bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Safety and effectiveness of cannabinoids for the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: a systematic review
Authors: Hillen Jodie Belinda , Soulsby Natalie , Alderman Chris , Caughey Gillian E. 
Published: May 2019

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in dementia impact profoundly on the quality of life of people living with dementia and their care givers. Evidence for the effectiveness and safety of current therapeutic options is varied. Cannabinoids have been proposed as an alternative therapy, mainly due to their activity on CB1 receptors in the central nervous system. However, little is known regarding the safety and effectiveness of cannabinoid therapy in people with dementia. A literature review was undertaken to identify, describe and critically appraise studies investigating cannabinoid use in treating NPS in dementia. Methods: We undertook a systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-seven online resources were searched, including Medline, PsycINFO and Embase. Studies assessing the safety and or effectiveness of cannabinoids in treating NPS in dementia in people aged ⩾ 65 years were included. Study quality was assessed using the Johanna Briggs Institute and Cochrane Collaboration critical appraisal tools. Results: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. There was considerable variability across the studies with respect to study design (50% randomized controlled trials), intervention [dronabinol (33%), nabilone (25%) or delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 42%)] and outcome measures. Dronabinol (three studies) and THC (one study) were associated with significant improvements in a range of neuropsychiatric scores. The most common adverse drug event (ADE) reported was sedation. A high risk of bias was found in eight studies. The highest-quality trial found no significant improvement in symptoms or difference in ADE rate between treatment arms. Included studies used low doses of oral cannabinoids and this may have contributed to the lack of demonstrated efficacy. Conclusion: While the efficacy of cannabinoids was not proven in a robust randomized control trial, observational studies showed promising results, especially for patients whose symptoms were refractory. In addition, the safety profile is favourable as most of the ADEs reported were mild. Future trials may want to consider dose escalation and formulations with improved bioavailability.
Humeral Head Shape in Native and Prosthetic Joint Replacement
Authors: Iannotti Joseph P , Jun Bong Jae , Teplensky Jason , Ricchetti Eric 
Published: May 2019

Background Nonspherical prosthetic humeral head designs have become increasingly popular as they better approximate the native shoulder anatomy and biomechanical properties and is supported by the existing literature. It remains to be seen how this will impact postoperative outcomes for total shoulder arthroplasty providing a justification for this review. Methods A review and synthesis of the literature on the subject of joint replacement in the native and prosthetic humeral head was performed. Results Our review encompasses the anatomical, biomechanical, and finite element data present in the literature for native and prosthetic joint replacement. They describe the native humeral head as more elliptical (nonspherical) than circular (spherical) and that nonspherical prosthetics more closely approximate glenohumeral kinematic properties. Conclusion A nonspherical prosthetic may influence long-term clinical outcomes in hemiarthroplasty and anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty though further research in this area is necessary.
Robust full-waveform inversion with Radon-domain matching filter
Authors: Sun Bingbing , Alkhalifah Tariq 
Published: May 2019

Cycle skipping is a severe issue in full-waveform inversion. One option to overcome it is to extend the search space to allow for data comparisons beyond the “point-to-point” subtraction. A matching filter can be computed by deconvolving the measured data from the predicted ones. If the model is correct, the resulting matching filter would be a Dirac delta function in which the energy is focused at zero lag. An optimization problem can be formulated by penalizing this matching filter departure from a Dirac delta function. Because the matching filter replaces the local sample-by-sample comparison with a global one using deconvolution, it can reduce the cycle-skipping problem. Because the matching filter is computed using the whole trace of the measured and predicted data, it is prone to unwanted crosstalk of different events. We perform the deconvolution in the Radon domain to reduce crosstalk and improve the inversion. We first transform the measured and the predicted data into the [Formula: see text] domain using the local Radon transform. We then perform deconvolution for the trace indexed by the same slope value. The main objective of the proposal is to use the slope information embedded in the Radon-transform representation to separate the events and reduce the crosstalk in the deconvolution step. As a result, the objective function tends to be more convex and stabilizes the inversion process. The result obtained for the modified Marmousi model demonstrates the proposed Radon-domain matching-filter approach can converge to a meaningful model given data without the low frequencies of less than 3 Hz and a [Formula: see text] initial model. Compared to the conventional time-space matching-filter approach, the Radon-domain approach indicates fewer artifacts in the model and better fitting of the measured data. The result corresponding to the Chevron 2014 benchmark data set also indicates the good performance of the proposed approach.
Glucocorticoid Activity of Adrenal Steroid Precursors in Untreated Patients With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Authors: Engels Manon , Pijnenburg-Kleizen Karijn J , Utari Agustini , Faradz Sultana M H , Oude-Alink Sandra , van Herwaarden Antonius E , Span Paul N , Sweep Fred C , Claahsen-van der Grinten Hedi L 
Published: May 2019

