bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methods and guidance on conducting, reporting, publishing, and appraising living systematic reviews: a scoping review
Authors: Iannizzi Claire , Akl Elie A. , Anslinger Eva , Weibel Stephanie , Kahale Lara A. , Aminat Abina Mosunmola , Piechotta Vanessa , Skoetz Nicole
Published: December 2023

Background and objective

The living systematic review (LSR) approach is based on ongoing surveillance of the literature and continual updating. Most currently available guidance documents address the conduct, reporting, publishing, and appraisal of systematic reviews (SRs), but are not suitable for LSRs per se and miss additional LSR-specific considerations. In this scoping review, we aim to systematically collate methodological guidance literature on how to conduct, report, publish, and appraise the quality of LSRs and identify current gaps in guidance.

Methods

A standard scoping review methodology was used. We searched MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and The Cochrane Library on August 28, 2021. As for searching gray literature, we looked for existing guidelines and handbooks on LSRs from organizations that conduct evidence syntheses. The screening was conducted by two authors independently in Rayyan, and data extraction was done in duplicate using a pilot-tested data extraction form in Excel. Data was extracted according to four pre-defined categories for (i) conducting, (ii) reporting, (iii) publishing, and (iv) appraising LSRs. We mapped the findings by visualizing overview tables created in Microsoft Word.

Results

Of the 21 included papers, methodological guidance was found in 17 papers for conducting, in six papers for reporting, in 15 papers for publishing, and in two papers for appraising LSRs. Some of the identified key items for (i) conducting LSRs were identifying the rationale, screening tools, or re-revaluating inclusion criteria. Identified items of (ii) the original PRISMA checklist included reporting the registration and protocol, title, or synthesis methods. For (iii) publishing, there was guidance available on publication type and frequency or update trigger, and for (iv) appraising, guidance on the appropriate use of bias assessment or reporting funding of included studies was found. Our search revealed major evidence gaps, particularly for guidance on certain PRISMA items such as reporting results, discussion, support and funding, and availability of data and material of a LSR.

Conclusion

Important evidence gaps were identified for guidance on how to report in LSRs and appraise their quality. Our findings were applied to inform and prepare a PRISMA 2020 extension for LSR.
Perspectives on systematic review protocol registration: a survey amongst stakeholders in the clinical research publication process
Authors: van der Braak Kim , Heus Pauline , Orelio Claudia , Netterström-Wedin Fredh , Robinson Karen A. , Lund Hans , Hooft Lotty
Published: December 2023

Background

As systematic reviews (SRs) inform healthcare decisions, it is key that they address relevant questions and use rigorous methodology. Registration of SR protocols helps researchers identify relevant topics for future reviews and aims to prevent bias and duplication of effort. However, most SRs protocols are currently not registered, despite its significance. To guide future recommendations to enhance preregistration of SRs, it is important to gain a comprehensive understanding of the perspectives within the research community. Therefore, this study aims to examine the experiences with and factors of influence (barriers and facilitators) on prospective SR registration amongst researchers, peer reviewers and journal editors.

Methods

Two different surveys were distributed to two groups: researchers and journal editors both identified from an existing sample of SRs. Researchers who indicated to have peer reviewed a SR were surveyed on their perspectives as peer reviewers as well. Survey design and analysis were informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Shared and unique subthemes from the perspectives of researchers, peer reviewers and journal editors were identified and linked to the SR registration process (Innovation), to team, organisation (Inner setting) and (inter)national research community (Outer setting), and to characteristics of researchers, peer reviewers or journal editors (Individuals).

Results

The survey’s response rates were 65/727 (9%) for researchers, of which 37 were peer reviewers, and 22/308 (7%) for journal editors. Most respondents (n = 76, 94%) were familiar with SR protocol registration and 81% of researchers had registered minimally one SR protocol. Shared SR registration process subthemes were the importance and advantages of SR protocol registration, as well as barriers such as a high administrative burden. Shared subthemes regarding the inner and outer setting centred on journal processes, external standards and time. Shared individual factors were knowledge, skills and awareness.

Conclusions

The majority of the respondents were familiar with SR protocol registration and had a positive attitude towards it. This study identified suboptimal registration process, administrative burden and lack of mandatory SR protocol registration as barriers. By overcoming these barriers, SR protocol registration could contribute more effectively to the goals of open science.

