bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ventricular-Arterial Coupling in Children and Infants With Congenital Heart Disease After Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery: Observational Study*
Authors: Marinari Eleonora , Rizza Alessandra , Iacobelli Roberta , Iodice Francesca , Favia Isabella , Romagnoli Stefano , Di Chiara Luca , Ricci Zaccaria 
Published: June 2019

Objectives:
Ventricular-arterial coupling represents the interaction between the left ventricle and the arterial system. Ventricular-arterial coupling is measured as the ratio between arterial elastance and ventricular end-systolic elastance. Scant information is available in critically ill children about these variables. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess ventricular-arterial coupling after pediatric cardiac surgery and evaluate its association with other commonly recorded hemodynamic parameters.

Design:
Single-center retrospective observational study.

Setting:
Pediatric cardiac surgery operating room.

Patients:
Children undergoing corrective cardiac surgery.

Interventions:
Hemodynamic monitoring with transesophageal echocardiography.

Measurements and Main Results:
Twenty-seven patients with biventricular congenital heart disease, who underwent elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, were enrolled before operating room discharge. Chen single-beat modified method was applied to calculate ventricular-arterial coupling. The median arterial elastance and end-systolic elastance values were 5.9 mm Hg/mL (2.2–9.3 mm Hg/mL) and 4.3 mm Hg/mL (1.9–8.3 mm Hg/mL), respectively. The median ventricular- arterial coupling was 1.2 (1.1–1.6). End-systolic elastance differences between patients with a ventricular-arterial coupling below (low ventricular-arterial coupling) and above (high ventricular-arterial coupling) the median value were –5.2 (95% CI, –6.28 to –0.7; p = 0.008). Differently, arterial elastance differences were –2.1 (95% CI, –5.7 to 1.6; p = 0.19). Ventricular-arterial coupling showed a significant association with pre-ejection time (r, 0.44; p = 0.02), total ejection time (r, –0.41; p = 0.003), cardiac cycle efficiency (r, –0.46; p = 0.02), maximal delta pressure over delta time (r, –0.44; p = 0.02), ejection fraction (r, –0.57; p = 0.01), and systemic vascular resistances indexed (0.56; p = 0.003). After adjustment, total ejection time (p = 0.001), pre-ejection time (p = 0.02), and ejection fraction (p = 0.001) remained independently associated with ventricular-arterial coupling.

Conclusions:
Median ventricular-arterial coupling values in children after cardiac surgery appear high (above 1). Uncoupling was particularly evident in high ventricular-arterial coupling patients who showed the lowest end-systolic elastance values (but not significantly different arterial elastance values) compared with low ventricular-arterial coupling. Ventricular-arterial coupling appears to be inversely proportional to pre-ejection time, total ejection time, and ejection fraction.
Shaping placebo analgesic responses on the Internet: a randomized experimental trial
Authors: Pontén Moa , Ljótsson Brjánn , Jensen Karin 
Published: June 2019

Abstract

Background:
The field of Internet-based treatments is expanding. However, little is known about placebo effects in online therapeutic settings. The aim of this study was to test if placebo analgesia could be induced via online communication. Exploratory analyses tested if different communication styles (empathetic/neutral) would influence the placebo effect.

Methods:
In this double-blind experiment, 30 healthy participants were randomized to either empathetic or neutral online communication. After completing the online modules, a face-to-face placebo analgesia experiment was performed. An independent experimenter (blinded as to communication type) performed the pain testing and treatment with a sham analgesic device (placebo).

Results:
Overall, there was a significant placebo effect, as participants rated the pain lower when the sham analgesic device was turned on, compared to off. An additional control experiment (n = 17) confirmed that pain testing with the sham analgesic device per se, without any prior communication, was not enough to induce placebo effects. Exploratory analyses indicated a significant difference in perception of the online communication between participants randomized to the empathetic and neutral groups because the empathetic group rated the interaction as more positive. Also, there was a significant difference in online compliance. Yet, exploratory analyses did not suggest any difference in placebo pain ratings between the empathetic and neutral communication groups.

