bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acupuncture promotes expression of Hsp84/86 and delays brain ageing in SAMP8 mice
Authors: Chang Shichen , Guo Xuanyang , Li Guomin , Zhang Xuezhu , Li Jing , Jia Yujie , Nie Kun 
Published: March 2021

Objective: To study the effects of acupuncture on expression of heat shock protein (Hsp) 84 and 86, and brain ageing, in the senescence accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) model of Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: 7-month-old male senescence resistant mouse strain 1 (SAMR1) and SAMP8 mice were assigned to the following groups, with 15 animals in each group: SAMR1 control (Rc), SAMP8 control (Pc), SAMP8 acupuncture (Pa), SAMP8 sham-acupuncture (Psa). The Pa group was given acupuncture treatment once daily for 15 days. Neuromuscular coordination and cognitive function of the mice were evaluated by the tightrope test and Morris water maze test, respectively. The number of neurons in the CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus were measured. The levels of oxidative stress and protein carbonyl, mRNA and protein expression levels of Hsp84 and Hsp86 in the hippocampus were detected. Results: Compared with the Rc group, in the Pc mice there was a lower success rate for the tightrope test, impaired cognitive abilities, a decline in neuron numbers, reduced levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), increased levels of superoxide anion and protein carbonyl, and decreased mRNA and protein levels of Hsp84 and Hsp86 (all P<0.05). After acupuncture treatment, the success rate for the tightrope test was elevated, cognitive function was improved, neuron numbers were enhanced, levels of SOD and GSH-Px were increased, levels of superoxide anion and protein carbonyl were decreased, and Hsp84 and Hsp86 mRNA and protein expression were increased in the Pa mice when compared with the Pc and Psa groups (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture may delay brain ageing in SAMP8 mice by reducing oxidative protein damage and promoting Hsp84 and Hsp86 expression.
Protective/reparative cytokines are suppressed at high injury severity in human trauma
Authors: Cai Jinman , McKinley Todd , Billiar Isabel , Zenati Mazen S , Gaski Greg , Vodovotz Yoram , Gruen Danielle S , Billiar Timothy R , Namas Rami A 
Published: March 2021

BackgroundTrauma elicits a complex inflammatory response that, among multiple presenting factors, is greatly impacted by the magnitude of injury severity. Herein, we compared the changes in circulating levels of mediators with known proinflammatory roles to those with known protective/reparative actions as a function of injury severity in injured humans.MethodsClinical and biobank data were obtained from 472 (trauma database-1 (TD-1), University of Pittsburgh) and 89 (trauma database-2 (TD-2), Indiana University) trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and who survived to discharge. Injury severity was estimated based on the Injury Severity Score (ISS), and this was used as both a continuous variable and for the purpose of grouping patients into severity-based cohorts. Samples within the first 24 hours were obtained from all patients and then daily up to day 7 postinjury in TD-1. Sixteen cytokines were assayed using Luminex and were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance (p<0.05).ResultsPatients with higher ISSs had longer ICU and hospital stays, days on mechanical ventilation and higher rates of nosocomial infection when compared with the mild and moderate groups. Time course analysis and correlations with ISS showed that 11 inflammatory mediators correlated positively with injury severity, consistent with previous reports. However, five mediators (interleukin (IL)-9, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23 and IL-17E/25) were suppressed in patients with high ISS and inversely correlated with ISS.DiscussionThese findings suggest that severe injury is associated with a suppression of a subset of cytokines known to be involved in tissue protection and regeneration (IL-9, IL-22 and IL-17E/25) and lymphocyte differentiation (IL-21 and IL-23), which in turn correlates with adverse clinical outcomes. Thus, patterns of proinflammatory versus protective/reparative mediators diverge with increasing ISS.
Black-hole solution in nonlinear electrodynamics with the maximum allowable symmetries
Authors: Amirabi Z. , Mazharimousavi S. Habib 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe nonlinear Maxwell Lagrangian preserving both conformal and SO(2) duality-rotation invariance has been introduced very recently. Here, in the context of Einstein’s theory of gravity minimally coupled with this nonlinear electrodynamics, we obtain a black hole solution which is the Reissner–Nordström black hole with one additional parameter that is coming from the nonlinear theory. We employ the causality and unitarity principles to identify an upper bound for this free parameter. The effects of this parameter on the physical properties of the black hole solution are investigated.
