bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Statin Use on Mortality in Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases
Authors: Jorge April M. , Lu Na , Keller Sarah F. , Rai Sharan K. , Zhang Yuqing , Choi Hyon K. 
Published: September 2018

Objective.Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD) are associated with an increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. We examined the potential survival benefit of statin use among patients with SARD in a general population setting.Methods.We conducted an incident user cohort study using a UK general population database. Our population included patients with a SARD as determined by Read code diagnoses of systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, Sjögren syndrome, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, mixed connective tissue disease, Behçet disease, or antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2014. We compared propensity score–matched cohorts of statin initiators and noninitiators within 1-year cohort accrual blocks to account for potential confounders, including disease duration, body mass index, lifestyle factors, comorbidities, and medication use.Results.Of 2305 statin initiators, 298 died during the followup period (mean 5.1 yrs), whereas among 2305 propensity score–matched noninitiators, 338 died during the followup period (mean 4.8 yrs). This corresponded to mortality rates of 25.4/1000 and 30.3/1000 person-years, respectively. Statin initiation was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.72–0.98). When we compared the unmatched cohorts, the statin initiators (n = 2863) showed increased mortality (HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.58–2.16) compared with noninitiators (n = 2863 randomly selected within 1-year cohort accrual blocks) because of confounding by indication.Conclusion.In this general population–based study, statin initiation was shown to reduce overall mortality in patients with SARD after adjusting for relevant determinates of CVD risk.
Wetgeving en de toets der kritiek
Authors: van Gestel R.A.J. 
Published: September 2018

Wetgeving en de toets der kritiek
De ex-antewetgevingstoetsing heeft sinds 1990 onder invloed van met name het streven naar vermindering en vereenvoudiging van regelgeving een hoge vlucht genomen. Het lijkt er echter op dat juist op het punt van deregulering en alternatieven voor wetgeving de meerwaarde ervan de afgelopen decennia beperkt is gebleven, mede omdat het toetsingsproces te veel gericht is op het vinden van consensus in plaats van het organiseren van kritiek en tegenspraak. Deze bijdrage stelt voor om een andere weg in te slaan, waarin meer nadruk ligt op procedurevoorschriften, afstandelijker toetsing en een meer systematische koppeling van ex-ante- en ex-postevaluatie.
Quercetin attenuates hypertension induced by sodium fluoride via reduction in oxidative stress and modulation of HSP 70/ERK/PPARγ signaling pathways
Authors: Oyagbemi Ademola Adetokunbo , Omobowale Temidayo Olutayo , Ola‐Davies Olufunke Eunice , Asenuga Ebunoluwa Racheal , Ajibade Temitayo Olabisi , Adejumobi Olumuyiwa Abiola , Arojojoye Oluwatosin Adetola , Afolabi Jeremiah Moyinoluwa , Ogunpolu Blessing Seun , Falayi Olufunke Olubunmi , Hassan Fasilat Oluwakemi , Ochigbo Grace Onyeche , Saba Adebowale Benard , Adedapo Adeolu Alex , Yakubu Momoh Audu 
Published: September 2018

AbstractHypertension is one of the silent killers in the world with high mortality and morbidity. The exposure of humans and animals to fluoride and/or fluoride containing compounds is almost inevitable. This study investigated the modulatory effects of quercetin on sodium fluoride (NaF)‐induced hypertension and cardiovascular complications. Forty male rats were randomly separated into four groups (n =10). Group A animals served as the control, rats in Group B were exposed to 300 ppm of NaF, Groups C and D animals were exposed to 300 ppm of NaF along with quercetin orally at 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg orally by gavage, while NaF was administered in drinking water, respectively, for a week. Administration of NaF caused severe hypertension as indicated with significant increases in the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure, together with prolonged ventricular depolarization (QRS) and the time between the start of the Q wave and the end of the T wave in the heart's electrical cycle (QT) intervals when compared with controls. NaF significantly decreased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, caused increase in markers of oxidative stress and renal damage when compared with controls. Immunohistochemical staining revealed lower expressions of Hsp70, ERK, and PPARγ in the heart, kidney, and aorta of rats‐administered NaF relative to the controls. Together, quercetin co‐treatment with NaF restored blood pressure, normalized QRS interval, and improved antioxidant defense system. © 2018 BioFactors, 44(5):465–479, 2018
Physicochemical, textural, and in vitro starch digestion properties of nixtamalized maize flour and tortillas enriched with sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) bran
Authors: Buitimea‐Cantúa Nydia E. , de la Rosa‐Millán Julián 
Published: September 2018

