bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of polygenic risk for suicide attempt and risky behavior on brain structure in young people with familial risk of bipolar disorder
Authors: Overs Bronwyn J. , Roberts Gloria , Ridgway Kate , Toma Claudio , Hadzi-Pavlovic Dusan , Wilcox Holly C. , Hulvershorn Leslie A. , Nurnberger John I. , Schofield Peter R. , Mitchell Philip B. , Fullerton Janice M. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAimsBipolar Disorder (BD) is associated with a 20-30 fold increased suicide risk compared to the general population. First-degree relatives of BD patients show inflated rates of psychopathology including suicidal behaviors. As reliable biomarkers of suicide attempts (SA) are lacking, we examined associations between suicide-related polygenic risk scores (PRS) – a quantitative index of genomic risk – and variability in brain structures implicated in SA.MethodsParticipants (n=206; aged 12-30 years) were unrelated individuals of European ancestry and comprised three groups: 41 BD cases, 96 BD relatives (‘high-risk’), and 69 controls. Genotyping employed PsychArray, followed by imputation. Three PRS were computed using genome-wide association data for SA in BD (SA-in-BD), SA in Major Depressive Disorder (SA-in-MDD) [Mullins et al., 2019], and risky behavior [Karlsson Linnér et al., 2019]. Structural MRI processing employed FreeSurfer v5.3.0. General linear models were constructed using 32 regions-of-interest identified from suicide neuroimaging literature, with false-discovery-rate correction.ResultsSA-in-MDD and SA-in-BD PRS negatively predicted parahippocampal thickness, with the latter association modified by group membership. SA-in-BD and Risky Behavior PRS inversely predicted rostral and caudal anterior cingulate structure, respectively, with the latter effect driven by the ‘high-risk’ group. SA-in-MDD and SA-in-BD PRS positively predicted cuneus structure, irrespective of group.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated associations between PRS for suicide-related phenotypes and structural variability in brain regions implicated in SA. Future exploration of extended PRS, in conjunction with a range of biological, phenotypic, environmental and experiential data in high-risk populations, may inform predictive models for suicidal behaviors.
Media Exposure and the Social Determinants of Health Insurance Coverage in Ethiopia 2011-2016
Authors: Olatunji Eniola A. , Maredia Sanam , Freeman Natalie , Nguyen Allen , Washburn David J 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundIn a push for universal health coverage, Ethiopia introduced two insurance schemes in 2010. Yet coverage rates remain very low. To encourage greater adoption, policymakers require a better understanding of who chooses to enroll and which promotional efforts are most effective in encouraging enrollment.ObjectiveUsing nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys, this research assessed the social determinants of health insurance coverage, including media exposure, in Ethiopia from 2011-2016.MethodsThis research analyzed health insurance coverage and other sociodemographic and media exposure variables using multivariable logistic regression model.ResultsHealth insurance coverage increased 3.30 times from 1.48% in 2011 to 4.89% in 2016. In both years, coverage was associated with higher education, older age, higher wealth levels, and exposure to newspaper and television. Compared to those with no exposure to newspaper, those with newspaper exposure at least once a week were 1.80 times (2011) and 1.86 times (2016) more likely to be insured. Similar results were obtained for television exposure.ConclusionInitiatives that target the poor and less educated will be necessary if Ethiopia is to achieve universal health coverage. This research suggests that, to date, newspaper and television mediums have been effective promotion mechanisms for growing enrollment.
