bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Extent of Ischemic Brain Injury After Thrombotic Stroke Is Independent of the NLRP3 (NACHT, LRR and PYD Domains-Containing Protein 3) Inflammasome
Authors: Lemarchand Eloise , Barrington Jack , Chenery Alistair , Haley Michael , Coutts Graham , Allen Judith E. , Allan Stuart M. , Brough David 
Published: April 2019

Background and Purpose—
A major process contributing to cell death in the ischemic brain is inflammation. Inflammasomes are multimolecular protein complexes that drive inflammation through activation of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL (interleukin)-1β. Preclinical evidence suggests that IL-1β contributes to a worsening of ischemic brain injury.

Methods—
Using a mouse middle cerebral artery thrombosis model, we examined the inflammatory response after stroke and the contribution of the NLRP3 (NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3) inflammasome to ischemic injury.

Results—
There was a marked inflammatory response after stroke characterized by increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and NLRP3 and by recruitment of leukocytes to the injured tissue. Targeting NLRP3 with the inhibitor MCC950, or using mice in which NLRP3 was knocked out, had no effect on the extent of injury caused by stroke.

Conclusions—
These data suggest that the NLRP3 pathway does not contribute to the inflammation exacerbating ischemic brain damage, contradicting several recent reports to the contrary.
S100B Serum Elevation Predicts In-Hospital Mortality After Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Rupture
Authors: Shotar Eimad , Amouyal Caroline , Jacquens Alice , Mathon Bertrand , Boulouis Grégoire , Monneret Denis , Premat Kevin , Lenck Stéphanie , Sourour Nader-Antoine , Clarençon Frédéric , Degos Vincent 
Published: April 2019

Background and Purpose—
S100B protein serum elevation has been associated with poor prognosis in neurologically ill patients. The purpose of this study is to determine whether elevation of S100B is associated with increased in-hospital mortality after brain arteriovenous malformation rupture.

Methods—
This is a retrospective study of patients admitted for brain arteriovenous malformation rupture. The study population was divided into derivation and validation cohorts. Univariate followed by multivariate logistic regression was used to determine whether elevation of S100B serum levels above 0.5 µg/L during the first 48 hours after admission (S100Bmax48) was associated with in-hospital mortality.

Results—

Two hundred and three ruptures met inclusion criteria. Twenty-three led to in-hospital mortality (11%). Mean S100Bmax48 was 0.49±0.62 µg/L. In the derivation cohort (n=101 ruptures), multivariate analysis found Glasgow coma scale score ≤8 (odds ratio, 21; 95% CI, 2–216; 0.001) and an S100Bmax48>0.5 µg/L (odds ratio, 19; 95% CI, 2–188;
P
=0.001) to be associated with in-hospital mortality. When applied to the validation cohort (n=102 ruptures), the same model found only S100Bmax48>0.5 µg/L (odds ratio, 8; 95% CI, 1.5–44;
P
=0.01) to be associated with in-hospital mortality.

Conclusions—
Elevated S100B protein serum level is strongly associated with in-hospital mortality after brain arteriovenous malformation rupture.
The Only Extant, Complete, and Original Hebrew Commentary on the Entire Metaphysics of Aristotle: Eli Habilio and the Influence of Scotism
Authors: Halper Yehuda 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAt the end of the fifteenth century, the Castilian-Aragonian Eli Habilio wrote what is now the only extant, complete, and original Hebrew commentary on the entire Metaphysics of Aristotle. This commentary is short, about 15 folio pages long, and consists almost entirely of quotations from Averroes’ Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics in the early fourteenth-century translation of Qalonimos ben Qalonimos. Yet Habilio elsewhere expresses only disdain for Averroes and hopes that Jews will turn away from Averroes to read Scotus’ metaphysical works instead. The author’s claim is that Habilio’s Commentary is intended to supplement his translation of Antonius Andreas’ questions on the Metaphysics and provide a Hebrew summary of the most read Hebrew version of the Metaphysics (viz., Averroes’ Middle Commentary) that would choose its words in such a way as not to contradict Scotus and in some cases even to encourage its readers to seek out a Scotist approach.
New synonyms and typifications in Psidium species (Myrtaceae) described by João Rodrigues Mattos and the importance of maintaining scientific collections
Authors: TULER AMÉLIA CARLOS , CARRIJO TATIANA TAVARES , PEIXOTO ARIANE LUNA 
Published: April 2019