Abstract

Context and Objective
We describe the clinical features and biochemical characteristics of a unique population of severely affected untreated patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) from an Indonesian population with proven cortisol deficiency but without clinical signs of cortisol deficiency. We evaluated the in vitro glucocorticoid activity of all relevant adrenal steroid precursors occurring in patients with CAH.

Design
Cross-sectional cohort study and translational research.

Intervention/Main Outcome Measures
Adrenal steroid precursor concentrations before and 60 minutes after ACTH administration to 24 untreated patients with CAH (3 to 46 years) with proven cortisol deficiency (<500 nmol/L post-ACTH) measured by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry were compared with six control patients (Mann-Whitney U test). Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation was determined by dual-luciferase assays in human embryonic kidney cells transfected with the GR and exposed to increasing amounts of adrenal steroid precursors for 24 hours.

Results
Blood concentrations of the steroid precursors 11-deoxycortisol (457 nmol/L, P = 0.003), 11-deoxycorticosterone (55 nmol/L, P = 0.003), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (610 nmol/L, P < 0.001), progesterone (29 nmol/L, P < 0.001), and 21-deoxycortisol (73 nmol/L) were strongly elevated compared with control subjects. The GR was activated with comparable potency to cortisol by corticosterone and 21-deoxycortisol or with 4 to 100 times lower potency by 11-hydroxyprogesterone, 11-deoxycortisol, aldosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, progesterone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone.

Conclusions
We identified strongly elevated adrenal steroid precursor concentrations in blood from untreated patients with CAH and demonstrated glucocorticoid activity of these adrenal precursors in vitro, suggesting a possible role of these precursors in the clinical phenotype of these patients. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the role of these precursors in more detail.
Hybrid Harmony: The Poetics of Discord and the Language of Song from the Troubadours to Dante
Authors: Davis Christopher 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
This article examines three multilingual lyrics from the Middle Ages in which linguistic difference is employed as a strategy for defining the relationship between language and poetic form. Two poems by twelfth-century troubadours, “Eras quan vey,” a descort in five languages by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, and “Lo ferm voler,” a sestina by Arnaut Daniel, are read as experimental compositions that promote the function of lyric forms to provide stability to the vernacular in a fluid oral context by communicating meaning in nondiscursive ways. The influence of these works—and also thirteenth-century Occitan grammars by Raimon Vidal and Uc Faidit—may be detected in a later multilingual poem by Dante Alighieri, “Aï faus ris,” which alternates among French, Latin, and Italian according to an intricate formal structure. While previous studies have argued that this fascinating poem strives to synthesize different languages to produce a perfect poetic idiom, this article contends that “Aï faus ris” in fact performs the limitations of human language and the inevitability of linguistic difference, advocating instead for the conceptual harmony of lyric form as an aesthetic vehicle.
Biochemical mechanisms of vertebrate hedgehog signaling
Authors: Kong Jennifer H. , Siebold Christian , Rohatgi Rajat 
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACT
Signaling pathways that mediate cell-cell communication are essential for collective cell behaviors in multicellular systems. The hedgehog (HH) pathway, first discovered and elucidated in Drosophila, is one of these iconic signaling systems that plays many roles during embryogenesis and in adults; abnormal HH signaling can lead to birth defects and cancer. We review recent structural and biochemical studies that have advanced our understanding of the vertebrate HH pathway, focusing on the mechanisms by which the HH signal is received by patched on target cells, transduced across the cell membrane by smoothened, and transmitted to the nucleus by GLI proteins to influence gene-expression programs.
Over the counter: The potential for easing pharmacy provision of family planning in urban Senegal
Authors: Peterson Jill , Brunie Aurelie , Diop Ibrahima , Diop Seynabou , Stanback John , Chin-Quee Dawn S. 
Published: May 2019

