bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an Ophthalmology Session for Third-Year Medical Students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
Authors: Kelley Judas , Singh Jasleen 
Published: February 2018

Background Medical school ophthalmology education continues to be marginalized, creating the challenge of teaching students how to adequately diagnose and manage common ocular diseases in a limited time.
Objective This study aimed to improve the ophthalmic medical knowledge and clinical skills of third-year medical students.
Methods This curriculum was provided to 76 out of 124 third-year medical students in the 2016 class at the University of Colorado-Denver School of Medicine program. It was a half-day session that incorporated lectures, problem-based cases, and clinical skills. Participating students were given a self-reflection survey on their knowledge at the beginning and end of the session. Participating students were given a pre-test and post-test 6 months later via SurveyMonkey. Another quiz was given to all students within the class. Comparisons of pre- and post-tests, pre- and post-surveys, and quiz results in the participating and nonparticipating groups were made.
Results Participating students' mean pre-test score was 61.8% (n = 76) and post-test score was 72.3% (n = 47), p < 0.01, indicating a significant increase in knowledge. There was an increase in 2 points on the Likert scale of understanding in ophthalmology between surveys. Participating students received a quiz mean score of 61.2%, which was significantly higher than those in the nonparticipating group (54.3%), p < 0.05.
Conclusion This session improved medical students' confidence and medical knowledge in ophthalmology.
Towards a manifesto for a critical digital humanities: critiquing the extractive capitalism of digital society
Authors: Grimshaw Mike 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThis article proceeds in two distinct parts. The first section engages with a deliberately small number of popular texts written by discriminating and interrogative consumers and producers of digital culture and society. While these may be dismissed as journalistic texts and sources by those of a more focused academic intent, here these texts are used because they are the connection between academic engagement and wider public readership. As such, they frame what can be termed the critical public engagement with digital capitalism. These texts are read in tandem with my thesis of immaterial capitalism and Marazzi’s’ The Violence of Financial Capitalism. The paper then concludes with what can be described as the ‘manifesto turn’ by raising some questions for a renewed engagement with digital society, to be undertaken from what is termed, an emergent critical digital humanities, as the site of critique and resistance. This is an exercise in what can be labelled Mongrel methodology and ideology, a neo-logism deliberately provocative in intent to signal a post-academic approach, chosen over such traditional descriptors as mixed-methods or assemblage and the like. As such, it may draw on Marxist thought but is not Marxist in ideology or final intent; it is critical of capitalism but acknowledges our on-going existence and possibilities within it; it is written by an academic seeking to act as intermediary between academic and non-academic readings and responses. It is a deliberate act of provocation as a manifesto call for change.
Relation of Sex Hormone Levels With Prevalent and 10-Year Change in Aortic Distensibility Assessed by MRI: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Subramanya Vinita , Ambale-Venkatesh Bharath , Ohyama Yoshiaki , Zhao Di , Nwabuo Chike C , Post Wendy S , Guallar Eliseo , Ouyang Pamela , Shah Sanjiv J , Allison Matthew A , Ndumele Chiadi E , Vaidya Dhananjay , Bluemke David A , Lima Joao A , Michos Erin D 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Women experience a steeper decline in aortic elasticity related to aging compared to men. We examined whether sex hormone levels were associated with ascending aortic distensibility (AAD) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

METHODS
We studied 1,345 postmenopausal women and 1,532 men aged 45–84 years, who had serum sex hormone levels, AAD measured by phase-contrast cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and ejection fraction&gt;50% at baseline. Among these participants, 457 women and 548 men returned for follow-up magnetic resonance imaging 10-years later. Stratified by sex, and using mixed effects linear regression methods, we examined associations of sex hormones (as tertiles) with baseline and annual change in log-transformed AAD (mm Hg−110−3), adjusting for demographics, body size, lifestyle factors, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, hypertensive medication use (and in women, for hormone therapy use and years since menopause).