Systematic review registration

osf.io/gmv6z.
Advancements in additive manufacturing for video laryngoscopes: a comprehensive scoping and technological review
Authors: Moraes Ana Cristina Beitia Kraemer , Nascimento Chiara das Dores do , Souza Everton Granemann , Kraemer Mauricio Beitia , Moraes Mauricio , Carreno Neftali Lenin Villarreal , Piva Evandro , Lund Rafael Guerra
Published: December 2023

The global healthcare crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant overwhelming demand for intubation procedures and the need for reliable and accessible video laryngoscopes. The purpose of this scoping and technological review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art, covering the period from 2007 to 2022, pertaining to the manufacturing process, characteristics, and validation of video laryngoscopes produced using additive manufacturing techniques. Following the guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), an exhaustive search was conducted across nine prominent databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, Prospero, Scielo, Embase, Lilacs, Virtual Health Libraries-VHL) and four patent databases (EPO/ESPACENET, WIPO/PATENTSCOPE, National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), Google Patents). The main materials utilized for the impression, as well as the physical characteristics of the device are introduced at first. Crucial aspects to facilitate proper visualization of the anatomical structures during endotracheal intubation as the optimal angulation of the blade, the mechanical resistance of the device, traction force on the jaw, intubation time, and the experimental methods employed to validate its performance were reviewed in terms of their recent advances.
Exploring the intersections of college student poverty, grief, and racial/ethnic identity: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Garza-Levitt Sarah Elizabeth , McFarland Mary M. , Gonzalez Kimberly Ponce , Supiano Katherine P.
Published: December 2023

Background

College students who experience the negative impact of poverty, such as food, financial, and housing insecurity, are at higher risk for poor academic performance. One recent study examined grief in a college student sample and found students with a diverse racial or ethnic background were more likely to experience prolonged grief disorder, however, did not examine poverty in their sample. To date, no known reviews have examined poverty by racial and ethnic identity and the experience of grief due to the death of a family member or friend, and no reviews have examined how these three factors relate to interventions designed to support student academic performance and degree completion.

Methods

Our aim is to map the primary literature reporting on college students of any age who identify or are identified as non-white racial or ethnic groups who experience poverty and grief due to the death of a family member or friend. The mapping strategy includes extracting the various types of interventional support of academic performance and degree completion delivered from campus or community services in any geographic setting worldwide. We will conduct our scoping review with guidance from the latest version of the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Utilizing the framework as outlined by Arksey and O’Malley, we will conduct our scoping review with Arksey’s five stages: (1) identifying the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) study selection, (4) charting the data, and (5) collating, summarizing, and reporting the results. For transparency and reproducibility, we will adhere to the PRISMA reporting guidelines.

Discussion

The purpose of this scoping review is to map the primary literature reporting college students, regardless of their age, who belong to non-white racial or ethnic groups and face poverty and grief resulting from the loss of a family member or friend. This analysis includes mapping the various types of intervention and support available both on and off campus, in any global setting, with the aim of enhancing academic performance and facilitating degree completion. The results of this review may inform the further research needed in this area to help prevent poor academic performance and dropout for many vulnerable college students. The results may be of value, particularly to college administrators developing prevention and interventional programs to support college student success.

Systematic review registration

Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/enuwt).
Smart and efficient EV charging navigation scheme in vehicular edge computing networks
Authors: Li Haoyu , Chen Jihuang , Yang Chao , Chen Xin , Chang Le , Liu Jiabei
Published: December 2023

With the increasing number of electric fast charging stations (FCSs) deployed along roadsides of both urban roads and highways, the long-distance travel of electric vehicles (EVs) becomes possible. The EV charging navigation scheme is significant for the quality of user experience. However, the variable conditions of both power grid and traffic networks make it a serious challenge. In this paper, we propose an efficient EV charging navigation scheme while considering both the electric and computation resource sharing. With the support of vehicular edge computing networks in intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), EVs perform both the flexible power load and edge computing nodes. When the traffic network in the established route starts to become congested, EVs can select to enter the nearest FCS. In addition to being supplemented by electric resources, EVs also benefit by sharing their own computing resource with FCSs. We formulate the EV charging navigation as a mixed integer programming problem, the EV moving route planning, FCS selection, and staying time in FCSs are optimized, to balance the relationships among the traveling time, traveling cost and reward. To address the influence caused by the randomness of traffic conditions and charging prices, a two-stage charging navigation algorithm combined with $$A^{*}$$

A

∗

algorithm and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is proposed, with a novel designed reward function. Eventually, numerous experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
Collating existing evidence on cumulative impacts of invasive plant species in riparian ecosystems of British Columbia, Canada: a systematic map protocol
Authors: Mologni Fabio , Moffat Chandra E. , Pither Jason
Published: December 2023

