bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of transferrin isoform analysis by capillary electrophoresis and HPLC for screening congenital disorders of glycosylation
Authors: Dave Mihika B. , Dherai Alpa J. , Udani Vrajesh P. , Hegde Anaita U. , Desai Neelu A. , Ashavaid Tester F. 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundTransferrin, a major glycoprotein has different isoforms depending on the number of sialic acid residues present on its oligosaccharide chain. Genetic variants of transferrin as well as the primary (CDG) & secondary glycosylation defects lead to an altered transferrin pattern. Isoform analysis methods are based on charge/mass variations. We aimed to compare the performance of commercially available capillary electrophoresis CDT kit for diagnosing congenital disorders of glycosylation with our in‐house optimized HPLC method for transferrin isoform analysis.MethodsThe isoform pattern of 30 healthy controls & 50 CDG‐suspected patients was determined by CE using a Carbohydrate‐Deficient Transferrin kit. The results were compared with in‐house HPLC‐based assay for transferrin isoforms.ResultsTransferrin isoform pattern for healthy individuals showed a predominant tetrasialo transferrin fraction followed by pentasialo, trisialo, and disialotransferrin. Two of 50 CDG‐suspected patients showed the presence of asialylated isoforms. The results were comparable with isoform pattern obtained by HPLC. The commercial controls showed a <20% CV for each isoform. Bland Altman plot showed the difference plot to be within +1.96 with no systemic bias in the test results by HPLC & CE.ConclusionThe CE method is rapid, reproducible and comparable with HPLC and can be used for screening Glycosylation defects.
Associations of urinary, glomerular, and tubular markers with the development of diabetic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes patients
Authors: Jiang Xu , Zhang Qian , Wang Hua‐Bin , Cui Xiao‐Fan , Liu Rui 
Published: February 2017

ObjectivesTo evaluate the associations of urinary markers (eg albumin), glomerular (eg transferrin [TRF], immunoglobulin G [IgG]), and tubular (eg α1‐microglobulin [α1‐MG], β2‐microglobulin [β2‐MG]) markers with the development of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in type 2 diabetes patients, as assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria.Material and methodsA total of 252 type 2 diabetes patients and 50 nondiabetic controls from Tianjin, China, were selected. Diabetic patients were divided into three groups according to eGFR levels, including groups A, B, and C with eGFR ≥90 (n=94), 60‐89 (n=94), and 30‐59 (n=64) mL/min/1.73 m2. Urine levels of glomerular and tubular markers were detected in first morning urine samples, and their associations with eGFR and albuminuria analyzed.ResultsUrinary levels of IgG, TRF, and β2‐MG were significantly elevated in diabetic patients with normal eGFR compared with nondiabetic control subjects. Urinary levels of all markers increased per eGFR stratum. All kidney damage markers were significantly associated with eGFR in univariate analysis (standard β between −0.35 and −0.28; all P<.001). After adjusting for known confounders, only the tubular markers α1‐MG (standard β=−0.25; P=.013) and β2‐MG (standard β=−0.18; P=.039) retained significant associations with eGFR. All kidney damage markers were significantly associated with albuminuria, independent of age, duration of diabetes, and eGFR (standard β between 0.45 and 0.86; all P<.001).ConclusionOnly the tubular markers α1‐MG and β2‐MG were associated with eGFR independent of albuminuria, suggesting that they may play an important role in the development of DKD.
Cardiac MR elastography for quantitative assessment of elevated myocardial stiffness in cardiac amyloidosis
Authors: Arani Arvin , Arunachalam Shivaram P. , Chang Ian C.Y. , Baffour Francis , Rossman Phillip J. , Glaser Kevin J. , Trzasko Joshua D. , McGee Kiaran P. , Manduca Armando , Grogan Martha , Dispenzieri Angela , Ehman Richard L. , Araoz Philip A. 
