bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patterns of cesarean birth among women living with HIV in Ontario: A cross‐sectional, population‐level study
Authors: Shoemaker Esther S. , Saiyin Tana , Smith Stephanie , Loutfy Mona , Darling Liz , Walker Mark , Hawken Steven , Begum Jahanara , Bibeau Christine , Bertozzi Breklyn , Fraleigh Annette , Kwaramba Gladys , Johnson Kerrigan , Cousineau Ashlee , Kendall Claire E. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackgroundIn Canada, as is found globally, women of reproductive age are a growing demographic of persons living with HIV. Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) treatment enables women living with HIV (WLWH) to become pregnant without perinatal transmission, and they are increasingly planning to become pregnant. Since 2014, Canadian guidelines no longer recommend routine elective cesarean birth (CB) for women who are virally suppressed and receiving cART. It is unknown whether their obstetric care has changed since this update. Our objective was to describe trends in cesarean births among WLWH in Ontario, Canada, over a 12‐year period.MethodsOur research is co‐led and codesigned with WLWH. We conducted a retrospective population‐level cohort study using linked health administrative databases at ICES (formally, the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences). Participants were all women who gave birth in Ontario, between 2006/07 and 2017/18. We assessed their intrapartum characteristics and used multivariable regression to determine an association between HIV status and CB, controlling for sociodemographic and clinical variables.ResultsSince 2014, the overall proportion of CB among WLWH remained stable and was higher than among women without HIV (39.9% vs 29.0%, P < 0.001). In addition, the proportion of primary CB decreased between 2006 and 2010 and between 2014 and 2018 (28.5%‐19.3%), whereas the proportion of repeat CB increased (13.1%‐20.5%, P = 0.013).ConclusionsBecause of decreasing HIV‐related indications for CB, more practitioners may be following the guidelines for first‐time mothers. Currently, no guidelines exist for care of WLWH with a previous CB, and opportunities for vaginal birth may be missed in this population.
Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells inhibit CD8+ T cell immune responses via PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in multiple myeloma
Authors: Liu Z , Mi F , Han M , Tian M , Deng L , Meng N , Luo J , Fu R 
Published: March 2021

Summary
High expression of the inhibitory receptor programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells and tumor stromal cells have been found to play a key role in tumor immune evasion in several human malignancies. However, the expression of PD-L1 on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and whether the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 signal pathway is involved in the BMSCs versus T cell immune response in multiple myeloma (MM) remains poorly defined. In this study, we explored the expression of PD-L1 on BMSCs from newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients and the role of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in BMSC-mediated regulation of CD8+ T cells. The data showed that the expression of PD-L1 on BMSCs in NDMM patients was significantly increased compared to that in normal controls (NC) (18·81 ± 1·61 versus 2·78± 0·70%; P &lt; 0·001). Furthermore, the PD-1 expression on CD8+ T cells with NDMM patients was significantly higher than that in normal controls (43·22 ± 2·98 versus 20·71 ± 1·08%; P &lt; 0·001). However, there was no significant difference in PD-1 expression of CD4+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells between the NDMM and NC groups. Additionally, the co-culture assays revealed that BMSCs significantly suppressed CD8+ T cell function. However, the PD-L1 inhibitor effectively reversed BMSC-mediated suppression in CD8+ T cells. We also found that the combination of PD-L1 inhibitor and pomalidomide can further enhance the killing effect of CD8+ T cells on MM cells. In summary, our findings demonstrated that BMSCs in patients with MM may induce apoptosis of CD8+ T cells through the PD-1/PD-L1 axis and inhibit the release of perforin and granzyme B from CD8+ T cells to promote the immune escape of MM.
