bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil-transmitted helminths and schistosome infections in Ethiopia: a systematic review of progress in their control over the past 20 years
Authors: Maddren Rosie , Phillips Anna , Ower Alison , Landeryou Toby , Mengistu Birhan , Anjulo Ufaysa , Firdawek Ewnetu , Negussu Nebiyu , Anderson Roy 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundEthiopia has set the ambitious national targets of eliminating soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis (SCH) as public health problems by 2020, and breaking their transmission by 2025. This systematic review was performed to provide insight into the progress made by the national STH and SCH control programme purposed with reaching these targets.MethodsStudies published on STH and SCH in Ethiopia were searched for using Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and the resulting references of selected studies. Prevalence and intensity were analysed, stratified by region, age, and diagnostics.ResultsA total of 231 papers published between 2000 and 2020 were included. Over the past two decades,Trichuris trichiura(TT) infection has shown the most statistically significant decrease (93%,p < 0.0001), followed bySchistosoma mansoni(SM) (69%,p < 0.0001),Ascaris lumbricoides(AL) (67%,p < 0.0001) andSchistosoma haematobium(83%,p = 0.038) infections. Geographically, parasite burden has only consistently shown a significant reduction in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia, where AL, TT, hookworm and SM significantly decreased by 80% (p = 0.006), 95% (p = 0.005), 98% (p = 0.009) and 87% (p = 0.031), respectively. Prevalence of STH was highest among adults across all species, contrary to typical age-infection profiles for TT and AL that peak among school-aged children. Expanding treatment to the whole community would target reservoirs of adult and preschool-aged infection within the community, assisting Ethiopia in reaching their national transmission break targets. There was substantial heterogeneity in diagnostic methods used across studies, the majority of which predominantly used single-slide Kato–Katz. This low slide frequency provides poor diagnostic sensitivity, particularly in low endemic settings.ConclusionThe prevalence of STH and SCH in Ethiopia has decreased over time due to the strategic use of anthelmintics. Both standardising and increasing the sensitivity of the diagnostics used, alongside the ubiquitous use of parasite intensity with prevalence, would enable a more accurate and comparable understanding of Ethiopia’s epidemiological progress. Further work is needed on community-wide surveillance in order to understand the burden and subsequent need for treatment among those outside of the standard school-based control program.Graphical Abstract
Renal resistive index is associated with acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients treated in the intensive care unit
Authors: Renberg Mårten , Jonmarker Olof , Kilhamn Naima , Rimes-Stigare Claire , Bell Max , Hertzberg Daniel 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Renal resistive index (RRI) is a promising tool for the assessment of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients in general, but its role and association to AKI among patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not known.

Objective
The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of RRI in relation to AKI in patients with COVID-19 treated in the intensive care unit.

Methods
In this observational cohort study, RRI was measured in COVID-19 patients in six intensive care units at two sites of a Swedish University Hospital. AKI was defined by the creatinine criteria in the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes classification. We investigated the association between RRI and AKI diagnosis, different AKI stages and urine output.

Results
RRI was measured in 51 patients, of which 23 patients (45%) had AKI at the time of measurement. Median RRI in patients with AKI was 0.80 (IQR 0.71–0.85) compared to 0.72 (IQR 0.67–0.78) in patients without AKI (p = 0.004). Compared to patients without AKI, RRI was higher in patients with AKI stage 3 (median 0.83, IQR 0.71–0.85, p = 0.006) but not in patients with AKI stage 1 (median 0.76, IQR 0.71–0.83, p = 0.347) or AKI stage 2 (median 0.79, min/max 0.79/0.80, n = 2, p = 0.134). RRI was higher in patients with an ongoing AKI episode compared to patients who never developed AKI (median 0.72, IQR 0.69–0.78, p = 0.015) or patients who developed AKI but had recovered at the time of measurement (median 0.68, IQR 0.67–0.81, p = 0.021). Oliguric patients had higher RRI (median 0.84, IQR 0.83–0.85) compared to non-oliguric patients (median 0.74, IQR 0.69–0.81) (p = 0.009). After multivariable adjustment, RRI was independently associated with AKI (OR for 0.01 increments of RRI 1.22, 95% CI 1.07–1.41).

