bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Summative Report on Time Out of Play for Major and Minor League Baseball: An Analysis of 49,955 Injuries From 2011 Through 2016
Authors: Camp Christopher L. , Dines Joshua S. , van der List Jelle P. , Conte Stan , Conway Justin , Altchek David W. , Coleman Struan H. , Pearle Andrew D. 
Published: April 2018

Background: Recent epidemiologic reports have demonstrated rising injury rates in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB). Although several studies have recently been published on specific injuries, the majority of injuries have not yet been formally studied. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to (1) generate a summative analysis of all injuries that occur in MLB and MiLB, (2) identify the 50 most common injuries, and (3) generate focused reports and fact sheets on the characteristics of each of those diagnoses. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The MLB Health and Injury Tracking System was used to identify injuries occurring in MLB and MiLB players from 2011 to 2016. Injuries were defined as those that occurred during normal baseball activity and resulted in at least 1 day out of play. A multitude of player and injury characteristics were analyzed, and detailed reports of the 50 most commonly occurring injuries were generated. Results: A total of 49,955 injuries occurred during the study period; 45,123 were non–season ending, and they resulted in 722,176 days out of play. The mean (median) days missed per injury was 16 (6) days. Overall, 39.1% of all injuries occurred in pitchers. The upper extremity was involved in 39% of injuries, while 35% occurred in the hip/groin/lower extremity. Surgery was required in 6.5% of cases, and 9.7% of injuries were season ending. Hamstring strains were the most common injury (n = 3337), followed by rotator cuff strain/tear (n = 1874), paralumbar muscle strain (n = 1313), biceps tendinitis (n = 1264), oblique strain (n = 1249), and elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury (n = 1191). The diagnoses that were most likely to end a player’s season were elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury (60% season ending) and superior labrum anterior and posterior tear (50.9% season ending). Conclusion: Contrary to prior reports relying on disabled list data, the annual number of injuries in professional baseball remained steady from 2011 to 2016. Similar trends were noted for the annual number of days missed and mean days missed per injury. Although the mean days missed per injury was high (16), the median was much lower at 6 days.
Invasive Candidiasis in Critically Ill Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study in Two Tertiary Care Centers
Authors: Al-Dorzi Hasan M. , Sakkijha Hussam , Khan Raymond , Aldabbagh Tarek , Toledo Aron , Ntinika Pendo , Al Johani Sameera M. , Arabi Yaseen M. 
Published: April 2018

Background: Invasive candidiasis is not uncommon in critically ill patients but has variable epidemiology and outcomes between intensive care units (ICUs). This study evaluated the epidemiology, characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients with invasive candidiasis at 6 ICUs of 2 tertiary care centers. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of all adults admitted to 6 ICUs in 2 different hospitals between August 2012 and May 2016 and diagnosed to have invasive candidiasis by 2 intensivists according to predefined criteria. The epidemiology of isolated Candida and the characteristics, management, and outcomes of affected patients were studied. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the predictors of non-albicans versus albicans infection and hospital mortality. Results: Invasive candidiasis was diagnosed in 162 (age 58.4 ± 18.9 years, 52.2% males, 82.1% medical admissions, and admission Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score 24.1 ± 8.4) patients at a rate of 2.6 cases per 100 ICU admissions. On the diagnosis day, the Candida score was 2.4 ± 0.9 in invasive candidiasis compared with 1.6 ± 0.9 in Candida colonization ( P < .01). The most frequent species were albicans (38.3%), tropicalis (16.7%), glabrata (16%), and parapsilosis (13.6%). In patients with candidemia, antifungal therapy was started on average 1 hour before knowing the culture result (59.6% of therapy initiated after). Resistance to fluconazole, caspofungin, and amphotericin B occurred in 27.9%, 2.9%, and 3.1%, respectively. The hospital mortality was 58.6% with no difference between albicans and non-albicans infections (61.3% and 54.9%, respectively; P = .44). The independent predictors of mortality were renal replacement therapy after invasive candidiasis diagnosis (odds ratio: 5.42; 95% confidence interval: 2.16-13.56) and invasive candidiasis leading/contributing to ICU admission versus occurring during critical illness (odds ratio: 2.87; 95% confidence interval: 1.22-6.74). Conclusions: In critically ill patients with invasive candidiasis, non-albicans was responsible for most cases, and mortality was high (58.6%). Antifungal therapy was initiated after culture results in 60% suggesting low preclinical suspicion. Study registration: NCT01490684; registered in ClinicalTrials.gov on February 11, 2012.
Predictors of fracture risk in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Dey M , Bukhari M 
Published: April 2018

