bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global diastolic strain rate for the assessment of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young peritoneal dialysis patients: a case control study
Authors: Zhu Jing , Shi Fei , You Tao , Tang Chao , Chen Jianchang 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
Left ventricular (LV) myocardial longitudinal diastolic strain rate measured by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) was proved to have a better correlation with the LV diastolic function. We aimed to use this sensitive tool to predict LV myocardial diastolic dysfunction in young peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods
We enrolled 30 PD patients aged ≤60 with LVEF ≥54% and classified as normal LV diastolic function by conventional echocardiography, and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy people as the control group. The left atrial maximum volume index (LAVI), LV mass index (LVMI), LVEF, LV posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), interventricular septal thickness (IVST), peak velocity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR), peak early diastolic velocity/late diastolic velocity (by Pulsed Doppler) (E/A) and E/peak velocity of the early diastolic wave (by Pulsed-wave tissue Doppler) (E/e’) were recorded by conventional echocardiographic. Next, the average LV global longitudinal systolic strain (GLS avg) and the average LV global longitudinal diastolic strain rate (DSr avg) during early diastole (DSrE avg), late diastole (DSrA avg) and isovolumic relaxation period (DSrIVR avg) were obtained from 2D-STI. Combined them with E, the new noninvasive indexes (E/DSrE avg., E/DSrA avg. and E/DSrIVR avg) were derived.

Results
The PD group ‘s LVEF, E/e′, TR and LAVI were in the normal range compared with the controls, and only e′ (p < 0.001) was decreased. The LVMI (p < 0.001), LVPWT (p < 0.001), IVST (p < 0.001) increased while E/A (p < 0.001) decreased. The GLS avg. (p = 0.008) was significantly decreased in PD patients compared with the controls. DSrA avg. (p = 0.006) and E/DSrE avg. (p = 0.006) were increased, while DSrE avg. (p < 0.001), DSrIVR avg. (p = 0.017) and E/DSrA avg. (p < 0.001) decreased. After the multivariable regression analysis, the correlation between DSrE and the conventional parameters including LVPWT (p < 0.001), E/A (p < 0.001) still remained significant.

Conclusions
Young PD patients with preserved LVEF already exhibited myocardial diastolic dysfunction. Global diastolic strain rate indexes were valuable parameters to evaluate diastolic dysfunction. Additionally, LVPWT was highly correlated with DSrE, such parameter should be taken into account for predicting the early LV diastolic dysfunction in clinical practice.
Stress on local and international psychotherapists in the crisis region of Iraq
Authors: Kizilhan Jan Ilhan 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
Local and international Psychotherapists working with war survivors are confronted with a whole variety of burdens. The close contact to their clients and the conversations about terror, flight and genocides, they are frequently subject to vicarious traumatization resulting from these events and reveal a risk of developing secondary traumatization.

Methods
We interviewed 54 local psychotherapists and 28 psychotherapists originating from abroad who were treating survivors of ISIS terror in refugee camps organised by non-government organisations (NGOs).

Results
The results show that local and non-local psychotherapists who work in a context of humanitarian crises reveal a risk of developing secondary traumatization. The results of this present study would also indicate that the secondary traumatization depends both on individual characteristics such as bonding styles and personal experiences and also on the ambient characteristics such as the degree of traumatization of the patients.

Conclusion
The study revealed that the local and non-local psychotherapists had a range of different pressure factors and helpful resources which indicated that better caring/support, supervision and organization are needed to enable psychotherapists to perform more effectively in war regions from the point of view of preventive healthcare.
The relationship between living in urban and rural areas of Scotland and children’s physical activity and sedentary levels: a country-wide cross-sectional analysis
Authors: McCrorie Paul , Mitchell Rich , Macdonald Laura , Jones Andrew , Coombes Emma , Schipperijn Jasper , Ellaway Anne 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
Living in urban or rural environments may influence children’s levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours. We know little about variations in device-measured physical activity and sedentary levels of urban and rural children using nationally representative samples, or if these differences are moderated by socioeconomic factors or seasonal variation. Moreover, little is known about the influence of ‘walkability’ in the UK context. A greater understanding of these can better inform intervention strategies or policy initiatives at the population level.

Methods
Country-wide cross-sectional study in Scotland in which 774 children (427 girls, 357 boys), aged 10/11 years, wore an accelerometer on one occasion for at least four weekdays and one weekend day. Mean total physical activity, time spent in sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), per day were extracted for weekdays, weekend days, and all days combined. Regression analyses explored associations between physical activity outcomes, urban/rural residence, and a modified walkability index (dwelling density and intersection density); with interactions fitted for household equivalised income and season of data collection. Sensitivity analyses assessed variation in findings by socioeconomic factors and urbanicity.

