bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Etiology, outcomes and co-morbidities among cerebral palsy children attending tertiary care hospital, India: a prospective study
Authors: Dushyanth Subramaniam N. , Jenifer Antony , Devi L. Uma , P. Suresh 
Published: March 2019

Background: Cerebral palsy is the most common aetiology for motor dysfunction among children worldwide. It is associated with range of co-morbid conditions that affects the quality of life. Cerebral palsy has been studied extensively in western countries and there are only few articles available on epidemiological information in developing countries and low resource settings. This study focuses on the aetiology, risk factors, types and co-morbidities in cerebral palsy.Methods: Cerebral palsy children attending tertiary care hospital were prospectively recruited into the study. The study was conducted during January 2017 to July 2018. The cross-sectional study included complete prenatal, natal and postnatal history of the participants, BERA and Ophthalmological examinations were done.Results: One hundred and fifty children with cerebral palsy were enrolled. The mean age of participants were 36±30 months. Male to female ratio was 2.19:1. The most common maternal risk factor among study participants was consanguinity in marriage (23.33%). 16% had prolonged labour and 10% had toxaemia during pregnancy. 47% of the children were born by institutional normal vaginal delivery. The most common neonatal risk factor was Birth Asphyxia (23%), low birth weight (20%) and neonatal sepsis (21%). 122 had spastic type of cerebral palsy. The most common morbidity associated with cerebral palsy was Gastro intestinal disturbances in 61% of the participants.Conclusions: History of prolonged labour and birth asphyxia were risk factors for cerebral palsy. Spastic CP is the most common type. Malnutrition, Gross Motor delay, Seizures, Mental retardation were the most common morbidities associated with CP.
Correlation Between Dysphagia and Malocclusion in Rett Syndrome: A preliminary study
Authors: Cocca Serena , Viviano Massimo , Loglisci Michele , Parrini Stefano , Monciatti Giovanni , Paganelli Ilaria I. , Livi Walter , Mezzedimi Chiara 
Published: March 2019

Objectives: Rett syndrome (RS) is a severe neurological developmental disorder characterised by stereotypical hand movements, epileptic seizures, craniofacial dysmorphism and digestive dysfunction. This study aimed to examine the correlation between the severity of malocclusion and dysphagia in patients with RS. Methods: This preliminary study was conducted at the Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic of the University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy, from January 2014 to December 2017. A total of 56 patients with RS were examined and grouped according to the severity of dysphagia (absent, mild, moderate or severe) and malocclusion (<2 mm, 2–3 mm, 3–4 mm or >4 mm). Results: All of the patients were female and the mean age was 11.3 years. Eight (14.3%) patients had mild, 18 (32.1%) had moderate and 30 (53.6%) had severe dysphagia. Four (7.1%) patients had <2 mm occlusion, 10 (17.9%) had 2–3 mm occlusion, 26 (46.4%) had 3–4 mm occlusion and 16 (28.6%) had >4 mm occlusion. Mild dysphagia was observed in 100% and 40% of patients with <2 and 2–3 mm malocclusion, respectively, while moderate dysphagia was present in 60% and 38.5% of patients with 2–3 and 3–4 mm malocclusion, respectively. Severe dysphagia was observed in 28.6% and 87.5% of patients with 3–4 and >4 mm malocclusion, respectively. There was a significant correlation between dysphagia and malocclusion severity (P <0.001). Conclusion: A higher degree of malocclusion was associated with more severe dysphagia among a cohort of patients with RS.Keywords: X-Linked Mental Retardation; Rett Syndrome; Dysphagia; Malocclusion; Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood.
The Role of Combination Calcipotriol plus Betamethasone Dipropionate Gel in the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Scalp Seborrhoeic Dermatitis
Authors: Yap Felix B. 
Published: March 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the off-label use of a combination calcipotriol plus betamethasone dipropionate (CBD) gel in the treatment of moderate-to-severe scalp seborrhoeic dermatitis (SSD). Methods: This retrospective study involved 32 patients with SSD who were prescribed CBD gel at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre, Selangor, Malaysia, between January 2016 and December 2017. The Physician Global Assessment Scale was used to assess disease severity. Itching/discomfort was evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Results: The mean age was 35.8 ± 6.9 years. Severe disease was seen in 53.1%. Complete clearance was recorded in 15.6%, 40.6% and 59.4% of patients at weeks two, six and 10, respectively. By week 10, 87.5% had achieved marked improvement. Both mean itching and discomfort scores significantly improved at weeks two, six and 10 (P <0.001). Better outcomes were significantly associated with disease duration and itching intensity and discomfort at presentation (P <0.050). Conclusion: CBD gel should be considered as an option for SSD cases not adequately controlled by prior conventional treatment.Keywords: Seborrheic Dermatitis; Scalp Dermatosis; Betamethasone Dipropionate, Calcipotriol Drug Combination; Off-Label Use; Treatment Effectiveness.
A Missed Late Presentation of a Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation as a Large Infected Bulla
Authors: Lee Chung Y. , Osman Syazarina S. , Noor Helmee M. , Isa Nur S. A. 
Published: March 2019

A congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is a rare cystic anomaly that may occur during development of the fetal airways. The vast majority of CPAMs are detected in neonates; as such, it is unusual for diagnosis to occur in adulthood. We report a 21-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency department of the Hospital Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2015 with chest pain, breathlessness and tachypnoea. Based on an initial chest X-ray, the patient was misdiagnosed with pneumothorax and underwent urgent chest tube insertion; however, his condition deteriorated over the course of the next three days. Further imaging was suggestive of infected bullae or an undiagnosed CPAM. The patient therefore underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, during which a large infected bulla was resected. A diagnosis of an infected CPAM was confirmed by histopathological examination. Following the surgery, the patient recovered quickly and no bullae remnants were found at a one-month follow-up.Keywords: Respiratory System Abnormalities; Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation of Lung; Adult; Respiratory Tract Infection; Pneumothorax; Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery; Case Report; Malaysia.
Integration of teamwork and critical thinking skills in the process of teaching students
Authors: Plotnikova N.F. , Strukov E. N. 
Published: March 2019

Reforms taking place in the educational process of higher professional school impose new requirements on the quality of training students. Today, graduates of higher educational institutions are required to have new professional thinking, high mobility, competence, tolerance and focus on intra-group activities carried out in teams. With the team form of the organisation of training, an environment is created that allows students to master not only the skills and abilities of business interaction and cooperation, but also to form their ability to think critically, which includes the ability to think creatively, use new information and apply the knowledge in practice. Theoretical justification jointly with quantitative and qualitative data obtained as a result of the experimental work carried out by the authors confirms the efficiency of team learning, which contributes to developing critical thinking skills in higher education students.
Keywords: Students, education, formation, interaction, critical thinking, team, skills, competences
Thixotropic effect of some biochemical factors in ischaemic stroke
Authors: Kowal Piotr , Marcinkowska-Gapinska Anna 
Published: March 2019

Background. Yield shear stress (YSS) well characterizes the thixotropic status of blood, that exemplifies a reversible loss of blood fluidity due to a low shear rate. At the stable haematocrit ratio YSS depends mainly on the fibrinogen level.Aim. Since the role of other biochemical factors in the YSS phenomenon in cerebral ischaemia has not been well known, we have undertaken this problem in a group of stroke patients. Material and Methods. The study was carried out in 36 patients with acute ischaemic stroke and in 12 controls. YSS was estimated by means of microviscometric method. In all subjects the concentration of the following biochemical factors were assayed: albumin, IgG, IgA, IgM, apolipoprotein A, and B, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL and fibrinogen. Then the thixotroipic effect of all biochemical factors and their correlations to fibrinogen were estimated by means of mathematical formulas.Results. We found a positive correlation in relation to the following thixotropic effects: for all subjects and separately for patients’ group: Alb(YSS) (p < 0.001), ApoA(YSS) (p < 0.001), ApoB(YSS) (p < 0.05), chol(YSS) (p < 0.01), HDL(YSS) (p < 0.05); for patients group without additional diseases: Alb(YSS) (p < 0.05), ApoA(YSS) (p < 0.005), chol(YSS) (p < 0.05), HDL(YSS) (p < 0.02), LDL(YSS) (p < 0.05). There were not any significant correlations in controls.Conclusions. Results of the study indicated that in the interaction between the red cells and fibrinogen some additional factors appearing or activating during ischaemic process may play a role.
Baby-Led-Weaning (BLW) from maternal perspective: Polish experience
Authors: Poniedziałek Barbara , Paszkowiak Natalia , Rzymski Piotr 
Published: March 2019

