bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Medical Versus Surgical Treatment of Pediatric Acute Mastoiditis: A Systematic Review
Authors: Anne Samantha , Schwartz Seth , Ishman Stacey L. , Cohen Michael , Hopkins Brandon 
Published: October 2018

ObjectiveThere is no standard of care for treatment of pediatric acute mastoiditis (PAM). We systematically reviewed the English literature to evaluate the efficacy of PAM treatment options.MethodsPubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to January 2016, along with manual bibliography searches, for studies describing surgical or medical therapy. Two independent evaluators reviewed each abstract and article.ResultsWe identified 310 articles, and 55 met inclusion criteria. Thirty‐three evaluated surgical options and included 2,930 patients (mean age = 2.8 years) including those with myringotomy ± tube placement (n = 920); 140 needed additional surgery, drainage of subperisoteal abscess (SPA) (n = 142) ± myringotomy or tube placement, 29 patients needed additional surgery and mastoidectomy ± myringotomy or tube placement (n = 612), with 611 reporting resolution. Using a random effects model, the estimated success probability with 95% confidence intervals (CI) are myringotomy ± tube placement 94% (95% CI: 84.5%‐97.8%), and drainage of subperiosteal abscess with concurrent myringotomy ± tube placement was 86.5% (95% CI: 66.4%‐95.4%). Using a random effects model, mastoidectomy success was 99.7% (95% CI: 77.5%‐100%). Nineteen studies evaluated medical therapy (n = 990 patients). The average cure rate was 71.7% (median = 70%; range, 26.3%–100%), and estimated success was 72.9% (95% CI: 60.5%‐82.5%) by meta‐analysis.ConclusionsMyringotomy with or without tube placement and mastoidectomy have the highest cure rates for PAM. With SPA, incision and drainage with myringotomy with or without tube can be considered. Medical treatment cured nearly 72% of children. Ultimately, management should be based on surgeons' experience and judgment, patient characteristics, and severity of disease. Laryngoscope, 129:754–760, 2019
Dexpramipexole depletes blood and tissue eosinophils in nasal polyps with no change in polyp size
Authors: Laidlaw Tanya M. , Prussin Calman , Panettieri Reynold A. , Lee Stella , Ferguson Berrylin J. , Adappa Nithin D. , Lane Andrew P. , Palumbo Marina L. , Sullivan Mary , Archibald Don , Dworetzky Steven I. , Hebrank Gregory T. , Bozik Michael E. 
Published: October 2018

ObjectiveChronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and eosinophilia is a disease of the upper respiratory tract for which few therapies are available. Because the oral investigational drug dexpramipexole serendipitously decreased blood eosinophils in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis studies, we assessed its safety, eosinophil‐lowering activity, and preliminary clinical efficacy in patients with CRSwNP and eosinophilia.MethodsSixteen subjects with CRSwNP, absolute eosinophil count (AEC) ≥ 0.300 × 109/L, and polyp tissue eosinophils were evaluable for efficacy in a 6‐month open‐label, multi‐center study of dexpramipexole 150 mg twice daily. The coprimary endpoints were change in AEC and change in total polyp score (TPS) from baseline to month 6, with additional clinical and histologic endpoints assessed.ResultsThirteen of 16 subjects completed 6 months of dexpramipexole treatment. Geometric mean baseline AEC was 0.525 ± 0.465 eosinophils × 109/L and decreased to 0.031 ± 0.019 after 6 months of dexpramipexole treatment, a 94% reduction (P < 0.001). Ten of 16 subjects had eosinophil counts reduced to ≤ 0.020 × 109/L at month 6. In 12 subjects with nasal polyp biopsies at baseline and month 6, tissue eosinophils were reduced from a mean of 168 ± 134 to 5 ± 2 per high‐power field (HPF) (P = 0.001), a 97% reduction from baseline. There was no significant reduction in TPS or improvement in other clinical endpoints. Dexpramipexole was well tolerated, with no drug‐related serious adverse events.ConclusionDexpramipexole treatment produced profound eosinophil‐lowering in peripheral blood and nasal polyp tissue. Despite the near‐elimination of polyp eosinophils, decreased TPS and nasal symptom improvement were not observed.Level of Evidence2 Laryngoscope, 129:E61–E66, 2019
Intraoperative Margin Control in Transoral Approach for Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer
Authors: Tirelli Giancarlo , Boscolo Nata Francesca , Gatto Annalisa , Bussani Rossana , Spinato Giacomo , Zacchigna Serena , Piovesana Marco 
Published: October 2018