Results
Rural children spent an average of 14 min less sedentary (95% CI of difference: 2.23, 26.32) and 13 min more in light intensity activity (95% CI of difference, 2.81, 24.09) per day than those from urban settlements. No urban-rural differences were found for time spent in MVPA or in total levels of activity. Our walkability index was not associated with any outcome measure. We found no interactions with household equivalised income, but there were urban/rural differences in seasonal variation; urban children engaged in higher levels of MVPA in the spring months (difference: 10 mins, p = 0.06, n.s) and significantly lower levels in winter (difference: 8.7 mins, p = 0.036).

Conclusions
Extrapolated across one-year, rural children would accumulate approximately 79 h (or just over 3 days) less sedentary time than urban children, replacing this for light intensity activity. With both outcomes having known implications for health, this finding is particularly important. Future work should prioritise exploring the patterns and context in which these differences occur to allow for more targeted intervention/policy strategies.
Statin prescription among patients with type 2 diabetes in Botswana: findings and implications
Authors: Mwita Julius Chacha , Godman Brian , Esterhuizen Tonya M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundThere is evidence of statin benefit among patients with diabetes regardless of cholesterol levels or prior cardiovascular disease history. Despite the evidence, there is under-prescription of statins in clinical practice. This study aimed to assess statin prescriptions and associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes in Botswana.MethodsThe study was a secondary data analysis of 500 randomly selected type 2 diabetes patients at a specialised diabetes clinic at Gaborone, Botswana. We assessed the proportion of statin-eligible patients who are prescribed statins and evaluated the adjusted associations between various factors and statin prescriptions.ResultsOverall, 477 (95.4%) participants were eligible for a statin prescription. Clinicians prescribed statins in 217 (45.5%) of eligible participants, and only one (4.4%) ineligible participant. The probability of a statin prescription was higher in participants with high baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (risk ratio [RR]: 1.49; 95%CI: 1.17–1.89), increasing duration of diabetes (RR: 1.01; 95%CI 1.00–1.03) and the presence of chronic kidney disease (RR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.06–1.74).ConclusionA large proportion with type 2 diabetes in Gaborone is not receiving statins. Clinicians did not consider most guideline-recommended indications for statin prescriptions. The findings call for improvement in diabetes quality of care by implementing evidence-based guideline recommendations.
A decision tree to improve identification of pathogenic mutations in clinical practice
Authors: do Nascimento Priscilla Machado , Medeiros Inácio Gomes , Falcão Raul Maia , Stransky Beatriz , de Souza Jorge Estefano Santana 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
A variant of unknown significance (VUS) is a variant form of a gene that has been identified through genetic testing, but whose significance to the organism function is not known. An actual challenge in precision medicine is to precisely identify which detected mutations from a sequencing process have a suitable role in the treatment or diagnosis of a disease. The average accuracy of pathogenicity predictors is 85%. However, there is a significant discordance about the identification of mutational impact and pathogenicity among them. Therefore, manual verification is necessary for confirming the real effect of a mutation in its casuistic.

Methods
In this work, we use variables categorization and selection for building a decision tree model, and later we measure and compare its accuracy with four known mutation predictors and seventeen supervised machine-learning (ML) algorithms.

Results
The results showed that the proposed tree reached the highest precision among all tested variables: 91% for True Neutrals, 8% for False Neutrals, 9% for False Pathogenic, and 92% for True Pathogenic.

