bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Functional Adrenal Insufficiency among Tuberculosis-Human Immunodeficiency Virus co-infected patients: A Cross-section study in Uganda
Authors: Naggirinya Agnes Bwanika Bwanika , Biraro Irene Andia , Meya David B. , Mupere Ezekiel , Mujugira Andrew , Worodria William , Manabe Yukari C. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Objective:Tuberculosis is the leading cause of adrenal insufficiency in resource-limited settings. The adrenal gland is the most commonly affected endocrine organ in tuberculosis infection. We assessed prevalence and factors associated with functional adrenal insufficiency among human immunodeficiency virus infected patients with multidrug-resistant and drug-susceptible tuberculosis in Uganda. Patients with drug-sensitive and resistant tuberculosis were enrolled, examined for clinical signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency, an early morning serum cortisol level obtained. Functional adrenal insufficiency was defined as early morning serum cortisol below 414/nmol//L. Associations with functional adrenal insufficiency were estimated using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 311 tuberculosis patients were screened, and 272 enrolled. Of these, 117 (43%) had multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Median age was 32 years (IQR 18-66) and 66% were men. Prevalence of functional adrenal insufficiency was 59.8%. Mean cortisol levels were lower in participants with multi-drug resistant than drug-susceptible tuberculosis (317.4 versus 488.5 nmol/L; p<0.001). In multivariable analysis, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (aOR 36.60; 95% CI 8.30-161.42; p<0.001) and skin hyperpigmentation (aOR 9.63; 95% CI: 2.83-32.8; p<0.001) were significantly associated with functional adrenal insufficiency. Early morning serum cortisol levels should be quantified in TB-HIV co-infected patients.
Prediction of pre-eclampsia in nulliparous women using routinely collected maternal characteristics: A model development and validation study
Authors: Al-Rubaie Ziad TA , Hudson H Malcolm , Jenkins Gregory , Mahmoud Imad , Ray Joel G , Askie Lisa M , Lord Sarah J 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background Guidelines recommend identifying early in pregnancy women at elevated risk of pre-eclampsia. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a pre-eclampsia risk prediction model for nulliparous women attending routine antenatal care “the Western Sydney (WS) model”; and to compare its performance with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) risk factor-list approach for classifying women as high-risk.Methods This retrospective cohort study included all nulliparous women who gave birth in three public hospitals in the Western-Sydney-Local-Health-District, Australia 2011-2014. Using births from 2011-2012, multivariable logistic regression incorporated established maternal risk factors to develop and internally validate the WS model. The WS model was then externally validated using births from 2013-2014, assessing its discrimination and calibration. We fitted the final WS model for all births from 2011-2014, and compared its accuracy in predicting pre-eclampsia with the NICE approach.Results Among 12,395 births to nulliparous women in 2011-2014, there were 293 (2.4%) pre-eclampsia events. The WS model included maternal age, body mass index, ethnicity, multiple pregnancy, family history of pre-eclampsia, autoimmune disease, chronic hypertension and chronic renal disease. In the validation sample (6201 births), the model c-statistic was 0.70 (95% confidence interval 0.65–0.75). The observed:expected ratio for pre-eclampsia was 0.91, with a Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test p-value of 0.20. In the entire study sample of 12,395 births, 374 (3.0%) women had a WS model-estimated pre-eclampsia risk ≥8%, the pre-specified risk-threshold for considering aspirin prophylaxis. Of these, 54 (14.4%) developed pre-eclampsia (sensitivity 18% (14–23), specificity 97% (97–98)). Using the NICE approach, 1173 (9.5%) women were classified as high-risk, of which 107 (9.1%) developed pre-eclampsia (sensitivity 37% (31-42), specificity 91% (91–92)). The final model showed similar accuracy to the NICE approach when using lower risk-threshold of ≥4% to classify women as high-risk for pre-eclampsia.Conclusion The WS risk model that combines readily-available maternal characteristics achieved modest performance for prediction of pre-eclampsia in nulliparous women. The model did not outperform the NICE approach, but has the advantage of providing individualised absolute risk estimates, to assist with counselling, inform decisions for further testing, and consideration of aspirin prophylaxis.