Background

Globally, the structure and functioning of foreshore and riparian ecosystems are being dramatically impacted by non-native invasive plant species. Invasive species can outcompete and replace native species, modify geochemical and hydraulic cycles, alter trophic processes, and change the composition and structure of communities above and below ground. However, these impacts are often investigated in isolation, even though one invasive species might increase or mitigate the impacts of others (i.e. cumulative impacts), potentially with cascading effects. Although cumulative impacts have long been studied within other environmental contexts, research on the cumulative impacts of invasive species is comparatively scarce. We aim to develop a protocol to systematically identify and collate evidence on the individual and cumulative impacts of a set of plant species invasive in foreshore and riparian ecosystems of British Columbia, Canada. Our primary question is: what evidence is available on the individual and cumulative impacts of invasive plants in the riparian and foreshore ecosystems of British Columbia, Canada? In addition, our systematic map will identify the strengths and gaps in knowledge pertaining to invasive plant species impacts in foreshore and riparian ecosystems, with the ultimate goal of facilitating the development of evidence-based management strategies.

Methods

We identified the research topic and the primary and secondary questions with the support of stakeholders. We then devised a flexible string that allows for searching target invasive species. Using this string, we searched the literature for pilot species that aided the iterative development of the protocol. Once all target species are identified, we will carry out a systematic literature search on their impacts. We will search Web of Science and the CABI compendium for invasive species. We will include studies if they (i) refer to the target invasive species, (ii) focus on its environmental impacts and (iii) investigate such impacts in riparian ecosystems (iv) within North America (i.e. Canada and U.S.A.). We will use a two-stage screening process: titles and abstracts first, then the full manuscript. From each source, we will extract impact description, ecosystem component impacted, and magnitude and directionality of impacts. We will include a publicly available database of studies, descriptive statistics, and a narrative summary within our synthesis outcomes.
Tailoring tumor-recognizable hyaluronic acid–lipid conjugates to enhance anticancer efficacies of surface-engineered natural killer cells
Authors: Lee Chae Eun , Kim Sungjun , Park Hee Won , Lee Wonjeong , Jangid Ashok Kumar , Choi Yonghyun , Jeong Woo-Jin , Kim Kyobum
Published: December 2023

Natural killer (NK) cells have clinical advantages in adoptive cell therapy owing to their inherent anticancer efficacy and their ability to identify and eliminate malignant tumors. However, insufficient cancer-targeting ligands on NK cell surfaces often inhibit their immunotherapeutic performance, especially in immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. To facilitate tumor recognition and subsequent anticancer function of NK cells, we developed hyaluronic acid (HA, ligands to target CD44 overexpressed onto cancer cells)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, cytoplasmic penetration blocker)-Lipid (molecular anchor for NK cell membrane decoration through hydrophobic interaction) conjugates for biomaterial-mediated ex vivo NK cell surface engineering. Among these major compartments (i.e., Lipid, PEG and HA), optimization of lipid anchors (in terms of chemical structure and intrinsic amphiphilicity) is the most important design parameter to modulate hydrophobic interaction with dynamic NK cell membranes. Here, three different lipid types including 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphati-dylethanolamine (C14:0), 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE, C18:0), and cholesterol were evaluated to maximize membrane coating efficacy and associated anticancer performance of surface-engineered NK cells (HALipid-NK cells). Our results demonstrated that NK cells coated with HA-PEG-DSPE conjugates exhibited significantly enhanced anticancer efficacies toward MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells without an off-target effect on human fibroblasts specifically via increased NK cell membrane coating efficacy and prolonged surface duration of HA onto NK cell surfaces, thereby improving HA-CD44 recognition. These results suggest that our HALipid-NK cells with tumor-recognizable HA-PEG-DSPE conjugates could be further utilized in various cancer immunotherapies.

Graphical Abstract
Analysis of preoperative computed tomography radiomics and clinical factors for predicting postsurgical recurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Xu Haijun , Wu Wenli , Zhao Yanfeng , Liu Zhou , Bao Dan , Li Lin , Lin Meng , Zhang Ya , Zhao Xinming , Luo Dehong
Published: December 2023

Background

Postsurgical recurrence is of great concern for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We aim to investigate the value of computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics features and conventional clinical factors in predicting the recurrence of PTC.