Strong collapse and persistent homology
Authors: Boissonnat Jean-Daniel , Pritam Siddharth , Pareek Divyansh 
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we introduce a fast and memory efficient approach to compute the Persistent Homology (PH) of a sequence of simplicial complexes. The basic idea is to simplify the complexes of the input sequence by using strong collapses, as introduced by Barmak and Miniam [DCG (2012)], and to compute the PH of an induced sequence of reduced simplicial complexes that has the same PH as the initial one. Our approach has several salient features that distinguishes it from previous work. It is not limited to filtrations (i.e. sequences of nested simplicial subcomplexes) but works for other types of sequences like towers and zigzags. To strong collapse a simplicial complex, we only need to store the maximal simplices of the complex, not the full set of all its simplices, which saves a lot of space and time. Moreover, the complexes in the sequence can be strong collapsed independently and in parallel. We also focus on the problem of computing persistent homology of a flag tower, i.e. a sequence of flag complexes connected by simplicial maps. We show that if we restrict the class of simplicial complexes to flag complexes, we can achieve decisive improvement in terms of time and space complexities with respect to previous work. Moreover we can strong collapse a flag complex knowing only its 1-skeleton and the resulting complex is also a flag complex. When we strong collapse the complexes in a flag tower, we obtain a reduced sequence that is also a flag tower we call the core flag tower. We then convert the core flag tower to an equivalent filtration to compute its PH. Here again, we only use the 1-skeletons of the complexes. The resulting method is simple and extremely efficient. As a result and as demonstrated by numerous experiments on publicly available data sets, our approach is extremely fast and memory efficient in practice. Finally, we can compromise between precision and time by choosing the number of simplicial complexes of the sequence we strong collapse.
Individual and Joint Associations of Genetic Risk and Healthy Lifestyle Score with Colorectal Neoplasms Among Participants of Screening Colonoscopy
Authors: Erben Vanessa , Carr Prudence R. , Guo Feng , Weigl Korbinian , Hoffmeister Michael , Brenner Hermann 
Published: March 2021

AbstractGenetic and lifestyle factors contribute to colorectal cancer risk. We investigated their individual and joint associations with various stages of colorectal carcinogenesis. We assessed associations of a polygenic risk score (PRS) and a healthy lifestyle score (HLS) with presence of nonadvanced adenomas and advanced neoplasms among 2,585 participants of screening colonoscopy from Germany. The PRS and HLS individually showed only weak associations with presence of nonadvanced adenomas; stronger associations were observed with advanced neoplasms (ORs, 95% CI, for highest vs. lowest risk tertile: PRS 2.27, 1.78–2.88; HLS 1.96, 1.53–2.51). The PRS was associated with higher odds of advanced neoplasms among carriers of any neoplasms (1.65, 1.23–2.22). Subjects in the highest risk tertile (vs. lowest tertile) of both scores had higher risks for nonadvanced adenomas (1.77, 1.09–2.86), for advanced neoplasms (3.95, 2.53–6.16) and, among carriers of any neoplasms, for advanced versus nonadvanced neoplasms (2.26, 1.31–3.92). Both scores were individually associated with increased risk of nonadvanced adenomas and, much more pronounced, advanced neoplasms. The similarly strong association in relative terms across all levels of genetic risk implies that a healthy lifestyle may be particularly beneficial in those at highest genetic risk, given that the same relative risk reduction in this group would imply a stronger absolute risk reduction. Genetic factors may be of particular relevance for the transition of nonadvanced to advanced adenomas.Prevention Relevance:Genetic factors have strong impact on the risk of colorectal neoplasms, which may be reduced by healthy lifestyle. Similarly strong associations in relative terms across all levels of genetic risk imply that a healthy lifestyle may be beneficial due to higher absolute risk reduction in those at highest genetic risk.
