Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for the Comprehensive Treatment of Oligometastatic Cancers: Long-Term Results of the SABR-COMET Phase II Randomized Trial

Purpose: The oligometastatic paradigm hypothesizes that patients with a limited number of metastases may achieve long-term disease control, or even cure, if all sites of disease can be ablated. However, long-term randomized data testing this paradigm are lacking. Methods: We enrolled patients with a controlled primary malignancy and 1-5 metastatic lesions, with all metastases amenable to stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). We stratified by the number of metastases (1-3 vs. 4-5) and randomized in a 1:2 ratio between palliative standard of care (SOC) treatments (Arm 1) vs. SOC plus SABR (Arm 2). We employed a randomized phase II screening design with a primary endpoint of overall survival (OS), using an alpha of 0.20 (wherein a p-value <0.20 indicates a positive trial). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), toxicity, and quality of life (QOL). Herein we present long-term outcomes from the trial. Results: Between 2012 and 2016, 99 patients were randomized (33 in Arm 1, 66 in Arm 2) at 10 centres internationally. Median age was 68 (range 43-89) and the majority (n=59; 60%) were male. The most common primary tumor types were breast (n=18), lung (n=18), colorectal (n=18), and prostate (n=16). Median follow-up was 51 months. Five-year OS was 17.7% in Arm 1 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6-34%) vs. 42.3% in Arm 2 (95% CI: 28-56%; stratified log-rank p=0.006). Five-year PFS was "not reached" in Arm 1 (3.2% [95% CI: 0-14%] at 4-years with last patient censored) and was 17.3% (95% CI: 8-30%) in Arm 2 (p=0.001). There were no new grade 2-5 adverse events and no differences in QOL between arms. Conclusions: With extended follow-up, the impact of SABR on OS was larger in magnitude than in the initial analysis, and durable over time. There were no new safety signals, and SABR had no detrimental impact on QOL. (NCT01446744)
Informing Homemade Emergency Facemask Design: The Ability of Common Fabrics to Filter Ultrafine Particles

Objectives: To examine the ability of fabrics which might be used to create homemade face masks to filter out ultrafine (smaller than 1m in diameter) particles. Method: Twenty commonly available fabrics and materials were evaluated for their ability to reduce air concentrations of ultrafine particles. Further assessment was made on the filtration ability of select fabrics while damp and of fabric combinations which might be used to construct homemade masks. Results: Single fabric layers blocked a range of ultrafine particles. When fabrics were layered, significantly more ultrafine particles were filtered. Several fabric combinations were successful in removing similar amounts of ultrafine particles when compared to an N95 mask and surgical mask. Conclusions: The current coronavirus pandemic has left many communities without access to commercial facemasks. Our findings suggest that face masks made from layered common fabric can help filter ultrafine particles and provide some protection for the wearer when commercial facemasks are unavailable.
Age-dependent differences in functional brain networks are atypical in Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. TS is complex, with symptoms that involve sensory, motor, and top-down control processes and that fluctuate over the course of development. While many have studied atypical brain structure and function associated with TS, the neural substrates supporting the complex range and time-course of symptoms is largely understudied. Here, we used functional connectivity MRI to examine functional networks across the whole-brain in children and adults with TS. To investigate the functional neuroanatomy of childhood and adulthood TS, we separately considered the sets of connections within each functional network and those between each pair of functional networks. We tested whether developmental stage (child, adult), diagnosis (TS, control), or an interaction between these factors was present among these connections. We found that developmental changes for most functional networks in TS were unaltered (i.e., developmental differences in TS were similar to those in typically developing children and adults). However, there were several within-network and cross-network connections that exhibited either divergent or attenuated development in TS. Connections involving the somatomotor, cingulo-opercular, auditory, dorsal attention, and default mode networks diverged from typical development in TS, demonstrating enhanced functional connectivity in adulthood TS. In contrast, connections involving the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, auditory, visual, reward, and ventral attention networks showed attenuated developmental differences in TS. These results suggest that adulthood TS is characterized by increased functional connectivity among functional networks that support cognitive control and attention, which may be implicated in suppressing, producing, and attending to tics. In contrast, subcortical systems that have been implicated in the initiation and production of tics may be immature in adulthood TS. Jointly, our results reveal how several cortical and subcortical functional networks interact and differ across development in TS.
Alcohol Screening for Women in their Childbearing Years: What are Health Care Providers doing in Canada?

