bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictive value of thromboelastography parameters combined with antithrombin III and D‐Dimer in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion
Authors: Wang Ping , Yang Hongjun , Wang Guoying , Tian Jun 
Published: July 2019

ProblemTo investigate the value of thromboelastography (TEG) combined with antithrombin III (AT‐III) and D‐Dimer in predicting the occurrence of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).Method of studyOne hundred and five RSA patients and 40 fertile women were enrolled. The subjects were subjected into four groups: group 1 (40 fertile women), group 2 (58 women with 2 abortions), group 3 (30 women with 3 abortions), and group 4 (17 women with four abortions). TEG was conducted on all subjects. Clotting time, reaction time, angle degree, coagulation index, and maximum amplitude were measured. The levels AT‐III, D‐Dimer, platelet counts, and fibrinogen concentration were determined. The ROC curve analysis was done using MedCalc software to analyse the diagnosis accuracy of the parameters of interest and the combined approach.ResultsThe AT‐III level in all group 4 was significantly lower than in fertile women. The D‐Dimer concentration, platelet count, and MA in patients with four prior abortions were significantly higher than the other three groups. CI and fibrinogen concentration in patients with four prior pregnancy losses were significantly higher than group 1. The ROC curves suggested that combined use of CI, MA, AT‐III, and D‐Dimer was with the highest accuracy 92.8%, thus predicting the most accurate diagnosis for RSA.ConclusionRecurrent spontaneous abortion is associated with abnormal coagulation and anticoagulation. TEG combined with detection of AT‐III and D‐Dimer levels can distinguish patient with RSA from those with normal fertility and highly possibly predict the occurrence of RSA.
A comparison of four risk models for the prediction of cardiovascular complications in patients with a history of atrial fibrillation undergoing non‐cardiac surgery
Authors: McAlister F. A. , Youngson E. , Jacka M. , Graham M. , Conen D. , Chan M. , Szczeklik W. , Alonso‐Coello P. , Devereaux P. J. ,   the vascular events in non‐cardiac surgery patIents cohort evaluation (VISION) investigators
Published: July 2019

SummaryIt is unclear how best to predict peri‐operative cardiovascular risk in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing non‐cardiac surgery. This study examined the accuracy of the revised cardiac risk index and three atrial fibrillation thrombo‐embolic risk models for predicting 30‐day cardiovascular events after non‐cardiac surgery in patients with a pre‐operative history of atrial fibrillation. We conducted a prospective cohort study in 28 centres from 2007 to 2013 of 40,004 patients ≥ 45 years of age undergoing inpatient non‐cardiac surgery who were followed until 30 days after surgery for cardiovascular events (defined as myocardial injury, heart failure, stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest or cardiovascular death). The 2088 patients with a pre‐operative history of atrial fibrillation were at higher risk of peri‐operative cardiovascular events compared with the 34,830 patients without a history of atrial fibrillation (29% vs. 13%, respectively, adjusted odds ratio 1.30 (95%CI 1.17–1.45). Compared with the revised cardiac risk index (c‐index 0.60), all atrial fibrillation thrombo‐embolic risk scores were significantly better at predicting peri‐operative cardiovascular events: CHADS2 (c‐index 0.62); CHA2DS2‐VASc (c‐index 0.63); and R2CHADS2 (c‐index 0.65), respectively. Although the three thrombo‐embolic risk prediction models were significantly better than the revised cardiac risk index for prediction of peri‐operative cardiovascular events, none of the four models exhibited strong discrimination metrics. There remains a need to develop a better peri‐operative risk prediction model.