Background:This research assessed the potential for expanding access to family planning through private sector pharmacies in Senegal, by examining the quality of the services provided through private sector pharmacies, and pharmacy staff and client interest in private sector pharmacy-based family planning services.Methods:This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted in eight urban districts in and around Dakar and two urban districts outside of Dakar employing an audit of 225 pharmacies, a survey with 486 private sector pharmacy staff and a survey with 3,567 women exiting private sector pharmacies.Results:Most (54%) pharmacies reported offering method-specific counseling to clients. Family planning commodities were available in all pharmacies, and 72% had a private space available to offer counseling. Three quarters (76%) did not have any counseling materials available.49% of pharmacists and 47% of assistant pharmacists reported receiving training on family planning during their professional studies. Half had received counseling training. Few pharmacists met pre-determined criteria to be considered highly knowledgeable of the oral contraceptive pill (OCP) and injectable contraceptive provision (0.6% and 1.1%).Overall, 60% of women surveyed were current family planning users and 11% procured their method through a private sector pharmacy. Among non-users of family planning, and current users who did not obtain their method through a pharmacy, 47% said they would be interested in procuring a method through a private sector pharmacy.Conclusions:There is both actual and latent demand for accessing family planning through Senegal’s urban, private sector pharmacies. With proper training, pharmacy staff could better provide effective counseling and provision of OCPs and injectables, and lifting the requirement for a prescription could help support gains in contraceptive prevalence.
Knowledge, perception and experience of sexual entrapment among undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Sule Aisha I. , Titiloye Musibau A. , Arulogun Oyedunni S. 
Published: May 2019

Background: Deceit into sexual activities without the victim being aware of the intended action is common in tertiary institutions as the environment promote activities that make students vulnerable, especially females, young and new students. The resulting physical, psychological and social consequences, including harassment, sexual assault, non-consensual sex, injury, psychological trauma and suicide attempts, have affected many young people. This study was aimed at exploring the knowledge, perception, experience of sexual entrapment among undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: This multi-stage cross-sectional survey involved 422 participants using semi-structured questionnaire and an in-depth interview guide. Quantitative data were analyzed statistically, while Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Results: Mean age of respondents was 20.5±3.0 years, 52.6% were males, 58.8% and 81% had a good knowledge and perception of sexual entrapment, respectively. Prevalence of sexual entrapment was 18%, affecting more males (55.3%) and first year students (39.5%), 59.2% of the perpetrators are friends of the victim. Students were entrapped on campus through; emotional support (42.1%), money (34.2%), accommodation assistance (7.9%), material things/gifts (21.1%), assignment assistance (10.5%), help with registration (4.0%), religious activities (6.6%), debt repayment (11.8%) and counseling (9.2%). It resulted to; unwanted sex (34%), rape (4%), pregnancy (1.3%), STDs (4%), Injury (13%), psychological trauma (27.6%), loss of trust (52.6%) and attempted suicide (23.7%) among victims. Effective coping mechanisms were adopted by 55.3% of respondents. There was a significant association between knowledge and perception; knowledge and experience; perception and experience (p<0.05). Findings from the in-depth interview revealed care, tutoring, political positions, and pretense to need help as other tactics. Conclusions: Sexual entrapment is common on campus, affecting males and females, knowledge and perception influence experience of sexual entrapment, requiring the need for a holistic approach to reduce its prevalence.
Ifit1 regulates norovirus infection and enhances the interferon response in murine macrophage-like cells
Authors: Mears Harriet V. , Emmott Edward , Chaudhry Yasmin , Hosmillo Myra , Goodfellow Ian G. , Sweeney Trevor R. 
Published: May 2019