With approximately 100 species, Psidium Linnaeus (1753: 470) is one of the largest genera of the family Myrtaceae. The genus has a Neotropical distribution (Landrum & Kawasaki 1997, WCSP 2018), with Brazil being regarded as its center of diversity and endemism in eastern South America with 60 documented species (Flora do Brasil 2020 under construction, 2018).
Assimilation of Passive L-band Microwave Brightness Temperatures in the Canadian Land Data Assimilation System: Impacts on Short-Range Warm Season Numerical Weather Prediction
Authors: Carrera Marco L. , Bilodeau Bernard , Bélair Stéphane , Abrahamowicz Maria , Russell Albert , Wang Xihong 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThis study examines the impacts of assimilating Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) L-band brightness temperatures (TBs) on warm season short-range numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecasts. Focusing upon the summer 2015 period over North America, offline assimilation cycles are run with the Canadian Land Data Assimilation System (CaLDAS) to compare the impacts of assimilating SMAP TB versus screen-level observations to analyze soil moisture. The analyzed soil moistures are quantitatively compared against a set of in situ sparse soil moisture networks and a set of SMAP core validation sites. These surface analyses are used to initialize a series of 48-h forecasts where near-surface temperature and precipitation are evaluated against in situ observations. Assimilation of SMAP TBs leads to soil moisture that is markedly improved in terms of correlation and standard deviation of the errors (STDE) compared to the use of screen-level observations. NWP forecasts initialized with SMAP-derived soil moistures exhibit a general dry bias in 2-m dewpoint temperatures (TD2m), while displaying a relative warm bias in 2-m temperatures (TT2m), when compared to those forecasts initialized with soil moistures analyzed with screen-level temperature errors. Largest impacts with SMAP are seen for TD2m, where the use of screen-level observations leads to a daytime wet bias that is reduced with SMAP. The overall drier soil moisture leads to improved precipitation bias scores with SMAP. A notable deterioration in TD2m STDE scores was found in the SMAP experiments during the daytime over the Northern Great Plains. A reduction in the daytime TD2m wet bias was found when the observation errors for the screen-level observations were increased.
Reconciling Lagrangian Diffusivity and Effective Diffusivity in Contour-Based Coordinates
Authors: Qian Yu-Kun , Peng Shiqiu , Liang Chang-Xia 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe present study reconciles theoretical differences between the Lagrangian diffusivity and effective diffusivity in a transformed spatial coordinate based on the contours of a quasi-conservative tracer. In the transformed coordinate, any adiabatic stirring effect, such as shear-induced dispersion, is naturally isolated from diabatic cross-contour motions. Therefore, Lagrangian particle motions in the transformed coordinate obey a transformed zeroth-order stochastic (i.e., random walk) model with the diffusivity replaced by the effective diffusivity. Such a stochastic model becomes the theoretical foundation on which both diffusivities are exactly unified. In the absence of small-scale diffusion, particles do not disperse at all in the transformed contour coordinate. Besides, the corresponding Lagrangian autocorrelation becomes a delta function and is thus free from pronounced overshoot and negative lobe at short time lags that may be induced by either Rossby waves or mesoscale eddies; that is, particles decorrelate immediately and Lagrangian diffusivity is already asymptotic no matter how small the time lag is. The resulting instantaneous Lagrangian spreading rate is thus conceptually identical to the effective diffusivity that only measures the instantaneous irreversible mixing. In these regards, the present study provides a new look at particle dispersion in contour-based coordinates.
Trade, Inequality and Distribution-neutral Fiscal Policy
Authors: Marjit Sugata , Mishra Suryaprakash , Sarkar Sandip , Yang Lei 
Published: April 2019

