bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A multivariate multilevel analysis of the risk factors associated with anthropometric indices in Iranian mid-adolescents
Authors: Alamolhoda Marzieh , Heydari Seyyed Taghi , Ayatollahi Seyyed Mohammad Taghi , Tabrizi Reza , Akbari Maryam , Ardalan Arash
Published: May 2020

Background

The present study was conducted to jointly assess some specific factors related to body fat measures using a multivariate multilevel analysis in a representative sample of Iranian mid-adolescents.

Methods

This study was conducted among 2538 students (1286 boys) aged 14–20 years old, who were randomly selected among 16 public high schools by multi-stage random sampling procedure from all education districts of Shiraz, Iran. Data on demographic characteristics, family history of obesity, physical activity, socio-economic (SES) variables and screen time were collected. Height, weight, triceps (TST), abdominal (AST), and subscapular (SST) skinfold thickness were measured and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. A multivariate multilevel approach was used to analyze the factors associated with obesity measures of the TST, AST, SST at the child and district levels.

Results

In this study, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated to be 10.2 and 5.1%, respectively. Overall, the major portion of the total variance in TST (97.1%), AST (97.7%), and SST (97.5%) was found at the child level. The results of multivariate multilevel method revealed that being girls, having a family history of obesity, and SES were significantly associated with increasing of three body fat measures (all the p-values were less than 0.05). There were significant positive associations between moderate to vigorous physical activities with AST and SST (for AST: β =2.54, SE = 1.40, p = 0.05; for SST: β =2.24, SE = 1.20, p = 0.05). Compared to children in 14–16 age group, children in age group 16–18 years had less TST (β = − 0.67, SE = 0.34, p = 0.04). Furthermore, other age groups and screen time did not play an important role in three outcome variables.

Conclusions

The results showed some factors that contribute to three body fat measures. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective interventions to prevent the effects of individual and environmental undesirable factors on childhood obesity in both family and community levels.
Incorporating machine learning and social determinants of health indicators into prospective risk adjustment for health plan payments
Authors: Irvin Jeremy A. , Kondrich Andrew A. , Ko Michael , Rajpurkar Pranav , Haghgoo Behzad , Landon Bruce E. , Phillips Robert L. , Petterson Stephen , Ng Andrew Y. , Basu Sanjay
Published: May 2020

Background

Risk adjustment models are employed to prevent adverse selection, anticipate budgetary reserve needs, and offer care management services to high-risk individuals. We aimed to address two unknowns about risk adjustment: whether machine learning (ML) and inclusion of social determinants of health (SDH) indicators improve prospective risk adjustment for health plan payments.

Methods

We employed a 2-by-2 factorial design comparing: (i) linear regression versus ML (gradient boosting) and (ii) demographics and diagnostic codes alone, versus additional ZIP code-level SDH indicators. Healthcare claims from privately-insured US adults (2016–2017), and Census data were used for analysis. Data from 1.02 million adults were used for derivation, and data from 0.26 million to assess performance. Model performance was measured using coefficient of determination (R2), discrimination (C-statistic), and mean absolute error (MAE) for the overall population, and predictive ratio and net compensation for vulnerable subgroups. We provide 95% confidence intervals (CI) around each performance measure.

Results

Linear regression without SDH indicators achieved moderate determination (R2 0.327, 95% CI: 0.300, 0.353), error ($6992; 95% CI: $6889, $7094), and discrimination (C-statistic 0.703; 95% CI: 0.701, 0.705). ML without SDH indicators improved all metrics (R2 0.388; 95% CI: 0.357, 0.420; error $6637; 95% CI: $6539, $6735; C-statistic 0.717; 95% CI: 0.715, 0.718), reducing misestimation of cost by $3.5 M per 10,000 members. Among people living in areas with high poverty, high wealth inequality, or high prevalence of uninsured, SDH indicators reduced underestimation of cost, improving the predictive ratio by 3% (~$200/person/year).

Conclusions

ML improved risk adjustment models and the incorporation of SDH indicators reduced underpayment in several vulnerable populations.
Identifying facilitators and barriers for adolescents participating in a school-based HIIT intervention: the eXercise for asthma with commando Joe’s® (X4ACJ) programme
Authors: Sharp Catherine A. , McNarry Melitta A. , Eddolls William T. B. , Koorts Harriet , Winn Charles O. N. , Mackintosh Kelly A.
Published: May 2020

Background

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) elicits numerous health benefits, but little evidence is available regarding the feasibility of delivering school-based HIIT interventions. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents’ perceptions of a 6-month, 3 × 30-min sessions per week, HIIT intervention delivered either before or after school.

Method

Eighty adolescents allocated to the intervention group (13.3 ± 1.0 years; 45 boys) were invited to take part in semi-structured focus groups post-intervention. Participants were categorised as attendees (≥40% attendance) or non-attendees (< 5% attendance). Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed deductively, with key emergent themes represented using pen profiles.

