bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Arteriopathy Influences Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Presentation, but Sickle Cell Disease Influences Stroke Management
Authors: Guilliams Kristin P. , Kirkham Fenella J. , Holzhauer Susanne , Pavlakis Steven , Philbrook Bryan , Amlie-Lefond Catherine , Noetzel Michael J. , Dlamini Nomazulu , Sharma Mukta , Carpenter Jessica L. , Fox Christine K. , Torres Marcela , Ichord Rebecca N. , Jordan Lori C. , Dowling Michael M. ,   on behalf of the International Pediatric Stroke Study Investigators
Published: April 2019

Background and Purpose—
Sickle cell disease (SCD) and arteriopathy are pediatric stroke risk factors that are not mutually exclusive. The relative contributions of sickled red blood cells and arteriopathy to stroke risk are unknown, resulting in unclear guidelines for primary and secondary stroke prevention when both risk factors are present. We hypothesized that despite similarities in clinical presentation and radiographic appearance of arteriopathies, stroke evaluation and management differ in children with SCD compared with those without SCD.

Methods—
We compared presentation and management of children with and without SCD enrolled in the IPSS (International Pediatric Stroke Study) with acute arterial ischemic stroke, according to SCD and arteriopathy status. Regression modeling determined relative contribution of SCD and arteriopathy in variables with significant frequency differences.

Results—

Among 930 childhood arterial ischemic strokes, there were 98 children with SCD, 67 of whom had arteriopathy, and 466 without SCD, 392 of whom had arteriopathy. Arteriopathy, regardless of SCD status, increased likelihood of hemiparesis (odds ratio [OR], 1.94; 95% CI, 1.46–2.56) and speech abnormalities (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.29–2.19). Arteriopathy also increased likelihood of headache but only among those without SCD (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.40–2.55). Echocardiograms were less frequently obtained in children with SCD (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37–0.93), but the frequency of identified cardiac abnormalities was similar in both groups (
P
=0.57). Children with SCD were less likely to receive antithrombotic therapy, even in the presence of arteriopathy (OR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.08–0.22). Arteriopathy was associated with a significantly higher likelihood of antithrombotic therapy in children without SCD (OR, 5.36; 95% CI, 3.55–8.09).

Conclusions—
Arteriopathy, and not SCD status, was most influential of stroke presentation. However, SCD status influenced stroke management because children with SCD were less likely to have echocardiograms or receive antithrombotic therapy. Further work is needed to determine whether management differences are warranted.
Rhytidhysteron mangrovei (Hysteriaceae), a new species from mangroves in Phetchaburi Province, Thailand
Authors: KUMAR VINIT , CHEEWANGKOON RATCHADAWAN , THAMBUGALA KASUN M. , JONES GARETH E.B. , BRAHMANAGE RASHIKA S. , DOILOM MINGKWAN , JEEWON RAJESH , HYDE KEVIN D. 
Published: April 2019