Background. Baby-Led-Weaning (BLW) is increasingly popular as a complementary feeding practice although its safety, limitations and advantages have not been widely studied as yet. Material and Methods. The present survey employed an anonymous online questionnaire to learn from experience (their concerns, perceived advantages, disadvantages, and overall satisfaction) of Polish mothers (n = 373) that adopted BLW.Results. Most of surveyed mothers adopting BLW had tertiary education and good economic status, and inhabited urban areas. Non-scientific online resources were the most important source of knowledge on BLW; none of surveyed mentioned healthcare professionals as having played any role in this respect. The risk of choking was the greatest concern expressed while considering the BLW prospect. At least one choking event during B:W adoption was reported by 55.6%, mostly involving an apple, occurring at beginning of introduction, and perceived as non-serious. The BLW advantages included: (i) promotion of infant self-reliance, motor skills, biting and chewing of food and speech), sensory learning of food, and (ii) motivation to eat family meals and make more healthier dietary choices. The greatest disadvantage was an in-house mess. Nearly all mothers recommended the BLW adoption to other caregivers.Conclusion. In view of the scarcity of data on this feeding practice, the maternal experience demonstrated in the present study may offer valuable information for health professionals as well as future caregivers who consider the adoption of BLW to be a complementary feeding practice.
Biodiversity of Bacteria Associated with Eight Pleurotus ostreatus (Fr.) P. Kumm. Strains from Poland, Japan and the USA
Authors: ADAMSKI MARIUSZ , PIETR STANISLAW J. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Few publications report the occurrence of bacteria associated with fungal cells. The presence of bacteria associated with one strain of Pleurotus ostreatus (Fr.) P. Kumm. was described in the literature. We describe the biodiversity of bacteria associated with eight oyster mushroom strains from Japan, Poland, and the USA. The presence of microorganisms associated with all tested P. ostreatus strains was confirmed using fluorescent microscopy. Among 307 sequences, 233 of clones representing 34 genera and 74 sequences were identified as Bacteria. Most of the bacteria associated with the strain PUSAS were related to E. coli and two clones were related to Cupriavidus genus. The biodiversity of clones isolated from fungal strains originating from Japan and Poland ranged from 15 to 32 different bacterial clones. The most often the bacteria related to genus Curvibacter, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Cupriavidus, Pelomonas, and Propionibacterium were associated with the strains of fungi mentioned above. Laccase-like (LMCO) genes were identified in whole bacterial DNA isolated from the associated bacteria but β-glucosidase and β-xylanase genes were not detected.
Dengue Outbreaks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan in 2017: An Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSRS)-Based Report
Authors: ABDULLAH  , ALI SHER , SALMAN MUHAMMAD , DIN MISBAHUD , KHAN KACHKOL , AHMAD MUNIB , KHAN FAISAL HAYAT , ARIF MUHAMMAD 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The current study is a retrospective epidemic report regarding dengue fever (DF) virus infection cases (2017) from fifteen districts of KPK, Pakistan. Medical records of 120 948 patients were reviewed retrospectively for demographic, clinical and laboratory data. The presence of dengue infection was confirmed by NS1-ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. The total positive cases (of suspected DF samples) were 24 938 (20.6%), whereas seventy cases (0.28%) had a fatal outcome. Mean age ± SD of the dengue patients was 26 ± 19.8 years, while; the most affected age group was from 16 to 30 years (Chi-square: 12 820.125, p: 0.00). The infected males were 65.3%, and that of the female was 34.7%. All the dengue-infected patients were observed with symptoms of severe fever (100%), body aches (95%), gums and nose bleeding (5%), skin rashes (30%), vomiting (70%). The highest infection rate was found in district Peshawar and that of the lowest was in Bannu, Hungu and Luki Marwat. A high rate of dengue infection was found in post-monsoon months i.e. October (41%) and September (32%) of the year. The results proved that if the dengue outbreaks reveal further in KPK, it could alarmingly increase the mortality rate. Therefore, the Department of Public Health in KPK, Pakistan may take proper measures to avoid and control dengue epidemics in the future.
Decadal Change in Soil Chemistry of Northern Hardwood Forests on the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, USA
Authors: Fraser Olivia L. , Bailey Scott W. , Ducey Mark J. 
Published: March 2019

