bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hemoclot Thrombin Inhibitor Assay and Expected Peak-Trough Levels of Dabigatran: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Liu Zhiyan , Mu Guangyan , Xie Qiufen , Zhang Hanxu , Jiang Jie , Xiang Qian , Cui Yimin 
Published: July 2022

PurposeDabigatran concentrations monitoring are gaining importance of special situations, but limited data are available for the expected peak and trough levels. The hemoclot thrombin inhibitor (HTI) is dabigatran-calibrated quantitative determination of dabigatran concentration. This study aims to validate HTI assay as the quantification choice of dabigatran, and providing the expected peak and trough levels.Materials and MethodsThis is a multi-center methodology validate study, including seven hospitals from Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Hunan, Chongqing, and Fujian. We retrospectively analyzed plasma samples taken from 118 healthy subjects and 183 patients receiving dabigatran. Dabigatran concentrations were measured with HTI assay and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Linear regression, Spearman correlation and Bland-Altman analysis were used in this study.ResultsThe mean concentration ratio of HPLC-MS/MS and HTI assays was 1.03 and 0.98 at 2 and 12 h, and the acceptance ranges for both the ratio limit as well as the limit of agreement were met, suggesting good agreement between the HTI-derived plasma concentrations and HPLC-MS/MS. The reference detection range of single dose dabigatran 150 mg in healthy subjects was 33–159 ng/ml. About 500 blood samples were taken from 183 patients suggested that the expected peak and trough levels range of dabigatran 110 mg was about 95–196 and 36–92 ng/ml.ConclusionHemoclot thrombin inhibitor assay can be a good quantitative detection method of dabigatran. Expected peak and trough levels provide a basis for the rational use of dabigatran, and provide important Asian population data for the update of the international clinical guidelines for hematological testing.Clinical Trial Registration[https://clinicaltrials.gov], identifier [NCT03161496].
Independent and joint association of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and left ventricular mass index with heart failure risk in elderly diabetic patients with right ventricular pacing
Authors: Yu Yu , Huang Hao , Cheng Sijing , Deng Yu , Liu Xi , Gu Min , Chen Xuhua , Niu Hongxia , Cai Chi , Hua Wei 
Published: July 2022

BackgroundElevated levels of N-terminal pro-B natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are independent risk factors for heart failure (HF). In addition, right ventricular pacing (RVP) is an effective treatment strategy for bradyarrhythmia, but long-term RVP is associated with HF. However, there is limited evidence on the independent and combined association of NT-proBNP and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) with HF risk in elderly diabetic patients with long-term RVP.MethodsBetween January 2017 and January 2018, a total of 224 elderly diabetic patients with RVP at Fuwai Hospital were consecutively included in the study, with a 5-year follow-up period. The study endpoint was the first HF readmission during follow-up. This study aimed to explore the independent and joint relationship of NT-proBNP and LVMI with HF readmission in elderly diabetic patients with long-term RVP, using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model.ResultsA total of 224 (11.56%) elderly diabetic patients with RVP were included in the study. During the 5-year follow-up period, a total of 46 (20.54%) patients suffered HF readmission events. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that higher levels of NT-proBNP and LVMI were independent risk factors for HF readmission [NT-proBNP: hazard risk (HR) = 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.10; LVMI: HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02–1.27]. The optimal cut-off point of NT-proBNP was determined to be 330 pg/ml by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Patients with NT-proBNP &gt; 330 pg/ml and LVH had a higher risk of HF readmission compared to those with NT-proBNP ≤ 330 pg/ml and non-LVH (39.02% vs. 6.17%; HR = 7.72, 95% CI: 1.34–9.31, P &lt; 0.001).ConclusionIn elderly diabetic patients with long-term RVP, NT-proBNP and LVMI were associated with the risk of HF readmission. Elevated NT-proBNP combined with LVH resulted in a significantly higher risk of HF readmission.
Patency and adverse outcomes of sequential vs. individual saphenous vein grafts in coronary artery bypass: A meta-analysis
Authors: Jiao He , Li Jinghui , Bai Yunpeng , Guo Zhigang 
Published: July 2022

