy domain using all-optical approaches.
Finite-size scaling of O(n) systems at the upper critical dimensionality
Authors: Lv Jian-Ping , Xu Wanwan , Sun Yanan , Chen Kun , Deng Youjin 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Logarithmic finite-size scaling of the O(n) universality class at the upper critical dimensionality (dc = 4) has a fundamental role in statistical and condensed-matter physics and important applications in various experimental systems. Here, we address this long-standing problem in the context of the n-vector model (n = 1, 2, 3) on periodic four-dimensional hypercubic lattices. We establish an explicit scaling form for the free-energy density, which simultaneously consists of a scaling term for the Gaussian fixed point and another term with multiplicative logarithmic corrections. In particular, we conjecture that the critical two-point correlation g(r, L), with L the linear size, exhibits a two-length behavior: follows $r^{2-d_c}$ governed by the Gaussian fixed point at shorter distances and enters a plateau at larger distances whose height decays as $L^{-d_c/2}({\rm ln}L)^{\hat{p}}$ with $\hat{p}=1/2$ a logarithmic correction exponent. Using extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we provide complementary evidence for the predictions through the finite-size scaling of observables, including the two-point correlation, the magnetic fluctuations at zero and nonzero Fourier modes and the Binder cumulant. Our work sheds light on the formulation of logarithmic finite-size scaling and has practical applications in experimental systems.
Changes in Photosynthetic Electron Transport during Leaf Senescence in Two Barley Varieties Grown in Contrasting Growth Regimes
Authors: Shimakawa Ginga , Roach Thomas , Krieger-Liszkay Anja 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Leaf senescence is an important process for plants to remobilize a variety of metabolites and nutrients to sink tissues, such as developing leaves, fruits and seeds. It has been suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the initiation of leaf senescence. Flag leaves of two different barley varieties, cv. Lomerit and cv. Carina, showed differences in the loss of photosystems and in the production of ROS at a late stage of senescence after significant loss of chlorophyll (Krieger-Liszkay et�al. 2015). Here, we investigated photosynthetic electron transport and ROS production in primary leaves of these two varieties at earlier stages of senescence. Comparisons were made between plants grown outside in natural light and temperatures and plants grown in temperature-controlled growth chambers under low light intensity. Alterations in the content of photoactive P700, ferredoxin and plastocyanin (PC) photosynthetic electron transport were analyzed using in vivo near-infrared absorbance changes and chlorophyll fluorescence, while ROS were measured with spin-trapping electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Differences in ROS production between the two varieties were only observed in outdoor plants, whereas a loss of PC was common in both barley varieties regardless of growth conditions. We conclude that the loss of PC is the earliest detectable photosynthetic parameter of leaf senescence while differences in the production of individual ROS species occur later and depend on environmental factors.
Uptake of iron supplements and anemia during pregnancy in Nigeria
Authors: Idemili-Aronu Ngozi , Igweonu Obianuju , Onyeneho Nkechi 
Published: August 2020

Abstract

Background
Uptake of iron–folate supplementation for at least 90 days during pregnancy is recommended as a cost-effective way of reducing iron deficiency anemia, the commonest form of anemia among women of childbearing ages. The paper examines the level of compliance in Nigeria.

Methods
We analysed a sample of 14 740 married women aged 15–49 years from the 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey with available data on hemoglobin and anemia. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to establish associations between socio-demographic characteristics, compliance with recommended uptake of micronutrients and anemia status of the mothers.

Results
A number of socio-demographic factors, namely maternal age, type of residence, education, wealth, among others correlated with incidence of maternal anemia as well as compliance with recommended uptake of micronutrient to protect against anemia. For instance, whereas 46.3% of mothers from rural backgrounds were not anemic, 39.0% of those with urban background were not anemic (P &lt; 0.001). More than half (56.2%) of mothers in the richest households were anemic compared with about a third (34.6%) of mothers in the poorest household who were not anemic (P &lt; 0.001). The urban dwellers, richer and more educated mothers complied more with the uptake of iron–folate supplements to protect against anemia during pregnancy (P &lt; 0.001). The younger mothers (15–29 years) were more likely to comply with iron intake (odds ratio: 1.150 (1.060–1.247)).
PATIENT-SPECIFIC ORGAN DOSES FROM PEDIATRIC HEAD CT EXAMINATIONS
Authors: Garzón W J , Aldana D F A , Cassola V F 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
The aim of this work was to estimate patient’s organ absorbed doses from pediatric helical head computed tomography (CT) examinations using the Size-Specific Dose Estimate (SSDE) methodology and to determine organ dose to SSDE conversion coefficients for clinical routine. Patient-specific organ and tissue absorbed doses from 139 Head CT scans performed in pediatric patients from 0 to 15 years old in a Public Hospital in Tunja, Colombia were estimated. The calculations were made through Monte Carlo simulations, based on patient-specific information, dosimetric CT quantities (CTDIvol, DLP) and age-specific computational human phantoms matched to patients on the basis of gender and size. SSDE showed to be a good quantity for estimate patient-specific organ doses from pediatric head CT examinations when appropriate phantom’s attenuation-based size metrics are chosen to match for any patient size. Strong correlations between absorbed dose and SSDE were found for skin (R2 = 0.99), brain (R2 = 0.98) and eyes (R2 = 0.97), respectively. Besides, a good correlation between SSDE and absorbed dose to the red bone marrow (tissue extended outside the scan coverage) was observed (R2 = 0.94). SSDE-to-organ-dose conversion coefficients obtained in this study provide a practical way to estimate patient-specific organ head CT doses.
‘Far from the views of decision-makers’: podoconiosis instruction at medical schools across endemic countries in Africa
Authors: Fowler Kelly , Wampande Lilian Nantume , Gebreselassie Agazi , Bayisenge Ursin , Uwase Chany , de Oliveira Adilson , Schurer Janna M 
Published: August 2020