Results

Results showed that a school-based HIIT intervention can be an enjoyable form of exercise. Irrespective of attendance, similar facilitators and barriers to participating were highlighted, including benefits of participation, content of the exercise session and the intervention instructor.

Conclusion

This study provides support for the delivery of a HIIT intervention in a school setting but highlights the importance of a flexible design and delivery to accommodate competing interests. There is a need to educate adolescents on the possible benefits of participation and to make the sessions enjoyable in order to increase their extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to sustain participation.
Barriers and facilitators of sport and physical activity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents: a mixed studies systematic review
Authors: May Tamara , Dudley Amanda , Charles James , Kennedy Kate , Mantilla Ana , McGillivray Jane , Wheeler Keane , Elston Hope , Rinehart Nicole J.
Published: May 2020

Background

Participation in sport and physical activity could minimise the inflated risk of poor physical health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents. This review aimed to synthesise existing quantitative and qualitative literature regarding barriers and facilitators to physical activity and sports participation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Methods

Literature was systematically searched to include studies reporting barriers or facilitators to physical activity and/or sports participation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–18 years. Using a pre-established taxonomy based on the social-ecological model, a deductive analysis was performed. Quality appraisal was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

Results

Of 3440 unique articles, nine studies were included with n = 10,061 total participants. Of the nine included studies one reported on participants from urban areas, two from regional and three from remote areas. Three were from representative samples of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Barriers were reported in all nine studies: 18 individual, 9 interpersonal, 27 community and 4 at the policy level (58 total); Facilitators were reported in five studies: 12 individual, 11 interpersonal, 11 community and 3 policy level (37 total).

Conclusions

Research in this area is lacking with some states in Australia not represented and small samples. Strategies for improving participation in sport and physical activity by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents need to integrate a comprehensive identification of barriers and facilitators with a social-ecological understanding of how community and cultural factors can impact individual participation.
Effects of reproductive resource allocation and pollen density on fertilization success in plants
Authors: Gillet Elizabeth M. , Gregorius Hans-Rolf
Published: May 2020

Background

Declining resources due to climate change may endanger the persistence of populations by reducing fecundity and thus population fitness via effects on gamete production. The optimal mode of generative reproduction allocates the limited resources to ovule and pollen production in proportions that maximize the number of fertilized ovules in the population. In order to locate this optimum and derive reproduction modes that compensate for declined resources to maintain reproductive success, a model of gamete production, pollen dispersal, and ovule fertilization is developed. Specification of opportunities for compensation is given priority over specification of physiological or evolutionary mechanisms of adaptation. Thus model parameters summarize gametic production resources, resource investment per gamete, resource allocation as proportion of resources invested in ovules, and pollen density as size of the pollen dispersal range and proportion of pollen retained within the range. Retained pollen disperses randomly, and an ovule is fertilized if at least one pollen settles on its surface. The outcome is the expected number of fertilized ovules.

Results

Maximization of fertilization success is found to require the investment of more gametic production resources in ovules than in pollen, irrespective of the parameter values. Resource decline can be compensated by adjusting the resource allocation if the maximum expected number of fertilized ovules after the decline is not less than the expected number the population experienced before the decline. Compensation is also possible under some conditions by increasing the pollen density, either by raising a low pollen retention or by shrinking the dispersal range.

Conclusion

Fertilization success in populations affected by resource decline may be maintainable by adjustment of the sexual allocation of gametic production resources or by increasing pollen density. The results have implications for insect pollination, sexual allocation bias, management measures, and metapopulation fragmentation.
Risks and perception of non-communicable diseases and health promotion behavior of middle-aged female immigrants in Japan: a qualitative exploratory study
Authors: Nagamatsu Yasuko , Barroga Edward , Sakyo Yumi , Igarashi Yukari , Hirano O Yuko
Published: May 2020

Background

Ensuring good health of immigrants is a serious issue across countries, including Japan. This study focused on the health of middle-aged female immigrants in Japan who experienced changes to their health as well as an increased risk of non-communicable diseases. Specifically, the study aimed to clarify the risks and perceptions of non-communicable diseases and health promotion behavior of middle-aged female immigrants in Japan.

Methods

This investigation used an exploratory design. The participants were a purposive sample of 35 middle-aged female immigrants (age ≥ 40 years) living in urban and rural areas of Japan. Data were generated using mixed methods. A quantitative approach provided data of their risks of non-communicable diseases. Focus group discussions provided insights to identify their health promotion perceptions.

Results

Blood pressure measurement revealed that 29% of the immigrants had hypertension, 29% had a body mass index of > 30, and 71% had an abdominal girth of > 80 cm. About 31% had a history of chronic disease and 34% had regular medication. There were 80% who received regular health check-up, 49% who received breast cancer screening, and 34% who received cervical cancer screening. The focus group discussions indicated that the middle-aged female immigrants recognized the threat of non-communicable diseases. However, they lacked knowledge about the prevention of non-communicable diseases, and they felt that non-communicable diseases were unavoidable. They also failed to understand the benefits of health promotion behavior. The study revealed that the monolingual Japanese health service prevented immigrant women from understanding their health check-up and cancer screening results, and how to utilize the health service system.