Background: Norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting bug, is the predominant cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Disease control is predicated on a robust innate immune response during the early stages of infection. Double-stranded RNA intermediates generated during viral genome replication are recognised by host innate immune sensors in the cytoplasm, activating the strongly antiviral interferon gene programme. Ifit proteins (interferon induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats), which are highly expressed during the interferon response, have been shown to directly inhibit viral protein synthesis as well as regulate innate immune signalling pathways. Ifit1 is well-characterised to inhibit viral translation by sequestration of eukaryotic initiation factors or by directly binding to the 5' terminus of foreign RNA, particularly those with non-self cap structures. However, noroviruses have a viral protein, VPg, covalently linked to the 5' end of the genomic RNA, which acts as a cap substitute to recruit the translation initiation machinery. Methods: Ifit1 knockout RAW264.7 murine macrophage-like cells were generated using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. These cells were analysed for their ability to support murine norovirus infection, determined by virus yield, and respond to different immune stimuli, assayed by quantitative PCR. The effect of Ifit proteins on norovirus translation was also tested in vitro. Results: Here, we show that VPg-dependent translation is completely refractory to Ifit1-mediated translation inhibition in vitro and Ifit1 cannot bind the 5' end of VPg-linked RNA. Nevertheless, knockout of Ifit1 promoted viral replication in murine norovirus infected cells. We then demonstrate that Ifit1 promoted interferon-beta expression following transfection of synthetic double-stranded RNA but had little effect on toll-like receptor 3 and 4 signalling. Conclusions: Ifit1 is an antiviral factor during norovirus infection but cannot directly inhibit viral translation. Instead, Ifit1 stimulates the antiviral state following cytoplasmic RNA sensing, contributing to restriction of norovirus replication.
A transgenic zebrafish model of hepatocyte function in human Z α1-antitrypsin deficiency
Authors: Yip Evelyn , Giousoh Aminah , Fung Connie , Wilding Brendan , Prakash Monica D. , Williams Caitlin , Verkade Heather , Bryson-Richardson Robert J. , Bird Phillip I. 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
In human α1-antitrypsin deficiency, homozygous carriers of the Z (E324K) mutation in the gene SERPINA1 have insufficient circulating α1-antitrypsin and are predisposed to emphysema. Misfolding and accumulation of the mutant protein in hepatocytes also causes endoplasmic reticulum stress and underpins long-term liver damage. Here, we describe transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) expressing the wildtype or the Z mutant form of human α1-antitrypsin in hepatocytes. As observed in afflicted humans, and in rodent models, about 80% less α1-antitrypsin is evident in the circulation of zebrafish expressing the Z mutant. Although these zebrafish also show signs of liver stress, they do not accumulate α1-antitrypsin in hepatocytes. This new zebrafish model will provide useful insights into understanding and treatment of α1-antitrypsin deficiency.
Signcryption schemes with insider security in an ideal permutation model
Authors: Bansal Tarun Kumar , Boyen Xavier , Pieprzyk Josef 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
Signcryption aims to provide both confidentiality and authentication of messages more efficiently than performing encryption and signing independently.
The “Commit-then-Sign & Encrypt” (CtS&E) method allows to perform encryption and signing in parallel.
Parallel execution of cryptographic algorithms decreases the computation time needed to signcrypt messages.
CtS&E uses weaker cryptographic primitives in a generic way to achieve a strong security notion of signcryption.
Various message pre-processing schemes, also known as message padding, have been used in signcryption as a commitment scheme in CtS&E.
Due to its elegance and versatility, the sponge structure turns out to be a useful tool for designing new padding schemes such as SpAEP
[T. K. Bansal, D. Chang and S. K. Sanadhya,
Sponge based CCA2 secure asymmetric encryption for arbitrary length message,
Information Security and Privacy – ACISP 2015,
Lecture Notes in Comput. Sci. 9144,
Springer, Berlin 2015, 93–106],
while offering further avenues for optimization and parallelism in the context of signcryption.
In this work, we design a generic and efficient signcryption scheme featuring parallel encryption and signature on top of a sponge-based message-padding underlying structure.
Unlike other existing schemes, the proposed scheme also supports arbitrarily long messages.
We prove the construction secure when instantiated from weakly secure asymmetric primitives such as a trapdoor one-way encryption and a universal unforgeable signature.
With a careful analysis and simple tweaks, we demonstrate how different combinations of weakly secure probabilistic and deterministic encryption and signature schemes can be used to construct a strongly secure signcryption scheme, further broadening the choices of underlying primitives to cover essentially any combination thereof.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first signcryption scheme based on the sponge structure that also offers strong security using weakly secure underlying asymmetric primitives, even deterministic ones, along with the ability to handle long messages, efficiently.
Agreement between procalcitonin measurements using the new point-of-care testing ichroma™ reader and the automated Kryptor instrument
Authors: Stenner Elisabetta , Barbati Giulia , West Nicole , Del Ben Fabia , Martin Francesca , Ruscio Maurizio 
Published: May 2019