Detection of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors in patients with neurofibromatosis using aneuploidy and mutation identification in plasma
Authors: Mattox Austin K. , Douville Christopher , Silliman Natalie , Ptak Janine , Dobbyn Lisa , Schaefer Joy , Popoli Maria , Blair Cherie , Judge Kathy , Pollard Kai , Pratilas Christine , Blakeley Jaishri , Rodriguez Fausto , Belzberg Allan , Bettegowda Chetan 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTMalignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are the deadliest cancer that arises in individuals diagnosed with neurofibromatosis and account for nearly 5% of the 15,000 soft tissue sarcomas diagnosed in the United States each year. Comprised of neoplastic Schwann cells, primary risk factors for developing MPNST include existing plexiform neurofibromas (PN), prior radiotherapy treatment, and expansive germline mutations involving the entire NF1 gene and surrounding genes. PN develop in nearly 30-50% of patients with NF1 and most often grow rapidly in the first decade of life. One of the most important aspects of clinical care for NF1 patients is monitoring PN for signs of malignant transformation to MPNST that occurs in 10-15% of patients.We perform aneuploidy analysis on ctDNA from 883 ostensibly healthy individuals and 28 patients with neurofibromas, including 7 patients with benign neurofibroma, 9 patients with PN and 12 patients with MPNST. Overall sensitivity for detecting MPNST using genome wide aneuploidy scoring was 33%, and analysis of sub-chromosomal copy number alterations (CNAs) improved sensitivity to 50% while retaining a high specificity of 97%. In addition, we performed mutation analysis on plasma cfDNA for a subset of patients and identified mutations in NF1, NF2, RB1, TP53BP2, and GOLGA2. Given the high throughput and relatively low sequencing coverage required by our assay, liquid biopsy represents a promising technology to identify incipient MPNST.
SARS-CoV-2 serology across scales: a framework for unbiased seroprevalence estimation incorporating antibody kinetics and epidemic recency
Authors: Takahashi Saki , Peluso Michael J. , Hakim Jill , Turcios Keirstinne , Janson Owen , Routledge Isobel , Busch Michael P. , Hoh Rebecca , Tai Viva , Kelly J. Daniel , Martin Jeffrey N. , Deeks Steven G. , Henrich Timothy J. , Greenhouse Bryan , Rodríguez-Barraquer Isabel 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTSerosurveys are a key resource for measuring SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence. A growing body of evidence suggests that asymptomatic and mild infections (together making up over 95% of all infections) are associated with lower antibody titers than severe infections. Antibody levels also peak a few weeks after infection and decay gradually. We developed a statistical approach to produce adjusted estimates of seroprevalence from raw serosurvey results that account for these sources of spectrum bias. We incorporate data on antibody responses on multiple assays from a post-infection longitudinal cohort, along with epidemic time series to account for the timing of a serosurvey relative to how recently individuals may have been infected. We applied this method to produce adjusted seroprevalence estimates from five large-scale SARS-CoV-2 serosurveys across different settings and study designs. We identify substantial differences between reported and adjusted estimates of over two-fold in the results of some surveys, and provide a tool for practitioners to generate adjusted estimates with pre-set or custom parameter values. While unprecedented efforts have been launched to generate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence estimates over this past year, interpretation of results from these studies requires properly accounting for both population-level epidemiologic context and individual-level immune dynamics.
Trends of COVID-19 pediatric admissions number during the first 24 weeks of COVID-19 vaccination in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: Araujo da Silva André Ricardo , Esteves Mônica del Monaco , de Carvalho Bernardo Rodrigues Rosa , Souza Cristina Vieira , Teixeira Cristiane Henriques 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo describe trends of COVID-19 pediatric admissions number during the first 24 weeks of COVID-19 vaccination.DesignA retrospective study was conducted in children (0-18 years), admitted in two pediatric hospitals of Rio de Janeiro city, between January 17 and July 3, 2021 with confirmed COVID-19 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or serological tests. Trends of COVID-19 pediatric admissions number during the first 24 weeks of COVID-19 vaccination in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the pre-vaccine period were measured by linear regression.ParticipantsChildren admitted in pediatric hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, city, BrazilResultsThe number of total admitted patients (with all diseases) were 5340 during the pre-vaccine period, being 94 (1.8%) of them with confirmed COVID-19, and 4182 children admitted during the vaccine period, with 86 confirmed COVID-19 patients (2.1 %) (p=0.29). Media of cases admitted per/week were 2.02 in pre-vaccine period and 3.6 during the first 24 weeks of COVID vaccination (p=0.009). One death was reported in the pre-vaccine period and four in the vaccine period (p=0.14). Trends of increase in the number of admitted cases were verified both in the pre-vaccine period as in the vaccine period, being more expressive in the last one.ConclusionThere was trend of increase in number of children admitted with confirmed COVID-19 during the first 24 weeks of COVID-vaccination in Rio de Janeiro, city. Considering that few people were fully vaccinated, reducing of number of admitted children with confirmed COVID-19 was not verified.
