bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sophoricoside ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy by activating AMPK/mTORC1-mediated autophagy
Authors: Gao Maomao , Hu Fengjiao , Hu Manli , Hu Yufeng , Shi Hongjie , Zhao Guo-Jun , Jian Chongshu , Ji Yan-Xiao , Zhang Xiao-Jing , She Zhi-Gang , Li Hongliang , Zhu Lihua 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Aim: The study aims to evaluate protective effects of sophoricoside (Sop) on cardiac hypertrophy. Meanwhile, the potential and significance of Sop should be broadened and it should be considered as an attractive drug for the treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.
Methods: Using the phenylephrine (PE)-induced neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) enlargement model, the potent protection of Sop against cardiomyocytes enlargement was evaluated. The function of Sop was validated in mice received transverse aortic coarctation (TAC) or sham surgery. At 1 week after TAC surgery, mice were treated with Sop for the following 4 weeks, the hearts were harvested after echocardiography examination.
Results: Our study revealed that Sop significantly mitigated TAC-induced heart dysfunction, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis. Mechanistically, Sop treatment induced a remarkable activation of AMPK/mTORC1-autophagy cascade following sustained hypertrophic stimulation. Importantly, the protective effect of Sop was largely abolished by the AMPKα inhibitor Compound C, suggesting an AMPK activation-dependent manner of Sop function on suppressing pathological cardiac hypertrophy.
Conclusion: Sop ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy by activating AMPK/mTORC1-mediated autophagy. Hence, Sop might be an attractive candidate for the treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.
A Questionnaire Survey of Current Rehabilitation Practices for Adults With Normal Hearing Sensitivity Who Experience Auditory Difficulties
Authors: Koerner Tess K. , A. Papesh Melissa , Gallun Frederick J. 
Published: September 2020

Purpose
A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information from clinical audiologists about rehabilitation options for adult patients who report significant auditory difficulties despite having normal or near-normal hearing sensitivity. This work aimed to provide more information about what audiologists are currently doing in the clinic to manage auditory difficulties in this patient population and their views on the efficacy of recommended rehabilitation methods.

Method
A questionnaire survey containing multiple-choice and open-ended questions was developed and disseminated online. Invitations to participate were delivered via e-mail listservs and through business cards provided at annual audiology conferences. All responses were anonymous at the time of data collection.

Results
Responses were collected from 209 participants. The majority of participants reported seeing at least one normal-hearing patient per month who reported significant communication difficulties. However, few respondents indicated that their location had specific protocols for the treatment of these patients. Counseling was reported as the most frequent rehabilitation method, but results revealed that audiologists across various work settings are also successfully starting to fit patients with mild-gain hearing aids. Responses indicated that patient compliance with computer-based auditory training methods was regarded as low, with patients generally preferring device-based rehabilitation options.

Conclusions
Results from this questionnaire survey strongly suggest that audiologists frequently see normal-hearing patients who report auditory difficulties, but that few clinicians are equipped with established protocols for diagnosis and management. While many feel that mild-gain hearing aids provide considerable benefit for these patients, very little research has been conducted to date to support the use of hearing aids or other rehabilitation options for this unique patient population. This study reveals the critical need for additional research to establish evidence-based practice guidelines that will empower clinicians to provide a high level of clinical care and effective rehabilitation strategies to these patients.
Plasma environment effects on K lines of astrophysical interest
Authors: Deprince J. , Bautista M. A. , Fritzsche S. , García J. A. , Kallman T. R. , Mendoza C. , Palmeri P. , Quinet P. 
Published: September 2020