Conclusions
The decision tree exceptionally demonstrated high classification precision with cancer data, producing consistently relevant forecasts for the sample tests with an accuracy close to the best ones achieved from supervised ML algorithms. Besides, the decision tree algorithm is easier to apply in clinical practice by non-IT experts. From the cancer research community perspective, this approach can be successfully applied as an alternative for the determination of potential pathogenicity of VOUS.
Gene co-expression networks are associated with obesity-related traits in kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Jaime-Lara Rosario B. , Roy Abhrarup , Wang Yupeng , Stanfill Ansley , Cashion Ann K. , Joseph Paule V. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundObesity is common among kidney transplant recipients; However biological mediators of obesity are not well understood in this population. Because subcutaneous adipose tissue can be easily obtained during kidney transplant surgery, it provides a unique avenue for studying the mechanisms of obesity for this group. Although differential gene expression patterns were previously profiled for kidney transplant patients, gene co-expression patterns can shed light on gene modules not yet explored on the coordinative behaviors of gene transcription in biological and disease processes from a systems perspective.MethodsIn this study, we collected 29 demographic and clinical variables and matching microarray expression data for 26 kidney transplant patients. We conducted Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) for 5758 genes with the highest average expression levels and related gene co-expression to clinical traits.ResultsA total of 35 co-expression modules were detected, two of which showed associations with obesity-related traits, mainly at baseline. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment was found for these two clinical trait-associated modules. One module consisting of 129 genes was enriched for a variety of processes, including cellular homeostasis and immune responses. The other module consisting of 36 genes was enriched for tissue development processes.ConclusionsOur study generated gene co-expression modules associated with obesity-related traits in kidney transplant patients and provided new insights regarding the cellular biological processes underlying obesity in this population.
Overproduction of the Flv3B flavodiiron, enhances the photobiological hydrogen production by the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Nostoc PCC 7120
Authors: Roumezi Baptiste , Avilan Luisana , Risoul Véronique , Brugna Myriam , Rabouille Sophie , Latifi Amel 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
The ability of some photosynthetic microorganisms, particularly cyanobacteria and microalgae, to produce hydrogen (H2) is a promising alternative for renewable, clean-energy production. However, the most recent, related studies point out that much improvement is needed for sustainable cyanobacterial-based H2 production to become economically viable. In this study, we investigated the impact of induced O2-consumption on H2 photoproduction yields in the heterocyte-forming, N2-fixing cyanobacterium Nostoc PCC7120.

Results
The flv3B gene, encoding a flavodiiron protein naturally expressed in Nostoc heterocytes, was overexpressed. Under aerobic and phototrophic growth conditions, the recombinant strain displayed a significantly higher H2 production than the wild type. Nitrogenase activity assays indicated that flv3B overexpression did not enhance the nitrogen fixation rates. Interestingly, the transcription of the hox genes, encoding the NiFe Hox hydrogenase, was significantly elevated, as shown by the quantitative RT-PCR analyses.

Conclusion
We conclude that the overproduced Flv3B protein might have enhanced O2-consumption, thus creating conditions inducing hox genes and facilitating H2 production. The present study clearly demonstrates the potential to use metabolic engineered cyanobacteria for photosynthesis driven H2 production.
Creating mosquito-free outdoor spaces using transfluthrin-treated chairs and ribbons
Authors: Masalu John P. , Finda Marceline , Killeen Gerry F. , Ngowo Halfan S. , Pinda Polius G. , Okumu Fredros O. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
Residents of malaria-endemic communities spend several hours outdoors performing different activities, e.g. cooking, story-telling or eating, thereby exposing themselves to potentially-infectious mosquitoes. This compromises effectiveness of indoor interventions, notably long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS). This study characterized common peri-domestic spaces in rural south-eastern Tanzania, and assessed protective efficacy against mosquitoes of hessian fabric mats and ribbons treated with the spatial repellent, transfluthrin, and fitted to chairs and outdoor kitchens, respectively.

Methods
Two hundred households were surveyed, and their most-used peri-domestic spaces physically characterized. Protective efficacies of locally-made transfluthrin-emanating chairs and hessian ribbons were tested in outdoor environments of 28 households in dry and wet seasons, using volunteer-occupied exposure-free double net traps. CDC light traps were used to estimate host-seeking mosquito densities within open-structure outdoor kitchens. Field-collected Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus mosquitoes were exposed underneath the chairs to estimate 24 h-mortality. Finally, The World Health Organization insecticide susceptibility tests were conducted on wild-caught Anopheles from the villages.

Results
Approximately half (52%) of houses had verandas. Aside from these verandas, most houses also had peri-domestic spaces where residents stayed most times (67% of houses with verandas and 94% of non-veranda houses). Two-thirds of these spaces were sited under trees, and only one third (34.4%) were built-up. The outdoor structures were usually makeshift kitchens having roofs and partial walls. Transfluthrin-treated chairs reduced outdoor-biting An. arabiensis densities by 70–85%, while transfluthrin-treated hessian ribbons fitted to the outdoor kitchens caused 77–81% reduction in the general peri-domestic area. Almost all the field-collected An. arabiensis (99.4%) and An. funestus (100%) exposed under transfluthrin-treated chairs died. The An. arabiensis were susceptible to non-pyrethroids (pirimiphos methyl and bendiocarb), but resistant to pyrethroids commonly used on LLINs (deltamethrin and permethrin).

