bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oral steroid-sparing effect of high-dose inhaled corticosteroids in asthma
Authors: Maijers Ingrid , Kearns Nethmi , Harper James , Weatherall Mark , Beasley Richard 
Published: September 2019

BackgroundThe proportion of the efficacy of high-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma that is due to systemic effects is uncertain. This study aimed to estimate the ICS dose–response relationship for oral corticosteroid-sparing effects in oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma, and to determine the proportion of oral corticosteroid-sparing effects due to their systemic effects, based on the comparative dose–response relationship of ICSversusoral corticosteroids on adrenal suppression.MethodsSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials reporting oral corticosteroid-sparing effects of high-dose ICS in oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma. In addition, reports of oral corticosteroid to ICS dose-equivalence in terms of adrenal suppression were retrieved. The primary outcome was the proportion of the oral corticosteroid-sparing effect of ICS that could be attributed to systemic absorption, per 1000 µg increase of ICS, expressed as a ratio. This ratio estimates the oral corticosteroid sparing effect of ICS due to systemic effects.Results11 studies including 1283 participants reporting oral corticosteroid-sparing effects of ICS were identified. The prednisone dose decrease per 1000 µg increase in ICS varied from 2.1 mg to 4.9 mg, depending on the type of ICS. The ratio of the prednisone-sparing effect due to the systemic effects per 1000 µg of fluticasone propionate was 1.02 (95% CI 0.68–2.08) and for budesonide was 0.93 (95% CI 0.63–1.89).ConclusionIn patients with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma, the limited available evidence suggests that the majority of the oral corticosteroid-sparing effect of high-dose ICS is likely to be due to systemic effects.
Physiological effects of touching sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) with the palm of the hand
Authors: Ikei Harumi , Song Chorong , Miyazaki Yoshifumi 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Wood is used as an interior material in Japan, and it is empirically known that contact with wood induces relaxation in humans. However, evidential data regarding these physiological effects are lacking. In this study, we examined the physiological effects of tactile stimulation based on measurements of brain and autonomic nervous activities by using the wood of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica). Twenty-one female university students (mean age, 22.0 ± 2.0 years) participated in the study. Oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the prefrontal cortex were determined using near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy. High frequency (HF), denoting parasympathetic nervous activity, and the ratio of low frequency (LF)/(LF + HF), indicating sympathetic nervous activity, were measured using heart rate variability. HF (0.15–0.40 Hz) and LF (0.04–0.15 Hz) components were calculated by the maximum entropy method. The wood material surfaces were finished by: (1) brushing with a stainless steel wire brush and (2) sanding with a belt sander. A marble plate served as a comparator. The palm of each participant’s right hand touched each material for 90 s. Touching brushed or sanded sugi significantly decreased oxy-Hb concentrations in the left and right prefrontal cortices, increased ln(HF), and decreased the ln(LF/(LF + HF)) ratio compared with touching marble. Thus, our findings indicate that compared with touching marble, touching sugi with the palm induces physiological relaxation, as indicated by calmer prefrontal cortex activity, higher parasympathetic nervous activity, and lower sympathetic nervous activity.
Chest circumference in full-term newborns: how can it be predicted?
Authors: Azevedo Ingrid G. , Holanda Norrara S. O. , Arrais Nivia M. R. , Santos Raweny T. G. , Araujo Ana G. F. , Pereira Silvana A. 
Published: September 2019

Abstract

Background
Although over the years a number of studies have used chest circumference (CC) as a sensitive tool to identify the health status of infants, a particularly important aspect for this population is the lack of data on normal values and prediction equations. In order to facilitate and validate the interpretation of CC data in newborn (NB), the aim was to study the relation between CC and other anthropometric variables and develop a predictive equation for CC in a population of full-term newborns.