Capturing population differences in rates of vascular aging using a deep learning electrocardiogram algorithm: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Benavente Ernest Diez , Lopez-Jimenez Francisco , Iakunchykova Olena , Malyutina Sofia , Kudryavtsev Alexander , Ryabikov Andrew , Friedman Paul A. , Kapa Suraj , Perel Pablo , Wilsgaard Tom , Schirmer Henrik , Clark Taane G. , Attia Zachi I. , Leon David A. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundCardiovascular event rates increase with age in all populations. This is thought to be the result of multiple underlying molecular and cellular processes that lead to cumulative vascular damage. Apart from arterial stiffness based on pulse wave velocity there are few other non-invasive measures of this process of vascular aging. We have developed a potential biomarker of vascular aging using deep-learning to predict age from a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). The difference between ECG predicted and chronological age (δ-age) can be interpreted as a measure of vascular aging.MethodsWe use data collected in two cross-sectional studies of adults aged 40-69 years in Norway and Russia to test the hypothesis that mean levels of δ-age, derived from a deep-learning model trained on a US population, correspond to the known large differences in cardiovascular mortality between the two countries.FindingsSubstantial differences were found in mean δ-age between populations: Russia-USA (+5·2 years; 0·7, 10 IQR) and Norway-USA (-2·6 years; -7, 2 IQR). These differences were only marginally explained when accounting for differences in established cardiovascular disease risk factors.Interpretationδ-age may be an important biomarker of fundamental differences in cardiovascular disease risk between populations as well as between individuals.
Implicit, Intrinsic, Extrinsic (or Environmental), and Host Factors Attributing the Covid-19 Pandemic. Part 2-Implicit Factor Pesticide Use: A Systematic Analysis
Authors: Aggarwal Ananya , Rai Ragini , Joshi Gaurav , Gahtori Prashant 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAdvances in our understanding of complex COVID-19 pandemic would allow us to effectively eliminate and eradicate SARS-COV2 virus. Although tremendous amount of research devoted to the robustness across its biology, diagnostics, vaccines and treatment has exploded in the past two years. However, still science do not have robust answers for causes, for example (i) What are the reasons of non-uniform global distribution of COVID-19? (ii) Why the United States, India, and Brazil, are the first-three most affected nations?, (iii) How did Bhutan, a nation sharing a boundary with China manage nearly 0.34% infections and 3 deaths from COVID-19? Nonetheless, the biomass bistribution of biosphere report suggest more than 1550-fold larger microbial biomass involving bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists and viruses is exist in comparision to all global human population in the biosphere. The rich microbiota act a first line of defence to invade pathogens and affect us both through the environment and microbiome. Unfortunately, a role of pathogen-transmission factors viz. implicit factors (competitive microflora) is still under represented. This study is an attempt from a gold standard correlation methodology using a large pesticide use global data. The non-specific pesticides kill both pests as well as protective microbiota, resulting a loss in rich biodiversity and allow easy pathogen entry to human. Entire predictions were found consistent with the recently observed evidences. These insights enhanced scientific ability to interrogate viral epidemiology and recommended to limit pesticide use for future pandemic prevention.
