bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alive Animal Model for Epilepsy by Intradorsal Striatum Injection of Colchicine
Authors: Fakhroleslam Zahra , Karami Manizheh , Roghani Mehrdad , Nejadebrahim Atiyeh 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background Epilepsy is a neural disorder with repeatable seizure attacks. In this article, we used the neurotoxin colchicine, which is derived from the plant Colchicum autumnale, to introduce a low cost but the more valuable alive animal model for epilepsy.
Materials and Methods Wistar rats weighing 250 to 300 g after intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (20 mg/kg) were restrained in the stereotaxic apparatus; they were cannulated in the dorsal striatal area (AP: 0.5 mm; L: 3 mm; V: 3.6 mm). One week later, an injection cannula attached to a 5-µ Hamilton syringe by polyethylene tubing guided 0.05 to 25 μg/rat colchicine in the recovered healthy rats once daily for 4 consecutive days. The control group solely received the saline solution. The behavioral signs of all animals were daily recorded. Finally, the brains of rats under deep euthanasia were collected in 10% formalin and examined histopathologically. The dorsal striatal regions were cut coronally into 3 to 4 µm-thick slices, and then stained with hematoxylin-eosin. They were eventually examined under the light microscope to verify the injection placement or possibility of lesions. All data were analyzed by analysis of variance under α = 0.05.
Results Behaviors were quantified based on Racine five-stage scoring and showed the significant epileptic generalized seizures in alive animal treated by intrastriatal injection of colchicine. However, tissue damage was invisible in the target brain area.
Conclusion The colchicine, using injection successively into the dorsal striatal region of rat, can create recurring epileptic convulsions in the animal.
Effect of Hypoproteinemia on Electrolyte Measurement by Direct and Indirect Ion Selective Electrode Methods
Authors: Gohel Mukesh , Makadia Jemil S. , Chakrabarti Chandan 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Objective The aim of this study was to see the effect of hypoproteinemia on electrolyte measurement by two different techniques, that is, direct ion selective electrode (ISE) and indirect ISE.
Material and Method It was an observational study in which 90 serum samples with normal protein content (Group-1) were subjected to sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) measurements by direct and indirect ISE methods. In the same way, 90 serum samples with total protein < 5 g/dL (Group-2) were subjected to Na+ and K+ measurements by direct and indirect ISE methods.
Result In samples from Group-1 patients, average Na+ was 138.1 ± 4.764 mmol/L by direct ISE method and 139.3 ± 3.887 mmol/L by indirect ISE method while average K+ was 4.41 ± 0.644 mmol/L by direct ISE method and 4.40 ± 0.592 mmol/L by indirect ISE method. There was no statistically significant difference in Na+ and K+ values measured by different methods. In samples from Group-2 patients, measured value of Na+ by direct ISE and indirect ISE was 134.57 ± 5.520 mmol/L and 138.64 ± 5.401 mmol/L, respectively. Difference between these two values was statistically significant with p-value of < 0.0001, but direct ISE and indirect ISE measured values of K+ was 4.146 ± 0.9639 mmol/L and 4.186 ± 0.8989, respectively, with no significant difference.