Real‐world 10‐year experiences with intravitreal treatment with ranibizumab and aflibercept for neovascular age‐related macular degeneration
Authors: Brynskov Troels , Munch Inger Christine , Larsen Tobias Malte , Erngaard Liv , Sørensen Torben Lykke 
Published: July 2019

AbstractPurposeTo report 10‐year, real‐world experiences with intravitreal therapy (IVT) using vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors for neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD).MethodsRetrospective single‐centre review of IVT‐log 2007–2019 with a treatment‐as‐needed regimen and ETDRS visual acuity charts.ResultsThe 4,678 treatment‐naïve eyes of 3,668 patients received a mean of 5.4 IVT in the first year and 4.0–4.3 IVT yearly thereafter. Baseline mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 57.9 (±16.4) letters (6/18) that improved a mean +2.1 (±0.2) letters at the first follow‐up visit and gradually declined to −5.0 (±2.2) letters after 10 years. At baseline, there were 29% with BCVA ≥6/12. This proportion increased to 31–37% until year 9. There were 8% with BCVA loss of ≥3 lines at the first follow‐up visit increasing to 34% after 10 years. Poorer baseline BCVA was associated with larger increase in BCVA (p < 0.0001, multiple linear regression). The 2,566 (55%) discontinued eyes had a mean baseline BCVA of 56.9 (±16.4) letters compared with 61.5 (±15.9) letters for eyes remaining in treatment. In year 0–7, the discontinued eyes lost an additional mean 2–4 letters (last observation carried forward) but were similar thereafter. There were 12.6% (74 of 585 eligible eyes) that were still in treatment after 10 years. At baseline, 10% had bilateral nAMD. Of patients with unilateral presentation, 17% had received fellow‐eye IVT after 5 years.ConclusionA treatment‐as‐needed regimen stabilized BCVA in active nAMD up to 10 years in most eyes. Baseline BCVA was the most important prognostic factor.
Evaluation of high nutrient diets and additional dextrose on reproductive performance and litter performance of heat‐stressed lactating sows
Authors: Kim KwangYeol , Choi YoHan , Hosseindoust Abdolreza , Kim MinJu , Hwang SungJun , Bu MinSu , Lee JunHyung , Kim YoungHwa , Chae Byung‐Jo 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThis study investigated the litter performance of lactating sows fed nutrient‐dense diets with or without dextrose at farrowing to weaning, during the summer with an average room temperature of 28.4°C. A total of 60 (13 first parity, 13 second parity, 19 third parity, and 15 forth parity) cross‐bred sows were assigned to three treatments. The three treatments were: standard diet (ST), high nutrient diet (HN; ST + 3% higher energy and 18.0% protein), and high nutrient diet plus dextrose (HND; 3% higher energy, 18.0% protein, and 5% dextrose). BW loss was reduced in the HND sows compared with the ST sows during lactation. The HN and HND sows had a higher piglet and litter weight at weaning. Also, the HND sows had the highest post‐prandial insulin levels at weaning and the shortest weaning‐to‐service interval (WSI). Serum LH was higher in the HND sows than the ST sows. The milk fat level was higher in the HND sows compared with the ST sows, but similar to the HN sows. In conclusion, these results suggest that it is possible to increase the blood insulin response by supplementing dextrose to a high nutrient diet, thus, improving WSI interval and litter growth during heat stress.
Efficient Path Generation with Reduced Coordinates
Authors: Chen Renjie , Gotsman Craig , Hormann Kai 
Published: July 2019

AbstractPath generation is an important problem in many fields, especially robotics. One way to create a path between a source point z and a target point y inside a complex planar domain Ω is to define a non‐negative distance function d(y, z), such that following the negative gradient of d (by z) traces out such a path. This presents two challenges: (1) The mathematical challenge of defining d, such that d(y, z) has a single minimum at z = y for any fixed y, because the gradient‐descent path may otherwise terminate at a local minimum before reaching y; (2) The computational challenge of defining d, such that it can be computed efficiently. Using the concepts of harmonic measure and f‐divergence, we show how to assign a set of reduced coordinates to each point in Ω and to define a family of distance functions based on these coordinates, such that both the mathematical and the computational challenge are met. Since in practice, especially in robotics applications, the path is often restricted to follow the edges of a discrete network defined on a finite set of sites sampled from Ω, any method that works well in the continuous setting must be discretized appropriately to preserve the important properties of the continuous case. We show how to define a network connecting a finite set of sites, such that a greedy routing algorithm, which is the discrete equivalent of continuous gradient descent, based on our reduced coordinates is guaranteed to generate a path in the network between any two sites. In many cases, this network is close to a planar graph, especially if the set of sites is dense. Guaranteeing the existence of a greedy route between any two points in the graph is a significant advantage in practical applications, avoiding the complexity of other path‐planning methods, such as the shortest‐path and A* algorithms. While the paths generated by our algorithm are not the shortest possible, in practice we found that they are close to that.