CHARACTERIZING AND MANAGING AN EPIDEMIC: A FIRST PRINCIPLES MODEL AND A CLOSED FORM SOLUTION TO THE KERMACK AND MCKENDRICK EQUATIONS
Authors: Duclos Ted , Reichert Tom 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWe derived a closed-form solution to the original epidemic equations formulated by Kermack and McKendrick in 1927 (1). The complete solution is validated using independently measured mobility data and accurate predictions of COVID-19 case dynamics in multiple countries. It replicates the observed phenomenology, quantitates pandemic dynamics, and provides simple analytical tools for policy makers. Of particular note, it projects that increased social containment measures shorten an epidemic and reduce the ultimate number of cases and deaths. In contrast, the widely used Susceptible–Infectious–Recovered (SIR) models, based on an approximation to Kermack and McKendrick’s original equations, project that strong containment measures delay the peak in daily infections, causing a longer epidemic. These projections contradict both the complete solution and the observed phenomenology in COVID-19 pandemic data. The closed-form solution elucidates that the two parameters classically used as constants in approximate SIR models cannot, in fact, be reasonably assumed to be constant in real epidemics. This prima facie failure forces the conclusion that the approximate SIR models should not be used to characterize or manage epidemics. As a replacement to the SIR models, the closed-form solution and the expressions derived from the solution form a complete set of analytical tools that can accurately diagnose the state of an epidemic and provide proper guidance for public health decision makers.
Brain white matter after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury: a diffusion tensor and neurite orientation and dispersion imaging study
Authors: Shukla Ayushi , Ware Ashley L. , Guo Sunny , Goodyear Bradley , Beauchamp Miriam H. , Zemek Roger , Craig William , Doan Quynh , Beaulieu Christian , Yeates Keith O. , Lebel Catherine 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundPediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects millions of children annually. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to axonal injuries and white matter microstructure and has been used to characterize the brain changes associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) is a diffusion model that can provide additional insight beyond traditional DTI metrics, but has not been examined in pediatric mTBI. The goal of this study was to employ DTI and NODDI to gain added insight into white matter alterations in children with mTBI compared to children with mild orthopedic injury (OI).MethodsChildren (mTBI n=320, OI n=176) aged 8-16.99 years (m12.39 ± 2.32 years) were recruited from emergency departments at five hospitals across Canada and underwent 3T MRI on average 11 days post-injury. DTI and NODDI metrics were calculated for seven major white matter tracts and compared between groups using univariate analysis of covariance controlling for age, sex, and scanner type. False discovery rate (FDR) was used to correct for multiple comparisons.ResultsUnivariate analysis revealed no significant group main effects or interactions in DTI or NODDI metrics. Fractional anisotropy and neurite density index in all tracts exhibited a significant positive association with age and mean diffusivity in all tracts exhibited a significant negative association with age in the whole sample.ConclusionsOverall, there were no differences between mTBI and OI groups in brain white matter microstructure from either DTI or NODDI in the seven tracts. This indicates that mTBI is associated with relatively minor white matter differences, if any, at the post-acute stage. Brain differences may evolve at later stages of injury, so longitudinal studies with long-term follow-up are needed.
Psychological factors associated with instrumental activities of daily living disability in older adults with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Nanjo Keigo , Ikeda Takashi , Nagashio Naoko , Sakai Tomoko , Jinno Tetsuya 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe population of older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA)-related disabilities is increasing globally. However, studies regarding instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in older adults with knee OA are limited.OBJECTIVEThis study investigated the psychological factors associated with IADL disability in older adults with moderate to severe knee OA.METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted on 179 patients with knee OA aged ≥ 65 years. The six-item short form of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS-6), the four-item short form of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ-4), and the fifteen-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) were used to assess psychological factors. The participants were divided into IADL-disabled and non-disabled groups. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed with the IADL disability status as the dependent variable. The PCS-6, PSEQ-4, and GDS-15 tools were included as independent variables in the logistic regression model.RESULTSOf the total participants, 88 (49.1%) showed disability in conducting IADL. PSEQ-4 (odds ratio =0.90, 95%; confidence interval=0.82–0.99, p=0.02) was a significant independent variable among all psychological factors.CONCLUSIONOur study showed the importance of assessing self-efficacy using the PSEQ-4 in relation to IADL disability in older adults with moderate to severe knee OA.
