bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interventional Treatment of Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation
Authors: Lauten Alexander , Figulla Hans R. , Unbehaun Axel , Fam Neil , Schofer Joachim , Doenst Torsten , Hausleiter Joerg , Franz Marcus , Jung Christian , Dreger Henryk , Leistner David , Alushi Brunilda , Stundl Anja , Landmesser Ulf , Falk Volkmar , Stangl Karl , Laule Michael 
Published: February 2018

Background—
Transcatheter caval valve implantation is under evaluation as a treatment option for inoperable patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The procedure involves the catheter-based implantation of bioprosthetic valves in the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava to treat symptoms associated with TR. This study is the first to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of this interventional concept.

Methods and Results—
Twenty-five patients (mean age, 73.9±7.6 years; women, 52.0%) with severe symptomatic TR despite optimal medical treatment deemed unsuitable for surgery were treated with caval valve implantation under a compassionate clinical use program. Technical feasibility defined as procedural success, hemodynamic effect defined as venous pressure reduction, and safety defined as periprocedural adverse events were evaluated, with clinical follow-up at discharge and up to 12 months. The functional impact was evaluated by assessment of New York Heart Association class at the time of hospital discharge. The total number of valves implanted in the caval position was 31. Patients were treated with single (inferior vena cava-only; n=19; 76.0%) or bicaval valve implantation (inferior vena cava+superior vena cava; n=6; 24.0%). Either balloon-expandable valves (Sapien XT/3: n=18; 72.0%) or self-expandable valves (TricValve: n=6; 24.0%; Directflow: n=1; 4.0%) were used. Procedural success was achieved in 96% (n=24). Early and late valve migration requiring surgical intervention occurred in 1 patient each. Thirty-day and in-hospital mortality were 8% (2 of 25) and 16% (4 of 25). Causes of in-hospital mortality included respiratory (n=1) or multiple organ failure (n=3) and were not linked to the procedure. Mean overall survival in the study cohort was 316±453 days (14–1540 days).

Conclusions—
Caval valve implantation for the treatment of severe TR and advanced right ventricular failure is associated with a high procedural success rate and seems safe and feasible in an excessive-risk cohort. The study demonstrates hemodynamic efficacy with consistent elimination of TR-associated venous backflow and initial clinical improvement. These results encourage further trials to determine which patients benefit most from this interventional approach.
Childhood Stature and Growth in Relation to First Ischemic Stroke or Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Gjærde Line Klingen , Truelsen Thomas Clement , Baker Jennifer Lyn 
Published: February 2018

Background and Purpose—
Attained height, an indicator of genetic potential and childhood growth environment, is inversely associated with stroke, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. We investigated whether childhood height and growth are associated with ischemic stroke (IS) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods—
In a cohort of Danish schoolchildren born 1930 to 1989, with measured height from 7 to 13 years, we investigated associations of childhood stature and growth with risks of adult IS and ICH. Cox proportional hazards regressions were performed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with CIs separately for women and men.

Results—

Among 311 009 individuals, 10 412 were diagnosed with IS and 2546 with ICH. Height at 7 years was inversely and significantly associated with IS in both sexes (per
z
score, equivalent to ≈5.2 cm in women and 5.1 cm in men; women: HR=0.89 [95% CI: 0.87–0.92]; men: HR=0.90 [95% CI: 0.88–0.92]) and with ICH in men (HR=0.89 [95% CI: 0.84–0.94]) but not in women (HR=0.97 [95% CI: 0.91–1.04]). Associations were similar at older childhood ages and were stable throughout the study period. No statistically significant associations for growth from 7 to 13 years were observed for IS or ICH.