Conclusion Direct and indirect ISE methods are not comparable and showing significantly different results for Na+ in case of hypoproteinemia. So, it is recommended that setups like intensive care unit or emergency department, where electrolyte values have significant treatment outcome, should follow direct ISE method and should compare its previous result with the same method. Both the methods should not be used interchangeably.
Role of Sildenafil in Management of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Janagill Monika , Pooni Puneet Aulakh , Bhargava Siddharth , Chhabra Shibba Takkar 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAcute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has high mortality and multiple therapeutic strategies have been used to improve the outcome. Inhaled nitric oxide (INO), a pulmonary vasodilator, is used to improve oxygenation. This study was conducted to determine the role of sildenafil, an oral vasodilator, to improve oxygenation and mortality in pediatric ARDS (PARDS). The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in PARDS was studied as well. Inclusion criteria included children (1–18 years) with ARDS requiring invasive ventilation admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Northern India over a 1-year period of time. Thirty-five patients met the inclusion criteria. Pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) was determined by echocardiogram. Patients with persistent hypoxemia were started on oral sildenafil. The majority of patients (77%) had a primary pulmonary etiology of PARDS. Elevated PAP (>25 mm Hg) was detected in 54.3% patients at admission. Sildenafil was given to 20 patients who had severe and persistent hypoxemia. Oxygenation improved in most patients after the first dose with statistically significant improvement in PaO2/FiO2 ratios at both 12 and 24 hours following initiation of therapeutic dosing of sildenafil. Improvement in oxygenation occurred irrespective of initial PAP. Outcomes included a total of 57.1% patients discharged, 28.6% discharged against medical advice (DAMA), and a 14.3% mortality rate. Mortality was related to the severity of PARDS and not the use of sildenafil. This is the first study to determine the effect of sildenafil in PARDS. Sildenafil led to improvement in oxygenation in nearly all the cases without affecting mortality. Due to unavailability of INO in most centers of developing countries, sildenafil may be considered as an inexpensive alternative in cases of persistent hypoxemia in PARDS. We recommend additional randomized controlled trials to confirm the effect of sildenafil in PARDS as determined in this study.
Extubation to High-Flow Nasal Cannula in Infants Following Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Stevens Hannah , Gallant Julien , Foster Jennifer , Horne David , Krmpotic Kristina 
Published: June 2021