At the Heart of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor–Induced Immune Toxicity
Authors: Young Arabella , Bluestone Jeffrey A. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSummary:Wei and colleagues showcase a genetic mouse model of immune-mediated myocarditis that shares homology with immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI)–induced myocarditis in patients with cancer. They demonstrate that abatacept (CTLA4–Ig) limits cardiac toxicity in the mouse model and, thus, may ameliorate the CPI-induced myocarditis in patients with cancer while potentially maintaining antitumor activity.See related article by Wei et al., p. 614.
Carl Schmitt in Hungary: Constitutional Crisis in the Shadow of Covid-19
Authors: Mészáros Gábor 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
This paper discusses the Hungarian constitutionalism and the emergency model which can be called an ‘autocratic’ emergency model in which the government’s main aim is to create an emergency regime without real threat. That was the case in Hungary before 2020, but as the new coronavirus flourished the Hungarian constitutionalism and the rule of law withered. As the article asserts the declaration of the state of danger was unconstitutional because human epidemic is not involved in the listing of the constitution. The constitutional concerns have become even more complicated after the acceptance of the “Enabling Act” which gave unconstrained power for the Government. The spirit of Carl Schmitt’s theory is again emerged. As the coronavirus and its immediate effect necessitated extra-legal measures, the threshold between the rule of law and exceptionalism was fading swiftly and legal constitutionalism became a pleasant memory.
Self-knowledge, Perception, and Margaret Cavendish’s Metaphysics of the Individual
Authors: Georgescu Laura 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
For Margaret Cavendish, every single part of matter has self-knowledge, and almost every part has perceptive knowledge. This paper asks what is at stake for Cavendish in ascribing self-knowing and perceptive properties to matter. Whereas many commentators take perception and self-knowledge to be guides to Cavendish’s epistemology, this paper takes them to be guides to her metaphysics, in that it shows that these categories account for individual specificity and for relationality. A part of matter is a unique individual insofar as it is self-knowing – and it is a part in relation to other parts, and to the whole of matter, insofar as it is a perceptive part. This is so because self-knowledge is purely self-referential and complete, while perceptive knowledge is purely relational.
Understanding Caregiver Strain in Parkinsonism—A Mixed Methods Approach
Authors: Hand Annette , Oates Lloyd L. , Gray William K. , Dismore Lorelle L. , Baker Katherine , Naisby Jenni , Walker Richard W. 
Published: March 2021

Background: Parkinsonism, including Parkinson’s disease (PD) are progressive neurological conditions. As these condition progress, individuals will need more support with their care needs to maintain independent community-living. Care needs are mainly met by unpaid, informal caregivers, usually close family members or friends. Caregiver strain is thought to lead to the need for care home placement when the caregiver can no longer cope. Objective: To understand predictors of caregiver strain and its influence on care home placement for people with moderate to advanced Parkinsonism. Methods: This is a convergent mixed methods study. Quantitative data, following an adapted stress-appraisal model, were collected on caregiver profile, tasks performed and causes of caregiver strain. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with caregivers of people with PD (PwP) who went into a care home during the study period, to develop a deeper understanding of the caregiver role and the factors influencing caregiver strain. Results: Quantitative data were collected from 115 patient caregiver dyads. Interviews were conducted with 10 caregivers. A model to predict caregiver strain was developed and predictors of caregiver strain were identified, such as functional disability and poor caregiver sleep. Conclusion: Our findings further demonstrate the complexity of carer strain. Particular dimensions are identified that need to be addressed within clinical practice to reduce carer strain and support people with Parkinsonism to remain within their own home for as long as possible.
Enoxaparin Use and Adverse Events in Outpatients With a Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device at a Single Institution
Authors: Bernard Allison M. , Alvarez Paulino A. , Bream-Rouwenhorst Heather R. , Horner Kathleen E. , Briasoulis Alexandros , Czerniak Laura C. 