AbstractBackground and objectivesSorghum seeds generally undergo abrasive decortication to remove the pericarp and facilitate its use as food ingredient; from this process, sorghum bran (SB) is obtained in good quantities and is often discarded; however, it presents some functional properties and has been used to improve some baked products. In this work, we analyzed the impact of the substitution at 5% and 10% of SB to nixtamalized maize flour (NMF) in tortillas, in terms of their total dietary fiber (TDF) and its fractions (soluble and insoluble, respectively), and the effect of its addition on pasting profiles, in vitro starch digestion, predicted glycemic index (pGI), and some textural parameters such as firmness and rollability.FindingsThe incorporation of 10% SB had a dilution effect on the total starch and AMY in both composite flours and tortillas, but it significantly increased the peak viscosity (PV) and final viscosity (FV), as well as the insoluble dietary fiber (IDF), up to 20.05% more than the control tortilla, and this could be related to molecular interactions among fibers, protein, and starch molecules.ConclusionsThe additional fiber resulted in an improved texture and flexibility of tortillas, compared to their control. This behavior was related to the water absorption characteristics of SB and possible interactions with the starch molecules from NMF.Significance and noveltyThe addition of SB could be a good alternative to enhance the TDF content, promoting a lower pGI, and enhance the overall texture of maize tortillas.
Finite element modeling of near‐wall mass transport in cardiovascular flows
Authors: Hansen Kirk B. , Arzani Amirhossein , Shadden Shawn C. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractMany cardiovascular processes involve mass transport between blood and the vessel wall. Finite element methods are commonly used to numerically simulate these processes. Cardiovascular mass transport problems are typically characterized by high Péclet numbers, requiring fine near‐wall mesh resolution as well as the use of stabilization techniques to avoid numerical instabilities. In this work, we develop a set of guidelines for solving high–Péclet‐number near‐wall mass transport problems using the finite element method. We use a steady, idealized test case to investigate the required mesh resolution and finite element basis order to accurately capture near‐wall concentration boundary layers, as well as the performance of several commonly used stabilization techniques. Linear tetrahedral meshes were found to outperform quadratic tetrahedral meshes of equivalent degrees of freedom, and the commonly used discontinuity‐capturing stabilization technique was found to be overly diffusive for these types of problems. Best practices derived from the idealized test case were then applied to a typical patient‐specific vascular blood flow modeling application, where it was found that the commonly applied technique of avoiding numerical difficulties by artificially increasing mass diffusivity provides qualitatively similar but quantitatively erroneous results.
Preoperative prediction of sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer by radiomic signatures from dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI
Authors: Liu Chunling , Ding Jie , Spuhler Karl , Gao Yi , Serrano Sosa Mario , Moriarty Meghan , Hussain Shahid , He Xiang , Liang Changhong , Huang Chuan 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundSentinel lymph node (SLN) status is an important prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer, which is currently determined in clinical practice by invasive SLN biopsy.PurposeTo noninvasively predict SLN metastasis in breast cancer using dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) intra‐ and peritumoral radiomics features combined with or without clinicopathologic characteristics of the primary tumor.Study TypeRetrospective.PopulationA total of 163 breast cancer patients (55 positive SLN and 108 negative SLN).Field Strength/Sequence1.5T, T1‐weighted DCE‐MRI.AssessmentA total of 590 radiomic features were extracted for each patient from both intratumoral and peritumoral regions of interest. To avoid overfitting, the dataset was randomly separated into a training set (∼67%) and a validation set (∼33%). The prediction models were built with the training set using logistic regression on the most significant radiomic features in the training set combined with or without clinicopathologic characteristics. The prediction performance was further evaluated in the independent validation set.Statistical TestsMann–Whitney U‐test, Spearman correlation, least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) regression, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were performed.ResultsCombining radiomic features with clinicopathologic characteristics, six features were automatically selected in the training set to establish the prediction model of SLN metastasis. In the independent validation set, the area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.869 (NPV = 0.886). Using radiomic features alone in the same procedure, 4 features were selected and the validation set AUC was 0.806 (NPV = 0.824).Data ConclusionThis is the first attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of using DCE‐MRI radiomics to predict SLN metastasis in breast cancer. Clinicopathologic characteristics improved the prediction performance. This study provides noninvasive methods to evaluate SLN status for guiding further treatment of breast cancer patients, and can potentially benefit those with negative SLN, by eliminating unnecessary invasive lymph node removal and the associated complications, which is a step further towards precision medicine.Level of Evidence: 1Technical Efficacy: Stage 2J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;49:131–140.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Ultrasound‐Guided Fine‐Needle Aspiration for Assessing Suspected Deep Pelvic or Abdominal Recurrence in Gynecologic Cancer: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Subtil José Carlos , Alcázar Juan Luis , Betes Maria Teresa , Mínguez José Ángel , Zozaya Francisco Javier , Chacon Enrique , Manzour Nabil , Hidalgo Alberto , Lozano Maria Dolores , Muñoz‐Navas Miguel , Jurado Matías 
Published: September 2018

