bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hyperglycemia in the Posttransplant Period: NODAT vs Posttransplant Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Gupta Suruchi , Pollack Teresa , Fulkerson Candice , Schmidt Kathleen , Oakes Diana Johnson , Molitch Mark E , Wallia Amisha 
Published: October 2018

Abstract

Objective
To characterize the types of hyperglycemia that occur up to 1 year following liver transplant and to clarify the nomenclature for posttransplant hyperglycemia.

Design
We analyzed 1-year glycemic follow-up data in 164 patients who underwent liver transplant and who had been enrolled in a randomized controlled trial comparing moderate to intensive insulin therapy to determine if patients had preexisting known diabetes, transient hyperglycemia, persistent hyperglycemia, or new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT).

Results
Of 119 patients with posttransplant hyperglycemia following hospital discharge, 49 had preexisting diabetes, 5 had insufficient data for analysis, 48 had transient hyperglycemia (16 resolved within 30 days and 32 resolved between 30 days and 1 year), 13 remained persistently hyperglycemic out to 1 year and most likely had preexisting diabetes that had not been diagnosed or insulin resistance/insulinopenia prior to transplant, and 4 had NODAT (i.e., patients with transient hyperglycemia after transplant that resolved but then later truly developed sustained hyperglycemia, meeting criteria for diabetes).

Conclusions
Distinct categories of patients with hyperglycemia following organ transplant include known preexisting diabetes, persistent hyperglycemia (most likely unknown preexisting diabetes or insulin resistance/insulinopenia), transient hyperglycemia, and NODAT. Those with preexisting diabetes for many years prior to transplant may well have very different long-term outcomes compared with those with true NODAT. Therefore, it would be prudent to classify patients more carefully. Long-term outcome studies are needed to determine if patients with true NODAT have the same poor prognosis as patients with preexisting diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) undergoing transplant.
Sonographic Volumetric Assessment Is a More Accurate Measure Than Maximum Diameter Alone in Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Pennington Thomas E , Thwin May , Sywak Mark , Delbridge Leigh , Sidhu Stan 
Published: October 2018

Abstract

Background
Tumor size is an important prognostic factor in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Management guidelines, staging systems, and pathological definitions use maximum diameter (Dmax) as a surrogate marker of tumor size. However, PTC nodules are three-dimensional (3D) structures, with behavior reflective of tumor cell count, which is directly proportional to volume. We explored the relationship between sonographically determined Dmax, volume, and lymph node status (LNS) in a cohort of patients with PTC.

Methods
All patients treated for PTC between 2003 and 2015 in our institution who had sonographic 3D nodule measurements available were evaluated. We examined the relationship between diameter, volume, and LNS.

Results
A total of 159 nodules in 153 patients met the inclusion criteria. Mean nodule dimensions were 2.4 × 1.9 × 1.5 cm, giving “ideal” nodule dimensions of y × 0.78y × 0.62y, where y is the Dmax. Observed volumes differed from predicted nodule volumes by an average of 26.2%. For PTC ≤2 cm, the coefficient of variation was 26.7%. Dmax did not correlate with the presence of lymph node metastases (Pearson coefficient 0.08), whereas volume very weakly correlated with LNS (Pearson coefficient 0.22). However, both Dmax and volume correlated very strongly with the number of nodal metastases (Pearson coefficients 0.93 and 0.89, respectively).

Conclusions
PTC nodules demonstrated significant volume heterogeneity, rendering Dmax an inaccurate marker of true tumor size. Although there was little difference between Dmax and volume in predicting nodal status or nodal disease burden, we propose that a prospective, randomized trial might demonstrate a clear clinical advantage of 3D sonographic nodule measurement over Dmax alone.
Rapid Titration of Intravenous Treprostinil to Treat Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Postpartum: A Retrospective Observational Case Series Study
Authors: Wang Tengke , Lu Jiakai , Li Qiang , Chen Yao , Ye Qing , Gao Jie , Yang Dong , Zhao Liyun , Huang Jiapeng , Zhang Jinglan 
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND:
Pulmonary hypertension during pregnancy carries high mortality rate. The relatively long-acting, specific pulmonary vasodilator treprostinil has been used to improve survival in these parturients. Slow uptitration is performed in most cases, and rapid titration has not been reported in the postpartum period.