Conclusions—
Short stature at 7 to 13 years is significantly associated with increased risks of IS in both sexes and with ICH in men. Growth during this period of childhood is not significantly associated with either of these stroke subtypes, suggesting that underlying mechanisms linking height with risks of stroke may exert their influence already by early childhood.
Late Pleistocene and Holocene Lithic Variability at Goda Buticha (Southeastern Ethiopia): Implications for the Understanding of the Middle and Late Stone Age of the Horn of Africa
Authors: Leplongeon Alice , Pleurdeau David , Hovers Erella 
Published: February 2018

AbstractsThe Late Pleistocene is a key period to understand the shift from the Middle (msa) to the Late Stone Age (lsa) in Africa. More generally, it is also a crucial time for elucidation of changes in the technological behaviours of human populations in Africa after the main Out of Africa event of modern humans ca. 60-50 thousand years ago. However, the archaeological record for this period is relatively poor, particularly for the Horn of Africa. Here we present a detailed analysis of the lithic assemblages from Goda Buticha (gb), a cave in southeastern Ethiopia, which has yielded a long stratigraphic sequence including Late Pleistocene and Holocene levels. This study (1) contributes to a better knowledge of the latemsain the Horn of Africa; (2) documents a late Holocenelsalevel (gb– Complexi); (3) highlights the presence ofmsacharacteristics associated withlsafeatures in the Holocene (gb– Layeriic). This adds to the emerging record of great lithic technological variability during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene in this region.
The Rock Art of Northeast Africa: Methodological Achievements and Perspectives of Further Research
Authors: Varadzinová Lenka 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThere are two essential points in any rock-art research: time and meaning. The former constitutes the basic precondition for an effective study of the evidence, while the understanding of the latter is the ultimate objective of the research. This paper starts with an overview of the methodological achievements of rock-art research in Northeast Africa concerning the dating and understanding of the original meaning of regional rock art. Subsequently, it focuses on theunintentionalsignificance of rock art and discusses several themes worthy of elaboration but little explored so far. All of them unfold from two simple questions – “where” and “who” – with a view to outreaching from the imagery itself to the people who stood behind it to obtain social and other testimonies on the artists and their worlds – testimonies they themselves might have been unaware of or unwilling to give.
Notes Regarding the Chinese Gifts of Matteo Ripa
Authors: Caterina Lucia 
Published: February 2018

Returning to his homeland from China, Matteo Ripa brought gifts with him for the royalty and personalities of the time, as well as for his friends and relatives.
The article analyses the list regarding the Chinese gifts given to the royalty of Naples written in three versions: Latin, Italian and Chinese.
Unfortunately nothing remains of these gifts. It is therefore only possible, through their descriptions, to evoke, exemplify and illustrate them by means of similar objects produced in China at that time.
How Well Can We Represent the Spectrum of Convective Clouds in a Climate Model? Comparisons between Internal Parameterization Variables and Radar Observations
Authors: Labbouz Laurent , Kipling Zak , Stier Philip , Protat Alain 
Published: February 2018