Conclusions

Middle-aged female immigrants in Japan had potential risks of non-communicable diseases, and recognized their threat. These settled immigrant women received health check-ups and cancer screenings with the support of their family, and consequently attained the same level of adherence as that of Japanese women. However, lack of knowledge about health promotion and its benefits and the absence of a culturally sensitive health service system for immigrants in Japan constrained their health-promotion behavior. Sociocultural multilingual-tailored interventions including interpretation services by care providers with cultural sensitivities must be developed.
Machine learning approaches to predict peak demand days of cardiovascular admissions considering environmental exposure
Authors: Qiu Hang , Luo Lin , Su Ziqi , Zhou Li , Wang Liya , Chen Yucheng
Published: May 2020

Background

Accumulating evidence has linked environmental exposure, such as ambient air pollution and meteorological factors, to the development and severity of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), resulting in increased healthcare demand. Effective prediction of demand for healthcare services, particularly those associated with peak events of CVDs, can be useful in optimizing the allocation of medical resources. However, few studies have attempted to adopt machine learning approaches with excellent predictive abilities to forecast the healthcare demand for CVDs. This study aims to develop and compare several machine learning models in predicting the peak demand days of CVDs admissions using the hospital admissions data, air quality data and meteorological data in Chengdu, China from 2015 to 2017.

Methods

Six machine learning algorithms, including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM) were applied to build the predictive models with a unique feature set. The area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), logarithmic loss function, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and F1 score were used to evaluate the predictive performances of the six models.

Results

The LightGBM model exhibited the highest AUC (0.940, 95% CI: 0.900–0.980), which was significantly higher than that of LR (0.842, 95% CI: 0.783–0.901), SVM (0.834, 95% CI: 0.774–0.894) and ANN (0.890, 95% CI: 0.836–0.944), but did not differ significantly from that of RF (0.926, 95% CI: 0.879–0.974) and XGBoost (0.930, 95% CI: 0.878–0.982). In addition, the LightGBM has the optimal logarithmic loss function (0.218), accuracy (91.3%), specificity (94.1%), precision (0.695), and F1 score (0.725). Feature importance identification indicated that the contribution rate of meteorological conditions and air pollutants for the prediction was 32 and 43%, respectively.

Conclusion

This study suggests that ensemble learning models, especially the LightGBM model, can be used to effectively predict the peak events of CVDs admissions, and therefore could be a very useful decision-making tool for medical resource management.
Impact of the diabetes Canada guideline dissemination strategy on dispensed vascular protective medications for older patients in Ontario, Canada: a linked EMR and administrative data study
Authors: Greiver Michelle , Kalia Sumeet , Moineddin Rahim , Chen Simon , Duchen Raquel , Rigobon Alanna
Published: May 2020

Background

The 2013 Diabetes Canada guidelines recommended routinely using vascular protective medications for most patients with diabetes. These medications included statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Antiplatelet agents were only recommended for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Using Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data, we previously found that guideline dissemination efforts were not associated with an increase in the rate of primary care prescriptions of these medications. However, this needs confirmation: patients can receive prescriptions from different sources including specialists and they may not always fill these prescriptions. Using both EMR and administrative health data, we examined whether guideline dissemination impacted the dispensing of vascular protective medications to patients.

Methods

The study population included patients with diabetes aged 66 or over in Ontario, Canada. We created two cohorts using two different approaches: an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) algorithm for diabetes using linked EMR-administrative data and an administrative algorithm using population level administrative data. We examined data from January 2010 to December 2016. Patients with diabetes were deemed to be likely taking a medication (or covered) during a quarter if the daily amount for a dispensed medication would last for at least 75% of days in any given quarter. An interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the proportion of patients covered by each medication class. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were used as a reference.

Results

There was no increase in the rate of change for medication coverage following guideline release in either the EMR or the administrative diabetes cohorts. For statins, the change in trend was − 0.03, p = 0.7 (EMR) and − 0.12, p = 0.04(administrative). For ACEI/ARBs, this was 0.03, p = 0.6 (EMR) and 0, p = 1(administrative). For antiplatelets, this was 0.001, P = .97 (EMR) and − 0.03, p = 0.03 (administrative). The comparator PPI was − 0.07, p = 0.4 (EMR) and − 0.11, p = 0.002 (administrative).

