bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection With Genotype E Predominance in Burkina Faso
Authors: Wongjarupong Nicha , Yonli Albert Theophane , Nagalo Bolni Marius , Djigma Florencia Wendkuuni , Somda Sosthene Kounpielime , Hassan Mohamed A. , Mohamed Essa A. , Sorgho Abel Pegdwende , Compaore Tegwinde Rebeca , Soubeiga Serge Theophile , Kiendrebeogo Isabelle , Sanou Mahamoudou , Diarra Birama , Yang Hwai‐I , Chen Chien‐Jen , Ouattara Abdoul K. , Zohoncon Théodora M. , Martinson Jeremy J. , Buetow Kenneth , Chamcheu Jean Christopher , Antwi Samuel O. , Borad Mitesh J. , Simpore Jacques , Roberts Lewis R. 
Published: September 2020

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype E (HBV‐E) accounts for the majority of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infections in West Africa. We aimed to determine factors associated with HBV‐E‐induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in West Africa. Data on patients from Burkina Faso who were hepatitis B surface antigen positive (HBsAg+) and had CHB were analyzed. HBV viral load and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status were measured in 3,885 individuals with CHB without HCC (CHB HCC−) and 59 individuals with CHB with HCC (CHB HCC+). HBV genotyping was performed for 364 subjects with CHB HCC− and 41 subjects with CHB HCC+. Overall, 2.5% of the CHB HCC− group was HBeAg+ compared with 0% of the CHB HCC+ group. Of the 364 patients who were CHB HCC− with available genotyping, the frequencies of HBV genotypes E and C/E were 70.3% and 12.9%, respectively. Age (odds ratio [OR] for older age, 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06‐1.10 per 1‐year increase in age), male sex (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.11‐3.69), and HBV viremia (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.31‐1.67 per 1 log10 IU/mL) were each associated with HCC diagnosis. Patients with genotype E had a lower HBeAg prevalence (6.3% vs. 14.9%), lower HBV viral load, and higher prevalence of cirrhosis (14.5% vs. 4.8%) than patients with genotype C/E. Conclusion: HBV‐E is the most common circulating strain (70.3%) in West African patients. HCC was associated with older age, male sex, and high HBV viral load. It is expected that these results will further inform guidance on clinical management of HBV infection in West Africa.
What attracts and sustain urban poor to informal healthcare practitioners? A study on practitioners' perspectives and patients' experiences in an Indian city
Authors: E P Abdul Azeez , Selvi G. Anbu , Sharma Garima , A P Senthil Kumar 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe practice of allopathic medicine by informal healthcare practitioners (IHPs) is ubiquitous in India. However, a little is known about the patients' experiences and IHPs' perspectives. The core questions guided the present study were (1) why do urban poor approach IHPs for healthcare? (2) what are their experiences of availing services from IHPs? and (3) what are the perspectives of IHPs about their practice with the population they serve? A qualitative research design guided the study. The study was conducted in the Gurugram city of Haryana, India. Nine IHPs and twenty‐seven patients who fit into the pre‐established inclusion criteria were interviewed. The findings of the study underline the structural constrains of healthcare access to the poor in India and the mutual dependencies between IHPs and the urban poor. Three themes were emerged corresponding to the perspectives of IHPs, and five themes were generated, which describes patients' experiences and perspectives of availing treatment. The factors that attract and sustain patients to IHPs are a mixture of socio‐economic aspects, which include poverty, inaccessibility, unaffordability, inefficient public healthcare facilities, and the positive behavioural and treatment attributes of the practitioners. The study implies urgent policy interventions to ensure quality healthcare to urban poor.