Published: February 2017

PurposeTo evaluate if cardiac magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) can measure increased stiffness in patients with cardiac amyloidosis. Myocardial tissue stiffness plays an important role in cardiac function. A noninvasive quantitative imaging technique capable of measuring myocardial stiffness could aid in disease diagnosis, therapy monitoring, and disease prognostic strategies. We recently developed a high‐frequency cardiac MRE technique capable of making noninvasive stiffness measurements.Materials and MethodsIn all, 16 volunteers and 22 patients with cardiac amyloidosis were enrolled in this study after Institutional Review Board approval and obtaining formal written consent. All subjects were imaged head‐first in the supine position in a 1.5T closed‐bore MR imager. 3D MRE was performed using 5 mm isotropic resolution oblique short‐axis slices and a vibration frequency of 140 Hz to obtain global quantitative in vivo left ventricular stiffness measurements. The median stiffness was compared between the two cohorts. An octahedral shear strain signal‐to‐noise ratio (OSS‐SNR) threshold of 1.17 was used to exclude exams with insufficient motion amplitude.ResultsFive volunteers and six patients had to be excluded from the study because they fell below the 1.17 OSS‐SNR threshold. The myocardial stiffness of cardiac amyloid patients (median: 11.4 kPa, min: 9.2, max: 15.7) was significantly higher (P = 0.0008) than normal controls (median: 8.2 kPa, min: 7.2, max: 11.8).ConclusionThis study demonstrates the feasibility of 3D high‐frequency cardiac MRE as a contrast‐agent‐free diagnostic imaging technique for cardiac amyloidosis.Level of Evidence: 2Technical Efficacy: Stage 2J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:1361–1367.
Analysis of clinical intervention records by pharmacists in an Australian principal referral and specialist women's and newborns' hospital
Authors: Teoh Stephanie W. K. , Hattingh Laetitia , Lebedevs Tamara , Parsons Richard 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAimThe objectives of this study were to evaluate clinical interventions recorded by pharmacists in an Australian principal referral and specialist women's and newborns' hospital, as well as to identify common medications involved in each specialty area (neonatology, obstetrics and gynaecology), to assess the risks of medication‐related problems (MRPs) likely to have been prevented, and to obtain institution‐specific MRPs for future staff education.MethodsThis retrospective, observational study involved an analysis of all interventions documented by pharmacists from January 2005 to December 2014. The interventions recorded were collated according to ward, medication involved, description of the intervention and the risk classification.ResultsThere were a total of 14 085 interventions documented over 10 years; 60.33% made in obstetric patients, 28.71% in gynaecology patients and 10.96% in neonates. The three main intervention types were: (i) dose/frequency/time incorrect (25.70%, n = 3260); (ii) prescribing clarification (21.77%, n = 3066); and (iii) medicine omission (15.21%, n = 2143). An average of 12.02% of the interventions were regarded as high‐risk and 0.85% as extreme‐risk. Of the MRPs documented within each specialty, the prevalence of extreme risk interventions was higher in the neonatal ward.DiscussionThe most common intervention was identifying incorrect medication dose/frequency/time. Common medications involved in the MRPs included: opioids and antihypertensives in gynaecology; parenteral nutrition and gentamicin in neonatology; and opioids and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in obstetrics. The medications involved in high and extreme risk MRPs included gentamicin, opioids and NSAIDs.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that hospital pharmacists contribute to the reduction of MRPs, including some potentially fatal adverse medicine events. These findings also enable targeted, site‐specific education, which is valuable in improving patient safety.
The type and incidence of adverse drug events in ageing medical inpatients and their effect on length of hospital stay
Authors: Paradissis Chariclia , Coombes Ian D. , Donovan Peter , Doran Elizabeth , McKean Mitchell , Barras Michael A. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAimsTo determine the proportion of older medical patients who have an adverse drug event (ADE) during admission to hospital and assess the association with hospital length of stay (LOS).MethodsA retrospective evaluation of eligible patients, aged greater than 65 years, consecutively admitted to a medical ward at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Australia. Patient medication charts, medical notes and laboratory results were reviewed using an ADE trigger tool to identify potential ADEs during admission. A clinical panel examined and confirmed any true ADEs and the corresponding causative agents. LOS was compared between patients who did and did not have an ADE.ResultsA total of 164 patients were recruited over 30 days. The trigger tool identified a total of 69 triggers from 40 patients (24.3%) with a potential ADE during admission, of which 12 patients (7.3%) had a true ADE. The main drug categories implicated included cardiovascular, anti‐infective and haematological agents. The group of patients with an ADE had a longer median (25th, 75th percentile) LOS when compared to patients without an ADE: 6.5 (3.75, 11) versus 4 (2, 7) days (p = 0.043).ConclusionApproximately 7% of older in‐patients experience an ADE, which has a significant association with an increase in their LOS. To minimise patient harm, undesirable high‐risk drugs should be avoided and vigilant monitoring must occur if they need to be prescribed. An adequately powered, multi‐site study is required and preventative strategies should be further explored.