ObjectivesTo undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies to compare the patency and adverse outcomes of sequential and individual saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for cohort studies. Endpoints for vein graft failure, perioperative and follow-up adverse events were extracted as risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Statistical heterogeneity across the studies was examined using the I2 statistic. Potential of publication bias was evaluated quantitatively by the Egger's test. Sensitivity analysis was also performed to assess the robustness of our outcomes.ResultsThe 15 studies were analyzed, including 22,004 patients, 4,580 grafts, and seven different adverse events under individual or sequential CABG. The sequential group had inferior graft failure (RR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.60–0.77) and long-term mortality (RR = 0.76; 95%CI, 0.61–0.95), but with an increased risk of perioperative repeat revascularization (RR = 1.58; 95%CI, 1.16–2.14) than the individual group.ConclusionTaken together, our analysis of the aggregated evidence comparing the sequential and individual saphenous vein grafts for coronary heart disease patients showed that the use of the sequential graft was associated with inferior graft failure and long-term mortality respectively, but with an increased risk of perioperative repeat revascularization. According to our study, both surgical techniques have their own advantages in efficacy and safety, and the selection of surgical techniques should be based on patients and surgeons. Sequential saphenous vein grafts should be more recommended to experienced surgeons in order to both reduce perioperative adverse events and improve long-term patency.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022326992.
Systematic review and network meta-analysis of pre-emptive embolization of the aneurysm sac side branches and aneurysm sac coil embolization to improve the outcomes of endovascular aneurysm repair
Authors: Wu Ye , Yin Jianhan , Hongpeng Zhang , Wei Guo 
Published: July 2022

ObjectivePrevious reports have revealed a high incidence of type II endoleak (T2EL) after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). The incidence of T2EL after EVAR is reduced by pre-emptive embolization of aneurysm sac side branches (ASSB) and aneurysm sac coil embolization (ASCE). This study aimed to investigate whether different preventive interventions for T2EL were correlated with suppression of aneurysm sac expansion and reduction of the re-intervention rate.MethodsThe PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE and Embase databases, and conference proceedings were searched to identify articles on EVAR with or without embolization. The study was developed in line with the Participants, Interventions, Comparisons, Outcomes, and Study design principles and was conducted and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We used network meta-analysis based on multivariate random-effects meta-analysis to indirectly compare outcomes of different strategies for embolization during EVAR.ResultsA total of 31 studies met all inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses. The included studies were published between 2001 and 2022 and analyzed a total of 18,542 patients, including 1,882 patients who received prophylactic embolization treatment during EVAR (experimental group) and 16,660 who did not receive prophylactic embolization during EVAR (control group). The effect of pre-emptive embolization of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) (IMA-ASSB) in preventing T2EL was similar (relative risk [RR] 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38–2.63) to the effects of non-selective embolization of ASSB (NS-ASSB) and ASCE (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.40–1.96). IMA-ASSB showed a better clinical effect in suppressing the aneurysm sac expansion (RR 0.27, 95% CI 0.09–2.25 compared with NS-ASSB; RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.16–5.56 compared with ASCE) and reducing the re-intervention rate (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.08–1.53 compared with NS-ASSB; RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.19–2.22 compared with ASCE). All prophylactic embolization strategies improved the clinical outcomes of EVAR.ConclusionProphylactic embolization during EVAR effectively prevents T2EL, suppresses the aneurysm sac expansion, and reduces the re-intervention rate. IMA embolization demonstrated benefits in achieving long-term aneurysm sac stability and lowering the risk of secondary surgery. NS-ASSB more effectively reduces the incidence of T2EL, while IMA embolization alone or in combination with ASCE enhances the clinical benefits of EVAR. In addition, as network meta-analysis is still an indirect method based on a refinement of existing data, more studies and evidence are still needed in the future to establish more credible conclusions.
Seismic Tomography and Earthquake Relocation in North China Craton From 2008 to 2017
Authors: Wu Bateer , Ma Tian 
Published: July 2022