Methods
Cross-sectional study, carried out with full-term infants. The anthropometric (CC, head circumference - HC, length, age and weight) and hemodynamic variables were evaluated during the first 24 h of life. Bivariate analysis was performed between CC and HC, weight, length and type of delivery, followed by multiple linear regression analysis, including variables that were significant in the bivariate analysis. For data analysis, we used the SPSS program, considering p < 0.05 and 95% CI.

Results
The birth weight of the 120 NB varied between 2580 and 4225 g (mean 3360 g) and the gestational age between 37 and 42 weeks (mean 39 weeks). Approximately 61% of the sample were delivered vaginally and 67 (56%) were boys. The variables that remained statistically associated with CC after multivariate analysis were weight (β 0.003, CI: 0.002: 0.003, p = 0.001) and HC (β 0.287, CI: 0.156: 0.417, p = 0.001). For the linear regression model, the predictive equation of CC was 14.87+ (0.003 x weight) + (0.287 x HC), with a prediction of 76%.

Conclusion
The results show a positive correlation between CC and weight, length and HC, and based on the linear regression model, the predictive equation for CC is based only on weight and HC.
Atrial fibrillation and its arrhythmogenesis associated with insulin resistance
Authors: Chan Yi-Hsin , Chang Gwo-Jyh , Lai Ying-Ju , Chen Wei-Jan , Chang Shang-Hung , Hung Li-Man , Kuo Chi-Tai , Yeh Yung-Hsin 
Published: September 2019

Abstract

Background
Insulin resistance (IR) is considered as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) even before diabetes develops. The pathophysiology and underlying mechanism are largely unclear.

Methods
We investigated the corresponding mechanism in two IR models of rats fed 15-week high-fat (HFa) and high-fructose/cholesterol (HFr) diets. AF was evaluated and induced by burst atrial pacing. Isolated atrial myocytes were used for whole-cell patch clamp and calcium assessment. Ex vivo whole heart was used for optical mapping. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used for quantitative protein evaluation.

Results
Both HFa and HFr rat atria were vulnerable to AF evaluated by burst atrial pacing. Isolated atrial myocytes from HFa and HFr rats revealed significantly increased sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium content and diastolic calcium sparks. Whole-heart mapping showed prolonged calcium transient duration, conduction velocity reduction, and repetitive ectopic focal discharge in HFa and HFr atria. Protein analysis revealed increased TGF-β1 and collagen expression; increased superoxide production; abnormal upregulation of calcium-homeostasis-related proteins, including oxidized CaMKIIδ, phosphorylated-phospholamban, phosphorylated-RyR-2, and sodium-calcium exchanger; and increased Rac1 activity in both HFa and HFr atria. We observed that inhibition of CaMKII suppressed AF in both HF and HFr diet-fed rats. In vitro palmitate-induced IR neonatal cardiomyocytes and atrial fibroblasts expressed significantly more TGF-β1 than did controls, suggesting paracrine and autocrine effects on both myocytes and fibroblasts.

Conclusions
IR engenders both atrial structural remodeling and abnormal intracellular calcium homeostasis, contributing to increased AF susceptibility. The inhibition of CaMKII may be a potential therapeutic target for AF in insulin resistance.
Ethanol extract of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. leaves suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Tian Guoyan , Chen Jin , Luo Yan , Yang Jin , Gao Tao , Shi Junping 
Published: September 2019

Abstract

Background
The present study investigated the pharmacological activity and mechanism of ethanol extract of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. leaves (EEL) on HCC.

Methods
Cell viability was determined using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The effects of EEL on cellular biological activities were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM), cell wound scratch assay and transwell assay. The expression levels of related mRNA and protein were determined by performing quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting assay and immunocytochemistry. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) was carried out to investigate the possible mechanism underlying the DNA methylation of PTEN.