METHODS:
We retrospectively reviewed 17 pregnant patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension who were treated with intravenous treprostinil in our institution between 2014 and 2016. Patients’ demographic characteristics, etiology, functional status, mode of delivery, anesthetic administration, medical therapy, echocardiographic and hemodynamic measurements, subsequent clinical course, and maternal–fetal outcomes were assessed. The a priori primary outcome is maternal mortality in this study.

RESULTS:
Rapid titration of intravenous treprostinil was initiated at 1.25 ng/kg/min and increased to effective dose of 10 ng/kg/min by 1.25–2.5 ng/kg/min every 3 hours. In the next 24 hours, we adjusted the dosage to a median maximum dose of 15 ng/kg/min (interquartile range, 15–20 ng/kg/min) over a median uptitration period of 34 hours (interquartile range, 24–41 hours) for 17 parturients with severe pulmonary hypertension. Treprostinil was weaned off by 0.50–1.25 ng/kg/min every 3 hours in 94.3 ± 42.4 hours. Fifteen patients survived to discharge, and only 2 patients died of pulmonary hypertensive crisis (maternal mortality rate, 11.7%). No treprostinil infusion-related postpartum complication was observed.

CONCLUSIONS:
Our experience suggested that rapid uptitration of intravenous treprostinil combined with oral sildenafil in the postpartum period may be a safe and effective approach for these very sick parturients with severe pulmonary hypertension.
Transition from Competitive to Non-Competitive Solubilization with the Decrease in Number of Oxyethylene (OE) Units of Non-Ionic Surfactants towards Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Authors: Lone Mohd Sajid , Chat Oyais Ahmad , Vashishtha Manu , Dar Aijaz Ahmad 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
This study investigates the effect of the number of oxyethylene (OE) groups on the solubilization and cosolubilization of two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) viz, naphthalene and pyrene in the conventional nonionic surfactants of the Brij series viz., Brij30, Brij56, Brij58 and Brij35 using various techniques like UV-visible spectrophotometry, spectrofluorometry, 1H NMR, and time resolved anisotropy measurements. In Brij56, Brij58 and Brij35 surfactant systems with relatively higher number of OE units, the micellar palisade layer is more hydrated than that of the Brij30 micelle which has only 4 OE groups constituting the palisade layer. Hence in these micellar systems the palisade layer being more hydrated is a less preferred choice for the hydrophobic compounds to reside. As a result of this, the two PAHs compete for the same hydrophobic core of the micelle which leads to the decrease in the solubilization of naphthalene as pyrene competes with it successfully because of its more hydrophobic character. In the case of Brij30, as the palisade layer of the micelle is less hydrated, naphthalene resides in the palisade layer whereas pyrene resides in the core because of its higher hydrophobicity. This leads to elimination of the competition between the two PAHs for the same solubilization site.
The Congress Impact Factor: A proposal from board members of the World Society of Emergency Surgeons.it (WSES) and Academy of Emergency Medicine and Care (AcEMC)
Authors: De Simone Belinda , Ansaloni Luca , Kelly Micheal Denis , Coccolini Federico , Sartelli Massimo , Di Saverio Salomone , Pisano Michele , Cervellin Gianfranco , Baiocchi Gianluca , Catena Fausto 
Published: October 2018

Many scientific congresses and conferences are held every year around the world. The aim of the World Society of Emergency Surgeons.it (WSES) and Academy of Emergency Medicine and Care (AcEMC) was to develop a simple mathematical parameter as an indicator of academic quality and scientific validity of a congress. In this opinion article, a new metric, the Congress Impact Factor (IFc), is proposed taking into consideration the widely used Impact Factor as an indicator of journals’ prestige and using H-index analysis. The IFc is derived from the mathematical ratio between the mean H-index of invited lecturers normalized for lecture topic and number of lectures in the conference. In case of multiple sessions, the mean of all IFc is calculated along with its standard deviation. We conclude that the IFc can be a useful measure for evaluating and comparing congress prestige, and may also represent a potentially useful parameter for improving academic curriculum and helping participants to choose the more prestigious meetings for their education.
Sharing health research data – the role of funders in improving the impact
Authors: Terry Robert F. , Littler Katherine , Olliaro Piero L. 
Published: October 2018

