bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comorbid Dysphagia and Malnutrition in Elderly Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Bomze Laura , Dehom Salem , Lao Wilson P. , Thompson Jordan , Lee Nathan , Cragoe Andrea , Luceno Cesar , Crawley Brianna 
Published: January 2021

Objective/HypothesisElderly individuals account for one‐third of all hospitalizations. The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dysphagia in elderly patients admitted to a tertiary care center. It also sought to investigate how dysphagia is identified, how it covaries with malnutrition and other conditions, and how it impacts hospital stay.Study DesignCase Series.MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed. All patients >65 years admitted to a tertiary care center in January and February 2016 were included. Patients with primary psychiatric diagnoses and patients with upper aerodigestive tract malignancy or surgery were excluded.ResultsA total of 655 patients were identified. Mean age was 76.6 years. Twenty‐four percent (155 patients) had dysphagia while 43% (282 patients) had malnutrition. Thirteen percent (84 patients) had both dysphagia and malnutrition. Fifty percent of patients who had malnutrition were seen by speech language pathology (SLP). One hundred percent of malnourished patients that saw SLP were identified as having dysphagia. Three hundred and eighty‐two patients (58%) were seen by the dietician but not by SLP. Multiple logistic regression indicated that the presence of dysphagia was positively associated with age, presence of malnutrition, admission to either cardiology or neurology service as compared to medicine service, and history of stroke.ConclusionsOne‐quarter of elderly patients admitted to our tertiary care center had dysphagia. Dysphagia, especially when linked with malnutrition, has poorer outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Our data suggests a possible disconnect between malnutrition diagnosis and dysphagia identification. This is an important area of intervention that has the potential to improve the treatment and outcomes of these patients.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 131:2441–2447, 2021
A long‐term no‐tillage system can increase enzymatic activity and maintain bacterial richness in paddy fields
Authors: Carlos Filipe Selau , Schaffer Naihana , Marcolin Elio , Fernandes Rodrigo Schmitt , Mariot Roberta , Mazzurana Michael , Roesch Luiz Fernando Wurdig , Levandoski Bruno , de Oliveira Camargo Flávio Anastácio 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSoil management systems cause many changes in the microenvironment that directly affect activity and diversity of microorganisms. In lowlands, there is a gap in relation to the adoption of no‐tillage (zero‐tillage) and the impact it has on soil under cultivation of irrigated rice. This study, an in‐field experiment, evaluated the microbial enzymatic activity and diversity in an Entisol cultivated with rice under different managements for 22 years. The experiment started in the 1994/95 growing season, and the treatments were no‐tillage, conventional, and pregerminated management systems. After 22 years, the data obtained on most of the evaluation dates indicated that no‐tillage increased microbial biomass carbon (+45%), microbial biomass nitrogen (+54%), and basal respiration (+54%). No‐tillage compared to management under soil tillage (pregerminated and conventional tillage) increased the activity of β‐glucosidase (+43%), acid phosphatase (+68%), diacetate fluorescein (+34%), and urease (+96%). The enzyme activity was correlated with the soil organic carbon content and particulate fraction. Despite the relatively high enzyme activity with no‐tillage, bacterial richness was maintained in this soil management system. TheProteobacteriaphylum has a greater abundance in the NT (43.2%) in relation to the CT (32.3%).Bacteroidetesphylum has a lower abundance in the NT (10.0%) in relation to the CT (15.2%). TheVerrucomicrobiaphylum has a greater abundance in NT (8.9%) in relation to CT (4.9%). The results suggest that no‐tillage is an important management tool in the recovery of irrigated rice areas whose soil has undergone microbiological degradation.
