bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Ambulatory Care Score For Atrial Fibrillation: A Decision-Support For Triage of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation Without Cardiologist’s Opinion; A Derrivation Study
Authors: Michiels Constance , Outteryck François , Libert Perrine , Bauley Karine , Godesence Carole , Diesnis Rémy 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background: As the population ages, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing. This leads to significant healthcare resource use – mainly the cost of hospitalization. Using guidelines, we built the Ambulatory Care Score for Atrial Fibrillation (ACSAF) for application in emergency departments (EDs) that lack a cardiologist. The primary objective of the present study was to validate the ACSAF for the triage of new-onset AF (NOAF) by comparison with the cardiologist’s opinion.Methods: This single-centre, prospective, observational, comparative study was performed at a general hospital between November 2018 and October 2019. All adult patients with NOAF were included. Patients with a systolic blood pressure <80 mmHg or a heart rate >180 bpm were excluded. The ACSAF was calculated by an ED physician in blind to the cardiologist’s opinion. The primary outcome was the mean difference in the ACSAF between ambulatory care group and the hospital care group. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to determine the optimal cut-off for the ACSAF. Results: 81 patients with NOAF (42 men (51.9%); mean age: 69 ±16 years old) were included in the study. The mean ACSAF was higher in the hospital care group (2.16 ±1.05) than in the ambulatory care group (1.03 ±0.97; p<0.0001). The optimal ACSAF cut-off was 2, giving a sensitivity [95% confidence interval] of 71.4%[57.1-83.7] and a specificity of 81.2%[68.8-93.8]. Discussion & Conclusion: The ACSAF enables ED physicians to decide on the triage of NOAF in the absence of a cardiologist’s opinion.Trial registration: ANSM (French Drug Administration) : ID RCB 2018-A01800-55 French National Data Protection Commission (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (Paris, France); reference: MRC-003 2197970, June 2nd, 2018)
First report of rapid, non-invasive, and reagent-free detection of malaria through the skin of patients with a beam of infrared light
Authors: Garcia Gabriela , Kariyawasam Tharanga , Lord Anton , Costa Cristiano , Chaves Lana , Lima-Junior Josue , Maciel-de-Freitas Rafael , Sikulu-Lord Maggy 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
We describe the first application of the Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique to detect Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria parasites through the skin of malaria positive and negative human subjects. NIRS is a rapid, non-invasive and reagent free technique which involves rapid interaction of a beam of light with a biological sample to produce diagnostic signatures in seconds. We used a handheld, miniaturized spectrometer to shine NIRS light on the ear, arm and finger of P. falciparum (n=7) and P. vivax (n=20) positive people and malaria negative individuals (n=33) in a malaria endemic setting in Brazil. Supervised machine learning algorithms for predicting the presence or absence of malaria were applied to predict malaria infection status in independent individuals (n=12). Separate machine learning algorithms for differentiating P. falciparum from P. vivax infected subjects were developed using spectra from the arm and ear of P. falciparum and P. vivax (n=108) and the resultant model predicted infection in spectra of their fingers (n=54).
NIRS non-invasively detected malaria positive and negative individuals that were excluded from the model with 100% sensitivity, 83% specificity and 92% accuracy (n=12) with spectra collected from the arm. Moreover, NIRS also correctly differentiated P. vivax from P. falciparum positive individuals with a predictive accuracy of 93% (n=54).
These findings are promising but further work on a larger scale is needed to address several gaps in knowledge and establish the full capacity of NIRS as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for malaria. It is recommended that the tool is further evaluated in multiple epidemiological and demographic settings where other factors such as age, mixed infection and skin colour can be incorporated into predictive algorithms to produce more robust models for universal diagnosis of malaria.