Recent public health emergencies with outbreaks of influenza, Ebola and Zika revealed that the mechanisms for sharing research data are neither being used, or adequate for the purpose, particularly where data needs to be shared rapidly. A review of research papers, including completed clinical trials related to priority pathogens, found only 31% (98 out of 319 published papers, excluding case studies) provided access to all the data underlying the paper - 65% of these papers give no information on how to find or access the data. Only two clinical trials out of 58 on interventions for WHO priority pathogens provided any link in their registry entry to the background data. Interviews with researchers revealed a reluctance to share data included a lack of confidence in the utility of the data; an absence of academic-incentives for rapid dissemination that prevents subsequent publication and a disconnect between those who are collecting the data and those who wish to use it quickly. The role of the funders of research needs to change to address this. Funders need to engage early with the researchers and related stakeholders to understand their concerns and work harder to define the more explicitly the benefits to all stakeholders. Secondly, there needs to be a direct benefit to sharing data that is directly relevant to those people that collect and curate the data. Thirdly more work needs to be done to realise the intent of making data sharing resources more equitable, ethical and efficient. Finally, a checklist of the issues that need to be addressed when designing new or revising existing data sharing resources should be created. This checklist would highlight the technical, cultural and ethical issues that need to be considered and point to examples of emerging good practice that can be used to address them.
What Works Best When? A Systematic Evaluation of Heuristics for Max-Cut and QUBO
Authors: Dunning Iain , Gupta Swati , Silberholz John 
Published: October 2018

Though empirical testing is broadly used to evaluate heuristics, there are shortcomings with how it is often applied in practice. In a systematic review of Max-Cut and quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) heuristics papers, we found only 4% publish source code, only 14% compare heuristics with identical termination criteria, and most experiments are performed with an artificial, homogeneous set of problem instances. To address these limitations, we implement and release as open-source a code-base of 10 Max-Cut and 27 QUBO heuristics. We perform heuristic evaluation using cloud computing on a library of 3,296 instances. This large-scale evaluation provides insight into the types of problem instances for which each heuristic performs well or poorly. Because no single heuristic outperforms all others across all problem instances, we use machine learning to predict which heuristic will work best on a previously unseen problem instance, a key question facing practitioners. The online supplement is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2017.0798 .
Physician Staffing for Emergency Departments with Time-Varying Demand
Authors: Liu Ran , Xie Xiaolan 
Published: October 2018

Fluctuations in emergency department (ED) patient arrivals during the day are one of the main causes of the long waiting times that are frequently encountered, and ED staffing is one of the key drivers of ED service quality improvement. This paper first proposes discrete-time models for approximating the patient waiting times for any given ED staffing. The waiting time approximation is based on three simple ideas: the separation of patients served in a period and patients overflowed, the combination of M/M/c approximation for patients served and waiting time analysis of overflow patients, and the transformation of the performance evaluation into an optimization problem with the number of overflow patients as decision variables. The resulting waiting time approximations are then integrated into ED staffing optimization models, and variable neighborhood search algorithms are developed to solve the ED staffing models. Numerical experiments with real-life data from Chinese hospitals are performed to validate the proposed models and algorithms. The results show that the proposed methodology is able to significantly reduce the total waiting time of patients without increasing staff capacity. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2017.0799 .
Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Plasma as Predictor of All-Cause Mortality in a Large Danish Primary Health Care Population Suspected of Heart Failure
Authors: Hejl Julie L , Grand Mia K , Siersma Volkert , Goetze Jens P , de Fine Olivarius Niels , Andersen Christen L , Lind Bent 
Published: October 2018

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Measurement of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in plasma may have its greatest potential in primary care, as general practitioners need to rapidly identify patients who warrant further medical review. The aim of the present study was to examine the prognostic information of BNP measurement on all-cause mortality in a large Danish primary care cohort.

