bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drivers of police agencies’ resistance to body-worn camera adoption
Authors: Andreescu Viviana , Kim David
Published: September 2022

Although the use of video-recording technology in policing is on the rise in the United States, not all police agencies in the country are following this trend. Using Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics Body-Worn Camera Supplement survey data collected in 2016 from a nationally representative sample of general-purpose law enforcement agencies, the present analysis identified some of the factors more likely to predict interagency differences in the intention to adopt body-worn cameras (BWCs). Findings show that resistance to the adoption of BWCs is reported by law enforcement agencies that do not think the new technology is needed, report a lack of support for BWC adoption from the agency's leadership and from patrol officers, and have privacy and cost-related concerns. Although the perceived lack of public support for the adoption of BWCs does not differentiate agencies that intend to acquire BWCs from agencies that do not, police departments that registered a higher percentage of complaints for excessive use of physical force are significantly more likely to oppose the adoption of BWCs. Support for BWC adoption is significantly higher in police departments that have acquired other types of recording equipment in the past. Even though recent state-level legislative changes related to BWCs do not have a significant impact on BWC adoption decisions at the organization level, results indicate that law enforcement agencies located in US states with strong police unions are more likely to show resistance to the adoption of BWCs in the near future.
Differentiated integration as symbolic politics? Constitutional differentiation and policy reintegration in core state powers
Authors: Genschel Philipp , Jachtenfuchs Markus , Migliorati Marta
Published: September 2022

What are the policy consequences of constitutional differentiation in core state powers? We argue that the most important consequence is not necessarily the exclusion of the constitutional outs from the policies of the ins, but their reintegration by different means. The outs often have strong functional and political incentives to re-join the policies they opted out from, and the ins have good reasons to help them back in. We develop a theoretical framework that derives the incentives for reintegration from the costs of a policy exclusion. We use a novel dataset of reintegration opportunities to map trends and patterns of reintegration across policy fields and member states. We analyze selected cases of reintegration to probe the plausibility of our theoretical argument.
Statistical modelling of COVID-19 data: Putting generalized additive models to work
Authors: Fritz Cornelius , De Nicola Giacomo , Rave Martje , Weigert Maximilian , Khazaei Yeganeh , Berger Ursula , Küchenhoff Helmut , Kauermann Göran
Published: September 2022

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) have been successfully employed on numerous occasions to obtain vital data-driven insights. In this article we further substantiate the success story of GAMs, demonstrating their flexibility by focusing on three relevant pandemic-related issues. First, we examine the interdepency among infections in different age groups, concentrating on school children. In this context, we derive the setting under which parameter estimates are independent of the (unknown) case-detection ratio, which plays an important role in COVID-19 surveillance data. Second, we model the incidence of hospitalizations, for which data is only available with a temporal delay. We illustrate how correcting for this reporting delay through a nowcasting procedure can be naturally incorporated into the GAM framework as an offset term. Third, we propose a multinomial model for the weekly occupancy of intensive care units (ICU), where we distinguish between the number of COVID-19 patients, other patients and vacant beds. With these three examples, we aim to showcase the practical and ‘off-the-shelf’ applicability of GAMs to gain new insights from real-world data.
Cystic Adventitial Disease of the Popliteal Vein: A Case Report
Authors: Jing Zongxu , Zhang Changming , LI Xiangtao , Zhang Huan , Niu Luyuan , Feng Yaping , Liu Yong , Yue Yunlong , Du Xuemei , Luo Xiaoyun
Published: September 2022

Venous cystic adventitial disease (VCAD) is a rare vascular anomaly located in the common femoral vein in most cases. We describe the case of a 59-year-old female patient with right leg edema who was misdiagnosed with deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremity at another hospital. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed a round mass in the popliteal vein, with a narrow lumen. Considering the location of the lesion, absence of a history of deep venous thrombosis and trauma, and clinical manifestations, the diagnosis is likely a popliteal vein adventitial cyst. Segmental popliteal vein resection and reconstruction were performed using a cylindrical great saphenous vein graft. No joint connection was found during the operation, and the postoperative pathology confirmed VCAD.
A Mobile Thrombus of the Thoracic Aorta
Authors: Wolf Ammie , Fajer Simone , Haddad Menashi , Shnaker Ali , Ajaj Mones , Shehab Maysam
Published: September 2022

A mobile thrombus of the thoracic aorta is a rare entity, which might have serious clinical manifestations, including arterial emboli. Due to its low incidence, there is no consensus regarding the most adequate management of mobile thoracic aorta thrombus. The current case describes a patient with Polycythemia Vera and myeloproliferative neoplasm, who presented with mobile thrombus of the thoracic aorta, manifested by blue toe syndrome and asymptomatic splenic infarct. She was treated conservatively with anti-coagulation and Iloprost alongside the patient’s permanent treatment of Aspirin, Hydrea and Atorvastatin. Under this treatment, the thrombus resolved completely, and the blue toes improved, except for one.
Caucusing Updated: Innovations to Build Belonging and Empowerment
Authors: Curry-Stevens Ann , Jarvis Rayne
Published: September 2022