Objectives Bone loss in systemic lupus erythematosus is multifactorial. Recent studies demonstrate corticosteroids, previous fractures and increasing age decrease bone mineral density. The effect of body mass index and fat mass are less well characterized. We sought to determine fracture risk factors in patients undergoing dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning at a district hospital in 2004–2015. Methods Standard dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry parameters were recorded, plus rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, smoking status, alcohol consumption, family history of fractures, history of secondary operation and corticosteroid use. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test for categorical data and logistic regression for continuous data. Results One hundred and fifty patients (141 women, nine men) with SLE were included; 52 (34.6%) had sustained at least one fracture. Fracture risk increased with increased age, body mass index, fat mass and average tissue thickness, and decreased lean mass (adjusted for steroid use), as well as with smoking and rheumatoid arthritis. Increased femoral and vertebral bone mineral density conversely decreased fracture risk. Conclusion Our study suggests increased age, body mass index, fat mass, smoking and/or rheumatoid arthritis increase fracture risk in SLE patients. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a correlation between increased fat mass, adjusted for steroid use and fracture risk, in adults, potentially indicating a differential effect of fat on bone metabolism and lessening of lean body mass.
Intravenous pulses of methylprednisolone to treat flares of immune-mediated diseases: how much, how long?
Authors: Danza A , Borgia I , Narváez J I , Baccelli A , Amigo C , Rebella M , Domínguez V 
Published: April 2018

Introduction Glucocorticoids are widely used in the treatment of immune-mediated diseases. Despite their widespread use, details on dosing, effectiveness and adverse effects are yet to be determined. Objective To know the current use of methylprednisolone (MTP) in the management of immune-mediated conditions, evaluating the relationship among doses, therapeutic response and adverse effects. Methodology A multicenter retrospective cohort study was designed, including patients who received intravenous pulses of MTP between 1 January 2013 and 12 December 2015 in three different hospitals in Uruguay. The patients included received MTP to treat systemic autoimmune diseases (SADs), hematological, nephrological and neurologic diseases and others. The following variables were analyzed: age, gender, MTP cumulative dose, duration of treatment, clinical response (complete, partial and no response) and adverse effects. Results In total, 164 cases were identified, of which 118 (72%) were female. The median age was 48.4 (SD: 18) years. The indications for MTP included: neuroimmune-mediated 92 (56.1%), SADs 29 (17.5%), hematological 15 (9.1%), nephrological 12 (7.3%) and others 16 (9.9%). The median dose to achieve complete response was 3.2 g (SD: 1.5); the median dose to accomplish a partial response was 3.5 g (SD: 1.25); the median dose for non-responders was 3.3 g (SD 1.2) ( p > 0.05). The median dose in those patients with adverse effects was 3.4 g (SD 1.5) and the median dose for those who did not experience adverse effects was 3.3 g (SD: 1.3) ( p > 0.05). The most frequent adverse effects were infectious (22/164, 13.4%). Diabetics were found to have the highest incidence of adverse effects (13/16, 81%) in comparison to non-diabetics, p < 0.05. Discussion Our study suggests a wide range of doses and duration of treatments with MTP. No major associations were found between clinical response and the use of high MTP doses, but the latter was associated with a large proportion of severe infections. No severe infections were identified with MTP doses lower than 1.5 g. The diabetic population is known to be at risk of experiencing varied adverse effects to MTP. These observations reinforce the need for protocolized use of MTP in order to achieve a better relationship among doses, effectiveness and safety profile.
Examining Forward and Backward Linkages between Public and Private Investments
Authors: Das Ramesh Chandra , Das Amaresh , Ray Kamal 
Published: April 2018