Conclusions

Using both EMR and administrative health data, we confirmed that the Diabetes Canada 2013 guideline dissemination strategy did not lead to an increased rate of coverage for vascular protective medications. Alternative strategies are needed to effect change in practice.
Prognostic importance of visit-to-visit blood pressure variability for micro- and macrovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: The Rio de Janeiro Type 2 Diabetes Cohort Study
Authors: Cardoso Claudia R. L. , Leite Nathalie C. , Salles Gil F.
Published: May 2020

Background

The prognostic importance of an increased visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BP-VVV) for the future development of micro- and macrovascular complications in type 2 diabetes has been scarcely investigated and is largely unsettled. We aimed to evaluate it in a prospective long-term follow-up study with 632 individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

BP-VVV parameters (systolic and diastolic standard deviations [SD] and variation coefficients) were measured during the first 24-months. Multivariate Cox analysis, adjusted for risk factors and mean BP levels, examined the associations between BP-VVV and the occurrence of microvascular (retinopathy, microalbuminuria, renal function deterioration, peripheral neuropathy) and macrovascular complications (total cardiovascular events [CVEs], major adverse CVEs [MACE] and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality). Improvement in risk discrimination was assessed by the C-statistic and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) index.

Results

Over a median follow-up of 11.3 years, 162 patients had a CVE (132 MACE), and 212 patients died (95 from cardiovascular diseases); 153 newly-developed or worsened diabetic retinopathy, 193 achieved the renal composite outcome (121 newly-developed microalbuminuria and 95 deteriorated renal function), and 171 newly-developed or worsened peripheral neuropathy. Systolic BP-VVV was an independent predictor of MACE (hazard ratio: 1.25, 95% CI 1.03–1.51 for a 1-SD increase in 24-month SD), but not of total CVEs, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, and of any microvascular outcome. However, no BP-VVV parameter significantly improved cardiovascular risk discrimination (increase in C-statistic 0.001, relative IDI 0.9%).

Conclusions

Systolic BP-VVV was an independent predictor of MACE, but it did not improve cardiovascular risk stratification. The goal of anti-hypertensive treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes shall remain in controlling mean BP levels, not on decreasing their visit-to-visit variability.
LncRNA KCNQ1OT1 promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion via regulating miR-129-5p/JAG1 axis in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Wang Yan , Zhang Lei , Yang Jiasheng , Sun Ruilin
Published: May 2020

Background

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most deadly cancer worldwide. LncRNA KCNQ1OT1 has been reported to be involved in the progression of various tumors, including NSCLC. However, the precise mechanism of KCNQ1OT1 in NSCLC requires further investigation.

Methods

The expression levels of KCNQ1OT1, miR-129-5p and JAG1 were detected by qRT-PCR or western blot. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to assess the correlation between KCNQ1OT1 expression and the overall survival of NSCLC patients. CCK-8 assay was used to measure cell viability. Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell assay. The targets of KCNQ1OT1 and miR-129-5p were predicted by bioinformatics, which was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay or pull-down assay.

Results

KCNQ1OT1 expression was significantly enhanced, while miR-129-5p expression was dramatically reduced in NSCLC tissues and cells. Higher KCNQ1OT1 shortened overall survival and was positively associated with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis. KCNQ1OT1 knockdown inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. Inhibition of miR-129-5p attenuated the inhibition of NSCLC cell viability, migration and invasion induced by KCNQ1OT1 knockdown. In addition, JAG1 was confirmed as a target of miR-129-5p. Knockdown of JAG1 reversed the effects of miR-129-5p knockdown on NSCLC progression. KCNQ1OT1 regulated JAG1 expression by sponging miR-129-5p in NSCLC cells.

Conclusion

KCNQ1OT1 induced proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by sponging miR-129-5p and regulating JAG1 expression, indicating that KCNQ1OT1 was a therapeutic target for NSCLC.
BRIP1, RAD51C, and RAD51D mutations are associated with high susceptibility to ovarian cancer: mutation prevalence and precise risk estimates based on a pooled analysis of ~30,000 cases
Authors: Suszynska Malwina , Ratajska Magdalena , Kozlowski Piotr
Published: May 2020

Background

It is estimated that more than 20% of ovarian cancer cases are associated with a genetic predisposition that is only partially explained by germline mutations in theBRCA1andBRCA2genes. Recently, several pieces of evidence showed that mutations in three genes involved in the homologous recombination DNA repair pathway, i.e.,BRIP1,RAD51C, andRAD51D, are associated with a high risk of ovarian cancer. To more precisely estimate the ovarian cancer risk attributed toBRIP1,RAD51C, andRAD51Dmutations, we performed a meta-analysis based on a comparison of a total of ~ 29,400 ovarian cancer patients from 63 studies and a total of ~ 116,000 controls from the gnomAD database.

Results

The analysis allowed precise estimation of ovarian cancer risks attributed to mutations inBRIP1,RAD51C, andRAD51D, confirming that all three genes are ovarian cancer high-risk genes (odds ratio (OR) = 4.94, 95%CIs:4.07–6.00,p < 0.0001; OR = 5.59, 95%CIs:4.42–7.07,p < 0.0001; and OR = 6.94, 95%CIs:5.10–9.44,p < 0.0001, respectively). In the present report, we show, for the first time, a mutation-specific risk analysis associated with distinct, recurrent, mutations in the genes.

