bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Predicts Visual Outcomes for Craniopharyngioma in Children by Quantifying Choroidal Capillaries
Authors: Zhang Qing Lin , Wang Jun Hua , Sun Li Ying , Wang Jian Bin , Ma Yu , Zhang Yu Qi 
Published: January 2022

Purpose: To predict the prognosis of craniopharyngioma in children by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).Methods: We evaluated if the relationship between preoperative OCTA of the choroidal capillary density (CCD) and visual outcome continued over long-term visual recovery in 38 patients undergoing craniopharyngioma resection. Patients were evaluated 3 times: 1 week before surgery (Visit1), followed-up at 6–10 weeks (Visit2), and 9–15 months (Visit3) after surgery.Results: In total 38 patients (70 eyes) with craniopharyngiomas, which included 20 (52.6%) boys and 18 (47.4%)girls, the mean age was 11.8 ± 2.7 years (range: 6–18 years). The age (p = 0.71), gender (p = 1.00), mean refractive error (p = 0.55), and axial length (p = 0.23) of 38 normal volunteers (76 eyes) were matched. After surgery, the cross-compression of patients was relieved. The average visual acuity change in the normal CCD group was 0.07 ± 0.02; the average visual acuity change in the low CCD group was 0.01 ± 0.01, p &lt; 0.001. Preoperative CCD value is related to the preoperative BCVA (p &lt; 0.001), and the visual function after the long-term follow-up (9–15 months) (p &lt; 0.001). The prognosis of CCD has the same trend as the BCVA. Further correlation analysis shows that CCD and BCVA are significantly correlated (r = 0.878; p &lt; 0.001). CCD has a weak but significant correlation both with MD (r = 0.19; p &lt; 0.001) and PSD (r = −0.21; p &lt;0.001). A natural cutoff of CCD is approximately 38%. With the normal CCD group the maximum improvement of BCVA exceeds 0.3 post-operatively, compared to eyes in the low CCD group that improve by &lt;0.03, and worse after surgery.Conclusions: Long-term vision recovery after surgical decompression of craniopharyngiomas in children can be predicted by preoperative by OCTA. Patients with normal CCD before surgery showed a tendency to improve vision; this trend of improvement persisted in subsequent follow-ups. The CCD baseline natural cutoff value for predicting visual prognosis before and after surgery is about 38%.
Incidence and Antiseizure Medications of Post-stroke Epilepsy in Umbria: A Population-Based Study Using Healthcare Administrative Databases
Authors: Costa Cinzia , Nardi Cesarini Elena , Eusebi Paolo , Franchini David , Casucci Paola , De Giorgi Marcello , Calvello Carmen , Romoli Michele , Parnetti Lucilla , Calabresi Paolo 
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) requires long-term treatment with antiseizure medications (ASMs). However, epidemiology of PSE and long-term compliance with ASM in this population are still unclear. Here we report, through population-level healthcare administrative data, incidence, risk factors, ASM choice, and ASM switch over long-term follow-up.Materials and Methods: This is a population-based retrospective study using Umbria healthcare administrative database. Population consisted of all patients with acute stroke, either ischaemic or hemorrhagic, between 2013 and 2018. ICD-9-CM codes were implemented to identify people with stroke, while PSE was adjudicated according to previously validated algorithm, such as EEG and ≥1 ASM 7 days after stroke.Results: Overall, among 11,093 incident cases of acute stroke (75.9% ischemic), 275 subjects presented PSE, for a cumulative incidence of 2.5%. Patients with PSE were younger (64 vs. 76 years), more frequently presented with hemorrhagic stroke, and had longer hospital stay (15.5 vs. 11.2 days) compared with patients without PSE. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models confirmed that PSE associated with hemorrhagic stroke, younger age, and longer duration of hospital stay. Levetiracetam was the most prescribed ASM (55.3%), followed by valproate and oxcarbazepine. Almost 30% of patients prescribed with these ASMs switched treatment during follow-up, mostly toward non-enzyme-inducing ASMs. About 12% of patients was prescribed ASM polytherapy over follow-up.Conclusions: Post-stroke epilepsy is associated with hemorrhagic stroke, younger age, and longer hospital stay. First ASM is switched every one in three patients, suggesting the need for treatment tailoring in line with secondary prevention.
The Association Between Dietary Antioxidant Micronutrients and Cardiovascular Disease in Adults in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Yin Ting , Zhu Xu , Xu Dong , Lin Huapeng , Lu Xinyi , Tang Yuan , Shi Mengsha , Yao Wenming , Zhou Yanli , Zhang Haifeng , Li Xinli 
Published: January 2022