Principal Geodesic Analysis in the Space of Discrete Shells
Authors: Heeren B. , Zhang C. , Rumpf M. , Smith W. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractImportant sources of shape variability, such as articulated motion of body models or soft tissue dynamics, are highly nonlinear and are usually superposed on top of rigid body motion which must be factored out. We propose a novel, nonlinear, rigid body motion invariant Principal Geodesic Analysis (PGA) that allows us to analyse this variability, compress large variations based on statistical shape analysis and fit a model to measurements. For given input shape data sets we show how to compute a low dimensional approximating submanifold on the space of discrete shells, making our approach a hybrid between a physical and statistical model. General discrete shells can be projected onto the submanifold and sparsely represented by a small set of coefficients. We demonstrate two specific applications: model‐constrained mesh editing and reconstruction of a dense animated mesh from sparse motion capture markers using the statistical knowledge as a prior.
Size mismatch in deceased donor liver transplantation and its impact on graft survival
Authors: Reyes Jorge , Perkins James , Kling Catherine , Montenovo Martin 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe impact of size mismatch in deceased donor liver transplantation is unknown. BSA has been demonstrated to be an accurate indicator of liver volume. We developed a model to match livers by BSA and estimate the impact of size mismatch on graft survival. Using the Standard Transplant Analysis and Research (STAR) database we selected solitary primary liver transplants recipients of any age, transplanted between 3/6/2002 and 12/31/2016. Using the Cox proportional hazard model, and controlling for donor and recipient factors, we determined the relative risk for graft survival for four donor/recipient body surface area ratio groups (≤0.68, 0.69‐0.90, 0.91‐1.25, 1.26‐1.5). We studied two groups: recipients with a BSA > 1.6 (adults) and ≤1.6 (children) and a subgroup with a BSA ≤ 0.53 (small infants). In recipients with BSA > 1.6 (adults [n = 71 365]), D/R ratios ≤ 0.68 and > 1.25 had a negative impact on graft survival. In recipients with BSA ≤ 1.6 (children [n = 8339]) D/R ratios <0.75 and >1.25 had a negative impact on graft survival. In the 1725 recipients with BSA ≤ 0.53 (small infants) D/R ratios <1 and >2.3 had a negative impact on graft survival. In deceased donor liver transplantation, the D/R ratio is a significant, yet underestimated predictor of graft survival that should be considered in donor and recipient selection.
When is irony influenced by communicative constraints? ERP evidence supporting interactive models
Authors: Caffarra Sendy , Motamed Haeri Arman , Michell Elissa , Martin Clara D. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractDistinct theoretical proposals have described how communicative constraints (contextual biases, speaker identity) impact verbal irony processing. Modular models assume that social and contextual factors have an effect at a late stage of processing. Interactive models claim that contextual biases are considered early on. The constraint‐satisfaction model further assumes that speaker's and context's characteristics can compete at early stages of analysis. The present ERP study teased apart these models by testing the impact of context and speaker features (i.e., speaker accent) on irony analysis. Spanish native speakers were presented with Spanish utterances that were ironic or literal. Each sentence was preceded by a negative or a positive context. Each story was uttered in a native or a foreign accent. Results showed that contextual biases and speaker accent interacted as early as 150 ms during irony processing. Greater N400‐like effects were reported for ironic than literal sentences only with positive contexts and native accent, possibly suggesting semantic difficulties when non‐prototypical irony was produced by natives. A P600 effect of irony was also reported indicating inferential processing costs. The results support the constraint‐satisfaction model and suggest that multiple sources of information are weighted and can interact from the earliest stages of irony analysis.