Evaluation of Community Health Workers Performance at Home Based Newborn Assessment Supported by mHealth Tool in Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Jahan Farjana , Foote Eric , Rahman Mahbubur , Shoab Abul Kasham , Parvez Sarker Masud , Nasim Mizanul Islam , Hasan Rezaul , Arifeen Shams El , Billah Sk Masum , Sarker Supta , Hoque Md. Mahbubul , Shahidullah Mohammad , Islam Muhammad Shariful , Ashrafee Sabina , Darmstadt Gary L. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background: In low to middle-income countries where home births are common and neonatal postnatal care is limited, community health worker (CHW) home visits can extend the capability of health systems to reach vulnerable newborns in the postnatal period. CHW assessment of newborn danger signs supported by mHealth have potential to improve the quality of danger sign assessments and reduce CHW training requirements. We aim to estimate the validity (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value) of CHW assessment of newborn infants aided by mHealth compared to physician assessment.Methods: In this prospective study, ten CHWs received five days of theoretical and hands-on training on the physical assessment of newborns including ten danger signs. CHWs assessed 273 newborn infants for danger signs within 48 hours of birth and then consecutively for three days. A physician repeated 20% (n=148) of the assessments conducted by CHWs. Both CHWs and the physician evaluated newborns for ten danger signs and decided on referral. We used the physician’s danger sign identification and referral decision as the gold standard to validate CHWs’ identification of danger signs and referral decisions.Results: The referrals made by the CHWs had high sensitivity (93.3%), specificity (96.2%), and almost perfect agreement (K= 0.80) with the referrals made by the physician. CHW identification of all the danger signs except hypothermia showed moderate to high sensitivity (66.7-100%) compared to physician assessment. All the danger signs assessments except hypothermia showed moderate to high positive predictive value (PPV) (50-100%) and excellent negative predictive value (NPV) (99-100%). Specificity was high (99-100%) for all ten danger signs.Conclusion: CHW identification of neonatal danger signs aided by mHealth showed moderate to high validity in comparison to physician assessment. mHealth platforms may reduce CHW training requirements and while maintaining quality CHW physical assessment performance extending the ability of health systems to provide neonatal postnatal care in low-resource communities.Clinical Trial (CT) registration ID: NCT03933423 Name of the trial registry: clinicaltrials.govClinical Trial (CT) registration Date: 01/05/2019
Machine Learning Based Cloud IoT Platform for Intelligent Tourism Information Services
Authors: Bi Fangfei , Liu Haotian 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Because of the continuous development of the tourism industry, the application of the Internet of Things technology to tourism projects is very promising in the future. Smart tourism takes use of the Internet of Things to improve information exchange. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of the next generation of tourists in the future, the Internet of Things technology will become an indispensable part. As a consequence, based on visitor selection behavior, we offer a hybrid intelligent categorization approach. This method of categorization might help tourists decide whether or not to visit a tourist attraction. Cross-validation testing and performance assessment results indicate the method's effectiveness.
Reference Equations for The Six-Minute Walk Distance in Obese Chinese Subjects Older Than 40 Years
Authors: Zhang Jia , Zou Yingying , Wang Zibin , Chen Xiaoshu , Pan Jingye , Yu Haizhu , Lin Cong , Zou He 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background

Some studies have showed that the reference equations for the walking distance derived mainly from healthy, normal-weight people are not suitable for obese subjects. The main purpose of this study is to establish reference equations for the 6MWD in Chinese obese subjects.
Methods

In the study, a total of 272 obese subjects underwent American Thoracic Society (ATS) protocolized six-minute walk testing (6MWT), and the longer walking distance was used for further analysis. The reference equations of the 6MWD were developed by stepwise multiple regression analysis. The established equations for the 6MWD were compared to existing prediction equations.
Results

The mean 6MWD for the cohort was 523±56 m. We found that the reliability of two 6MWTs was good. Age and BMI were identified as independent factors and explained 31% and 27% of the variance in the 6MWD for the male and female groups, respectively. These reference equations reported in previous studies cannot accurately predict the 6MWD in our subjects.
Conclusion

The study was the first to describe the 6MWD in Chinese obese subjects and to propose predictive equations. These established equations can contribute to improving the assessment of Chinese obese patients with diseases that affect their exercise capacity.