Conclusions

The meta-analysis provides evidence supporting the pathogenicity ofBRIP1,RAD51C, andRAD51Dmutations in relation to ovarian cancer. The level of ovarian cancer risk conferred by these mutations is relatively high, indicating that afterBRCA1andBRCA2, theBRIP1,RAD51C, andRAD51Dgenes are the most important ovarian cancer risk genes, cumulatively contributing to ~ 2% of ovarian cancer cases. The inclusion of the genes into routine diagnostic tests may influence both the prevention and the potential treatment of ovarian cancer.
Overlapping Sjogren’s syndrome reduces the probability of reaching target in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a propensity score matched real-world cohort from 2009 to 2019
Authors: Zhang Huijuan , Zhang Haoze , Gao Dai , Xie Wenhui , Geng Yan , Zhang Zhuoli
Published: May 2020

Background

Overlapping Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is not uncommon in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and considered as a probable detrimental factor of RA. But data on the impact of overlapping SS on RA therapeutic response is limited. Our current study aimed to identify the effect in a real-world cohort from 2009 to 2019.

Methods

The medical records of RA patients who visited the rheumatology clinic of our medical center from 2009 to 2019 were reviewed. Their composite disease activity scores at each follow-up point were collected. The therapeutic response between RA patients with SS (RA-SS) and without (RA-noSS) was compared. To correct confounders which may affect the therapeutic response, both propensity score matched and unmatched cohorts were analyzed by using the Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

Among the 1099 RA patients, 129 (11.7%) overlapped with SS were validated by positive anti-SSA or a minor salivary gland biopsy with histological changes suggestive of SS. After propensity score matching based on their baseline characteristics, 126 of 129 RA-SS and 126 of 970 RA-noSS patients were statistically extracted. Overlapping SS was associated with a 29%, 26%, 18%, and 22% lower probability of reaching remission defined by DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, SDAI, and CDAI in RA patients, respectively. Similar decreased probability of reaching low disease activity was also observed. Although ESR was most significantly affected (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.61–0.79), other component of composite RA disease activity score was also affected by overlapping SS. Stratification by age, RF/ACPA status, or baseline DAS28-CRP was not associated with change of results.

Conclusions

Overlapping SS is associated with lower probability of reaching remission or low disease activity in RA patients and should be regarded as one of the poor prognostic factors.
Executive Perspectives
Authors: Barkhouse Bill
Published: May 2020

I am deep into the fifth decade of my relationship with SEG. I joined SEG as an applied-geophysics student in the early 1970s at the time of the Arab oil embargo. I served as SEG president in 1999–2000, as SEG Foundation chair in 2010, and I currently serve in the role of SEG associate executive director of strategic relations.
Memorial
Authors: Hindlet Nicholas
Published: May 2020

Francois Jean Frederic Hindlet (1951–2020)
Seismic Soundoff
Authors: Geary Andrew
Published: May 2020

The following is an excerpt from SEG's podcast, Seismic Soundoff. In episode 75, host Andrew Geary highlights David Lumley's President's Page column from the March 2020 issue of The Leading Edge titled “Geophysics and sustainability.” In this timely conversation, they discuss the future of geophysics education, areas SEG could develop to continue to support the science, how climate change could impact the industry, and the proposal for a new name for SEG. Listen to the full episode at https://seg.org/podcast/post/8963 .
Deep learning based classification of solid lipid-poor contrast enhancing renal masses using contrast enhanced CT
Authors: Oberai Assad , Varghese Bino , Cen Steven , Angelini Tomas , Hwang Darryl , Gill Inderbir , Aron Manju , Lau Christopher , Duddalwar Vinay
Published: May 2020

Objective:

Establish a workflow that utilizes convolutional neural nets (CNN) to classify solid, lipid-poor, contrast enhancing renal masses using multiphase contrast enhanced CT (CECT) images and to assess the performance of the resulting network.

Methods:

In this institutional review board approved study of 143 patients with predominantly solid, lipid-poor, contrast enhancing renal lesions (46 benign and 97 malignant), patients with a pre-operative multiphase CECT of the abdomen and pelvis obtained between June 2009 and June 2015 were retrospectively queried. Benign renal masses included oncocytoma and lipid-poor angiomyolipoma and the malignant group included clear cell, papillary, and chromophobe carcinomas.

Region of interests of whole tumor volumes were manually segmented, and CT phase images with the largest cross-section of the segmented tumor in the axial plane were used for assessment. Post-surgical pathological evaluation was used to establish diagnosis.

The segmented images of renal masses were used as input to a CNN. The data were augmented and split into training (83.9%) and validation sets (16.1%) to determine the hyperparameters of the CNN. Thereafter. the performance of the resulting CNN was quantified using eightfold cross-validation.

Results:

The CNN-based classifier demonstrated an overall accuracy of 78% (95% confidence interval: 76–80%), sensitivity of 70% (95% confidence interval: 66–74%), specificity of 81% (79–83%) and an area under the curve of 0.82.

Conclusion:

A CNN-based classifier to diagnose solid enhancing malignant renal masses based on multiphase CECT images was developed.