Abstract

Background
Podoconiosis is a neglected tropical disease that causes significant physical, emotional and financial suffering, especially among impoverished rural farmers. Sufficient physician training is integral to optimizing patient outcomes through timely diagnosis and appropriate management. Therefore we sought to characterize podoconiosis instruction offered to medical students in endemic African countries.

Methods
We invited faculty from 170 medical schools in all podoconiosis-endemic African countries to provide information about podoconiosis inclusion in medical curricula. Surveys were available in French and English and captured podoconiosis knowledge, quantity/quality of instruction, ranking of importance relative to other diseases and barriers for improvement. Respondents voluntarily shared responses online or by telephone.

Results
Study participants provided information about curricula at 97 medical schools across 14 countries. In total, 42.6% of schools across nine countries offered podoconiosis-specific instruction; most respondents felt that the quality (60.4%) and quantity (61.5%) of instruction was insufficient. Common barriers to sufficient training included exclusion from government curricula, prioritization according to caseload and scarce epidemiological data.

Conclusions
Our study demonstrates widespread neglect in podoconiosis training for physicians in endemic countries. Government support is needed to ensure curricula match the needs of health workers practicing in rural, low-income regions.
Multilevel modelling of the risk of malaria among children aged under five years in Nigeria
Authors: Oguoma Victor M , Anyasodor Anayochukwu E , Adeleye Adeniyi O , Eneanya Obiora A , Mbanefo Evaristus C 
Published: August 2020

Abstract

Background
Malaria is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children aged &lt;5 y (U5s). This study assessed individual, household and community risk factors for malaria in Nigerian U5s.

Methods
Data from the Nigerian Malaria Health Indicator Survey 2015 were pooled for analyses. This comprised a national survey of 329 clusters. Children aged 6–59 mo who were tested for malaria using microscopy were retained. Multilevel logit model accounting for sampling design was used to assess individual, household and community factors associated with malaria parasitaemia.

Results
A total of 5742 children were assessed for malaria parasitaemia with an overall prevalence of 27% (95% CI 26 to 28%). Plasmodium falciparum constituted 98% of the Plasmodium species. There was no significant difference in parasitaemia between older children and those aged ≤12 mo. In adjusted analyses, rural living, northwest region, a household size of &gt;7, dependence on river and rainwater as primary water source were associated with higher odds of parasitaemia, while higher wealth index, all U5s who slept under a bed net and dependence on packaged water were associated with lower odds of parasitaemia.

Conclusion
Despite sustained investment in malaria control and prevention, a quarter of the overall study population of U5s have malaria. Across the six geopolitical zones, the highest burden was in children living in the poorest rural households.
High Concentrations of Nitric Oxide Inhalation Therapy in Pregnant Patients With Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Authors: Safaee Fakhr Bijan , Wiegand Steffen B. , Pinciroli Riccardo , Gianni Stefano , Morais Caio C. A. , Ikeda Takamitsu , Miyazaki Yusuke , Marutani Eizo , Di Fenza Raffaele , Larson Grant M. , Parcha Vibhu , Gibson Lauren E. , Chang Marvin G. , Arora Pankaj , Carroll Ryan W. , Kacmarek Robert M. , Ichinose Fumito , Barth William H. , Kaimal Anjali , Hohmann Elizabeth L. , Zapol Warren M. , Berra Lorenzo 
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND:
Rescue therapies to treat or prevent progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hypoxic respiratory failure in pregnant patients are lacking.

METHOD:
To treat pregnant patients meeting criteria for severe or critical COVID-19 with high-dose (160–200 ppm) nitric oxide by mask twice daily and report on their clinical response.