Ready Biodegradability Ring Testing of 4-Isopropylphenol in Different Laboratories for Critical Evaluation of a Biodegradable Reference Substance
Authors: Gu Wen , Zhou Linjun , Wang Zhen , Lin Chunjun , Liu Jining , Ge Haihong , Shi Lili 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Ready biodegradability is a key property for studying the environmental and ecological risks posed by chemicals, and a reference substance is used to check the reliability of the test results. Traditional reference substances such as aniline, sodium benzoate, and ammonium acetate rapidly degrade even in test systems without inoculum. In this study, 4-isopropylphenol was investigated as a reference candidate. Aerobic biodegradation of 4-isopropylphenol was studied using different methods, and repeatability tests were performed in multiple laboratories. 4-Isopropylphenol met the ready biodegradability passing level in a closed bottle test (OECD 301D) and manometric respirometry test (OECD 301F). No obvious toxicity was found in activated sludge respiration inhibition and biodegradable toxicity control tests. The results of 301F tests performed in 15 Chinese laboratories were compared using statistical robustness analyses and Z-scores. The robust average 28-d biodegradability rate for 4-isopropylphenol was 80.3%, and the relative standard deviation was 9.20%. The data from the 15 laboratories consistently indicated that 4-isopropylphenol was readily biodegradable, except for an “unsatisfactory” outlier result from 1 laboratory. The degradation kinetics of 4-isopropylphenol were derived from a logistic model, which had a good fit for the degradation curve. The biodegradation lag phase was 2.3 d (range 2–5 d), and the pass level was attained at 6.5 d on average (range 2–9 d), which met the 10-d window requirement. The biodegradation rate at 28 d was 75.3% (range 64.0%–95.1%). The ready biodegradability of 4-isopropylphenol indicates that it will be more appropriate as a reference chemical than other reference compounds used for investigating the biodegradability of chemicals. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:562–572. © 2020 SETAC
KEY POINTS
Provided critical assessment for the improvement of the best practices when conducting biodegradable studies globally due to regulatory and product stewardship drivers. Provide sufficient ring test data for the evaluation of new potential biodegradable reference material 4-isopropylphenol.
Human Activities Impact Prediction in Vegetation Diversity of Lar National Park in Iran Using Artificial Neural Network Model
Authors: Jahani Ali , Saffariha Maryam 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
The effects of livestock and tourism on vegetation include loss of biodiversity and in some cases species extinction. To evaluate these stressor–effect relationships and provide a tool for managing them in Iran's Lar National Park, we developed a multilayer perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network model to predict vegetation diversity related to human activities. Recreation and restricted zones were selected as sampling areas with maximum and minimum human impacts. Vegetation diversity was measured as the number of species in 210 sample plots. Twelve landform and soil variables were also recorded and used in model development. Sensitivity analyses identified human intensity class and soil moisture as the most significant inputs influencing the MLP. The MLP was strong with R2 values in training (0.91), validation (0.83), and test data sets (0.88). A graphical user interface was designed to make the MLP model accessible within an environmental decision support system tool for national park managers, thus enabling them to predict effects and develop proactive plans for managing human activities that influence vegetation diversity. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:42–52. © 2020 SETAC
KEY POINTS
Human activities endanger the sustainability of national parks, and the multilayer perceptron (MLP) model with R2 = 0.88 revealed the most accurate results in prediction of vegetation diversity. According to the results of the trained networks, the MLP model with 6 neurons in 2 hidden layers and logarithmic sigmoid (logsig) function results in the best prediction of vegetation diversity. Human activities class and soil moisture are the most influential factors affecting vegetation diversity in national parks. This research was designed with an applicable graphical user interface tool as an environmental decision support system, which is a shortcoming in most of the recent modeling for predicting changes in vegetation.
A novel risk score to predict cardiovascular complications in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19): A retrospective, multicenter, observational study
Authors: Huang Dong , Yang Huan , Yu He , Wang Ting , Yao Rong , Liang Zongan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundWe conducted this study to explore a novel risk score to predict cardiovascular complications in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19).MethodsThe current study was a retrospective, multicenter, observational study. The clinical data of COVID‐19 patients at admission were collected. Patients were randomly divided into training set and testing set (70% vs. 30% of patients). Independent risk factors were identified via logistic regression analysis.ResultsFinally, 1207 patients were included. Ten independent risk factors associated with cardiovascular complications were identified in training set: male (odds ratio [OR]: 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18, 2.85), age ≥ 60 years old (OR: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.3, 3.2), cough (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.16, 3), chronic heart disease (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.19, 4.46), lymphocyte count ≤1.1 × 109/L at admission (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.47), blood urea nitrogen ≥7 mmol/L at admission (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.27, 3.62), estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤90 ml/min/1.73 m2 at admission (OR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.13, 3.83), activated partial thromboplastin time ≥37 s (OR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.37, 6.86), D‐dimer ≥ 0.5 mg/L (OR: 2.12; 95% CI: 1.33, 3.36) and procalcitonin ≥0.5 μg/L (OR: 3.58; 95% CI: 1.40, 9.14). The area under curve of ROC curve was 0.773 (95% CI: 0.723, 0.822; p < .01). The risk score had robustness and generalizability after validation. Cardiovascular complications were significantly associated with poorer survivals (log‐rank test: p < .001).ConclusionsWe developed and validated a novel risk score, which has a promising predictive capacity for cardiovascular complications in COVID‐19 patients.