Current climate models cannot resolve individual convective clouds, and hence parameterizations are needed. The primary goal of convective parameterization is to represent the bulk impact of convection on the gridbox-scale variables. Spectral convective parameterizations also aim to represent the key features of the subgrid-scale convective cloud field such as cloud-top-height distribution and in-cloud vertical velocities in addition to precipitation rates. Ground-based radar retrievals of these quantities have been made available at Darwin, Australia, permitting direct comparisons of internal parameterization variables and providing new observational references for further model development. A spectral convective parameterization [the convective cloud field model (CCFM)] is discussed, and its internal equation of motion is improved. Results from the ECHAM–HAM model in single-column mode using the CCFM and the bulk mass flux Tiedtke–Nordeng scheme are compared with the radar retrievals at Darwin. The CCFM is found to outperform the Tiedtke–Nordeng scheme for cloud-top-height and precipitation-rate distributions. Radar observations are further used to propose a modified CCFM configuration with an aerodynamic drag and reduced entrainment parameter, further improving both the convective cloud-top-height distribution (important for large-scale impact of convection) and the in-cloud vertical velocities (important for aerosol activation). This study provides a new development in the CCFM, improving the representation of convective cloud spectrum characteristics observed in Darwin. This is a step toward an improved representation of convection and ultimately of aerosol effects on convection. It also shows how long-term radar observations of convective cloud properties can help constrain parameters of convective parameterization schemes.
Correction of Canopy Interception Loss Measurements in Temperate Forests: A Comparison of Necessary Adjustments among Three Different Rain Gauges Based on a Dynamic Calibration Procedure
Authors: Iida Shin’ichi , Levia Delphis F. , Nanko Kazuki , Sun Xinchao , Shimizu Takanori , Tamai Koji , Shinohara Yoshinori 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACT
Tipping-bucket rain gauges are used widely to measure the amount and intensity of gross rainfall and throughfall in forests, despite the fact that their systematic underestimations are well known. To the knowledge of the authors, no dynamic calibrations for the budget-conscious Davis gauge (Rain Collector II, Davis Instruments, California) have been published. Thus, five Davis gauges were dynamically calibrated under different constant intensities of inflow and a correction equation was derived. The derived correction equation for the Davis rain gauge is V = −0.2005Q2 + 0.702Q + 1 (R2 = 0.95, p &lt; 0.001), where V is the actual volume of a single tip scaled by the static volume of single tip c (cm3 cm−3), and Q is actual inflow scaled by c (s−1). The Davis rain gauge was then compared to the Onset rain gauge and the Ota rain gauge, and the corrections were applied to field observation data of canopy interception loss from a temperate forest in Japan. It is necessary to apply corrections to gross rainfall and throughfall data by tipping-bucket gauges because the results reveal that such corrections change the actual interception loss computed by values from −20% to 40%, depending on the combination of gauges employed. This difference is not trivial. The systematic bias of the Davis gauge is larger than the Onset and Ota gauges. Thus, it is recommended that researchers using Davis rain gauges apply the dynamically calibrated correction equation presented here to ensure more reliable estimates of gross rainfall and canopy interception loss.
Sex differences in pericardial adipose tissue assessed by PET/CT and association with cardiometabolic risk
Authors: Gill Corey M , Azevedo Debora C , Oliveira Adriana L , Martinez-Salazar Edgar L , Torriani Martin , Bredella Miriam A 
Published: February 2018

Background Recent studies suggest that pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) is associated with whole body adiposity and insulin resistance. Moreover, the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) differs between men and women. Although CVD is more prevalent in men, women suffering from CVD have a higher mortality compared to men. Differences in PAT may account for some of the observed sex differences in manifestations of CVD. Purpose To assess pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) as a biomarker for cardiometabolic risk and to assess potential sex differences. Material and Methods We studied 303 individuals (151 women, 152 men; mean age = 57 ± 17 years) across the weight spectrum. PAT and abdominal adipose tissue were quantified using clinical computed tomography (CT) scans obtained as part of a positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. Cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed from medical records. Linear regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to evaluate associations between PAT and cardiometabolic risk. Results PAT was higher in overweight and obese individuals compared to lean individuals and higher in men compared to women. PAT was positively associated with body mass index, abdominal fat ( P < 0.0001), fasting glucose, and serum lipids ( P < 0.05) with stronger associations in women than in men. PAT was accurate in detecting the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome with 74% sensitivity and 76% specificity (AUC = 0.80). Conclusion PAT is associated with measures of cardiometabolic risk and these associations are stronger in women compared to men. PAT could serve as a biomarker for opportunistic screening for cardiometabolic risk in patients undergoing chest CT.
In vitro anti-influenza virus effect of total flavonoid from Trollius ledebouri Reichb
Authors: Liu Yongping , Tong Jiming , Tong Ying , Li Ping , Cui Xiaolan , Cao Hongbao 
Published: February 2018