Core Ideas
Soils in the northeastern United States show signs of recovery from acidification between 2001‐2002 and 2014.
Variation in soil chemistry at the landscape and plot‐scales was similar, informing study design.
Soils influenced by shallow groundwater were more dynamic than well‐drained soils.
Soils are subject to a variety of stressors including human land use, air pollution and climate change. A challenge for detecting temporal change is disentangling heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales. Forty permanent plots were sampled across the US White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in 2001 or 2002 and resampled in 2014. Paired t tests detected significant increases in carbon and base cations concentrations and a decrease in Al in the Oa horizon while base cations decreased and Al increased in some mineral horizons. A subset of six plots were intensively resampled in 2015. Pooled variances were calculated using all the six intensively sampled plots from 2014 to 2015. Within‐site variability was comparable to overall variability across the WMNF. When study sites were stratified into hydrologic groups, we found a strong signal in the Oa horizon of increasing carbon and base cation concentrations from 2001–2002 to 2014, suggesting that soils influenced by shallow groundwater contributions from upslope may be more responsive to acidification recovery than soils influenced only by vertical percolation. The initial study design did not consider the role of hydrologic pathways in susceptibility of soils to temporal change and did not include enough plots in each hydrologic group to maximize the power of this stratification approach. However, these results illustrate the potential for hydrologic stratification to improve change detection and interpretation in forest soil monitoring programs. The combined approach to hydrologic stratification and estimating variance components simultaneously at the landscape and within‐plot scales is crucial for calculating sample size needed to detect temporal change.
The applicability of Generic Self-Evolving Takagi-Sugeno-Kang neuro-fuzzy model in modeling rainfall–runoff and river routing
Authors: Ashrafi Mohammad , Chua Lloyd H. C. , Quek Chai 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Recent advancements in neuro-fuzzy models (NFMs) have made possible the implementation of dynamic rule base systems. This is in comparison with static applications commonly seen in global NFMs such as the Adaptive-Network-Based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model widely used in hydrological modeling. This study underlines key differences between local and global NFMs with an emphasis on rule base dynamics, in the context of two common flow forecast applications. A global NFM, ANFIS, and two local NFMs, Dynamic Evolving Neural-Fuzzy Inference System (DENFIS) and Generic Self-Evolving Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (GSETSK), were tested. Results from all NFMs compared favorably when benchmarked against physically based models. Rainfall–runoff modeling is a complex process which benefits from the advanced rule generation and pruning mechanisms in GSETSK, resulting in a more compact rule base. Although ANFIS resulted in the same number of rules, this came about at the expense of having the need for a large training dataset. All NFMs generated a similar number of rules for the river routing application, although local NFMs yielded better results for forecasts at longer lead times. This is attributed to the fact that the routing procedure is less complex and can be adequately modeled by static NFMs.
Mineralization of organic matter and productivity of tifton 85 grass (Cynodon spp.) in soil incorporated with stabilized sludge from a vertical flow constructed wetland
Authors: Silva Diogo André P. , Matos Antonio T. , Matos Mateus P. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Little is known regarding how to discard the sludge accumulated in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VF-CWs) and what the potential impacts could be. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the mineralization of organic matter (OM) in soil and productivity of tifton 85 grass (Cynodon spp.) after incorporating sludge collected at different depths from a VF-CW (used to treat septic tank sludge), to a tropical soil (Oxisol). Sludge samples were collected at depths of 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 cm from a VF-CW that was used over a period of three years. The sludge collected at each depth was incorporated into the soil at a dose equivalent to 30 g m–2 year–1 of total nitrogen, and the experimental area was planted. During a period of 215 days, total and easily oxidizable carbon, total, ammonia, nitric and organic nitrogen in the residue-soil mixtures were analyzed. Based on the data obtained, the mineralization fractions (MF) were estimated for the specific monitoring period and annually considering first order and two-phase kinetic equations. The annual MF of the OM were higher than 96% and the sludge-amended soil resulted in an increase in grass yield.
This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.
Identification of tRNA-Derived Fragments Expression Profile in Breast Cancer Tissues
Authors: Wang Xiaoming , Yang Yining , Tan Xuyan , Mao Xuelian , Wei Da , Yao Yufeng , Jiang Pan , Mo Dongping , Wang Ting , Yan Feng 
Published: March 2019