RESULTS
The mean (SD) age was 65 (9) for women and 62 (10) years for men. AAD was lower in women than men (P &lt; 0.001). In adjusted cross-sectional analysis, the highest tertile of free testosterone (compared to lowest) in women was significantly associated with lower AAD [−0.10 (−0.19, −0.01)] and the highest tertile of estradiol in men was associated with greater AAD [0.12 (0.04, 0.20)]. There were no associations of sex hormones with change in AAD over 10 years, albeit in a smaller sample size.

CONCLUSIONS
Lower free testosterone in women and higher estradiol in men were associated with greater aortic distensibility at baseline, but not longitudinally. Sex hormone levels may account for differences in AAD between women and men.
STAR Chimeric Post for rapid detection of circular RNA and fusion transcripts
Authors: Akers Nicholas K , Schadt Eric E , Losic Bojan 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Motivation
The biological relevance of chimeric RNA alignments is now well established. Chimera arising as chromosomal fusions are often drivers of cancer and recently discovered circular RNA (circRNA) are only now being characterized. While software already exists for fusion discovery and quantitation, high false positive rates and high run-times hamper scalable fusion discovery on large datasets. Furthermore, software available for circRNA detection and quantification is limited.

Results
Here, we present STAR Chimeric Post (STARChip), a novel software package that processes chimeric alignments from the STAR aligner and produces annotated circRNA and high precision fusions in a rapid, efficient and scalable manner that is appropriate for high dimensional medical omics datasets.

Availability and implementation
STARChip is available at https://github.com/LosicLab/STARChip.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Frontoparietal Tracts Linked to Lateralized Hand Preference and Manual Specialization
Authors: Howells Henrietta , Thiebaut de Schotten Michel , Dell’Acqua Flavio , Beyh Ahmad , Zappalà Giuseppe , Leslie Anoushka , Simmons Andrew , Murphy Declan G , Catani Marco 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Humans show a preference for using the right hand over the left for tasks and activities of everyday life. While experimental work in non-human primates has identified the neural systems responsible for reaching and grasping, the neural basis of lateralized motor behavior in humans remains elusive. The advent of diffusion imaging tractography for studying connectional anatomy in the living human brain provides the possibility of understanding the relationship between hemispheric asymmetry, hand preference, and manual specialization. In this study, diffusion tractography was used to demonstrate an interaction between hand preference and the asymmetry of frontoparietal tracts, specifically the dorsal branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, responsible for visuospatial integration and motor planning. This is in contrast to the corticospinal tract and the superior cerebellar peduncle, for which asymmetry was not related to hand preference. Asymmetry of the dorsal frontoparietal tract was also highly correlated with the degree of lateralization in tasks requiring visuospatial integration and fine motor control. These results suggest a common anatomical substrate for hand preference and lateralized manual specialization in frontoparietal tracts important for visuomotor processing.
Current Predictive Indices and Nomograms To Enable Personalization of Radiation Therapy for Patients With Secondary Malignant Neoplasms of the Central Nervous System: A Review
Authors: Gilbride Lucas , Siker Malika , Bovi Joseph , Gore Elizabeth , Schultz Christopher , Hall William A 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The proper treatment of brain metastases continues to be a challenge for oncologists given the variability of individual patients’ prognoses and the variety of treatment options available to address brain metasteses. There have been efforts since the 1990s to develop prognostic indices and nomograms to help clinicians determine the best approach for individuals with secondary malignant neoplasms of the central nervous system. A literature search was performed to identify the existing prognostic tools published between January 1995 and January 2017. While there have been several reported indices, many are limited by the number of patients analyzed or lack of generalizability. The most robust prognostic tools available are the Disease Specific Graded Prognostic Assessment and the Barnholtz-Sloan nomogram, both of which have online tools available to help clinicians. While these tools are helpful in stratifying different patients’ outcomes, they are limited by their retrospective nature and likely underestimate survival in the modern era, where there is a rapidly growing arsenal of systemic agents available to patients with metastatic disease.
Temporal Delays Along the Neurosurgical Care Continuum for Traumatic Brain Injury Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kampala, Uganda
Authors: Vaca Silvia D , Kuo Benjamin J , Nickenig Vissoci Joao Ricardo , Staton Catherine A , Xu Linda W , Muhumuza Michael , Ssenyonjo Hussein , Mukasa John , Kiryabwire Joel , Rice Henry E , Grant Gerald A , Haglund Michael M 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Significant care continuum delays between acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) and definitive surgery are associated with poor outcomes. Use of the “3 delays” model to evaluate TBI outcomes in low- and middle-income countries has not been performed.