Proper working of forward and backward linkages between the public and private investments in the face of balanced development of an economy is an already established fact in the literature of development economics.The present article is aimed at examining the working of these two linkage effects upon the economies of 24 countries in different economic status: whether public capital is more productive than private capital and finally to test whether public investments crowd-in or crowd-out the private investments for the period 1988–2013. The results show that, for the entire period, forward linkage has worked for Spain, Senegal and Ecuador and backward linkages worked for United States of America, United Kingdom, Thailand, South Africa, Nigeria, Cambodia, Rwanda and Paraguay. Both forward and backward linkages have happened for Ireland, China, India, Brazil and Peru. For the second objective, the numbers of instances of the income-generative capacities of both types of investments are a few in the entire as well pre-crisis phases unlike that of the post-crisis phase. And the results of the third objective show that there are the maximum instances in favour of crowding-in effects from either private to public or from public to private in all the time phases and a few instances in crowding-out effects. JEL: O18, H54, E22, E01
Type V Collagen is Persistently Altered After Inguinal Hernia Repair
Authors: Lorentzen L. , Henriksen N. A. , Juhl P. , Mortensen J. H. , Ågren M. S. , Karsdal M. A. , Jorgensen L. N. 
Published: April 2018

Background and Aims: Hernia formation is associated with alterations of collagen metabolism. Collagen synthesis and degradation cause a systemic release of products, which are measurable in serum. Recently, we reported changes in type V and IV collagen metabolisms in patients with inguinal and incisional hernia. The aim of this study was to determine if the altered collagen metabolism was persistent after hernia repair. Material and Methods: Patients who had undergone repairs for inguinal hernia (n = 11) or for incisional hernia (n = 17) were included in this study. Patients who had undergone elective cholecystectomy served as controls (n = 10). Whole venous blood was collected 35–55 months after operation. Biomarkers for type V collagen synthesis (Pro-C5) and degradation (C5M) and those for type IV collagen synthesis (P4NP) and degradation (C4M2) were measured by a solid-phase competitive assay. Results: The turnover of type V collagen (Pro-C5/C5M) was slightly higher postoperatively when compared to preoperatively in the inguinal hernia group (P = 0.034). In addition, the results revealed a postoperatively lower type V collagen turnover level in the inguinal hernia group compared to controls (P = 0.012). In the incisional hernia group, the type V collagen turnover was higher after hernia repair (P = 0.004) and the postoperative turnover level was not different from the control group (P = 0.973). Conclusion: Patients with an inguinal hernia demonstrated a systemic and persistent type V collagen turnover alteration. This imbalance of the collagen metabolism may be involved in the development of inguinal hernias.
A reliable and stable method for the determination of foretinib in human plasma by LC-MS/MS: Application to metabolic stability investigation and excretion rate
Authors: Attwa Mohamed W , Kadi Adnan A , Darwish Hany W , Amer Sawsan M , Alrabiah Haitham 
Published: April 2018

Foretinib (GSK1363089) is a multiple receptor tyrosine kinases inhibitor. In this study, a reliable, fast liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric method was described for assaying foretinib in plasma, urine, and rat liver microsome samples. Simple extraction procedure by protein preciptation with acetonitrile was implemented for foretinib and brigatinib (internal standard) analysis. Chromatographic resolution of analytes was achieved on C18 column with the help of isocratic mobile phase. The binary mobile phase consisted of 60% ammonium formate (10 mM, pH 4.2) and 40% acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. Run time was 3 min, and both foretinib and brigatinib were eluted within 0.74 and 1.95 min; they were detected in positive ion mode utilizing multiple reactions monitoring mode. Linearity of the proposed method ranged from 5 to 500 ng/mL (r2 ≥ 0.9993) in the human plasma. Lower limit of quantification and detection were 6.0 and 1.8 ng/mL, respectively. Intraday and interday precision and accuracy were 0.16 to 1.67 % and −2.39 to −0.52 %. In vitro half-life and intrinsic clearance were 24.93 min and 6.56 mL/min/kg, respectively. Literature review showed that no previous studies have been proposed for the analytical quantification of foretinib in human plasma or its metabolic stability. The established method was also applied to estimate the rate of foretinib excretion in rat urine. The developed method can be used for foretinib pharmacokinetic applications.
Immunogenicity and safety of subunit influenza vaccines in pregnant women
Authors: Kostinov Mikhail P. , Cherdantsev Alexander P. , Akhmatova Nelli K. , Praulova Daria A. , Kostinova Aristitsa M. , Akhmatova Elina A. , Demina Evgeniia O. 
Published: April 2018