AbstractHigh-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy is commonly used in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for postextubation respiratory support. This hypothesis-generating retrospective cohort study aimed to compare postextubation PICU length of stay in infants extubated to HFNC and low flow oxygen (LF) in PICU following cardiac surgery. Of 136 infants (newborn to 1 year) who were intubated and mechanically ventilated in PICU following cardiac surgery, 72 (53%) were extubated to HFNC and 64 (47%) to LF. Compared with patients extubated to LF, those extubated to HFNC had significantly longer durations of cardiopulmonary bypass (152 vs. 109 minutes; p = 0.002), aortic cross-clamp (90 vs. 63 minutes; p = 0.003), and invasive mechanical ventilation (3.2 vs. 1.6 days; p < 0.001), although demographic and preoperative clinical variables were similar. No significant difference was observed in postextubation PICU length of stay between HFNC and LF groups in unadjusted analysis (3.3 vs. 2.6 days, respectively; p = 0.19) and after controlling for potential confounding variables (F [1,125] = 0.17, p = 0.68, R2
= 0.16). Escalation of therapy was similar between HFNC and LF groups (8.3 vs. 14.1%; p = 0.41). HFNC was effective as rescue therapy for six patients in the LF group requiring escalation of therapy. Need for reintubation was similar between HFNC and LF groups (8.3 vs. 4.7%; p = 0.5). Although extubation to HFNC was associated with a trend toward longer postextubation PICU length of stay and was successfully used as rescue therapy for several infants extubated to LF, our results must be interpreted with caution given the limitations of our study.
Vitamin D Status in Children with Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Raafat Duaa M. , EL-Asheer Osama M. , Mahmoud Amal A. , Darwish Manal M. , Osman Naglaa S. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractDilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the third leading cause of heart failure in pediatrics. The exact etiology of DCM is unknown in more than half of the cases. Vitamin D receptors are represented in cardiac muscles, endothelium, and smooth muscles of blood vessels suggesting that vitamin D could have a vital cardioprotective function. This study aimed to assess serum level of vitamin D in children with idiopathic DCM and to correlate the serum level of vitamin D with the left ventricular dimensions and function. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional single-center study, includes 44 children of both sexes, diagnosed as idiopathic DCM. Serum level of vitamin D was assessed and correlated with the left ventricular dimensions and function. Mean age of studied children was 6.08 ± 4.4 years. Vitamin D deficiency was found in 90.9% of children with idiopathic DCM with a mean level 13.48 ng/mL. There was a negative correlation between vitamin D level and fraction shortening and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter in children with DCM. Vitamin D level is not only significantly low in children with idiopathic DCM but it is also significantly correlated with the degree of left ventricular dysfunction.
The instruments of Eurozone fiscal surveillance through the lens of the soft law/hard law dichotomy—Looking for a new approach
Authors: Dermine Paul 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe past decade has profoundly reshaped the fiscal governance system of the Eurozone. Supranational prerogatives vis-à-vis State budgets have been significantly expanded, thereby redefining the nature of Union action in the field of fiscal policy and transforming the dynamics between the Union and its Member States. In spite of its overhaul and the practical effects that Eurozone fiscal governance now produces on the ground, the paper shows that overall, this regulatory system still formally qualifies as soft law. This results in a deep disconnect between the form and substance of Eurozone fiscal surveillance in the Eurozone, which raises a number of constitutional challenges. The paper shows that the source of this disconnect is to be found in the strict apprehension of the hard law/soft law divide and the narrow understanding of bindingness attached to it, which currently prevails in the legal discipline, but no longer corresponds to the realities of the EU’s regulatory practice. From there on, the paper offers an alternative approach towards the distinction between hard and soft law, based on a renewed, more open and contextual, understanding of the concepts of bindingness and legal effects, which might reconcile the form and the reality of Eurozone fiscal governance nowadays.
What makes a corporate heritage brand authentic for consumers? A semiotic approach
Authors: Rindell Anne , Santos Fernando Pinto 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn this article, the purpose is to develop a consumer-focused understanding of authenticity within corporate heritage research. Our research question is as follows: “What makes a corporate heritage brand authentic for consumers?” We employ Peirce’s semiotic concepts of icon, index and symbol to analyse consumers’ perceptions of the Finnish corporate heritage brand Fazer, founded in 1891. Our study shows that childhood memories, consumer experiences and expectations as well as shared social conventions make the corporate heritage brand authentic for consumers. Thus, our research empirically advances the understanding of authenticity as socially constructed. Importantly, our study highlights the temporal dimension of this construction and advances the current knowledge on corporate heritage brands by showing that uniqueness, credibility and consistency over time are key dimensions of corporate heritage brand authenticity assessments. This understanding is fundamental for corporate heritage management practice, especially for developing the strategic positioning of corporate heritage brands in the markets by harnessing the assessments of authenticity.
The Zoom Effect: Exploring the Impact of Video Calling on Appearance Dissatisfaction and Interest in Aesthetic Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Pikoos Toni D , Buzwell Simone , Sharp Gemma , Rossell Susan L 
Published: June 2021