Conclusion:
The results in this study suggest that placebo effects can be created even when information about an analgesic treatment is delivered online. This is the first indication of a novel research line that investigates placebo effects in online treatment.
Magnitude, response, and psychological determinants of placebo effects in chronic low-back pain: a randomised, double-blinded, controlled trial
Authors: Finniss Damien , Nicholas Michael , Brooker Charles , Cousins Michael , Benedetti Fabrizio 
Published: June 2019

Abstract

Introduction:
Denervation of the lumbar zygapophyseal joints by medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy has shown some benefit in treating chronic low-back pain. Before denervation, a diagnosis is made by one or more blinded injections on separate occasions to ascertain whether the relevant joints are contributing to the pain. Placebo injections have been advocated in a diagnostic regime that also includes local anaesthesia, with a decision to proceed to neurotomy based on response to local anaesthesia and not to placebo.

Objectives:
We investigated the magnitude of and response rate to placebo injections, and the roles of expectation, desire for pain relief, and anxiety as determinants of response to placebo.

Methods:
One hundred twenty patients were randomised to receive placebo and local anaesthetic injections on alternate occasions in a double-blind manner. A smaller control group with 2 local anaesthetic injections was also used. Responses to placebo were characterised, including magnitude and frequency.

Results:
This study demonstrated very large response to placebo injections, both response rate (78%) and magnitude (effect size d = 1.85). Expectation and anxiety were important modulators of response to placebo in this setting, with support given to expectation as a dynamic modulator of placebo responses. Large response to placebo (both in rate and magnitude) was observed when participants reported the belief that they were in the placebo arm.

Conclusion:
This study demonstrated large placebo responses in the context of injections for low-back pain and further characterised the importance of expectation and anxiety as important psychological mediators.
Partner HIV Serostatus Impacts Viral Load, Genital HIV Shedding, and Immune Activation in HIV-Infected Individuals
Authors: Jaumdally Shameem Z. , Liebenberg Lenine J.P. , Gumbi Pam P. , Little Francesca , Jaspan Heather B. , Gamieldien Hoyam , Tiemessen Caroline T. , Coetzee David , Martin Darren P. , Williamson Carolyn , Williamson Anna-Lise , Passmore Jo-Ann S. 
Published: June 2019

Abstract:
Studies of seronegative individuals in HIV discordant relationships provide important insights into the effects of HIV exposure on the seronegative partner, but few have examined the impact of partner serostatus on disease progression in seropositive individuals. We investigated the impact of HIV serostatus on clinical and biological factors influencing HIV disease progression in 337 HIV-infected heterosexual individuals in stable long-term HIV-seroconcordant or HIV-serodiscordant relationships. Seroconcordant individuals had significantly higher plasma viral loads (pVLs) than HIV-infected partners in serodiscordant partnerships [4.4 log10 copies RNA/mL (interquartile range 3.7–5.0) versus 3.9 (3.3–4.5), P < 0.0001], irrespective of gender. pVLs correlated inversely with CD4+ T-cell counts, although CD4 counts did not differ significantly between seroconcordant and serodiscordant individuals. HIV+ seroconcordant individuals had higher frequencies of CCR5+ CD4 and CD8 T cells (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02, respectively) than HIV+ individuals in serodiscordant relationships and higher concentrations of plasma IL-1β (P = 0.04), TNF-α (P = 0.02), and IL-10 (P = 0.02). Activated CD4+ T-cell frequencies and TNF-α were the most influential in determining variation in pVLs, independently of CD4 counts. In addition, HIV+ seroconcordant women had significantly higher genital VLs (gVLs) than HIV+ women in serodiscordant relationships (P < 0.001), with pVLs correlating significantly with gVLs (Rho = 0.65, P < 0.0001). Cervical and blood T-cell activation tended to correlate positively, although partner seroconcordance did not influence genital T-cell activation. We conclude that HIV+ seroconcordant individuals have higher frequencies of activated, CCR5-expressing T cells in blood and higher pVLs and gVLs than their HIV+ counterparts in discordant relationships, which could translate to faster disease progression or larger viral reservoir.
Characteristics and Care Outcomes Among Persons Living With Perinatally Acquired HIV Infection in the United States, 2015
Authors: Gray Kristen Mahle , Ocfemia M. Cheryl Bañez , Wang Xiao , Li Jianmin , Nesheim Steven R. 
Published: June 2019

Background:
Medical advancements have improved the survival of persons with perinatally acquired HIV infection (PHIV). We describe persons living with diagnosed PHIV and assess receipt of HIV care, retention in care, and viral suppression.

