bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Validation of training levels in endoscopic endonasal surgery of the skull base
Authors: Lavigne Philippe , Faden Daniel , Gardner Paul A. , Fernandez‐Miranda Juan C. , Wang Eric W. , Snyderman Carl H. 
Published: March 2019

ObjectiveA five‐level training program was first proposed 10 years ago for surgeons learning endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) of the skull base. Levels were based on the complexity of anatomy, risk of neurovascular injury, intradural dissection, technical difficulty and vascularity of tumors.MethodA three‐phase validation concept is proposed: 1) face validity (the classification is related to clinically significant elements), 2) construct validity (the classification predicts the outcome), and 3) inter‐team validation (the classification applies to other surgical teams). Consecutive cases over a 1‐year time span were retrospectively classified. Primary outcome measures included: complication rates (cranial nerve injury, stroke and vascular injury, cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] leak and infection), estimated blood loss and duration of surgery.ResultsTwo hundred and nine consecutive cases were analyzed. The distribution of cases for each category was: 63 cases in level II, 70 cases in level III, 66 cases in level IV, and 10 cases in level V. Construct validity demonstrated statistical difference with increasing rate of complications from level II to level III and from level III to level IV; also, specific rates of cranial nerve injury and CSF leak increased between levels III and IV. Face validity identified 162 citations since publication of the original article. Inter‐team validation demonstrated no difference between two teams of surgeons.ConclusionThis study provides a three‐phase validation of training levels for endoscopic skull base surgery. Adoption of a progressive systematic approach to learning EES from least complex to advanced procedures is expected to minimize the risks while surgical teams gain experience.Level of Evidence3Laryngoscope, 129:2253–2257, 2019
Arytenoid vertical height discrepancy in predicting outcomes after unilateral vocal cord medialization
Authors: Wong Eugene , Smith Murray , Stone Danielle B. , Palme Carsten E. , Smith Mark C. , Riffat Faruque 
Published: March 2019

Objectives/HypothesisUnilateral vocal fold paralysis is a structural abnormality that often occurs secondary to dysfunction of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and typically presents as a breathy voice. Medialization laryngoplasty is a constellation of procedures that improves apposition of the vocal cords. Many patients, however, fail to experience sufficient improvement in vocal quality postoperatively despite apparent glottic closure on stroboscopy. This suggests that asymmetry in other cord characteristics may also have acoustic consequences. Our hypothesis is that arytenoid height symmetry may play a significant role in vocal quality. To our knowledge there are no human observational studies examining this topic. We therefore aimed to correlate asymmetry in arytenoid height and patient‐reported satisfaction in voice quality after thyroplasty.Study DesignRetrospective cohort analysis.MethodsA retrospective review of prospectively collected data on consecutive patients who underwent medialization thyroplasty at a tertiary Sydney, Australia hospital was performed. Data collected included age, sex, onset of symptoms, as well as well as preoperative and 3‐month postoperative maximum phonation time and Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Preoperative computed tomography scans were assessed for discrepancy of arytenoid vertical height discrepancy.ResultsTwenty‐three patients (56.5% female) with mean age of 52.4 ± 14.9 years were included. Most patients underwent injection thyroplasty (78.3%, n = 5), whereas the remaining underwent an open approach. A statistically significant inverse correlation was found between increasing height discrepancy and VHI improvement (r = −0.6, P = .003.) Revision surgery was associated with increased height discrepancy.ConclusionsFindings of this study may affect future recommendations to address height discrepancy in surgery to treat unilateral vocal cord paralysis.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 130:418–422, 2020
Light‐Switching Azo‐Copolymers Self‐Assembly in Multi‐Stationary States
Authors: Dong Shumin , Sun Wen , Wang Dongsheng , Zhao Haiquan , Zu Gen , Zheng Yonghao 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIn the present research, novel tri‐block‐copolymers bearing polyethylene glycol (PEG), azobenzene (Azo), and tetra‐ortho‐methoxy‐substituted Azo (mAzo) segments are synthesized and explored. Light‐controlled PEG‐PmAzo‐PAzo self‐assemblies switching between multi‐stationary states is realized. Under controlling of UV, blue, green, and red light, PEG‐PmAzo‐PAzo isomerize between 4 photostationary states. The enrichment of cis isomers of Azo and mAzo induces the self‐assembly of PEG‐PmAzo‐PAzo in toluene. The morphologies and scale of the self‐assemblies can be switched between four stationary states, which are investigated by dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.
PySpark and RDKit: Moving towards Big Data in Cheminformatics
Authors: Lovrić Mario , Molero José Manuel , Kern Roman 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe authors present an implementation of the cheminformatics toolkit RDKit in a distributed computing environment, Apache Hadoop. Together with the Apache Spark analytics engine, wrapped by PySpark, resources from commodity scalable hardware can be employed for cheminformatic calculations and query operations with basic knowledge in Python programming and understanding of the resilient distributed datasets (RDD). Three use cases of cheminfomatical computing in Spark on the Hadoop cluster are presented; querying substructures, calculating fingerprint similarity and calculating molecular descriptors. The source code for the PySpark‐RDKit implementation is provided. The use cases showed that Spark provides a reasonable scalability depending on the use case and can be a suitable choice for datasets too big to be processed with current low‐end workstations.
Is bladder blood flow an etiologic factor for the bladder pain syndrome?
Authors: Özçağlayan Ömer , Akgül Murat , Yazıcı Cenk , Özçağlayan Tuğba İlkem , Malak Arzu , Doğru MD﻿ Mücahit 
Published: March 2019

AbstractAimBladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a complex disease which causes cognitive, behavioral, sexual, and emotional problems. Vascular factors related to bladder blood supply may be one of the etiologic cause of BPS. This study aims to investigate the bladder blood flow and internal iliac artery resistive indices of patients with BPS.MethodsA total of 30 female patients with the diagnosis of BPS and 30 female as control group were enrolled in the study. Bilateral internal iliac arterial blood flow distal to uterine arteries were examined as the primary source of vesical arterial blood supply. Peak systolic velocities, end diastolic velocities, resistive indices, and flow volumes of internal iliac arteries were measured by color Doppler ultrasonography in a single‐blind fashion.ResultsThe blood flows volume of the right and left internal iliac arteries during empty and full bladder were significantly lower at BPS group compared with control (P < 0.05). Although the difference was not significant, the mean resistive index of right and left internal iliac arteries were lower at the control group (
P > 0.05). Aging decreased the bladder blood volume and both BPS and control group internal iliac artery blood volume decreased by aging. The decrease was more significant at the control group, but the internal iliac artery blood volume was still lower at patients with BPS compared with the control group.ConclusionArterial blood flow of bladder was lower at patients with BPS compared with the control group. The decrease in the vascular supply of bladder might be one of the related factors for the BPS etiology.
Placental vascular recruitment after single intrauterine demise: A newly diagnosed phenomenon unique to monochorionic pregnancies
Authors: Deneckere Sanne , Couck Isabel , Devlieger Roland , de Catte Luc , Deprest Jan , Chantraine Frédéric , Lewi Liesbeth 
Published: March 2019

What's already known about this topic?

If one twin dies during pregnancy, its placental part degenerates as it is no longer perfused.
What does this report add?

In monochorionic twin pregnancies, the surviving twin may recruit the placental share of its demised co‐twin through a large arterio‐arterial and veno‐venous anastomosis.
Accuracy of a composite event definition for hypoglycemia
Authors: Min Jea Young , Presley Caroline A. , Wharton Jennifer , Griffin Marie R. , Greevy Robert A. , Hung Adriana M. , Chipman Jonathan , Grijalva Carlos G. , Hackstadt Amber J. , Roumie Christianne L. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the accuracy of a composite definition for the identification of hypoglycemia events that used both administrative claims and laboratory data in a cohort of patients.MethodsWe reviewed medical records in a sample of presumed hypoglycemia events among patients who received care at the Veterans Health Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in 2001 to 2012. A hypoglycemia event was defined as a hospitalization or emergency department visit judged by the treating clinician to be due to hypoglycemia, or an outpatient laboratory or point‐of‐care blood glucose measurement <60 mg/dL. Based on medical record review, each event was classified as true positive (severe, documented symptomatic, documented asymptomatic) or false positive (probable symptomatic, not hypoglycemia). The positive predictive values (PPV) of the individual event types (hospitalization, emergency department, and outpatient) were estimated.ResultsOf 2250 events identified through the composite definition, 321 events (15 hospitalizations, 103 emergency department visits, and 203 outpatient events) were reviewed. The PPVs were 80% for hospitalization events, 48% for emergency department events, and 96% for outpatient events. The emergency department definition included a nonspecific diagnosis code for diabetic complications which captured many false positive events. Excluding this code from the definition improved the PPV for emergency department events to 70% and missed one true event.ConclusionsOur composite definition for hypoglycemia performed moderately well in a cohort of Veterans. Further evaluation of the emergency department events may be needed.
Fitness, Function, and Exercise Training Responses after Limb Salvage With a Lower Limb Megaprosthesis: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wilson Paula J. , Steadman Peter , Beckman Emma M. , Connick Mark J. , Carty Christopher P. , Tweedy Sean M. 
Published: March 2019