Methods

Two-hundred and eighty patients with PTC were retrospectively enrolled and divided into training and validation cohorts at a 6:4 ratio. Recurrence was defined as cytology/pathology-proven disease or morphological evidence of lesions on imaging examinations within 5 years after surgery. Radiomics features were extracted from manually segmented tumor on CT images and were then selected using four different feature selection methods sequentially. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify clinical features associated with recurrence. Radiomics, clinical, and combined models were constructed separately using logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and neural network (NN), respectively. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to evaluate the model performance in predicting recurrence. A nomogram was established based on all relevant features, with its reliability and reproducibility verified using calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results

Eighty-nine patients with PTC experienced recurrence. A total of 1218 radiomics features were extracted from each segmentation. Five radiomics and six clinical features were related to recurrence. Among the 4 radiomics models, the LR-based and SVM-based radiomics models outperformed the NN-based radiomics model (P = 0.032 and 0.026, respectively). Among the 4 clinical models, only the difference between the area under the curve (AUC) of the LR-based and NN-based clinical model was statistically significant (P = 0.035). The combined models had higher AUCs than the corresponding radiomics and clinical models based on the same classifier, although most differences were not statistically significant. In the validation cohort, the combined models based on the LR, SVM, KNN, and NN classifiers had AUCs of 0.746, 0.754, 0.669, and 0.711, respectively. However, the AUCs of these combined models had no significant differences (all P > 0.05). Calibration curves and DCA indicated that the nomogram have potential clinical utility.

Conclusions

The combined model may have potential for better prediction of PTC recurrence than radiomics and clinical models alone. Further testing with larger cohort may help reach statistical significance.
Social navigation hypothesis of depressive disorder disproven
Authors: Nowak Marcin Piotr
Published: December 2023

Background

Evolutionary psychiatry tries to explain paradoxical high psychiatric disorders and symptoms prevalence by means of evolutionary biology, but testing their hypotheses is often problematic. Social Navigation Hypothesis (SNH) belongs to the evolutionary hypotheses of depressive disorder. It assumes two mechanisms of increasing fitness by depressive signs and symptoms: social rumination function (depressed person is thinking intensely, trying to solve his/her social problems; in contrast to research demonstrating that depressed person usually manages with social challenges worse than healthy people) and social motivation function. The latter postulates that depressive behavior, by diminishing the fitness of surrounding people, forces them to help for depressed person to terminate the fitness-reducing episode. Social motivation function is discussed according to John Maynard Smith’s idea of evolutionarily stable strategy. On that base two simple mathematical models are constructed.

Results

SNH can theoretically describe an evolutionarily stable strategy (the precondition is the relation between the duration time of the episode and remission given by a certain formula), but the prediction of SNH (episode duration shortened with the patient’s age) is contrary to epidemiological data. Presented models, based on simplistic mathematical assumptions, don’t take into account kin selection and inclusive fitness.

Conclusions

SNH cannot explain the high prevalence of depressive symptoms and depressive disorder. Falsification was possible only due to the mathematical formulation of the previously descriptively formulated hypothesis.
The use of polyethylene glycol as a maintenance treatment of functional constipation in children living in Egypt
Authors: Bastaoros Olivia Kameel Shokrey , Gad Mostafa Ahmed , Eskander Ayman Emil , Ramzy Mourad Alfy , Hasnoon Amera
Published: December 2023

Background

Constipation is an underestimated but common health problem worldwide, decreasing the quality of life. Functional constipation (FC) is a common pediatric problem, with reported prevalence ranging from 0.7 to 29.6%. In Egypt, there are no established guidelines for the treatment of constipation in children.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a maintenance treatment for functional constipation (FC) in comparison with the classic treatment using (lactulose and senna) in children living in Egypt.

Patients and method

This is a randomized single-blinded clinical trial study on pediatric patients who presented with functional constipation at the outpatient clinic of Cairo University Specialized Pediatric Hospital. The study was conducted on 80 children with functional constipation, who were divided into 2 groups: group 1 (40 children), who received polyethylene glycol as maintenance treatment; group 2 (40 children), who received classic treatment in the form of osmotic laxative (lactulose) with or without stimulant (senna-sennosides or senna-glycoside) according to the stool consistency.

Results

Our data showed significant improvement in the fecal masses and the number of defecation, fecal pseudo incontinence, painful or hard bowel movement, history of retentive posturing or excessive violation, and large fecal masses in the rectum between group 1 and group 2 after treatment. In group 1, there was a significant improvement in anthropometric measures, CBC parameters, abdominal circumference, and anal fissures and piles after treatment; also, there was a significant decrease in the number of patients that need to continue treatment in group 1 in comparison with group 2 and number of patients that had impaction during treatment. However, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of patients who complained of palatability in group 1.

Conclusion

PEG has long-term efficacy in the management of pediatric functional constipation. Significant improvement of results in comparison with the classic treatment (lactulose or senna-lax).
A digital values-based microintervention for chronic back pain patients: lessons learned from a randomised experimental single-case study
Authors: Zerth Simon Felix , Hein Hauke Jeldrik , Glombiewski Julia Anna , Rief Winfried , Riecke Jenny
Published: December 2023

Background

Chronic pain usually lasts several years. During this time, value-oriented aspects of life often fade into the background in favour of coping with the pain, which is associated with a lower quality of life. Psychotherapeutic methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can alleviate this. However, for those who suffer from chronic pain, access to such therapies is limited. Electronic health interventions provide access to evidence-based methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of a brief electronic values-based intervention on patients with chronic back pain.

