bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trends in Publications on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Over the Past 40 Years on PubMed
Authors: Kambhampati Srinivas B.S. , Vaishya Raju 
Published: July 2019

Background: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most commonly operated ligament of the knee. Details on the top journals, universities, and authors on the topic would be helpful to identify the sources of information for clinical and research queries as well as to observe trends for future research and identify universities/authors of particular interest for training or to follow their research. Purpose: To consolidate information from PubMed on the ACL from 1979 to 2018, spanning 40 years. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A search of the PubMed database was conducted for the ACL, and 18,696 articles published over the past 40 years were analyzed for further details. These details included the number of publications per year, top 10 journals publishing on the ACL, top 10 first authors publishing articles on the ACL, and number of articles published with specific keywords. Data were also sought from the Scopus database regarding the top universities and countries publishing on the ACL. The coauthorship of articles and co-occurrence of terms in titles were also analyzed using VOSviewer. Results: There was a steady increase in the yearly average number of publications from 1979 to 2018. The top journal and top author publishing on the ACL were The American Journal of Sports Medicine and Freddie H. Fu, respectively. The most articles published by a first author were by K. Donald Shelbourne. Time-based links of Dr Fu to other authors were represented as VOSviewer output. Most occurrences of specific keywords in the title were also studied and listed. The United States was the most published country, and 8 of the top 10 universities that published were from this country. Conclusion: There has been a steady increase in the number of articles published in PubMed since 1979. It appears that interest on the topic of the ACL has not decreased or stabilized but rather increased significantly over the past few years. This article quantifies the increased interest and could act as a baseline for future studies to compare.
The Reliability of 2-Station Clerkship Objective Structured Clinical Examinations in Isolation and in Aggregate
Authors: Bernard Aaron W , Feinn Richard , Ceccolini Gabbriel , Brown Robert , Rosenberg Ilene , Trymbulak Walter , VanCott Christine 
Published: July 2019

Background: Most medical schools in the United States report having a 5- to 10-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) at the end of the core clerkship phase of the curriculum to assess clinical skills. We set out to investigate an alternative OSCE structure in which each clerkship has a 2-station OSCE. This study looked to determine the reliability of clerkship OSCEs in isolation to inform composite clerkship grading, as well as the reliability in aggregate, as a potential alternative to an end-of-third-year examination. Design: Clerkship OSCE data from the 2017-2018 academic year were analyzed: the generalizability coefficient (ρ2) and index of dependability (φ) were calculated for clerkships in isolation and in aggregate using variance components analysis. Results: In all, 93 students completed all examinations. The average generalizability coefficient for the individual clerkships was .47. Most often, the largest variance component was the interaction between the student and the station, indicating inconsistency in the performance of students between the 2 stations. Aggregate clerkship OSCE analysis demonstrated good reliability for consistency (ρ2 = .80). About one-third (33.8%) of the variance can be attributed to students, 8.2% can be attributed to the student by clerkship interaction, and 42.6% can be attributed to the student by block interaction, indicating that students’ relative performances varied by block. Conclusions: Two-station clerkship OSCEs have poor to fair reliability, and this should inform the weighting of the composite clerkship grade. Aggregating data results in good reliability. The largest source of variance in the aggregate was student by block, suggesting testing over several blocks may have advantages compared with a single day examination.
Rate of Improvement in Outcomes Measures After Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Longitudinal Study With 2-Year Follow-up
Authors: Shields Edward , Koueiter Denise M , Wiater J Michael 
Published: July 2019

Background Few studies report rate of improvement following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) in a single cohort. The purpose of this study was to compare functional scores following RTSA across postoperative time points in patients who have follow-up scores available at all selected time points. Methods A prospective database was retrospectively queried for patients with functional outcome data from preoperatively and after RTSA at 3 to 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years, excluding any patients with data missing at these points. All patients included had measures from every time point. Collected outcomes included American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), visual analog scale pain, subjective shoulder value (SSV), and range of motion. Results Outcomes from 173 shoulders were analyzed. Average age was 68 ± 9 years, 68% were females, and 15% were revision cases. The average preoperative ASES score (33 ± 17) improved to 73 ± 18 at 3 to 6 months, 80 ± 19 at 1 year, and 81 ± 19 at 2 years after RTSA. Only outcomes at 1 and 2 years were not significantly different ( P = 1.0). SSV scores and forward elevation followed this pattern, with large improvements in the first 3 to 6 months, then reaching a plateau at 1 year. External and internal rotations did not improve by 3 to 6 months, but did significantly improve by 1 year, and remained stable through 2 years. Pain scores improved from 6.8 points before surgery to roughly 1.3 points at all subsequent time points. Conclusions Patients undergoing RTSA can expect significant reductions in pain and the majority of their functional gains to occur in the first 6 months after surgery. At 12 months after RTSA, the average patient will achieve maximal improvement.
Thermally expanded vermiculite as a risk-free and general-purpose sorbent for hazardous chemical spillages
Authors: Cuong Nguyen Duc , Hue Vu Thi , Kim Yong Shin 
Published: July 2019