Background: Antioxidant micronutrients represent an important therapeutic option for the treatment of oxidative stress-associated cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between the levels of multiple dietary antioxidants and CVDs.Objective: The study therefore aimed to evaluate associations between dietary antioxidants and total and specific CVDs among a nationally representative sample of adults in the US.Design: In total, 39,757 adults (&gt;20 years) were included in this cross-sectional study from the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We analyzed dietary recall of 11 antioxidant micronutrients in this population. Multivariate logistic and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression were both applied to examine the relationships between these antioxidants, alone and in combination, with the prevalence of all CVDs and specific CVDs. The linearity of these correlations was also explored using restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression.Results: Multivariate logistic models showed that, compared with the lowest quartile, the levels of 11 antioxidants in the highest quartile were independently associated with decreased total CVD (all P &lt; 0.05). The WQS index showed that, when considered together, the 11 micronutrients were negatively correlated with total CVD (P &lt; 0.001) and five specific CVDs (all P &lt; 0.05), and selenium had the strongest association (weight = 0.219) with total CVD. Moreover, the RCS model demonstrated that iron, zinc and copper were all negatively and non-linearly correlated with total CVD, while the eight other micronutrients had non-significant, linear, negative relationships with total CVD (P for non-linearity &gt;0.05). A piecewise binary logistic regression analysis showed that the inflection points in the relationships between CVD and iron, zinc and copper were 7.71, 6.61, and 0.74 mg/day, respectively.Conclusions: Our findings suggested that high levels of combined dietary antioxidant micronutrients are associated with decreased prevalence of CVDs, and that selenium has the greatest contribution to this association.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Genotype–Specific Immune Response Contributes to the Susceptibility of COVID-19: A Nested Case–Control Study
Authors: Gong Pengyun , Mei Fanghua , Li Ruili , Wang Yuchen , Li Weizheng , Pan Kai , Xu Junqiang , Liu Chao , Li Hongjun , Cai Kun , Shi Wei 
Published: January 2022

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has resulted in a global pandemic.Methodology: We used a two-step polymerase chain reaction to detect the ACE genotype and ELISA kits to detect the cytokine factor. We also used proteomics to identify the immune pathway related to the ACE protein expression.Result: In this study, we found that the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) deletion polymorphism was associated with the susceptibility to COVID-19 in a risk-dependent manner among the Chinese population. D/D genotype distributions were higher in the COVID-19 disease group than in the control group (D/D odds ratio is 3.87 for mild (p value &lt; 0.0001), 2.59 for moderate (p value = 0.0002), and 4.05 for severe symptoms (p value &lt; 0.0001), logic regression analysis. Moreover, genotype-specific cytokine storms and immune responses were found enriched in patients with the ACE deletion polymorphism, suggesting the contribution to the susceptibility to COVID-19. Finally, we identified the immune pathway such as the complement system related to the ACE protein expression of patients by lung and plasma proteomics.Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that it is very important to consider gene polymorphisms in the population to discover a host-based COVID-19 vaccine and drug design for preventive and precision medicine.
Action of Varespladib (LY-315920), a Phospholipase A2 Inhibitor, on the Enzymatic, Coagulant and Haemorrhagic Activities of Lachesis muta rhombeata (South-American Bushmaster) Venom
Authors: Gutierres Pamella G. , Pereira Diego R. , Vieira Nataly L. , Arantes Lilian F. , Silva Nelson J. , Torres-Bonilla Kristian A. , Hyslop Stephen , Morais-Zani Karen , Nogueira Rosa M. B. , Rowan Edward G. , Floriano Rafael S. 
Published: January 2022