Methods

A study with a replicated AB single-case experimental design was conducted with 28 participants suffering from chronic back pain. Participants answered daily questions concerning their pain intensity and quality of life (wellbeing, pain catastrophising, acceptance of chronic pain, engaged living) for 10 to 17 days. The subsequent mobile intervention on value-oriented activities lasted an additional 10 days. During this time, daily assessments continued. Our analysis was performed using a hierarchical two-level modelling approach as well as visual and descriptive analysis.

Results

The majority of participants did not measurably benefit from the intervention. Neither model-based inference nor visual analysis indicated plausible intervention effects. The results of one responder and one non-responder are presented. In their qualitative feedback, most participants described being satisfied with the intervention. The perceived usefulness of psychotherapy as a treatment for chronic back pain increased from pre- to post-intervention (p < .001, dz = 1.17).

Conclusions

This study shows that microinterventions for chronic back pain patients are feasible, but should be planned over a longer period of time to enable measurable changes. The electronic mobile format did not cause participants any difficulties.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05205889, date of registration: January 12, 2022.
Empirically informed convolutional neural network model for logging curve calibration
Authors: Hu Xinyu , Li Hui , Zhang Hao , Wu Baohai , Ma Li , Wen Xiaogang , Gao Jinghuai
Published: December 2023

Environmental calibration of logging curves is critical for petrophysical interpretation and sweet spot characterization. Wellbore failure frequently occurs in clay-rich shale rocks during drilling, leading to biased logging interpretation and uncertainty. To reduce the biased correction or erroneous decision making in the interpreter-dominated logging curve calibration process, we develop an empirically informed convolutional neural network (EiCNN) logging curve correction strategy to calibrate the borehole failure-induced logging curve abnormity more accurately. The EiCNN method, together with high-quality logging curves as labeled samples, provides a nonlinear mapping between input logging curves and calibrations for the distorted curves. The EiCNN method completely alleviates biased correction or decision making by the interpreter-dominated method. It has a strong generalization ability, using many empirically interpreted high-quality data as input samples. The field validation wells demonstrate that the EiCNN model can precisely correct the distorted logging curves of mudstone segments with a correlation coefficient of >0.95. Moreover, the validation and test wells illustrate that the EiCNN method is capable of precisely correcting logging curves of interlayer mudstone, implying that the EiCNN method, to a certain degree, can also accurately perform environmental correction of logging curves from thin mudstone layers.
Developing the POTOMAC Model: A Novel Prediction Model to Study the Impact of Lymphopenia Kinetics on Survival Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Via an Ensemble Tree-Based Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Kut Carmen , Midthune Doug , Lee Emerson , Fair Peyton , Cheunkarndee Tia , McNutt Todd , DeWeese Theodore , Fakhry Carole , Kipnis Victor , Quon Harry
Published: December 2023

PURPOSE

Lymphopenia is associated with poor survival outcomes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), yet there is no consensus on whether we should limit lymphopenia risks during treatment. To fully elucidate the prognostic role of baseline versus treatment-related lymphopenia, a robust analysis is necessary to investigate the relative importance of various lymphopenia metrics (LMs) in predicting survival outcomes.

METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, 363 patients were eligible for analysis (patients with newly diagnosed, nonmetastatic HNSCC treated with neck radiation with or without chemotherapy in 2015-2019). Data were acquired on 28 covariates: seven baseline, five disease, seven treatment, and nine LMs, including static and time-varying features for absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and immature granulocytes (IGs). IGs were included, given their hypothesized role in inhibiting lymphocyte function. Overall, there were 4.0% missing data. Median follow-up was 2.9 years. We developed a model (POTOMAC) to predict survival outcomes using a random survival forest (RSF) procedure. RSF uses an ensemble approach to reduce the risk of overfitting and provides internal validation of the model using data that are not used in model development. The ability to predict survival risk was assessed using the AUC for the predicted risk score.

RESULTS

POTOMAC predicted 2-year survival with AUCs at 0.78 for overall survival (primary end point) and 0.73 for progression-free survival (secondary end point). Top modifiable risk factors included radiation dose and max ALC decrease. Top baseline risk factors included age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, Karnofsky Performance Score, and baseline IGs. Top-ranking LMs had superior prognostic performance when compared with human papillomavirus status, chemotherapy type, and dose (up to 2, 8, and 65 times higher in variable importance score).