A sensitive fluorescent assay for measuring carbon‐phosphorus lyase activity in aquatic systems
Authors: Granzow Benjamin N. , Sosa Oscar A. , Gonnelli Margherita , Santinelli Chiara , Karl David M. , Repeta Daniel J. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn the oligotrophic ocean where inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations are low, microorganisms supplement their nutrient requirements with phosphorus (P) extracted from dissolved organic matter (DOM). Most P in DOM is bound as phosphate esters, which are hydrolyzed by phosphoesterases to Pi. However, a large fraction of DOM‐P occurs as phosphonates, reduced organophosphorus compounds with a CP bond that do not yield Pi through simple ester hydrolysis alone. Phosphonates require an additional step that cleaves the CP bond and oxidizes P(III) to P(V) to yield Pi. Most phosphonates are metabolized by the C‐P lyase pathway, which cleaves CP bonds and oxidizes phosphonates to Pi, enabling microbial assimilation. While the activity of common phosphoesterases such as alkaline phosphatase and phosphodiesterase can be measured by a fluorescent assay, a comparable method to assess C‐P lyase activity (CLA) in natural water samples does not exist. To address this, we synthesized a dansyl‐labeled phosphonate compound, and measured its hydrolysis by C‐P lyase using high performance liquid chromatography. We found that laboratory cultures of marine bacteria expressing the C‐P lyase pathway are able to hydrolyze the dansyl phosphonate, while bacteria expressing other phosphonate degradation pathways do not. Finally, we performed several field tests of the assay to measure water column profiles of CLA at Sta. ALOHA in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Activity was elevated near the deep chlorophyll maximum suggesting high levels of phosphonate degradation in that region.
Loss‐of‐function or gain‐of‐function variations in VINCULIN (VCL) are risk factors of human neural tube defects
Authors: Wang Yalan , Qin Yue , Peng Rui , Wang Hongyan 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundNeural tube defects (NTDs) are severe birth defects resulting from the failure of neural tube closure during embryogenesis. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the occurrence of NTDs and the heritability of NTDs is approximately 70%. As a key component of focal adhesions, Vinculin (VCL) plays pivotal roles in cell skeleton remodeling and signal transduction. Vcl deficient mice displayed NTD, but how VCL variants contribute to human NTDs has not been addressed yet.MethodsWe screened VCL variants in a Chinese cohort of 387 NTDs and 244 controls by targeted next‐generation sequencing.ResultsWe identified four case‐specific VCL variations (p.M209L, p.D256fs, p.L555V and p.R586Q). VCL p.D256fs and p.L555V are novel variations that have never been reported. Our analysis revealed that p.D256fs is a loss‐of‐function variant, while p.L555V showed a gain of function in planner cell polarity (PCP) pathway regulation and cell migration, probably due to its enhanced protein stability.ConclusionOur study reports human NTD specific novel variations in VCL and provides the functional evaluation of VCL variants related to the etiology of human NTDs.
Kynurenine‐Induced Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Signaling in Mice Causes Body Mass Gain, Liver Steatosis, and Hyperglycemia
Authors: Rojas Itzel Y. , Moyer Benjamin J. , Ringelberg Carol S. , Wilkins Owen M. , Pooler Darcy B. , Ness Dylan B. , Coker Shodeinde , Tosteson Tor D. , Lewis Lionel D. , Chamberlin Mary D. , Tomlinson Craig R. 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveThe aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) plays a key role in obesity.In vitrostudies revealed that the tryptophan metabolite kynurenine (Kyn) activates AHR signaling in cultured hepatocytes. The objective of this study was to determine whether Kyn activated the AHR in mice to induce obesity.MethodsMice were fed a low‐fat diet and the same diet supplemented with Kyn. Body mass, liver status, and the expression of identified relevant genes were determined.ResultsKyn caused mice to gain significant body mass, develop fatty liver and hyperglycemia, and increase expression levels of cytochrome P450 1B1 and stearoyl‐CoA desaturase 1. The hyperglycemia was accompanied with decreased insulin levels, which may have been due to the repression of genes involved in insulin secretion. Kyn plasma concentrations and BMI were measured in female patients, and a significant association was observed between Kyn and age in patients with obesity but not in patients who were lean.ConclusionsResults show that (1) Kyn or a metabolite thereof is a ligand responsible for inducing AHR‐based obesity, fatty liver, and hyperglycemia in mice; (2) plasma Kyn levels increase with age in women with obesity but not in lean women; and (3) an activated AHR is necessary but not sufficient to attain obesity, a status that also requires fat in the diet.
