Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal Trends, Characteristics, and Outcomes of Infective Endocarditis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND Procedural improvements combined with the contemporary clinical profile of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may have influenced the incidence and outcomes of infective endocarditis (IE) following TAVR. We aimed to determine the temporal trends, characteristics, and outcomes of IE post-TAVR. METHODS Observational study including 552 patients presenting definite IE post-TAVR. Patients were divided in 2 groups according to the timing of TAVR (historical cohort [HC]: before 2014; contemporary cohort [CC]: after 2014). RESULTS Overall incidence rates of IE were similar in both cohorts (CC vs HC: 5.45 vs 6.52 per 1000 person-years; P = .12), but the rate of early IE was lower in the CC (2.29‰ vs 4.89‰, P < .001). Enterococci were the most frequent microorganism. Most patients presented complicated IE ( CC: 67.7%; HC: 69.6%; P = .66), but the rate of surgical treatment remained low (CC: 20.7%; HC: 17.3%; P = .32). The CC exhibited lower rates of in-hospital acute kidney injury (35.1% vs 44.6%; P = .036) and in-hospital (26.6% vs 36.4%; P = .016) and 1-year (37.8% vs 53.5%; P < .001) mortality. Higher logistic EuroScore, Staphylococcus aureus etiology, and complications (stroke, heart failure, and acute renal failure) were associated with in-hospital mortality in multivariable analyses (P < .05 for all). CONCLUSIONS Although overall IE incidence has remained stable, the incidence of early IE has declined in recent years. The microorganism, high rate of complications, and very low rate of surgical treatment remained similar. In-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were high but progressively decreased over time.
Measuring Research Mentors’ Cultural Diversity Awareness for Race/Ethnicity in STEM: Validity Evidence for a New Scale

Research mentors are reticent to address, and sometimes unaware of how, racial or ethnic differences may influence their mentees’ research experiences. Increasing research mentors’ cultural diversity awareness (CDA) is one step toward improving mentoring effectiveness, particularly with mentees from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. The indicators of CDA for research mentors are not yet known. Thus, we developed a scale to assess CDA related to race/ethnicity (CDA–R/E) in research mentoring relationships informed by multicultural counseling theory and social cognitive theory. The validation process was guided by classical test theory and item response theory and involved qualitative data, cognitive interviews, and an iterative series of item testing with national samples of mentors and mentees. Confirmatory factor analysis evidenced validity for a three-factor mentor scale assessing attitudes, behavior, and confidence, and a two-factor mentee scale assessing attitudes and behavior. The mentee version captures mentees’ perception of the relevance of culturally aware mentoring (“Attitudes”) and their perception of the frequency of mentor’s culturally aware mentoring behaviors (“Behaviors”). Implications for use of the CDA–R/E scale in practice, such as assessing alignment between mentor and mentee CDA scores, and use in future studies are discussed.
Mixed effects analysis of factors associated with health insurance coverage among women in sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction In the pursuit of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal targets of universal health coverage and reducing maternal mortality, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have implemented health insurance policies over the last two decades. Given that there is a paucity of empirical literature at the sub-regional level, we examined the prevalence and factors associated with health insurance coverage among women in in sub-Saharan Africa. Materials and methods We analysed cross-sectional data of 307,611 reproductive-aged women from the most recent demographic and health surveys of 24 sub-Saharan African countries. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed using chi-square test of independence and multi-level logistic regression respectively. Results are presented as adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) for the multilevel logistic regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results The overall coverage of health insurance was 8.5%, with cross-country variations. The lowest coverage was recorded in Chad (0.9%) and the highest in Ghana (62.4%). Individual-level factors significantly associated with health insurance coverage included age, place of residence, level of formal education, frequency of reading newspaper/magazine and watching television. Wealth status and place of residence were the contextual factors significantly associated with health insurance coverage. Women with no formal education were 78% less likely to be covered by health insurance (aOR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.21–0.24), compared with those who had higher education. Urban women, however, had higher odds of being covered by health insurance, compared with those in the rural areas [aOR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.15–1.25]. Conclusion We found an overall relatively low prevalence of health insurance coverage among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa. As sub-Saharan African countries work toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal targets of universal health coverage and lowering maternal mortality to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births, it is important that countries with low coverage of health insurance among women of reproductive age integrate measures such as free maternal healthcare into their respective development plans. Interventions aimed at expanding health insurance coverage should be directed at younger women of reproductive age, rural women, and women who do not read newspapers/magazines or watch television.
Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in translocated wild reptiles and effect of duration of quarantine on their body condition