Immune Microenvironment and Clinical Significance of PD1 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Yang Lili , Wang Jili , Yao Linpeng , Chen Cheng , Pan Junhan , Peng Ling , Chen Feng 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, durable response is limited to only a subset of patients. Therefore, this study aims to identify the ICI-responsive HCC patients and to investigate the distribution of programmed death 1 (PD1) in HCC patients, as well as the relationship among PD1, pathological parameters and survival of HCC patients. A total of 372 HCC patients (western population) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), 115 Primary HCC tissue and 52 para-carcinoma tissue (Data Set GSE76427, eastern population) from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were enrolled. Bioinformatics analysis were conducted with R software and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). This study showed the expression of PD1 was up-regulated in both western and eastern HCC patients, which was positively correlated with patients’ BMI and AFP value, as well as prognosis. The expression level of PD1 was significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration. Our study reveals the relationship of PD-1 and the HCC tumor microenvironment, providing insight for new ICI therapeutic options. Besides, PD1 expression levels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients may be a survival predictor.
A Deep Learning Approach for Detecting Liver Cirrhosis from Volatolomic Analysis of Exhaled Breath
Authors: Wieczorek Mikolaj A , Weston Alexander D , Ledenko Matthew F , Thomas Jonathan Nelson , Carter Rickey E , Patel Tushar C 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
IntroductionLiver disease such as cirrhosis is known to cause changes in the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOC) present in patient breath samples. Previous studies have demonstrated the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis from these breath samples, but studies are limited to a handful of discrete, well-characterized compounds.MethodsWe utilized VOC profiles from breath samples from 46 individuals, 35 with cirrhosis and 11 healthy controls. A deep-neural network was optimized to discriminate between healthy controls and individuals with cirrhosis.ResultsA 1D convolutional neural network (CNN) was accurate in predicting which patients had cirrhosis with an AUC of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.75, 0.99). Shapley Additive Explanations characterized the presence of discrete, observable peaks which were implicated in prediction, and the top peaks (based on the average SHAP profiles on the test dataset) were noted.ConclusionCNNs demonstrate the ability to predict the presence of cirrhosis based on a full volatolomics profile of patient breath samples. SHAP values indicate the presence of discrete, detectable peaks in the VOC signal.
In Vivo Dose-Response Analysis to Acetylcholine – Pharmacodynamic Assessment by Polarized Reflectance Spectroscopy
Authors: Henricson Joakim , Sjöberg Folke , Iredahl Fredrik , Strömberg Tomas , Wilhelms Daniel 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Objective: Transdermal iontophoresis offers an in vivo alternative to the strain-gauge model for measurement of vascular function but is limited due to lack of technical solutions for outcome assessment. The aims of this study were to, after measurement by polarized reflectance spectroscopy (PRS), use pharmacodynamic dose-response analysis on responses to different concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh); and to examine the effect of three consecutively administered iontophoretic current pulses. Methods: The vascular responses in 15 healthy volunteers to iontophorised ACh (5 concentrations, range 0.0001% to 1%, three consecutive pulses of 0.02 mA for 10 minutes each) were recorded using PRS. Data were fitted to a four-parameter logistic dose response model and compared regarding ED50 values.Results: Vascular responses were quantifiable by PRS. Similar pharmacodynamic dose response curves (ED50 values) could be generated irrespectively of the ACh concentration. Linearly increasing maximum vasodilatory responses were registered with increasing concentration of ACh. A limited linear dose effect of the concentration of ACh was seen between pulses. Conclusions: Polarized reflectance spectroscopy is well suited for measuring vascular responses to iontophoretically administrated ACh. The results of this study support further development of iontophoresis as a method to study vascular function and pharmacological responses in vivo.