ObjectivesPiecemeal resection provides an innovative conceptual tool for margins surveillance because it entails the intraoperative evaluation of the whole resection margins and not just sample points, which should result in a better control of deep margins compared to en bloc resection. Although it is recognized that the intraoperative use of narrow band imaging (NBI) results in a better control of superficial margins, in this exploratory study we investigated whether NBI and piecemeal resection could be used in combination to improve margin control at both superficial and deep levels. Because piecemeal resection is based on frozen section analysis, we wanted to verify its reliability compared to definitive histological examination.MethodsThe status of resection margins in a group of patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancers treated with NBI and laser CO2 piecemeal resection (group 1) was compared with that of an historical group of patients (group 2) treated with NBI and conventional en bloc resection. In group 1, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were used to verify the rate of concordance between frozen section and definitive histology.ResultsThe difference between deep positive margins in the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.042). The high sensitivity and specificity (94.6% and 94.7%, respectively) of frozen section analysis also demonstrated its reliability in the examination of larger samples corresponding to the whole margin.ConclusionEven if our findings are limited by the small number of patients, we are confident that the combined use of NBI and piecemeal resection could represent an attractive surgical strategy to improve margin control.Level of Evidence2bLaryngoscope, 129:1810–1815, 2019
Oral L‐thyroxine liquid versus tablet in patients submitted to total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer (without malabsorption): A prospective study
Authors: Fallahi Poupak , Ferrari Silvia Martina , Materazzi Gabriele , Ragusa Francesca , Ruffilli Ilaria , Patrizio Armando , Miccoli Paolo , Antonelli Alessandro 
Published: October 2018

ObjectiveNo consistent data are present in literature about the effectiveness of Levothyroxine (L‐T4) liquid formulation in patients without malabsorption after thyroidectomy. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of L‐T4 liquid formulation, with L‐T4 tablets, in thyroid cancer patients after thyroidectomy (without malabsorption or drug interference).MethodsOne hundred five patients were recruited; 52 patients were treated with liquid L‐T4 formulation, while 53 with L‐T4 tablets, at the same dosage (1.5 mcg/kg/day). Patients started to assume the drug the day after surgery, 30 min before breakfast. In both groups circulating levels of thyrotropic hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and free triiodothyronine (FT3) were dosed at week 6 (first control), and then at week 12 (second control).ResultsWe obtained significantly lower TSH values in the liquid L‐T4 group patients, compared to the tablet L‐T4 group, at the first control (P < .05), and at the second control (P < .01), while FT4 and FT3 levels were not significantly different. Hypothyroid range (TSH > 3.6 mcU/mL) was significantly more prevalent in the patients treated with L‐T4 tablet.ConclusionsA better control of TSH was observed in thyroidectomized patients (without malabsorption, gastric disorders, or drug interference) with liquid L‐T4 regimen.Level of Evidence2c–Outcomes Research
Hydrological pulses and burning of dissolved organic carbon by stream respiration
Authors: Demars Benoît O. L. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractStream metabolism plays a significant role in the global carbon cycle. Storm events can lower stream metabolic activities by removing standing biomass and river bed stock of organic matter. However, hydrological events could also stimulate stream ecosystem respiration (ER) by providing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) derived from soils. Here, I show how hydrological connectivity between land and water affects fluxes of DOC and daily whole stream bacterial respiration over an annual cycle in streams rich in DOC in north‐west Europe. The novelty of the approach resides in combining continuous whole stream metabolism with hydrological flow paths and water chemistry to quantify the in situ fate of DOC at ecosystem scale, with an estimation of all major stream carbon fluxes (land‐derived CO2, in‐stream biotic CO2, HCO3, and DOC) at catchment scale. An average 23% ± 11% of the annual DOC inputs from the land was respired away by benthic microbial metabolism within about an hour of transit time in small watersheds (about 1 km2). Stream ER was highly related to discharge and was stimulated for as long as the hydrological connectivity between land and water remained, as indicated by soil moisture continuous monitoring. In‐stream heterotrophic respiration represented 16% ± 7% of the annual total carbon fluxes (also including HCO3, land‐derived CO2, and DOC) at the catchment outlet under stable flows. This study suggests that DOC supply (soil carbon loss) will increase with rainfall, stimulating aquatic respiration, and CO2 emissions in streams.
Exploration of the Direct Arylation Polymerization Method for the Practical Application of Conjugated Materials: Synthetic Scale‐Up, Solar Cell Performance, and Cost Analyses
Authors: Pappenfus Ted M. , Almyahi Furqan , Cooling Nathan A. , Culver Evan W. , Rasmussen Seth C. , Dastoor Paul C. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThis study reports the scalability of direct arylation polymerization (DArP) batch reactions for the preparation of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) using the Herrmann–Beller catalyst combined with a tertiary phosphine in the green solvent 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran on scales ranging from 0.5 to 10 g. The physical properties of these DArP polymers are compared to those resulting from P3HT prepared via Grignard metathesis (GRIM) on a 130 g scale. Both DArP and GRIM methods are found to produce highly regioregular polymers with no evidence of β‐defects and the polymers are found to exhibit comparable device performance as donor materials in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. Purification studies coupled with device measurements highlight the necessity to carefully address the presence of impurities in materials produced from large‐scale DArP batch reactions. Economic analyses reveal that the cost involved in the preparation of P3HT via DArP or GRIM procedures are comparable per gram of product and show that the most expensive component is unique for each method.
Tuning the Phase Transition from UCST‐Type to LCST‐Type by Composition Variation of Polymethacrylamide Polymers
Authors: Käfer Florian , Pretscher Martin , Agarwal Seema 
Published: October 2018