Background:
In recent years, tRFs(transfer RNA-Derived Fragments) and transfer RNADerived
Stress-induced RNAs (or tRNA halves) have been shown to have vital roles in cancer biology.
We aimed to reveal the expression profile of tRNA-derived fragments in breast cancer tissues in
the study, and to explore their potential as biomarkers of breast cancer.

Methods:
We characterized the tRNA-derived fragments expression profile from 6 paired clinical
breast cancer tissues and adjacent normal samples. Then we selected 6 significantly expressed tRNAderived
fragments and screened the genes for validation by using Quantitative Real-time PCR. Gene
Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes biological pathway were finally analyzed.

Results:
We found 30 differentially expressed tRNA-derived fragments across our dataset, out of
which 17 were up-regulated, and 13 were down-regulated. Compared with 16 clinical breast cancer
tissues and adjacent normal tissues by qPCR, the results demonstrated that tRF-32-Q99P9P9NH57SJ
(FC = -2.6476, p = 0.0189), tRF-17-79MP9PP (FC = -4.8984, p = 0.0276) and tRF-32-
XSXMSL73VL4YK (FC = 6.5781, p = 0.0226) were significantly expressed in breast cancer tissues
(p < 0.001). tRF-32-XSXMSL73VL4YK was significantly up-regulated, and tRF-32-
Q99P9P9NH57SJ and tRF-17-79MP9PP were significantly down-regulated in which the expression
patterns were similar to the sequencing results. The top ten significant results of GO and KEGG pathways
enrichment analysis were presented.

Conclusion:
Our studies have demonstrated that there were significantly expressed tRNA-derived
fragments in breast cancer tissues. They are hopefully to become biomarkers and would be valuable
researches in this area.
One-year Follow-up Study of Hippocampal Subfield Atrophy in Alzheimer's Disease and Normal Aging
Authors: Madusanka Nuwan , Choi Heung-Kook , So Jae-Hong , Choi Boo-Kyeong , Park Hyeon Gyun 
Published: March 2019

Background:
In this study, we investigated the effect of hippocampal subfield atrophy
on the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by analyzing baseline magnetic resonance images
(MRI) and images collected over a one-year follow-up period. Previous studies have suggested that
morphological changes to the hippocampus are involved in both normal ageing and the development of AD. The volume of the hippocampus is an authentic imaging biomarker for AD. However,
the diverse relationship of anatomical and complex functional connectivity between different subfields implies that neurodegenerative disease could lead to differences between the atrophy rates of
subfields. Therefore, morphometric measurements at subfield-level could provide stronger biomarkers.

Methods:
Hippocampal subfield atrophies are measured using MRI scans, taken at multiple time
points, and shape-based normalization to a Montreal neurological institute (MNI) ICBM 152 nonlinear atlas. Ninety subjects were selected from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
(ADNI), and divided equally into Healthy Controls (HC), AD, and mild cognitive impairment
(MCI) groups. These subjects underwent serial MRI studies at three time-points: baseline, 6
months and 12 months.

Results:
We analyzed the subfield-level hippocampal morphometric effects of normal ageing and
AD based on radial distance mapping and volume measurements. We identified a general trend and
observed the largest hippocampal subfield atrophies in the AD group. Atrophy of the bilateral CA1,
CA2- CA4 and subiculum subfields was higher in the case of AD than in MCI and HC. We observed the highest rate of reduction in the total volume of the hippocampus, especially in the CA1
and subiculum regions, in the case of MCI.

Conclusion:
Our findings show that hippocampal subfield atrophy varies among the three study
groups.