bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interobserver variability in the classification of appendicitis during laparoscopy
Authors: van den Boom A L , de Wijkerslooth E M L , Mauff K A L , Dawson I , van Rossem C C , Toorenvliet B R , Wijnhoven B P L 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Background
The intraoperative classification of appendicitis dictates the patient's postoperative management. Prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended for complex appendicitis (gangrenous, perforated, abscess), whereas preoperative prophylaxis suffices for simple appendicitis. Distinguishing these two conditions can be challenging. The aim of this study was to assess interobserver variability in the classification of appendicitis during laparoscopy.

Methods
Short video recordings taken during laparoscopy for suspected appendicitis were shown to surgeons and surgical residents. They were asked to: classify the appendix as indicative of no, simple or complex appendicitis; categorize the appendix as normal, phlegmonous, gangrenous, perforated and/or abscess; and decide whether they would prescribe postoperative antibiotics. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated using Fleiss' κ score and the S* statistic.

Results
Some 80 assessors participated in the study. Video recordings of 20 patients were used. Interobserver agreement was minimal for both the classification of appendicitis (κ score 0·398, 95 per cent c.i. 0·385 to 0·410) and the decision to prescribe postoperative antibiotic treatment (κ score 0·378, 0·362 to 0·393). Agreement was slightly higher when published criteria were applied (κ score 0·552, 0·537 to 0·568).

Conclusion
There is considerable variability in the intraoperative classification of appendicitis and the decision to prescribe postoperative antibiotic treatment.
Meta-analysis evaluating music interventions for anxiety and pain in surgery
Authors: Kühlmann A Y R , de Rooij A , Kroese L F , van Dijk M , Hunink M G M , Jeekel J 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate anxiety and pain following perioperative music interventions compared with control conditions in adult patients.MethodsEleven electronic databases were searched for full-text publications of RCTs investigating the effect of music interventions on anxiety and pain during invasive surgery published between 1 January 1980 and 20 October 2016. Results and data were double-screened and extracted independently. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate effect sizes as standardized mean differences (MDs). Heterogeneity was investigated in subgroup analyses and metaregression analyses. The review was registered in the PROSPERO database as CRD42016024921.ResultsNinety-two RCTs (7385 patients) were included in the systematic review, of which 81 were included in the meta-analysis. Music interventions significantly decreased anxiety (MD –0·69, 95 per cent c.i. –0·88 to –0·50; P &lt; 0·001) and pain (MD –0·50, –0·66 to –0·34; P &lt; 0·001) compared with controls, equivalent to a decrease of 21 mm for anxiety and 10 mm for pain on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. Changes in outcome corrected for baseline were even larger: MD –1·41 (–1·89 to –0·94; P &lt; 0·001) for anxiety and –0·54 (–0·93 to –0·15; P = 0·006) for pain. Music interventions provided during general anaesthesia significantly decreased pain compared with that in controls (MD –0·41, –0·64 to –0·18; P &lt; 0·001). Metaregression analysis found no significant association between the effect of music interventions and age, sex, choice and timing of music, and type of anaesthesia. Risk of bias in the studies was moderate to high.ConclusionMusic interventions significantly reduce anxiety and pain in adult surgical patients.
Hepatitis B infection reported with cancer chemotherapy: analyzing the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System
Authors: Sanagawa Akimasa , Hotta Yuji , Kataoka Tomoya , Maeda Yasuhiro , Kondo Masahiro , Kawade Yoshihiro , Ogawa Yoshihiro , Nishikawa Ryohei , Tohkin Masahiro , Kimura Kazunori 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWe conducted data mining using the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database on spontaneously reported adverse events to evaluate the association between anticancer drug therapy and hepatitis B infection. Reports of hepatitis B infection were retrieved from the FAERS database. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) was used to estimate the association between hepatitis B infection and various anticancer agents and drug combinations. We detected statistically significant risk signals of hepatitis B for 33 of 64 anticancer agents by ROR (26 cytotoxicity drugs and seven molecular‐targeted drugs). We focused on molecular‐targeted drugs and assessed the risk of hepatitis B from specific anticancer drug combinations. The frequency of hepatitis B infection was significantly high for drugs such as rituximab, bortezomib, imatinib, and everolimus. The addition of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and fludarabine to drug combinations additively enhanced the frequency of hepatitis B infection. There were no reports on hepatitis B infection associated with trastuzumab or azacitidine monotherapy. However, trastuzumab‐containing regimens (e.g., combinations with docetaxel or paclitaxel) were correlated with the incidence of hepatitis B infection, similar to azacitidine monotherapy. Our findings suggest that the concomitant use of anticancer drugs, such as trastuzumab, taxane, and azacitidine, may contribute to the risk of hepatitis B infection. The unique signals detected from the public database might provide clues to eliminate the threat of HBV in oncology.
Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy improve survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma receiving surgery: adjuvant chemotherapy alone is insufficient in the era of intensity modulation radiation therapy
Authors: Hsieh Mao‐Chih , Chang Wei‐Wen , Yu Hsin‐Hsien , Lu Chang‐Yun , Chang Chia‐Lun , Chow Jyh‐Ming , Chen Shee‐Uan , Cheng Yunfeng , Wu Szu‐Yuan 
Published: April 2018

AbstractIn the era of intensity modulation radiation therapy (IMRT), no prospective randomized trial has evaluated the efficacy of adjuvant therapies such as adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), adjuvant sequential chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CT‐RT), and adjuvant CT alone in resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA). Through propensity score matching, we designed a nationwide, population‐based, head‐to‐head cohort study to determine the effects of dissimilar adjuvant treatments on resectable PA. We minimized the confounding of various adjuvant treatment outcomes among the following resectable PA groups of patients from the Taiwan Cancer Registry database: group 1, adjuvant CCRT; group 2, adjuvant sequential CT‐RT; and group 3, adjuvant CT alone. All the studied techniques are IMRTs. The matching process yielded a final cohort of 588 patients (196, 196, and 196 patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively). In both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs; 95% confidence interval [CI]) of death derived for the adjuvant CCRT and adjuvant sequential CT‐RT cohorts compared with the adjuvant CT alone cohort were 0.398 (0.314–0.504) and 0.307 (0.235–0.402), respectively. A combination of adjuvant IMRT and CT for resectable PA treatment improves survival to a greater extent than does adjuvant CT alone.
Establishment of a nine‐gene prognostic model for predicting overall survival of patients with endometrial carcinoma
Authors: Ying Jianchao , Wang Qian , Xu Teng , Lyu Jianxin 
Published: April 2018

AbstractEndometrial carcinoma (EC) is the most common malignant tumor of the female genital tract in developed countries. The prognosis of early stage EC is favorable, but a subset faces high risk of cancer progression or recurrence. EC has a poor prognosis upon progression to advanced or metastatic stages. Therefore, our goal is to build a robust prognostic model for predicting overall survival (OS) in EC patients. In this study, 1571 genes were identified as being associated with OS based on genomewide expression profiles using a training dataset. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were involved in various cancer‐related signaling pathways. Nine signature genes were further selected using stepwise selection, and their potential role in the development of EC was demonstrated by performing differential expression analysis between EC and normal uterine tissues. A prognostic model that aggregated these nine signature genes was ultimately established and effectively divided EC patients into two risk groups. OS for patients in the high‐risk group was significantly poorer compared with that of the low‐risk group. This nine‐gene model was subsequently validated and evaluated using the TCGA dataset and shown to have a high discriminating power to distinguish EC patients with an elevated risk of mortality based on the FIGO staging system and other prognostic factors. This study provides a novel prognostic model for the identification of EC patients with elevated risk of mortality and will help to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in prognostic EC factors.