AbstractPolymethacrylamide copolymers with hydrophobic N‐substituted acrylamides, such as N‐cyclohexylacrylamide and N‐tert‐butylacrylamide, are rare examples of polymers showing composition‐dependent thermoresponsive behavior in water. They show unexpected behavior different from the conventional copolymers of a thermoresponsive polymer with hydrophobic comonomers. On increasing the amount of the hydrophobic comonomer in the polymer, there is a change from UCST‐type phase behavior to complete solubility, followed by compositions showing LCST‐type transition and insolubility in water (U‐S‐L‐I‐type change). At 50 mol% of less hydrophobic N‐tert‐butyl acrylamide (logP 0.87) in contrast to ≈25 mol% of N‐cyclohexylacrylamide (logP 1.51), the broad UCST‐type transition of polymethacrylamide is turned to LCST‐type transitions with very narrow hysteresis in water and PBS buffer. The use of H‐bond and water‐structure breaker showed the role of H‐bonding and hydrophobic interactions in phase transitions of UCST‐type and LCST‐type, respectively. This work is an important add‐on to the infant field of nonionic polymers of UCST‐type.
Prefrontal Cortical Stimulation in Tourette Disorder: Proof‐of‐concept Clinical and Neuroimaging Study
Authors: Perani Daniela , Lalli Stefania , Iaccarino Leonardo , Alongi Pierpaolo , Gambini Orsola , Franzini Angelo , Albanese Alberto 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBackgroundThe benefits of neurosurgery in Tourette Syndrome (TS) are still incompletely understood. Prefrontal cortical electrical stimulation offers a less invasive alternative to deep brain stimulation.ObjectiveTo perform a pilot assessment on safety and efficacy of prefrontal cortical bilateral electrical stimulation in TS using clinical and brain metabolic assessments.MethodsFour adult TS patients underwent tic assessment using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale and the Rush Video Rating Scale at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12‐months after implant; whereas FDG‐PET scans were acquired at baseline and after 6 and 12 months.ResultsTic clinical scores were improved at 6 months after implant, meanwhile they showed a tendency to re‐emerge at the 12‐month follow‐up. There was a correlation between FDG‐PET and tics, mainly consisting in a reduction of baseline brain hypermetabolism, which paralleled tic score reduction.ConclusionEpidural stimulation in TS is safe and yields a modulation of tics, paralleled by FDG‐PET metabolic modulation.
Analysis of the second Piola‐Kirchhoff stress in nonlinear thick and thin structures using exact geometry SaS solid‐shell elements
Authors: Kulikov G. M. , Plotnikova S. V. 
Published: October 2018