Analytical performances of the COVISTIX™ and Panbio™ antigen rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection in an unselected population (all commers)
Authors: Garcia-Cardenas Francisco , Franco Alba , Cortés Ricardo , Bertin Jenny , Valdéz Rafael , Peñaloza Fernando , Frias-Jimenez Emmanuel , Cedro-Tanda Alberto , Mendoza-Vargas Alfredo , Reyes-Grajeda Juan Pablo , Hidalgo-Miranda Alfredo , Herrera Luis A. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractImportanceA steady increase in acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases worldwide is causing some regions of the world to withstand a third or even fourth wave of contagion. Swift detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection is paramount for the containment of cases, prevention of sustained contagion; and most importantly, for the reduction of mortality.ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance and validity of the COVISTIX™ rapid antigen test, for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in an unselected population and compare it to Panbio™ rapid antigen test and RT-PCR.DesignThis is comparative effectiveness study; samples were collected at two point-of-care facilities in Mexico City between May and August 2021.ParticipantsRecruited individuals were probable COVID-19 cases, either symptomatic or asymptomatic persons that were at risk of infection due to close contact to SARS-CoV-2 positive cases.Diagnostic interventionRT-PCR was used as gold standard for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in nasal and nasopharyngeal swabs, study subjects were tested in parallel either with the COVISTIX™ or with Panbio™ rapid antigen test.Main outcomeDiagnostic performance of the COVISTIX™ assay is adequate in all commers since its accuracy parameters were not affected in samples collected after 7 days of symptom onset, and it detected almost 65% of samples with a Ct-value between 30 and 34.ResultsFor the population tested with COVISTIX™ (n=783), specificity and sensitivity of the was 96.0% (CI95% 94.0-98.0) and 81% (CI95% 76.0-85.0), as for the Panbio™ (n=2202) population, was 99.0% (CI95%: 0.99-1.00) and 62% (CI%: 58.0-64.0%), respectively.Conclusions and relevanceThe COVISTIX™ rapid antigen test shows a high performance in all comers, thus, this test is also adequate for testing patients who have passed the peak of viral shedding or for asymptomatic patients.
Physiological noise optimizes multiplexed coding of vibrotactile-like signals in somatosensory cortex
Authors: Kamaleddin Mohammad Amin , Shifman Aaron , Sigal Daniel MW , Prescott Steven A 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTNeurons can use different aspects of their spiking to simultaneously represent (multiplex) different features of a stimulus. For example, some pyramidal neurons in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) use the rate and timing of their spikes to respectively encode the intensity and frequency of vibrotactile stimuli. Doing so has several requirements. Because they fire at low rates, pyramidal neurons cannot entrain 1:1 with high-frequency (100-600 Hz) inputs and instead must skip (i.e. not respond to) some stimulus cycles. The proportion of skipped cycles must vary inversely with stimulus intensity for firing rate to encode stimulus intensity. Spikes must phase lock to the stimulus for spike times (intervals) to encode stimulus frequency but, in addition, skipping must occur irregularly to avoid aliasing. Using simulations andin vitroexperiments in which S1 pyramidal neurons were stimulated with inputs emulating those induced by vibrotactile stimuli, we show that fewer cycles are skipped as stimulus intensity increases, as required for rate coding, and that physiological noise induces irregular skipping without disrupting phase locking, as required for temporal coding. This occurs because the reliability and precision of spikes evoked by small- amplitude, fast-onset signals are differentially sensitive to noise. Simulations confirmed that differences in stimulus intensity and frequency can be well discriminated based on differences in spike rate or timing, respectively, but only in the presence of noise. Our results show that multiplexed coding by S1 pyramidal neurons is facilitated rather than degraded by physiological levels of noise. In fact, multiplexing is optimal under physiologically noisy conditions.