bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on patients with chronic pain in Germany: Associations with expectations and control beliefs
Authors: Müßgens Diana , Burgard Lisa Carolin , Kleine‐Borgmann Julian , Frettlöh Jule , Sorgatz Hardo , Bingel Ulrike 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundWhile the COVID‐19 pandemic is affecting people's well‐being worldwide, it may place a particularly high burden on people with chronic pain, as pain is known to be influenced by societal and psychological conditions.MethodsIn this observational study, we conducted telephone interviews with 196 patients with chronic pain to assess the impact of the pandemic on various aspects of their pain and everyday life. The initial interviews were conducted between April and May 2020 and were followed up by a second interview between August and December 2020.ResultsA substantial percentage of patients (39% at the first and 32% at the second interview) reported an increase in pain intensity due to the pandemic. Exploratory analyses revealed that patients who already suffered from greater pain and who experienced greater restrictions due to the pandemic were more likely to express pain worsening. Psychological factors such as negative expectations about the development of their pain and pain treatment and a high external locus of control were also associated with increases in pain.ConclusionsThese findings illustrate the complexity of chronic pain, suggesting that not only the impact of the pandemic on various areas of life but also the severity of the pain‐symptoms themselves and psychological factors influence the course of patients' symptoms during the pandemic.SignificanceThis study underlines the importance of psychosocial factors in chronic pain and demonstrates that the societal and psychological impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic can affect patients' pain and their ability to cope with it. The extent to which patients experience pain aggravation seems to interact with other psychological factors such as pain expectations and control beliefs.
Long‐term open‐label perampanel: Generalized tonic–clonic seizures in idiopathic generalized epilepsy
Authors: French Jacqueline A. , Wechsler Robert T. , Trinka Eugen , Brandt Christian , O'Brien Terence J. , Patten Anna , Salah Alejandro , Malhotra Manoj 
Published: April 2022

AbstractObjectiveAssess the longer‐term efficacy and safety of adjunctive perampanel (up to 12 mg/day) in patients aged ≥12 years with generalized tonic–clonic (GTC) seizures from the Open‐label Extension (OLEx) Phase of Study 332 to determine whether responses obtained during the Core Study are maintained during long‐term treatment.MethodsPatients with GTC seizures previously enrolled in a randomized placebo‐controlled trial of perampanel could enter an OLEx Phase comprising 6‐week blinded conversion (during which patients previously randomized to placebo‐switched to perampanel) and up to 136‐week maintenance periods (maximum perampanel dose of 12 mg/day). A 4‐week follow‐up period was completed by all patients after the last on‐treatment visit during the OLEx. We assessed seizure frequency outcomes from preperampanel baseline and the Core Study Pre‐randomization Phase, retention rates, doses selected, and treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs).ResultsOverall, 138 patients entered the OLEx. Median percent reductions in GTC seizures per 28 days from preperampanel were 77% (Weeks 1‐13) and 90% (Weeks 40‐52). Retention rates were 88% (6 months) and 75% (12 months). Seizure‐freedom rates were maintained for at least 2 years regardless of prior treatment received during the Core Study. Most common modal daily dose was >4‐8 mg/day (n = 93). Across the Core and OLEx Phases, 120 (87%) patients experienced TEAEs; the most common was dizziness.SignificancePerampanel was generally well‐tolerated, and the TEAEs reported here are consistent with the known safety profile of perampanel. Perampanel offers a long‐term treatment option for patients (aged ≥12 years) with GTC seizures.
Recurrence rates and risk factors for seizure recurrence following antiseizure medication withdrawal in adolescent patients with genetic generalized epilepsy
Authors: Komatsubara Takao , Kobayashi Yu , Hiraiwa Akiko , Magara Shinichi , Hojo Moemi , Ono Takeshi , Okazaki Kenichi , Fukuda Masafumi , Tohyama Jun 
Published: April 2022