We present a newly developed three-dimensional seismic velocity model and high-precision earthquake relocations in North China using seismic data recorded by the National Earthquake Data Center of China from 2008 to 2017 through the double-difference tomography (tomoDD) method. The Vp model in the upper crust (below 15 km) generally agrees with those in previous studies, and it fits well with the geological structure. The result shows that the vast majority of earthquakes in North China occurred at the junction of the low-velocity zone (depression zone) and the high-velocity zone (uplift zone). This situation is difficult to change in the short term, so it is highly unlikely that another earthquake of the magnitude of 7.2 in Xingtai in 1966 and 6.2 in Zhangjiakou North in 1998 will occur in these areas in the near future. But in the Tangshan earthquake area, the situation is completely different. Our joint inversion results of 3D P-wave velocity structure and earthquake relocation show that there is a narrow low-velocity anomaly perpendicular to the surface at 20–25 km in the Tangshan area and there are no earthquakes in this anomaly area. The formation of this low-velocity zone is most likely due to the remnants of the delayed subduction of the Pacific plate to the Eurasian plate, and in the context of the Kobe earthquake in Japan, we believe that this anomaly will continue to erode the Tangshan subsurface structure and may cause strong earthquakes in the future. Our study provides the groundwork for future earthquake prevention and mitigation in North China.
Performance of CMIP6 HighResMIP Simulations on West African Drought
Authors: Ajibola Felix Olabamiji , Zhou Botao , Shahid Shamsuddin , Ali Md. Arfan 
Published: July 2022

This study evaluated the performance of seven CMIP6 HighResMIP models in the simulations of drought over two sub-regions of West Africa: the Guinea coast and the Sahel during the historical period of 1985–2014, in terms of the potential evapotranspiration index (PET), climatic water availability (CWA), and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) at three time scales (i.e., 1, 3, and 12 months). The Climate Research Unit (CRU) TS v4.03 datasets were used as the observation reference. The observation shows that the PET and CWA during August (i.e., the rainfall annual peak) were less than 30 and 200 mm/month over the Guinea coast, respectively. The corresponding values over the Sahel were 100 and -50 mm/month, respectively. A significant decreasing trend was observed in drought over the Guinea coast (except Nigeria) and the Sahel. The frequencies of extreme and severe droughts were observed over Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone during the historical period. The seven HighResMIP models show different behaviors in simulating all of the abovementioned observation features. Among all the simulations, the ENSEMBLE, ECMWF, and IPSL generally perform better in almost all the statistical indices used, although there are still biases that need to be resolved in the models.
Behavior of large shaft sinking headframe subjected to uneven foundation settlement
Authors: Wang Bo , Liu Zhiqiang , Yuan Shuai 
Published: July 2022

Deep mining is an inevitable trend in China and the world, for which the construction of deep and large vertical shafts is the primary task. A shaft sinking headframe is a basic structure for supporting various hoisting and sinking equipment during vertical shaft construction. The design of the shaft sinking headframe is challenging due to the significant differences in the geometry and working load compared to conventional steel structures. Recently, the effect of uneven foundation settlement on the shaft sinking headframe has been of great concern when sinking shafts by the freezing sinking method or in permafrost soil areas. In this study, finite element calculations were performed to investigate the mechanical behavior of the SA-3 shaft sinking headframe under uneven foundation settlement (0.001–0.006 L) and normal working-load conditions. The results indicate that the most unfavorable condition for the stress of members is the diagonal double foundation settlement, and in the view of the geometric offset, the most unfavorable condition is the same-side double foundation settlement. The corner members near the settled foundation were changed from a state of compression to tension. Uneven foundation settlement of less than 0.001 L is acceptable for the safety and service performance of the shaft sinking headframe. These criteria can be used for reference in engineering practice.
The Effect of Sleep Restriction, With or Without Exercise, on Skeletal Muscle Transcriptomic Profiles in Healthy Young Males
Authors: Lin Wentao , Saner Nicholas J. , Weng Xiquan , Caruana Nikeisha J. , Botella Javier , Kuang Jujiao , Lee Matthew J-C. , Jamnick Nicholas A. , Pitchford Nathan W. , Garnham Andrew , Bartlett Jonathan D. , Chen Hao , Bishop David J. 
Published: July 2022

