bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hand Hygiene Behavior in a Pediatric Emergency Department and a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Comparison of Use of 2 Dispenser Systems
Authors: Larson Elaine L. , Albrecht Sandra , O’Keefe Mary 
Published: April 2020

• Background Adherence to hand hygiene standards is poor. Approaches and systems to improve hand hygiene practices warrant testing.
• Objective To compare the frequency of use of manually operated and touch-free dispensers of sanitizer for hand hygiene.
• Methods Manual and touch-free dispensers of alcohol sanitizer were placed in the emergency department and an intensive care unit of a large pediatric hospital for two 2-month periods for each type of dispenser. Counting devices installed in each dispenser and direct observations were used to determine actual frequency of and indications for hand hygiene.
• Results The touch-free dispensers were used significantly more often than were the manual dispensers. The means for the number of episodes of hand hygiene per hour were 4.42 for the touch-free dispensers and 3.33 for the manual dispensers (P = .04); the means for the number of episodes per patient per hour were 2.22 and 1.79, respectively (P = .004); and the means for the number of uses of the dispenser per day were 41.2 and 25.6, respectively (P = .02). However, the overall compliance rate was 38.4% (2136 episodes of hand hygiene per 5568 indications for hand hygiene).
• Conclusions The type of dispensing system influenced hand hygiene behavior. Nevertheless, overall hand hygiene compliance remained low. In order for interventions to have a major effect on hand hygiene, multiple factors must be considered.
Biodegradable Polymers for Biomedical and Tissue Engineering
Authors: Pushpamalar Janarthanan , Paramasivam Ragul , Meganathan Puviarasi , Li Tan Hui , Loh Xian Jun 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCurrently, scientists are on the cutting edge of inventing many novel biomaterials from various sources for selection in tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery systems to improvise the patient surgical and treatment processes. This article focuses on the significant improvements made in the design of natural, biodegradable polymer‐based biomaterials and their applications in biomedical and tissue engineering areas. Polysaccharide and protein‐based hydrogels are suitable for soft and hard biomaterials. The soft biomaterial is made of biodegradable natural or synthetic or in a combination of both polymers that can be utilized for a stipulated time and cleared partly or whole of the system that it treats, enhance the rate of healing or replace tissues or organs. Soft biomaterials fabricated for muscle, ligament, tendon, articular cartilage tissue engineering exhibit valuable properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, flexible, renewability, and cheaper. The combination of the polysaccharides and proteins with synthetic biodegradable polymers improved the mechanical strength and when added with inorganic calcium compounds could be exploited in hard tissue engineering, such as bone tissue engineering. The development of biomaterial for scaffolding in tissue engineering using polysaccharides and proteins could lead to the emergence of a new era of safer material to replace the damaged tissues in the body without suffering inflammation. Polysaccharides and proteins are consumed as food, and treating damaged tissue with food‐based biomaterial would not harm the humankind. In the near future, the development of natural polymer‐based biodegradable biomaterials by interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research scientists is highly important.
Efficacy of a Physical Activity Counseling Program With Use of a Wearable Tracker in People With Inflammatory Arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Li Linda C. , Feehan Lynne M. , Xie Hui , Lu Na , Shaw Chris , Gromala Diane , Aviña‐Zubieta J. Antonio , Koehn Cheryl , Hoens Alison M. , English Kelly , Tam Johnathan , Therrien Stephanie , Townsend Anne F. , Noonan Greg , Backman Catherine L. 
Published: April 2020

ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of a multifaceted counseling intervention at improving physical activity participation and patient outcomes.MethodsWe recruited people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In weeks 1–8, the immediate group received education and counseling by a physical therapist, used a Fitbit and a web application to obtain feedback about their physical activity, and received 4 follow‐up calls from the physical therapist. The delay group received the same intervention in weeks 10–17. Participants were assessed at baseline and at weeks 9, 18, and 27. The primary outcome was time spent in moderate/vigorous physical activity (MVPA; in bouts of ≥10 minutes) measured with a SenseWear device. Secondary outcomes included step count, time in sedentary behavior, pain, fatigue, mood, self‐management capacity, and habitual behaviors.ResultsA total of 118 participants enrolled. The adjusted mean difference in MVPA was 9.4 minutes/day (95% confidence interval [95% CI] –0.5, 19.3, P = 0.06). A significant effect was found in pain (–2.45 [95% CI –4.78, –0.13], P = 0.04), and perceived walking habit (0.54 [95% CI 0.08, 0.99], P = 0.02). The remaining secondary outcomes improved, but were not statistically significant. Post hoc analysis revealed a significant effect in MVPA (14.3 minutes/day [95% CI 2.3, 26.3]) and pain (–4.05 [95% CI –6.73, –1.36]) in participants with RA, but not in those with SLE.ConclusionCounseling by a physical therapist has the potential to improve physical activity in people with inflammatory arthritis, but further study is needed to understand the intervention effect on different diseases. We found a significant improvement in pain, suggesting that the intervention might have a positive effect on symptom management.
Ustekinumab for the Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis
Authors: Matza Mark A. , Fernandes Ana D. , Stone John H. , Unizony Sebastian H. 
Published: April 2020

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of ustekinumab (UST) in giant cell arteritis (GCA).MethodsWe conducted a prospective, open‐label trial of UST in patients with active new‐onset or relapsing GCA. Active disease was defined as the presence of GCA symptoms and elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or C‐reactive protein (CRP) level within 6 weeks of baseline. All patients received a 24‐week prednisone taper and subcutaneous UST 90 mg at baseline and at weeks 4, 12, 20, 28, 36, and 44. The primary endpoint, prednisone‐free remission, was defined as the absence of relapse through week 52 and normalization of the ESR and CRP level. Relapse was defined as the recurrence of GCA symptoms requiring treatment intensification. A sensitivity analysis excluding ESR/CRP level normalization from the prednisone‐free remission definition was performed.ResultsThe study enrolled 13 patients (target sample size 20). Enrollment was closed prematurely after 7 of the initial 10 patients relapsed. Five patients (39%) had new‐onset disease. The initial prednisone doses were 20 mg (1 patient), 40 mg (9 patients), and 60 mg (3 patients). All patients entered disease remission within 4 weeks of baseline. Only 3 (23%) achieved the primary endpoint. Of the 10 patients (77%) who failed to achieve the primary endpoint, 7 relapsed after a mean period of 23 weeks. The remaining 3 patients met the alternative definition of prednisone‐free remission that did not require ESR/CRP level normalization. One serious adverse event occurred.ConclusionUST combined with 24 weeks of prednisone was associated with a high rate of treatment failure in this prospective GCA trial.
Serious Infections in Patients With Gout in the US: A National Study of Incidence, Time Trends, and Outcomes
Authors: Singh Jasvinder A. , Cleveland John D. 
Published: April 2020

ObjectiveTo study the epidemiology of serious infections in patients hospitalized with gout.MethodsWe identified patients with gout hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of pneumonia, sepsis/bacteremia, urinary tract infection (UTI), skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), or opportunistic infections (OIs) in a US National Inpatient Sample from 1998 to 2016 and examined factors associated with utilization and mortality.ResultsWe noted 1,140,085 hospitalizations of patients with serious infections and gout (11% of all hospitalizations of patients with gout; 1998–2000 [8.9%], 2015–2016 [14.5%]). Compared to patients without gout, patients with gout hospitalized with serious infections were older (median age 65 versus 74 years), more of them had a Charlson–Deyo comorbidity index score ≥2 (42% versus 65%), and fewer were female (53% versus 35%) or non‐White (40% versus 35%), respectively. The most common infection was pneumonia (52%) in 1998–2000 and sepsis (52%) in 2015–2016. Median hospital charges and hospital stays were higher for patients with sepsis and OIs in 2015–2016 ($41,000–$42,000; 5.1–5.5 days) versus those with UTI, pneumonia, or SSTIs ($15,000–$17,000; 3.0–3.9 days). Compared to patients with sepsis, the multivariable‐adjusted odds of health care utilization and in‐hospital mortality were significantly lower for patients with UTI, SSTIs, and pneumonia, and non‐home discharge or in‐hospital mortality were lower in patients with OIs. Among patients hospitalized with infections, older age, Medicaid coverage, a higher Charlson–Deyo comorbidity index score, Black race, and Northeast and nonrural hospital location were associated with significantly higher health care utilization and mortality, while female sex, Medicare insurance, and lower income were associated with higher utilization.ConclusionGiven an increasing rate of serious infections, especially sepsis and pneumonia, in individuals with gout, development of effective interventions targeting factors associated with health care utilization and mortality will improve outcomes and reduce burden.
Modified 2016 American College of Rheumatology Fibromyalgia Criteria, the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations Innovations Opportunities and Networks–American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy, and the Prevalence of Fibromyalgia
Authors: Häuser Winfried , Brähler Elmar , Ablin Jacob , Wolfe Frederick 
Published: April 2020