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to identify the recurrence rate of genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE) and risk factors for recurrence after antiseizure medication (ASM) withdrawal in adolescent patients.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with GGE who were included in the registry at the Department of Child Neurology, National Hospital Organization Nishiniigata Chuo Hospital from 2000 through 2020. The eligibility criteria were as follows: onset of epileptic seizures at <15 years of age, treatment with an ASM, and attempted treatment withdrawal at 10‐19 years of age. The rates of seizure recurrence after drug withdrawal were evaluated. Moreover, several variables were evaluated as predictors of recurrence.ResultsIn total, 77 patients with GGE (21, 13, and 43 patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy [JME], juvenile absence epilepsy [JAE], and epilepsy with generalized tonic–clonic seizures alone [EGTCSA], respectively) were included in this study. Recurrence was detected in 68% of patients with GGE (86%, 31%, and 70% of patients with JME, JAE, and EGTCSA, respectively). Recurrence rates for patients who developed epilepsy at ≥13 years of age, those who started dose reduction at ≥16 years of age, those who exhibited a seizure‐free period of <36 months before withdrawal, and those who chose to discontinue treatment at their own discretion were significantly higher than those for their counterparts. Multivariate analysis revealed that initiation of dose reduction at ≥16 years of age was associated with increased recurrence risk. Meanwhile, a diagnosis of JAE was associated with decreased recurrence risk. All patients with JAE were treated with valproic acid.SignificanceAntiseizure medication withdrawal at ≥16 years of age and a diagnosis other than JAE may be independent risk factors for seizure recurrence after drug withdrawal in adolescent patients.
Radiation effect on MHD flow past a porous vertical plate in the presence of heat sink
Authors: Choudhury Kangkan , Ahmed Nazibuddin , Chamuah Kalyan 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis study investigates heat and mass transfer in MHD convective flow through a vertical plate via porous media in the presence of radiation and a heat source/sink. It is assumed that a uniform magnetic field of strength is imposed perpendicular to the plate and directed into the fluid area. The governing nondimensional equations are solved using the perturbation technique. We further derived the skin friction, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number. The computation of results is performed with the aid of mathematical software and results are presented in graphical and tabular forms for distinct flow impacting parameters. It is observed that fluid motion is retarded due to the application of the magnetic field. Furthermore, the fluid temperature comprehensively falls under the Prandtl number as well as the thermal radiation effect. It is important to note that the heat sink causes fluid velocity and fluid temperature to fall drastically.
Effects of heated block comprised porous stratum and micropolar hybrid nanofluid on convective heat transfer and entropy generation in a square enclosure
Authors: Ahlawat Anil , Sharma Mukesh Kumar 
Published: April 2022

AbstractA numerical study is performed to explore the effects on heat convection and entropy gthe eneration due to porous stratum and heated block in an enclosure saturated with micropolar hybrid nanofluid. Constant heat flux through half of the length of the square enclosure is centrally placed at the bottom wall and the top wall is isothermally cooled while vertical walls are insulated. The Cu‐Al2O3/water hybrid nanofluid is considered a micropolar fluid (MF) with constant physical properties. The Boussinesq approximation is implemented on the density variation and convection within the porous layer is regulated with the Darcy–Brinkman model. The governing nondimensional equations are solved with the finite difference method (FDM). Effects of various key parameters on isotherms, streamlines, local Nusselt number, and average Nusselt number are discussed numerically and analyzed through graphs. The entropy generation analysis (EGA) has been done with local and average Bejan numbers, local entropy generation, and entropy generation numbers. The heat convection from the heat flux enhances with the increase in the volume fraction of the hybrid nanoparticles (), Rayleigh number (Ra), and Darcy's number (Da) while attenuating by increasing the vortex viscosity K0. The domination of the heat transfer irreversibility over the frictional irreversibility upraises with K0 and . With an increase in the porous stratum's thickness, the average value of the Bejan's number enhances, and a decline in the entropy generation number Ns.
Performance evaluation of four rapid antibody tests for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Authors: Kim Jae Kyung , Ryu Sook Won , Kim Jae Soo , Jung Bo Kyeung 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe prompt detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is important in the therapeutic management of infected patients. Rapid diagnostic tests are widely used for this purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of four SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin IgG/IgM rapid diagnostic tests in the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2.MethodsNasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs and/or sputum were collected from 30 patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 and 30 healthy volunteers. All specimens were tested using four SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG/IgM rapid diagnostic tests and real‐time polymerase chain reaction. We assessed the clinical sensitivity and specificity of the tests.ResultsThe clinical sensitivity of FREND™, SsmarTest™, BIOCREDIT™, and IVDLAB™ was 96.67%, 100.00%, 100.00%, and 96.67%, respectively, compared to real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The clinical specificity was 96.67%, 100.00%, 86.67%, and 96.67%, respectively.ConclusionThese findings could expedite the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 and thus reduce the risk of further transmission of the virus.
Sclerostin immunohistochemical staining in surgically treated giant cell tumor of bone
Authors: Kelly Sean P. , Ramkumar Dipak B. , Peacock Zachary S. , Newman Erik T. , Venrick Connor , Lozano‐Calderon Santiago A. , Raskin Kevin A. , Chebib Ivan , Schwab Joseph H. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundGiant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a destructive lesion with a high potential for recurrence. RANK‐ligand targeted therapy has provided promising, yet mixed results. Sclerostin (SOST) inhibition results in a net anabolic response and is currently used in the treatment of osteoporosis. The application to GCTB is unknown.ObjectivesWe sought to determine if GCTB stained for SOST on immunohistochemistry and correlate its expression with predictor variables.MethodsAll patients at a single institution undergoing surgery for GCTB between 1993 and 2008 with a minimum of 6 months follow‐up were included. Primary outcomes included the presence of SOST staining, secondary outcomes included the correlation of patient and tumor‐specific predictor variables.ResultsSOST antibody staining of any cell type was present in 47 of 48 cases (97.9%). Positivity of the stromal cells was present in 39 of 48 cases (81.3%) and was associated with radiographic aggressiveness (p = 0.023), symptomatic presentation (p = 0.032), prior surgery (p = 0.005), and patient age (p = 0.034). Positivity of giant cells was present in 41 of 48 cases (85.4%) and was not significant with predictive factors.ConclusionsSclerostin staining in GCTB is a novel finding and warrants further research to define the role of sclerostin as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target.
Simultaneous determination of pyflubumide and its metabolite in vegetables and fruits by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Zuo Wei , Dong Chao , Jiao Bining , Wang Chengqiu , Li Jing 
Published: April 2022