OBJECTIVE
To describe the care continuum, using the 3 delays framework, and its association with TBI patient outcomes in Kampala, Uganda.

METHODS
Prospective data were collected for 563 TBI patients presenting to a tertiary hospital in Kampala from 1 June to 30 November 2016. Four time intervals were constructed along 5 time points: injury, hospital arrival, neurosurgical evaluation, computed tomography (CT) results, and definitive surgery. Time interval differences among mild, moderate, and severe TBI and their association with mortality were analyzed.

RESULTS
Significant care continuum differences were observed for interval 3 (neurosurgical evaluation to CT result) and 4 (CT result to surgery) between severe TBI patients (7 h for interval 3 and 24 h for interval 4) and mild TBI patients (19 h for interval 3 and 96 h for interval 4). These postarrival delays were associated with mortality for mild (P = .05) and moderate TBI (P = .03) patients. Significant hospital arrival delays for moderate TBI patients were associated with mortality (P = .04).

CONCLUSION
Delays for mild and moderate TBI patients were associated with mortality, suggesting that quality improvement interventions could target current triage practices. Future research should aim to understand the contributors to delays along the care continuum, opportunities for more effective resource allocation, and the need to improve prehospital logistical referral systems.
Positive Effect of Liposomal Amikacin for Inhalation on Mycobacterium abcessus in Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Authors: Caimmi Davide , Martocq Nicolas , Trioleyre Delphine , Guinet Catherine , Godreuil Sylvain , Daniel Thomas , Chiron Raphael 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Mycobacterium abscessus is difficult to eradicate. At the Montpellier CF Center, we prescribed liposomal amikacin for inhalation to 5 patients with M abscessus infection. The 3 patients who completed the treatment did not have any respiratory exacerbation, showed negative cultures for M abscessus in their sputum, and stabilized their spirometric functions.
Acute Epiglottitis in the Immunocompromised Host: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Chen Cheng , Natarajan Mukil , Bianchi David , Aue Georg , Powers John H 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
We present a case of acute epiglottitis in a 16-year-old with severe aplastic anemia. He was admitted with a history suggestive of a severe upper airway infection and an absolute neutrophil count of 0 per cubic millimeter. Despite his immunocompromised state, he presented with the classical signs and symptoms of epiglottitis. We review here the presentation and comorbidities of immunocompromised patients with epiglottitis. In addition, the appropriate choice of empirical antibiotic therapy is important for the management of epiglottitis in immunocompromised patients, especially in the post–Haemophilus influenza type B vaccination era. In our patient, Enterobacter cloacae was isolated from endoscopically directed throat cultures, and treatment was successful without the need for intubation. The current literature suggests that in immunocompromised patients, particularly those who are neutropenic, there is a potentially wide range of organisms, both bacterial and fungal, that may play a role in the pathology of acute epiglottitis.
Dynamics of Colonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae Strains in Healthy Peruvian Children
Authors: Nelson Kristin N , Grijalva Carlos G , Chochua Sopio , Hawkins Paulina A , Gil Ana I , Lanata Claudio F , Griffin Marie R , Edwards Kathryn M , Klugman Keith P , Vidal Jorge E 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Background
Although asymptomatic carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is common, acquisition of the bacteria is the first step in disease pathogenesis. We examined the effect of introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine on Spn carriage patterns in a cohort of Peruvian children.