A global analysis of CNVs in Chinese indigenous fine-wool sheep populations using whole-genome resequencing
Authors: yuan chao , Lu Zengkui , Guo Tingting , Yue yaojing , Wang Xijun , Wang Tianxiang , Zhang Yajun , Hou Fujun , Niu Chune , Sun Xiaopin , Zhao Hongchang , Zhu Shaohua , Liu Jianbin , Yang Bohui 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background Copy number variation (CNV) is an important source of genetic variation that has a significant influence on phenotypic diversity, important economic traits and the evolution of livestock species. In this study, the genome-wide CNV distribution characteristics of 32 fine-wool sheep from three breeds were analyzed using resequencing.Results A total of 1747604 CNVs were detected in this study, and 7228 CNV regions (CNVR) were obtained after merging overlapping CNVs; these regions accounted for 2.17% of the sheep reference genome. The average length of the CNVRs was 4307.17 bp. “Deletion” events took place more frequently than “duplication” or “both” events. The CNVRs obtained overlapped with previously reported sheep CNVRs to variable extents (4.39%–55.46%). Functional enrichment analysis showed that the CNVR-harboring genes were mainly involved in sensory perception systems, nutrient metabolism processes, and growth and development processes. Furthermore, 1855 of the CNVRs were associated with 166 quantitative trait loci (QTL), including milk QTLs, carcass QTLs, and health-related QTLs, among others. In addition, the 32 fine-wool sheep were divided into horned and polled groups to analyze for the selective elimination of CNVRs, and it was found that the RXFP2 gene was strongly influenced by selection.Conclusions In summary, we constructed a genomic CNV map for Chinese indigenous fine-wool sheep using resequencing, thereby providing a valuable genetic variation resource for sheep genome research, which will contribute to the study of complex traits in sheep.
Detection of Atypical porcine pestivirus in Swedish pigs with congenital tremor type A-II
Authors: Stenberg Hedvig , Jacobson Magdalena , Malmberg Maja 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background Congenital tremor type A-II is a neurological disorder characterized by tremor of the head and body of new-born piglets. The suggestive causative agent of the disease is the recently found atypical porcine pestivirus. The virus has been detected in piglets suffering from congenital tremor in central Europe, South and North America and in China but no studies has so far not been performed in the Nordic countries, hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of atypical porcine pestivirus in Swedish piglets. From June 2017 – June 2018, 15 piglets from four Swedish farms with ongoing outbreaks of congenital tremor, and 13 piglets with splay leg, from four different farms, were investigated for presence of APPV RNA in brain tissue. Matched healthy control piglets (n=8) were also studied. Two APPV-specific RT-qPCR:s targeting the NS3 and NS5B region, respectively, were used. A retrospective study was performed in the same manner on material from Swedish piglets with congenital tremor sampled in 2004 (n=11) and 2011/2012 (n=6). Results Atypical porcine pestivirus-RNA was detected in 93% (27/29) of the piglets suffering from congenital tremor. All samples from piglets with congenital tremor from 2004 (n = 11) and 2012 (n = 3) were PCR-positive with respect to APPV. All of the healthy controls (n=8) were negative for APPV. The piglets with congenital tremor sampled 2017-2018 had an odds ratio of 271 (95% CI 12.1 to 6096.8, z = 3.5, P = 0.0004) to test positive for APPV by qRT-PCR compared to the healthy piglets (Fishers exact test p < 0.0001). These findings make it interesting to continue investigating APPV in pigs in Sweden, as most of the virus details is unknown to date. Conclusion This is the first description of atypical porcine pestivirus in piglets with congenital tremor type A-II in Sweden and the Nordic countries. The virus has been present in the Swedish pig population since at least 2004.