Advances in knowledge:

It was established that a CNN-based classifier could be trained to accurately distinguish malignant renal lesions.
Overcoming the bottleneck to widespread testing: a rapid review of nucleic acid testing approaches for COVID-19 detection
Authors: Esbin Meagan N. , Whitney Oscar N. , Chong Shasha , Maurer Anna , Darzacq Xavier , Tjian Robert
Published: May 2020

The current COVID-19 pandemic presents a serious public health crisis, and a better understanding of the scope and spread of the virus would be aided by more widespread testing. Nucleic-acid-based tests currently offer the most sensitive and early detection of COVID-19. However, the “gold standard” test pioneered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes several hours to complete and requires extensive human labor, materials such as RNA extraction kits that could become in short supply, and relatively scarce qPCR machines. It is clear that a huge effort needs to be made to scale up current COVID-19 testing by orders of magnitude. There is thus a pressing need to evaluate alternative protocols, reagents, and approaches to allow nucleic-acid testing to continue in the face of these potential shortages. There has been a tremendous explosion in the number of papers written within the first weeks of the pandemic evaluating potential advances, comparable reagents, and alternatives to the “gold-standard” CDC RT-PCR test. Here we present a collection of these recent advances in COVID-19 nucleic acid testing, including both peer-reviewed and preprint articles. Due to the rapid developments during this crisis, we have included as many publications as possible, but many of the cited sources have not yet been peer-reviewed, so we urge researchers to further validate results in their own laboratories. We hope that this review can urgently consolidate and disseminate information to aid researchers in designing and implementing optimized COVID-19 testing protocols to increase the availability, accuracy, and speed of widespread COVID-19 testing.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic and Economic Impact
Authors: Ahmad Tauseef , Haroon Haroon , Baig Mukhtiar , Hui Jin
Published: May 2020

In less than two decades, the world has experienced three outbreaks of deadly Coronaviruses, including the recent pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. COVID-19 posed an emergency of international concerns, and cases have been reported in more than 200 countries/regions that resulted in health, lives, and economic losses. China’s economic growth is projected to fall to 5.6% this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that policy investment and tax policies to implement $3.3 trillion and contributes further $4.5 trillion. IMF forecasts grow from 3.7% of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 to 9.9% in 2020. GDP ratio projected from 3.0% in 2019 to grow 10.7% in 2020, the US ratio expected to increase from 5.8% to 15.7%. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom (UK) each reported public sector funding programs totalling > 10% of their yearly GDP. There is a dire need for regional and international co-operation to extend hands to prevent further spreading of COVID-19.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2638

How to cite this:Ahmad T, Haroon, Baig M, Hui J. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic and Economic Impact. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):COVID19-S73-S78. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2638

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ЛЕКСИКО-СТИЛИСТИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ МЕДИЦИНСКОГО ТЕКСТА ХIХ В.
Authors: Budanova Natalia Aleksandrovna
Published: May 2020

Цель. В статье выявлены и проанализированы лингвистические особенности медицинских текстов ХIХ в., основанные на лексико-семантическом анализе терминологической лексики, на основании чего изложены положения о состоянии научного стиля русского литературного языка ХIХ в.Материалы. Материалом статьи послужили научные медицинские тексты ХIХ в., сохранившиеся в библиотеке Тверского государственного медицинского университета. Обращение к диахроническому аспекту обосновывается тем, что медицинская терминология данного исторического периода является наименее изученной в сравнении с современной медицинской терминологией.Результаты. Сравнение языковых особенностей научного стиля двух исторических срезов (современного и ХIХ в.) выявило ряд произошедших исторических изменений, которые описаны в статье. Показаны и проанализированы произошедшие изменения в функции, форме и степени использовании латинского языка в русском научном медицинском тексте. Приведены данные о наличии в медицинской терминологии ХIХ в. стилистических синонимов, уменьшительных форм имен существительных, развернутых метафорических наименований, что указывает на незавершенность процесса формирования научного стиля языка. Личностный характер изложения научного материала в текстах ХIХ в., проявляющийся употреблением вводных конструкций с использованием личных местоимений 1 л. ед. ч., в дальнейшем будет вытеснен отвлеченно-обобщенной манерой изложения современного научного текста. Строгий отбор языковых средств и тяготение к нормированной речи, не всегда соблюдавшиеся в текстах ХIХ в., станут обязательными в современных научных текстах, в том числе медицинских.Область применения результатов. Данное языковое исследование позволяет дополнить информацию о периоде развития научного стиля в России в ХIХ в.
Are Online Job Postings Informative to Investors?
Authors: Gutiérrez Elizabeth , Lourie Ben , Nekrasov Alexander , Shevlin Terry
Published: May 2020

Human capital is a key factor in value creation in the modern corporation. Yet the disclosure of investment in human capital is scant. We propose that a company’s online job postings are disclosures made outside of the investor-relations channel that contain forward-looking information that could be informative to investors about future growth. We find that changes in the number of job postings are positively associated with changes in future performance and that this relation is stronger when postings likely represent growth rather than replacement. Consistent with job postings providing new information to the market, investors react positively to changes in the number of job postings. The market reaction to postings is stronger when firms are likely to be hiring for growth rather than replacement and for firms with low labor intensity (and therefore high marginal productivity of labor).