SummaryThis paper presents the finite rotation exact geometry four‐node solid‐shell element using the sampling surfaces (SaS) method. The SaS formulation is based on choosing inside the shell N SaS parallel to the middle surface to introduce the displacements of these surfaces as basic shell unknowns. Such choice of unknowns with the consequent use of Lagrange polynomials of degree N–1 in the through‐thickness distributions of displacements, strains and stresses leads to a robust higher‐order shell formulation. The SaS are located at only Chebyshev polynomial nodes that make possible to minimize uniformly the error due to Lagrange interpolation. The proposed hybrid‐mixed four‐node solid‐shell element is based on the Hu‐Washizu variational principle and is completely free of shear and membrane locking. The tangent stiffness matrix is evaluated through efficient 3D analytical integration and its explicit form is given. As a result, the proposed exact geometry solid‐shell element exhibits a superior performance in the case of coarse meshes and allows the use of load increments, which are much larger than possible with existing displacement‐based solid‐shell elements.
Mismatch in Children’s Weight Assessment, Ideal Body Image, and Rapidly Increased Obesity Prevalence in China: A 10‐Year, Nationwide, Longitudinal Study
Authors: Min Jungwon , Fang Yan Alice , Wang Youfa 
Published: October 2018

ObjectiveThis study examined secular trends in children’s weight‐status assessment, measured weight status, and ideal body image and their associations with subsequent changes in BMI, and it explored the differences between sociodemographic groups in China.MethodsLongitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey of 4,605 children aged 6 to 17 collected between 2000 and 2011 were used and fitted to mixed models.ResultsFrom 2000 to 2011, overweight/obesity prevalence increased from 6.5% to 16.8%, but the percentage of children with self‐perceived weight status as “fat” remained around 2.0%; 49.0% of children underestimated their weight status at baseline. Self‐perceived body image of most participants was tracked during follow‐up. Children who perceived themselves as being fat at baseline had a higher BMI increase over time during follow‐up than those with an average body image (β [SE] = 0.99 [0.14] kg/m2 per year, P < 0.001). Boys, young children, recent cohorts, and rural children had higher BMI increases than their counterparts. Over time, the thin‐body silhouette became more desirable (8.4 percentage points higher, P < 0.001).ConclusionsChinese children experience a large incongruence between their weight‐status assessment, ideal body image, and actual weight status. Health promotion programs should examine their role in assisting children in developing a healthy body image and gaining greater self‐motivation toward promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Genomic and transcriptomic characterisation of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of bone
Authors: Ali Naser M , Niada Stefania , Brini Anna T , Morris Mark R , Kurusamy Sathishkumar , Alholle Abdullah , Huen David , Antonescu Cristina R , Tirode Franck , Sumathi Vaiyapuri , Latif Farida 
Published: October 2018

AbstractUndifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of bone (UPSb) is a rare primary bone sarcoma that lacks a specific line of differentiation. There is very little information about the genetic alterations leading to tumourigenesis or malignant transformation. Distinguishing between UPSb and other malignant bone sarcomas, including dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma and osteosarcoma, can be challenging due to overlapping features. To explore the genomic and transcriptomic landscape of UPSb tumours, whole‐exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq) were performed on UPSb tumours. All tumours lacked hotspot mutations in IDH1/2 132 or 172 codons, thereby excluding the diagnosis of dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma. Recurrent somatic mutations in TP53 were identified in four of 14 samples (29%). Moreover, recurrent mutations in histone chromatin remodelling genes, including H3F3A, ATRX and DOT1L, were identified in five of 14 samples (36%), highlighting the potential role of deregulated chromatin remodelling pathways in UPSb tumourigenesis. The majority of recurrent mutations in chromatin remodelling genes identified here are reported in COSMIC, including the H3F3A G34 and K36 hotspot residues. Copy number alteration analysis identified gains and losses in genes that have been previously altered in UPSb or UPS of soft tissue. Eight somatic gene fusions were identified by RNA‐Seq, two of which, CLTC‐VMP1 and FARP1‐STK24, were reported previously in multiple cancers. Five gene fusions were genomically characterised. Hierarchical clustering analysis, using RNA‐Seq data, distinctly clustered UPSb tumours from osteosarcoma and other sarcomas, thus molecularly distinguishing UPSb from other sarcomas. RNA‐Seq expression profiling analysis and quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction showed an elevated expression in FGF23, which can be a potential molecular biomarker for UPSb. To our knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive WES and RNA‐Seq analysis of UPSb tumours revealing novel protein‐coding recurrent gene mutations, gene fusions and identifying a potential UPSb molecular biomarker, thereby broadening the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and highlighting the possibility of developing novel targeted therapeutics. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thai version of the Functional Rating Index for patients with back and neck pain: Part II responsiveness and head‐to‐head comparisons
Authors: Chansirinukor Wunpen 
Published: October 2018