Children with Severe Obesity in Family‐Based Obesity Treatment Compared with Other Participants: Conclusions Depend on Metrics
Authors: Hayes Jacqueline F. , Fowler Lauren A. , Balantekin Katherine N. , Saelens Brian E. , Stein Richard I. , Perri Michael G. , Welch R. Robinson , Epstein Leonard H. , Wilfley Denise E. 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveThis study compares children with severe obesity and children with mild obesity/overweight participating in family‐based obesity treatment (FBT) on change in (1) relative weight and adiposity and (2) psychosocial distress.MethodsChildren 7 to 11 years old (N = 241) and their parents participated in 12 months of behavioral treatment (FBT + maintenance treatment) and completed anthropometric, adiposity, and psychosocial assessments (psychiatric disorder symptomology, quality of life). Severe obesity was defined as a baseline BMI ≥ 120% of the 95th percentile (N = 105).ResultsAt 12 months, 40% of children with baseline severe obesity no longer had severe obesity. Percent overweight and fat mass index measurements showed similar magnitudes of change among children with severe obesity and children with mild obesity/overweight, whereas BMI z score and percent body fat change was lower in the group with severe obesity. Youth with severe obesity were higher on some measures of psychosocial distress at baseline but generally experienced improvements similar to children with mild obesity/overweight.ConclusionsFBT with maintenance treatment is beneficial for children with severe obesity and is recommended for use prior to more invasive treatments in severe pediatric obesity. Future studies should assess the necessity of additional treatment, as children with severe obesity still have high relative weights post intervention.
Associations Between Self‐Reported Weight History and Sarcopenic Obesity in Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis
Authors: Godziuk Kristine , Prado Carla M. , Woodhouse Linda J. , Forhan Mary 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine associations between self‐reported weight history and sarcopenic obesity in adults with advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsSelf‐reported weight history was collected from n = 151 adults (58.9% female) with knee OA and BMI ≥30 kg/m2 in a cross‐sectional study. Body composition was assessed using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenic obesity was defined as appendicular skeletal muscle mass, adjusted by BMI, <0.51 kg/m2 in females and <0.79 kg/m2 in males; prevalence was 27.2%. Weight gain in the preceding year, weight gain ≥5% of body weight in the past decade, and multiple weight cycling events in life‐span (loss of ≥10 lb [4.5 kg] with regain ≥3 times) were examined using logistic regression (adjusted by age, sex, and %fat mass), with the dependent variable of sarcopenic obesity presence.ResultsWeight gain in the preceding year was associated with sarcopenic obesity (odds ratio [OR]: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.02‐5.87). No associations were found with weight gain in the past decade (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.43‐2.5) or weight cycling (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.37‐2.01).ConclusionsIn adults with obesity and advanced knee OA, self‐reported weight gain in the preceding year was associated with sarcopenic obesity. This patient population may benefit from recommendations that prioritize prevention of weight gain.
Pembrolizumab in Patients with Advanced Metastatic Germ Cell Tumors
Authors: Tsimberidou Apostolia-Maria , Vo Henry Hiep , Subbiah Vivek , Janku Filip , Piha-Paul Sarina , Yilmaz Bulent , Gong Jing , Naqvi Mohammad Faraz , Tu Shi-Ming , Campbell Matthew , Meric-Bernstam Funda , Naing Aung 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Lessons Learned

Background
Advanced germ cell tumors are associated with poor prognosis. We investigated the role of pembrolizumab in patients with advanced germ cell tumors.

Methods
We analyzed a prespecified cohort of an open-label, phase II clinical trial in which patients with advanced germ cell tumors were treated with pembrolizumab (200 mg) intravenously every 21 days. The endpoints of the study were the non-progression rate (NPR) at 27 weeks, safety, and tolerability. An NPR &gt;20% was considered successful and worthy of further pursuit.

Results
From August 2016 to February 2018, 12 patients (10 men, 2 women) were treated (median age, 35 years [range, 22–63 years]; median number of prior systemic therapies, 3.5 [range, 2–7]; median number of metastatic sites, 3 [range, 2–8]). Overall, pembrolizumab was well tolerated. One patient experienced both grade 1 immune-related skin rash and grade 3 immune-related pneumonitis. No patient died from toxicity. Three patients had radiographic stable disease that lasted for 10.9 months, 5.5 months, and 4.5 months, respectively. No objective response was noted. The median progression-free survival was 2.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5–4.5 months), and the median overall survival was 10.6 months (95% CI, 4.6–27.1 months). The 27-week NPR was 9.0% (95% CI, 0.23–41.2%).