Methods:
Data reported to the National HIV Surveillance System through December 2017 were used to characterize persons living with diagnosed PHIV by year-end 2015 in the United States and 6 dependent areas. National HIV Surveillance System data from 40 jurisdictions with complete laboratory reporting were used to assess receipt of HIV care (≥1 CD4 or viral load during 2015), retention in HIV care (≥2 CD4 or viral load tests ≥3 months apart during 2015) and viral suppression (<200 copies/mL during 2015) among persons with PHIV diagnosed by year-end 2014 and alive at year-end 2015.

Results:
By year-end 2015, 11,747 persons were living with PHIV and half were aged 18–25 years. Of 9562 persons with HIV diagnosed by year-end 2014 and living with PHIV at year-end 2015 in the 40 jurisdictions, 75.4% received any care, 61.1% were retained in care, and 49.0% achieved viral suppression. Persons aged ≤17 years had a significantly higher prevalence of being retained in care (prevalence ratio = 1.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.2 to 1.3) and virally suppressed (prevalence ratio = 1.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.3 to 1.5) than persons aged 18–25 years.

Conclusions:
Efforts to improve care outcomes among persons with PHIV are needed. Enhanced collaboration between pediatric and adult medical providers may ensure continuity of care during the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Hydrocortisone, Ascorbic Acid, and Thiamine (HAT) Therapy Decreases Oxidative Stress, Improves Cardiovascular Function, and Improves Survival in Murine Sepsis
Authors: Kim John , Arnaout Leen , Remick Daniel 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACT

Introduction:
A small clinical trial showed HAT therapy improved survival but no studies have been reported in animal models to examine potential mechanisms.

Methods:
Sepsis was induced in female mice using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model. Physiologic parameters including heart rate (HR), pulse distension (PD), and respiratory rate (RR) were measured noninvasively at baseline, 6 and 24 h post CLP. These measurements stratified mice into predicted to live (Live-P) or die (Die-P). Mice were randomized to receive HAT therapy or vehicle. Oxidative stress was measured in peritoneal exudative cells 24 h after CLP.

Results:
HR, PD, and RR all declined within the first 6 h of sepsis and were significantly lower in the Die-P mice compared with Live-P. HR 6 h post-CLP best predicted mortality and continued to decline between 6 and 24 h post CLP. Oxidative stress in peritoneal cells harvested 24 h post CLP (determined by 8 isoprostaglandin F2α and protein carbonyl derivatives) was significantly higher in the Die-P mice. HAT therapy was initiated 7 h post-CLP after mortality prediction and stratification. HAT significantly reduced oxidative stress in the Die-P mice without altering these parameters in the Live-P mice. HAT treatment prevented the decline in HR, again only in the Die-P mice. Mice treated with HAT therapy had significantly better survival.