AbstractObjectivesTo examine responsiveness and estimate minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the Thai version of Functional Rating Index (Thai FRI) and examine head‐to‐head comparisons of the Thai FRI and other questionnaires.MethodsThis study related to validation of a questionnaire and head‐to‐head comparisons. Patients with low back pain (LBP) completed the Thai FRI, Roland–Morris (RM), modified Oswestry, and multilevel RM disability questionnaires. Patients with neck pain (NP) completed the Thai FRI and Neck Disability Index at the first visit and 2‐week follow‐up. Patients and therapists rated Global Perceived Effect Scales (GPES). Effect size (ES), standardized response mean (SRM), correlations between the GPES with changes in questionnaire scores, and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. The MCID was also estimated.ResultsEighty‐four patients with LBP and 52 patients with NP completed the Thai FRI. ES = 1.34 for LBP; 1.28 for NP, SRM = 1.32 for LBP; 1.20 for NP, correlation = 0.49 for LBP; 0.38 for NP, AUC = 0.83 for both groups. MCID = 11.5 for LBP; 12.5 FRI points for NP.ConclusionThe Thai FRI demonstrated responsiveness with large ES. Its MCID ranged from 11.5 to 12.5 FRI points. The Thai FRI had comparable responsiveness to other questionnaires and was appropriate for use in the patients with back and/or neck pain.
Synthesis and antifungal activities of novel thiophene‐based stilbene derivatives bearing an 1,3,4‐oxadiazole unit
Authors: Wen Lan , Jian Weilin , Shang Junbing , He Daohang 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDNatural stilbenes (especially resveratrol and its derivatives) are well‐known phytoalexins that are active against many plant diseases. However, oxidative degradation and low bioavailability limit their exogenous application as fungicides on crops. In this study, a new class of resveratrol‐inspired thiophene‐based stilbene derivatives bearing an 1,3,4‐oxadiazole unit was synthesized and the derivatives' antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungi were investigated.RESULTSThe results revealed that compounds 5h and 5j exhibited improved antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea with median effective concentrations (EC50) of 168.5 and 155.4 µg mL−1, respectively, which were superior to the EC50 of resveratrol (263.1 µg mL−1). Compound 5j was shown to effectively control disease development in B. cinerea‐infected tomatoes in vivo. Notably, considerably abnormal mycelial morphology and increased cell membrane conductivity were observed in the presence of compound 5j.CONCLUSIONA new class of thiophene‐containing stilbene derivatives was designed and synthesized. Bioassay results showed that compound 5j exhibited promising antifungal activity, suggesting practical potential for fungal disease control. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Integrated fault estimation and fault‐tolerant control for uncertain time‐varying delay nonlinear Markovian jump systems
Authors: Qi Fucang , Ma Yuechao 
Published: October 2018

SummaryThis paper investigates the issues of fault estimation and fault‐tolerant control for a class of uncertain time‐varying delay nonlinear Markovian jump systems with simultaneous actuator and sensor faults. Firstly, by analyzing and reformulating the original system, a Markovian robust sliding‐mode observer is introduced to provide simultaneous estimations of the state and faults. Secondly, a novel stochastic integral sliding surface function is designed, and the sufficient criteria is derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities, which guarantees that the sliding‐mode dynamics and error system are asymptotically stable with definite appointed H∞ performance disturbance attenuation level. Then, a robust sliding‐mode control law scheme is sought to ensure the reachability of the sliding surface in a finite time interval. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methodology is verified by numerical and practical examples.