ObjectiveTo describe the fitness, function, and exercise training responses of patients following reconstruction of the lower limb with a total femoral (TF), proximal femoral (PF), distal femoral (DF), or proximal tibial (PT) megaprosthesis.TypeSystematic review.Literature SurveyFive research databases were searched systematically for original studies published in English from 2006 to 2017 that reported fitness, functioning, or exercise training responses for one or more of the four types of lower limb megaprosthesis listed above.MethodologyMethodologic quality was assessed using a 22‐item modified STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist.SynthesisOf the 5342 articles retrieved, 28 met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies reported fitness outcomes, primarily in PT, with none in TF. Impaired knee extensor strength of the affected limb was reported following limb salvage with PF, DF, and PT megaprosthetics. Impaired flexibility was reported following limb salvage with DF and PT megaprosthetics. Functional outcomes were described in all studies and were most commonly reported using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) system score. Results indicated no clear difference in functional outcomes between megaprosthesis locations. No studies evaluated exercise training responses.ConclusionsThis review identified impairments of lower limb strength and flexibility following limb salvage with a lower limb megaprosthesis. Similarity in functional outcomes for all four reported megaprosthetic locations may indicate a lack of sensitivity in outcome measures, including the absence of items assessing higher‐level functioning. Exercise interventions that aim to improve fitness and function in this population have not been evaluated but are required given increasing 5‐year survival rates.Level of EvidenceI
Theoretical insights into the effect of solvents on the [4 + 2] cycloaddition of singlet oxygen to substituted anthracenes: A change from a stepwise process to a concerted process
Authors: Fudickar Werner , Linker Torsten 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe [4 + 2] cycloadditions of singlet oxygen to 9,10‐diphenylanthracene (1) and the meta and para isomers of 9,10‐dipyridylanthracene (2m/p) and 9,10‐methoxyphenylanthracene (3m/p) have been studied by density functional calculations in the gas phase at the UB3LYP/6‐31G* level and for the first time in solvents at the conductor‐like polarizable continuum model (CPCM) UM062X/6‐31G* level. The differences in calculated transition state (TS) energies derived from this method are in line with experimentally observed reactivity orders in solution. For the gas‐phase reaction, the first TS of the stepwise pathway (TS1) has biradical character, and its energy lies below the energy of the TS of the concerted path (TSconc). In contrast, in the solvent acetonitrile, TS1 resembles a zwitterion and lies significantly higher than the TSconc. Thus, a concerted mechanism applies in solvents, and the energy gap between the TS of the two processes decreases with decreasing polarity. A change from a pyridyl against a methoxyphenyl substituent in the para position causes a maximal reduction of the activation barrier by approximately 1.7 kcal/mol, resulting in a fivefold increased reactivity.
Effect of fluensulfone and fluopyram on the mobility and infection of second‐stage juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica
Authors: Oka Yuji , Saroya Yonatan 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBACKGROUNDFluensulfone and fluopyram are new nematicides whose mode of action is not fully understood. Differences in the nematicidal activity of these compounds among two Meloidogyne incognita populations and a Meloidogyne javanica population, and the effect of sublethal exposure to the nematicide on their infection process were studied in vitro.RESULTSThe M. incognita populations were more sensitive to fluensulfone than M. javanica, whereas M. javanica was more sensitive to fluopyram. A more than 10‐fold difference in median lethal concentration (LC50) was observed between the M. incognita populations after 17‐h exposure to fluensulfone. Exposure of M. incognita and M. javanica to 4 mg L−1 fluopyram for 48 h resulted in irreversible immobilization, whereas lower concentrations or 17‐h exposure to fluopyram caused reversible immobilization. Pre‐exposure of M. javanica to fluensulfone at sublethal concentrations reduced the number of juveniles attracted to root tips and caused smaller galls. Pre‐exposure to fluopyram delayed the nematodes' attraction. Presence of fluopyram in a Pluronic gel at concentrations that immobilized the nematodes in water showed no or only slight inhibition of the nematodes' attraction to root tips and gall formation.CONCLUSIONDifferent sensitivities to nematicides were observed among Meloidogyne species and populations. Sublethal exposure to fluensulfone reduced nematode attraction to root tips and infection. Pluronic gel negatively affected nematicidal activity, especially for fluopyram. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
A Theoretical Physiologically‐Based Pharmacokinetic Approach to Ascertain Covariates Explaining the Large Interpatient Variability in Tacrolimus Disposition
Authors: Emoto Chie , Johnson Trevor N. , Hahn David , Christians Uwe , Alloway Rita R. , Vinks Alexander A. , Fukuda Tsuyoshi 
Published: March 2019

Physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling allows assessment of the covariates contributing to the large pharmacokinetic (PK) variability of tacrolimus; these include multiple physiological and biochemical differences among patients. A PBPK model of tacrolimus was developed, including a virtual population with physiological parameter distributions reflecting renal transplant patients. The ratios of predicted to observed dose‐normalized maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), 0–12‐hour area under the concentration–time curve (AUC0–12 hour), and trough plasma concentration (Ctrough) ranged from 0.92‐fold to 1.15‐fold, indicating good predictive performance. The model quantitatively indicated the impact of cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A4 abundance, hematocrit, and serum albumin levels, in addition to CYP3A5 genotype status, on tacrolimus PK and associated variability. Age‐dependent change in tacrolimus trough concentration in pediatric patients was mainly attributed to the CYP3A ontogeny profile. This study demonstrates the utility of PBPK modeling as a tool for mechanistic and quantitative assessment of the impact of patient physiological differences on observed large PK variability.
Scheduling algorithm for the multiple rovers' access to single orbiter on the Mars relay communication links
Authors: Wan Peng , Zhan Yafeng , Pan Xiaohan , Huang Lei 
Published: March 2019

SummaryThe Mars relay communication services have played an important role on the scientific data transmission for several Mars surface exploration missions. However, such technologies based on CCSDS Proximity‐1 protocols only support one single user's access to orbiter at one relay communication session. In future deep space missions, there would be more rovers and facilities on the Mars surface, which requires a multiple access method with high efficiency and low resource occupation. In this article, we propose a distributed serial scheduling structure as "multiple leaky buckets + token bucket" and a scheduling algorithm as "queue equilibrium based proportional fair," in order to improve the multiple access performance on the comprehensive merits of fair access, data transfer throughput, and queue equilibrium. The mathematical model is constructed to validate our new scheduling structure and algorithm, and the multiple attribute decision‐making (MADM) method is used to compare our algorithm with the other three most frequently used algorithms as maximum rate, time polling, and proportional fair. Simulation results show that our scheduling structure and the new scheduling algorithm could find balance with fairness, throughput and queue equilibrium, which gets the best performance in all the four scheduling algorithms in the Mars relay communications case.
The influence of cannabis smoke and cannabis vapour on simulated lung surfactant function under physiologically relevant conditions
Authors: Davies Michael J. , Birkett Jason W. , Bolton Hannah , Moore Andrea 
Published: March 2019