Varespladib (VPL) was primarily developed to treat inflammatory disturbances associated with high levels of serum phospholipase A2 (PLA2). VPL has also demonstrated to be a potential antivenom support agent to prevent PLA2-dependent effects produced by snake venoms. In this study, we examined the action of VPL on the coagulant, haemorrhagic and enzymatic activities of Lachesis muta rhombeata (South-American bushmaster) venom. Conventional colorimetric enzymatic assays were performed for PLA2, caseinolytic and esterasic activities; in vitro coagulant activities for prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were performed in rat citrated plasma through a quick timer coagulometer, whereas the dimensions of haemorrhagic haloes obtained after i.d. injections of venom in Wistar rats were determined using ImageJ software. Venom (1 mg/ml) exhibited accentuated enzymatic activities for proteases and PLA2in vitro, with VPL abolishing the PLA2 activity from 0.01 mM; VPL did not affect caseinolytic and esterasic activities at any tested concentrations (0.001–1 mM). In rat citrated plasma in vitro, VPL (1 mM) alone efficiently prevented the venom (1 mg/ml)-induced procoagulant disorder associated to extrinsic (PT) pathway, whereas its association with a commercial antivenom successfully prevented changes in both intrinsic (aPTT) and extrinsic (PT) pathways; commercial antivenom by itself failed to avoid the procoagulant disorders by this venom. Venom (0.5 mg/kg)-induced hemorrhagic activity was slightly reduced by VPL (1 mM) alone or combined with antivenom (antivenom:venom ratio 1:3 ‘v/w’) in rats, with antivenom alone producing no protective action on this parameter. In conclusion, VPL does not inhibit other major enzymatic groups of L. m. rhombeata venom, with its high PLA2 antagonize activity efficaciously preventing the venom-induced coagulation disturbances.
Use of 30-Hz Accelerated iTBS in Drug-Resistant Unipolar and Bipolar Depression in a Public Healthcare Setting: A Case Series
Authors: Cantù Filippo , Schiena Giandomenico , Sciortino Domenico , Di Consoli Lorena , Delvecchio Giuseppe , Maggioni Eleonora , Brambilla Paolo 
Published: January 2022

Background: Depressive episodes, especially when resistant to pharmacotherapy, are a hard challenge to face for clinicians and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Neuromodulation has emerged as a potential therapeutic option for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), in particular transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In this article, we present a case series of six patients who received TMS with an accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) protocol in a public healthcare setting.Methods: We enrolled a total number of six participants, affected by a treatment-resistant depressive episode, in either Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Bipolar Disorder (BD). Patients underwent an accelerated iTBS protocol, targeted to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), 3-week-long, with a total of 6 days of overall stimulation. On each stimulation day, the participants received 3 iTBS sessions, with a 15-min pause between them. Patients were assessed by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), and the Mania Rating Scale (MRS). At baseline (T0), at the end of the second week (T1), and at the end of the cycle of stimulation (T2).Results: The rANOVA (repeated Analysis of Variance) statistics showed no significant effect of time on the rating scale scores, with a slight decrease in MADRS scores and a very slight increase in HAM-A and HAM-D scores. No manic symptoms emerged during the entire protocol.Conclusions: Although accelerated iTBS might be considered a less time-consuming strategy for TMS administration, useful in a public healthcare setting, our results in a real-word six-patient population with TRD did not show a significant effect. Further studies on wider samples are needed to fully elucidate the potential of accelerated iTBS protocols in treatment-resistant depression.
Association Between Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Executive Function in Chinese Primary School Children
Authors: Gui Zhaohuan , Cai Li , Lv Yajie , Lai Lijuan , Zeng Xia , Chen Yajun 
Published: January 2022