Aims.Within the framework of compact-object accretion disks, we calculate plasma environment effects on the atomic structure and decay parameters used in the modeling of K lines in lowly charged iron ions, namely Fe II–Fe VIII.Methods.For this study, we used the fully relativistic multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method approximating the plasma electron–nucleus and electron-electron screenings with a time-averaged Debye-Hückel potential.Results.We report modified ionization potentials, K-threshold energies, wavelengths, radiative emission rates, and Auger widths for plasmas characterized by electron temperatures and densities in the ranges 105 − 107K and 1018 − 1022cm−3. In addition, we propose two universal fitting formulae to predict the IP and K-threshold lowerings in any elemental ion.Conclusions.We conclude that the high-resolution X-ray spectrometers onboard the future XRISM and ATHENA space missions will be able to detect the lowering of the K edges of these Fe ions due to the extreme plasma conditions occurring in the accretion disks around compact objects.
Broadband with enhanced oblique incidence metamaterial absorber
Authors: Ma Xia , Tian Feng , Li Xiaoyan , Guo Liang , Huang Xiaojun 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
In this paper, we present a broadband metamaterial absorber with excellent performances of oblique incidence and polarization insensitivity for enhancing the absorptance of electromagnetic waves at oblique incidence. Simulated results show that absorptance is larger than 0.9 in 1.61–4.45 GHz with the full width half maximum is 122.44%, and absorptance can be maintained stably as the incidence angle increases to 45° both in the case of transverse electric and transverse magnetic waves. The simulated results are successfully verified by microwave experiment in the anechoic chamber. The physics of absorption are revealed by the electric and magnetic fields energy distribution. We believe that the proposed absorber has many promising applications in electromagnetic stealth and energy harvesting.
Population genomics reveal apomixis in a novel system: uniclonal female populations dominate the tropical forest herb family, Hanguanaceae (Commelinales)
Authors: Niissalo Matti A , Leong-Škorničková Jana , Šída Otakar , Khew Gillian S 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe abundance of apomixis in tropical plant genera is poorly understood, and this affects the understanding of speciation and evolution. Hanguanaceae is a tropical monogeneric, dioecious plant family. All but two species are solitary herbs with no capability to spread vegetatively. Viable seeds are often produced when males have not been observed. Our aim was to investigate the presence of apomixis in Hanguana. We used reduced representation genomics to study phylogenetics and genetic variability in all populations of Hanguana in Singapore. We measured genome sizes and estimated ploidy levels in 10 species. Almost all taxa tested were genetically uniform (uniclonal) regardless of the extent of their distribution. The distribution of single clones over distinct localities supports our hypothesis of apomictic reproduction. Only one sexually reproducing native species was detected. Triploid and pentaploid states support our hypothesis that the type of apomixis in Hanguana is gametophytic. Population genomics tools offer a quick and cost-effective way of detecting excess clonality and thereby inferring apomixis. In the case of Hanguana, the presence of male plants is a strong indicator of sexual reproduction, whereas genome triplication is indicative of apomictic reproduction.
Testing Practices and Incidence of Chlamydial and Gonococcal Infection in the Veterans Health Administration, 2009–2019
Authors: Beste Lauren A , Maier Marissa M , Borgerding Joleen , Lowy Elliott , Hauser Ronald G , Van Epps Puja , Ohl Michael , Ross David , Chartier Maggie 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Background
Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae cases reached a record high in the United States in 2018. Although active-duty military service members have high rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection, trends in chlamydia and gonorrhea in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system have not been previously described, including among patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and young women.

Methods
We identified all veterans in VHA care from 2009 through 2019. Tests and cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea were defined based on laboratory results in the electronic health record. Chlamydia and gonorrhea incidence rates were calculated each year by demographic group and HIV status.

Results
In 2019, testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea occurred in 2.3% of patients, 22.6% of women aged 18–24 years, and 34.1% of persons living with HIV. The 2019 incidence of chlamydia and gonorrhea was 100.8 and 56.3 cases per 100 000 VHA users, an increase of 267% and 294%, respectively, since 2009. Veterans aged ≤34 years accounted for 9.5% of the VHA population but 66.9% of chlamydia and 42.9% of gonorrhea cases. Chlamydia and gonorrhea incidence rates in persons living with HIV were 1432 and 1687 per 100 000, respectively.