CONCLUSION

POTOMAC provides important insights into potential approaches to reduce mortality in patients with HNSCC treated by chemoradiation but needs to be validated in future studies.
Evaluating the Quality of Pain Management Satisfaction Among Oncology Patients in a Hospital Setting: Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of Pain Care Quality Survey
Authors: Al-Atiyyat Nijmeh , Salim Nezar Ahmed , Guo Jia-Wen , Toffaha Mohammed , Brant Jeannine M.
Published: December 2023

PURPOSE

The purpose of this mixed-methods psychometric study was to translate and adapt the Arabic Pain Care Quality (APainCQ) Survey to Arabic and to measure the quality of pain care provided to Arab patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study used an iterative, mixed-methods approach that employed cognitive interviews, expert content analysis, and factor analysis to develop the APainCQ Survey. The study was conducted at Dubai Hospital, Dubai Health Authority, United Arab Emirates. Arabic-speaking patients admitted to the oncology/hematology inpatient units with a minimum 24-hour stay were eligible for the study.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 155 patients. The iterative exploratory factor analysis process resulted in the sequential removal of three items. The results of the significant Bartlett test ( P < .001) of sphericity and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test of 0.93 for both the health care team scale and the nurse scale. The total variance explained was 76.17% for the health care team scale and 60.91% for the nurse scale, which explained 56.51% for factor 1 with 14 items and 4.40% for factor 2. Regarding internal consistency reliability, Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega for the health care team scale and nurse scale were high; both values were .95. Internal consistency reliability of pain assessment and pain management subscales of nurse scales were also high, with values of 0.96 and 0.79, respectively. Moreover, there was a moderate correlation ( r = 0.66; P < .001) between the two subscales in the nurse scale.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence that the APainCQ is a reliable and valid measure of pain dimensions, including pain management and monitoring. This APainCQ scale can potentially expand research and clinical assessment in the Arab world.
Cancer Research in Vulnerable Populations: A Call for Collaboration and Sustainability From MENAT Countries
Authors: Tolba Marwan , Skelton Mac , Abdul Sater Zahi , Fadhil Ibtihal , Al-Zahrani Ali , Kutluk Tezer , Akbarov Kamal , Taher Ali , Sullivan Richard , Mula-Hussain Layth
Published: December 2023

PURPOSE

Cancer is a major burden across Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye (MENAT). Many MENAT countries experience multiple conflicts that compound vulnerabilities, but little research investigates the linkages between vulnerability and cancer research. This study examines the current level and the potential for cancer research among vulnerable populations in the MENAT region, aiming to provide direction toward developing a research agenda on the region's vulnerable populations.

METHODS

Expert-driven meetings were arranged among the 10 authors. After obtaining institutional review board approval, a self-administered online survey questionnaire was circulated to more than 500 cancer practitioners working in 22 MENAT countries.

RESULTS

Two hundred sixteen cancer practitioners across the MENAT region responded. Fifty percent of the respondents identified clinical research in vulnerable patients with cancer as a significant issue; 21.8% reported previous research experience that included vulnerable populations, and 60% reported encountering vulnerable populations in their daily clinical practice. The main barriers to conducting research were lack of funding (60%), protected time (42%), and research training (35%). More than half of the respondents believed that wars/conflicts constituted an important source of vulnerability. The most vulnerable cancer populations were the elderly, palliative/terminally ill, those with concomitant mental health-related issues, those with other chronic illnesses, and socioeconomically deprived patients.

CONCLUSION

Results support that a major effort is needed to improve cancer research among vulnerable cancer populations in the MENAT region. We call for interdisciplinary research that accounts for the region's unique, compounding, and cumulative forms of vulnerability. This cancer research agenda on different vulnerable populations must balance sociobehavioral studies that explore sociopolitical barriers to quality care and clinical studies that gauge and refine treatment protocols. Building a research agenda through collaboration and solidarity with international partners is prime time.
Computing the Cost of Care per Patient per Day for Patients With Metastatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
Authors: Gupta Divya M. , Barnes James , Qin FeiFei , Kapphahn Kristopher , Hornbacker Kathleen , Blayney Douglas W. , Kunz Pamela L.
Published: December 2023

PURPOSE

Patients with well-differentiated, low-grade metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) usually have a long median survival and require complex, expensive care over many years at multidisciplinary centers. The cost burden for patients and institutions serves as a barrier to care. Understanding the drivers of these costs and whether intense monitoring adds value will help to optimize value-based care.