Genomic Prediction of Hybrid Performance: Comparison of the Efficiency of Factorial and Tester Designs Used as Training Sets in a Multiparental Connected Reciprocal Design for Maize Silage
Authors: Lorenzi Alizarine , Bauland Cyril , Mary-Huard Tristan , Pin Sophie , Palaffre Carine , Guillaume Colin , Lehermeier Christina , Charcosset Alain , Moreau Laurence 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
In maize breeding, the selection of the candidate inbred lines is based on topcross evaluations using a limited number of testers. Then, a subset of single-crosses between these selected lines is evaluated to identify the best hybrid combinations. Genomic selection enables the prediction of all possible single-crosses between candidate lines but raises the question of defining the best training set design. Previous simulation results have shown the potential of using a sparse factorial design instead of tester designs as the training set. To validate this result, a 363 hybrid factorial design was obtained by crossing 90 dent and flint inbred lines from six segregating families. Two tester designs were also obtained by crossing the same inbred lines to two testers of the opposite group. These designs were evaluated for silage in eight environments and used to predict independent performances of a 951 hybrid factorial design. At a same number of hybrids and lines, the factorial design was as efficient as the tester designs, and, for some traits, outperformed them. All available designs were used as both training and validation set to evaluate their efficiency. When the objective was to predict single-crosses between untested lines, we showed an advantage of increasing the number of lines involved in the training set, by (i) allocating each of them to a different tester for the tester design, or (ii) reducing the number of hybrids per line for the factorial design. Our results confirm the potential of sparse factorial designs for genomic hybrid breeding.
Acetabular Revision Surgery With Tantalum Trabecular Metal Acetabular Cup for Failed Acetabular Cage Reconstruction With Bone Allografts: a Retrospective Study With Mid- to Long-term Follow-up
Authors: Hsu Chen-Heng , Hu Chih-Chien , Chang Chih-Hsiang , Chang Yu-Han , Shih Hsin-Nung , Chen Chun-Chieh 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

BackgroundThe acetabular cage reconstruction with bone allografts is one of the successful strategies to deal with the massive acetabular bone loss. However, the nonbiological fixation nature of cages can compromise long-term success. The tantalum trabecular metal acetabular cup (TM cup) has been used in acetabular revision surgery because of its increased initial stability and good bone ingrowth features. This study was to determine if the bone stock of acetabulum is enough to support the hemispheric TM cup after failed cage reconstruction with bone allografts.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed our patients who received acetabular revision surgery with TM cups after failed cages reconstruction with bone allografts from 2006 to 2017. There were twelve patients (5 males and 7 females) including in this study at the mean age of 61.5 years (38 to 81) at re-revision surgery. The mean follow-up after re-revision surgery was 8.6 years (2.6 to 13.3). The endpoint was defined as the aseptic loosening of TM cup and reoperation for any causes. The change of bone stock of acetabulum between index revision and re-revision was assessed according to Gross classification for acetabular bone loss. ResultsOne patient died after eight years of follow-up with the cause not related to hip surgery. Two patients received two-stage revision arthroplasty due to PJI after 3.2- and 9.4-years follow-up. The bone stock of acetabulum was significantly improving between index revision and re-revision surgery (p < 0.0001). The Kaplan-Meier survivorship was 100% when aseptic loosening as the endpoint, and 90% and 75% at five- and ten-year when reoperation for any causes as the endpoint.Even the cage reconstruction with bone allografts will fail eventually, the bone stock of acetabulum will improve after union and incorporation between host bone and allografts. The restored bone stocks will facilitate further revision surgery with hemispheric TM cup. The biological fixation between host bone tantalum trabecular metal will provide longstanding stability of the TM cup.ConclusionsThe results of our study offered a viable option for patients with failed cage reconstruction with bone allografts.