During an investigation of micro-fungi inhabiting mangrove forests, a new species of Rhytidhysteron was collected and isolated from dead twigs of a mangrove tree. Rhytidhysteron mangrovei sp. nov. is introduced, described, illustrated and compared with accepted species in the genus. Morphological comparison based on the size of exciple, the appearance of ascomata and ascospore septations and size as well as the multi-gene phylogenetic analyses based on LSU, ITS and TEF DNA sequences support its establishment in Rhytidhysteron. Placement of the genus in Hysteriaceae is also well-supported. In addition, phylogenetic analysis and DNA sequence data indicate that Rhytidhysteron mangrovei is closely related to Rhytidhysteron thailandicum. However, R. mangrovei is morphologically distinct from R. thailandicum, by having a relatively smaller size of exciple and perpendicularly rough-striate ascomata.
A Description and Evaluation of U.S. Climate Reference Network Standardized Soil Moisture Dataset
Authors: Leeper Ronald D. , Bell Jesse E. , Palecki Michael A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe interpretation of in situ or remotely sensed soil moisture data for drought monitoring is challenged by the sensitivity of these observations to local soil characteristics and seasonal precipitation patterns. These challenges can be overcome by standardizing soil moisture observations. Traditional approaches require a lengthy record (usually 30 years) that most soil monitoring networks lack. Sampling techniques that combine hourly measurements over a temporal window have been used in the literature to generate historical references (i.e., climatology) from shorter-term datasets. This sampling approach was validated on select U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) stations using a Monte Carlo analysis, which revealed that shorter-term (5+ years) hourly climatologies were similar to longer-term (10+ year) hourly means. The sampling approach was then applied to soil moisture observations from the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN). The sampling method was used to generate multiple measures of soil moisture (mean and median anomalies, standardized median anomaly by interquantile range, and volumetric) that were converted to percentiles using empirical cumulative distribution functions. Overall, time series of soil moisture percentile were very similar among the differing measures; however, there were times of year at individual stations when soil moisture percentiles could have substantial deviations. The use of soil moisture percentiles and counts of threshold exceedance provided more consistent measures of hydrological conditions than observed soil moisture. These results suggest that hourly soil moisture observations can be reasonably standardized and can provide consistent measures of hydrological conditions across spatial and temporal scales.
Validation of Satellite Precipitation Estimates over the Congo Basin
Authors: Nicholson S. E. , Klotter D. , Zhou L. , Hua W. 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
This paper evaluates nine satellite rainfall products and the Global Precipitation Centre Climatology (GPCC) gauge dataset over the Congo basin. For the evaluation the reference dataset is a newly created, gridded gauge dataset based on a gauge network that is more complete than that of GPCC in recent years. It is termed NIC131-gridded. Gridding was achieved via a climatic reconstruction method based on principal components, so that reliable estimates of rainfall are available even in the data-sparse central basin. The satellite products were evaluated for two locations, the Congo basin and areas on its eastern and western periphery (termed the “east plus west” sector). The station density was notably higher in the latter region. Two time periods were also considered: 1983–94, when station density was relatively high, and 1998–2010, when station density was much lower than during the earlier period. Several products show excellent agreement with the NIC131-gridded reference dataset. These include CHIRPS2, PERSIANN-CDR, GPCP 2.3, TRMM 3B43, and, to a lesser extent, GPCC V7. RMSE for the period 1983–94 in the east plus west sector is on the order of 20 mm month−1 for GPCC V7 and 20–30 mm month−1 for the other products. The compares with 40–60 mm month−1 for the most poorly performing products, African Rainfall Climatology version 2 (ARCv2) and CMAP. Over the Congo basin, RMSE for those two products is about the same as in the east plus west sector but is on the order of 30–40 mm month−1 for the better-performing products. In all cases, the performance of the 10 products evaluated is notably poorer in recent years (1998–2010), when the station network is sparse, than during the period 1983–94, when the dense station network provides reliable estimates of rainfall. For the more recent period RMSE is on the order of 30–40 mm month−1 for the best-performing products in the east plus west sector but only slightly higher over the Congo basin. All products do reasonably well in reproducing the seasonal cycle and the latitudinal gradients of rainfall. Estimates of interannual variability show more scatter among the various products and are less reliable. Overall, the most important results of the study are to demonstrate the strong impact that actual gauge data have on the various products and the need to have access to such gauge data, in order to produce reliable rainfall estimates from satellites.
Dynamics and Variability of the Spring Dry Season in the United States Southwest as Observed in AmeriFlux and NLDAS-2 Data
Authors: Pascolini-Campbell Madeleine , Seager Richard , Williams A. Park , Cook Benjamin I. , Pinson Ariane O. 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
The spring dry season occurring in an arid region of the southwestern United States, which receives both winter storm track and summer monsoon precipitation, is investigated. Bimodal precipitation and vegetation growth provide an opportunity to assess multiple climate mechanisms and their impact on hydroclimate and ecosystems. We detect multiple shifts from wet to drier conditions in the observational record and land surface model output. Focusing on the recent dry period, a shift in the late 1990s resulted in earlier and greater spring soil moisture draw down, and later and reduced spring vegetation green-up, compared to a prior wet period (1979–97). A simple soil moisture balance model shows this shift is driven by changes in winter precipitation. The recent post-1999 dry period and an earlier one from 1948 to 1966 are both related to the cool tropics phase of Pacific decadal variability, which influences winter precipitation. In agreement with other studies for the southwestern United States, we find the recent drought cannot be explained in terms of precipitation alone, but also is due to the rising influence of temperature, thus highlighting the sensitivity of this region to warming temperatures. Future changes in the spring dry season will therefore be affected by how tropical decadal variability evolves, and also by emerging trends due to human-driven warming.
Ultrasound microbubble-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of C-erbB-2 in HEC-1A cells
Authors: Cai Junhong , Huang Sizhe , Yi Yuping , Bao Shan 
Published: April 2019