Conclusions:
Physiologic parameters accurately predicted mortality. Die-P mice had significant oxidative stress compared with Live-P. HAT therapy significantly decreased oxidative stress, increased HR, and improved survival in the Die-P mice. These data suggest that HAT exerts a beneficial effect through reducing oxidative stress and improving cardiovascular function.
Chronic Subconvulsive Activity during Early Postnatal Life Produces Autistic Behavior in the Absence of Neurotoxicity in the Juvenile Weanling Period
Authors: Friedman LK , Kahen BA 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) varies from very mild to severe social and cognitive impairments. We hypothesized that epigenetic subconvulsive activity in early postnatal life may contribute to the development of autistic behavior in a sex-related manner. Low doses of kainic acid (KA) (25-100 µg) were administered to rat pups for 15 days beginning on postnatal (P) day 6 to chronically elevate neuronal activity. A battery of classical and novel behavioral tests was used, and sex differences were observed. Our novel open handling test revealed that ASD males nose poked more often and ASD females climbed and escaped more frequently with age. In the social interaction test, ASD males were less social than ASD females who were more anxious in handling and elevated plus maze (EPM) tasks. To evaluate group dynamics, sibling and non-sibling control and experimental animals explored 3 different shaped novel social environments. Control pups huddled quickly and more frequently in all environments whether they socialized with littermates or non-siblings compared to ASD groups. Non-sibling ASD pups were erratic and huddled in smaller groups. In the object recognition test, only ASD males spent less time with the novel object compared to control pups. Data suggest that chronic subconvulsive activity in early postnatal life leads to an ASD phenotype in the absence of cell death. Males were more susceptible to developing asocial behaviors and cognitive pathologies, whereas females were prone to higher levels of hyperactivity and anxiety, validating our postnatal ASD model apparent in the pre-juvenile period.HighlightsChronic subconvulsive activity in early life leads to autism phenotypes.Juvenile males were susceptible to asocial behaviors and cognitive pathologies.Juvenile females were prone to hyperactivity and anxiety validating sex differences.Non-siblings were erratic in groups irrespective of sex.A postnatal epigenetic model may drug screen for milder forms of autism.
The cellular and molecular landscape of hypothalamic patterning and differentiation
Authors: Kim Dong Won , Washington Parris Whitney , Wang Zoe Qianyi , Lin Sonia Hao , Sun Changyu , Ismail Basma Taleb , Wang Hong , Jiang Lizhi , Blackshaw Seth 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe hypothalamus is a central regulator of many innate behaviors essential for survival, but the molecular mechanisms controlling hypothalamic patterning and cell fate specification are poorly understood. To identify genes that control hypothalamic development, we have used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) to profile mouse hypothalamic gene expression across 12 developmental time points between embryonic day 10 and postnatal day 45. This identified genes that delineated clear developmental trajectories for all major hypothalamic cell types, and readily distinguished major regional subdivisions of the developing hypothalamus. By using our developmental dataset, we were able to rapidly annotate previously unidentified clusters from existing scRNA-Seq datasets collected during development, and to identify the developmental origins of major neuronal populations of the ventromedial hypothalamus. We further show that our approach can rapidly and comprehensively characterize mutants that have altered hypothalamic patterning, identifyingNkx2.1as a negative regulator of prethalamic identity. These data serve as a resource for further studies of hypothalamic development, physiology and dysfunction.
Massively parallel single-cell B-cell receptor sequencing enables rapid discovery of diverse antigen-reactive antibodies
Authors: Goldstein Leonard D , Chen Ying-Jiun J , Wu Jia , Chaudhuri Subhra , Hsiao Yi-Chun , Schneider Kellen , Hoi Kam Hon , Lin Zhonghua , Guerrero Steve , Jaiswal Bijay S , Stinson Jeremy , Antony Aju , Pahuja Kanika Bajaj , Seshasayee Dhaya , Modrusan Zora , Hötzel Isidro , Seshagiri Somasekar 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACTUsing high-throughput single-cell B-cell receptor sequencing (scBCR-seq) we obtained accurately paired full-length heavy- and light-chain variable domains from thousands of individual B cells in a massively parallel fashion. We sequenced more than 250,000 B cells from rat, mouse and human repertoires to characterize their lineages and expansion. In addition, we immunized rats with chicken ovalbumin and profiled antigen-reactive B cells from lymph nodes of immunized animals. The scBCR-seq data recovered 81% (n = 56/69) of B-cell lineages identified from hybridomas generated from the same set of B cells that were subjected to scBCR-seq. Importantly, scBCR-seq identified an additional 710 candidate lineages that were not recovered as hybridomas. We synthesized, expressed and tested 93 clones from the identified lineages and found that 99% (n = 92/93) of the clones were antigen-reactive. Our results establish scBCR-seq as a powerful tool for antibody discovery.
Parallel Capsule Net for Ischemic Stroke Segmentation
Authors: Sharique MD , Pundarikaksha Bondi Uday , Sridar Pradeeba , Rama Krishnan R S , Krishnakumar Ramarathnam 
Published: June 2019