ABSTRACT Aims To assess the prevalence of carriage of Salmonella spp. in wild reptiles translocated from multiple locations to a single island, and determine changes in their body condition (BC) during quarantine. Methods Between 2007 and 2009, six endemic reptile species (Oligosoma aeneum, O. moco, O. ornatum, O. smithi, Dactylocnemis pacificus, and Woodworthia maculata) were caught from several locations in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Reptiles were held in quarantine for 14–41 days while being tested for carriage of Salmonella spp. Morphometric data were collected, and scaled body mass index for each species was calculated to determine changes in BC during the quarantine. Results Of 221 individuals tested 12 (5%) were positive for Salmonella spp. All 12 were shore skinks (O. smithi; n = 30), with a test prevalence of 0.4 (95% CI = 0.25–0.58). Eleven were carrying Salmonella enterica Warragul and one S. enterica Mississipi. There was no difference in BC at the start of quarantine of shore skinks between those that tested negative and those that tested positive for Salmonella spp. (p = 0.184). Reptiles that were quarantined for 15–20 days (three species) lost 3–5% of BC (mean proportional change 0.03–0.05), while those quarantined for >30 days increased BC by 3–13% (mean proportional change 0.03–0.13). All animals except the one individual positive for S. Mississippi were translocated to the recipient island, while the latter was returned to the source site. Conclusions and clinical relevance The prevalence of Salmonella spp. carriage in the translocated reptiles was low overall and consistent with other records of Salmonella spp. in wild New Zealand reptiles. However, the prevalence of 0.4 in shore skinks is the highest recorded in this species. In addition to time required for health-screening, we recommend that duration of quarantine should include time to allow animals to recover from captive stress and to provide an opportunity to increase their BC before release.
Very little influenza in the WHO European Region during the 2020/21 season, weeks 40 2020 to 8 2021

Between weeks 40 2020 and 8 2021, the World Health Organization European Region experienced a 99.8% reduction in sentinel influenza virus positive detections (33/25,606 tested; 0.1%) relative to an average of 14,966/39,407 (38.0%; p < 0.001) over the same time in the previous six seasons. COVID-19 pandemic public health and physical distancing measures may have extinguished the 2020/21 European seasonal influenza epidemic with just a few sporadic detections of all viral subtypes. This might possibly continue during the remainder of the influenza season.
Adherence to and determinants of guideline‐recommended biomarker testing and targeted therapy in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: Insights from routine practice

Anti human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (anti‐HER2) therapy with trastuzumab improves overall survival in patients with advanced, HER2‐positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) and is now incorporated into national guidelines. However, little is known about adherence to and determinants of timely HER2 testing and trastuzumab initiation in routine practice.
Prediction of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Korea, 2021