Objective Epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (C-erbB-2) is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes in human tumors. We aimed to evaluate the knockout efficiency of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology using ultrasound microbubble transfection to target C-erbB-2 in human endometrial cancer (HEC)-1A cells. Methods Three single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting C-erbB-2 were designed and used to construct CRISPR/CRISPR-associated (Cas)9-C-erbB-2 plasmids. The constructed plasmids were transfected into HEC-1A cells using ultrasound microbubbles. C-erbB-2 knockout cloned cells were identified by green fluorescence. C-erbB-2 mRNA and protein expression was measured by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Results RT-PCR showed that C-erbB-2 mRNA expression was significantly lower in sgRNA1-transfected cells (0.57 ± 0.06) than in blank (1.00 ± 0.09) and negative-control groups (1.02 ± 0.12). Western blotting revealed C-erbB-2 protein expression to be significantly lower in sgRNA1-transfected cells (0.269 ± 0.033) than in blank (0.495 ± 0.059) and negative-control groups (1.243 ± 0.281). However, there was no significant difference in C-erbB-2 protein and mRNA expression in sgRNA2- and sgRNA3-transfected cells compared with controls. Conclusion Ultrasound microbubbles can mediate plasmid transfer into HEC-1A cells to interfere with gene expression and knockout C-erbB-2.
Electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire–Pelvic Floor: Italian cultural adaptation and face validity
Authors: Soligo Marco , Roberti Maggiore Umberto Leone , Oprandi Nadia C , Nelva Stellio Leonardo , De Ponti Elena , Del Popolo Giulio , Finazzi Agrò Enrico , Ferrazzi Enrico 
Published: April 2019

Introduction: Electronic questionnaires offer invaluable advantages over paper-based ones. The aims of this study were to make available to Italian clinicians a culturally adapted version of the multidimensional electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire–Pelvic Floor and to test face validity and factorial analysis for the Urinary section. Methods: The original English-language version of electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire–Pelvic Floor was cross-culturally adapted to the Italian language. At the Urogynaecology Unit of Buzzi Hospital in Milan, the Urinary section of the Italian version was completed by women symptomatic for pelvic floor dysfunction. Time to questionnaire completion was recorded, and a nine-item paper questionnaire about the questionnaire was completed. Descriptive analysis to define patient population characteristics and nine-item paper questionnaire analysis were performed. Factorial analyses on the Urinary section of the questionnaire and on the nine-item paper questionnaire were performed, and internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Results: A culturally adapted Italian version of electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire–Pelvic Floor was provided. In total, 95 women complaining of pelvic floor dysfunction took part in the study. Mean time to electronic questionnaire completion was 9 min (range: 5–17), with 95% of patients completing within 15 min. More than 95% of women considered the Italian version of electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire–Pelvic Floor helpful, relevant, easy to use and comprehensive and would be happy to use it again. The questionnaire being overly long was an issue for 17% of women. The internal consistency of items in the nine-item paper questionnaire was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha scores > 0.8 for both the ‘Value’ and ‘Burden’ domains. Discussion: Our Italian cultural adaptation of electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire–Pelvic Floor was well accepted by an appropriate target population. A full psychometric validation is now warranted.
Epidemiology of sexual disorders in general medical practice: An Italian survey
Authors: De Rose Aldo Franco , Gallo Fabrizio , Bini Paola Maria , Gattuccio Ignazio , Chiriacò Vincenzo , Terrone Carlo 
Published: April 2019

Objective: To report the results of a survey supported by the Italian Andrological Association (ASS.A.I.), aimed at documenting sexual disorders in a large population of patients who visited general practitioners for general health problems. Methods: Between April and October 2016, 15,000 questionnaires were distributed to general practitioners throughout Italy and made available to all the people who visited the doctor’s offices. The data were collated separately for age ranges, 15–30, 31–50 and 51–65 years, respectively. Results: A final sample of 5441 questionnaires was evaluable (4000 men and 1441 women). Sexual disorders were reported by 1795 out of 5441 (33.0%) patients. Among the male population, phimosis, varicocele, prostate and testicular disorders were the most common conditions interfering with sexuality, being reported by 42.0%, 37.0%, 39.0% and 31.0% of the sample, respectively. Furthermore, erectile dysfunction, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility, premature ejaculation and penile curvature were reported by 27.7%, 27.0%, 17.0%, 14.4% and 7.8% of the male sample, respectively. Among the female population, low sexual satisfaction was the more common complaint, reported by 65.0% of the sample. Sexually transmitted diseases, low libido, dyspareunia, infertility and arousal disorder were reported by 32.0%, 29.0%, 24.0%, 24.0% and 19.7% of the female sample, respectively. Conclusion: Our data show sexual disorders among 33.0% of people visiting doctors’ offices. The majority of these sexual disorders increased with age among both male and female subjects. Despite the limitations of our study, we consider that these data confirm the importance of sexual function evaluation during a physician’s daily clinical practice.
Delayed Cardiotoxicity From a Massive Nortriptyline Overdose Requiring Prolonged Treatment
Authors: Elsamadisi Pansy , Sclafani Alyssa , Eche Ifeoma Mary 
Published: April 2019