METHODS

We adapted the cost of care per patient per day (CCPD) validated methodology to measure cost while accounting for varying follow-up duration. We queried the Stanford NEN Database, which aggregates data from the electronic health record and other electronic sources, to study patients with metastatic NENs receiving regular care at Stanford. Current Procedural Terminology codes for services incurred during the monitoring period for each patient were mapped to the corresponding cost conversion factor and date in the Medicare fee schedule.

RESULTS

Two hundred two patients between 2010 and 2017 were studied with a mean CCPD of $119.11 in US dollars (USD); NEN-specific systemic therapy made up 55% of this cost. Somatostatin analogs were the costliest systemic therapy. Systemic therapy was the driver of cost differences among patients with various primary tumor types, stage of disease, tumor differentiation and grade, and functional hormone status. Patients in the most expensive CCPD group did not have a significant survival benefit ( P = .66).

CONCLUSION

The CCPD methodology was effective in studying cancer care value in NENs. Systemic therapy, specifically somatostatin analogs, was the primary driver of cost, and intense monitoring and higher-cost care did not improve survival outcomes.
When Gods Drown in Plastic
Authors: Rots Aike P. , Rots Nhung Lu
Published: December 2023

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the category animism has seen a remarkable resurgence in Western scholarship, capturing the interest of many anthropologists, scholars of religion, and philosophers. Some authors have argued that animism can provide a model for a new environmental ethics that acknowledges more-than-human agencies and interdependencies. However, the question remains as to how so-called animist ontologies can transform not only individual moralities, but also the extractivist economic-political structures underlying the current crisis. In this article, we assess some of these claims by examining an Asian ritual tradition that is arguably animistic, while also containing elements of Buddhism, Daoism, and ancestor worship: the worship of whales, widespread along the coast of South and Central Vietnam. Fishing communities here believe that whales are divine beings, incarnations of the maritime god Ông Nam Hải (Lord of the South Sea)—also known as Cá Ông (Lord Fish)—who rescue people in distress at sea. When fishers find beached whales, they offer them elaborate funeral ceremonies and enshrine their bones in local temples. Whale worship constitutes a way of relating to the physical environment, and rituals help people respond to problems such as coastal erosion and overfishing. However, there is no evidence suggesting that this particular animistic belief system has given way to environmentalist action, let alone induced systemic change. Animistic ontologies certainly have ethical dimensions, and they may provide ways for people to make sense of and cope with Anthropocenic crises, but that does not mean they teach people how to act sustainably. At the very least, that would require an active process of translation and adaptation.
Minding the Gaps
Authors: Shenk Linda , Franz Kristie J. , Gutowski William J.
Published: December 2023

Increasingly, researchers share climate information as narratives to support decision-making and public action. In these contexts, however, scientists remain the focal storytellers. This article offers our methodology for researchers and communities to share narratives with each other and then to engage in collaborative storytelling. At the center of this work is how the humanities embrace the importance of narratives having gaps—narrative lacunae into which individuals can insert their experiences, needs, and values. Our storytelling- and gaps-based methodology allows communities and researchers to enter and transform each other’s stories. We offer a simulation model that fosters collaborative storytelling and give examples from the storytelling and social-environmental action projects that have emerged over three years of partnership with communities and university students.
Of Geosocial Relations and Separations
Authors: Oguz Zeynep
Published: December 2023

How might an attention to the role that the geologic plays in everyday social and political formations help reveal and politicize the geographically, temporally, and stratigraphically distributed forms of violence in the Anthropocene? Building on recent work in environmental humanities, anthropology, geography, and feminist geophilosophy that aims to rethink racialized forms of violence alongside planetary forces and earthly formations, this article explores how geosocial relations and exclusions register distributed forms of violence that are often kept separate from each other. Through an ethnographic account of a state-led oil shale exploration project in southwestern Turkey during the eruption of war between Kurdish freedom fighters and the Turkish state in southeastern Turkey in the summer of 2015, the article traces the links and disjunctures between the everyday disavowal of resource exploration and colonial warfare. It explores how the disavowal of war and hydrocarbon exploration forecloses political and ethical possibilities. It further examines how emergent geosocial relations between people and rocks carry the possibility of reckoning with anti-Kurdish war and violence. In doing so, the article invites environmental humanities to rethink methodological and analytical ways of rendering violence visible. The article concludes by speculating about the possibility of geosocial solidarity, or a mode of relation with geological formations and humans that forges connections between racialized forms of othering and planetary scales of time, space, and materiality. As a mode of earthly praxis, geosocial solidarity is what might come after the unfinished task of detangling distributed forms of violence in the Anthropocene.
Desktop Prospecting and Extractivism at Home
Authors: Özden-Schilling Tom
Published: December 2023