Impact of chronic endometritis on endometrial receptivity analysis results and pregnancy outcomes
Authors: Kuroda Keiji , Horikawa Takashi , Moriyama Azusa , Nakao Kazuki , Juen Hiroyasu , Takamizawa Satoru , Ojiro Yuko , Nakagawa Koji , Sugiyama Rikikazu 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between chronic endometritis (CE) and a personalized window of implantation (WOI), identified by results of endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA), and pregnancy outcomes following embryo transfer (ET) based on the ERA outcomes.MethodsThe single‐center, cross‐sectional study was designed. The study population consisted of 101 infertile women who underwent endometrial sampling between June 2018 and February 2020. We recruited 88 patients who underwent ERA testing and immunohistochemistry of the plasma cell marker CD138 to diagnose CE within 3 months of testing. Subjects were divided into three groups as follows: 33 without CE (non‐CE group); 19 with untreated CE at ERA testing (CE group); and 36 successfully treated for CE before ERA testing (cured‐CE group). CE diagnosis was defined as ≥5 CD138‐positive plasma cells per 10 random stromal areas at ×400 magnification.ResultsIn non‐CE, CE, and cured‐CE groups, the numbers of CD138‐positive cells were 0.7 ± 1.0, 28.5 ± 30.4, and 1.3 ± 1.3, respectively (p < .001). The rates of “receptive” endometrium in non‐CE and cured‐CE groups were 57.6% (19 women) and 50.0% (18 women), respectively; however, in the CE group, this rate was significantly lower than the other two groups (p = .009) at only 15.8% (3 women). After CE were treated prior or posterior to the ERA test in cured‐CE or CE groups, the clinical pregnancy rates at the first ET in non‐CE, CE, and cured‐CE groups were 77.8% (21/27 cycles), 22.2% (4/18 cycles), and 51.7% (15/29 cycles), respectively (p < 0.001).ConclusionCE had detrimental effects on the individual WOI, leading to embryo–endometrial asynchrony; therefore, diagnosis and treatment of CE should be done before ERA testing.
“It only takes two minutes to ask”—a qualitative study with women on using the FIGO Nutrition Checklist in pregnancy
Authors: Killeen Sarah Louise , Callaghan Shauna L. , Jacob Chandni Maria , Hanson Mark A. , McAuliffe Fionnuala M. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo gain an in‐depth understanding of how the FIGO Nutrition Checklist could work in clinical practice, from the perspective of pregnant women.MethodsThis qualitative study was part of a pilot study of the FIGO Nutrition Checklist in the antenatal department of a tertiary‐level university maternity hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Individual semistructured phone interviews were conducted with pregnant women who had completed the FIGO Nutrition Checklist as part of the pilot. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis after manual coding of transcripts. Themes and subthemes are described.ResultsTen interviews were completed. Subthemes related to the FIGO Nutrition Checklist emerged including ease of use and comprehension. Participants discussed how the tool could add value to their appointment by supporting initiation of nutrition conversations and highlighting nutritional issues. The first trimester was identified as the highest priority for using the FIGO Nutrition Checklist. The convenience of having nutrition addressed as part of standard care, rather than a separate appointment, also emerged.ConclusionWomen in this study had a desire for nutrition and weight to be addressed by clinicians during routine antenatal appointments. The findings support using the FIGO Nutrition Checklist to address this.