Hospital pharmacists' beliefs about optimising statin therapy in older inpatients
Authors: Wu Angela , Reeve Emily , Hilmer Sarah , Gnjidic Danijela 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis study explored hospital pharmacists’ perspectives about optimising statin therapy in older inpatients in Australia. An anonymous questionnaire using standardised questions in the form of five‐point Likert scales to capture pharmacists’ attitudes toward their role in statin optimisation, compliance of statin therapy with existing guidelines, knowledge of statin‐related side effects and clinical recommendations such as starting and ceasing or deprescribing therapy, was administered. A total of 108 hospital pharmacists across Australia completed the questionnaire. Over 90% of hospital pharmacists agreed that they had an important role in managing statin therapy in older inpatients (95% CI: 90.5–98.8%). Less than 40% agreed that statin therapy in older adults was prescribed in accordance with Australian clinical guidelines (95% CI: 27.4–47.6%), and over 90% agreed that there was a need for statin deprescribing guidelines for older adults (95% CI: 85.7–97.6%). Hospital pharmacists believe that they have an important role in optimising statin therapy.
Using domperidone to increase breast milk supply: a clinical practice survey of Australian neonatal units
Authors: Gilmartin Christine E. , Amir Lisa H. , Ter Marene , Grzeskowiak Luke E. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackgroundDomperidone may be used off‐label to increase breastmilk supply. In the absence of manufacturer dosage recommendations, there is a need to compare the clinical practice guidelines used in Australian hospitals.AimTo compare existing clinical practice guidelines regarding the use of domperidone for increasing maternal breastmilk supply within Australian neonatal units (NNUs).MethodsAn electronic survey was distributed from April to July 2015 to relevant staff at each Level III NNU across Australia.ResultsResponses were received from 16 of 22 (73%) NNUs. All 16 (100%) NNUs considered domperidone their first line pharmacological agent of choice in the management of low milk supply, with 12 (75%) having a clinical guideline. Of the NNUs with a guideline, 11 (92%) recommended a standard maintenance dose of 10 mg three times daily (TDS). Duration of treatment was specified in 10 (83%) guidelines. Seven of 10 (70%) recommend a minimum duration of at least 2 weeks treatment before evaluating a response. Three of 11 (27%) guidelines that recommended 10 mg TDS permitted an increase to 20 mg TDS depending on response. Ten of 12 (83%) guidelines were modified in the previous 2–3 years, with eight revising their maximum dose to 30 mg/day, one limiting treatment duration to 7 days, and one removing the authority of NNU doctors to prescribe domperidone.ConclusionWhile all Australian neonatal units consider domperidone first‐line for pharmacological management of low milk supply, variability across clinical guidelines may suggest a lack of reliable evidence or awareness of evidence on which to base practice.