Health care providers (HCPs) have an important role in screening for alcohol use across the lifespan, particularly during the childbearing years, and providing brief intervention to yield optimal outcomes and prevent the potential teratogenic effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the current alcohol screening practices of Canadian HCPs who care for pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Methods An online survey was administered in 2017 with the aim to identify current knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs among Canadian HCPs on screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol use for this population. The bilingual survey was disseminated by 4 national professional associations. A total of 634 interprofessional clinicians completed to the survey. Descriptive analysis was completed for the respondent's profession and their practices related to alcohol SBIRT. Cross-tabulation analyses explored the use of different screening questionnaires. Results Most respondents reported asking about alcohol use; however, there was a low overall use of screening questionnaires for both women of childbearing age and those who are pregnant. Low screening rates may equate to missed opportunities for intervention. Low rates of brief intervention and referral were noted even in circumstances where at-risk drinking was identified, with only 16.4% of respondents intervening when pregnant women reported at-risk alcohol consumption. Conclusion Continued efforts are needed to improve alcohol screening practices among women's HCPs across Canada. Priority areas for training include: understanding validated alcohol screening questionnaires; incorporating brief intervention into routine care; and developing local referral pathways.
Population anxiety and positive behaviour change during the COVID‐19 epidemic: Cross‐sectional surveys in Singapore, China and Italy

On 31 December 2019, an epidemic of pneumonia of unknown aetiology was first reported in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. A rapidly progressing epidemic of COVID‐19 ensued within China, with multiple exportations to other countries. We aimed to measure perceptions and responses towards COVID‐19 in three countries to understand how population‐level anxiety can be mitigated in the early phases of a pandemic.
Increased cortical excitability and reduced brain response propagation during attentional lapses

Modern lifestyle curtails sleep and increases nighttime work and leisure activities. This has a deleterious impact on vigilance and attention, exacerbating chances of committing attentional lapses, with potential dramatic outcomes. A full characterization of the brain mechanisms associated with lapses is still lacking. Here, we investigated the brain signature of attentional lapses and assessed whether cortical excitability and brain response propagation were modified during lapses and whether these modifications changed with aging. We compared electroencephalogram (EEG) responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during lapse and no-lapse periods while performing a continuous attentional/vigilance task at night, after usual bedtime. Data were collected in healthy younger (N=12; 18-30 y) and older individuals (N=12; 50-70 y) of both sexes. Amplitude and slope of the first component of the TMS-Evoked Potential (TEP) and Response Scattering (ReSc) were used to assess cortical excitability and brain response propagation, respectively. In line with our predictions, TEP during lapses was characterized by larger amplitude and slope. We further found that ReSc over the cortical surface was lower during lapses. Importantly, cortical excitability increase and response propagation decrease during lapse did not significantly differ between age groups. These results demonstrate that attentional lapses are associated with transient increase of excitability, and decrease in response propagation and effective connectivity. This pattern is similar to what is observed during sleep, suggesting that lapses reflect a sleep-like phenomenon. These findings could contribute to develop models aimed to predicting and preventing lapses in real life situations.
Evaluation of Nucleocapsid and Spike Protein-based ELISAs for detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

Background: At present, PCR-based nucleic acid detection cannot meet the demands for coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) diagnosis. Methods: 214 confirmed COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in the General Hospital of Central Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army between January 18 and February 26, 2020, were recruited. Two Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits based on recombinant SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (rN) and spike protein (rS) were used for detecting IgM and IgG antibodies, and their diagnostic feasibility was evaluated. Results: Among the 214 patients, 146 (68.2%) and 150 (70.1%) were successfully diagnosed with the rN-based IgM and IgG ELISAs, respectively; 165 (77.1%) and 159 (74.3%) were successfully diagnosed with the rS-based IgM and IgG ELISAs, respectively. The positive rates of the rN-based and rS-based ELISAs for antibody (IgM and/or IgG) detection were 80.4% and 82.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of the rS-based ELISA for IgM detection was significantly higher than that of the rN-based ELISA. We observed an increase in the positive rate for IgM and IgG with an increasing number of days post-disease onset (d.p.o.), but the positive rate of IgM dropped after 35 d.p.o. The positive rate of rN-based and rS-based IgM and IgG ELISAs was less than 60% during the early stage of the illness 0-10 d.p.o. , and that of IgM and IgG was obviously increased after 10 d.p.o. Conclusions: ELISA has a high sensitivity, especially for the detection of serum samples from patients after 10 d.p.o, it can be an important supplementary method for COVID-19 diagnosis.
Heparin Therapy Improving Hypoxia in COVID-19 Patients – A Case Series