Sparse Principal Component Analysis for Statistical Inference in the Presence of Multicollinearity: A Case Study of Environmental Exposures on All-cause Mortality in UK Biobank
Authors: Mamouei Mohammad , Zhu Yajie , Nazarzadeh Milad , Hassaine Abdelaali , Salimi-Khorshidi Gholamreza , Cai Yutong , Rahimi Kazem 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Multicollinearity refers to the presence of collinearity between multiple variables and renders the results of statistical inference erroneous (Type II error). This is particularly important in environmental health research where multicollinearity can hinder inference. To address this, correlated variables are often excluded from the analysis, limiting the discovery of new associations. An alternative approach to address this problem is the use of principal component analysis. This method, combines and projects a group of correlated variables onto a new orthogonal space. While this resolves the multicollinearity problem, it poses another challenge in relation to interpretability of results. Standard hypothesis testing methods can be used to evaluate the association of projected predictors, called principal components, with the outcomes of interest, however, there is no established way to trace the significance of principal components back to individual variables. To address this problem, we investigated the use of sparse principal component analysis which enforces a parsimonious projection. We hypothesise that this parsimony could facilitate the interpretability of findings. To this end, we investigated the association of 20 environmental predictors with all-cause mortality adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, physiological, and behavioural factors. The study was conducted in a cohort of 379,690 individuals in the UK. During an average follow-up of 8.05 years (3,055,166 total person-years), 14,996 deaths were observed. We used Cox regression models to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Cox models were fitted to the standardised environmental predictors a) without any transformation b) transformed with PCA, and c) transformed with SPCA. The comparison of findings underlined the potential of SPCA for conducting inference in scenarios where multicollinearity can increase the risk of Type II error. Our analysis unravelled a significant association between average noise pollution and increased risk of all-cause mortality. Specifically, those in the upper deciles of noise exposure have between 5-10% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to the lowest decile.
Circadian Rhythm and Circulating Cell-Free DNA Release on Healthy Subjects
Authors: Poulet Geoffroy , Hulot Jean-Sébastien , Blanchard Anne , Bergerot Damien , Xiao Wenjin , Ginot Frederic , Boutonnet-Rodat Audrey , Beinse Guillaume , Geromel Vanna , Pellegrina Laurence , Azizi Michel , Laurent-Puig Pierre , Benhaim Leonor , Taly Valerie 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background
In the last decade, clinical studies have investigated the clinical relevance of circulating cell-free-DNA (ccfDNA) as a diagnostic and prognosis tool in various diseases including cancers. However, limited knowledge on ccfDNA biology restrains its full development in the clinical practice. To improve our understanding, we evaluated the impact of the circadian rhythm on ccfDNA release in healthy subjects over a 24-hour period.
Methods
20 healthy male subjects underwent serial blood sampling (8:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 AM, 4:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 12:00 PM, 4 AM (+1 Day) and 8 AM (+1 Day)). We performed digital droplet-based PCR (ddPCR) assays to target 2 DNA fragments (69 & 243 bp) located in the KRAS gene to determine the ccfDNA concentration and fragmentation profile. For control, half of the samples were re-analyzed by capillary miniaturized electrophoresis (BIAbooster system).
Results & discussion
Overall, we did not detect any influence of the circadian rhythm on ccfDNA release. Instead, we observed a decrease in the ccfDNA concentration after meal ingestion, suggesting either a post-prandial effect or a technical detection bias due to a higher plasma load in lipids and triglycerides. We also noticed a potential effect of gender, weight and creatinine levels on the ccfDNA concentration.
Intercellular exchange of Wnt ligands reduces cell population heterogeneity in embryogenesis
Authors: Hatakeyama Yudai , Saito Nen , Mii Yusuke , Shinozuka Takuma , Takemoto Tatsuya , Naoki Honda , Takada Shinji 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Wnt signaling is required to maintain bipotent progenitors for neural and paraxial mesoderm cells, the neuromesodermal progenitor (NMP) cells that reside in the epiblast and tailbud. Since epiblast/tailbud cells receive Wnt ligands produced by one another, this exchange may average out the heterogeneity of Wnt signaling levels among these cells. Here, we examined this possibility by replacing endogenous Wnt3a with a receptor-fused form that can activate signaling in producing cells, but not in neighboring cells. Mutant mouse embryos showed a unique phenotype in which maintenance of many NMP cells was impaired, although some cells persisted for long periods. The epiblast cell population of these embryos increased heterogeneity in Wnt signaling levels as embryogenesis progressed and were sensitive to retinoic acid, an endogenous antagonist of NMP maintenance. Thus, mutual intercellular exchange of Wnt ligands in the epiblast cell population reduces heterogeneity and achieves robustness to environmental stress.