A rapid and cost‐effective analytical method based on ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry was designed and verified for simultaneously monitoring the novel acaricide pyflubumide and its metabolite (pyflubumide‐des(2‐methyl‐1oxopropyl)) in vegetables and fruits. After the extraction with acetonitrile, the samples were purified by dispersive solid‐phase extraction with multi‐walled carbon nanotubes. Detection of the two target analytes was achieved within 3.0 min using a positive electrospray ionization mode. The average recovery, intra‐day precision, and inter‐day precision of the two analytes at three spiked levels (2, 20, and 100 μg/kg) were 75.0–101.0, 0.4–4.4, and 0.6–5.3%, respectively. The limit of quantification of two compounds was 2 μg/kg, which was far below the maximum residue limits of pyflubumide in foods established by Japan and South Korea. Finally, the concentrations of pyflubumide and its metabolite in the samples were 16.6 and 7.8 μg/kg respectively, which verified the practicability and reliability of the method. The method was used to efficiently detect pyflubumide and its metabolite in real samples and was confirmed to be robust and effective for routinely analyzing both pyflubumide and its metabolite in vegetable and fruit samples.
Storing Mg Ions in Polymers: A Perspective
Authors: Wang Haoxiang , Mao Minglei , Wang Chengliang 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe electrochemical performance of rechargeable Mg batteries (RMBs) is primarily determined by the cathodes. However, the strong interaction between highly polarized Mg2+ and the host lattice is a big challenge for inorganic cathode materials. While endowed with weak interaction with Mg2+, organic polymers are capable of fast reaction kinetics. Besides, with the advantages of light weight, abundance, low cost, and recyclability, polymers are deemed as ideal cathode materials for RMBs. Although polymer cathodes have remarkably progressed in recent years, there are still significant challenges to overcome before reaching practical application. In this perspective, the challenges faced by polymer cathodes are critically focused, followed by the retrospection of efforts devoted to design polymers. Some feasible strategies are proposed to explore new structures and chemistries for the practical application of polymer cathodes in RMBs.
Boosted Efficiency Over 18.1% of Polymer Solar Cells by Employing Large Extinction Coefficients Material as the Third Component
Authors: Zhang Shuping , Ma Xiaoling , Xu Chunyu , Xu Wenjing , Jeong Sang Young , Woo Han Young , Zhou Zhengji , Zhang Xiaoli , Zhang Fujun 
Published: April 2022

AbstractA series of binary and ternary polymer solar cells (PSCs) is successfully fabricated. The optimal ternary PSCs achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.14%, benefiting from the increased short circuit current density (JSC) of 26.53 mA cm−2 and fill factor (FF) of 78.51% in comparison with the JSCs (25.05 mA cm−2 and 25.65 mA cm−2) and the FFs (77.13% and 76.55%) of the corresponding binary PSCs. The photon harvesting ability of ternary active layers can be enhanced, which can be confirmed from the EQE spectral difference of the optimized ternary and binary PSCs, especially in the wavelength range from 680 nm to 800 nm. The refractive index and extinction coefficients of binary and ternary blend films are measured, which can well support the enhanced photon harvesting ability in different wavelength ranges. Photogenerated exciton distribution in active layers is simulated by the transmission matrix method based on the Beer–Lambert law. The photogenerated exciton density can be enhanced in the middle of the active layers by incorporating a third component in acceptors, which is conducive to charge collection by individual electrodes, resulting in the simultaneously enhanced JSC and FF of the optimal ternary PSCs.
Determining the temperature of aluminum plasma produced by laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy based on its ultraviolet emission spectra
Authors: Wang Xinhao , Guo Guqing , Qiu Xuanbing , Gong Ting , He Xiaohu , Li Chuanliang 
Published: April 2022