AbstractStroke is one of the leading causes of disability. Segmentation of ischemic stroke could help in planning an optimal treatment. Currently, radiologists use manual segmentation, which can often be time-consuming, laborious and error-prone. Automatic segmentation of ischemic stroke in MRI brain images is a challenging problem due to its small size, multiple occurrences and the need to use multiple image modalities. In this paper, we propose a new architecture for image segmentation, called Parallel Capsule Net, which uses max pooling in every parallel pathways along with dense connections between the parallel layers. We hypothesise that the spatial information lost due to max pooling in these layers can be retrieved by the use of such dense connections. In order to combine the information encoded by the parallel layers, outputs of the layers are concatenated before upsampling. We also propose the use of a modified loss function which consists of a regional term (Generalized Dice loss + Focal Loss) and a boundary term (Boundary loss) to address the problem of class imbalance which is prevalent in medical images. We achieved a competitive Dice score of 0.754, on ISLES SISS data set, compared to a score of 0.67 reported in earlier studies. We also obtained a Dice score of 0.902 with another popular data set, ATLAS. The proposed parallel capsule net can be extended to other similar medical image segmentation problems.
Invariant Object Representation Based on Principle of Maximal Dependence Capturing
Authors: Raj Rishabh , Dahlen Dar , Duyck Kyle , Yu C. Ron 
Published: June 2019

AbstractSensory inputs conveying information about the environment are often noisy and incomplete, yet the brain can achieve remarkable consistency in object recognition. This cognitive robustness is thought to be enabled by transforming the varying input patterns into invariant representations of objects, but how this transformation occurs computationally remains unclear. Here we propose that sensory coding should follow a principle of maximal dependence capturing to encode associations among structural components that can uniquely identify objects. We show that a computational framework incorporating dimension expansion and a specific form of sparse coding can capture structures that contain maximum information about specific objects, allow redundancy coding, and enable consistent representation of object identities. Using symbol and face recognition, we demonstrate that a two-layer system can generate representations that remain invariant under conditions of occlusion, corruption, or high noise.
Diffraction properties of a strongly bent diamond crystal used as a dispersive spectrometer for XFEL pulses
Authors: Samoylova Liubov , Boesenberg Ulrike , Chumakov Aleksandr , Kaganer Vladimir , Petrov Ilia , Roth Thomas , Rüffer Rudolf , Sinn Harald , Terentyev Sergey , Madsen Anders 
Published: June 2019

Self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) enables X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) to generate hard X-ray pulses of sub-100 fs duration. However, due to the stochastic nature of SASE, the energy spectrum fluctuates from pulse to pulse. Many experiments that employ XFEL radiation require the resolution of the spectrum of each pulse. The work presented here investigates the capacity of a thin strongly bent diamond crystal to resolve the energy spectra of hard X-ray SASE pulses by studying its diffraction properties. Rocking curves of the symmetric C*(440) reflection have been measured for different bending radii. The experimental data match the theoretical modelling based on the Takagi–Taupin equations of dynamical diffraction. A uniform strain gradient has proven to be a valid model of strain deformations in the crystal.
Bhushan Steel: a creditworthy company turned insolvent
Authors: Manuj Hemant 
Published: June 2019

Learning outcomes
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a well-performing company can turn into a loss-making company on account of adverse industry cycle and poor management of risks in the business. The importance of factors like optimal level of leveraging, the ability of the management to deal with external and internal risks, and importance of corporate governance in the process of credit appraisal is understood from this case.

Case overview/synopsis
The case relates to the credit appraisal by the banks of a prominent steel company in India. The company, Bhushan Steel Limited, was doing very well. The banks lent aggressively to the company, based on their credit appraisal. However, the company soon turned insolvent on account of poor assessment of risks and deteriorating external factors. While this case may be analysed and studied through the eyes of both the Management and the lenders, the focus is currently on the latter. In a real-world scenario, the challenge for the lender is to sieve through the financial as well as non-financial data and make a valid conclusion on the level of credit worthiness of the borrowing company. This includes the topics of operational efficiency and synergies, commodity price cycles, external credit ratings, operating and financial leverage, regulatory risks and corporate governance.

Complexity academic level
Post graduate business management programmes – Finance specialisation.

Supplementary materials
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Subject code
CSS 1: Accounting and Finance