Methods
We used data from a prospective cohort study that collected monthly nasopharyngeal samples from children under 3 years of age. Spn isolates were serotyped using Quellung reactions, and bacterial density was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Changes in Spn carriage patterns, including the rate of carriage and number and density of serotypes carried over time, were evaluated before (2009) and after widespread vaccination with PCV7 (2011). Using all pneumococcal detections from each child and year, we identified serotypes that were present both at first and last detection as “persisters” and serotypes that replaced a different earlier type and were detected last as “recolonizers.”

Results
Ninety-two percent (467/506) of children in 2009 and 89% (451/509) in 2011 carried Spn at least once. In 2009 and 2011, rates of carriage were 9.03 and 9.04 Spn detections per person-year, respectively. In 2009, 23F, a serotype included in PCV7, was the only type identified as a persister and 6A, 15B, and 19A were identified as recolonizer serotypes. In 2011, 6B and 7C were persister serotypes and 13 was a frequent recolonizer serotype.

Conclusions
Overall Spn carriage among children under 3 in Peru was similar before and after introduction of PCV7; however, serotype-specific rates and longitudinal carriage patterns have shifted.
Intervention Packages to Reduce the Impact of HIV and HCV Infections Among People Who Inject Drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: A Modeling and Cost-effectiveness Study
Authors: Mabileau Guillaume , Scutelniciuc Otilia , Tsereteli Maia , Konorazov Ivan , Yelizaryeva Alla , Popovici Svetlana , Saifuddin Karimov , Losina Elena , Manova Manoela , Saldanha Vinay , Malkin Jean-Elie , Yazdanpanah Yazdan 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Background
We evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions targeting hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infections among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Eastern Europe/Central Asia. We specifically considered the needle-syringe program (NSP), opioid substitution therapy (OST), HCV and HIV diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and/or new HCV treatment (direct acting antiviral [DAA]) in Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, and Tajikistan.

Methods
We developed a deterministic dynamic compartmental model and evaluated the number of infections averted, costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of interventions. OST decreased frequencies of injecting by 85% and NSP needle sharing rates by 57%; ART was introduced at CD4 &lt;350 and DAA at fibrosis stage ≥F2 at a $2370 to $23 280 cost.

Results
Increasing NSP+OST had a high impact on transmissions (infections averted in PWID: 42% in Tajikistan to 55% in Republic of Moldova for HCV; 30% in Belarus to 61% in Kazakhstan for HIV over 20 years). Increasing NSP+OST+ART was very cost-effective in Georgia (ICER = $910/year of life saved [YLS]), and was cost-saving in Kazakhstan and Republic of Moldova. NSP+OST+ART and HIV diagnosis was very cost-effective in Tajikistan (ICER = $210/YLS). Increasing the coverage of all interventions was always the most effective strategy and was cost-effective in Belarus and Kazakhstan (ICER = $12 960 and $21 850/YLS); it became cost-effective/cost-saving in all countries when we decreased DAA costs.

Conclusion
Increasing NSP+OST coverage, in addition to ART and HIV diagnosis, had a high impact on both epidemics and was very cost-effective and even cost-saving. When HCV diagnosis was improved, increased DAA averted a high number of new infections if associated with NSP+OST.
Risk-Based Hepatitis C Screening in Pregnancy Is Less Reliable Than Universal Screening: A Retrospective Chart Review
Authors: Boudova Sarah , Mark Katrina , El-Kamary Samer S 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Current guidelines recommend only hepatitis C virus (HCV) risk-based screening during pregnancy. We examined screening practices at a major medical center and found inconsistent risk-based screening and the presence of HCV among women with no known risk factors. We make a case for the implementation of universal HCV screening during pregnancy.
Estimation of adaptive ventilation success and failure using polysomnogram and outpatient therapy biomarkers
Authors: Gunn Stacey , Naik Sreelatha , Bianchi Matt Travis , Thomas Robert Joseph 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Study Objectives
Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) devices provide anticyclic pressure support for the treatment of central and/or complex sleep apnea, including heart failure patients. Variability in responses in the clinic and negative clinical trials motivated assessment of standard and novel signal biomarkers for ASV efficacy.