Conclusions
The incidence of chlamydia and gonorrhea rose dramatically from 2009 to 2019. Among tested persons, those living with HIV had a 15.2-fold higher unadjusted incidence of chlamydia and 34.9-fold higher unadjusted incidence of gonorrhea compared with those not living with HIV. VHA-wide adherence to chlamydia and gonorrhea testing in high-risk groups merits improvement.
Accuracy of left atrial fibrosis detection with cardiac magnetic resonance: correlation of late gadolinium enhancement with endocardial voltage and conduction velocity
Authors: Caixal Gala , Alarcón Francisco , Althoff Till F , Nuñez-Garcia Marta , Benito Eva Maria , Borràs Roger , Perea Rosario Jesus , Prat-González Susana , Garre Paz , Soto-Iglesias David , Gunturitz Clara , Cozzari Jennifer , Linhart Markus , Tolosana Jose Maria , Arbelo Elena , Roca-Luque Ivo , Sitges Marta , Guasch Eduard , Mont Lluis 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Aims
Myocardial fibrosis is a hallmark of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its characterization could be used to guide ablation procedures. Late gadolinium enhanced-magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-MRI) detects areas of atrial fibrosis. However, its accuracy remains controversial. We aimed to analyse the accuracy of LGE-MRI to identify left atrial (LA) arrhythmogenic substrate by analysing voltage and conduction velocity at the areas of LGE.

Methods and results
Late gadolinium enhanced-magnetic resonance imaging was performed before ablation in 16 patients. Atrial wall intensity was normalized to blood pool and classified as healthy, interstitial fibrosis, and dense scar tissue depending of the resulting image intensity ratio. Bipolar voltage and local conduction velocity were measured in LA with high-density electroanatomic maps recorded in sinus rhythm and subsequently projected into the LGE-MRI. A semi-automatic, point-by-point correlation was made between LGE-MRI and electroanatomical mapping. Mean bipolar voltage and local velocity progressively decreased from healthy to interstitial fibrosis to scar. There was a significant negative correlation between LGE with voltage (r = −0.39, P &lt; 0.001) and conduction velocity (r = −0.25, P &lt; 0.001). In patients showing dilated atria (LA diameter ≥45 mm) the conduction velocity predictive capacity of LGE-MRI was weaker (r = −0.40 ± 0.09 vs. –0.20 ± 0.13, P = 0.02).

Conclusions
Areas with higher LGE show lower voltage and slower conduction in sinus rhythm. The enhancement intensity correlates with bipolar voltage and conduction velocity in a point-by-point analysis. The performance of LGE-MRI in assessing local velocity might be reduced in patients with dilated atria (LA diameter ≥45).
Changing paradigms: from prevention of thromboembolic events to improved survival in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Escobar Carlos , Camm A John 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Atrial fibrillation is associated with a five-fold increase in the risk of stroke. Current guidelines recommend the use of the CHA2DS2-VASc score to stratify the risk of stroke. In addition, guidelines recommend the identification of the conditions that increase the risk of haemorrhage to be modified and thus decrease the risk of bleeding. Nevertheless, many patients with a high thromboembolic risk are prescribed antiplatelet treatment or do not receive any antithrombotic therapy. In addition, therapeutic inertia is common in anticoagulated patients taking vitamin K antagonists, and underdosing is an emerging problem with direct oral anticoagulants, probably because many physicians consider the risk of stroke and the risk of major bleeding to be equal. It is necessary to develop a new approach to risk stratification, an approach that moves from morbidity to mortality, i.e., from stratification of the risk of stroke and major bleeding to stratification of the risk of mortality associated with stroke and the risk of mortality associated with bleeding. In this article, we propose a novel risk stratification approach based on the mortality associated with stroke and bleeding, illustrated by data derived from the literature.
Redeposition experiments with natural sediments from the SE Black Sea in magnetic fields between about 2 and 114 µT
Authors: Nowaczyk Norbert R 
Published: September 2020