Prevalence of metabolic disturbances among women with polycystic ovary syndrome in different regions of Brazil
Authors: Maffazioli Giovana D.N. , Lopes Caroline P. , Heinrich‐Oliveira Vanessa , Lobo Rogerio A. , Hayashida Sylvia A.Y. , Soares José Maria , Maciel Gustavo A.R. , Baracat Edmund C. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the prevalence of metabolic disturbances in a large cohort of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in southeastern Brazil and to compare the findings with other cohorts of Brazilian women with PCOS.MethodsA retrospective study analyzing clinical and laboratory data of 462 women with PCOS treated at an outpatient clinic in a tertiary hospital in southeastern Brazil. Prevalence of insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, central obesity, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome was compared to that of other cohorts of age and body mass index‐matched Brazilian women with PCOS.ResultsWomen with PCOS had a median age of 25.0 (21.0–29.0) years and BMI of 28.7 (23.9–34.0) kg/m2. Prevalence of insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes varied from 39.6% to 55.0%, 7.2% to 28.1%, and 2.0% to 4.1%, respectively. Prevalence of central obesity, dyslipidemia due to decreased high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, and metabolic syndrome ranged from 57.8% to 66.4%, 54.1% to 70.4%, 22.9% to 35.1%, and 27.4% to 38.3%, respectively, which did not differ among regions in Brazil.ConclusionPrevalence of metabolic disturbances was high among Brazilian women with PCOS. This study suggests that, from a public health perspective, authorities in Brazil should be aware of and encourage screening for metabolic dysfunction in women with PCOS in all regions of the country.
Specific expression of survivin, SOX9, and CD44 in renal tubules in adaptive and maladaptive repair processes after acute kidney injury in rats
Authors: Matsushita Kohei , Toyoda Takeshi , Yamada Takanori , Morikawa Tomomi , Ogawa Kumiko 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAcute kidney injury (AKI) is thought to be a reversible condition; however, growing evidence has suggested that AKI may be associated with subsequent development of chronic kidney disease. Although renal tubules have intrinsic regeneration capacity, disruption of the regeneration mechanisms leads to irreversible interstitial fibrosis. In this study, we investigated immunohistochemical markers of renal tubules in adaptive and maladaptive repair processes to predict AKI reversibility. Histopathological analysis demonstrated that regenerative tubules and dilated tubules were observed in the kidneys of AKI model rats after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Regenerative tubules gradually redifferentiated after I/R, whereas dilated tubules exhibited no tendency for redifferentiation. In fibrotic areas of the kidney in renal fibrosis model rats subjected to I/R, renal tubules were dilated or atrophied. There results suggested that the histopathological features of renal tubules in the maladaptive repair were dilation or atrophy. From microarray data of regenerative tubules, survivin, SOX9, and CD44 were extracted as candidate markers. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that survivin and SOX9 were expressed in regenerative tubules, whereas SOX9 was also detected in renal tubules in fibrotic areas. These findings indicated that survivin and SOX9 contributed to renal tubular regeneration, whereas sustained SOX9 expression may be associated to fibrosis. CD44 was expressed in dilated tubules in the kidneys of AKI model rats and in the tubules of fibrotic areas of renal fibrosis model rats, suggesting that CD44 was expressed in renal tubules in maladaptive repair. Thus, these factors could be useful markers for detecting disruption of the regenerative mechanisms of renal tubules.
The deleterious effect of stress‐induced depression on rat liver: Protective role of resveratrol and dimethyl fumarate via inhibiting the MAPK/ERK/JNK pathway
Authors: Kortam Mona A. , Ali Bassam Mohamed , Fathy Nevine 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThis study aimed to uncover the protective potentiality of resveratrol and dimethyl fumarate (DMF) in the liver of a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)‐induced depression animal model. Resveratrol and DMF significantly alleviated CUMS‐induced behavioral abnormalities in stressed rats through improving sucrose preference in sucrose preference test and decreasing immobility time in a forced swimming test. They also mitigated serum corticosterone levels and elevated serum serotonin levels, which were formerly disturbed in CUMS rats. The hepatoprotective effect is evidenced by improvement in hepatic histopathological examinations, as well as normalized serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities. Molecular signaling of resveratrol and DMF was estimated by diminishing hepatic expression of phosphorylated p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), extracellular signal‐regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2), and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK). Consequently, they improved the hepatic antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities as elaborated by the normalization of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione, malondialdehyde, nuclear factor‐κB, tumor necrosis factor‐α, and myeloperoxidase levels. In addition, they inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis as evidenced by the increased expression of B‐cell lymphoma 2, the decreased expression of Bax, as well as the suppressed activity of caspase‐3. In conclusion, resveratrol and DMF purveyed a significant anti‐depressant effect, which may be mediated, at least in part, via inhibiting the MAPK/ERK/JNK pathway in the CUMS rat model.