Methods
Multiple clinical databases were queried to assess potential signal biomarkers of ASV effectiveness, including the following: (1) attended laboratory adaptive ventilation titrations: 108, of which 66 had mainstream ETCO2 measurements; (2) AirView data in 98 participants, (3) complete data, from diagnostic polysomnogram (PSG) through review and prospective analysis of on-therapy data using SleepyHead freeware in 44 participants; and (4) hemodynamic data in the form of beat-to-beat blood pressure during ASV titration, using a Finometer in five participants.

Results
Signal biomarkers of reduced ASV efficacy were noted as follows: (1) an arousal index which markedly exceeded the respiratory event index during positive pressure titration; (2) persistent pressure cycling during long-term ASV therapy, visible in online review systems or reviewing data using freeware; (3) the ASV-associated pressure cycling induced arousals, sleep fragmentation, and blood pressure surges; and (4) elevated ratios of 95th percentile to median tidal volume, minute ventilation, and respiratory rate were associated with pressure cycling. High intraclass coefficients (&gt;0.8) for machine apnea–hypopnea index and other extractable metrics were consistent with stability of patterns over multiple nights of use. Global clinical outcomes correlated negatively with pressure cycling.

Conclusions
Potential polysomnographic- and device-related signal biomarkers of ASV efficacy are described and may allow improved estimation of therapeutic effectiveness of adaptive ventilation.
Liquefaction of the brain following stroke shares a similar molecular and morphological profile with atherosclerosis and mediates secondary neurodegeneration in an osteopontin dependent mechanism
Authors: Chung Amanda G. , Frye Jennifer B. , Zbesko Jacob C. , Constantopoulos Eleni , Hayes Megan , Figueroa Anna G. , Becktel Danielle A. , Day W. Antony , Konhilas John P. , McKay Brian S. , Nguyen Thuy-Vi V. , Doyle Kristian P. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractHere we used mouse models of heart and brain ischemia to compare the inflammatory response to ischemia in the heart, a protein rich organ, to the inflammatory response to ischemia in the brain, a lipid rich organ. We report that ischemia-induced inflammation resolves between 1 and 4 weeks in the heart compared to between 8 and 24 weeks in the brain. Importantly, we discovered that a second burst of inflammation occurs in the brain between 4 and 8 weeks following ischemia, which coincided with the appearance of cholesterol crystals within the infarct. This second wave shares a similar cellular and molecular profile with atherosclerosis and is characterized by high levels of osteopontin (OPN) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In order to test the role of OPN in areas of liquefactive necrosis, OPN-/-mice were subjected to brain ischemia. We found that at 7 weeks following stroke, the expression of pro-inflammatory proteins and MMPs was profoundly reduced in the infarct of the OPN-/-mice, although the number of cholesterol crystals was increased. OPN-/-mice exhibited faster recovery of motor function and a higher number of neuronal nuclei (NeuN) positive cells in the peri-infarct area at 7 weeks following stroke. Based on these findings we propose that the brain liquefies after stroke because phagocytic cells in the infarct are unable to efficiently clear cholesterol rich myelin debris, and that this leads to the perpetuation of an OPN-dependent inflammatory response characterized by high levels of degradative enzymes.Significance StatementThe inflammatory response to ischemia in the brain is different to the response to ischemic injury in other organs. In the brain, and for unknown reasons, dead tissue liquefies in response to ischemia by the process of liquefactive necrosis. However, the data we present here demonstrate that there is overlap between the pathophysiology of liquefactive necrosis and atherosclerosis. Specifically, we show that chronic stroke infarcts contain foamy macrophages, cholesterol crystals, high levels of OPN and MMPs, and a similar cytokine profile to atherosclerosis. Therefore, because cholesterol is a central component of myelin, liquefactive necrosis in response to stroke may be caused by an inflammatory response to cholesterol-rich myelin debris that is driven in large part by OPN and MMPs.