Pentoxifylline or theophylline use in hospitalized COVID‐19 patients requiring oxygen support
Authors: Wall Geoffrey C. , Smith Hayden L. , Trump Matthew W. , Mohr Jason D. , DuMontier Samuel P. , Sabates Becca L. , Ganapathiraju Iaswarya , Kable Tim J. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe phosphodiesterase inhibitors theophylline and pentoxifylline have anti‐inflammatory properties that may make them useful in COVID‐19 pneumonia. We conducted a retrospective review of hospitalized COVID‐19 patients requiring oxygen who received these drugs.ObjectivesTo examine the potential efficacy and safety of theophylline and pentoxifylline in COVID‐19 pneumonia patients.MethodsAdults with a positive test for SARS‐COV2 and were hospitalized due to pneumonia requiring either high flow nasal cannula or mechanical ventilation were included. Patients with a history of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were preferentially given theophylline. All other patients received pentoxifylline 400 mg orally TID. A group of hospitalized COVID‐19 patients receiving standard of care acted as a comparison group. The coprimary outcomes were a change in C‐reactive protein (CRP) and ROX score between groups from day 1 to day 4 of therapy.ResultsTwo hundred and nine inpatients were reviewed. Fifty‐eight patients received pentoxifylline/theophylline, with 151 patients serving as the comparison group. Active therapy was associated with an increase in the ROX score (mean: 2.9 (95% CI: 0.6, 5.1)) and decrease in CRP (mean: −0.7 (95% CI: −4.7, 3.2). Mortality rates were theophylline/pentoxifylline 24% and comparison group had a 26%, respectively.ConclusionIn this retrospective study, theophylline and pentoxifylline were associated with an increase in ROX score and nominal decreases in CRP and mortality. Treatment was safe with few adverse reactions documented. We believe that this study could the basis for randomized‐controlled trials to further explore these drugs’ role in COVID‐19.
Shark and ray diversity, abundance and temporal variation around an Indian Ocean Island, inferred by eDNA metabarcoding
Authors: Mariani Stefano , Fernandez Chloe , Baillie Charles , Magalon Helene , Jaquemet Sebastien 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSharks embody several major aspects of modern marine management: they are traditionally antagonized, exploited or by‐caught by humans, typically vulnerable to extirpation, pursued as luxury food, yet valued as wildlife and essential as top‐down regulators in marine food webs. Due to their generally large size, elusiveness, high mobility, and potentially dangerous nature, elasmobranchs pose substantial technical challenges to biodiversity monitoring, which prompted recent efforts to harness the power of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a noninvasive survey method for these taxa. Here we deployed an elasmobranch‐specific metabarcoding assay to characterize shark and ray diversity around Reunion Island, during the austral summer, detecting at least 14 species and a strong overall correlation between frequency of species detection and read abundance. Over 90% of sequence reads belonged to three large predators: scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas). While the importance of tiger and bull sharks is well established in Reunion Island, and a major focus of the local shark control program, the prevalence and abundance of scalloped hammerhead has so far been grossly neglected. We also confirm the absence of typical “tropical reef sharks” around the island and reveal an important temporal fluctuation in tiger shark during the study period. Collectively, results show how eDNA can help circumvent barriers, bias and drawbacks associated with monitoring shark populations using visual and capture‐based techniques, and generate spatial and temporal biodiversity data on these species for rapid consideration by marine environmental managers.
Light‐induced local gene expression in primary chick cell culture system
Authors: Kitajima Keiichi , Kawahira Naofumi , Lee Sang‐Woo , Tamura Koji , Morishita Yoshihiro , Ohtsuka Daisuke 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe ability to manipulate gene expression at a specific region in a tissue or cell culture system is critical for analysis of target gene function. For chick embryos/cells, several gene introduction/induction methods have been established such as those involving retrovirus, electroporation, sonoporation, and lipofection. However, these methods have limitations in the accurate induction of localized gene expression. Here we demonstrate the effective application of a recently developed light‐dependent gene expression induction system (LightOn system) using the Neurospora crassa photoreceptor Vivid fused with a Gal4 DNA binding domain and p65 activation domain (GAVPO) that alters its activity in response to light stimulus in a primary chicken cell culture system. We show that the gene expression level and induction specificity in this system are strongly dependent on the light irradiation conditions. Especially, the irradiation interval is an important parameter for modulating gene expression; for shorter time intervals, higher induction specificity can be achieved. Further, by adjusting light irradiation conditions, the expression level in primary chicken cells can be regulated in a multiple step manner, in contrast to the binary expression seen for gene disruption or introduction (i.e., null or overexpression). This result indicates that the light‐dependent expression control method can be a useful technique in chick models to examine how gene function is affected by gradual changes in gene expression levels. We applied this light induction system to regulate Sox9 expression in cultures of chick limb mesenchyme cells and showed that induced SOX9 protein could modulate expression of downstream genes.