SUMMARY
Diluted slurry with an initial density of 1.30 g cm−3 prepared from natural glacial Black Sea sediments was deposited under controlled field conditions between 1.72 and 114.21 µT. Compaction was achieved by evaporation of a portion of the pore water from the open sample boxes over 4–7 d until a density of about 1.44–1.55 g cm−3 was reached. Magnetizations M acquired in a magnetic field B follow a slightly non-linear function with M ∼ B0.82. Similar relationships were also obtained for palaeointensity estimates for the artificial samples by using normalization by low-field susceptibility, anhysteretic remanent magnetization and saturation magnetization. All samples are characterized by a magnetic fabric typical for natural sediments as checked by determining the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. The sediments’ anisotropy is in the range of 6–7 per cent and it is characterized by an oblate anisotropy ellipsoid with its small axis perpendicular to the deposition plane. According to scanning electron microscope imaging low-Ti magnetite particles present in the used sediments are in the range of 1–30 µm with the majority of particles 2–5 µm in size. Obtained results confirm the conclusion from other magnetostratigraphic studies that the Laschamps geomagnetic polarity excursion in the Black Sea area exhibited field values as low as 2.8 µT in its transitional phase between normal and reversed polarity.
Seismic velocity and anisotropy of the uppermost mantle beneath Madagascar from Pn tomography
Authors: Andriampenomanana Fenitra , Nyblade Andrew A , Wysession Michael E , Durrheim Raymond J , Tilmann Frederik , Barruol Guilhem , Rambolamanana Gérard , Rakotondraibe Tsiriandrimanana 
Published: September 2020