Conclusion
Overall, pembrolizumab was safe and had limited antitumor activity in these patients. In the advanced, metastatic setting, tumor profiling to understand the mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy and innovative clinical trials to identify efficacious combination regimens rather than off-label use of pembrolizumab are warranted.
Statistic Replacement of Lanthanide Ions in Bis‐salicylatoborate Coordination Polymers for the Deliberate Control of the Luminescence Chromaticity
Authors: Zottnick Sven H. , Sprenger Jan A. P. , Finze Maik , Müller‐Buschbaum Klaus 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBased on the strand‐like coordination polymer (CP) type 1∞[Ln(BSB)3(py)2], [BSB]−=bis‐salicylatoborate anion, mixed Eu/Tb‐containing compounds of the constitution 1∞[EuxTb1−x(BSB)3(py)2] were synthesised ionothermally for a phase width of (x=0.25–0.75) and characterized regarding structure and optical properties. Previously, known only for other lanthanides, the mixed 1D−Eu/Tb‐CPs show excellent options for statistic replacement of the Ln‐cations during synthesis yielding solid solutions. The products are highly luminescent, with the chromaticity being a direct function of the amount of the respective Ln‐ions. Corresponding to an overall addition of emission intensities, the green Tb3+ emission and the red Eu3+ emission allow for a chromaticity control that also includes yellow emission. Control of the luminescence colour renders them suitable examples of the versatility of statistic replacement of metal ions in coordination chemistry. In addition, crystallization of [EMIm]2[YCl5(py)] illuminates possible other products of the ionothermal reactions of [EMIm][BSB] with LnCl3 constituted by components not being part of the main CPs.
Extremely Low Vapor‐Pressure Data as Access to PC‐SAFT Parameter Estimation for Ionic Liquids and Modeling of Precursor Solubility in Ionic Liquids
Authors: Bülow Mark , Greive Moritz , Zaitsau Dzmitry H. , Verevkin Sergey P. , Held Christoph 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPrecursor solubility is a crucial factor in industrial applications, dominating the outcome of reactions and purification steps. The outcome and success of thermodynamic modelling of this industrially important property with equations of states, such as Perturbed‐Chain Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (PC‐SAFT), vastly depends on the quality of the pure‐component parameters. The pure‐component parameters for low‐volatile compounds such as ionic liquids (ILs) have been commonly estimated using mixture properties, e. g. the osmotic pressure of aqueous solutions. This leads to parameters that depend on the solvent, and transferability to other mixtures often causes poor modeling results. Mixture‐independent experimental properties would be a more suitable basis for the parameter estimation offering a way to universal parameter sets. Model parameters for ILs are available in the literature [10.1016/j.fluid.2012.05.029], but they were estimated using pure‐IL density data. The present work focuses on a step towards a more universal estimation strategy that includes new experimental vapor‐pressure data of the pure IL. ILs exhibit an almost negligible vapor pressure in magnitude of usually 10−5 Pa even at elevated temperatures. In this work, such vapor‐pressure data of a series of 1‐ethyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium‐based [C2mim]‐ILs with various IL‐anions (e. g. tetrafluoroborate [BF4]−, hexafluorophosphate [PF6]−, bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [NTf2]−) were experimentally determined and subsequently used for PC‐SAFT parameter estimation. The so‐determined parameters were used to predict experimental molecular precursor solubility in ILs and infinitely diluted activity coefficients of various solvents in ILs. The parameters were further compared to modeling results using classical parametrization methods (use of liquid‐density data only for the molecular PC‐SAFT and the ion‐based electrolyte PC‐SAFT). As a result, the modeled precursor solubilities using the new approach are much more precise than using the classical parametrization methods, and required binary parameters were found to be much smaller (if needed). In sum, including the pure‐component vapor‐pressure data of ILs opens the door towards parameter estimation that is not biased by mixture data. This procedure might be suitable also for polymers and for all kind of ionic species but needs extension to ion‐specific parametrization in the long term.