Learning Theory, Classroom Assessment, and Equity
Authors: Kang Hosun , Furtak Erin M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractDespite increasing awareness about the role of classroom assessments in perpetuating educational inequities, the research community continues to struggle with how to support teachers to design and use classroom assessments for achieving equity. In response to recent calls to better connect learning theory to the design of classroom assessments, we explore the links among contemporary learning theories, classroom assessments, equity, and teachers’ professional learning. Building a conceptual argument that we should shift our attention from assessment tasks to a classroom activity system to better support minoritized students’ learning via classroom assessment, we examine how teachers participate in assessment codesign activities in two research‐practice partnerships (RPPs), and then identify emerging tensions in relation to promoting equity. Each RPP drew upon contemporary learning theories—sociocognitive and sociocultural learning theories, respectively—to create a coherent system of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The examples show that the tensions emerging from each project are at least partially related to the learning theory that led the researchers to set up professional learning settings in a particular way. Our findings suggest that managing these tensions is an inherent part of the work as researchers seek to support equitable student learning. We discuss specific implications for the assessment community.
Retinal layer thinning predicts treatment failure in relapsing multiple sclerosis
Authors: Bsteh Gabriel , Hegen Harald , Altmann Patrick , Auer Michael , Berek Klaus , Di Pauli Franziska , Leutmezer Fritz , Rommer Paulus , Wurth Sebastian , Zinganell Anne , Zrzavy Tobias , Deisenhammer Florian , Berger Thomas 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackground and purposePeripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thinning are markers of neuroaxonal degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), which is reduced by disease‐modifying treatment (DMT). We aimed to investigate the potential of pRNFL and GCIPL thinning for prediction of DMT failure in relapsing MS (RMS).MethodsIn this 4‐year prospective observational study on 113 RMS patients, pRNFL and GCIPL were measured at DMT initiation and after 12 months (M12) and 24 months (M24). Treatment failure was defined as 6‐month confirmed Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) progression and/or Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) worsening. Optimal cutoff values for predicting treatment failure were determined by receiver operating characteristic analyses and hazard ratios (HRs) by multivariable Cox regression adjusting for age, sex, disease duration, EDSS/SDMT, and DMT class.ResultsThinning of GCIPL >0.5 μm/year at M24 showed superior value for treatment failure prediction (HR: 4.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8–7.6, p < 0.001; specificity 91%, sensitivity 81%), followed by GCIPL >0.5 μm at M12 (odds ratio [OR]: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.4–6.9, p < 0.001; specificity 85%, sensitivity 78%), and pRNFL ≥2 μm/year at M24 (OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.1–6.5, p = 0.023; specificity 84%, sensitivity 69%), whereas pRNFL at M12 was not predictive.ConclusionsGCIPL, and to a lesser degree pRNFL, thinning predicts disability progression after DMT initiation and may be a useful and accessible biomarker of treatment failure in RMS.