Conclusion
Most houses had actively-used peri-domestic outdoor spaces where exposure to mosquitoes occurred. The transfluthrin-treated chairs and ribbons reduced outdoor-biting malaria vectors in these peri-domestic spaces, and also elicited significant mortality among pyrethroid-resistant field-caught malaria vectors. These two new prototype formats for transfluthrin emanators, if developed further, may constitute new options for complementing LLINs and IRS with outdoor protection against malaria and other mosquito-borne pathogens in areas where peri-domestic human activities are common.
Health-related quality of life and associated factors among patients with diabetes mellitus at the University of Gondar referral hospital
Authors: Aschalew Andualem Yalew , Yitayal Mezgebu , Minyihun Amare 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundDiabetes mellitus, which has a wide range of effects on the physical, social and psychological aspects of the well-being of a person, is a common and challenging chronic disease that causes a significant rate of morbidity and mortality. However, studies in our country, by and large, focused on the impact of the disease in terms of mortality and morbidity alone. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and associated factors of diabetic patients at the University of Gondar referral hospital, Ethiopia.MethodsA facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar referral hospital from April to May 2017. A generic World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used to measure the HRQOL. The data were analyzed by Stata version 12. Multiple Linear Regression analysis withP-value 0.05 was used to measure the degree of association between HRQOL and independent variables.ResultsA total of 408 patients with Diabetes Mellitus were included in the study. The HRQOL scores for physical, psychological, social and environmental domains were 50.9, 54.5, 55.8 and 47.3, respectively. Diabetes-related complications had a significant association with all except the psychological domain. Higher HRQOL was associated with exercising, following the recommended diet, foot care, sensible drinking and the absence of co-morbidities. However, old age, unemployment and being single and widower had a significant association with lower HRQOL.ConclusionThe environmental and physical domains of HRQOL scores were the lowest compared to the social and psychological domains. Old age and living in rural area had a significant association with a lower HRQOL, whereas the absence of diabetes-related complications, exercising, general diet and foot care had a significant association with better HRQOL of patients. Therefore, strong advice on the recommended lifestyle is important, and old patients and rural dwellers should get due attention. In addition, the prevention of diabetes-related complications is important to improve the patient HRQOL which is an important outcome measurement from the patient’s perspective related to the impact of the disease. Therefore, including HRQOL assessment as part of routine management is necessary.
A cohort study of factors that influence oral health-related quality of life from age 12 to 18 in Hong Kong
Authors: Sun Ling , Wong Hai Ming , McGrath Colman P. J. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
There is a lack of cohort studies on the influence factors of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This study aimed to follow subjects from age 12 to 18 to analyse the sociodemographic and clinical factors that may influence OHRQoL.

Methods
This cohort study selected a representative sample from Hong Kong. Periodontal status and caries were examined according to WHO criteria. Four orthodontic indices were used to assess malocclusion. Child Perceptions Questionnaires (CPQ11–14) with 8 items (CPQ11–14-ISF: 8) and 37 items were used to assess OHRQoL at age 12 and age 15, respectively; Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to assess OHRQoL at age 18. Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Friedman’s test were used to analyse the age-related change of OHRQoL and malocclusion from age 12 to 18. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyse the influence factors of OHRQoL and to calculate adjusted risk ratio (RR).

Results
Subjects recruited in this study were 589 (305 females, 284 males), 364 (186 females, 178 males) and 300 (165 females, 135 males) at age 12, 15 and 18, respectively. Among them, 331 subjects (172 females, 159 males) were followed from age 12 to 15, and 118 subjects (106 females, 82 males) were followed from age 12 to 18. Subjects had less severe malocclusion at age 12 than at ages 15 and 18 (p = 0.000, measured by Dental Aesthetic Index). Age, periodontal status, and malocclusion had an effect on OHRQoL. When compared with OHRQoL at age 12, worse OHRQoL was observed at age 15 (adjusted RR = 1.06, 95%CI = 1.01–1.12, p = 0.032), but not at age 18 (adjusted RR = 1.01, 95%CI = 0.95–1.08, p = 0.759). Unhealthy periodontal conditions had a negative effect on OHRQoL (adjusted RR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.04–1.25, p = 0.007). Only severe malocclusions had a negative effect on OHRQoL; a more severe malocclusion was associated with a higher effect on OHRQoL (adjusted RR = 1.09, 95%CI = 1.01–1.18, p = 0.032 for severe malocclusion, and adjusted RR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.07–1.28, p = 0.001 for very severe malocclusion measured by Dental Aesthetic Index).

Conclusion
Age, periodontal status, and malocclusion had an influence on OHRQoL from age 12 to 18. When clinicians attempt to improve subjects’ OHRQoL, it is necessary to consider these factors.