Pregnancy is a condition of modulated immune suppression, so this group of patients has increased risk of infectious diseases.Trivalent subunit vaccines, unadjusted Agrippal S1 (group I) and immunoadjuvant Grippol Plus (group II), containing 5 μg of actual influenza virus strains, were administered respectively to 37 and 42 women in the second and third trimester of physiological pregnancy.The administration of subunit influenza vaccines was accompanied by the development of local reactions in no more than 10% of patients, compared with 4.9% of the 41 pregnant women in the placebo group (group III). Systemic reactions were of a general somatic nature, did not differ between vaccinated and placebo groups, and were not associated with vaccination. Physiological births in groups I, II and III were 94.6%, 92.9% and 85.4%, respectively, and the birth rates of children without pathologies were 91.9%, 90.5% and 80.5%, respectively, and were comparable between groups. Vaccination stimulated the production of protective antibodies against influenza virus strains in 64.8–94.5% of patients after immunisation with an unadjusted vaccine and in 72.5–90.0% of patients after the administration of an immunoadjuvant vaccine. After 9 months, antibody levels were recorded in 51.3–72.9% in group I and 54.2–74.2% in group II. Immunisation against influenza in pregnant women provided a high level of seroprotection and seroconversion. Nevertheless, the level of seroprotection against the influenza strain A(H3N2, Victoria) was slightly lower in the group immunised with an unadjusted vaccine compared to those vaccinated with the immunoadjuvant vaccine.
Aspergillus-induced superoxide production by cystic fibrosis phagocytes is associated with disease severity
Authors: Brunel Shan F. , Willment Janet A. , Brown Gordon D. , Devereux Graham , Warris Adilia 
Published: April 2018

Aspergillus fumigatusinfects up to 50% of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and may play a role in progressive lung disease. As cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator is expressed in cells of the innate immune system, we hypothesised that impaired antifungal immune responses play a role in CF-relatedAspergilluslung disease.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells, polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and monocytes were isolated from blood samples taken from CF patients and healthy volunteers. Live-cell imaging and colorimetric assays were used to assess antifungal activityin vitro. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured using luminol-induced chemiluminescence and was related to clinical metrics as collected by case report forms.CF phagocytes are as effective as those from healthy controls with regards to phagocytosis, killing and restricting germination ofA. fumigatusconidia. ROS production by CF phagocytes was up to four-fold greater than healthy controls (p<0.05). This effect could not be replicated in healthy phagocytes by priming with lipopolysaccharide or serum from CF donors. Increased production of ROS againstA. fumigatusby CF PMN was associated with an increased number of clinical exacerbations in the previous year (p=0.007) and reduced lung function (by forced expiratory volume in 1 s) (p=0.014).CF phagocytes mount an intrinsic exaggerated release of ROS uponA. fumigatusstimulation which is associated with clinical disease severity.
Mask pressure effects on the nasal bridge during short-term noninvasive ventilation
Authors: Brill Anne-Kathrin , Pickersgill Rachel , Moghal Mohammad , Morrell Mary J. , Simonds Anita K. 
Published: April 2018

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of different masks, ventilator settings and body positions on the pressure exerted on the nasal bridge by the mask and subjective comfort during noninvasive ventilation (NIV).We measured the pressure over the nasal bridge in 20 healthy participants receiving NIVviafour different NIV masks (three oronasal masks, one nasal mask) at three different ventilator settings and in the seated or supine position. Objective pressure measurements were obtained with an I-Scan pressure-mapping system. Subjective comfort of the mask fit was assessed with a visual analogue scale.The masks exerted mean pressures between 47.6±29 mmHg and 91.9±42.4 mmHg on the nasal bridge. In the supine position, the pressure was lower in all masks (57.1±31.9 mmHg supine, 63.9±37.3 mmHg seated; p<0.001). With oronasal masks, a change of inspiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP) did not influence the objective pressure over the nasal bridge. Subjective discomfort was associated with higher IPAP and positively correlated with the pressure on the skin.Objective measurement of pressure on the skin during mask fitting might be helpful for mask selection. Mask fitting in the supine position should be considered in the clinical routine.
Outcome of advanced lung cancer with central airway obstructionversuswithout central airway obstruction
Authors: Verma Akash , Goh Soon Keng , Tai Dessmon Y.H. , Kor Ai Ching , Soo Chun Ian , Seow Debra G.F. , Sein Zin Nge Nge , Samol Jens , Chopra Akhil , Abisheganaden John 
Published: April 2018