Aims: Little information exists on the associations of cardiovascular health, a new metric proposed by the American Heart Association, and executive function, particularly in children. We aimed to explore this topic.Methods: We studied 3,798 children aged 6–12 years from 5 schools in Guangzhou, China. The executive function of children was evaluated using parent reports of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function, which included 2 composite indexes and 8 subscale scores. We calculated the number of ideal cardiovascular health (range: 0–7) based on smoking, body mass index, physical activity (PA), diet, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. A generalized linear mixed model was used to assess the association of the number of ideal cardiovascular health metrics and executive function.Results: Compared with children exhibiting 1–3 ideal cardiovascular health metrics, decreases of 1.37–2.63 points (indicating better performance) in metacognition index and its 5 subscale indexes (initiate, working memory, plan/organize, organization of materials, and monitor) were observed in children who attained 5 or 6–7 ideal metrics (all p for trend &lt;0.001). Ideal diet and ideal PA were independently associated with lower indexes of behavioral regulation and metacognition.Conclusions: The number of ideal cardiovascular health was positively associated with performance of executive function in children.
Maternal Metals/Metalloid Blood Levels Are Associated With Lipidomic Profiles Among Pregnant Women in Puerto Rico
Authors: Kim Christine , Ashrap Pahriya , Watkins Deborah J. , Mukherjee Bhramar , Rosario-Pabón Zaira Y. , Vélez-Vega Carmen M. , Alshawabkeh Akram N. , Cordero José F. , Meeker John D. 
Published: January 2022

Background/Aim: The association between heavy metal exposure and adverse birth outcomes is well-established. However, there is a paucity of research identifying biomarker profiles that may improve the early detection of heavy metal-induced adverse birth outcomes. Because lipids are abundant in our body and associated with important signaling pathways, we assessed associations between maternal metals/metalloid blood levels with lipidomic profiles among 83 pregnant women in the Puerto Rico PROTECT birth cohort.Methods: We measured 10 metals/metalloid blood levels during 24–28 weeks of pregnancy. Prenatal plasma lipidomic profiles were identified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based shotgun lipidomics. We derived sums for each lipid class and sums for each lipid sub-class (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated), which were then regressed on metals/metalloid. False discovery rate (FDR) adjusted p-values (q-values) were used to account for multiple comparisons.Results: A total of 587 unique lipids from 19 lipid classes were profiled. When controlling for multiple comparisons, we observed that maternal exposure to manganese and zinc were negatively associated with plasmenyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (PLPE), particularly those containing polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) chains. In contrast to manganese and zinc, arsenic and mercury were positively associated with PLPE and plasmenyl-phosphatidylcholine (PLPC).Conclusion: Certain metals were significantly associated with lipids that are responsible for the biophysical properties of the cell membrane and antioxidant defense in lipid peroxidation. This study highlighted lipid-metal associations and we anticipate that this study will open up new avenues for developing diagnostic tools.
Wearable Radar System Design on Semi-Flexible PCB for Visually Impaired People
Authors: Zhang Haoran , Yang Yiming , Zhou Jiahao , Shamim Atif 
Published: January 2022

This paper presents a compact and wearable frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar on a semi-flexible printed circuit board (PCB) for an anti-collision system. This can enable visually impaired people to perceive their environment better and more safely in their everyday lives. In the proposed design, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array with four receivers (RXs) and three transmitters (TXs) has been designed to achieve obstacle-detection ability in both horizontal and vertical planes through a specific geometrical configuration. Operating at 76–81 GHz, an aperture coupled wide-beam patch antenna with two parasitic patches is proposed for each channel of RXs and TXs. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm has been implemented in the radar chip AWR1843 for intermediate frequency (IF) signals to generate a range-Doppler map and search precise target angles in high sensitivity. The complete system, which includes both the MIMO antenna array and the radar chip circuit, is utilized on a six-layer semi-flexible PCB to ensure compactness and ease in wearability. Field testing of the complete system has been performed, and an obstacle-detection range of 7 m (for humans) and 19 m (for larger objects) has been obtained. A wide angular detection range of 64-degree broadside view (±32°) has also been achieved. A voice module has also been integrated to deliver the obstacle’s range and angle information to visually impaired persons.
Opioid reduction for patients with chronic pain in primary care: systematic review
Authors: de Kleijn Loes , Pedersen Julie Rønne , Rijkels-Otters Hanneke , Chiarotto Alessandro , Koes Bart 
Published: January 2022