Government-run geological surveys have increasingly facilitated exploration for potential mines by inviting novice prospectors to sift through old datasets prior to visiting physical sites, a process known colloquially as desktop prospecting. In northern British Columbia, Canada, some novices have developed sophisticated techniques for analyzing promising signs in these data and narrativizing their own desktop prospecting labor within broader environmental and economic shifts playing out across rural Canada. This article examines how efforts to vernacularize simulation-based geological expertise into new forms of work-from-home labor is transforming the ways settler entrepreneurs articulate attachments to rural areas. This growing interdependence of entrepreneurial web-based prospecting and extractivism writ large underscores a fundamental transition in how government ministries and developers relate the development of mines to the making of homes. Computer modeling tools have transformed prospectors’ relations with people and places by altering where and how they conduct day-to-day work. The valorization of model-work as an accessible, democratizing practice has also shaped how prospectors discern what kinds of homes bear the risks of mineral exploration labor. With free maps and simple analytical software in hand, BC-based geotechnical institutions insist, individual prospectors might yet play critical roles in luring mineral exploration companies back to the region after a decades-long decline in mining activity. As climate change renders regional timber extraction uncertain and mining industry restructuring continues apace, settler prospectors’ homemaking aspirations are turning inward toward domestic spaces of labor—some of the few spaces where precariously employed resource workers can still maintain illusions of control.
Stenotrophomonas goyi sp. nov., a novel bacterium associated with the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Torres María Jesus , Fakhimi Neda , Dubini Alexandra , González-Ballester David
Published: December 2023

Background A culture of the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was accidentally contaminated with three different bacteria in our laboratory facilities. This contaminated alga culture showed increased algal biohydrogen production. These three bacteria were independently isolated. Methods The chromosomic DNA of one of the isolated bacteria was extracted and sequenced using PacBio technology. Tentative genome annotation (RAST server) and phylogenetic trees analysis (TYGS server) were conducted. Diverse growth tests were assayed for the bacterium and for the alga-bacterium consortium. Results Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the bacterium is a novel member of the Stenotrophomonas genus that has been termed in this work as S. goyi sp. nov. A fully sequenced genome (4,487,389 base pairs) and its tentative annotation (4,147 genes) are provided. The genome information suggests that S. goyi sp. nov. is unable to use sulfate and nitrate as sulfur and nitrogen sources, respectively. Growth tests have confirmed the dependence on the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine. S. goyi sp. nov. and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii can establish a mutualistic relationship when cocultured together. Conclusions S. goyi sp. nov. could be of interest for the design of biotechnological approaches based on the use of artificial microalgae-bacteria multispecies consortia that take advantage of the complementary metabolic capacities of their different microorganisms.
Depression, anxiety, and stress among urban and rural adolescents in Shivamogga, Karnataka
Authors: Mallya Ajay , Koppad Raghavendraswamy , Kumar Praveen
Published: December 2023

Background: Currently there are 1.3 billion adolescents worldwide, which makes up 16% of the world population. Over 20% of adolescents around the world are thought to have behavioural or mental health issues. Addressing mental health issues is very important for the promotion of positive health in adolescents.

Methods: The objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among adolescents in urban and rural areas of Shivamogga. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years each from urban and rural areas of Shivamogga.

Results: Depression, anxiety and stress were found to be 23.1%, 29.4% and 26.6% in urban areas and 19.1%, 24% and 21.1% in rural areas respectively.

Conclusions: About a quarter of the adolescent population suffers from depression anxiety and stress. Adopting and implementing better education and health policies are necessary to enhance adolescent mental health.
The moderating effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and behaviour: An extension of the theory of planned behaviour on emerging economy
Authors: Nayak Pushparaj M. , Joshi Harish G. , Nayak Madhukara , Gil Mathew Thomas
Published: December 2023

Background: The study investigates the influence of antecedents of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and personality traits on entrepreneurial intention and behaviour among engineering students in an emerging economy. It employs the extension of the TPB model by focusing on the intention-behaviour gap, an under-researched area in research. Furthermore, it investigates the moderating effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the relationship between intention and behaviour to improve conceptual model predictability. Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 1,564 engineering students, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM) with Amos software. Results: The results revealed that subjective norms were the strongest predictor of entrepreneurial intention and behaviour, followed by entrepreneurial alertness, perceived behavioural control, attitude towards entrepreneurship, need for achievement, and risk tolerance. Moreover, the moderation analysis showed that entrepreneurial motivation was crucial in moderating the relationship between intention and behaviour. Conclusions: The present conceptual model contributes to the existing TPB model by improving predictive power to understand the intention-behaviour relationship. The results of the study will assist policymakers, academicians of higher education institutions, and universities in developing policies, strategies, and curricula to engage more students in entrepreneurial activities.