Objective To investigate the in vitro antivirus effect of total flavonoid from Trollius ledebouri Reichb (TFTLR). Methods Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) and Human epithelial type 2 (HEp-2) cell lines were used to test the antivirus effect of TFTLR on nine virus subtypes: four H1N1, one H3N2, and four other subtypes prevalent in North China. Tamiflu, Ribavirin and Lianhua Qingwen were used as active comparators. Comprehensive molecular pathway analyses of TFTLR-H1N1 and TFTLR-H3N2 relationships were also conducted. Results TFTLR inhibited MDCK cell lesions induced by H1N1 subtypes (A/FM1/1/47, A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 H1N1, A1/Tianjin Jinnan/15/2009, and A/Brisbane/59/2007) and by the H3N2 Brisbane/10/2009 strain. TFTLR inhibitory concentration (IC)50 values against these viruses were 0.13, 0.07, 0.06, 0.14, and 0.07 mg/ml, respectively; and therapeutic index (TI) values were 8.62, 16.0, 18.67, 8.0, and 16.0, respectively. TFTLR showed no effect on parainfluenza virus type 1, herpes simplex virus type 1, respiratory syncytial virus, and coxsackie group B virus type 4. Pathway analysis revealed possible functional therapeutic mechanisms for TFTLR against H1N1 and H3N2 infections. Conclusion TFTLR may represent a potential therapeutic agent against influenza A subtypes H1N1 and H3N2 that are prevalent in North China, and should be investigated further.
The role of extended/outpatient venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after abdominal surgery for cancer or inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Farrow Norma E , Aboagye Jonathan K , Lau Brandyn D , Najjar Peter , Orgill Dennis P , Popoola Victor O , Kraus Peggy S , Hobson Deborah B , Shaffer Dauryne L , Safar Bashar , Gearhart Susan , Efron Jonathan E , Streiff Michael B , Haut Elliott R 
Published: February 2018

Background Current guidelines recommend in-hospital venous thromboembolism prophylaxis for many patients and extended/outpatient prophylaxis in high-risk patients undergoing abdomino-pelvic surgery for cancer. Despite these guidelines, extended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis is not used uniformly at all institutions. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of postdischarge prophylaxis practices at two academic medical centers on the rate of postdischarge venous thromboembolism. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s American College of Surgeons, National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registries from 1 August 2014 to 30 June 2015. Brigham and Women’s Hospital patients received four weeks supply of extended/outpatient venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, while Johns Hopkins Hospital patients did not. We determined the proportion of patients in each cohort that developed venous thromboembolism within 30 days of surgery. Results Four hundred and eighty-nine patients underwent abdominal surgery for cancer and inflammatory bowel disease; 181 (37.0%) patients from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and 308 (63.0%) patients from Johns Hopkins Hospital. Fourteen patients developed postoperative venous thromboembolism. Seven patients developed in-hospital venous thromboembolism and seven developed venous thromboembolism postdischarge. All postdischarge venous thromboembolism occurred in the Johns Hopkins group, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.0498). There was no difference in postdischarge bleeding rates between the groups. Conclusions Extended prophylaxis likely prevents postdischarge venous thromboembolism after major abdominal surgery without an increased risk of bleeding.
Hemodynamic impingement and the initiation of intracranial side-wall aneurysms
Authors: Riccardello Gerald J , Changa Abhinav R , Al-Mufti Fawaz , Singh I Paul , Gandhi Chirag , Roman Max , Prestigiacomo Charles J 
Published: February 2018