BackgroundInadequate sleep is associated with many detrimental health effects, including increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. These effects have been associated with changes to the skeletal muscle transcriptome, although this has not been characterised in response to a period of sleep restriction. Exercise induces a beneficial transcriptional response within skeletal muscle that may counteract some of the negative effects associated with sleep restriction. We hypothesised that sleep restriction would down-regulate transcriptional pathways associated with glucose metabolism, but that performing exercise would mitigate these effects.Methods20 healthy young males were allocated to one of three experimental groups: a Normal Sleep (NS) group (8 h time in bed per night (TIB), for five nights (11 pm – 7 am)), a Sleep Restriction (SR) group (4 h TIB, for five nights (3 am – 7 am)), and a Sleep Restriction and Exercise group (SR+EX) (4 h TIB, for five nights (3 am – 7 am) and three high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) sessions (performed at 10 am)). RNA sequencing was performed on muscle samples collected pre- and post-intervention. Our data was then compared to skeletal muscle transcriptomic data previously reported following sleep deprivation (24 h without sleep).ResultsGene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated there was an increased enrichment of inflammatory and immune response related pathways in the SR group post-intervention. However, in the SR+EX group the direction of enrichment in these same pathways occurred in the opposite directions. Despite this, there were no significant changes at the individual gene level from pre- to post-intervention. A set of genes previously shown to be decreased with sleep deprivation was also decreased in the SR group, but increased in the SR+EX group.ConclusionThe alterations to inflammatory and immune related pathways in skeletal muscle, following five nights of sleep restriction, provide insight regarding the transcriptional changes that underpin the detrimental effects associated with sleep loss. Performing three sessions of HIIE during sleep restriction attenuated some of these transcriptional changes. Overall, the transcriptional alterations observed with a moderate period of sleep restriction were less evident than previously reported changes following a period of sleep deprivation.
Potential Association Between Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Abuse and Pituitary Apoplexy: A Case Report
Authors: Andriuskeviciute Agne , Cossu Giulia , Ameti Adelina , Papadakis Georgios , Daniel Roy Thomas , Dunet Vincent , Messerer Mahmoud 
Published: July 2022

IntroductionPituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare, and potentially life-threatening condition, caused by hemorrhage or infarction into the pituitary gland with a rapid expansion of the contents of the sella turcica, associated with sudden intense headache, neurological and endocrinological deterioration. The identification of risk factors is crucial for prevention and optimal management. Herein we report a case of PA occurring 1 month after the initiation of anabolic androgenic steroid abuse for bodybuilding.Case ReportA 40-year-old male patient presents with abrupt onset headache associated with left partial third cranial nerve palsy. The MRI shows a sellar lesion involving left cavernous sinus with a heterogenous anterior aspect of the lesion with hemorrhagic zones in favor of PA. Endocrine work-up shows high testosterone level in patient who was using exogenous testosterone without a medical prescription for a month.ConclusionWe report a case of PA of a pituitary neuroendocrine tumor occurring shortly after AAS. The association between PA and AAS should be considered as a potential risk.
The Global Burden of Type 2 Diabetes Attributable to Tobacco: A Secondary Analysis From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Authors: Bai Jianjun , Shi Fang , Ma Yudiyang , Yang Donghui , Yu Chuanhua , Cao Jinhong 
Published: July 2022