Gains from trade and inequality do not feature prominently in trade theory. The standard criterion of Pareto efficiency indicates nothing about inequality when applied to the redistribution of gains from trade. Yet, trade-induced inequality has become a talking point and extremely contentious issue worldwide. In a Heckscher–Ohlin–Samuelson (HOS) model of trade, we consider tax-transfer policies that do not decrease the absolute income of any group, as suggested by the standard Pareto rule and keep the pre-trade degree of inequality between skilled and unskilled workers unchanged. Such a fiscal policy exists and is independent of whether the tax is progressive or proportional. We show that the aggregate gain in real income due to trade can be distributed to make everyone better off without increasing inequality. A generalization of the basic result shows that any Pareto efficient allocation can be transformed into a distribution-neutral allocation through appropriate fiscal policy. JEL Codes: F11, J31, D63, H20, H23
The effects of cryotherapy on pain and function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Dantas Lucas Ogura , Moreira Roberta de Fátima Carreira , Norde Flavia Maintinguer , Mendes Silva Serrao Paula Regina , Alburquerque-Sendín Francisco , Salvini Tania Fatima 
Published: April 2019

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of cryotherapy on pain and physical function in knee osteoarthritis. Data sources: An electronic search was performed up to February 2019 on PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Lilacs, Cochrane, Web of Science, Ibecs, and Scielo databases with keywords knee osteoarthritis and cryotherapy. Methods: Two authors independently performed the study selection. All languages and publication dates were considered. The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies, and the body of evidence was analyzed and synthesized using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. The clinical relevance of the included studies was evaluated using the criteria proposed in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Results: Of the five studies, 202 subjects were included. All studies included participants with established knee osteoarthritis. The mean PEDro score was 4.20/10, and meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity among the studies. The mean clinical relevance was 3/5. Only two studies were considered for analysis based on the GRADE approach, and low level of evidence was synthesized regarding the effectiveness of cryotherapy for pain management, knee stiffness, knee range of motion, and physical function. Application techniques, frequency, and duration did not affect outcomes. Conclusions: There were insufficient primary studies to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of cryotherapy on pain and physical function on individuals with knee osteoarthritis.
Changes in Self-Reported Health and Psychosocial Outcomes in Older Adults Enrolled in Sedentary Behavior Intervention Study
Authors: Matson Theresa E. , Anderson Melissa L. , Renz Anne D. , Greenwood-Hickman Mikael Anne , McClure Jennifer B. , Rosenberg Dori E. 
Published: April 2019

Purpose: To estimate changes in self-reported health and psychosocial factors associated with a 12-week sedentary behavior intervention for older adults. Design: Exploratory secondary analysis of pilot randomized controlled trial. Setting: Kaiser Permanente Washington Subjects: Sixty adults aged 60 to 89 with body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. Intervention: Participants were randomized to the I-STAND intervention or control group. I-STAND involved 6 coaching sessions, a study workbook, Jawbone UP activity tracker to prompt breaks from sitting, and activPAL feedback on objective sitting time. Measures: At baseline and 12-week follow-up, participants completed a survey with validated measures of self-reported health outcomes (depression, stress, memory/concentration, sleep, pain, ability to do daily activities, energy, and quality of life) and modified scales measuring psychosocial factors (perceived benefits/barriers, social support, self-efficacy, and sedentary habit strength) regarding sedentary behavior. Analysis: Generalized linear models assessed associations between group assignment and change in each self-reported health and psychosocial score, adjusting for baseline scores. Results: I-STAND participants demonstrated improvements in self-efficacy (β = 0.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.10 to 0.60) and reduced habit strength (β= −0.23, 95% CI: −0.42 to −0.04) compared to control participants. There were no significant differences in self-reported health outcomes, although power was limited in this exploratory analysis. Conclusion: A sedentary behavior reduction intervention for older adults resulted in improvements for some psychosocial factors. Health outcomes may require longer than 12 weeks to observe improvements.
The impact of new cancer drug therapies on site specialised cancer treatment activity in a UK cancer network 2014–2018
Authors: Bhimani Jenna , Philipps Lara , Simpson Lawrence , Lythgoe Mark , Soultati Aspasia , Webb Andrew , Savage Philip 
Published: April 2019