Abstract

Background
The popularity of videoconferencing platforms has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential for video calls to promote appearance dissatisfaction because individuals are exposed to an image of themselves on camera for extended periods.

Objectives
The aim of the current study was to characterize current video usage behaviors and their relation to appearance dissatisfaction and interest in aesthetic procedures in the general population.

Methods
An online survey was completed by 335 adults currently living in Australia. Multiple aspects of video usage were assessed, including engagement in video-manipulation techniques to enhance appearance and the focus of visual attention (ie, on self or others) while on video calls. The Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire was administered to determine if video-use behaviors were associated with greater body image disturbance.

Results
Over one-third of participants had identified new appearance concerns while on video. Dysmorphic concern was associated with self-focused attention, greater engagement in video-manipulation behaviors, and increasing appearance concerns due to their time on video calls. Individuals who identified new video-based appearance concerns reported greater interest in obtaining future beauty treatments (eg, waxing) and aesthetic procedures (eg, nonsurgical procedures such as antiwrinkle injections).

Conclusions
This is one of first empirical studies to report the potential consequences of video-call usage for increasing appearance dissatisfaction and dysmorphic concern, and to demonstrate a link between the use of video calls and interest in cosmetic procedures.
Umbilicoplasty in Abdominoplasty: Modifications for Improved Aesthetic Results
Authors: Hespe Geoffrey E , Stepien David M , Sherif Rami D , Gilman Robert H 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Umbilicoplasty is a key component of any abdominoplasty as the umbilicus has been described as the central aesthetic subunit to the abdomen. Here, we describe our preferred technique for umbilicoplasty which involves a half-moon design with periumbilical defatting which in our hands produces consistent, aesthetically pleasing results.
Demystifying emerging bulk RNA-Seq applications: the application and utility of bioinformatic methodology
Authors: Thind Amarinder Singh , Monga Isha , Thakur Prasoon Kumar , Kumari Pallawi , Dindhoria Kiran , Krzak Monika , Ranson Marie , Ashford Bruce 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSignificant innovations in next-generation sequencing techniques and bioinformatics tools have impacted our appreciation and understanding of RNA. Practical RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) applications have evolved in conjunction with sequence technology and bioinformatic tools advances. In most projects, bulk RNA-Seq data is used to measure gene expression patterns, isoform expression, alternative splicing and single-nucleotide polymorphisms. However, RNA-Seq holds far more hidden biological information including details of copy number alteration, microbial contamination, transposable elements, cell type (deconvolution) and the presence of neoantigens. Recent novel and advanced bioinformatic algorithms developed the capacity to retrieve this information from bulk RNA-Seq data, thus broadening its scope. The focus of this review is to comprehend the emerging bulk RNA-Seq-based analyses, emphasizing less familiar and underused applications. In doing so, we highlight the power of bulk RNA-Seq in providing biological insights.
Patterns and resectability of colorectal cancer recurrences: outcome study within the COLOFOL trial
Authors: Hansdotter P , Scherman P , Petersen S H , Mikalonis M , Holmberg E , Rizell M , Naredi P , Syk I 
Published: June 2021

Abstract

Background
Improvements in surgery, imaging, adjuvant treatment, and management of metastatic disease have led to modification of previous approaches regarding the risk of recurrence and prognosis in colorectal cancer. The aims of this study were to map patterns, risk factors, and the possibility of curative treatment of recurrent colorectal cancer in a multimodal setting.

Methods
This was a cohort study based on the COLOFOL trial population of patients who underwent radical resection of stage II or III colorectal cancer. The medical files of all patients with recurrence within 5 years after resection of the primary tumour were scrutinized. Follow-up time was 5 years after the first recurrence. Primary endpoints were cumulative incidence, site, timing, and risk factors for recurrence, and rate of potentially curative treatment. A secondary endpoint was survival.

Results
Of 2442 patients, 471 developed recurrences. The 5-year cumulative incidence was 21.4 (95 per cent c.i. 19.5 to 23.3) per cent. The median time to detection was 1.1 years after surgery and 87.3 per cent were detected within 3 years. Some 98.2 per cent of patients who had potentially curative treatment were assessed by a multidisciplinary tumour board. A total of 47.8 per cent of the recurrences were potentially curatively treated. The 5-year overall survival rate after detection was 32.0 (95 per cent c.i. 27.9 to 36.3) per cent for all patients with recurrence, 58.6 (51.9 to 64.7) per cent in the potentially curatively treated group and 7.7 (4.8 to 11.5) per cent in the palliatively treated group.