ObjectiveTo study the prevalence of fibromyalgia (FM) in the general population according to a 2016 modification of the American College of Rheumatology criteria (FM 2016) and the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations Innovations Opportunities and Networks–American Pain Society pain taxonomy criteria (AAPT), and to compare diagnostic and clinical variables between the criteria sets.MethodsWe studied 2,531 randomly selected subjects from the German general population in 2019. Pain regions from the Michigan Body Map were fitted to the FM 2016 and the AAPT criteria, and criteria symptom items were derived from validated questionnaires assessing somatic and psychological symptom burden and disability. We determined FM criteria prevalence and criteria‐related scales including widespread and multisite pain (MSP) and symptom scales, and measured symptom burden and disability.ResultsAccording to the FM 2016 criteria, the prevalence of FM was 3.4% (n = 75 subjects; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.7, 4.3) compared with 5.7% (n = 130 subjects; 95% CI 4.8, 6.8) for the AAPT criteria; κ = 0.65. Compared with AAPT‐positive subjects, FM 2016–positive subjects had higher MSP, Widespread Pain Index score, Polysymptomatic Distress Scale scores, Symptom Severity Scores, and psychological symptom burden. Physician‐diagnosed FM was reported by 1.1% of the subjects. Of these, 44.0% met the FM 2016 criteria, and 47.5% met the AAPT criteria.ConclusionThe prevalence of FM in the German general population is 73% greater using the AAPT criteria than the FM 2016 criteria. The AAPT criteria select individuals with less symptom severity and fewer pain sites. The FM 2016 criteria, but not the AAPT criteria, provide a general severity measure for FM.
Ultrasound‐Guided Biopsy of Suspected Salivary Gland Lymphoma in Sjögren’s Syndrome
Authors: Baer Alan N. , Grader‐Beck Thomas , Antiochos Brendan , Birnbaum Julius , Fradin Joel M. 
Published: April 2020

ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and utility of core needle biopsy (CNB) for diagnosis of salivary gland lymphoma in Sjögren’s syndrome (SS).MethodsWe analyzed data from consecutive SS patients who underwent ultrasound‐guided major salivary gland CNB for lymphoma diagnosis and determined whether CNB yielded an actionable diagnosis without need for further intervention.ResultsCNBs were performed in 24 patients to evaluate discrete parotid (n = 6) or submandibular (n = 2) gland masses or diffuse enlargement (n = 16; 15 parotid). One patient had 3 CNBs of the same mass. Of the 26 CNBs, 24 included flow cytometry, using CNB and/or fine needle aspirate material, and 14 targeted sonographically identified focal lesions. No patient reported complications. In the 23 patients with 1 CNB, final diagnoses were marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT; n = 6), atypical lymphoid infiltration (n = 3), benign lymphoepithelial sialadenitis (n = 9), normal gland tissue (n = 4), and lymphoepithelial cyst (n = 1). In the patient with serial CNBs, the initial one without flow cytometry was benign, but the next 2 showed atypical lymphoid infiltration. Monoclonal lymphoid infiltration was detected in 12 patients: 6 with MALT lymphoma, 3 were benign, and 3 with atypical lymphoid infiltration. Of the latter 3, 1 was treated with rituximab and 2 with expectant observation. The diagnosis changed from atypical lymphoid infiltration to MALT lymphoma in 1 patient following biopsy of inguinal adenopathy 6 months post‐CNB. CNB provided actionable results and avoided open excisional biopsies in all cases.ConclusionCNB is safe and useful in the evaluation of suspected salivary gland lymphoma in SS.
Mussel‐inspired polydopamine induced the osteoinductivity to ice‐templating PLGA–gelatin matrix for bone tissue engineering application
Authors: Rezaei Hessam , Shahrezaee Mostafa , Jalali Monfared Marziyeh , Ghorbani Farnaz , Zamanian Ali , Sahebalzamani Mohammadali 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this study, poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA)–gelatin scaffolds were fabricated using the freeze‐casting technique. Polydopamine (PDA) coating was applied on the surface of scaffolds to enhance the hydrophilicity, bioactivity, and cellular behavior of the composite constructs. Further, the synergistic effect of PDA coating and lamellar microstructure of scaffolds was evaluated on the promotion of properties. Based on morphological observations, freeze‐casting constructs showed lamellar pore channels while the uniformity and pore size were slightly affected by deposition of PDA. The hydrophilicity and swelling capacity of the scaffolds were assessed using contact angle measurement and phosphate buffered saline absorption ratio. The results indicated a significant increment in water–matrix interactions following surface modification. The evaluation of the biodegradation ratio revealed the higher degree of degradation in PDA‐coated samples owing to the presence of hydrophilic functional groups in the chemical structure of PDA. On the other hand, the bioactivity potential of PDA in the simulated body fluid solution confirmed the possibility of using coated constructs as a bone reconstructive substitute. The improvement of cellular attachment and filopodia formation in PDA‐contained matrixes was the other benefit of the coating process. Furthermore, cellular proliferation and ALP activity were enhanced after PDA coating. The suggested PDA‐coated PLGA–gelatin scaffolds can be applied in bone tissue regeneration.
CRISPR as a tool in tumor therapy: A short review
Authors: Tan Jiaqi , Yu Wen 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTumors remain a health concern worldwide, and gene therapy is a useful approach for treating tumors. The Clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) system, an efficient and robust gene‐editing system originating from bacteria, serves as an important tool in gene therapy. In this review, we briefly summarize the usage of CRISPR (including in gene knockout and gene knock‐in applications) and the CRISPRa system in tumor therapy, including its delivery approaches and the general fields in which it has been applied. We summarize the application of the CRISPR system in tumor therapy in two aspects: its application in tumor cell modification and its application in drug engineering. This review also summarizes the advantages and challenges of using the CRISPR system in tumor therapy.
Enzymes for pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications
Authors: Meghwanshi Gautam Kumar , Kaur Navpreet , Verma Swati , Dabi Narendra Kumar , Vashishtha Abhishek , Charan P. D. , Purohit Praveen , Bhandari H.S. , Bhojak N. , Kumar Rajender 
Published: April 2020

AbstractEnzymes are highly efficient and selective biocatalysts, present in the living beings. They exist in enormous varieties in terms of the types of reactions catalyzed by them for instance oxidation–reduction, group transfers within the molecules or between the molecules, hydrolysis, isomerization, ligation, bond cleavage, and bond formation. Besides, enzyme based catalyses are performed with much higher fidelity, under mild reaction conditions and are highly efficient in terms of number of steps, giving them an edge over their chemical counter parts. The unique characteristics of enzymes makes them highly applicable fora number of chemical transformation reactions in pharmaceutical industries, such as group protection and deprotection, selective acylation and deacylation, selective hydrolysis, deracemization, kinetic resolution of racemic mixtures, esterification, transesterification, and many others. In this review, an overview of the enzymes, their production and their applications in pharmaceutical syntheses and enzyme therapies are presented with diagrams, reaction schemes and table for easy understanding of the readers.
Parameterstudie zum energetischen Einsparpotenzial mit adaptiven Fassadenelementen zur lokalen Heizung
Authors: Flemming Daniela , Zhao Mosha , Harder Nadine , Park Sumee , Leistner Philip 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDie Arbeitswelt hat sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten stark verändert. Heutzutage werden viele Büros, Besprechungsräume, aber auch andere Räume wie Vorlesungssäle, Unterrichtsräume sowie Hotelzimmer nur noch temporär genutzt. Die thermische Konditionierung orientiert sich jedoch immer noch an stationären Temperatursolllinien. Dies bedeutet, dass eine entsprechende Solltemperatur bereits vor Eintreffen des Nutzers im Raum erreicht sein und über den gesamten Arbeitstag vorgehalten werden muss, unabhängig davon, ob sich tatsächlich ein Nutzer im Raum aufhält. Adaptive Fassaden mit integrierten Heiz‐ bzw. Kühlelementen sind dazu in der Lage, sich verändernden Bedingungen, z. B. aufgrund von temporärer Nutzung eines Arbeitsplatzes, lokal und ohne Zeitverzögerung anzupassen, und so eine optimale Aufenthaltsqualität sicherzustellen. So ist während der Heizperiode ein deutlich niedrigeres Temperaturniveau ausreichend und sobald der Nutzer im Raum eintrifft, können durch Einschalten der lokalen Heizung unverzüglich behagliche Bedingungen hergestellt werden. Dies birgt insbesondere im Ultraleichtbau ein großes Energieeinsparpotenzial in sich. In vorangegangenen Untersuchungen wurde die thermischen Behaglichkeit unter transienten Bedingungen [1] beleuchtet sowie die bauphysikalische Funktionalität und Umweltwirkung einiger Beispiele auf Bauteil‐ sowie auf Raumebene von adaptiven Leichtbaukonstruktionen [2, 3] behandelt. Aufbauend auf diesen Erkenntnissen wurden Szenarien für den Betrieb von adaptiven Fassadenelementen mit lokalen Heizsystemen entwickelt. Im hier vorliegenden Beitrag wird nun das energetische Einsparpotenzial der lokalen Systeme gegenüber der konventionellen Raumheizung betrachtet.
Biotechnological Production of Flavonoids: An Update on Plant Metabolic Engineering, Microbial Host Selection, and Genetically Encoded Biosensors
Authors: Marsafari Monireh , Samizadeh Habibollah , Rabiei Babak , Mehrabi AliAshraf , Koffas Mattheos , Xu Peng 
Published: April 2020