Objective The natural history intracranial aneurysms (IA) remains poorly understood despite significant morbidity and mortality associated with IA rupture. Hemodynamic impingement resulting in elevations in wall shear stress and wall shear stress gradient (WSSG) has been shown to induce aneurysmal remodeling at arterial bifurcations. We investigate the hemodynamic environment specific to side-wall pre-aneurysmal vasculature. We hypothesize that fluid impingement and secondary flow patterns play a role in side-wall aneurysm initiation. Methods Eight side-wall internal carotid artery aneurysms from the Aneurisk repository were identified. Pre-aneurysmal vasculature was algorithmically reconstructed. Blood flow was simulated with computational fluid dynamic simulations. An indicator of isolated fluid impingement energy was developed by insetting the vessel surface and calculating the impinging component of the fluid dynamic pressure. Results Isolated fluid impingement was found to be elevated in the area of aneurysm initiation in 8/8 cases. The underlying fluid flow for each area of initiation was found to harbor secondary flow patterns known as Dean’s vortices, the result of changes in momentum imparted by bends in the internal carotid artery (ICA). Conclusion Isolated fluid impingement and secondary flow patterns may play a major role in the initiation of side-wall aneurysm initiation. We are unable to determine if this role is through direct or indirect mechanisms but hypothesize that elevations in isolated fluid impingement mark areas of cerebral vasculature that are at risk for aneurysm initiation. Thus, this indicator provides vascular locations to focus future study of side-wall aneurysm initiation.
Effects of price discount on consumers’ perceptions of savings, quality, and value for apparel products: mediating effect of price discount affect
Authors: Lee Jung Eun , Chen-Yu Jessie H. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractExtending the price–quality–value model (Monroe and Krishnan in The perception of merchandise and store quality 209–232, 1985) and means-end model (Zeithaml in J Mark 52:2–22, 1988), we developed a conceptual model to investigate the mediating role of price discount affect (feeling aroused by price discounts) in the relationship between price discounts and consumers’ perceptions (perceived savings, quality, and value) and in the relationship between perceived value and purchase intentions in the context of online apparel products. A between-subject experimental design with four levels of price discounts (10, 30, 50, and 70%) was used. Jeans were selected as the product stimulus. Web pages were developed to create a fictional online store and to collect data. A total of 209 usable responses were collected by a research firm in the United States, and structural equation modeling was performed to analyze the data. The results showed that price discount affect played an important mediating role in the relationship between price discounts and consumers’ perceptions. When the direct effect of price discounts on perceived quality was examined, consumers perceived the apparel product with higher discounts as lower quality (i.e., a negative direct relationship). However, when price discount affect served as a mediator, the feelings created by a price discount led to a positive perception of product quality (i.e., a positive indirect relationship). By considering the influence of price discount affect, our model provides a better understanding of the effect of price discounts on consumers’ perceptions of apparel products.
Models to Predict Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Patients With Cancer Undergoing Systemic Anticancer Therapy: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Hwang Jessica P. , Lok Anna S. , Fisch Michael J. , Cantor Scott B. , Barbo Andrea , Lin Heather Y. , Foreman Jessica T. , Vierling John M. , Torres Harrys A. , Granwehr Bruno P. , Miller Ethan , Eng Cathy , Simon George R. , Ahmed Sairah , Ferrajoli Alessandra , Romaguera Jorge , Suarez-Almazor Maria E. 
Published: February 2018

Purpose Most patients with cancer are not screened for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection before undergoing anticancer therapy, and optimal screening strategies are unknown. We sought to develop selective HBV screening strategies for patients who require systemic anticancer therapy. Methods This prospective cohort study included adults age ≥ 18 years with solid or hematologic malignancies who received systemic anticancer therapy at a comprehensive cancer center during 2013 and 2014. Patients underwent hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B core antibody, and hepatitis B surface antibody testing, and completed a 19-question modified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HBV survey. Multivariable models that predict chronic or past HBV infection were developed and validated using bootstrapping. Results A total of 2,124 patients (mean age, 58 ± 13 years) completed the risk survey and HBV testing. Of these, 54% were women; 77% were non-Hispanic white, 11% Hispanic, 8% black, and 4% Asian; and 20% had a hematologic malignancy and 80% a solid tumor. Almost 12% were born outside the United States. The prevalence was 0.3% for chronic HBV infection and 6% for past HBV infection. Significant predictors of positive hepatitis B surface antigen or hepatitis B core antibody tests were as follows: men who had sex with men, black or Asian race, birthplace outside the United States, parent’s birthplace outside the United States, household exposure to HBV, age ≥ 50 years, and history of injection drug use. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model on the basis of these seven predictors was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.73 to 0.82). The modified CDC survey and brief tools with fewer than seven questions yielded similar false-negative rates (0% and 0% to 0.7%, respectively). Conclusion An internally validated risk tool performed as well as the modified CDC survey; however, more than 90% of patients who completed the tool would still require HBV testing. Universal HBV testing is more efficient than risk-based screening.