Social outcome and psychiatric comorbidity of generalized epilepsies – A case‐control study
Authors: Gesche Joanna , Antonson Sussie , Dreier Julie Werenberg , Christensen Jakob , Beier Christoph Patrick 
Published: March 2021

SUMMARYObjectiveTo investigate social outcome and psychiatric comorbidity of patients with idiopathic/genetic generalized epilepsies (IGEs) and its subtypes (epilepsy with generalized tonic‐clonic seizures alone [EGTCS], juvenile absence epilepsy [JAE], and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy [JME]).MethodsA cohort of 402 adult patients with IGE from the Danish island Funen was matched with 4020 randomly selected geography‐, age‐, and sex‐matched controls via the Danish Civil Registration System. Based on register data, we compared social status measured by cohabitant status, educational attainment, income, affiliation to labor market, and psychiatric comorbidity.ResultsAs compared to controls, patients with IGE had similar cohabitant status but fewer children (no children: 59.0% vs 50.9%), and lower educational level (primary school only: 46.0% vs 37.3%), employment rate (outside of workforce: 56.7% vs 46.5%), and income (low income: 32.6% vs 24.9%) (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). Having IGE was associated with higher a proportion of psychiatric comorbidity (IGE, 22.6%; controls, 13.0%) (P < 0.001). Seizure‐free patients did not differ from controls; patients with persistent seizures had lower incomes and employment rates. In the IGE subgroup analyses, JME was associated with worse social status in all parameters studied (eg, 65.9% of JME patients were outside the workforce vs 44.5% of matched controls; P < 0.001), whereas no adverse social status was identified in patients with EGTCS and JAE.SignificancePatients with IGE in general and JME in particular have poorer social status and more psychiatric comorbidity than matched population controls without epilepsy. Poor seizure control was associated with social status and may contribute to negative socioeconomic consequences associated with IGE.
Learning from mistakes: Improving spelling correction performance with automatic generation of realistic misspellings
Authors: Büyük Osman , Arslan Levent M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSequence to sequence models (seq2seq) require a large amount of labelled training data to learn the mapping between the input and output. A large set of misspelled words together with their corrections is needed to train a seq2seq spelling correction system. Low‐resource languages such as Turkish usually lack such large annotated datasets. Although misspelling‐reference pairs can be synthesized with a random procedure, the generated dataset may not well match to genuine human‐made misspellings. This might degrade the performance in realistic test scenarios. In this paper, we propose a novel procedure to automatically introduce human‐like misspellings to legitimate words in Turkish language. Generated human‐like misspellings are used to improve the performance of a seq2seq spelling correction system. The proposed system consists of two separate models; a misspelling generator and a spelling corrector. The generator is trained using a relatively small number of human‐made misspellings and their manual corrections. Reference words and their misspellings are used as inputs and outputs of the generator, respectively. As a result, it is trained to add realistic spelling errors to the valid words. Training data of the spelling corrector is augmented by the generator's human‐like misspellings. In the experiments, we observe that the data augmentation significantly improves the spelling correction performance. Our proposed method yields 5% absolute improvement over the state‐of‐the‐art Turkish spelling correction systems in a test set which contains human‐made misspellings from Twitter messages.
Isotopic Characterization of Sulfate in a Shallow Aquifer Impacted by Agricultural Fertilizer
Authors: Spoelstra John , Leal Kristen A. , Senger Natalie D. , Schiff Sherry L. , Post Ryan 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe stable isotope ratios of groundwater sulfate (34S/32S, 18O/16O) are often used as tracers to help determine the origin of groundwater or groundwater contaminants. In agricultural watersheds, little is known about how the increased use of sulfur as a soil amendment to optimize crop production is affecting the isotopic composition of groundwater sulfate, especially in shallow aquifers. We investigated the isotopic composition of synthetic agricultural fertilizers and groundwater sulfate in an area of intensive agricultural activity, in Ontario, Canada. Groundwater samples from an unconfined surficial sand aquifer (Lake Algonquin Sand Aquifer) were analyzed from multi‐level monitoring wells, riverbank seeps, and private domestic wells. Fertilizers used in the area were analyzed for sulfur/sulfate content and stable isotopic composition (δ18O and/or δ34S). Fertilizers were isotopically distinct from geological sources of groundwater sulfate in the watershed and groundwater sulfate exhibited a wide range of δ34S (−6.9 to +20.0‰) and δ18O (−5.0 to +13.7‰) values. Quantitative apportionment of sulfate sources based on stable isotope data alone was not possible, largely because two of the potential fertilizer sulfate sources had an isotopic composition on the mixing line between two natural geological sources of sulfate in the aquifer. This study demonstrates that, when sulfate isotope analysis is being used as a tracer or co‐tracer of the origin of groundwater or of contaminants in groundwater, sulfate derived from synthetic fertilizer needs to be considered as a potential source, especially when other parameters such as nitrate independently indicate fertilizer impacts to groundwater quality.