Conclusions
Critically ill COVID-19 patients with AKI have higher RRI compared to those without AKI, and elevated RRI may have a role in identifying severe and oliguric AKI at the bedside in these patients.
Rapid clinical recovery of a SARS-CoV-2 infected common variable immunodeficiency patient following the infusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma
Authors: Ribeiro Luciana C. , Benites Bruno Deltreggia , Ulaf Raisa G. , Nunes Thyago A. , Costa-Lima Carolina , Addas-Carvalho Marcelo , Proenca-Modena José Luiz , Granja Fabiana , da Costa Vitor Antonio , Duarte Adriana da Silva Santos , Zangirolami Audrey Basso , Amaro Emerson Clayton , Mansour Eli , Zollner Ricardo L. , Velloso Licio A. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Common variable immunodeficiency is the most prevalent symptomatic primary immunodeficiency in adults. Affected patients fail to mount an appropriate humoral response against community acquired infectious diseases and recent reports have provided data supporting the increased susceptibility of these patients to severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. In this context, the infusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma could represent an effective therapeutic strategy.

Case presentation
25-year old woman diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency in 2013, developed severe COVID-19 that rapidly progressed to pneumonia presenting with multiple bilateral lung opacities that were both central and peripheral and presented as ground-glass and consolidation types involving all lobes, bilaterally. As blood oxygen saturation decayed and lung abnormalities were not responsive to large spectrum antibiotics and corticosteroids, patient was placed on mechanical ventilation and compassionate-use of approved COVID-19 convalescent donor plasma was introduced. The patient presented a rapid response to the approach and mechanical ventilation could be interrupted 24 h after first dose of COVID-19 convalescent donor plasma. As a whole, the patient received four doses of 200 mL convalescent plasma during a period of 6 days. There was rapid improvement of clinical status, with interruption of supplemental oxygen therapy after 6 days and reduction of lung abnormalities as evidence by sequential computed tomography scans.

Conclusions
This is a single patient report that adds to other few reports on common variable immunodeficiency and agammaglobulinemia, suggesting that COVID-19 convalescent donor plasma could be a valuable therapeutic approach to treat patients affected by dysgammaglobulinemias and presenting severe COVID-19.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes in women and men hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 in New Orleans
Authors: Yoshida Yilin , Gillet Scott A. , Brown Margo I. , Zu Yuanhao , Wilson Sarah M. , Ahmed Sabreen J. , Tirumalasetty Saritha , Lovre Dragana , Krousel-Wood Marie , Denson Joshua L. , Mauvais-Jarvis Franck 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Objectives
Determine if sex differences exist in clinical characteristics and outcomes of adults hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a US healthcare system.

Design
Case series study.

Setting and participants
Sequentially hospitalized adults admitted for COVID-19 at two tertiary care academic hospitals in New Orleans, LA, between 27 February and 15 July 2020.

Measures and outcomes
Measures included demographics, comorbidities, presenting symptoms, and laboratory results. Outcomes included intensive care unit admission (ICU), invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and in-hospital death.