Introduction Elevated D-dimer is a predictor of severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients, and heparin use during in-hospital stay has been associated with decreased mortality. COVID-19 patient autopsies have revealed thrombi in the microvasculature, suggesting that hypercoagulability is a prominent feature of organ failure in these patients. Interestingly, in COVID-19, pulmonary compliance is preserved despite severe hypoxemia corroborating the hypothesis that perfusion mismatch may play a significant role in the development of respiratory failure. Methods We describe a series of 27 consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to Sirio-Libanes Hospital in São Paulo-Brazil and treated with heparin in therapeutic doses tailored to clinical severity. Results PaO2/FiO2 ratio increased significantly over the 72 h following the start of anticoagulation, from 254(±90) to 325(±80), p = 0.013, and 92% of the patients were discharged home within a median time of 11 days. There were no bleeding complications or fatal events. Discussion Even though this uncontrolled case series does not offer absolute proof that micro thrombosis in the pulmonary circulation is the underlying mechanism of respiratory failure in COVID-19, patient’s positive response to heparinization contributes to the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of the disease and provides valuable information for the treatment of these patients while we await the results of further prospective controlled studies.
Use of Physician Global Assessment (PGA) in Systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review of its psychometric properties

Background: Physician Global Assessment (PGA) is a visual analogue score (VAS) that reflects the clinician's judgment of overall Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) disease activity. The aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) is to describe and analyse the psychometric properties of PGA. Methods: This SLR was conducted by two independent reviewers in accordance with the PRISMA statement. All articles published until the 1st of July 2019 in Pubmed were screened with no limitation about years of publication, language or patients' age. Psychometric properties data were analysed according to the OMERACT Filter methodology version 2.1. Results: The literature search identified 91 studies. Face validity was reported in all the articles retrieved, in which the PGA was used alone or as part of composite indices (SRI, SFI, LLDAS, DORIS remission criteria). Content validity was reported in 89 studies. Construct validity was demonstrated by a good correlation between the PGA with the SLEDAI (12 studies), SLAM (4 studies), LAI, BILAG and ECLAM (2 studies each). Criterion validity was assessed exploring the PGA correlation with quality of life measurements, biomarkers levels and treatment changes in 28 studies, while no study has evaluated correlation with damage. A good responsiveness for PGA was shown in 8 studies. A high variability in scales was found, causing a wide range of reliability (ICC=0.67-0.98). Conclusion: PGA is a valid, responsive and feasible instrument, while its reliability was impacted by the scale adopted, suggesting the major need for a standardization of its scoring.
The impact of temperature and absolute humidity on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak - evidence from China

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of temperature and absolute humidity on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. DESIGN Ecological study. SETTING 31 provincial-level regions in mainland China. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Data on COVID-19 incidence and climate between Jan 20 and Feb 29, 2020. RESULTS The number of new confirm COVID-19 cases in mainland China peaked on Feb 1, 2020. COVID-19 daily incidence were lowest at -10 and highest at 10 ,while the maximum incidence was observed at the absolute humidity of approximately 7 g/m3. COVID-19 incidence changed with temperature as daily incidence decreased when the temperature rose. No significant association between COVID-19 incidence and absolute humidity was observed in distributed lag nonlinear models. Additionally, A modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (M-SEIR) model confirmed that transmission rate decreased with the increase of temperature, leading to further decrease of infection rate and outbreak scale. CONCLUSION Temperature is an environmental driver of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Lower and higher temperatures might be positive to decrease the COVID-19 incidence. M-SEIR models help to better evaluate environmental and social impacts on COVID-19.
Inclusive Costs of NPI Measures for COVID-19 Pandemic: Three Approaches

The paper evaluates total inclusive costs of three public health approaches to address the COVID-19 epidemic in the US based on epidemiological projections in Ferguson et al (2020). We calculate and add costs of lost productivity and costs of mortality measured through the value of statistical life. We find that the aggressive approach which involves strict suppression measures and a drastic reduction of economic activity for three months with extensive testing and case tracking afterwards results in the lowest total costs for the society. The approach of doing no non-pharmaceutical measures results in the lowest total costs if the infection fatality rate falls below 0.15%.
Exploring gendered patterns of interaction within an inter-professional health care network