Published: March 2021

Background: Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are anticoagulated with warfarin and may receive enoxaparin bridging for a subtherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR). There is no guideline regarding enoxaparin bridging in LVAD patients and a dosing strategy to ensure efficacy and safety is uncertain. Objective: The objective was to characterize the use of enoxaparin bridging for subtherapeutic INRs and its impact on thrombotic or major bleeding events (MBE) in patients with an LVAD. Methods: A retrospective review from 6/1/17 to 6/30/18 was performed. Patients with an LVAD were excluded if they had less than 60 days of outpatient anticoagulation or age <18 years old. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts based on enoxaparin exposure. MBE and thrombotic events were classified as related to enoxaparin if events occurred while receiving enoxaparin and up to 7 days or 30 days, respectively, after discontinuation. Results: Seventy-one LVAD patients met inclusion criteria and 50 patients received enoxaparin bridging. Therapeutic-dose enoxaparin was initiated at a mean INR of 1.8 for a mean duration of 2.8 days. In the enoxaparin exposure group, one MBE occurred 6 days after enoxaparin discontinuation, coinciding with an INR increase from 1.8 to 4.7. One thrombotic event occurred 2 days after enoxaparin discontinuation at an INR of 5.0. Conclusion: This institution’s bridging strategy of therapeutic-dose enoxaparin with a short duration has a low rate of bleeding and thrombotic events. Additional prospective studies of anticoagulation bridging based on characteristics such as type of LVAD device are warranted.
Khat Chewing Practice and Associated Factors among Medical Students in Gondar Town, Ethiopia, 2019
Authors: Adane Tsegaye , Worku Walelegn , Azanaw Jember , Yohannes Lamrot 
Published: March 2021

Background: Globally, khat chewing practice becoming an alarming and common among the youth generation, especially in higher educational institutions. It may also lead to frequent misbehavior, poor academic performance, and memory impairment among students. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of khat chewing practice and associated factors among medical students in Gondar town, Ethiopia, 2019. Method: A cross-sectional study was employed on 422 medical students. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 20 software. Stratified followed by random sampling was employed to select the samples. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the predictors. P ⩽ .05 was used to select statistically significant factors. Result: The current prevalence of khat chewing practice among medical students was 21.5%. The odds of khat chewing practice was higher among males (AOR = 3.353; 95%CI [1.460-7.701]), Muslims (AOR = 6.390; 95%CI [1.903-21.460]), fifth and 6 year students (AOR = 3.391; 95%CI [1.354-8.488]), smokers (AOR = 5.081; 95%CI [1.898-13.601]), alcohol users (AOR = 4.872; 95%CI [2.094-11.332]), students who had khat chewer close friends (AOR = 30.645; 95%CI [12.261-76.589]). Conclusion: Since a significant proportion of students were found to be khat chewers, continuous awareness creation on the impact of khat chewing and counseling services are recommended.
Proximal Fusion Level Above First Coronal Reverse Vertebrae: An Essential Factor Decreasing the Risk of Adjacent Segment Degeneration in Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis
Authors: Wang Hui , Sun Zhuoran , Wang Longjie , Zou Da , Li Weishi 
Published: March 2021

Study Design: Retrospective radiological analysis. Objective: To explore whether proximal fusion level above first coronal reverse vertebrae (FCRV) could decrease risk of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) in degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS). Methods: One hundred and 16 DLS patients were divided into 2 groups according to occurrence of ASD: study group (ASD positive group) and control group (ASD negative group). FCRV was defined as the first vertebrae that presents opposite orientation of asymmetric Hounsfield unit (HU) ratio from the other vertebrae within major curve. Incidence of ASD was evaluated in subgroups according to location between FCRV and upper instrumented vertebrae (UIV). Results: The fusion level was shorter in study group than that in control group. There were 12 patients presented FCRV 2-level proximal than SV, 32 patients presented FCRV 1-level proximal than SV, 35 patients presented the same vertebra of FCRV with SV, 23 patients presented FCRV 1-level distal than SV, 14 patients presented FCRV 2-level distal than SV. When UIV located above FCRV, no patient presented ASD, while 15.4% patients presented ASD when UIV located on FCRV. In study group, proximal scoliosis progression was detected in 1 patient (3.9%) when UIV located on FCRV, and 17 patients (29.8%) when UIV located below FCRV. Conclusions: Proximal fusion level above FCRV could decrease the risk of ASD in DLS, especially for the proximal scoliosis progression. FCRV represent the transitional point of the mechanical load on coronal plane, and may be within a more stable condition than stable vertebrae measured from radiographs.