Results
We included 776 patients (median age 60.5 years; 61.4% women, 75% non-Hispanic Black). Rates of ICU, IMV, and death were similar in both sexes. In women versus men, obesity (63.8 vs 41.6%, P < 0.0001), hypertension (77.6 vs 70.1%, P = 0.02), diabetes (38.2 vs 31.8%, P = 0.06), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 22.1 vs 15.1%, P = 0.015), and asthma (14.3 vs 6.9%, P = 0.001) were more prevalent. More women exhibited dyspnea (61.2 vs 53.7%, P = 0.04), fatigue (35.7 vs 28.5%, P = 0.03), and digestive symptoms (39.3 vs 32.8%, P = 0.06) than men. Obesity was associated with IMV at a lower BMI (> 35) in women, but the magnitude of the effect of morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 40) was similar in both sexes. COPD was associated with ICU (adjusted OR (aOR), 2.6; 95%CI, 1.5–4.3) and IMV (aOR, 1.8; 95%CI, 1.2–3.1) in women only. Diabetes (aOR, 2.6; 95%CI, 1.2–2.9), chronic kidney disease (aOR, 2.2; 95%CI, 1.3–5.2), elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (aOR, 2.5; 95%CI, 1.4–4.3), and elevated ferritin (aOR, 3.6; 95%CI, 1.7–7.3) were independent predictors of death in women only. In contrast, elevated D-dimer was an independent predictor of ICU (aOR, 7.3; 95%CI, 2.7–19.5), IMV (aOR, 6.5; 95%CI, 2.1–20.4), and death (aOR, 4.5; 95%CI, 1.2–16.4) in men only.

Conclusions
This study highlights sex disparities in clinical determinants of severe outcomes in COVID-19 patients that may inform management and prevention strategies to ensure gender equity.
Transformation of fibroblast‐like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis; from a friend to foe
Authors: Mousavi Mohammad Javad , Karami Jafar , Aslani Saeed , Tahmasebi Mohammad Naghi , Vaziri Arash Sharafat , Jamshidi Ahmadreza , Farhadi Elham , Mahmoudi Mahdi 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSwelling and the progressive destruction of articular cartilage are major characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a systemic autoimmune disease that directly affects the synovial joints and often causes severe disability in the affected positions. Recent studies have shown that type B synoviocytes, which are also called fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), as the most commonly and chiefly resident cells, play a crucial role in early-onset and disease progression by producing various mediators. During the pathogenesis of RA, the FLSs’ phenotype is altered, and represent invasive behavior similar to that observed in tumor conditions. Modified and stressful microenvironment by FLSs leads to the recruitment of other immune cells and, eventually, pannus formation. The origins of this cancerous phenotype stem fundamentally from the significant metabolic changes in glucose, lipids, and oxygen metabolism pathways. Moreover, the genetic abnormalities and epigenetic alterations have recently been implicated in cancer-like behaviors of RA FLSs. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms underlying the transformation of FLSs to a cancer-like phenotype during RA. A comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms may lead to devising more effective and targeted treatment strategies.
A CNN-based approach to identification of degradations in speech signals
Authors: Saishu Yuki , Poorjam Amir Hossein , Christensen Mads Græsbøll 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe presence of degradations in speech signals, which causes acoustic mismatch between training and operating conditions, deteriorates the performance of many speech-based systems. A variety of enhancement techniques have been developed to compensate the acoustic mismatch in speech-based applications. To apply these signal enhancement techniques, however, it is necessary to know prior information about the presence and the type of degradations in speech signals. In this paper, we propose a new convolutional neural network (CNN)-based approach to automatically identify the major types of degradations commonly encountered in speech-based applications, namely additive noise, nonlinear distortion, and reverberation. In this approach, a set of parallel CNNs, each detecting a certain degradation type, is applied to the log-mel spectrogram of audio signals. Experimental results using two different speech types, namely pathological voice and normal running speech, show the effectiveness of the proposed method in detecting the presence and the type of degradations in speech signals which outperforms the state-of-the-art method. Using the score weighted class activation mapping, we provide a visual analysis of how the network makes decision for identifying different types of degradation in speech signals by highlighting the regions of the log-mel spectrogram which are more influential to the target degradation.
Ultrasonic evaluation of muscle functional recovery following free functioning gracilis transfer, a preliminary study
Authors: Hou Yi , Yang Jiantao , Qin Bengang , Gu Liqiang , Zheng Jia 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Ultrasonic measurement has not been utilized to assess the functional recovery of transplanted muscle. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using B-ultrasound measurement to assess muscle recovery following free functioning gracilis transfer.