This paper was accepted by Brian Bushee, accounting.
Dimension-Corrected Somers’ D for the Item Analysis Settings
Authors: Metsämuuronen Jari
Published: May 2020

A new index of item discrimination power (IDP), dimension-corrected Somers’ D (D2) is proposed. Somers’ D is one of the superior alternatives for item–total- (Rit) and item–rest correlation (Rir) in reflecting the real IDP with items with scales 0/1 and 0/1/2, that is, up to three categories. D also reaches the extreme value +1 and ‒1 correctly while Rit and Rir cannot reach the ultimate values in the real-life testing settings. However, when the item has four categories or more, Somers’ D underestimates IDP more than Pearson correlation. A simple correction to Somers’ D in the polytomous case seems to lead to be effective in item analysis settings.  In the simulation with real-life items, D2 showed very few cases of obvious underestimation and practically no cases of obvious overestimation. With certain restrictions discussed in the article, D2 seems to be a good alternative for these classic estimators not only with dichotomous items but also with the polytomous ones. In general, the magnitudes of the estimates by D2 are higher than those by Rit, Rir, and polychoric correlation and they seem to be close of those of bi- and polyserial correlation coefficients without out-of-range values.
Distal humerus nonunion: evaluation and management
Authors: Vauclair Frédéric , Goetti Patrick , Nguyen Ngoc Tram V. , Sanchez-Sotelo Joaquin
Published: May 2020

Despite recent improvements in surgical implants and techniques, distal humerus nonunion does occur between 8% and 25% of the time. Careful identification and improvement of any modifiable risk factors such as smoking, metabolic disorders, immunosuppressant medications, poor nutritional status and infection is mandatory. A recent computed tomography scan is paramount to determine the nonunion pattern, assess residual bone stock, identify previously placed hardware, and determine whether there is evidence of osteoarthritis or malunion of the articular surface. Internal fixation is the treatment of choice in the majority of patients presenting with reasonable bone stock and preserved articular cartilage; total elbow arthroplasty is an appealing alternative for elbows with severe destruction of the articular cartilage or severe bone loss at the articular segment, especially in older, female patients. Internal fixation requires not only achieving a stable fixation, but also releasing associated elbow contractures and the liberal use of bone graft or substitutes. Although reported union rates after internal fixation of distal humerus nonunions are excellent (over 95%), the complication rate remains very high, and unsatisfactory results do occur.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:289-298. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.190050
Large-Scale Field Study of Impact-Based Yield Monitor Performance
Authors: McNaull Robert P , Darr M. J.
Published: May 2020

Abstract.

The grain yield monitor is the most common evaluation tool for determining the productivity of grain cropping systems. Most evaluations of grain yield monitors have focused on lab scale tests of the sensor performance and its ability to be calibrated in field trials. This study focused on the performance of the impact-based grain yield monitor during a full corn harvest season with observations and conclusions drawn on the load-to-load variation, field level, and full season accuracy from data collected over five seasons and encompassing over 2,000 evaluation loads. The load variance expectation of the impact-based yield monitor was characterized and the yield difference requirements for statistical significance were developed to aid in yield monitor based evaluations of agronomic strip trials. Following manufacturer recommended calibrations, a single cropping season calibration in corn produced field mean errors of ±5% and a season mean error of 1%. Results showed statistically significant shift in the yield monitor accuracy for grain moisture content greater than 22.5% and a load accuracy dependency on the mean mass flow rate during the full harvest season calibration evaluation. Keywords: Combine harvesters, Mass flow, Precision agriculture, Real-time sensor, Yield map, Yield monitor.
Complementação verbal no português do Libolo (Angola): uma descrição preliminar
Authors: Santos Eduardo Ferreira dos , Kialanda Kialunda Sozinho
Published: May 2020

A complementação verbal é um dos fenômenos que diferencia o português brasileiro (PB) do europeu (PE) em relação a realização dos objetos diretos e indiretos – ou dativos (DUARTE, 1986; CYRINO, 1993,1997; TORRES MORAIS & BERLINCK, 2007; entre outros). Trabalhos como os de Mingas (2000), Miguel (2003), Campos (2010) e Lopes, Souza & Alvarenga (2016) apontam algumas características da complementação verbal no português de Luanda, capital de Angola, como a ocorrência de objeto direto nulo, comum no PB; uso do clítico 'lhe' para objeto indireto, comum no PE, mas também o seu uso como objeto direto, comum no PB. Faz-se necessário, então, um estudo mais amplo da complementação verbal em demais variedades do português angolano, como a variedade falada no Libolo.
Social Capital and the Reciprocal Nature of Family Relationships: The Perspective of Individuals With Mild Intellectual Disability
Authors: Giesbers Sanne A. H. , Hendriks Alexander H. C. , Hastings Richard P. , Jahoda Andrew , Tournier Tess , Embregts Petri J. C. M.
Published: May 2020