Magnesium Oxide‐Catalyzed Conversion of Chitin to Lactic Acid
Authors: Kun‐asa Kodchakon , Reubroycharoen Prasert , Yamazaki Kiyoyuki , Mimura Naoki , Sato Osamu , Yamaguchi Aritomo 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAlthough chitin, an N‐acetyl‐D‐glucosamine polysaccharide, can be converted to valuable products by means of homogeneous catalysis, most of the chitin generated by food processing is treated as industrial waste. Thus, a method for converting this abundant source of biomass to useful chemicals, such as lactic acid, would be beneficial. In this study, we determined the catalytic activities of various metal oxides for chitin conversion at 533 K and found that MgO showed the highest activity for lactic acid production. X‐ray diffraction analysis and thermogravimetry‐differential thermal analysis showed that the MgO was transformed to Mg(OH)2 during chitin conversion. The highest yield of lactic acid (10.8 %) was obtained when the reaction was carried out for 6 h with 0.5 g of the MgO catalyst. The catalyst could be recovered as a solid residue after the reaction and reused twice with no decrease in the lactic acid yield.
On the motion of a snake‐like soft robot
Authors: Lamping Frederik , Seis Robin , de Payrebrune Kristin M. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this work, we investigate the locomotion of a snake‐like soft robot in terms of its design. Therefore the backbone of the robot is represented by a curve in plane which is actuated by a given curvature. By adding anisotropic friction between robot and surface the robot “moves” on the surface.With this simple model we are able to predict the locomotion of the robot for certain sets of parameters. This allows to evaluate the influence of design changes and hence to facilitate the design process. As an example, we discuss results concerning the precision of actuation, the bending radius of the robot and the influence of friction between robot and surface.
The Effect of Functionally‐Graded Voids and GNPs on the Damage Tolerance of Polyurethane Foam Core
Authors: Al-Maharma Ahmad Y. , Sendur Polat , Patil Sandeep P. , Markert Bernd 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe weight of sandwich composite structures with foam cores mainly depends on the volume fraction and the distribution of air voids in its porous structure. A considerable reduction of the weight can be achieved at the expense of mechanical and strength properties by increasing the fraction of air voids in the sandwich composite's core. Therefore, high stiffness nano‐fillers such as graphene nano‐platelets (GNPs) are frequently used to improve the specific stiffness and mechanical strength of sandwich composites without sacrificing from the lightweight requirements. In this contribution, the effect of the square‐ and circle‐shaped distributions of air‐voids and GNPs on damage tolerance properties of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) resin is investigated. TPU foams with randomly oriented air voids and GNPs are used as a baseline to evaluate the improvement of the properties mentioned above. For that purpose, finite element based micro‐mechanical models for representative volume elements (RVEs) are used to homogenize the properties of multi‐scale models of TPU foam. The analysis results show that the air pores increase the ductility of brittle TPU resin significantly when the pores are non‐linearly distributed in circular functionally graded (FG) shape. Besides, it is concluded that Young's modulus degradation associated with the use of linearly distributed air‐voids composed of the square‐shaped FG foam can be compensated by using GNPs. The results of the study suggest that the functional grading design of TPU foam has excellent potential for applications, which require meeting the challenging weight, strength, stiffness and toughness requirements at the same time.
Virtual Testing of Geometrically Imperfect Additively Manufactured Lattice Structures
Authors: Gebhardt Ulrike , Kästner Markus , Hufenbach Julia Kristin , Kühn Uta , Berner Matthias , Holtzhausen Stefan 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAdditively manufactured lattice structures increase the lightweight potential of components for technical applications. When modelling the mechanical behaviour of those lattice structures, imperfections within the structures need to be considered.In this contribution we investigate the effect of process induced pores of varying size and location inside the lattice structure during pressure tests using a 2D minimal model in two configurations. It shows that the location of pores with respect to the configuration of the model has a strong influence on whether the imperfection decreases the mechanical performance.
Simulation and Development of Biomimetic Electrospun PCL Nanofibrous Tympanic Membrane Implants
Authors: Chen Zhaoyu , Benecke Lukas , Kempert Philipp , Stoppe Thomas , Bornitz Matthias , Neudert Marcus , Aibibu Dilbar , Cherif Chokri , Zahnert Thomas 
Published: January 2021

AbstractElectrospun membranes have a great potential in myringoplasty, as the special microstructure of fibers could be comparable to the fiber structure of the tympanic membrane (TM), thus, making it an potential implant for tympanic membrane reconstruction. In this work, the microscale parameters of the fiber structure were studied in a numerical homogenization procedure. The aim of the investigations was to obtain an implant that has a compromise between acoustic and mechanical properties and which at macroscale is comparable with the human TM. The numerical results were verified with experiments on first samples.