Charge distributions for molecular dynamics simulations from self‐consistent polarization method
Authors: Stachowicz‐Kuśnierz Anna , Korchowiec Beata , Korchowiec Jacek 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPartial atomic charges are important force field parameters. They are usually computed by applying quantum‐chemical calculations and the assumed population scheme. In this study polarization consistent scheme of deriving a charge distribution inside solute molecule is proposed. The environment effect is explicitly taken into account by distributing solvent molecules around the solute target. The performed analysis includes a few computational schemes (HF, MP2, B3LYP, and M026X), basis sets (cc‐pvnz,n= 2, 3, …, 6), and electrostatically derived charge distributions (KS, CHELP, CHELPG, and HLY). It is demonstrated that the environment effect is very important and cannot be disregarded. The second solvation shell should be included to achieve the charge convergence. Huge corrections to charge distribution are due to induction and dispersion. The B3LYP/cc‐pvqz level of theory is recommended for deriving the charges within self‐consistent polarization scheme.
Analysis of age‐associated alternation of SCSA sperm DNA fragmentation index and semen characteristics of 1790 subfertile males in China
Authors: Lu Ruijing , Chen Xian , Yu Weijian , Jiang Fan , Zhou Xiyou , Xu Yang , Wang Feng 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundIt has been identified that incidence of infertility was about 20% among couples worldwide, about 50% caused by male elements. However, conventional semen laboratory detections could not handle clinical needs, which led to more comprehensive parameters for male fertility evaluation. We aimed to investigate the clinical relationship of age‐linked changes and the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), and routine semen characteristics among subfertile Chinese males.Methods1790 clinical semen specimens were enrolled from February 2018 to October 2019. Clinical and laboratory data including routine semen analyses, sperm DFI, and sperm morphology were collected and showed age‐related alterations in semen parameters.ResultsOur results, displayed an increase in sperm DFI with age, were demonstrated in three age‐groups, particularly within the ≥35‐year cohort. There were positive and inverse correlations of sperm DFI with abnormal semen characteristics and with normal morphological parameters, respectively. Furthermore, age, sperm morphology, concentration, and progressive motility, immotile sperm percentage, semen volume, sperm survival, and high acridine orange DNA stainability (indicating immature forms) were found to be independent risk factors affecting sperm DNA integrity. Likewise, men aged ≥35 years had a higher sperm DFI than did normozoospermic men in the overall cohort. Routine semen characteristics, sperm DFI, and morphology tended to alter with age.ConclusionsThe SCSA sperm DFI showed the greatest clinical application in the assessment of male fertility in this study, which should help infertility clinics decide on reproductive options for the treatment of older infertile couples.
Ammonia predicts poor outcomes in patients with hepatitis B virus‐related acute‐on‐chronic liver failure
Authors: Zhang JinFei , Liu XiaoLu , Ye Bo , Chen Hui 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundHepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common feature of acute liver failure and has been reported to be associated with poor outcomes. Ammonia is thought to be central to the pathogenesis of HE, but its role in hepatitis B virus‐related acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (HBV‐ACLF) is unclear. The present study aimed to assess the prognostic role of ammonia level for patients with HBV‐ACLF.MethodsWe retrospectively recruited 127 patients diagnosed with HBV‐ACLF for the present study.ResultsAmmonia levels at the time of admission were higher among non‐surviving participants than in survivors. Increased ammonia level was found to be associated with severe liver disease and was identified as an independent predictor for mortality in patients with HBV‐ACLF.ConclusionsOur results suggest that high ammonia level at admission is an independent factor for predicting short‐term mortality in patients with HBV‐ACLF. Therefore, ammonia levels may represent a therapeutic target for this condition.