Even though family plays a significant role in the lives of people with intellectual disability, little research has included their own views about their families. This study examined how 138 people with mild intellectual disability describe their family group, with a focus on the reciprocal nature of the emotional support in relationships with family members. Participants reported “significant” family members beyond the nuclear family, and parents were seen as the main provider of support. Only half of participants had a support relationship with siblings and just 13% of participants reported partners. About 30% of support was reciprocal, and reciprocity varied greatly with the types of family connection (e.g., siblings, peers). Implications for future research as well as practice are discussed.
Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among U.S. Children With and Without Down Syndrome: The National Survey of Children's Health
Authors: Diaz Keith M.
Published: May 2020

It is unclear whether children with Down syndrome have differing physical activity and sedentary behavior levels compared to typical children. This study addressed this evidence gap in a national sample. Physical activity/sedentary behavior were ascertained by parental report. Findings highlighted that children with Down syndrome were less likely to engage in regular physical activity compared to typical children and had the lowest likelihood of regular physical activity among all subgroups with developmental disabilities/special healthcare needs. Children with Down syndrome were also more likely to watch high volumes of television compared to typical children, although this was nonsignificant upon adjustment for general health. It was concluded that children with Down syndrome are in urgent need for interventions/programs that promote physical activity.
Optometry's Clubwomen
Authors: Hebert Kirsten L.
Published: May 2020

A brief history of The Woman's Auxiliary to the American Optometric Association featuring images of objects and other materials from the Archives & Museum of Optometry and the AFVA Records Collection, RG 410.08.
Efficiently Summarizing Relationships in Large Samples: A General Duality Between Statistics of Genealogies and Genomes
Authors: Ralph Peter , Thornton Kevin , Kelleher Jerome
Published: May 2020

As a genetic mutation is passed down across generations, it distinguishes those genomes that have inherited it from those that have not, providing a glimpse of the genealogical tree relating the genomes to each other at that site. Statistical summaries of genetic variation therefore also describe the underlying genealogies. We use this correspondence to define a general framework that efficiently computes single-site population genetic statistics using the succinct tree sequence encoding of genealogies and genome sequence. The general approach accumulates sample weights within the genealogical tree at each position on the genome, which are then combined using a summary function; different statistics result from different choices of weight and function. Results can be reported in three ways: by site, which corresponds to statistics calculated as usual from genome sequence; by branch, which gives the expected value of the dual site statistic under the infinite sites model of mutation, and by node, which summarizes the contribution of each ancestor to these statistics. We use the framework to implement many currently defined statistics of genome sequence (making the statistics’ relationship to the underlying genealogical trees concrete and explicit), as well as the corresponding branch statistics of tree shape. We evaluate computational performance using simulated data, and show that calculating statistics from tree sequences using this general framework is several orders of magnitude more efficient than optimized matrix-based methods in terms of both run time and memory requirements. We also explore how well the duality between site and branch statistics holds in practice on trees inferred from the 1000 Genomes Project data set, and discuss ways in which deviations may encode interesting biological signals.
Optimal Antibiotics at Hospital Discharge for Children With Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Fusco Nicholas M. , Islam Shamim , Polischuk Emily
Published: May 2020

OBJECTIVES:

Antibiotic stewardship at hospital discharge is an area of need. We assessed the rate of optimal antibiotic prescriptions at hospital discharge, on the basis of urine culture and susceptibility data, for children diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI).

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective study of patients ≤18 years of age who were admitted to a general pediatrics service at a freestanding children’s hospital during 2017 with a diagnosis of UTI and received an antibiotic prescription at discharge. For the primary analysis, optimal antibiotic at hospital discharge was determined by evaluating if the cultured urinary pathogen was susceptible to the prescribed antibiotic and if the antibiotic was the narrowest-spectrum option available. Secondary objectives included assessment of antibiotic dosing accuracy and description of antibiotic treatment duration.

RESULTS:

A total of 78 cases were included. Sixty-eight (83%) cases were caused by cefazolin-susceptible Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species. Thirty-one (40%) cases had a discharge antibiotic prescription that was determined to be optimal. Of the 47 (60%) cases that were suboptimal, 44 (94%) were considered to be excessively broad spectrum. In 3 (6%) cases, the causative organism was nonsusceptible to the prescribed antibiotic. Ten (13%) discharge antibiotic prescriptions had inaccurate dosing and/or frequency.

CONCLUSIONS:

Missed opportunities for narrow-spectrum antibiotic selection at hospital discharge for pediatric UTIs frequently occurred. In particular, higher-generation cephalosporins and ciprofloxacin were often prescribed for cephalexin-susceptible cases. Antibiotic stewardship attention, specifically at hospital discharge for pediatric UTIs, is likely to have a high impact.