A group‐based approach for gaze behavior of virtual crowds incorporating personalities
Authors: Ağıl Umut , Güdükbay Uğur 
Published: April 2018

AbstractPredicting interest points of virtual characters and accurately simulating their gaze behavior play a significant role for realistic crowd simulations. We propose a saliency model that enables virtual agents to produce plausible gaze behavior. The model measures the effects of distinct saliency features implemented by examining the state‐of‐the‐art perception studies. When predicting an agent's interest point, we compute the saliency scores by using a weighted sum function for other agents and environment objects in the field of view of the agent for each frame. Then, we determine the most salient entity for each agent in the scene; thus, agents gain a visual understanding of their environment. Besides, our model introduces new aspects to crowd perception, such as perceiving characters as groups of people and applying social norms on crowd gaze behavior, effects of agent personality on gaze, gaze copy phenomena, and effects of agent velocity on attention. For evaluation, we compare the resulting saliency gaze model with real‐world crowd behavior in captured videos. In the experiments, we simulate the gaze behavior in real crowds. The results show that the proposed approach generates plausible gaze behaviors and is easily adaptable to varying scenarios for virtual crowds.
TREM2 inhibits inflammatory responses in mouse microglia by suppressing the PI3K/NF‐κB signaling
Authors: Li Caixia , Zhao Bing , Lin Caizhao , Gong Zhiping , An Xiaoxia 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the effects of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell‐2 (TREM2) on the production of pro‐inflammatory mediators and cytokines induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BV2 microglia. TREM2 expression or TREM2‐specific siRNA were used to induce TREM2 overexpression or silencing. The BV2 cells were pre‐treated with the PI3 K inhibitor of LY294002 for 1 h and stimulated with LPS for 24 h. Then, the cell viability, apoptosis, phagocytosis, nitric oxide (NO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and cytokine production, as well as the activation of AKT and NF‐kB were determined, respectively. We found LPS stimulation significantly reduced BV2 cell viability, enhanced BV2 cell phagocytosis and apoptosis compared to the control groups. In addition, LPS stimulation significantly increased the production of NO, LDH, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and the activation of AKT and NF‐kB, while decreased the levels of IL‐10 and TGF‐β1. However, these pro‐inflammatory effects were significantly attenuated by TREM2 overexpression or pre‐treatment with LY294002, while enhanced by TREM2 silencing. Thus, we concluded that TREM2 inhibited neuroinflammation by down‐regulating PI3 K/AKT and NF‐kB signaling in BV2 microglia. Above all, therapeutic enhanced TREM2 expression may be a new strategy for intervention of neuroinflammatory diseases.
Lefty promotes the proliferation and invasion of trophoblast cells by inhibiting nodal expression
Authors: Li Hong , Cao Rui , Bai Liang , Qiao Xin‐min , Zhao Yong‐qin 
Published: April 2018

AbstractTrophoblast cells play a vital role in embryo implantation. Exploring cytokines secreted by trophoblast cells will be significant in revealing the molecular mechanism of embryo implantation. In vitro‐cultured trophoblast cells treated with Lefty revealed that Lefty could downregulate the expression of Nodal while promoting the expression of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9. Thus, Lefty may promote the proliferation and invasion of trophoblast cells, thereby reducing the amount of apoptosis of these cells. Lefty siRNA knockdown or overexpression of Nodal showed opposite effects to treatment with Lefty. When trophoblast cells overexpressing Nodal were treated with Lefty, Nodal expression increased, and MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 expression was still promoted. Additionally, the proliferation and invasion of trophoblast cells were upregulated, and trophoblast apoptosis was reduced. Together, these data reveal that Lefty can promote the proliferation and invasion of trophoblast cells and inhibit their apoptosis by downregulating Nodal expression while promoting the expression of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9. This finding provides new proof for the mechanism of trophoblast cell invasion in decidua.
Exercise echocardiography in valve disease
Authors: Ilardi F. , Sugimoto T. , Dulgheru E. R. , Go Y. Y. , Marchetta S. , Contu L. , Lancellotti P. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractEvidence supporting the use of exercise echocardiography to identify the true hemodynamic consequences of valvular heart disease (VHD) is progressively accumulating. From a clinical standpoint, the evaluation of VHD limited to resting conditions often underestimates the full clinical impact of the lesion. Exercise echocardiography has proved to be an important clinical tool in the risk stratification and the decision making of patients with VHD. It is very useful in case of discrepancy between symptoms and severity of valve lesion. Moreover, the evaluation of dynamic components of VHD, ventricular function, and exercise capacity provides clinician additive prognostic value that can be really helpful in the management planning of these patients.