METHODS
This study covered a cohort of Danish primary care patients (n = 61665) with a median follow-up period of 4.36 years (interquartile range, 2.29–6.62 years). BNP was measured in plasma using the ADVIA Centaur/CentaurXP platform. The association of BNP with mortality was assessed with a hazard ratio for all-cause mortality from a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS
Kaplan–Meier curves showed decreasing survival probability with increasing BNP (P &lt; 0.001). Each doubling of BNP increased mortality by 32.3% (95% CI, 30.8–33.8) when adjusted for sex and age, and by 25.3% (95% CI, 23.8–26.8) when further adjusted for Charlson comorbidity index, hemoglobin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, glycohemoglobin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone. Also, in a subcohort (n = 10824) without biochemical signs of severe kidney failure, anemia, polycythemia, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, or dysregulated diabetes, each doubling of BNP increased mortality by 28.6% (95% CI, 22.8–34.7).

CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that even in a primary care population, BNP measurements contain prognostic information regarding all-cause mortality.
ILE655VAL Genotyping Study of HER2 - Positive Breast Cancer of Patients from Padang - Indonesia With High Resolution Melting Technique
Authors: Wulandari Dwi , Azamris Azamris , Nurhayati Isna , Warisman M Ali , Budiarto Bugi Ratno , Desriani Desriani 
Published: October 2018

Transtuzumab has proven to be a great improvement in the treatment of HER2 + of breast cancer patients, but it is associated with relevant adverse cardiac events and with significantly elevated cost of treatment. One of the risk factors for cardiotoxicity due to transtuzumab is the I655V HER2 polymorphism (GTC> ATC mutation) in which the allele mutant (Ile val or val / val) has a higher risk than the wild type (Ile/Ile). The detection of specific alleles is very important for therapeutic decision-making. In this study, our group have developed a HRM with EvaGreen dye method to discriminate specific allele of I655V HER2 (wild type, heterozygote mutant or homozygote mutant) in 66 frozen section samples of HER2+ of breast cancer patients. Our group reported the wild type is the most prevalent allele (77,27%), whereas heterozygous mutation is significantly present in this research (21,21%) and only 1,52% of sample detected as minor allele. It showed that only one sample detected as a minor allele (val/val) and may have relatively low abundance in the population. This method has been compared with sanger sequencing and giving 100% of validity.
Biological Analysis of Leydig Cells-Conditioned Medium To Support Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Differentiation
Authors: Kaiin Ekayanti Mulyawati , Prasetyaningtyas Wahono Esthi , Mohamad Kusdiantoro , Djuwita Ita , Yusuf Tuty Laswardi , Setiadi Mohamad Agus 
Published: October 2018

The developed Leydig cells-conditioned medium (LCM) contains bioactive materials secreted by Leydig cells in vitro. LCM was used to evaluate the ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells differentiation. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (1x 106 cell/ml) were cultured in : 1) DMEM supplemented with 10% NBCS as a control (M), 2) M supplemented with 10 ng/ml testosterone; 3) M supplemented with 50% LCM ; 4) M supplemented with 50% LCM and 2.5 IU/ml hCG. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells that were cultured with LCM has a positive reaction (57.4%) to histochemistry staining 3β-HSD and produced 1.87 ng/ml testosterone. Supplementation of hCG to LCM increased the positive number of Leydig cells and testosterone production by 74.6% and 12.33 ng/ml (P<0.05). It can be concluded that Leydig cells-conditioned medium can support differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into Leydig cells.
Estratégia de ensino e avaliação do curso de extensão em cultivo de plantas medicinais do jardim botânico do Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Oliveira-Silva Karen Lorena , Ramos Ygor Jessé , Oliveira Gilberto Do Carmo , Fonseca Irene Cândido , Gonçalves Jeferson Ambrósio , Souza Ulisses Carvalho de , Antunes e Defaveri Anna Carine , Silva João Carlos , Pantoja Sonia Cristina S. , Almeida Mara Zélia de 
Published: October 2018