The use of cannabis for medicinal/recreational purposes is widespread throughout the world. Smoke inhalation is known to cause airway irritation due to noxious substances (ie, benzene) within the mix. Thus, advanced vaporisation platforms (eg, Davinci IQ) have been developed to circumvent negative health implications. Here, we consider the impact that cannabis smoke and cannabis vapour have on simulated lung surfactant performance within a model pulmonary space (ie, 37°C, elevated humidity and related fluid hydrodynamics). In total, 50 mg of herbal material was ignited or placed within a Davinci IQ vaporiser with subsequent activation. The aliquots were collected and then analysed using gas chromatography‐mass spectroscopy for composition and cannabinoid (eg, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol [Δ9‐THC]) concentration. The average content within cannabis smoke was 2.84% (0.07%, SD) Δ9‐THC, with the same for cannabis vapour being 0.88% (0.14%, SD). Aerosolised samples were transferred to the lung biosimulator. When compared with the pristine Curosurf system, challenge with cannabis smoke and cannabis vapour reduced the surface pressure term by 26% and 7% and increased film compressibility by 60% and 15% at 80% trough area, respectively. The net effect would be enhanced film elasticity and an increased work of breathing, being more pronounced on cannabis smoke inhalation. The trends noted were ascribed to two factors operating synergistically, namely the amount of Δ9‐THC (plus others) within the aerosolised samples and the associated toxicity profile. Further research is required to establish mass‐balance effects (ie, titrated outputs) along with detailed chemical profiling of material generated from the unrelated cannabis activation pathways.
The effect of naringenin on the role of nuclear factor (erythroid‐derived 2)‐like2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase 1 (HO‐1) in reducing the risk of oxidative stress‐related radiotoxicity in the spleen of rats
Authors: Abdel‐Magied Nadia , Shedid Shereen M. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe present study was to evaluate the radiomitigative effect of naringenin (NRG) on the modulation of ionizing radiation (IR)‐induced spleen injury. Rats were exposed to 12 Gy (3Gy/two times/week). NRG (50mg/Kg), was orally given one hour after the first radiation dose, and daily continued during the irradiation period. Rats were sacrificed 1 day after the last dose of radiation. NRG showed a significant decrease of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide with a significant elevation of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities and glutathione content. Moreover, NRG confirmed the intracellular defense mechanisms through activation of nuclear factor (erythroid‐derived 2)‐like2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) levels and their protein expression. In addition, NRG deactivated the nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and reduced the pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Further, NRG showed positive modulation in the haematological values (WBCs, RBCs, Hb, Hct% and PLt). In conclusion, these results suggested that NRG reversed the IR‐induced redox‐imbalance in the rat spleen.
Ficcus palmataleaves as a low‐cost biosorbent for methylene blue: Thermodynamic and kinetic studies
Authors: Fiaz Rashida , Hafeez Muhammad , Mahmood Rashid 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIn the present study, methylene blue (MB) removal has been studied from its aqueous solution, usingFiccus palmataleaves (FPL)‐based plant material. The effect of different parameters such as contact time (10–100) minutes, initial concentration (5–25) mg/L, pH (4–13), temperature (298–318 K), and adsorbent dosage (0.15–0.45 g/0.05 L) was investigated. The maximum removal efficiency was calculated to be 98% for sample having initial concentration 15 mg/L along with 0.45 g of adsorbent agitated for 80 min at 318 K and pH = 7. The data were fitted to adsorption isotherm models (Langmuir and Freundlich) and kinetic models (pseudo‐first order, pseudo‐second order, and intra‐particle diffusion). The data were found to be best fitted with Freundlich adsorption isotherm (R2 = 0.99) and pseudo‐second‐order (R2 = 0.991). Thermodynamic parameters (free energy change, enthalpy change, and entropy change) were also estimated. The Gibbs free energy values were found to be −1.808, −5.139, and −5.991 kJ/mol at 298, 308, and 318 K, respectively. The decrease in free energy with increasing temperature has indicated spontaneity of adsorption process, and positive enthalpy change (35.75 kJ/mol) showed that the adsorption process was endothermic. 0.1 M HCl was found to be most effective desorbing agent with percent desorption 53.51%.Practitioner pointsFP leaves are low cost and easily available biomass for removal of MB from aqueous solution.The adsorption capacity was obtained to be 6.89 mg/g at (15 mg/g dye concentration, pH = 7, and contact time 80 min).The maximum removal efficiency for MB was 98%.The thermodynamic studies indicated the endothermic adsorption process.The 0.1 M HCl was found as best desorbing agent for MB loaded on FP leaves.