EXPERIENCE:
Six pregnant patients were admitted with severe or critical COVID-19 at Massachusetts General Hospital from April to June 2020 and received inhalational nitric oxide therapy. All patients tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A total of 39 treatments was administered. An improvement in cardiopulmonary function was observed after commencing nitric oxide gas, as evidenced by an increase in systemic oxygenation in each administration session among those with evidence of baseline hypoxemia and reduction of tachypnea in all patients in each session. Three patients delivered a total of four neonates during hospitalization. At 28-day follow-up, all three patients were home and their newborns were in good condition. Three of the six patients remain pregnant after hospital discharge. Five patients had two negative test results on nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 within 28 days from admission.

CONCLUSION:
Nitric oxide at 160–200 ppm is easy to use, appears to be well tolerated, and might be of benefit in pregnant patients with COVID-19 with hypoxic respiratory failure.
Optical Coherence Tomography Can Be Used to Assess Glaucomatous Optic Nerve Damage in Most Eyes With High Myopia
Authors: Zemborain Zane Z. , Jarukasetphon Ravivarn , Tsamis Emmanouil , De Moraes Carlos G. , Ritch Robert , Hood Donald C. 
Published: August 2020

Precis:
It is generally assumed that optical coherence tomography (OCT) cannot be used to diagnose glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON) in high myopes. However, this study presents evidence that there is sufficient information in OCT scans to allow for accurate diagnosis of GON in most eyes with high myopia.

Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that glaucomatous damage can be accurately diagnosed in most high myopes via an assessment of the OCT results.

Patients and Methods:
One hundred eyes from 60 glaucoma patients or suspects, referred for OCT scans and evaluation, had corrected spherical refractive errors worse than −6 D and/or axial lengths ≥26.5 mm. An OCT specialist judged whether the eye had GON, based upon OCT circle scans of the disc and cube scans centered on the macula. A glaucoma specialist made the same judgement using all available information (eg, family history, repeat visits, intraocular pressure, 10-2 and 24-2 visual fields, OCT). A reference standard was created based upon the glaucoma specialist’s classifications. In addition, the glaucoma specialist judged whether the eyes had peripapillary atrophy (PPA), epiretinal membrane (ERM), tilted disc (TD), and/or a paravascular inner retinal defect (PIRD).

Results:
The OCT specialist correctly identified 97 of the 100 eyes using the OCT information. In 63% of the cases, the inner circle scan alone was sufficient. For the rest, additional scans were requested. In addition, 81% of the total eyes had: PPA (79%), ERM (18%), PIRD (26%), and/or TD (48%).

Conclusions:
For most eyes with high myopia, there is sufficient information in OCT scans to allow for accurate diagnosis of GON. However, the optimal use of the OCT will depend upon training to read OCT scans, which includes taking into consideration myopia related OCT artifacts and segmentation errors, as well as PPA, ERM, PIRD, and TD.
Prospective Correlation of Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Severe Clinical Features of Thyroid Eye Disease
Authors: Godfrey Kyle J. , Schmuter Gabriella , Hu Bo , Tooley Andrea A. , Dunbar Kristen E. , Basner Robert C. , Kazim Michael 
Published: August 2020

Purpose:
To evaluate the association between risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and severity of thyroid eye disease (TED) using a validated OSA screening tool.

Methods:
A prospective, observational cohort study was performed. New adult TED patients were offered OSA screening with the Snoring Tired Observed Pressure (STOP)-Bang survey during their initial evaluation. Clinical examination and treatment for TED were standard of care and utilized the International Thyroid Eye Disease Society Vision Inflammation Strabismus Appearance system. At the conclusion of the study period, analysis was performed correlating maximum severity of TED signs and symptoms between high- and low-risk OSA groups. Multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses were also performed to analyze the association between the numerical STOP-Bang score and maximum severity of the potentially actionable clinical features of TED (compressive optic neuropathy, vertical prism deviation, horizontal prism deviation, exophthalmos, vertical fissure height).

Results:
Eighty-five patients met inclusion criteria. Twenty-eight percent were at high risk of OSA (STOP-Bang score of 3 or higher). When comparing the low- and high-risk cohorts, increased risk of OSA was significantly associated with the development of TED compressive optic neuropathy (p = 0.014), conjunctival injection (p = 0.027), chemosis (p = 0.013), upper eyelid edema (p = 0.024), lower eyelid edema (p = 0.003), eyelid erythema (p = 0.037), and vertical strabismus (p = 0.047). In the multivariate regression analyses, higher STOP-Bang scores correlated with increased risk of TED compressive optic neuropathy (p = 0.006), vertical strabismus (p = 0.019), and higher subjective diplopia scores (p = 0.045).

Conclusions:
Increased risk of OSA, as determined by the STOP-Bang survey, is associated with increased severity of multiple clinical features of TED, including TED compressive optic neuropathy and strabismus.