Conclusion
Time to recurrence was similar to previous results, whereas the 21.4 per cent risk of recurrence was somewhat lower. The high proportion of patients who received potentially curative treatment, linked to a 5-year overall survival rate of 58.6 per cent, indicates that it is possible to achieve good results in recurrent colorectal cancer following multidisciplinary assessment.
Synaptic and Genetic Bases of Impaired Motor Learning Associated with Modified Experience-Dependent Cortical Plasticity in Heterozygous Reeler Mutants
Authors: Nishibe Mariko , Toyoda Hiroki , Hiraga Shin-ichiro , Yamashita Toshihide , Katsuyama Yu 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Patients with neurodevelopmental disorders show impaired motor skill learning. It is unclear how the effect of genetic variation on synaptic function and transcriptome profile may underlie experience-dependent cortical plasticity, which supports the development of fine motor skills. RELN (reelin) is one of the genes implicated in neurodevelopmental psychiatric vulnerability. Heterozygous reeler mutant (HRM) mice displayed impairments in reach-to-grasp learning, accompanied by less extensive cortical map reorganization compared with wild-type mice, examined after 10 days of training by intracortical microstimulation. Assessed by patch-clamp recordings after 3 days of training, the training induced synaptic potentiation and increased glutamatergic-transmission of cortical layer III pyramidal neurons in wild-type mice. In contrast, the basal excitatory and inhibitory synaptic functions were depressed, affected both by presynaptic and postsynaptic impairments in HRM mice; and thus, no further training-induced synaptic plasticity occurred. HRM exhibited downregulations of cortical synaptophysin, immediate-early gene expressions, and gene enrichment, in response to 3 days of training compared with trained wild-type mice, shown using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemisty, and RNA-sequencing. We demonstrated that motor learning impairments associated with modified experience-dependent cortical plasticity are at least partially attributed by the basal synaptic alternation as well as the aberrant early experience-induced gene enrichment in HRM.
Institutional change and political conflict in a structuralist model
Authors: Porcile Gabriel , Sanchez-Ancochea Diego 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
External conditions have historically influenced economic outcomes and have also impacted political institutions in developing countries. Focusing on these changes, this article develops a theoretical model of political conflict and democratic stability in a small open developing economy, using as the basis a structuralist macroeconomic model. In this model, political institutions are given in the medium run but vary in the long run as a result of political conflict between capitalists, formal workers, and informal workers excluded from the benefits of social protection. The model suggests that a democratic breakdown is more likely the larger the informal sector, the lower the structural competitiveness of the economy, and the weaker the country’s democratic tradition. The model also links the possibility of coups and democratization process with external shocks. Based mainly on the Latin American experience in democratic and dictatorial regimes, the article claims that combining industrial and technological policies—which ease the Balance-of-Payments constraint—with the building of a comprehensive system of social protection is key for the consolidation and stability of democracy.
Vedolizumab Experience in Children and Adolescents With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Multicenter Observational Study
Authors: Hajjat Temara M , Mosha Maua , Whaley Kaitlin G , Rosen Michael J , Suppa Carmine , Markowitz James , Dufour Lauren , Sauer Cary , Shukla-Udawatta Monica , Boyle Brendan , Gibson Meghan , Shapiro Jason , Sams Derica , Sylvester Francisco , Hunter Gabriele , Perez Maria E , Hyams Jeffrey S 
Published: June 2021

Abstract

Background
Vedolizumab is increasingly used off-label to treat children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the absence of rigorous clinical trial experience, multicenter observational data are important to establish expectations for efficacy and safety. We examined 1-year outcomes following vedolizumab therapy in a large multicenter pediatric IBD cohort.

Methods
We performed a retrospective study of 159 pediatric patients (4–17 years old) with IBD [78, Crohn disease (CD); 81, ulcerative colitis/IBD-unspecified (UC/IBD-U)] treated with vedolizumab for 1 year at 8 pediatric medical centers in the United States. Demographics, clinical outcomes, laboratory data, and vedolizumab dosing were recorded. The primary outcome was corticosteroid (CS)-free clinical remission at 1 year. Other measured outcomes were clinical remission at 12 and/or 24 weeks, laboratory outcomes at 1 year, and endoscopy/histology results at 1 year.

Results
Among the 159 patients (mean age, 14.5 ± 2.4 years; 86% anti-TNF experienced), 68/159 (43%) achieved CS-free clinical remission at 1 year (CD, 35/78, 45%; UC/IBD-U, 33/81, 40%). Vedolizumab therapy failed and was discontinued in 33/159 (21%) patients prior to 1 year (CD, 18/78, 23%; UC/IBD-U, 15/81, 19%). While week 12 clinical remission was not predictive of 1-year clinical remission in either CD or UC/IBD-U, week 24 clinical remission was predictive of 1-year clinical remission only in CD patients. No infusion reactions or serious side effects were noted.

Conclusions
Vedolizumab was safe and effective in this pediatric population with approximately 43% achieving CS-free clinical remission at 1 year. Similar efficacy was noted in both CD and UC.