Preexisting and treatment-emergent autoimmune cytopenias in patients with CLL treated with targeted drugs
Authors: Vitale Candida , Salvetti Chiara , Griggio Valentina , Porrazzo Marika , Schiattone Luana , Zamprogna Giulia , Visentin Andrea , Vassallo Francesco , Cassin Ramona , Rigolin Gian Matteo , Murru Roberta , Laurenti Luca , Rivela Paolo , Marchetti Monia , Pennese Elsa , Gentile Massimo , Boccellato Elia , Perutelli Francesca , Montalbano Maria Chiara , De Paoli Lorenzo , Reda Gianluigi , Orsucci Lorella , Trentin Livio , Cuneo Antonio , Tedeschi Alessandra , Scarfò Lydia , Gaidano Gianluca , Mauro Francesca Romana , Foà Robin , Boccadoro Mario , Coscia Marta 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAutoimmune cytopenias (AICs) affect 5% to 9% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Targeted drugs—ibrutinib, idelalisib, and venetoclax—have a prominent role in the treatment of CLL, but their impact on CLL-associated AICs is largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the characteristics and outcome of preexisting AICs and described the incidence, quality, and management of treatment-emergent AICs during therapy with targeted drugs in patients with CLL. We collected data from 572 patients treated with ibrutinib (9% in combination with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody), 143 treated with idelalisib-rituximab, and 100 treated with venetoclax (12% in combination with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody). A history of preexisting AICs was reported in 104 (13%) of 815 patients. Interestingly, 80% of patients whose AICs had not resolved when treatment with a targeted drug was started experienced an improvement or a resolution during therapy. Treatment-emergent AICs occurred in 1% of patients during ibrutinib therapy, in 0.9% during idelalisib therapy, and in 7% during venetoclax therapy, with an estimated incidence rate of 5, 6, and 69 episodes per 1000 patients per year of exposure in the 3 treatment groups, respectively. The vast majority of patients who developed treatment-emergent AICs had unfavorable biological features such as an unmutated IGHV and a del(17p) and/or TP53 mutation. Notably, despite AICs, 83% of patients were able to continue the targeted drug, in some cases in combination with additional immunosuppressive agents. Overall, treatment with ibrutinib, idelalisib, or venetoclax seems to have a beneficial impact on CLL-associated AICs, inducing an improvement or even a resolution of preexisting AICs in most cases and eliciting treatment-emergent AICs in a negligible portion of patients.
Impacts of ABO-incompatible platelet transfusions on platelet recovery and outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage
Authors: Magid-Bernstein Jessica , Beaman Charles B. , Carvalho-Poyraz Fernanda , Boehme Amelia , Hod Eldad A. , Francis Richard O. , Elkind Mitchell S. V. , Agarwal Sachin , Park Soojin , Claassen Jan , Connolly E. Sander , Roh David 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Acute platelet transfusion after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) given in efforts to reverse antiplatelet medication effects and prevent ongoing bleeding does not appear to improve outcome and may be associated with harm. Although the underlying mechanisms are unclear, the influence of ABO-incompatible platelet transfusions on ICH outcomes has not been investigated. We hypothesized that patients with ICH who receive ABO-incompatible platelet transfusions would have worse platelet recovery (using absolute count increment [ACI]) and neurological outcomes (mortality and poor modified Rankin Scale [mRS 4-6]) than those receiving ABO-compatible transfusions. In a single-center cohort of consecutively admitted patients with ICH, we identified 125 patients receiving acute platelet transfusions, of whom 47 (38%) received an ABO-incompatible transfusion. Using quantile regression, we identified an association of ABO-incompatible platelet transfusion with lower platelet recovery (ACI, 2 × 103cells per μL vs 15 × 103cells per μL; adjusted coefficient β, −19; 95% confidence interval [CI], −35.55 to −4.44; P = .01). ABO-incompatible platelet transfusion was also associated with increased odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.59; 95% CI, 1.00-6.73; P = .05) and poor mRS (adjusted OR, 3.61; 95% CI, 0.97-13.42; P = .06); however, these estimates were imprecise. Together, these findings suggest the importance of ABO compatibility for platelet transfusions for ICH, but further investigation into the mechanism(s) underlying these observations is required.