Introduction Drug treatment for cancer has changed dramatically over the past decade with many new drugs often with multiple applications. More recently, the detailed pathway for approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK has been simplified. To explore how these changes have impacted on systemic anti-cancer therapy tumour site-specific prescribing and workload activities, we have reviewed the prescribing records for 2014–2018 in a UK cancer network. Methods Information about the numbers of new systemic anti-cancer therapy drugs and NICE approvals were obtained from print editions of the British National Formulary (BNF) and the NICE website. Data on the numbers of new chemotherapy courses and individual treatment-related attendances were obtained from the cancer network Chemocare electronic prescribing system. Results During the five-year study period, there were 49 new systemic anti-cancer therapy drugs for all tumour types, and a total of 65 NICE technology approvals for solid tumour indications. Overall numbers of treatment courses increased by 40.7% and total treatment-related visits by 80.6%. There was a wide variation across tumour types with the highest number of increased visits seen for melanoma (349.3%) and prostate cancer (242.3%), but in contrast, no appreciable increases were seen for lower gastrointestinal cancers or small cell lung cancer. Conclusion The study confirms the major impact of the arrival of new drug technology and positive NICE appraisals on increasing systemic anti-cancer therapy prescribing and chemotherapy unit activity. The data in this study may be of help in planning for future service delivery planning and workforce configurations.
A triad of retinal signs in Alport syndrome: The ‘stair-case’ fovea, choroidal thinning and peripheral schisis
Authors: Ghadiri NJ , Stanojcic N , Raja MSA , Burton BJ 
Published: April 2019

Background: Alport syndrome is an inherited Type IV collagenopathy characterised by renal failure, hearing loss and ophthalmic manifestations such as lenticonus and dot-and-fleck retinopathy. New signs have been described which can be useful both for diagnosis and for prognosticating the risk of complications. This study examines and describes a triad comprising the unusual ‘stair-case’ foveal sign, together with choroidal thinning and late-stage peripheral schisis in a patient with Alport syndrome. Case presentation: This is a case report of a 49-year-old Caucasian male with a background of X-linked Alport syndrome presenting with gradual and progressive diminution of vision in the left eye with a central blur. He had already undergone three renal allografts, was deaf and suffered from hypertension by the time of his first presentation to ophthalmology. On examination, corrected visual acuity was 6/9.5 in the right eye and 6/30 in the left eye. Optical coherence tomography imaging showed an unusual ‘stair-case’ sign of the fovea in both eyes, together with choroidal thinning. We postulate that an abnormal vitreomacular interface followed by vitreomacular traction and eventually separation, removing layers of the inner retina with the vitreous, led to this unusual appearance. Subsequently, this patient also developed schitic changes more peripherally in the retina which progressed over the following 5 years. Conclusion: The stair-case foveal sign, choroidal thinning and mid-peripheral schisis are three signs that clinicians might expect to encounter on optical coherence tomography imaging of patients with Alport syndrome. These findings can be attributed to unique mutations of collagen IV which lead to a variety of clinical phenotypes affecting basement membrane structures. Identification of these features may not only be useful diagnostically and in forecasting complications such as macular holes, but also predict mode of inheritance and likelihood of early-onset renal failure.
Cataract extraction in patients with primary congenital glaucoma
Authors: Morales-Fernández Laura , Martínez-de-la-Casa José María , Benito-Pascual Blanca , Saénz-Francés Federico , Santos-Bueso Enrique , Arriola-Villalobos Pedro , Escribano-Martínez Julio , García-Feijoo Julián 
Published: April 2019

Objective: To assess incidence and risk factors of cataract extraction in patients with primary congenital glaucoma, surgical outcome, and complications. Material and method: Retrospective cohort study, in which 108 patients with primary congenital glaucoma were included. Data collected were need for cataract extraction and at what age, intraocular pressure at diagnosis of primary congenital glaucoma, required antiglaucomatous surgeries, possible mutation in the CYP1B1 gene, and final visual acuity. Among the patients who required cataract extraction were visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and complications, evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively. The data were analysed with STATA. Results: A total of 198 eyes of 108 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 8 years (range: 5–53). In all, 32 eyes (16.2%) of 24 patients (22%) required cataract extraction. The median age for cataract extraction was 12.94 years (interquartile range: 2.42–22). The main identified risk factors associated with cataract extraction were antiglaucomatous surgeries (hazard ratio 1.48, p < 0.001) and valvular implant (hazard ratio 2.78, p < 0.001). Lens was implanted in 30/32 eyes and the main complications were intraocular pressure decontrol ( n = 13), capsular fibrosis ( n = 7), corneal decompensation ( n = 4), lens subluxation ( n = 4), and endophthalmitis ( n = 1). Visual acuity improvement was observed after cataract extraction in 66.67% of eyes. Conclusions: There is a high incidence of cataract surgery in patients with primary congenital glaucoma, but generally outside of pediatric age. A greater risk of cataract extraction was identified in those patients with a greater number of antiglaucomatous surgeries, especially after valvular implantation. Despite the high rate of complications related to cataract extraction in primary congenital glaucoma, good visual improvement was observed after surgery.
Ophthalmic, systemic, and genetic characteristics of patients with Wolfram syndrome
Authors: Ustaoglu Melih , Onder Feyza , Karapapak Murat , Taslidere Hasan , Guven Dilek 
Published: April 2019