Etiology is the key determinant of neuroinflammation in epilepsy: Elevation of cerebrospinal fluid cytokines and chemokines in febrile infection‐related epilepsy syndrome and febrile status epilepticus
Authors: Kothur Kavitha , Bandodkar Sushil , Wienholt Louise , Chu Stephanie , Pope Alun , Gill Deepak , Dale Russell C. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate intrathecal inflammation using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokines and chemokines in a subgroup of pediatric epilepsy patients with frequent daily seizures.MethodsWe measured 32 cytokines/chemokines using multiplex immunoassay in CSF collected from pediatric patients with febrile infection‐related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES)/FIRES‐related disorders (FRD; n = 6), febrile status epilepticus (FSE; n = 8), afebrile status epilepticus (ASE; n = 8), and chronic epilepsy with frequent daily seizures (n = 21) and compared the results with noninflammatory neurological disorders (NIND; n = 20) and encephalitis (n = 43). We also performed longitudinal CSF cytokine/chemokine studies in three cases with FIRES/FRD.ResultsThe median age of onset of seizures was 2.4 years (range = 0.08‐12.5). Median CSF timing from the onset of seizures was longer in chronic epilepsy (540 days), whereas FIRES, FSE, and ASE had CSF tested within 1‐2 days of onset of seizures (P < .001). The elevation of cytokines/chemokines was higher in FIRES followed by FSE, when compared to chronic epilepsy and NIND controls. Th1‐associated cytokines/chemokines (TNF‐α, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11), IL‐6, CCL2, CCL19, and CXCL1 (P < .05) were elevated in FIRES, in contrast to the elevation of a broader network of cytokines/chemokines in encephalitis. The cytokines/chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and CCL19) were elevated in FSE when compared to ASE despite the similar median seizure duration and timing of CSF testing in relation to seizures. Chronic epilepsy generally lacked significant elevation of cytokines/chemokines despite frequent daily seizures. The median concentrations of the cytokines/chemokines rapidly declined on serial testing during the course of illness in all three FIRES/FRD cases.SignificanceWe identify significant differences in CSF cytokine/chemokine profile between FIRES/FRD and encephalitis. The prominent elevation of CSF cytokines and chemokines in FIRES/FRD and to a lesser extent FSE highlights that the cytokine/chemokine elevation is significantly associated with the etiology of the underlying process rather than purely reactive. However, it is unclear whether the immune activation contributes to the disease process.
Lower myelin‐water content of the frontal lobe in childhood absence epilepsy
Authors: Drenthen Gerhard S. , Fonseca Wald Eric L. A. , Backes Walter H. , Debeij - Van Hall Mariette H. J. A. , Hendriksen Jos G. M. , Aldenkamp Albert P. , Vermeulen R. Jeroen , Klinkenberg Sylvia , Jansen Jacobus F. A. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractObjectiveThe frontal lobe in childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) might be affected due to the suggested involvement of the frontal lobe during absence seizures and reports on attentional deficits. Previously, subtle white matter abnormalities have been reported in CAE. However, the impact of one of the most characteristic components of the white matter, the myelin content, remains underdetermined. Therefore, this study investigated whether the myelin content in frontal areas is adversely affected in CAE compared to controls.MethodsSeventeen children with childhood absence epilepsy (mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 9.2 ± 2.1 years) and 15 age‐ and sex‐matched controls (mean age ± SD, 9.8 ± 1.8 years) underwent neuropsychological assessment and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. T2 relaxometry scans were used to distinguish myelin‐water from tissue water and to determine the myelin‐water fraction (MWF) in the frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, and insular lobes. A linear regression model including age and sex as covariates was used to investigate group differences. Furthermore, the relationship of MWF with cognitive performance and epilepsy characteristics was determined.ResultsThe frontal lobe revealed a significantly lower myelin‐water content in children with CAE compared to controls over the developmental age range of 6‐12 years (5.7 ± 1.0% vs 6.6 ± 1.1%, P = 0.02). This association was not found for any of the other four lobes (P > 0.10). No significant relation was found between myelin‐water content and cognitive performance or epilepsy characteristics.SignificanceThe lower frontal myelin‐water content of children with CAE in comparison with healthy controls probably reflects an altered neurodevelopmental aspect in CAE, of which the underlying mechanisms still need to be unraveled.