Safety of continuous antibiotic infusions administered through an Australian hospital in the home service: a pilot study
Authors: Pandya Kedar H. , Eaton Vaughn , Kowalski Stefan , Sluggett Janet K. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackgroundFew studies have assessed the safety of antibiotic infusions in the hospital in the home (HITH) setting, or the vascular access and ambulatory infusion devices used for delivering these infusions.AimTo explore treatments and health outcomes for HITH patients administered continuous antibiotic infusions through an ambulatory infusion device.MethodCase notes for patients managed by a HITH service affiliated with a large metropolitan hospital were retrospectively audited. Consecutive patients treated for cellulitis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, diabetic foot infection or septic arthritis between January and September 2014, and receiving intravenous antibiotic therapy through an ambulatory infusion device, were included. Patients were followed until discharge from HITH to determine adverse outcomes related to antibiotic therapy, including administration devices.ResultsThe audit recruited 31 patients with a median age of 62 years; 17 (55%) were male. Overall 14 adverse events were experienced by 10 (32%) patients. Of the 14 adverse events, nine (64%) were medication‐related, one (7%) related to a vascular access device and four (29%) were infusion device‐related. Therapeutic failure occurred in four patients; three were re‐hospitalised; and one had their therapy extended. Most patients had an infusion that was identified as not running to completion on at least one occasion at the time of their home visit (81%), or problems with flushing lines or aspirating blood from the vascular access devices (35%).ConclusionAdverse events were commonly observed among patients receiving continuous antibiotic infusions in this pilot study. Further research is needed to identify patients at risk of adverse events.
A new solution31P NMR sample preparation scheme for marine sediments
Authors: Defforey Delphine , Cade‐Menun Barbara J. , Paytan Adina 
Published: February 2017

AbstractA new approach for the preparation of marine sediment samples for solution31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P NMR) has been developed and tested. This approach addresses important aspects associated with sample pretreatments for marine sediments, including the effects of sample pretreatment on sedimentary P composition. The method increases the signals of low abundance P species in31P NMR spectra by quantitatively and precisely removing up to 80% of inorganic P (orthophosphate) from sediment samples while causing minimal alteration of the chemical structure of organic P compounds. This method uses a reductive step to solubilize P bound to iron oxyhydroxides, followed by a low pH digestion to extract P from authigenic and biogenic apatite, as well as P bound to calcium carbonate. These P forms combined represent the most abundant inorganic P reservoir in marine sediments. The sample residue is then extracted in an alkaline solvent, 0.25 M NaOH with 0.05 M Na2EDTA, and processed for31P NMR spectroscopy. The method was tested on natural marine sediment samples from different localities with high inorganic P content (>85% molybdate reactive P), and allowed for the detection of orthophosphate monoesters and pyrophosphate in samples for which only an orthophosphate signal could be resolved with an NaOH‐EDTA extraction alone. This new approach will allow the use of31P NMR on samples for which low organic P concentrations previously hindered the use of this tool, and will help answer longstanding question regarding the fate of organic P in marine sediments.
Reconciliation of pH25 and pHinsitu acidification rates of the surface oceans: A simple conversion using only in situ temperature
Authors: Lui Hon‐Kit , Chen Chen‐Tung Arthur 
Published: February 2017

AbstractSeawater pH is frequently measured at 25°C (pH25), and can be converted thermodynamically to pH at the in situ temperature (T), (pHinsitu) using an additional carbonate chemistry parameter, which is the total alkalinity (TA), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), or the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) of seawater. Although rates of temporal change of pHinsitu (
) and pH25 (
) are both extensively used in studies of ocean acidification, the difference between
and
has not yet been quantified. This study deducts from 816 sets of data of the surface oceans over wide ranges of T (1–31°C) from six time series to reveal that the difference between calculated pHinsitu and pH25 is a1 (T
25°C), where a1 is a nearly constant of −0.0151 pH unit °C−1. We illustrate that
equals (
+ a1
), where
is the rate of temporal change of T. We further show that uneven distributions of sampling points significantly widen the difference between
and
, making the degree of ocean acidification unclear. Distributions of a1 values are modeled for the surfaces of the global oceans at various pCO2 levels, and they closely match the observations from the studied time series. Without the use of an additional carbonate chemistry parameter, the pHinsitu and pH25, as well as
and
can now be converted into each other using only T, facilitating the study of the changing carbonate chemistry of seawater under the influences of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration.