Quality of care in Hunan Province nursing homes: relationship to staffing and organizational climate
Authors: Li Hui , Yang Yunxia , XIAO Lily Dongxia , A. Wiley James , Chen Huijing , Liao Lulu , Hu Hengyu , Peng Linlin , Feng Hui 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background: Confounding factors, such as staff characteristics and organizational features, are neglected in most studies when assessing the relationship between staffing levels and quality of care,and previous research provides inconsistent conclusions.The aim of this study wasto examine the quality of care perceived by nursing staff and its relationship with the staffing and organizational climate in nursing homes.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. This study included 358 nursing staff from 52 units in 26 nursing homesin Hunan Province, China. Organizational climate was assessed with the Nursing Home adaptation Shortell scale and work stress scale. Staffing levels were studied by interviewing unit managers. Self-reported quality of care was measured with a single item.
Results: The interaction effect between nursing staff to resident ratio and physician to resident ratio was significant on quality of care (p<0.05). Higher score on the relationships and communication scale (OR=4.771, p=0.002) and lower score on the work stress scale (OR=0.980, p=0.050) were also associated with better quality of care. More work experience was related to lower quality of care (OR=0.942, p=0.044), and work experience was associated with relationships and communication (Beta=0.115, p= 0.037) and work stress (Beta=0.234, p=0.000).
Conclusions: Staffing level, work experience, work stress, relationships and communication are key factors to consider when the objective is to provide higher quality of care in nursing homes.
The effect of problem-based learning after coronary heart disease – A randomised study in primary health care (COR-PRIM)
Authors: Köhler Anita Kärner , Jaarsma Tiny , Tingström Pia , Nilsson Staffan 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background The hypothesis tested was that one year of problem-based learning (PBL) improves patients’ self-efficacy, and empowerment to change self-care significantly compared to one year of standardised home-sent patient information after an event of coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods We randomly assigned 157 patients (78% male; age 68±8.5 years) with CHD verified by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (70.1%) or coronary artery by-pass surgery (CABG) and CABG+PCI or myocardial infarction (29.9%) to either PBL (experimental group; n = 79) or home-sent patient information group (controls; n = 78). The PBL intervention consisted of a patient education in primary health care by trained district nurses who tutored groups of 6-9 patients on 13 occasions over one year. Controls received home- sent patient information on 11 occasions during the study year. Results At the one-year follow-up, the primary outcome, patient empowerment, did not significantly differ between the experimental group and controls. We found no significant differences between the groups regarding the secondary outcomes e.g. self-efficacy, although we found significant differences for body mass index (BMI) [-0.17 (SD 1.5) vs. 0.50 (SD 1.6), P=0.033 ], body weight [-0.83 (SD 4.45 vs. 1.14 kg (SD 4.85), P=0.026 ] and HDL cholesterol [0.1 (SD 0.7) vs. 0.0 mmol/L (SD 0.3), P=0.038 ] for the experimental group compared to controls. Conclusions The PBL and the home-sent patient information interventions had similar results regarding patient empowerment. However, PBL exhibited significant effects on weight loss, BMI, and HDL cholesterol levels, indicating that the PBL intervention positively affected risk factors compared to the home-sent patient information intervention. Trial registration : NCT01462799 (August 2019, date last accessed) Keywords: Problem-based learning, Coronary Heart Disease, Primary Health Care, Patient empowerment, Risk factors, Self-care
Adjuvant chemotherapy could not bring survival benefit to HR-positive, HER2-negative, pT1b-c/N0-1/M0 invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast: a propensity score matching study based on SEER database
Authors: Hu Guangfu , Hu Guangxia , Zhang Chengjiao , Lin Xiaoyan , Shan Ming , Yu Yanmin , Lu Yongwei , Niu Ruijie , Ye Hui , Xu Cheng , Wang Cheng 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background : The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is still unclear. The objective of the current study was to elucidate the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy in hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, pT1b-c/N0-1/M0 ILC.