Purpose This study aimed to report the projected cancer incidence and mortality for the year 2021 to estimate Korea’s current cancer burden. Materials and Methods Cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2018 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and cancer mortality data from 1993 to 2019 were acquired from Statistics Korea. Cancer incidence and mortality were projected by fitting a linear regression model to observed age-specific cancer rates against their respective years and then by multiplying the projected age-specific rates by the anticipated age-specific population for 2021. A joinpoint regression model was used to determine the year in which the linear trend changed significantly; we only used the data of the latest trend. Results In total, 259,999 new cancer cases and 81,567 cancer deaths are expected to occur in Korea in 2021. The most common cancer site is expected to be the lung, followed by the thyroid, colon and rectum, breast, and stomach. These five cancers are expected to represent half of the overall burden of cancer in Korea. The most common type of cancer leading to death is expected to be lung cancer, followed by liver, colorectal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers. Conclusion The incidence rates for all types of cancer in Korea are estimated to gradually decrease. These up-to-date estimates of the cancer burden in Korea could be an important resource for planning and evaluating cancer-control programs.
The Relation Between Final Popped Volume of Popcorn and Thermal–Physical Parameters

Abstract Previous studies have shown that popping volume of popcorn is affected by water content, and that popping volume increases with an increase in water content up to an optimal value, and then the volume decreases with any additional moisture. The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism responsible for the peak in popping volume as a function of water content. Popcorn was equilibrated to various water contents from 6.7 to 16.5 g/100 g d.b. over salt solutions (aw0.33–0.82), and popped by an air popper. Maximal popping volume occurred at a water content of 15.5 g/100 g d.b. (aw=0.745 at room temperature) while the popping temperature dropped with increasing water content. Thermal analysis of the popcorn by DSC showed no significant effect of the moisture on the melting temperature orTg of the unpopped endosperm. However, the decrease of the pericarp melting temperature correlated with an increased water content. The results suggest that elevated water contents cause a rubbery collapse of the pericarp at lower temperature. The temperature of this melting event decreases by ∼7 °C over the 6–16.5 g/100 g moisture range. Thus, as the water content increases, the pressure in the kernel at the popping moment is lower, causing less expansion and lower final popped volume.
Absent Cortical Venous Filling Is Associated with Aggravated Brain Edema in Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Predicting malignant cerebral edema can help identify patients who may benefit from appropriate evidence-based interventions. We investigated whether absent cortical venous filling is associated with more pronounced early brain edema, which leads to malignant cerebral edema. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel occlusion in the MCA territory who presented between July 2017 and September 2019 to our hospital were included. Collateral filling was rated using the modified Tan scale on CTA, and good collaterals were defined as a score of 2–3. The Cortical Vein Opacification Score (COVES) was calculated, and absent cortical venous filling was defined as a score of 0. Early brain edema was determined using net water uptake on baseline CT images. Malignant cerebral edema was defined as a midline shift of ≥5 mm on follow-up imaging or a massive cerebral swelling leading to decompressive hemicraniectomy or death. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were performed to analyze data. RESULTS: A total of 163 patients were included. Net water uptake was significantly higher in patients with absent than in those with favorable cortical venous filling (8.1% versus 4.2%; P < .001). In the multivariable regression analysis, absent cortical venous filling (β = 2.04; 95% CI, 0.75–3.32; P = .002) was significantly and independently associated with higher net water uptake. Absent cortical venous filling (OR, 14.68; 95% CI, 4.03–53.45; P < .001) and higher net water uptake (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05–1.58; P = .016) were significantly associated with increased likelihood of malignant cerebral edema. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with absent cortical venous filling were associated with an increased early brain edema and a higher risk of malignant cerebral edema. These patients may be targeted for optimized adjuvant antiedematous treatment.
A UK survey of nutritional care pathways for patients with COVID‐19 prior to and post‐hospital stay