Role of the deformation imaging in the evaluation of patients with cardiomyopathy
Authors: Papadopoulos C. H. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractCardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases recognized by specific patterns of myocardial morphology and function. Myocardial deformation imaging, using strain and strain rate as main parameters, is a novel echocardiographic method for the evaluation of global and regional myocardial function. Speckle tracking imaging is currently the best technique for the evaluation of myocardial deformation in the longitudinal, radial, and circumferential axis. The aim of the following review was to analyze the potential role of the deformation imaging in the evaluation of cardiomyopathies, focusing on the recent developments regarding the differential and early diagnosis as well as the prognosis of the disease.
Recent advances in cardiac gene therapy strategies targeting advanced heart failure
Authors: Chen C. , Seeger T. , Termglinchan V. , Karakikes I. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHeart failure (HF) is the common sequela of many cardiovascular diseases. Although device‐based treatments and pharmacotherapies have improved patient survival, current standard therapies are far from optimal, and do not address the molecular mechanisms underlying HF pathogenesis. In the last decade, cardiac gene therapy has emerged as an innovative experimental therapeutic strategy for the treatment of advanced HF. Increasing insights into the molecular pathophysiology and improvements in gene targeting approaches provide novel therapeutic modalities. In this review we focus on the recent developments in cardiac gene therapy strategies targeting advanced HF. We emphasize ongoing clinical trials, and discuss the limitations and future evolution of the field.
Cell therapy for cardiac diseases
Authors: Tseliou E. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractCardiac injury and loss of functional cardiomyocytes result in cardiac pump failure, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Endogenous regeneration of the injured heart holds great promise but is very limited in the human heart. Various strategies have been developed to boost replacement of the lost cardiomyocytes including stem cells and cellular reprogramming. In this review we will discuss the progress in cardiac regeneration field, the advantages and disadvantages of each cell type and how a combinatorial approach with regards to current drug treatment could enhance cardiac regeneration.
Effect of tempering moisture and infrared heating temperature on the functionality of Desi chickpea and hull‐less barley flours
Authors: Bai Tian , Stone Andrea K. , Nickerson Michael T. 
Published: April 2018

Background and objectivesThe effect of seed tempering moisture (20% moisture content or left un‐tempered) and infrared heating surface temperature (115 or 135°C) on the functional properties of Desi chickpea and hull‐less barley was investigated.FindingsTempering and infrared heating reduced the protein solubility in both flours, whereas the ability to bind oil was unaffected. Both flours had increased water binding abilities in response to tempering and infrared heating. In the case of chickpea flour, the emulsion activity (EA) increased when the seeds were tempered and heated to 135°C, whereas both emulsion and foaming stability remained unchanged with all processing conditions. Tempering before infrared heating decreased the foaming capacity of chickpea flour. In contrast, barley flour showed a decrease in both EA and stability, and became nonfoaming with infrared heating with and without tempering.ConclusionsInfrared heating has both positive and negative effects on the functional properties of Desi chickpea and hull‐less barley flours.Significance and noveltyFindings from this work will help direct ingredient processors to process seeds to achieve different functionalities which is important for food product development purposes.
Direct Synthesis of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur Tri‐doped Carbon Nanorods as Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Electrocatalysts
Authors: Ren Jin‐Tao , Yuan Zhong‐Yong 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe growing energy and environmental crisis calls for renewable systems for energy production and conversion. Herein, polyaniline‐derived porous carbon nanorods tri‐doped with N, P, and S (NPSC) are directly fabricated by the one‐pot polymerization of aniline and diphenylamine‐4‐sulfonic acid induced by organophosphonic acid and subsequent pyrolysis at 900 °C. The nanorods exhibit high‐efficiency electrochemical oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution activity in alkaline electrolyte, along with strong durability and methanol tolerance. The synergistic effect among the tri‐doped elements and the related porosity can account for the superior electrocatalytic capacity of the fabricated catalysts. Particularly, a Zn–air battery assembled with the fabricated NPSC as the cathode shows a peak power density of 122 mW cm−2 and superior stability, presenting a promising potential for sustainable energy devices, particularly regenerative metal–air batteries and fuel cells.