Purpose: To evaluate the ophthalmic, systemic, and genetic characteristics of patients with Wolfram syndrome. Methods: In total, 13 patients with suspected or clinically diagnosed Wolfram syndrome underwent ophthalmic and systemic examinations and genetic analyses for Wolfram syndrome between August and October 2018. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 24.2 ± 7.1 years, of which 5 (38.5%) subjects were male and 8 (61.5%) were female. The mean best-corrected visual acuity ranged from counting fingers to 20/40, with a mean of 20/250 (1.10 ± 0.69 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution). Dyschromatopsia was present in all patients (100%). There was a severe decrease in the average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer thicknesses (54.7 ± 6.5 and 51.9 ± 4.8 µm, respectively). Optical coherence tomography angiography showed significantly lower whole-image, inside disk, and peripapillary vessel densities in the patients with Wolfram syndrome than in the healthy controls (p < 0.001 for all). All patients who underwent genetic analyses had mutations in the WFS1 gene. Moreover, two novel mutations, p.Met623Trpfs*2 (c.1867delA) and p.Arg611Profs*9 (c.1832_11847del16) at exon 8, were detected. The frequency of systemic findings was as follows: optic atrophy (100%), diabetes mellitus (92.3%), central diabetes insipidus (38.5%), sensorineural hearing loss (38.5%), and presence of urological (30.8%), psychiatric (30.8%), and neurological (23.1%) diseases. Conclusion: Wolfram syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that can be associated with severe ophthalmic and systemic abnormalities. All patients who present with unexplained optic atrophy should be evaluated for Wolfram syndrome, even if they do not have diabetes mellitus because optic atrophy can sometimes manifest before diabetes mellitus.
Timing of referral for vascular access for hemodialysis: Analysis of the current status and the barriers to timely referral
Authors: Kim Suh Min , Han Ahram , Ahn Sanghyun , Min Sang-il , Ha Jongwon , Joo Kwon-Wook , Min Seung-Kee 
Published: April 2019

Introduction: Current guidelines recommend the placement of vascular access 6 months before the anticipated start of hemodialysis therapy; however, many patients start hemodialysis using a central venous catheter. We investigated the timing of referral for vascular access, the vascular access type at hemodialysis initiation, and the barriers to a timely referral. Methods: The study involved a retrospective review of 237 patients for whom the first vascular access for hemodialysis was created between January and November 2017. Results: Among the 237 patients, 58.2% were referred before hemodialysis initiation, while 41.8% were referred after hemodialysis initiation. Among the 138 patients, 55, 59, and 24 patients were referred more than 6 months, between 2 and 6 months, and within 2 months before hemodialysis initiation, respectively. Within these subgroups, 3.6%, 10.2%, and 75.0% patients underwent hemodialysis initiation with a central venous catheter, respectively. Among the 99 patients referred after hemodialysis initiation, the reasons for late referral were as follows: unexpected rapid progression of kidney disease (n = 23), noncompliance (n = 21), late visit to the nephrologist (initial visit within 2 months of hemodialysis initiation; n = 14), change of treatment strategy from peritoneal dialysis or transplants (n = 9), and unknown reasons (n = 32). Conclusion: Only 23% of patients were referred for vascular access 6 months before the anticipated hemodialysis therapy. In addition, 53% of patients initiated hemodialysis with a central venous catheter. Avoidance of catheter insertion was mostly successful in patients referred 2 months before hemodialysis initiation. The most common modifiable barrier to the timely referral was noncompliance.