AbstractFlavonoids represent a diversified family of phenylpropanoid‐derived plant secondary metabolites. They are widely found in fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. There has been increasing interest on flavonoids because of their proven bioactivity associated with anti‐obesity and anti‐cancer, anti‐inflammatory and anti‐diabetic activity. Low bioavailability of flavonoids is a major challenge restricting their applications. Due to safety and economic issues, plant extraction or chemical synthesis could not provide a scalable route for large‐scale production. Alternatively, reconstruction of biosynthetic gene clusters in plants and industrially relevant microbes offer significant promise for discovery and scalable synthesis of flavonoids. This review provides an update on biotechnological production of flavonoids. The recent advances on plant metabolic engineering, microbial host, and genetically encoded biosensors are summarized. Plant metabolic engineering holds the promise to improve the yield of specific flavonoids and expand the chemical space of novel flavonoids. The choice of microbial host provides the cellular chassis that could be tailored for various stereo‐ or regio‐selective chemistries that are crucial for their bioactivities. When coupled with transcriptional biosensing, genetically encoded biosensors could be welded into cellular metabolism to achieve high throughput screening or dynamic carbon flux re‐allocation to deliver efficient microbial workhorse. The convergence of these technologies will translate the vast majority of plant genetic resources into valuable flavonoids with pharmaceutical/nutraceutical values in the foreseeable future.
LncRNA SNHG3 sponges miR‐577 to up‐regulate SMURF1 expression in prostate cancer
Authors: Li Teng , Xing Yi , Yang Fan , Sun Yangyang , Zhang Shaojin , Wang Qingwei , Zhang Weixing 
Published: April 2020

AbstractProstate cancer remains one of the most prevalent cancers and the main causes of cancer‐related deaths in males. Various articles introduced that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are found in vital functions in the development and progression of cancers. Although SNHG3 (small nucleolar RNA host gene 3) has been investigated in many cancers, now researches on the role and mechanism of SNHG3 in prostate cancer are lacked. In this work, SNHG3 exerted high expression in prostate cancer cell lines. Suppression of SNHG3 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, EMT (epithelial‐mesenchymal transition) process and promoted cell apoptosis. Additionally, it was found that SNHG3 could bind with miR‐577. Subsequently, SMURF1 (Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor 1) was identified as a downstream target of miR‐577 and had a negative correlation with miR‐577. SNHG3 was found to positively regulate SMURF1 expression. Furthermore, rescue assays demonstrated that co‐transfection of pcDNA3.1/SMURF1 reversed the effects of SNHG3 knockdown in cell proliferation, migration, EMT process and cell apoptosis. SNHG3 also promoted tumorigenesis in vivo. All the results above explained that SNHG3 accelerated prostate cancer progression by sponging miR‐577 to up‐regulate SMURF1 expression, suggesting that SNHG3 may act as a biomarker for prostate cancer patients.