Background: Numerous studies have shown gender-based similarity affects interactions in organizational contexts. However, studies in the health care arena have shown contradictory findings. Objective: To explore gender homophily in an inter-professional network comprising doctors and nurses across the primary and secondary care interface in diabetes care. Methods: A Social Network Analysis was conducted with primary and secondary care clinicians responsible for diabetes care in Auckland New Zealand. Three different methods were used to test gender affinity in 40 health professionals (GPs, endocrinologist and specialist nurses). First, a metric analysis of homophily ranking corrected for potential differences in gender proportions was conducted. Homophily ranking is scored between -1 (perfect heterophily) and 1 (perfect homophily). We also examined the ego-net composition and measured the density of interactions among men and women in the network. Results: Gender homophily was close to 0, indicated that network members were likely to interact with males and females without preferences, a result that was confirmed through ego-net composition. Conclusions: This study in diabetes managed care network found little evidence to support the impact of gender homophily on communication exchange. This contrasts with other studies in the health care context. Other influences need to be explored at this context. Key Words: Social Network Analysis, ego-net composition, homophily, healthcare.
A Multicentre Study of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease Outcomes of Cancer Patients in Wuhan, China

Background: At present, there is a global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Two previous case series from China have suggested that cancer patients are at a higher risk of COVID-19 pneumonia, but the reports were limited by small numbers and few clinical information. Objective: To study clinical characteristics and outcomes of cancer patients infected with COVID-19. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Four designated COVID-16 hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Participants: Medical records of 67 cancer patients admitted to hospitals between Jan 5, 2020 to Feb 18, 2020 were included. Measurements: Demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological and treatment data were collected. Survival data of the cohort was cut-off on Mar 10, 2020. Results: Of the 67 patients (median age: 66 years), the median age of patients who had severe illness was older than that of patients who had mild symptoms (P<0.001). Forty-three (64.2%) patients had other concurrent chronic diseases, and the proportion of severe patients had co-morbidities was higher than patients with mild disease (P=0.004). Twenty-three (34.3%) patients were still at the anticancer treatment phase, but no tumour progression and recurrence was observed for all the patients during the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia. About 70% of these patients had fever (n=53, 79.1%) and/or cough (n=50, 74.6%). Lymphocytopenia was the main laboratory finding accompanying increased C-reactive protein and procalcitonin in cancer patients, especially in severe cases. By Mar 10, 2020, 18 (26.9%) patients died from COVID-19, and 39 (58.2%) patients have been discharged. The median age of survivors was younger than that of deaths (P=0.014). Lung cancer (n=15, 22.4%) with COVID-19 was the most common cancer type and accounted for the highest proportion COVID-19 resulted deaths (33.3%, 5/15). We observed a tendency that patients at the follow-up phase had a better prognosis than that at anticancer treatment phase (P=0.095). Limitation: This is a retrospective study with only 67 cases from four hospitals. And some specific clinical information was insufficient. Conclusion: This study showed COVID-19 patients with cancer seem to have a higher proportion of severe cases and poorer prognosis. The tendency of poor prognosis was more obvious in patients at anticancer treatment phase. We should pay more intensive attentions to cancer patients infected with COVID-19.
Effects of Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Development and Validation of a Multistate Markov Model

Simulation models are a powerful tool to overcome gaps of evidence needed to inform medical decision making. Here, we present development and application of a multistate Markov model to simulate effects of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, along with a thorough assessment of the model's ability to reproduce real-life outcomes. Firstly, we provide a comprehensive documentation of the model development, structure and assumptions. Secondly, to assess the model's external validity, we compared model-derived cumulative incidence and prevalences of colorectal neoplasms to (1) results from KolosSal, a study in German screening colonoscopy participants, (2) registry-based estimates of CRC incidence in Germany, and (3) outcome patterns of randomized sigmoidoscopy screening studies. We found that (1) more than 90% of model-predicted neoplasm prevalences were within the 95% confidence intervals of the observed prevalences in the KolosSal study; (2) the 15-year cumulative CRC incidences estimated by simulations for the German population deviated by 0.0-0.2 percent units in men and 0.0-0.3 percent units in women when compared to corresponding registry-derived estimates; and (3) the time course of cumulative CRC incidence and mortality in the modelled intervention group and control group closely resembles the time course reported from sigmoidoscopy screening trials. Summarized, our model adequately predicted colorectal neoplasm prevalences and incidences in a German population for up to 25 years, with estimated patterns of the effect of screening colonoscopy resembling those seen in registry data and real-world studies. This suggests that the model represents a valid tool to assess the comparative effectiveness of strategies for CRC screening.