BackgroundLong-term opioid treatment in patients with chronic pain is often ineffective and possibly harmful. These patients are often managed by GPs who are calling for a clear overview of effective opioid reduction strategies for primary care.AimTo evaluate effectiveness of opioid reduction strategies applicable in primary care for patients with chronic pain on long-term opioid treatment.Design and settingSystematic review of controlled trials and cohort studies performed in primary care from inception date to 15 January 2021.MethodLiterature search conducted in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO. Studies evaluating opioid reduction interventions applicable in primary care among adults on long-term opioid treatment for chronic non-cancer pain were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (version 2) (RoB 2) or the Risk of bias in non-randomized studies — of interventions (ROBINS-I) tool. Narrative synthesis was performed because of clinical heterogeneity in study designs and types of interventions.ResultsIn total, five randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and five cohort studies were included (N = 1717, range n = 35 to n = 985) exploring various opioid reduction strategies. Of these, six studies had high/critical RoB, three moderate RoB, and one low RoB. Three cohort studies: investigating a GP-supervised opioid taper (critical ROBINS-I), an integrative pain treatment (moderate ROBINS-I), and group medical visits (critical ROBINS-I) demonstrated significant between-group opioid reduction.ConclusionResults carefully point in the direction of a GP supervised tapering and multidisciplinary group therapeutic sessions to reduce long-term opioid treatment. However, because of high risk of bias and small sample sizes, no firm conclusions can be made demonstrating the need for more high-quality research.
Karakteristik Bayi Baru Lahir dari Ibu Terkonfirmasi COVID-19
Authors: Larasati Manggiasih Dwiayu , Nurmaningsih Titin 
Published: January 2022

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic that began in the city of Wuhan in December 2019 and spread rapidly globally and has not ended until now. The COVID -19 infection is very deadly and no age is immune to the infection. Elderly people, pregnant women and newborns are the age group vulnerable to COVID -19 infection. Studies conducted so far have not revealed anything about vertical transmission of COVID -19 from mother to neonatus. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of neonatus from mothers with confirmed COVID -19. The research method uses a retrospective principle with a cross sectional approach, the number of samples is 59 newborns from mothers with confirmed COVID -19. The results showed that there were only 4 babies (6.8%) who tested positive for mothers with confirmed COVID -19. The characteristics of newborns from mothers with confirmed COVID -19 are 31 neonatus (52.5%) are female, 46 neonatus (78%) have a normal weight between 2500-4000 grams, the majority of neonatus are born at a normal gestational age between 37-40 weeks, as many as 50 neonatus (84.7%) and most of them were born by cesarean section as many as 44 neonatus (74.6%). In general, newborns are able to adapt well, as indicated by the APGAR values in the first and fifth minutes including the normal category and no babies in the heavy category. However, almost all babies born to mothers with confirmed COVID-19 were given formula milk, namely 58 neonatus (98.3%). Therefore, it is hoped that it can be taken into consideration for leaders at research sites and related to be able to facilitate exclusive breastfeeding for newborns from mothers with confirmed COVID-19 while still implementing health protocols and considering the clinical conditions of mothers and neonatus because until now there are no reports that prove that COVID -19 can be transmitted through breastfeeding. The author also suggests that further research can be done to prove whether there is vertical transmission from mother to neonatus.
Efektivitas Aroma Terapi Lavender terhadap Insomnia pada Lansia
Authors: Mindayani Sri , Yardi Finny Rohmatul , Putri Arlen Lidya , Fadilla Nadya 
Published: January 2022

Insomnia is a condition where it is difficult to initiate sleep, maintain sleep, and sleep that has not been refreshing for 1 month or more. This study aims to determine whether lavender aroma therapy can effectively reduce insomnia in the elderly. The research design used is a literature study, by means of literature articles or comparing several articles. Elderly research subjects who experience insomnia. From the results of research, several articles indicate that before giving lavender aroma therapy, almost all of the elderly experienced poor sleep quality and after giving lavender aroma therapy almost all experienced an increase in sleep quality. It is hoped that further research can pay attention to the level of aromatherapy giving in order to provide more effective results.