Care preferences of healthy, middle‐aged adults in Japan and the USA if they acquired dementia: A cross‐sectional observational study
Authors: Nakanishi Miharu , Miyamoto Yuki , Nakashima Taeko , Shindo Yumi , Nishida Atsushi 
Published: July 2019

AimJapan introduced dementia‐friendly initiatives into its national policies to help people with dementia remain involved in society for as long as possible. However, some people might choose to live in a nursing home to avoid care burden on family members. Understanding middle‐aged adults’ preferences for place of care and identifying factors that influence their preferences would help policy decision‐makers promote dementia‐friendly initiatives. The present study aimed to investigate the care preferences of middle‐aged adults if they acquired dementia in Japan and the USA.MethodsWe carried out a cross‐sectional observational study using an internet‐based questionnaire survey of Japanese residents with Japanese ethnicity, Japanese Americans, and non‐Asian Americans aged 40–70 years. A total of 301 participants, including 104 Japanese residents, 93 Japanese Americans and 104 non‐Asian Americans, completed the survey. Participants were asked to answer the items based on a hypothetical situation in which they had acquired dementia requiring regular care and supervision.ResultsParticipants preferred nursing home care (29.9%), followed by professional home care (19.6%), family home care (17.6%) and hospital care (11.3%). Japanese residents had a significantly lower preference for professional home care than did Japanese or non‐Asian Americans (adjusted odds ratio 0.28, 95% confidence interval 0.10–0.75). Between‐ethnicity difference in care preferences was not observed.ConclusionsA low preference for professional home care among the middle‐aged adults might be influenced by country‐specific long‐term and dementia care systems. Policy decision‐makers should develop professional home care services that are more available for families of people living with dementia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 829–833.
Protocol of the European Registry on the management of Helicobacter pylori infection (Hp‐EuReg)
Authors: McNicholl Adrian G. , O’Morain Colm A. , Megraud Francis , Gisbert Javier P. ,   As Scientific Committee of the Hp‐Eureg on Behalf of the National Coordinators
Published: July 2019

AbstractIntroductionHelicobacter pylori selectively infects the human stomach, being the most prevalent chronic infection in the world. H pylori presence causes chronic gastritis in 100% of infected patients and is the major cause of relevant diseases such as atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer; it is for this reason that from a public health standpoint, it is considered a high‐impact pathogen, responsible of a significant morbidity and mortality. Nowadays, there are consensus and clinical guidelines regarding the infection management at a European level and in most of European countries, but no data have shown the level of implementation of these recommendations. The high costs that this infection carries both socially and to the health system require the continuous and systematic assessment of the diagnostic and treatment strategies, as well as the accessibility to diagnostic methods and most efficient drugs.AimTo register the diagnosis, management strategies, and treatment of H pylori‐infected adult patients in the Digestive Services outpatient clinics throughout Europe.MethodsNoninterventionist prospective multicentre international Registry promoted by the European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group. National Coordinators will select recruiting gastroenterologists in their country that will register the H pylori‐related routine clinical practice consultations they receive in an electronic case report form (e‐CRF) provided by AEG‐REDCap. Variables retrieved will include clinical, diagnostic, treatment, eradication confirmation, and outcome data. The database will allow researchers to perform specific subanalyses after approval by the Scientific Committee of the study.
Changes in physicochemical properties of pork myofibrillar protein combined with corn starch and application to low‐fat pork patties
Authors: Lee Chang Hoon , Chin Koo Bok 
Published: July 2019

SummaryThe aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties of pork myofibrillar protein (MP) gels as affected by different additional levels of corn starch and microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) and applied to pork patties at two levels of corn starch. MPs with MTGase have higher properties than those without MTGase, except cooking loss (CL), which improved with higher corn starch concentrations. Although gel strength did not differ among the treatments, microstructures of corn starch were swollen, which proved that they were holding water. When corn starch was added, CL and thawing loss decreased, but shear value increased. The diameter shrinkage values of pork patties decreased with increasing corn starch concentrations. In addition, the pork patties with 2 g/100 g corn starch have a higher water‐holding capacity than the controls. The meat industry could use 1.0 g/100 g corn starch as a water‐binding agent to manufacture pork patties.