Results
EEL showed cytotoxicity to both Bel-7402 and Huh-7 cell lines. We also found that EEL enhanced the apoptosis of Bel-7402 and Huh-7 cells by regulating the expressions of Bcl-2 associated X (Bax), B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Cytochrome-C and the activity of caspase-3 and therefore promoted cell cycle arrest. Moreover, EEL also suppressed cell migration and invasion. EEL increased the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2) but decreased the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase2 (MMP2) and MMP9. Furthermore, EEL inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt pathway. MSP results showed that EEL promoted the demethylation of PTEN, suggesting that the inactivation of PI3K/Akt may be related to DNA de-methylation of PTEN. In addition, EEL inhibited the tumor growth of HCC in vivo.

Conclusions
EEL exerted anti-tumor effect on HCC in vitro and in vivo. EEL mediated by the inhibition of PI3K/Akt may be closely related to DNA de-methylation of PTEN. Thus, EEL could be used as a potential anti-cancer therapeutic agent of HCC.
The access paradox: abortion law, policy and practice in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia
Authors: Blystad Astrid , Haukanes Haldis , Tadele Getnet , Haaland Marte E. S. , Sambaiga Richard , Zulu Joseph Mumba , Moland Karen Marie 
Published: September 2019

AbstractIntroductionUnsafe abortion is a major contributor to the continued high global maternal mortality and morbidity rates. Legal abortion frameworks and access to sexuality education and contraception have been pointed out as vital to reduce unsafe abortion rates. This paper explores the relationship between abortion law, policy and women’s access to safe abortion services within the different legal and political contexts of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia. The research is inspired by recent calls for contextualized policy research.MethodsThe research was based in Addis Ababa (Ethiopa), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Lusaka (Zambia) and had a qualitative exploratory research design. The project involved studying the three countries’ abortion laws and policies. It moreover targeted formal organizations as implementers of policy as well as stakeholders in support of, or in opposition to the existing abortion laws. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with study participants (79) differently situated vis-à-vis abortion, exploring their views on abortion-related legal- and policy frames and their perceived implications for access.ResultsThe abortion laws have been classified as ‘liberal’ in Zambia, ‘semi-liberal’ in Ethiopia and ‘restrictive’ in Tanzania, but what we encountered in the three study contexts was a seeming paradoxical relationship between national abortion laws, abortion policy and women’s actual access to safe abortion services. The study findings moreover reveal that the texts that make up the three national abortion laws are highly ambiguous. The on-paper liberal Zambian and semi-liberal Ethiopian laws in no way ensure access, while the strict Tanzanian law is hardly sufficient to prevent young women from seeking and obtaining abortion. In line with Walt and Gilson’s call to move beyond a narrow focus on the content of policy, our study demonstrates that the connection between law, health policy and access to health services is complex and critically dependent on the socio-economic and political context of implementation.ConclusionsLegal frameworks are vital instruments for securing the right to health, but broad contextualized studies rather than classifications of law along a liberal-restrictive continuum are demanded in order to enhance existing knowledge on access to safe abortion services in a given context.
Health, life and rights: a discourse analysis of a hybrid abortion regime in Tanzania
Authors: Sambaiga Richard , Haukanes Haldis , Moland Karen Marie , Blystad Astrid 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBackgroundUnsafe abortion continues to be a major hazard for maternal health in Sub-Saharan Africa, where abortion remains highly controversial and access to safe abortion services is unequally distributed. Although national abortion laws are central in indicating women’s potential for accessing safe abortion services, the character of an abortion law may alone say little about national discursive abortion landscapes and access scenarios. The article calls for the study and problematization of the relationship between legal abortion frameworks on the one hand, and discourses surrounding abortion on the other, in an attempt to move closer to an understanding of the complexity of factors that influence knowledge about and access to safer abortion services. With the restrictive abortion law in Tanzania as a starting point, the paper explores the ways in which the major global abortion discourses manifest themselves in the country and indicate potential implications of a hybrid abortion regime.MethodsThe study combined a review of major legal and policy documents on abortion, a review of publications on abortion in Tanzanian newspapers between 2000 and 2015 (300 articles), and 23 semi-structured qualitative interviews with representatives from central institutions and organizations engaged in policy- or practical work related to reproductive health.ResultsTanzania’s abortion law is highly restrictive, but the discursive abortion landscape is diverse and is made manifest through legal- and policy documents and legal- and policy related disputes. The discourses were characterized by diverse frames of reference based in religion, public health and in human rights-based values, and as such reflect the major global discourses. Fairclough’s conceptsinterdiscursivityandrecontextualizationwere drawn upon to develop an understanding of how the concepts health, rights and life emerge across the discourses, but are employed in contrasting lines of argumentation in struggles for hegemony and legitimacy.Discussion and conclusionsThe paper demonstrates that a hybrid discursive regime relating to abortion characterizes the legally restrictive abortion context of Tanzania. We argue that such a complex discursive landscape, which cuts across the restrictive - liberal divide, generates an environment that seems to open avenues for enhanced access to abortion related knowledge and services.
Astragaloside IV attenuates gestational diabetes mellitus via targeting NLRP3 inflammasome in genetic mice
Authors: Zhang Ruixue , Zhang Xuelei , Xing Baoheng , Zhao Jianyong , Zhang Peipei , Shi Dandan , Yang Fengzhen 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBackgroundAs the most ordinary metabolic disorder during pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has become a severe risk for the health of both pregnant female and fetus. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is the dominant active component inAstragalus membranaceus.It has been proved that AS-IV has anti-inflammation and immune-regulation function. We aimed to demonstrate the function of AS-IV in the therapy of GDM and the molecular mechanism in this process.MethodsC57BL/KsJ-Lepdb/+ female mice were used as GDM model. The mRNA levels of relative genes in this research were detected by qRT-PCR. The protein levels of relative genes were analyzed by western blot. Serum concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were analyzed by ELISA.ResultsGlucose and insulin levels in GDM mice model were decreased by AS-IV treatment. AS-IV down-regulated the expression of inflammatory gene IL-6 and TNF-α in GDM mice model. AS-IV treatment inhibited the expression of NLR family pyrin domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome relative proteins in the pancreas of GDM mice.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that AS-IV treatment has an effective therapeutic function of GDM in mice model through the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome in the pancreas.
Risky sexual behaviors of schizophrenic patients: a single center study in Ethiopia, 2018
Authors: Negash Biruk , Asmamewu Bethlehem , Alemu Wondale Getinet 
Published: September 2019