ObjectivesGrowing epidemiological studies have reported the relationship between tobacco and health loss among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to explore the secular trend and spatial distribution of the T2D burden attributable to tobacco on a global scale to better understand regional disparities and judge the gap between current conditions and expectations.MethodsAs a secondary analysis, we extracted data of tobacco-attributable T2D burden from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD). Joinpoint regression was adopted to determine the secular trend of age-standardized rates (ASR), with average annual percentage change (AAPC). Gaussian process regression (GPR) was used to explore the average expected relationship between ASRs and the socio-demographic index (SDI). Spatial autocorrelation was used to indicate if there is clustering of age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) with Moran’s I value. Multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) was to investigate the spatial distribution and scales of influencing factors in ASDR attributable to tobacco, with the regression coefficients for each influencing factor among 204 countries.ResultsTobacco posed a challenge to global T2D health, particularly for the elderly and men from lower SDI regions. For women, mortality attributable to secondhand smoke was higher than smoking. A downward trend in age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of T2D attributable to tobacco was observed (AAPCs= -0.24; 95% CI -0.30 to -0.18), while the ASDR increased globally since 1990 (AAPCs= 0.19; 0.11 to 0.27). Oceania, Southern Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia had the highest ASMRs and ASDRs, exceeding expectations based on the SDI. Also, “high-high” clusters were mainly observed in South Africa and Southeast Asian countries, which means a high-ASDR country is surrounded by high-ASDR neighborhoods in the above areas. According to MGWR model, smoking prevalence was the most sensitive influencing factor, with regression coefficients from 0.15 to 1.80.ConclusionThe tobacco-attributable burden of T2D should be considered as an important health issue, especially in low-middle and middle-SDI regions. Meanwhile, secondhand smoke posed a greater risk to women. Regional disparities existed, with hot spots mainly concentrated in South Africa and Southeast Asian countries.
Characteristic MicroRNAs Linked to Dysregulated Metabolic Pathways in Qatari Adult Subjects With Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Mir Fayaz Ahmad , Mall Raghvendra , Iskandarani Ahmad , Ullah Ehsan , Samra Tareq A. , Cyprian Farhan , Parray Aijaz , Alkasem Meis , Abdalhakam Ibrahem , Farooq Faisal , Abou-Samra Abdul-Badi 
Published: July 2022

BackgroundObesity-associated dysglycemia is associated with metabolic disorders. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known regulators of metabolic homeostasis. We aimed to assess the relationship of circulating miRNAs with clinical features in obese Qatari individuals.MethodsWe analyzed a dataset of 39 age-matched patients that includes 18 subjects with obesity only (OBO) and 21 subjects with obesity and metabolic syndrome (OBM). We measured 754 well-characterized human microRNAs (miRNAs) and identified differentially expressed miRNAs along with their significant associations with clinical markers in these patients.ResultsA total of 64 miRNAs were differentially expressed between metabolically healthy obese (OBO) versus metabolically unhealthy obese (OBM) patients. Thirteen out of 64 miRNAs significantly correlated with at least one clinical trait of the metabolic syndrome. Six out of the thirteen demonstrated significant association with HbA1c levels; miR-331-3p, miR-452-3p, and miR-485-5p were over-expressed, whereas miR-153-3p, miR-182-5p, and miR-433-3p were under-expressed in the OBM patients with elevated HbA1c levels. We also identified, miR-106b-3p, miR-652-3p, and miR-93-5p that showed a significant association with creatinine; miR-130b-5p, miR-363-3p, and miR-636 were significantly associated with cholesterol, whereas miR-130a-3p was significantly associated with LDL. Additionally, miR-652-3p’s differential expression correlated significantly with HDL and creatinine.ConclusionsMicroRNAs associated with metabolic syndrome in obese subjects may have a pathophysiologic role and can serve as markers for obese individuals predisposed to various metabolic diseases like diabetes.