A Multi‐Component Reaction towards the Development of Highly Modular Hydrogelators
Authors: Sauvée Claire , Ström Anna , Haukka Matti , Sundén Henrik 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHerein we report a multi‐component reaction approach for the development of a new class of hydrogelators based on the OxoTriphenylHexanOate (OTHO) backbone. A focused library of OTHOs has been synthesized and their hydrogelation features evaluated. The two most potent hydrogelators were studied by rheology revealing different stiffness, appearances and thixotropic behavior of the gels. The new gelators showcase the versatility of the OTHO backbone as a platform for the design of functionalized hydrogels with tunable gel properties.
Aggregation‐Enhanced Emission and Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence of Derivatives of 9‐Phenyl‐9H‐Carbazole: Effects of Methoxy and tert‐Butyl Substituents
Authors: Grybauskaite‐Kaminskiene Gintare , Volyniuk Dmytro , Mimaite Viktorija , Bezvikonnyi Oleksandr , Bucinskas Audrius , Bagdziunas Gintautas , Grazulevicius Juozas V. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractDerivatives of 9‐phenyl‐9H‐carbazole were synthesized as efficient emitters exhibiting both thermally activated delayed fluorescence and aggregation‐induced emission enhancement. Effects of methoxy and tert‐butyl substituents at the different positions of carbazolyl groups on the properties of the emitters were studied. Depending on the substitutions, photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY) of non‐doped solid films of the compounds ranged from 17 % to 53 % which were much higher than those observed for the solutions in low‐polarity solvent toluene. Compounds substituted at C‐3 and C‐6 positions of carbazole moiety by methoxy‐ and tert‐butyl‐ groups showed the highest solid‐state PLQY. Ionization potentials of the studied derivatives in solid‐state were found to be in the short range of 5.75–5.89 eV. Well‐balanced hole and electron mobilities were detected for tert‐butyl‐substituted compound. They exceeded 10−4 cm2 (V×s)−1 at electric fields higher than 3×105 V cm−1. Two compounds with the highest solid‐state PLQYs showed higher efficiencies in non‐doped organic light‐emitting diodes than in the doped devices. Maximum external quantum efficiency of 7.2 % and brightness of 15000 cd m−2 were observed for the best device.
Host–Host Interactions Control Self‐assembly and Switching of Triple and Double Decker Stacks of Tricarbazole Macrocycles Co‐assembled with anti‐Electrostatic Bisulfate Dimers
Authors: Dobscha James R. , Debnath Sibali , Fadler Rachel E. , Fatila Elisabeth M. , Pink Maren , Raghavachari Krishnan , Flood Amar H. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHierarchical assembly provides a route to complex architectures when using building blocks with strong and structurally well‐defined recognition elements. These rules are traditionally expressed using cationic templates with reliable metal‐ligand bonding but use of anions is rare on account of weak anion–host contacts. We investigate an approach that relies on host–host interactions to fortify assemblies formed between bisulfate anion dimers, [HSO4⋅⋅⋅HSO4]2−, and shape‐persistent macrocycles called tricarbazole triazolophanes. These macrocycles have significant self‐association. In chloroform, they form high fidelity, triple‐decker stacks with bisulfate dimers. The strength of host–host interactions allows for preferential formation of the 3:2 tricarb:bisulfate architecture over an ion‐paired architecture seen with analogous macrocycles with much weaker self‐association. Solvent was expected and found to tune host–host contacts enabling formation of a 2:2 complex and solvent‐driven switching between triple‐ and double‐stacked structures. Crystallography of the 2:2:2 complex supports the idea that significant host–host interactions with tricarb arises from dipole‐stabilized π‐stacking. Computational studies were also conducted further highlighting the importance of host–host interactions in stacked complexes of tricarb. These findings unambiguously verify the importance of host–host interactions in the assembly and stability of discrete, responsive anion‐templated architectures.