AbstractExpanded vermiculite with excellent thermal and chemical stability was investigated as a reliable sorbent for hazardous liquid spillages, including those leading to fire and explosion risks. Many expanded samples were prepared by rapid heating using both different temperatures and dissimilar vermiculite dimensions. Their capabilities for hazard clean-up were correlated with the structural characteristics of expanded vermiculite with slit-shaped porosity. When using optimized vermiculite, the moderate sorption capacities of 1.5–3.0 g g−1 were obtained for various hazardous chemicals, including hydrophilic/hydrophobic organic chemicals and strongly acidic/basic solutions. The sorption capacities depended more strongly on physical properties, such as the pore volume of the sorbent and the density of the absorbed liquid, rather than the vermiculite's chemical composition. The void space interconnected by interparticle/intraparticle pores worked as imbibing pathways due to their capillarity, resulting in the rapid, spontaneous sorption of hazardous chemicals. The hazardous chemicals may be removed from a testing vessel via sorption with an efficiency of >94 wt.% for 10 min. These results demonstrate that the expanded vermiculite may be a potential candidate as a reliable general-purpose sorbent for hazardous materials clean-up under harsh conditions.
Diabetic macular edema treated with intravitreal aflibercept injection after treatment with other anti-VEGF agents (SWAP-TWO study): 6-month interim analysis
Authors: Babiuch Amy S. , Conti Thais F. , Conti Felipe F. , Silva Fabiana Q. , Rachitskaya Aleksandra , Yuan Alex , Singh Rishi P. 
Published: July 2019

Abstract
Background
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is an important cause of vision loss and despite the anatomical and functional improvement achieved with treatment, there are reports of persistent DME regardless of continuous anti-VEGF therapy. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of patients with DME previously treated with other anti-VEGF agents who are transitioned to intravitreal aflibercept (IAI) on a fixed dosing regimen.

Methods
This prospective study included 20 patients presenting with DME with a history of previous anti-VEGF treatment with ranibizumab or bevacizumab. Patients received a 2 mg (0.05 mL) IAI every 4 weeks until no evidence of fluid by optical coherence tomography (OCT) followed by a fixed dosing schedule of 2 mg IAI once every 8 weeks through 24 months. There was a pre-planned interim analysis of the mean absolute change from baseline central foveal thickness at month 6 as measured by OCT. Secondary outcomes included mean change from baseline in ETDRS visual acuity and anatomic parameters. Optical Coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) capillary perfusion density (CPD) after transitioning to IAI therapy were also reported.

Results
Average central subfield thickness on OCT at baseline was 419.7 ± 92.0 and improved to 303.8 ± 73.1 at 6-months (p < 0.001). At 6 months after IAI treatment, BCVA increased + 1.5 letters from baseline (p = 0.38). OCTA CPD analysis revealed significant increase from baseline in the foveal avascular zone in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy group (p = 0.02).