ObjectivesTo assess the feasibility of gastrointestinal endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) for histologic confirmation of cancer recurrence in women with gynecologic cancer.MethodsThis work was a retrospective cohort study comprising 46 consecutive women treated for gynecologic cancer and suspected of having a deep pelvic or abdominal recurrence on ultrasound imaging, computed tomography, positron emission tomography–computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging, evaluated at our institution from January 2010 to December 2017. Primary cancer was ovarian (n = 22), cervical (n = 13), endometrial (n = 4), sarcoma (n = 4), and other (n = 3). All women underwent EUS examinations for locating the lesion and guiding FNA. The results of FNA (benign/malignant) were assessed. Procedure‐related complications were recorded.ResultsThe patients' mean age was 57.8 years. A total of 66 procedures were performed. Eleven women underwent 2 procedures; 2 women underwent 3 procedures; and 1 woman underwent 6 procedures at different times during the study period. In 1 case, no lesion was detected on the EUS assessment, and in 2 cases, FNA was not successful. Most lesions were located in the retroperitoneum or involved the intestine. Fine‐needle aspiration could be performed in 63 cases (94.5%). Cytologic samples were adequate in 62 of 63 (98.4%). Recurrence was confirmed in 56 cases (90.3%) and ruled out in 6 (9.7%). No patient had any complication related to the procedure.ConclusionsEndoscopic ultrasound‐guided FNA is a minimally invasive, feasible, and safe technique for confirming pelvic/abdominal recurrence of gynecologic cancer.
Biological degradation of aflatoxin M1 by Bacillus pumilus E‐1‐1‐1
Authors: Gu Xinxi , Sun Jilu , Cui Yuqi , Wang Xianghong , Sang Yaxin 
Published: September 2018

AbstractAflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a potent mycotoxin which causes serious health concerns in developing countries, where it is mainly found in milk, meat, and other foods. Biological detoxification is a promising method for eliminating AFM1. The aim of this work was to search for AFM1‐degrading bacterial strains from animal waste, soil, and activated sludge. High‐performance liquid chromatography and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy were used to analyze the AFM1 degradation products. A strain designated E‐1‐1‐1 was obtained from African elephants feces, with the degradation ratio of AFM1 reaching 89.55% in 12 hr. Based on morphology, physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain E‐1‐1‐1 was identified as Bacillus pumilus. The culture supernatant of B. pumilus E‐1‐1‐1 degraded AFM1 effectively, whereas the cells and cell extracts of B. pumilus E‐1‐1‐1 were far less effective. Carbon and nitrogen sources had highly significant effects on the degradation of AFM1 by B. pumilus E‐1‐1‐1. The AFM1‐degrading strain, B. pumilus E1‐1‐1, could have great potential in industrial applications.
The unfolding spectrum of inherited distal myopathies
Authors: Milone Margherita , Liewluck Teerin 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTDistal myopathies are a group of rare muscle diseases characterized by distal weakness at onset. Although acquired myopathies can occasionally present with distal weakness, the majority of distal myopathies have a genetic etiology. Their age of onset varies from early‐childhood to late‐adulthood while the predominant muscle weakness can affect calf, ankle dorsiflexor, or distal upper limb muscles. A spectrum of muscle pathological changes, varying from nonspecific myopathic changes to rimmed vacuoles to myofibrillar pathology to nuclei centralization, have been noted. Likewise, the underlying molecular defect is heterogeneous. In addition, there is emerging evidence that distal myopathies can result from defective proteins encoded by genes causative of neurogenic disorders, be manifestation of multisystem proteinopathies or the result of the altered interplay between different genes. In this review, we provide an overview on the clinical, electrophysiological, pathological, and molecular aspects of distal myopathies, focusing on the most recent developments in the field. Muscle Nerve 59:283–294, 2019
Alternaria‐Toxine treten in Erscheinung
Authors: Rychlik Michael , Gotthardt Marina , Kietz Roland , Maurer Andrea , Gunkel Klara , Asam Stefan , Mönch Sabine 
Published: September 2018