Abstract Background During the global COVID‐19 pandemic, UK dietitians have delivered the best care to help patients recover from the infection. The present study examined the development and evaluation of care pathways to manage nutritional care of patients following COVID‐19 infection prior to and after discharge. Methods Registered UK dietitians completed an online questionnaire comprising 26 questions about the development of a pathway, its use, evaluation and training needs. Results Of 57 responses from organisations, 37 (65%) were involved in the planning/management of nutritional care. Only 19 responses had a new or adapted COVID‐19 pathway. Of these, 74% reported involvement of dietetic services, 47% reported > 1 eligibility criteria for pathway inclusion and 53% accepted all positive or suspected cases. All respondents used nutritional screening, first‐line dietary advice (food first) and referral for further advice and monitoring. Weight and food intake were the most used outcome measure. All pathways addressed symptoms related to nutrition, with the most common being weight loss with poor appetite, not being hungry and skipping meals in 84% of pathways. Over half of respondents (54%) planned to evaluate their pathway and 83% reported that they were ‘very or reasonably confident’ in their team's nutritional management of COVID‐19. Less than half (42%) reported on training needs. Conclusions Despite challenges encountered, pathways were developed and implemented. Dietitians had adapted to new ways of working to manage nutritional care in patients prior to and after discharge from hospital following COVID‐19 infection. Further work is needed to develop strategies for evaluation of their impact.
Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in the Volta Region of Ghana

Context Available molecular epidemiological data from recent studies suggest significant genetic variation between the different lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and the MTBC lineages might have adapted to different human populations. Aim This study sought to determine the population structure of clinical MTBC isolates from the Volta Region of Ghana. Methods The MTBC isolates obtained from collected sputum samples were identified by PCR detecting of IS6110 and genotyped using spoligotyping. Non-tuberculous mycobacterial isolates were characterized by amplification of the heat shock protein 65 (hsp65) gene and sequencing. The drug susceptibility profiles of the MTBCs determined using GenoType MTBDRplus. Results One hundred and seventeen (117, 93.6%) out of 125 mycobacterial positive isolates were characterized as members of the MTBC of which M. tuberculosis sensu stricto (MTBss) and M. africanum (MAF) were respectively 94 (80.3%) and 23 (19.7%). In all, 39 distinct spoligotype patterns were obtained; 26 for MTBss and 13 for MAF lineages. Spoligotyping identified 89 (76%) Lineage 4, 16 (13.6%) Lineage 5, 7 (6.0%) Lineage 6, 3 (2.6%) Lineage 2, 1(0.9%) Lineage 3 and 1 (0.9%) Lineage 1. Among the Lineage 4 isolates, 62/89 (69.7%) belonged to Cameroon sub-lineage, 13 (14.7%) Ghana, 8 (9.0%) Haarlem, 2 (2.2%) LAM, 1 (1.1%) Uganda I, 1 (1.1%) X and the remaining two (2.2%) were orphan. Significant localization of MAF was found within the Ho municipality (n = 13, 29.5%) compared to the more cosmopolitan Ketu-South/Aflao (n = 3, 8.3%) (p-value = 0.017). Eight (8) non-tuberculous mycobacteria were characterized as M. abscessus (7) and M. fortuitum (1). Conclusion We confirmed the importance of M. africanum lineages as a cause of TB in the Volta region of Ghana.
Nanocrystallinity Enhancement of TiO2 Nanotubes by Post-Hydrothermal Treatment

In the present research, a modified post-hydrothermal treatment with different temperature of 80-150°C has been applied on as-annealed TiO2 nanotubes derived from conventional hydrothermal process. The treatment has two-fold objectives, i.e. enhancing the nanocrystallinity of anatase TiO2, and at the same time maintaining the integrity of nanotube structures. The resulting TiO2 nanotubes were characterized by using XRD and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The XRD analysis revealed that the as dried TiO2 nanotubes contain combined crystalline structures of sodium-titanate and anatase. It was also found that by increasing the post-hydrothermal temperature from 80 to 150°C, the nanocrystallinity of nanotubes enhances as indicated by increasing the crystallite size of anatase TiO2 from 6.93 to 7.81 nm. The anatase crystallite growth affected the optical characteristic of nanotubes, as represented with the reduction of the band gap energy, Eg from 3.75 to 3.67 eV by using Kubelka-Munk analysis for the obtained UV-Vis reflectance spectra. TEM observation confirms that the integrity of nanotubes structure can be well-maintained upon post-hydrothermal treatment.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Sarcopenia in Hip Fracture Patients