Extracting phytoplankton physiological traits from batch and chemostat culture data
Authors: Omta A. W. , Talmy D. , Sher D. , Finkel Z. V. , Irwin A. J. , Follows M. J. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAs the role of phytoplankton diversity in ocean biogeochemistry becomes widely recognized, the description of plankton in ocean ecological models is becoming more sophisticated. This means that a growing number of plankton physiological traits need to be determined for various species and under various growth conditions. We investigate how these traits can be estimated efficiently from common batch culture and chemostat experiments. We use the Metropolis algorithm, a random‐walk Monte Carlo method, to estimate phytoplankton parameter values, along with the uncertainties in these values. First, we fit plankton physiological models to high‐resolution batch culture and chemostat data sets to obtain parameter sets that are as accurate as possible. Then, we subsample these data sets and assess to which extent the accuracy is sacrificed when fewer measurements are taken. Two measurement points within the exponential growth stage of the batch culture data set are sufficient to constrain the maximum protein synthesis rate, the maximum photosynthesis rate, and the chlorophyll‐to‐nitrogen ratio. Two measurements during the stationary phase of the batch culture experiment are then enough to constrain the parameters related to carbon excretion and the photoacclimation time. From the chemostat experiment, only four measured points are needed to constrain the parameters connected with the internal reserve dynamics of phytoplankton. Thus, we demonstrate that traits related to key biogeochemical and physiological processes can be determined with only a few batch culture and chemostat measurements, as long as the measurement points are selected appropriately.
A comparison of methods to estimate abundance and biomass from belt transect surveys
Authors: Chang Jui‐Han , Shank Burton V. , Hart Deborah R. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIt is becoming increasingly popular to use continuously collected acoustic or optical data to estimate abundance or biomass of fish and invertebrates. However, data from such systems are typically highly spatially autocorrelated and zero‐inflated, and thus simple design‐based estimation techniques are not applicable. Model‐based estimation methods can be used to extrapolate observations along the observed track to larger areas. We tested the precision and accuracy of three model‐based methods using both simulations and field data: Ordinary kriging (OK), Generalized Additive Models with kriged model residuals (GAM + OK), and Generalized Additive Mixed Models with kriged model residuals (GAMM + OK), along with a design‐based method (stratified mean, SM). The GAMM + OK method treats small‐scale variations as random effects, whereas the other approaches aggregate nearby data to reduce autocorrelation and random errors. We found that the GAM + OK method with relatively small aggregation lengths generally gave the best performance of the model‐based methods in terms of both accuracy and precision, followed by GAMM + OK. SM estimates were more accurate and precise than the model‐based estimates in the simulations, but only when the study region was stratified accurately. Based on the simulation and field data analysis results, we selected the GAM + OK method to estimate scallop abundance and biomass for the Georges Bank and the Mid‐Atlantic Bight regions for the years 2011–2015. We also provided SM estimates based on careful stratifications to validate the model‐based estimates.
Clearing the waters: Evaluating the need for site‐specific field fluorescence corrections based on turbidity measurements
Authors: Saraceno John Franco , Shanley James B. , Downing Bryan D. , Pellerin Brian A. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn situ fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) measurements have gained increasing popularity as a proxy for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in streams. One challenge to accurate fDOM measurements in many streams is light attenuation due to suspended particles. Downing et al. (2012) evaluated the need for corrections to compensate for particle interference on fDOM measurements using a single sediment standard in a laboratory study. The application of those results to a large river improved unfiltered field fDOM accuracy. We tested the same correction equation in a headwater tropical stream and found that it overcompensated fDOM when turbidity exceeded ∼ 300 formazin nephelometric units (FNU). Therefore, we developed a site‐specific, field‐based fDOM correction equation through paired in situ fDOM measurements of filtered and unfiltered streamwater. The site‐specific correction increased fDOM accuracy up to a turbidity as high as 700 FNU, the maximum observed in this study. The difference in performance between the laboratory‐based correction equation of Downing et al. (2012) and our site‐specific, field‐based correction equation likely arises from differences in particle size distribution between the sediment standard used in the lab (silt) and that observed in our study (fine to medium sand), particularly during high flows. Therefore, a particle interference correction equation based on a single sediment type may not be ideal when field sediment size is significantly different. Given that field fDOM corrections for particle interference under turbid conditions are a critical component in generating accurate DOC estimates, we describe a way to develop site‐specific corrections.