Patients with central airway obstruction (CAO) from advanced lung cancer present with significant morbidity and are assumed to have lower survival. Hence, they are offered only palliative support. We asked if patients who have advanced lung cancer with CAO (recanalised and treated) will behave similarly to those with advanced lung cancer without CAO.This study was a retrospective review of the medical records of the patients managed for advanced lung cancer during 2010 and 2015 at our institution.85 patients were studied. Median survival and 1-, 2- and 5-year survival were 5.8 months, 30.3%, 11.7% and 2.3%versus9.3 months, 35.7%, 9.6% and 4.7%, respectively, in the CAO and no CAO groups (p=0.30). More patients presented with respiratory failure (15 (35%)versusnone; p=0.0001) and required assisted mechanical ventilation (10 (23.3%)versusnone; p=0.001) in the CAO group compared with the no CAO group. Fewer patients received chemotherapy in the CAO group (11 (25.5%)) compared with the no CAO group (23 (54.7%); p=0.008).There was no difference in survival among patients with advanced lung cancer whether they presented with CAO or without CAO. Survival was similar to those without CAO in patients with recanalised CAO despite greater morbidity and lesser use of chemotherapy, strongly advocating bronchoscopic recanalisation of CAO. These findings dispel the nihilism associated with such cases.
Slow calcium waves mediate furrow microtubule reorganization and germ plasm compaction in the early zebrafish embryo
Authors: Eno Celeste , Gomez Timothy , Slusarski Diane C. , Pelegri Francisco 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACT
Zebrafish germ plasm ribonucleoparticles (RNPs) become recruited to furrows of early zebrafish embryos through their association with astral microtubules ends. During the initiation of cytokinesis, microtubules are remodeled into a furrow microtubule array (FMA), which is thought to be analogous to the mammalian midbody involved in membrane abscission. During furrow maturation, RNPs and FMA tubules transition from their original distribution along the furrow to enrichments at the furrow distal ends, which facilitates germ plasm mass compaction. We show that nebel mutants exhibit reduced furrow-associated slow calcium waves (SCWs), caused at least in part by defective enrichment of calcium stores. RNP and FMA distal enrichment mirrors the medial-to-distal polarity of SCWs, and inhibition of calcium release or downstream mediators such as Calmodulin affects RNP and FMA distal enrichment. Blastomeres with reduced or lacking SCWs, such as early blastomeres in nebel mutants and wild-type blastomeres at later stages, exhibit medially bundling microtubules similar to midbodies in other cell types. Our data indicate that SCWs provide medial-to-distal directionality along the furrow to facilitate germ plasm RNP enrichment at the furrow ends.
The triple helix of collagens – an ancient protein structure that enabled animal multicellularity and tissue evolution
Authors: Fidler Aaron L. , Boudko Sergei P. , Rokas Antonis , Hudson Billy G. 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACT
The cellular microenvironment, characterized by an extracellular matrix (ECM), played an essential role in the transition from unicellularity to multicellularity in animals (metazoans), and in the subsequent evolution of diverse animal tissues and organs. A major ECM component are members of the collagen superfamily –comprising 28 types in vertebrates – that exist in diverse supramolecular assemblies ranging from networks to fibrils. Each assembly is characterized by a hallmark feature, a protein structure called a triple helix. A current gap in knowledge is understanding the mechanisms of how the triple helix encodes and utilizes information in building scaffolds on the outside of cells. Type IV collagen, recently revealed as the evolutionarily most ancient member of the collagen superfamily, serves as an archetype for a fresh view of fundamental structural features of a triple helix that underlie the diversity of biological activities of collagens. In this Opinion, we argue that the triple helix is a protein structure of fundamental importance in building the extracellular matrix, which enabled animal multicellularity and tissue evolution.