Methods
From January 2009 to January 2014, 35 patients receiving free functioning gracilis transfer to treat total brachial plexus injury were enrolled. B-ultrasound was adopted to determine the cross-sectional area (CSA) of transplanted gracilis muscle at rest and contraction state. The ratio of pre- to post-transplant CSA value at rest state was defined as muscle bulk ratio (MBR). The ratio of CSA value at contraction state to rest state was defined as contraction ratio (CR).

Results
Patients with muscle strength M ≥ 4 had significantly higher CR1 (post-transplant), CR2 (pre-transplant), and range of motion (ROM, joint mobility) than those with muscle strength M < 4. The CR1 > CR2 group had significantly higher CR1, muscle strength, and ROM than the CR1 ≤ CR2 group. The MBR > 1 group had significantly higher muscle strength than the MBR ≤ 1 group. CR1 value was highly correlated with muscle strength and with ROM. CR2 value was moderately correlated with muscle strength and ROM. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that a higher CR1/CR2 value was associated with a higher muscle strength and joint mobility. The CR1 > CR2 group had better muscle strength and ROM than the CR1 ≤ CR2 groups.

Conclusion
B-ultrasound measurement can quantitatively reflect muscle strength following gracilis transfer, and CR value could be a potential indicator for functional recovery of the transplanted gracilis muscle.
Level of Evidence: Prognostic studies, Level II.
Non-cell autonomous astrocyte-mediated neuronal toxicity in prion diseases
Authors: Kushwaha Rajesh , Sinha Anshuman , Makarava Natallia , Molesworth Kara , Baskakov Ilia V. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractUnder normal conditions, astrocytes perform a number of important physiological functions centered around neuronal support and synapse maintenance. In neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and prion diseases, astrocytes acquire reactive phenotypes, which are sustained throughout the disease progression. It is not known whether in the reactive states associated with prion diseases, astrocytes lose their ability to perform physiological functions and whether the reactive states are neurotoxic or, on the contrary, neuroprotective. The current work addresses these questions by testing the effects of reactive astrocytes isolated from prion-infected C57BL/6J mice on primary neuronal cultures. We found that astrocytes isolated at the clinical stage of the disease exhibited reactive, pro-inflammatory phenotype, which also showed downregulation of genes involved in neurogenic and synaptogenic functions. In astrocyte-neuron co-cultures, astrocytes from prion-infected animals impaired neuronal growth, dendritic spine development and synapse maturation. Toward examining the role of factors secreted by reactive astrocytes, astrocyte-conditioned media was found to have detrimental effects on neuronal viability and synaptogenic functions via impairing synapse integrity, and by reducing spine size and density. Reactive microglia isolated from prion-infected animals were found to induce phenotypic changes in primary astrocytes reminiscent to those observed in prion-infected mice. In particular, astrocytes cultured with reactive microglia-conditioned media displayed hypertrophic morphology and a downregulation of genes involved in neurogenic and synaptogenic functions. In summary, the current study provided experimental support toward the non-cell autonomous mechanisms behind neurotoxicity in prion diseases and demonstrated that the astrocyte reactive phenotype associated with prion diseases is synaptotoxic.
Ceftriaxone-associated pseudolithiasis in hemodialysis patients: a case series study
Authors: Oyama Yuko , Iwafuchi Yoichi , Narita Ichiei 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Ceftriaxone, a third-generation cephalosporin, is widely used to treat bacterial infections in patients undergoing dialysis because it has a long half-life and broad spectrum of action and does not require dose reduction. However, renal dysfunction is a risk factor for ceftriaxone-associated pseudolithiasis that has rarely been reported in patients undergoing hemodialysis. This study aimed to present the detailed clinical manifestations of, and susceptibility to, ceftriaxone-associated pseudolithiasis in hemodialysis patients.