AbstractSchimmelpilze der Gattung Alternaria sind weit verbreitet, wachsen auf Nutzpflanzen und hinterlassen giftige Stoffwechselprodukte. Aber anders als Aspergillus‐, Penicillium‐ und Fusarium‐Arten sind sie nur wenig untersucht, und für die Toxine existieren keine Höchstgehalte in Lebens‐ und Futtermitteln. Mit neuen Analysenmethoden könnte sich das ändern.
Risikowahrnehmung: Chemiekenntnisse sind gut, reichen aber nicht
Authors: Hartmann Sabrina , Klaschka Ursula 
Published: September 2018

AbstractSind Personen mit sehr guten Chemiekenntnissen Experten für die Risikobewertung von gesundheits‐ und umweltgefährdenden Stoffen in Alltagsprodukten?
Assessment of distress and quality of life in rare cancers
Authors: Bergerot Cristiane Decat , Bergerot Paulo Gustavo , Philip Errol J. , De Domenico Edvane Birelo Lopes , Manhaes Maria Fernanda Marcusso , Pedras Renata Nunes , Salgia Meghan M. , Dizman Nazli , Ashing Kimlin Tam , Li Min , Dale William , Pal Sumanta K. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObjectiveRare cancers are a heterogeneous group of conditions that can be associated with emotional and physical impairments. In view of the dearth of research in this area, we investigated the quality of life and prevalence of distress in a cohort of patients diagnosed with a rare cancer, classified by the RARECARE definition.MethodsA cohort of rare cancer patients, treated in a Brazilian public cancer center, was assessed for distress (Distress Thermometer), anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General Version). Descriptive statistics were generated, and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors associated with distress, anxiety/depression, and quality of life.ResultsA total of 137 patients (52.6% male, mean age of 50 years; range 18‐90) were identified. Nearly half (49.6%) of patients reported high levels of distress, with 19.7% endorsing anxiety and 15.3% depression. In multivariate analysis, demographic and clinical variables associated with worse psychosocial outcomes included younger age (P < 0.05), female gender (P < 0.01), advanced disease stage (P < 0.01), and engagement in active therapy (P < 0.05).ConclusionsPatients diagnosed with rare cancer reported poorer psychosocial outcomes and impaired quality of life when compared to the general population of cancer patients. Certain demographic groups (eg, women and younger patients) may benefit from targeted psychosocial interventions.
Structures of the ligand‐binding domain of Helicobacter pylori chemoreceptor TlpA
Authors: Sweeney Emily G. , Perkins Arden , Kallio Karen , James Remington Stephen , Guillemin Karen 
Published: September 2018