Conclusions
Patients with prior anti-VEGF therapy who were transitioned to IAI therapy revealed significant anatomic improvements through 6 months.
Trial registration Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema With Aflibercept in Subjects Previously Treated With Ranibizumab or Bevacizumab (SwapTwo), Trial registration number: NCT02559180. Date of registration: September 24, 2015.https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02559180
Rorβ regulates selective axon-target innervation in the mammalian midbrain
Authors: Byun Haewon , Lee Hae-Lim , Liu Hong , Forrest Douglas , Rudenko Andrii , Kim In-Jung 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACT
Developmental control of long-range neuronal connections in the mammalian midbrain remains unclear. We explored the mechanisms regulating target selection of the developing superior colliculus (SC). The SC is a midbrain center that directs orienting behaviors and defense responses. We discovered that a transcription factor, Rorβ, controls establishment of axonal projections from the SC to two thalamic nuclei: the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and the lateral posterior nucleus (LP). A genetic strategy used to visualize SC circuits revealed that in control animals Rorβ+ neurons abundantly innervate the dLGN but barely innervate the LP. The opposite phenotype was observed in global and conditional Rorb mutants: projections to the dLGN were strongly decreased, and projections to the LP were increased. Furthermore, overexpression of Rorb in the wild type showed increased projections to the dLGN and decreased projections to the LP. In summary, we identified Rorβ as a key developmental mediator of colliculo-thalamic innervation. Such regulation could represent a general mechanism orchestrating long-range neuronal connections in the mammalian brain.
The lymphoid-associated interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R) regulates tissue-resident macrophage development
Authors: Leung Gabriel A. , Cool Taylor , Valencia Clint H. , Worthington Atesh , Beaudin Anna E. , Forsberg E. Camilla 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACT
The discovery of a fetal origin for tissue-resident macrophages (trMacs) has inspired an intense search for the mechanisms underlying their development. Here, we performed in vivo lineage tracing of cells with an expression history of IL7Rα, a marker exclusively associated with the lymphoid lineage in adult hematopoiesis. Surprisingly, we found that Il7r-Cre labeled fetal-derived, adult trMacs. Labeling was almost complete in some tissues and partial in others. The putative progenitors of trMacs, yolk sac (YS) erythromyeloid progenitors, did not express IL7R, and YS hematopoiesis was unperturbed in IL7R-deficient mice. In contrast, tracking of IL7Rα message levels, surface expression, and Il7r-Cre-mediated labeling across fetal development revealed dynamic regulation of Il7r mRNA expression and rapid upregulation of IL7Rα surface protein upon transition from monocyte to macrophage within fetal tissues. Fetal monocyte differentiation in vitro produced IL7R+ macrophages, supporting a direct progenitor-progeny relationship. Additionally, blockade of IL7R function during late gestation specifically impaired the establishment of fetal-derived trMacs in vivo. These data provide evidence for a distinct function of IL7Rα in fetal myelopoiesis and identify IL7R as a novel regulator of trMac development.
Secondary crest myofibroblast PDGFRα controls the elastogenesis pathway via a secondary tier of signaling networks during alveologenesis
Authors: Li Changgong , Lee Matt K. , Gao Feng , Webster Sha , Di Helen , Duan Jiang , Yang Chang-Yo , Bhopal Navin , Peinado Neil , Pryhuber Gloria , Smith Susan M. , Borok Zea , Bellusci Saverio , Minoo Parviz 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACT
Postnatal alveolar formation is the most important and the least understood phase of lung development. Alveolar pathologies are prominent in neonatal and adult lung diseases. The mechanisms of alveologenesis remain largely unknown. We inactivated Pdgfra postnatally in secondary crest myofibroblasts (SCMF), a subpopulation of lung mesenchymal cells. Lack of Pdgfra arrested alveologenesis akin to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a neonatal chronic lung disease. The transcriptome of mutant SCMF revealed 1808 altered genes encoding transcription factors, signaling and extracellular matrix molecules. Elastin mRNA was reduced, and its distribution was abnormal. Absence of Pdgfra disrupted expression of elastogenic genes, including members of the Lox, Fbn and Fbln families. Expression of EGF family members increased when Tgfb1 was repressed in mouse. Similar, but not identical, results were found in human BPD lung samples. In vitro, blocking PDGF signaling decreased elastogenic gene expression associated with increased Egf and decreased Tgfb family mRNAs. The effect was reversible by inhibiting EGF or activating TGFβ signaling. These observations demonstrate the previously unappreciated postnatal role of PDGFA/PDGFRα in controlling elastogenic gene expression via a secondary tier of signaling networks composed of EGF and TGFβ.
The RNA-binding protein QKI controls alternative splicing in vascular cells, producing an effective model for therapy
Authors: Caines Rachel , Cochrane Amy , Kelaini Sophia , Vila-Gonzalez Marta , Yang Chunbo , Eleftheriadou Magdalini , Moez Arya , Stitt Alan W. , Zeng Lingfang , Grieve David J. , Margariti Andriana 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACT
Dysfunction of endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) leads to ischaemia, the central pathology of cardiovascular disease. Stem cell technology will revolutionise regenerative medicine, but a need remains to understand key mechanisms of vascular differentiation. RNA-binding proteins have emerged as novel post-transcriptional regulators of alternative splicing and we have previously shown that the RNA-binding protein Quaking (QKI) plays roles in EC differentiation. In this study, we decipher the role of the alternative splicing isoform Quaking 6 (QKI-6) to induce VSMC differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). PDGF-BB stimulation induced QKI-6, which bound to HDAC7 intron 1 via the QKI-binding motif, promoting HDAC7 splicing and iPS-VSMC differentiation. Overexpression of QKI-6 transcriptionally activated SM22 (also known as TAGLN), while QKI-6 knockdown diminished differentiation capability. VSMCs overexpressing QKI-6 demonstrated greater contractile ability, and upon combination with iPS-ECs-overexpressing the alternative splicing isoform Quaking 5 (QKI-5), exhibited higher angiogenic potential in vivo than control cells alone. This study demonstrates that QKI-6 is critical for modulation of HDAC7 splicing, regulating phenotypically and functionally robust iPS-VSMCs. These findings also highlight that the QKI isoforms hold key roles in alternative splicing, giving rise to cells which can be used in vascular therapy or for disease modelling.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Considerations related to vaping as a possible gateway into cigarette smoking: an analytical review
Authors: Lee Peter N. , Coombs Katharine J. , Afolalu Esther F. 
Published: July 2019