Methods: Based on Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER) database, we identified original 13996 HR-positive, HER2-negative, pT1b-c/N0-1/M0 ILC patients, who were then divided into adjuvant chemotherapy group and control group. End-points were overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM). Aiming to minimize the selection bias of baseline characteristics, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method was used.
Results : In a total of 13996 patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative, pT1b-c/N0-1/M0 ILC, 1800 patients (12.9%) were allocated into adjuvant chemotherapy group and 12196 (87.1%) into control group. Used PSM, the 1800 patients in adjuvant chemotherapy group matched to the 1800 patients in control group. By Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, we observed beneficial effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on OS in original samples ( P =0.001) but ineffectiveness in matched samples ( P =0.400), however, ineffective or even contrary results of adjuvant chemotherapy on BCSM both in original samples (P =0.001) and in matched samples ( P= 0.033). In both original and matched multivariate Cox models, we observed ineffectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy on OS (hazard ratio (HR) for overall mortality = 1.243, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.954-1.619]; P =0.108 and HR=1.227, 95%CI [0.870-1.731]; P =0.244, respectively), unexpectedly promoting effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on BCSM (HR=2.446, 95%CI [1.598-3.742]; P =0.001 and HR=1.791, 95%CI [1.056-3.037]; P = 0.031, respectively). Lymph node metastasis was detrimental to survival in original samples, but had unobvious effect in matched samples. Radiotherapy and standard surgery were beneficial to the survival of patients.
Conclusion: Adjuvant chemotherapy could bring no survival benefit to HR-positive, HER2-negative, pT1b-c/N0-1/M0 ILC, even contribute to BCSM.
Predictors of catheter-related bladder discomfort after gynaecological surgery
Authors: Li Shuying , Song Liping , Ma Yushan , Lin Xuemei 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background: Urinary catheterization is universally used during surgery, and the incidence of postoperative catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) is very high during recovery. We conducted this study to identify the incidence and predictors of postoperative CRBD after gynaecological surgery in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Patients undergoing gynaecological surgery under general anesthesia with intra-operative urinary catheterization were enrolled. We collected the clinical data, incidence and severity of CRBD, and postoperative pain for the patients. Predictive factors of CRBD were analysed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 407 patients were included in this study. The incidence of CRBD after gynaecological surgery was 64.6% (mild CRBD: 22.8%; moderate CRBD: 34.2%; and severe CRBD: 7.6%). Univariate analysis showed that age, type of surgery, type of laparoscopic surgery, additional analgesics, and postoperative pain were influencing factors for CRBD. Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, age ≥50 years, uterus-related laparoscopic surgery, and lack of additional analgesics were independent predictors of moderate or severe CRBD. Conclusions: This observational study revealed that the incidence of CRBD after gynaecological surgery in PACU was very high. Age ≥50 years, uterus-related laparoscopic surgery, and lack of additional analgesics were independent predictors of CRBD. We suggested that drug prophylaxis should be used to the patients with high risk of CRBD in gynaecological surgery.
ENERGY PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF ENVELOPES FROM ORGANIC MATERIALS
Authors: BIKS Yuriy , RATUSHNYAK Georgiy , RATUSHNYAK Olga 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
The paper estimates the thermal perfomance of effective building envelopes from organic materials for the construction of low-rise buildings. The popular types of walls made of natural energy-efficient materials with low carbon footprint are considered in numerical assessment: hempcrete, adobe, strawbale panel, earthbag and cordwood. The influence of the constructive layer type of the envelope on the amount of thermal inertia time is analyzed. It is revealed that the hempcrete wall has the biggest thermal inertia time, the wall of the earthbags has almost ten times smaller. The walls made of adobe and strawbale panels have practically equal time of thermal inertia. For more objective analysis, by taking into account the variety of physical and physical-mechanical parameters of the envelopes’ material, the concept of integral criterion of the envelope energy efficiency potential is proposed. The estimation of the integral criterion of energy efficiency potential is calculated by the Analytic Hierarchy Process and the proposed method is fulfilled. Comparison of the integral criterion of energy efficiency potential for different wall types which was made by menas of two abovementioned methods has shown the same order of magnitude.