AbstractBacteria use chemoreceptor proteins to sense and navigate their chemical environments. The most common class of chemoreceptors are transmembrane proteins that sense chemical cues through binding of a small‐molecule ligand to a periplasmic domain, which modulates the receptor's ability to stimulate reversal of the cell's flagella motors. The prevalent gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori uses such membrane‐bound chemoreceptors, called transducer‐like proteins (Tlp), to colonize and persist within the stomach. TlpA has been implicated in sensing arginine, bicarbonate, and acid, but no experimentally determined protein structures of TlpA were available to better understand ligand binding and signal transduction. Here, we report three crystal structures of the periplasmic portion of TlpA, which contains tandem PAS/Cache domains, similar to a recently published structure of the lactate‐sensing chemoreceptor TlpC from H. pylori. These structures are the first to show a tandem PAS/Cache‐form chemoreceptor in its native homo dimer oligomer, and we identify residues that are key contributers to the dimer interface. We performed sequence analyses to identify TlpA and TlpC homologs and used residue conservation among these homologs to implicate regions important for the general tandem PAS/Cache fold, and residues specific to TlpA function. Comparisons with TlpC show that despite high similarity across the general structure, TlpA lacks the residues required to bind lactate, and instead contains a pocket almost entirely hydrophobic in nature.
Prevalence of Refractive Errors in Iranian University Students in Kazerun
Authors: Hashemi Hassan , Pakzad Reza , Ali Babak , Yekta Abbasali , Ostadimoghaddam Hadi , Heravian Javad , Yekta Reyhaneh , Khabazkhoob Mehdi 
Published: September 2018

Purpose:
To determine the prevalence of refractive errors and visual impairment and the correlation between personal characteristics, including age, sex, weight, and height, with different types of refractive errors in a population of university students in the south of Iran.

Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, a number of university majors were selected as clusters using multi-stage sampling in all universities located in Kazerun (27 clusters of 133 clusters). Then, proportional to size, a number of students in each major were randomly selected to participate in the study. Uncorrected and corrected visual acuity, non-cycloplegic objective refraction and subjective refraction were measured in all participants.

Results:
The prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) of presenting visual impairment and blindness was 2.19% (1.48–3.23) and 0.27% (0.12–0.62), respectively. Refractive errors comprised 75% of the causes of visual impairment. The prevalence (95% CI) of myopia [spherical equivalent (SE) ≤ –0.5 D], hyperopia (SE ≥ 0.5 D), and astigmatism (cylinder power < –0.5 D) was 42.71% (39.71–45.77), 3.75% (2.85–4.51), and 29.46% (27.50–31.50), respectively. Totally, 49.03% (46.39–51.68) of the participants had at least one type of refractive error. There was a positive association between weight and myopia (1.01; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02), anisometropia (1.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.06), and refractive errors (1.01; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02). In comparison with the age group 18–19 years, the odds ratio (OR) of astigmatism in the age group 26–27 years was 1.64 (95% CI: 1.03–2.61), and the OR of anisometropia in the age group ≥ 30 years was 0.21 (95% CI: 0.04–0.98).

Conclusions:
The prevalence of refractive errors, especially myopia, is higher in university students than the general population. Since refractive errors constitute a major part of visual impairment, university students should receive special services for providing corrective lenses and glasses to reduce the burden of these disorders.
Examining the Potential Contribution of the Hokusai Impact to Water Ice on Mercury
Authors: Ernst Carolyn M. , Chabot Nancy L. , Barnouin Olivier S. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe polar cold traps of Mercury host an estimated 1016–1018 g of water ice. The relative purity of the water‐ice deposits could indicate they were emplaced over a short time interval, and sharp albedo boundaries suggest that the water ice could have been emplaced relatively recently. Together, these lines of evidence are consistent with potential delivery by a single, large, young impact event. Hokusai is the most prominent large young impact crater on Mercury—if the bulk of Mercury's water‐ice inventory was indeed delivered by a single recent impact event, Hokusai is the best candidate source crater. This study constrains the impact conditions that created Hokusai from morphological and color observations of the crater and its ejecta. Results show that the Hokusai impact was recent and oblique. These parameters, coupled with retention and migration factors largely derived from existing lunar studies, are used to estimate the possible contribution of the Hokusai impact to water ice on Mercury. Assuming water‐rich asteroidal or cometary impactors, the Hokusai impact event could account for the inventory of water ice on Mercury for impact velocities less than ~30 km/s, a velocity that is achieved by 24–32% of impacts into Mercury, depending on the size distribution model employed. The single impact delivery scenario therefore remains viable for Mercury. Robust modeling of a single large impact event on Mercury would supply critical insight into the feasibility of this scenario.