AbstractPlasma temperature and electron density are two important parameters describing the characteristics of plasma. The Aluminum plasma is produced by laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy and its emission spectra are observed by a spectrometer with high resolution. Based on its discrete ultraviolet lines, pair‐line Boltzmann (PLB) approach is proposed to determine the temperature of plasma. These pair‐lines are with the same lower electronic state partially immune to self‐absorption influence. For comparison with Boltzmann two‐line method, the Al plasma is prepared at three different pulse energy levels. It is demonstrated that the accuracy of PLB is improved about three times by employing four ultraviolet pair‐lines. The electron density is estimated at different excited energy according to Stark line broadening of Al I 396.15 nm. Furthermore, the alloy of 7075‐Al is used as the sample target to generate the plasma to validate the PLB approach.
Technical note: Respiratory impacts on static and respiratory gated 99mTc‐MAA SPECT/CT for liver radioembolization: A simulation study
Authors: Lu Zhonglin , Chen Gefei , Lyu Yingqing , Chen Yue , Mok Greta S. P. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractPurposeWe aimed to evaluate respiratory impacts on static and respiratory gated (RG) 99mTc‐MAA SPECT in terms of respiratory motion (RM) blur, attenuation correction (AC), and volume‐of‐interest (VOI) segmentation on lung shunt faction (LSF) and tumor‐to‐normal liver ratio (TNR) estimation for liver radioembolization therapy planning.MethodsThe XCAT phantom was used to simulate a population of 300 phantoms, modeling various anatomical variations, tumor characteristics, RM amplitudes, LSFs, and TNRs. One hundred and twenty noisy projections of average activity maps near end‐expiration (End‐EX) and whole respiratory cycle were simulated analytically, modeling attenuation and geometric collimator‐detector‐response (GCDR). The OS‐EM algorithm was employed for reconstruction, modeling AC, and GCDR. RM effect was evaluated for static SPECT, while AC and VOI mismatch effects were investigated independently and together for static and RG SPECT utilizing one gate, that is, End‐EX. LSF and TNR errors were measured based on the ground truth. Lesions with different characteristics were also investigated for static and RG SPECT.ResultsRM overestimates LSF and underestimates TNR. The VOI mismatch caused the largest errors in both RG and static SPECT for LSF and TNR estimation, reaching 160% and −52% correspondingly with extremely mismatched VOIs for RG SPECT, even larger than those for static SPECT. With matched AC and VOIs, RG SPECT has better performance than static SPECT. Larger TNR errors are associated with tumors of smaller sizes and higher TNR for static SPECT.ConclusionsThe VOI segmentation mismatch has a stronger impact, followed by RM and AC in static 99mTc‐MAA SPECT/CT. This effect is more pronounced for RG SPECT. When VOI masks are derived from a matched CT, RG SPECT is generally superior to static SPECT for LSF and TNR estimation. The performance of RG SPECT could be worse than static SPECT when a mismatched CT is used for segmentation.
Flexible and thermal conductive poly (vinylidene fluoride) composites with silver decorated hexagonal boron nitride/silicon carbide hybrid filler
Authors: Hu Lanlan , Yang Wulin , Zhu Jiajun , Fu Licai , Li Deyi , Zhou Lingping 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn this work, a novel thermal conductive and electrical insulation composite paper fabricated through doctor‐blading followed by hot‐pressing was reported. Specifically, by loading silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) and silicon carbide wires (SiCw), the BNNS and SiCw were bridged through the sintered AgNPs to form a heat conduction path. The results indicate that the prepared composite paper not only enhances the thermal conductivity to 47 W m−1 k−1 but also possesses good mechanical properties and high electrical insulation. The optimizations can be attributed to the efficient BNNS/Ag/SiCw networks within the paper and strong interfacial combination through sintered AgNPs. Furthermore, the distribution and size of the AgNPs also affect the properties of the composites. This work provides a promising strategy to improve thermal conductivity of the composites by constructing efficient thermal conductive pathways, which are suitable for large‐scale preparation and have potential to be widely used in the field of electronic packaging.
An overview of the Plasmodium falciparum hexose transporter and its therapeutic interventions
Authors: Jiang Xin 
Published: April 2022

AbstractDespite intense elimination efforts, human malaria, caused by the infection of five Plasmodium species, remains the deadliest parasitic disease in the world. Even worse, with the emergence and spreading of the first‐line drug‐resistant Plasmodium parasites, therapeutic interventions based on novel plasmodial drug targets are more necessary than ever. Given that the blood‐stage parasites primarily rely on glycolysis for their energy supply, blocking glucose uptake, the rate‐limiting step of ATP generation, was considered a promising approach to kill these parasites. To achieve this goal, characterization of the plasmodial hexose transporter and development of selective inhibitors have been pursued for decades. Here, we review the identification and characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum hexose transporter (PfHT1) and summarize current advances in its inhibitor development.