Pulsed Laser Annealing Effect on Optical and Structural Properties of ZnS/ZnSe Heterostructures
Authors: Howari Haidar 
Published: November 2019

Studies of pulsed laser annealing (PLA) on semiconductor thin films were performed to examine changes of the optical and structural parameters due to the laser heat. Thin films of ZnS/ZnSe were deposited on quartz substrates at a pressure of 8.2*10-6 mbar using PVD technique. These thin films were annealed at different laser powers using CO2 pulsed laser. Transmission and reflection spectra were recorded before and after the annealing process. A decrease in the transmission and reflection spectra after annealing is observed. The absorption coefficient, refractive index, damping coefficient and dielectric constant were calculated before and after the annealing process. Changes in the optical parameters are found after the annealing process. The energy band gaps of ZnS and ZnSe have been determined. Upon annealing, an increase in the absorption coefficient is observed which is due to an improvement in the granular nanostructure of the ZnS/ZnSe thin films. XRD patterns of the prepared samples were obtained before and after the annealing procedure and revealed an enhancement in the crystallite structure upon annealing.
Application of Three-dimensional (3D) Tumor Cell Culture Systems and Mechanism of Drug Resistance
Authors: Shehzad Adeeb , Ravinayagam Vijaya , AlRumaih Hamad , Aljafary Meneerah , Almohazey Dana , Almofty Sarah , Al-Rashid Noor A. , Al-Suhaimi Ebtesam A. 
Published: November 2019

:
The in-vitro experimental model for the development of cancer therapeutics has always been challenging.
Recently, the scientific revolution has improved cell culturing techniques by applying three dimensional (3D)
culture system, which provides a similar physiologically relevant in-vivo model for studying various diseases
including cancer. In particular, cancer cells exhibiting in-vivo behavior in a model of 3D cell culture is a more
accurate cell culture model to test the effectiveness of anticancer drugs or characterization of cancer cells in comparison
with two dimensional (2D) monolayer. This study underpins various factors that cause resistance to anticancer
drugs in forms of spheroids in 3D in-vitro cell culture and also outlines key challenges and possible solutions
for the future development of these systems.
Computational Prediction of Ubiquitination Proteins Using Evolutionary Profiles and Functional Domain Annotation
Authors: Qiu Wangren , Xu Chunhui , Xiao Xuan , Xu Dong 
Published: November 2019

Background:Ubiquitination, as a post-translational modification, is a crucial biological process in cell signaling, apoptosis, and localization. Identification of ubiquitination proteins is of fundamental importance for understanding the molecular mechanisms in biological systems and diseases. Although high-throughput experimental studies using mass spectrometry have identified many ubiquitination proteins and ubiquitination sites, the vast majority of ubiquitination proteins remain undiscovered, even in well-studied model organisms.Objective:To reduce experimental costs, computational methods have been introduced to predict ubiquitination sites, but the accuracy is unsatisfactory. If it can be predicted whether a protein can be ubiquitinated or not, it will help in predicting ubiquitination sites. However, all the computational methods so far can only predict ubiquitination sites.Methods:In this study, the first computational method for predicting ubiquitination proteins without relying on ubiquitination site prediction has been developed. The method extracts features from sequence conservation information through a grey system model, as well as functional domain annotation and subcellular localization.Results:Together with the feature analysis and application of the relief feature selection algorithm, the results of 5-fold cross-validation on three datasets achieved a high accuracy of 90.13%, with Matthew’s correlation coefficient of 80.34%. The predicted results on an independent test data achieved 87.71% as accuracy and 75.43% of Matthew’s correlation coefficient, better than the prediction from the best ubiquitination site prediction tool available.Conclusion:Our study may guide experimental design and provide useful insights for studying the mechanisms and modulation of ubiquitination pathways. The code is available at: https://github.com/Chunhuixu/UBIPredic_QWRCHX.