Objetivou-se verificar o uso de espécies botânicas pelos estudantes do curso de extensão em “Técnicas de cultivo de plantas medicinas” do Centro de Responsabilidade Socioambiental do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (CRS-JBRJ) como estratégia para melhoria do ensino-aprendizado e como base para elaboração de um modelo de ensino
sobre o tema. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo exploratório descritivo com 35 alunos de ambos os sexos das edições de 2016 e 2017 do curso através de um questionário estruturado composto por dez questões. As plantas informadas pelos alunos foram utilizadas em aula visando validar sua identificação. Foram citadas 48 espécies, com destaque para Matricaria chamomilla L. (n=13) e Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf (n=11), e a infusão foi o uso relatado por todos. Em relação às plantas medicinais, os alunos informaram a forma de obtenção, o motivo do uso, a frequência em que as utilizam em substituição a medicamentos alopáticos, a quantidade de espécies utilizadas simultaneamente e a credibilidade no tratamento e na possibilidade de toxidade decorrente da utilização. As relações expressas com os usos e elevado número de
citações das etnoespécies levantadas demonstram uma alta difusão do conhecimento, importante para construção dinâmica estratégica em sala de aula e para potencializar a relação do ensino-aprendizado dos estudantes do curso. A elaboração curricular proposta neste estudo foi construída a partir do somatório da experiência estratégica de ensino e das experiências relatadas na literatura. Os dados fornecerão embasamento para elaboração de oficinas, cursos de curta e longa-duração e especializações, bem como serão subsídio para um modelo de educação emancipatória, participativa e popular.
PL-001 Home-Based High-Intensity Interval Training Improves Muscle Capillarisation and eNOS/NAD(P)Hoxidase Protein Ratio in Obese Individuals with Elevated Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Authors: Scott Sam , Shepherd Sam , Wright Jay , Copper Robert , Wagenmakers Anton , Cocks Matt 
Published: October 2018

Objective Obesity and inactivity lead to structural and functional muscle microvascular impairments associated with development of chronic disease. This study is the first to investigate the effect of a novel home-based high-intensity interval training (HIT) (Home-HT) intervention in obese individuals with elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk on capillarisation and muscle microvascular eNOS/NAD(P)Hoxidase ratio. Comparisons were made with home-based moderate-intensity continuous training (Home-MICT) and supervised laboratory-based low-volume HIT (Lab-HIT) as control groups.
Methods Thirty-two sedentary obese adults (age 36±2 years; BMI 34.3±0.8 kg∙m-2; O2peak24.6±1.0 ml∙kg-1∙min-1) were allocated to 12 weeks of Home-HIT (n=9), Home-MICT (n=13) or Lab-HIT (n=10). Muscle biopsies were taken pre- and post-training to assess specifically in the endothelial layer of muscle arterioles and capillaries the protein content of eNOS, serine1177phosphorylated eNOS, NOX2 and p47phox, and various capillarisation measures using quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy.
Results All interventions induced comparable increases in total eNOS content in terminal arterioles and capillaries (P<0.001). There was no change in ser1177phosphorylated eNOS (arterioles P=0.802; capillaries P=0.311), but eNOS ser1177/eNOS ratio significantly decreased following training in arterioles and capillaries (P<0.001). Training decreased NOX2 content (arterioles P<0.001; capillaries P<0.001), but there was no change in p47phoxcontent (arterioles P=0.101; capillaries P=0.345). All measures of capillarisation increased (P<0.05). These adaptations occurred alongside increased O2peak(P<0.001) and whole-body insulin sensitivity (P=0.033). There were no significant differences between training programmes.
Conclusions The training effects of Home-HIT on skeletal muscle microvascular adaptations are comparable to those of traditional training methods, with the advantage that Home-HIT reduces barriers to exercise in obese individuals with elevated CVD risk.