Methods
Seventy-seven hemodialysis patients received ceftriaxone between February 2011 and June 2019, and 33 patients underwent abdominal computed tomography within 1 year of receiving the drug. Among these 33 patients, 11 have developed ceftriaxone-associated pseudolithiasis. We retrospectively reviewed these patients’ medical records. We also compared the medical records of ten patients who underwent computed tomography scans within 60 days of ceftriaxone administration and developed ceftriaxone-associated pseudolithiasis with those of patients who did not develop this adverse event.

Results
Pseudolithiasis tended to develop when patients received ceftriaxone for longer periods or at a higher total dosage. However, the ceftriaxone dose and the disease severity were not significantly correlated. Most patients improved within several months; however, the condition persisted for 10 months in a patient with a spinal cord injury. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics, prevalence of diabetes mellitus or cerebrovascular disease, being bed-bound, fasting, serum albumin, calcium, intact parathormone, or dose per unit body mass between the two groups. However, patients who developed pseudolithiasis had received ceftriaxone for significantly longer and at a higher total dose than those who did not develop pseudolithiasis (12 days; interquartile range [IQ], 8.3–14 vs. 4 days, IQ, 2–8, P = 0.00872; 12.5 g, IQ, 9.3–14 vs. 4 g, IQ, 2–8, P = 0.00476, respectively).

Conclusions
Ceftriaxone-associated pseudolithiasis may be relatively common in patients undergoing hemodialysis, especially in those who receive a higher total quantity of drug or for a longer duration. It is important to be aware of the possibility of pseudolithiasis developing in hemodialysis patients who receive ceftriaxone. These patients should be monitored during, and for up to 1 year after, its administration.
Elevated factor VIII levels and arterial stroke: a review of literature with a case report
Authors: Khandelwal Dinesh , Mathur Vaibhav , Vyas Arvind , Shah Chandani , Ranawat Chandrajeet Singh , Patel Parth 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Cerebral arterial thromboses or ischemic strokes may be caused by cumulative or independent effects of a variety of risk factors. High factor VIII level is one of those important but less known risk factors for arterial and venous thrombosis. We hereby provide a comprehensive review of the role of high factor VIII levels as a risk factor of arterial thrombosis. Moreover, we present our views on inclusion of factor VIII testing in the etiology workup protocol of young patients with ischemic strokes and their treatment with anticoagulant therapy.

Case presentation
We illustrate a case of 32-year-old North Indian female patient with Ischemic stroke whose only identifiable risk factor was revealed to be an elevated factor VIII level. She was treated with oral anticoagulant with an uneventful follow-up of 6 months.

Conclusions
Elevated factor VIII levels have their independent and additive effects in causation and prognosis of arterial strokes. We herein discuss the mechanism of this association, the feasibility and yield of routine testing, appropriate cut-off levels, and further treatment protocol especially in young stroke patients.
A proposed insight into the anti-viral potential of metallic nanoparticles against novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19)
Authors: Ibrahim Fouad Ghadha 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Over the last ten months since December 2019, the world has faced infectious emerging novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks that had a massive global impact affecting over 185 countries.

Main body
Emerging novel COVID-19 is a global health emergency on a pandemic scale that represents a terror to human health through its ability to escape anti-viral measures. Such viral infections impose a great socioeconomic burden, besides global health challenges. This imposes a pressing need for the development of anti-viral therapeutic agents and diagnostic tools that demonstrate multifunctional, target-specific, and non-toxic properties. Nanotheranostics is regarded as a promising approach for the management of different viral infections. Nanotheranostics facilitates targeted drug-delivery of anti-viral therapeutics as well as contributing to the development of diagnostic systems. Multifunctional metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as innovative theranostic agents that enable sustainable treatment and effective diagnosis. Here we have reviewed current advances in the use of theranostic metallic NPs to fight against COVID-19, and discussed the application as well as limitations associated with nanotechnology-based theranostic approaches.

Conclusion
This review verified the potential use of some metal-based NPs as anti-viral nanotheranostic agents. Metal-based NPs could act as carriers that enable the sustainable and targeted delivery of active anti-viral molecules, or as diagnostic agents that allow rapid and sensitive diagnosis of viral infections.