Abstract

Background
To evaluate if procalcitonin (PCT) measurements made using the new point-of-care testing (POCT) ichroma™ are interchangeable with those made using Kryptor.

Methods
Serum samples (n = 117) were processed sequentially on Kryptor and ichroma™. Statistical analysis was performed using Passing-Bablok (PB) regression and the Bland-Altman (BA) test. Cohen’s kappa statistic was used to calculate the concordance at the clinically relevant cutoffs.

Results
PB regression did not show a significant deviation from linearity; proportional and constant differences were observed between ichroma™ and Kryptor. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the mean bias percentage was very large, exceeding the maximum allowable total error (TE) (approximately 20%) and the clinical reference change value (about 60%). However, the concordance between methods at the clinically relevant cutoffs was strong, with the exception of the 0.25 ng/mL cutoff, which was moderate.

Conclusions
Our data suggest that ichroma™ is not interchangeable with Kryptor, so cannot be mixed; one must choose one instrument only and be consistent. However, while the strong concordance at the clinically relevant cutoffs allows us to consider ichroma™ a suitable option to Kryptor to support clinicians’ decision-making, nevertheless the moderate agreement at the 0.25 ng/mL cutoff recommends caution in interpreting the data around this cutoff.
Unsicherheit durch Katastrophen und Desaster
Authors: Wulf Christoph 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
Katastrophen und menschengemachte Desaster bewirken Verunsicherung und Unsicherheit. Dies gilt für die realen Katastrophen der Gegenwart, doch auch für die Katastrophen, die im Imaginären vieler Kulturen eine Rolle spielen. Der Beitrag untersucht den Meteoriteneinschlag vor etwa 65 Millionen Jahren, die dadurch ausgelöste Katastrophe, die zum Aussterben der Dinosaurier und vieler anderer Arten führte, und diskutiert daraus sich ergebende Modifizierungen der Evolutionstheorie. Er thematisiert die Zunahme menschengemachter Desaster und Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Versuche, die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Katastrophen und Desaster durch Nachhaltigkeit und Bildung zur Nachhaltigkeit zu reduzieren.
Die utopischen Sicherheitszwänge Süchtiger und das Wagnis der Anonymität
Authors: Helm Paula 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
Eine ethnographische Studie bei selbstorganisierten Gruppen wie Gamblers Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous und Overeaters Anonymous zeigt auf, wie sich Betroffene im Umgang mit der Krankheit „Sucht“ gegenseitig unterstützen. Basierend auf dieser Studie verfolgt der Beitrag die These, dass das Phänomen der Sucht in einem Sicherheitszwang aufgeht und aus Unsicherheitsvermeidung resultiert. Hiervon ausgehend wird diskutiert, aus welchen Umständen heraus Personen pathogene Formen zwanghafter Unsicherheitsvermeidung entwickeln und welche Bedingungen geschaffen werden müssen, damit sich einmal entwickelte Sicherheitszwänge wieder auflösen lassen. Im Zentrum der Diskussion steht die Rolle der Anonymität, die die Betroffenen als kommunikatives Steuerungsinstrument in ihren Gruppen einsetzen.