AbstractObjectiveIdentify factors related to risky sexual behavior can facilitate health care providers to approach programs that improve quality of services provided to the patient service. The aim of study to assess the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors and associated factors among schizophrenia patient at Amanuel Mental specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019.ResultA total of four hundred twenty-nine participants were interviewed with a response rate of 97.05%. The prevalence of risky sexual behavior was 39.4% (95% CI 34.3, 43.6). In the multivariate logistic regression, being male sex (AOR = 3.78 (1.94, 7.38)), patients in age group between 18 and 24 (AOR = 4.85 (1.73, 13.6)), current use of alcohol (AOR = 1.86 (1.049, 3.32)), place of residence (AOR = 6.22 (2.98, 12.98)), positive symptom (AOR = 3.01 (1.55, 5.84)) were associated with risky sexual behavior.
Burn wounds after electrical injury in a bathtub: a case report
Authors: Hardon Sem F. , Haasnoot Pieter J. , Meij- de Vries Annebeth 
Published: September 2019

Abstract

Background
Increased smartphone use among minors makes our population more prone to electrical injury. Despite regulations on electrical home safety standards, smartphones and chargers still pose a risk for severe injury among users.

Case presentation
We present a case of a patient with low-voltage electrical burns due to smartphone use in a bathtub. The 13-year-old Caucasian patient was using a smartphone plugged into the electrical grid while taking a bath. We report the burns and their treatment. We discuss the likely burn mechanism.