SUMMARY
The lithosphere of Madagascar records a long series of tectonic processes. Structures initially inherited from the Pan-African Orogeny are overprinted by a series of extensional tectonic and magmatic events that began with the breakup of Gondwana and continued through to the present. Here, we present a Pn-tomography study in which Pn traveltimes are inverted to investigate the lateral variation of the seismic velocity and anisotropy within the uppermost mantle beneath Madagascar. Results show that the Pn velocities within the uppermost mantle vary by ±0.30 km s–1 about a mean of 8.10 km s–1. Low-Pn-velocity zones (&lt;8.00 km s–1) are observed beneath the Cenozoic alkaline volcanic provinces in the northern and central regions. They correspond to thermally perturbed zones, where temperatures are estimated to be elevated by ∼100–300 K. Moderately low Pn velocities are found near the southern volcanic province and along an E–W belt in central Madagascar. This belt is located at the edge of a broader low S-velocity anomaly in the mantle imaged in a recent surface wave tomographic study. High-Pn-velocity zones (&gt;8.20 km s–1) coincide with stable and less seismically active regions. The pattern of Pn anisotropy is very complex, with small-scale variations in both the amplitude and the fast-axis direction, and generally reflects the complicated tectonic history of Madagascar. Pn anisotropy and shear wave (SKS) splitting measurements show good correlations in the southern parts of Madagascar, indicating coherency in the vertical distribution of lithospheric deformation along Pan-African shear zone as well as coupling between the crust and mantle when the shear zones were active. In most other regions, discrepancies between Pn anisotropy and SKS measurements suggest that the seismic anisotropy in the uppermost mantle beneath Madagascar differs from the vertically integrated upper mantle anisotropy, implying a present-day vertical partitioning of the deformation. Pn anisotropy directions lack the coherent pattern expected for an incipient plate boundary within Madagascar proposed in some kinematic models of the region.
Properly embedded minimal annuli in $\mathbb{S}^2 \times \mathbb{R}$
Authors: Hauswirth L , Kilian M , Schmidt M U 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
We prove that every properly embedded minimal annulus in $\mathbb{S}^2\times\mathbb{R}$ is foliated by circles. We show that such minimal annuli are given by periodic harmonic maps $\mathbb{C} \to \mathbb{S}^2$ of finite type. Such harmonic maps are parameterized by spectral data, and we show that continuous deformations of the spectral data preserve the embeddedness of the corresponding annuli. A curvature estimate of Meeks and Rosenberg is used to show that each connected component of spectral data of embedded minimal annuli contains a maximum of the flux of the third coordinate. A classification of these maxima allows us to identify the spectral data of properly embedded minimal annuli with the spectral data of minimal annuli foliated by circles.
Prudence in Shared Decision-Making: The Missing Link between the “Technically Correct” and the “Morally Good” in Medical Decision-Making
Authors: Kioko Paul Muleli , Requena Meana Pablo 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Shared Decision-Making is a widely accepted model of the physician–patient relationship providing an ethical environment in which physician beneficence and patient autonomy are respected. It acknowledges the moral responsibility of physician and patient by promoting a deliberative collaboration in which their individual expertise—complementary in nature, equal in importance—is emphasized, and personal values and preferences respected. Its goal coincides with Pellegrino and Thomasma’s proximate end of medicine, that is, a technically correct and morally good healing decision for and with a particular patient. We argue that by perfecting the intellectual ability to apprehend the complexity of clinical situations, and through a perfection of the application of the first principles of practical reason, prudence is able to point toward the right and good shared medical decision. A prudent shared medical decision is therefore always in keeping with the kind of person the physician and the patient have chosen to be.
Long-term outcome of cutaneous melanoma patients treated with boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)
Authors: Hiratsuka Junichi , Kamitani Nobuhiko , Tanaka Ryo , Tokiya Ryoji , Yoden Eisaku , Sakurai Yosinori , Suzuki Minoru 
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACT
Our aim was to assess the long-term clinical outcome of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) using 10B-para-boronophenylalanine (BPA) as the boron delivery agent for cutaneous melanoma. Eight patients (eight lesions) were treated between October 2003 and April 2014. Their ages ranged from 48 to 86 years at the time of treatment. All of the targets were primary lesions and they were located on the sole or face. No patient had evidence of regional lymph node involvement, distant metastases or an active secondary cancer. The clinical stage was cT1-2N0M0 and performance scores were &lt;2. BNCT was carried out at the Kyoto University Research Reactor (KUR). The patients were irradiated with an epithermal neutron beam between the curative tumor dose and the tolerable skin dose. Eight patients were evaluated and six showed a complete response (CR), while two patients had a partial response (PR). Of the two patients with a PR, one has remained a PR with brown spots persisting for 7.5 years following BNCT. The tumor in the other patient recurred after 6 years at the site of persisting brown macula. The overall control rate (CR + PR without recurrence) for the cohort was 88% (7/8). There have never been any adverse events &gt;Grade 2 for the long follow-up period. Our results suggest that BNCT may be a promising treatment modality in the management of early stage cutaneous melanoma when wide local excision is not feasible.
Radiation protection in radiological imaging: a survey of imaging modalities used in Japanese institutions for verifying applicator placements in high-dose-rate brachytherapy
Authors: Okamoto Hiroyuki , Kito Satoshi , Tohyama Naoki , Yonai Shunsuke , Kawamorita Ryu , Nakamura Masaru , Fujimoto Takahiro , Tani Syoji , Yomoda Akihiro , Isobe Toru , Furukawa Hiroshi , Kotaka Kikuo , Itami Jun , Ikushima Hitoshi , Dokiya Takushi , Shioyama Yoshiyuki 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Institutional imaging protocols for the verification of brachytherapy applicator placements were investigated in a survey study of domestic radiotherapy institutions. The survey form designed by a free on-line survey system was distributed via the mailing-list system of the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology. Survey data of 75 institutions between August 2019 and October 2019 were collected. The imaging modalities used were dependent on resources available to the institutions. The displacement of a brachytherapy applicator results in significant dosimetric impact. It is essential to verify applicator placements using imaging modalities before treatment. Various imaging modalities used in institutions included a computed tomography (CT) scanner, an angiography X-ray system, a multi-purpose X-ray system and a radiotherapy simulator. The median total exposure time in overall treatment sessions was $\le$75 s for gynecological and prostate cancers. Some institutions used fluoroscopy to monitor the brachytherapy source movement. Institutional countermeasures for reducing unwanted imaging dose included minimizing the image area, changing the imaging orientation, reducing the imaging frequency and optimizing the imaging conditions. It is worth noting that half of the institutions did not confirm imaging dose regularly. This study reported on the usage of imaging modalities for brachytherapy in Japan. More caution should be applied with interstitial brachytherapy with many catheters that can lead to potentially substantial increments in imaging doses for monitoring the actual brachytherapy source using fluoroscopy. It is necessary to share imaging techniques, standardize imaging protocols and quality assurance/quality control among institutions, and imaging dose guidelines for optimization of imaging doses delivered in radiotherapy should be developed.