Purpose A case of a nortriptyline overdose complicated by delayed ventricular arrhythmias necessitating prolonged sodium bicarbonate infusion is presented, along with a review of tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) toxicology and key concepts for massive overdose management. Summary A 61-year-old man presented after an intentional nortriptyline overdose with a possible consumption of up to 2500 mg of nortriptyline. Electrocardiogram on presentation demonstrated QRS widening to 240 milliseconds. Despite treatment with a sodium bicarbonate infusion and further narrowing of his QRS interval, his course was complicated by repeated episodes of wide complex tachycardia. Given these episodes, an elevated quantitative serum nortriptyline level of 468 μg/L on hospital day 6 and persistently positive TCA urine screens, the patient was continued on a sodium bicarbonate infusion until hospital day 14. Based on our patient’s quantitative serum nortriptyline levels, we calculated an elimination half-life of 184 hours, 6 days post ingestion as compared to the reported half-life of nortriptyline of 14 to 51 hours. Conclusion This case demonstrates that at toxic levels of ingestion, routine TCA pharmacokinetics may be unreliable due to delayed absorption, enterohepatic recirculation, large volume of distribution, and saturable kinetics. Therefore, in these cases, pharmacokinetic values derived from routine dosing should not be used to make clinical decisions (such as timing of discontinuation of sodium bicarbonate infusion). We found that urine TCA screens provided similar information to quantitative nortriptyline levels and can be used to guide therapy along the QRS duration.
Treatment of feline injection-site sarcoma with surgery and iridium-192 brachytherapy: retrospective evaluation of 22 cats
Authors: Bloch Jacqueline , Rogers Kenita , Walker Michael , Dawson Jesse , Wilson-Robles Heather 
Published: April 2019

Objectives The aim of this retrospective descriptive study was to determine the effectiveness of using iridium implants in addition to surgery in cats with feline injection-site sarcomas (FISSs) in terms of time to progression and disease-specific survival and to identify prognostic factors for patient outcome. Methods Medical records of cats presented at our institution with FISS were reviewed. Inclusion criteria included histologic diagnosis of a tumor type associated with post-injection neoplastic development, tumor located at a site associated with vaccination, no other therapies prior to the administration of brachytherapy with the exception of surgery and adequate follow-up data. Results Twenty-two cats with FISS were treated with surgery and brachytherapy delivered by postoperative iridium-192 interstitial implants. Radiation doses ranged from 4000 to 6000 cGy (median dose 5079.55 cGy), with most doses delivered over 7 days. The median number of surgeries prior to brachytherapy was one (range 1–4). The complications associated with postoperative brachytherapy were typically mild, although four cats developed more severe complications. The median time to progression for all cats was 619 days and disease-specific survival time for all cats was 1242 days. The 1 and 2 year tumor-free rates in these cats were 63.6% and 40.9%, respectively. The local failure rate was 54.5% and the distant failure rate was 13.6% due to lung metastasis. There was a significant difference in time to progression of cats that had a single surgery performed prior to brachytherapy and those that had multiple surgeries (undefined vs 310 days; P = 0.01). There were no other statistically significant identified prognostic factors. Conclusions and relevance These data suggest that the addition of brachytherapy postoperatively in cats with FISS was well tolerated and is comparable to other forms of adjuvant therapy.
Incidence, management, and outcomes of autoimmune nephropathies following alemtuzumab treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Phelps Richard , Winston Jonathan A , Wynn Daniel , Habek Mario , Hartung Hans-Peter , Havrdová Eva Kubala , Markowitz Glen S , Margolin David H , Rodriguez Claudio E , Baker Darren P , Coles Alasdair J 
Published: April 2019

Background: Autoimmune disorders including nephropathies have been reported more frequently in alemtuzumab-treated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients than in the general population. Objective: Describe instances of autoimmune nephropathy in alemtuzumab-treated MS patients. Methods: Cases were identified from safety monitoring within the alemtuzumab relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) clinical development program (CDP) or post-marketing, or following off-label use. Results: As of 16 June 2017, 16 autoimmune nephropathies have occurred following alemtuzumab treatment for MS. The incidence of autoimmune nephropathies was 0.34% within the CDP (5/1485 patients). The five CDP cases (one of anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease, two of membranous glomerulonephropathy, and two of serum anti-GBM antibody without typical anti-GBM disease) were identified early, responded to conventional therapy (where needed), and had favorable outcomes. Three of 11 cases outside the CDP occurred following off-label alemtuzumab use prior to approval for RRMS and were all anti-GBM disease. Diagnosis was delayed in one of these three cases and another did not receive appropriate treatment; all three cases resulted in end-stage renal failure. All anti-GBM disease cases with documented urinalysis demonstrated prior microscopic hematuria. Conclusion: Close monitoring of alemtuzumab-treated MS patients facilitates diagnosis and treatment early in the nephropathy course when preservation of renal function is more likely.