Background Vitamin D plays a critical role in the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle and bone metabolism. We compared the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery (HFS) with those undergoing elective primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). We also evaluated the association between vitamin D deficiency and sarcopenia. Methods This prospective study included 70 patients in the HFS group, and 100 patients in the elective THA group. The HFS group included 42 women, while the elective THA group included 74 women. The mean age in the HFS and elective THA groups was 79.8 and 75.4 years, respectively, and the mean preoperative Koval score was 2.1 and 2.3, respectively. Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 levels were measured by I125 radioimmunoassay. Bone mineral density and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) were measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenia index was calculated by dividing ASM (kg) by the body mass index (kg/m2). Sarcopenia was diagnosed when the sarcopenia index was <0.789 in men and <0.512 in women. Results Serum vitamin D levels were lower, and the percentages of patients with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were higher in the HFS group than in the elective THA group. In the HFS group, the prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in men (57%, 16/28) than in women (29%, 12/42; P=0.025). Conclusions Vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent in patients undergoing HFS than in patients undergoing elective THA. Among patients undergoing HFS, vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent in sarcopenic than in non-sarcopenic patients.
Validity and reliability of the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL)-35 Profile and CIQOL-10 Global instruments in comparison to legacy instruments

Objective: Validated and reliable patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) may provide a comprehensive and accurate assessment of the real-world experiences of cochlear implant (CI) users and complement information obtained from speech recognition outcomes. To address this unmet clinical need, the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL)-35 Profile instrument and CIQOL-10 Global measure were developed according to the Patient-Reported Outcomes Information System (PROMIS) and COnsensus-based Standards for the Selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines. The CIQOL-35 Profile consists of 35 items in six domain constructs (communication, emotional, entertainment, environment, listening effort, and social) and the CIQOL-10 Global contains 10 items that provide an overall CIQOL score. The present study compares psychometric properties of the newly developed CIQOL instruments to two legacy PROMs commonly used in adult CI users. Design: Using a prospective cohort design, a sample of 334 adult CI users recruited from across the United States provided responses to (1) the CIQOL instruments; (2) a CI-specific PROM (Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire, NCIQ); and (3) a general-health PROM (Health Utilities Index 3 [HUI-3]). Responses were obtained again after 1 mo. The reliability and validity of the CIQOL-35 Profile and CIQOL-10 Global instruments were compared with the legacy PROMs (NCIQ and HUI-3). Psychometric properties and construct validity of each instrument were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory (IRT), and test-retest reliability (using Pearson’s correlations), where appropriate. Results: All six CIQOL-35 Profile domains and the CIQOL-10 Global instrument demonstrated adequate to strong construct validity. The majority of the NCIQ subdomains and NCIQ total score had substantial confirmatory factor analysis model misfit, representing poor construct validity. Therefore, IRT analysis could only be applied to the basic sound performance and activity limitation subdomains of the NCIQ. IRT results showed strong psychometric properties for all CIQOL-35 Profile domains, the CIQOL-10 Global instrument, and the basic sound performance and activity limitation subdomains of the NCIQ. Test-retest reliability was strong for the CIQOL-35 Profile, CIQOL-10 Global, and NCIQ, but moderate to weak for the HUI-3; the hearing score of the HUI-3 demonstrated the weakest reliability. Conclusion: The CIQOL-35 Profile and CIQOL-10 Global are more psychometrically sound and comprehensive than the NCIQ and the HUI-3 for assessing QOL in adult CI users. Due to poor reliability, we do not recommend using the HUI-3 to measure QOL in this population. With validation and psychometric analyses complete, the CIQOL-35 Profile measure and CIQOL-10 Global instrument are now ready for use in clinical and research settings to measure QOL and real-world functional abilities of adult CI users.