Background: Compared to cigarette smoking, e-cigarette use is likely to present a reduced risk of smoking-related disease (SRD). However, several studies have shown that vaping predicts smoking initiation and might provide a gateway into smoking for those who otherwise would never have smoked. This paper considers various aspects of the gateway issue in youths. Methods: Here, we reviewed studies (N=15) of the gateway effect examining how extensively they accounted for confounders associated with smoking initiation in youths. We estimated how omitting a confounder, or misclassifying it, might bias the association between vaping and smoking initiation. We assessed how smoking prevalence might be affected by any true gateway effect, and examined trends in youth smoking and e-cigarette use from national surveys. Results: The list of smoking predictors adjusted for in studies reporting a significant gateway effect is not comprehensive, rarely considering internalising/externalising disorders, outcome expectancies, school performance, anxiety, parental smoking and peer attitudes. Furthermore, no study adjusted for residual confounding from inaccurately measured predictors. Better adjustment may substantially reduce the estimated gateway effect. Calculations showed that as any true gateway effects increase, there are much smaller increases in smoking prevalence, and that gateway effects increase only if initiating vaping is more frequent than initiating smoking. These effects on prevalence also depend on the relative odds of quitting vs. initiation. Data from five surveys in US/UK youths all show that, regardless of sex and age, smoking prevalence in 2014–2016 declined faster than predicted by the preceding trend, suggesting the absence of a substantial gateway effect. We also present arguments suggesting that even with some true gateway effect, introducing e-cigarettes likely reduces SRD risk. Conclusions: A true gateway effect in youths has not yet been demonstrated. Even if it were, e-cigarette introduction may well have had a beneficial population health impact.
Protocol for a factorial randomised controlled trial, embedded within WHiTE 8 COPAL, of an Enhanced Trainee Principal Investigator Package and Additional Digital Nudge to increase recruitment rates
Authors: Agni Nickil , Fairhurst Caroline , McDaid Catriona , Reed Mike , Torgerson David J. 
Published: July 2019

Recruitment remains an issue when conducting randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with a significant proportion of studies failing to reach their target sample size. Studies evaluating interventions to improve recruitment aimed specifically at recruiters to the trial are limited in number. This factorial RCT will evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to trainee principal investigators and a positive reinforcement intervention via an email nudge on increasing recruitment. The targeted recruiters will be in 20 centres nationally recruiting to one large orthopaedic randomised controlled trial, WHiTE 8 COPAL. Centres will be randomised via minimisation to one of four groups. The primary outcome is recruitment rate in the first six months that a centre is actively recruiting, with data being analysed via a Poisson regression model. Results will be presented as adjusted incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Secondary outcomes relate to the feasibility and logistics of running the interventions. We will also collect feedback regarding the educational programme set out for the trainee principal investigators. The study started in August 2018 with the anticipation of the primary objective endpoint by October 2019. The results of this study will be used to inform the design of future RCTs, particularly in orthopaedics in the UK, where the role of Trainee Principal Investigators is now a consistent one across different trials. Trial registration: 11600053, ISRCTN, 20/08/2018; SWAT 67, Northern Ireland Hub for Trials Methodology Research SWAT repository, 01/10/2017.
Are evidence-based vasectomy surgical techniques performed in low-resource countries?
Authors: Labrecque Michel 
Published: July 2019

Background: Research evidence published 10 to 15 years ago has shown that the type of vasectomy surgical technique performed can influence the effectiveness and the safety of the procedure. The objective of this study was to determine if evidence-based vasectomy surgical techniques are integrated in the vasectomy programs of selected low-resource countries. Methods: The surgical techniques recommended to perform the two steps of the vasectomy procedure (isolation/exposition and occlusion of the vas deferens) were extracted from current evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Documents describing male sterilisation standards and practice from Kenya, Rwanda, India, Nepal, Mexico, Honduras, Colombia and Haiti were reviewed to assess adequacy with international guideline recommendations. Results: Best recommended techniques are 1) a minimally invasive technique including the no-scalpel technique (known as the no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV)) to isolate and expose the vas deferens, and 2) cautery of the mucosa of the vas preferably combined with interposition of the fascia (FI) to occlude the vas deferens. The NSV is largely adopted and performed to isolate the vas in selected low-resources countries. Ligation and excision (LE) of a small segment of the vas deferens combined with FI is the most common vas occlusion technique mentioned in the country standards. Cautery as recommended in the guidelines is seldom used in selected countries. Conclusions: Effective and adapted vasectomy vas occlusion techniques are available, but are still underused in many low-resource countries. Providing the most effective vasectomy surgical techniques increases users’ confidence and satisfaction regarding male sterilization and may lead to higher acceptability and uptake.