Effect of low dialysate sodium in the management of intradialytic hypertension in maintenance hemodialysis patients: A single‐center Indian experience
Authors: Nair Sanjeev V. , Balasubramanian Karthikeyan , Ramasamy Ashok , Thamizhselvam Haripriya , Gharia Shivangi , Periasamy Soundararajan 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackgroundHigh dialysate sodium is a significant contributor to intradialytic hypertension (IDH) in maintenance hemodialysis patients. In this study, we aimed to study the effect of low dialysate sodium on IDH in Indian hemodialysis patients.Materials and MethodsFifty patients on maintenance hemodialysis for atleast 3 months with episodes of IDH were enrolled in this study. The study was performed in two different stages. In the first phase, patients were dialyzed with standard dialysate sodium (140 mEq/L) for eight consecutive sessions and in the second phase, they were dialyzed with low sodium dialysate (136 mEq/L) for eight consecutive sessions. Differences in pre, intradialytic, and post‐HD blood pressure, interdialytic weight gain, mean serum sodium, intradialytic adverse events, and number of IDH episodes requiring intervention between the two phases were assessed.ResultsThe mean age of the study population was 52 years (36 males,14 females). The mean post‐HD systolic and diastolic BP was 163.26 ± 9.58 mmHg and 88.60 ± 5.27 mmHg in the standard dialysate phase and 142.38 ± 14.09 mmHg and 84.58 ± 4.276 mmHg, respectively, in the low dialysate phase (p < 0.01). Interdialytic weight gain was 3.34 ± 0.9 and 3.11 ± 0.86 in the standard and low sodium dialysate phases, respectively (p = 0.19).The mean pre‐HD plasma sodium level was 138.48 ± 3.69 and 135.80 ± 1.35 mEq/dl, respectively, in standard and low dialysate phases (p = 0.01). There was significant reduction in number of IDH episodes requiring intervention. There was no difference in hypotensive episodes, adverse events between the two phases.ConclusionIn patients with intradialytic hypertension, low dialysate sodium significantly reduces the post‐HD blood pressure and intradialytic hypertensive episodes, when compared with standard sodium dialysate.
Inflammatory profile of apical periodontitis associated with liver fibrosis in rats: histological and immunohistochemical analysis
Authors: Cantiga‐Silva C. , Estrela C. , Segura‐Egea J. J. , Azevedo J. P. , de Oliveira P. H. C. , Cardoso C. B. M. , Pinheiro T. N. , Ervolino E. , Sivieri‐Araújo G. , Cintra L. T. A. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAimTo investigate the effects of liver fibrosis (LF) on the pro‐inflammatory mediators and periapical bone resorption of apical periodontitis (AP) in rats.MethodologyForty male Wistar rats were distributed into four groups: C – control, AP – rats with AP, LF – rats with LF, AP + LF – rats with AP and LF. LF was induced by carbon tetrachloride administration for 8 weeks and surgical bile duct ligation for 4 weeks; AP was induced in the teeth of rats by dental pulp exposure to the oral environment for 30 days. Jaws and livers were removed after euthanasia. Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Picrosirius Red (PSR) staining were used to confirm fibrosis in the livers. The jaws were analysed using H&E staining, immunohistochemical assays of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6 and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α). Student’s t‐test and Mann–Whitney’s U‐test were used for statistical analysis (P < 0.05).ResultsInflammatory infiltrate was moderate in the AP group and severe in the AP + LF group (P < 0.05). Periapical bone resorption was significantly larger in the AP + LF group compared with the AP group (P < 0.05). IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α levels were significantly higher in AP + LF group when compared to the AP group (P < 0.05).ConclusionMore intense inflammatory infiltrate, greater amounts of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and increased periapical bone resorption were observed in the presence of liver fibrosis in rats with exposed pulps.