Conclusions
Burn wounds after electrical injury due to smartphone use are rare. The presented case shows the danger of smartphone use in bathtubs.
Clustering time series applied to energy markets
Authors: Krome Cornelia , Höft Jan , Sander Volker 
Published: September 2019

AbstractIn Germany and many other countries the energy market has been subject to significant changes. Instead of only a few large-scale producers that serve aggregated consumers, a shift towards regenerative energy sources is taking place. Energy systems are increasingly being made more flexible by decentralised producers and storage facilities, i.e. many consumers are also producers. The aggregation of producers form another type of power plants: a virtual power plant.On the basis of aggregated production and consumption, virtual power plants try to make decisions under the conditions of the electricity market or the grid condition. They are influenced by many different aspects. These include the current feed-in, weather data, or the demands of the consumers. Clearly, a virtual power plant is focusing on developing strategies to influence and optimise these factors. To accomplish this, many data sets can and should be analysed in order to interpret and create forecasts for energy systems. Time series based analytics are therefore of particular interest for virtual power plants.Classifying the different time series according to generators, consumers or customer types simplifies processes. In this way, scalable solutions for forecasts can be found. However, one has to first find the according clusters efficiently.This paper presents a method for determining clusters of time series. Models are adapted and model-based clustered using ARIMA parameters and an individual quality measure. In this way, the analysis of generic time series can be simplified and additional statements can be made with the help of graphical evaluations. To facilitate large scale virtual power plants, the presented clustering workflow is prepared to be applied on big data capable platforms, e.g. time series stored in Apache Cassandra, analysed through an Apache Spark execution framework.The procedure is shown here using the example of the Day-Ahead prices of the electricity market for 2018.
A cooperative demand-response framework for day-ahead optimization in battery pools
Authors: Chasparis Georgios C. , Pichler Mario , Spreitzhofer Johanna , Esterl Tara 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
The constantly increasing electricity and energy demand in residential buildings, as well as the need for higher absorption rates of renewable sources of energy, demand for an increased flexibility at the end-users. This need is further reinforced by the rising numbers of residential Photovoltaic (PV) and battery-storage systems. In this case, flexibility can be viewed as the excess energy that can be charged to or discharged from a battery, in response to a group objective of several such battery-storage systems (aggregation).
One such group objective considered in this paper includes marketing flexibility (charging or discharging) to the Day-ahead (DA) spot market, which can provide both a) financial incentives to the owners of such systems, and b) an increase in the overall absorption rates of renewable energy. The responsible agent for marketing and offering such flexibility, herein aggregator, is directly controlling the participating batteries, in exchange to some financial compensation of the owners of these batteries.
In this paper, we present an optimization framework that allows the aggregator to optimally exchange the available flexibility to the DA market. The proposed scheme is based upon a reinforcement-learning approach, according to which the aggregator learns through time an optimal policy for bidding flexibility to the DA market. By design, the proposed scheme is flexible enough to accommodate the possibility of erroneous forecasts (of weather, load or electricity price). Finally, we evaluate our approach on real-world data collected from currently installed battery-storage systems in Upper Austria.
An optimisation-based energy disaggregation algorithm for low frequency smart meter data
Authors: Rottondi Cristina , Derboni Marco , Piga Dario , Rizzoli Andrea Emilio 
Published: September 2019

AbstractAn algorithm for the non-intrusive disaggregation of energy consumption into its end-uses, also known as non-intrusive appliance load monitoring (NIALM), is presented. The algorithm solves an optimisation problem where the objective is to minimise the error between the total energy consumption and the sum of the individual contributions of each appliance. The algorithm assumes that a fraction of the loads present in the household is known (e.g. washing machine, dishwasher, etc.), but it also considers unknown loads, treating them as a single load. The performance of the algorithm is then compared to that obtained by two state of the art disaggregation approaches implemented in the publicly available NILMTK framework. The first one is based on Combinatorial Optimization, the second one on a Factorial Hidden Markov Model. The results show that the proposed algorithm performs satisfactorily and it even outperforms the other algorithms from some perspectives.