Caucusing, as a social justice activity, is traditionally implemented to provide an insider space for marginalized persons to share experiences and build a space for belonging and safety by excluding those who hold privileged identities. Within a particular event that combines privileged and oppressed, experiences are uneven, with insiders experiencing inclusion, while outsiders have a largely isolating experience, although intended to be a place to interrogate privilege. It is not an activity to build community across identities, nor is it the intention. Through expansive reflection on a course activity, the authors share their experience of an updated caucusing activity, a three-part undertaking that first holds caucuses where all students participate, subsequently holds cross-identity dialogues, and then dialogues are repeated with different groupings. Informing this article are the authors’ separate and dialogic reflections, activity evaluations and follow-up comments by students. Results reveal high potential for building belonging and community within and across identities, potentially relevant to numerous service professionals. Caution exists when groups have low levels of engagement with each other and trusting experiences with each other and the instructor. A less successful version of this activity occurred in a part-time program which suggests this caution is warranted.
Assembly mechanism and antistatic properties of wool fabrics with superfine graphene oxide
Authors: Shen Xiaoxing , Gao Pu , Luo Qiulan , Zhou Jie , Tian Kun , Shi Yujie , Ma Hui
Published: September 2022

Wool fabrics are preferred over synthetic and cellulosic fibers by consumers because of their good elasticity, warmth, and high moisture sorption. How to use new materials and new methods to break the bottleneck of high pollution and high energy consumption in wool dyeing and finishing, and develop new functional wool materials has become an urgent need of wool development. In this paper, wool is colored and functionalized with antistatic properties using one-step ecofriendly process by superfine graphene oxide (GO). The results of the assembly mechanism show that the adsorption thermodynamic behavior of GO on wool is more consistent with Langmuir model and the process is exothermic similar to the adsorption of conventional acid dyes on wool fibers. The kinetic behavior results indicated that adsorption behavior of GO on wool was identified, and the phenomenon was more in line with the quasi-secondary dynamics model. The antistatic test results showed that the antistatic performance of the wool fabric that was colored by GO was obviously improved and the half-life of the GO colored wool fabric could be as low as 0.17. The strategy of colored fabrics with GO and imparting additional functionality can provide a basis for the ecological processing and formation of wool fabrics with designed functions.
Treatment of giant intracranial aneurysms using the Pipeline flow-diverting stent: Long-term results from the International Retrospective Study of the Pipeline Embolization Device (IntrePED) study
Authors: Grandhi Ramesh , Ravindra Vijay M. , Kallmes David F. , Lopes Demetrius , Hanel Ricardo A. , Lylyk Pedro
Published: September 2022

Background

Traditional endovascular treatments of giant intracranial aneurysms are associated with high rates of complications and retreatment. Our objective was to examine the safety and long-term efficacy of the Pipeline Embolization Device for treatment of these aneurysms.

Methods

This retrospective study using the IntrePED database included all patients with giant intracranial aneurysms treated with the Pipeline device between July 2008 and February 2013. Efficacy outcomes were stratified by using the Raymond-Roy Occlusion Classification. Predefined safety outcomes included spontaneous rupture of the target aneurysm; ipsilateral intracranial hemorrhage; ischemic stroke; parent artery stenosis; and sustained cranial neuropathy.

Results

Sixty-six embolizations were performed to treat 63 giant intracranial aneurysms (including 2 ruptured): 49 (77.8%) in the anterior and 14 (22.2%) in the posterior circulation. The median follow-up was 22.4 (0.1–60.5) months. Class I angiographic occlusion was achieved in 72.0% (36/50). The neurological morbidity/mortality rate was 23.8% (15/63), with higher rates in the posterior circulation than in the anterior circulation (22.4% vs. 28.6%). Among seven deaths, five had neurological causes. The procedure-related neurological morbidity and mortality rates were 22.7% (15/66) and 7.6% (5/66), respectively. The spontaneous rupture rate was 4.5% (3/66). Two spontaneous ruptures (1 death), 4/4 postprocedural intracranial hemorrhages, and 6/9 ischemic events occurred within 30 days. In-stent stenosis and new-onset cranial neuropathy were not observed during the angiographic follow-up period.

Conclusions

Although procedure-related neurological morbidity/mortality rates were not insignificant, this study confirms the feasibility and long-term efficacy of the Pipeline Embolization Device to treat giant intracranial aneurysms.
A Role for Uncertainty in the Neural Distinction Between Social and Nonsocial Thought
Authors: Berkay Dilara , Jenkins Adrianna C.
Published: September 2022

Neuroimaging research has identified a network of brain regions that is consistently more engaged when people think about the minds of other people than when they engage in nonsocial tasks. Activations in this “mentalizing network” are sometimes interpreted as evidence for the domain-specificity of cognitive processes supporting social thought. Here, we examine the alternative possibility that at least some activations in the mentalizing network may be explained by uncertainty. A reconsideration of findings from existing functional MRI studies in light of new data from independent raters suggests that (a) social tasks used in past studies have higher levels of uncertainty than their nonsocial comparison tasks and (b) activation in a key brain region associated with social cognition, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), may track with the degree of uncertainty surrounding both social and nonsocial inferences. These observations suggest that the preferential DMPFC response observed consistently in social scenarios may reflect the engagement of domain-general processes of uncertainty reduction, which points to avenues for future research into the core cognitive mechanisms supporting typical and atypical social thought.
Blinding of outcome assessors and its association with outcome in a randomized open-label stroke trial
Authors: van der Ende Nadinda AM , Roozenbeek Bob , Broderick Joseph P , Khatri Pooja , Lingsma Hester F , Dippel Diederik WJ
Published: September 2022

Background:

It is challenging for outcome assessors to remain blinded during outcome assessment in trials with prospective randomized open blinded endpoint (PROBE) design. If assessors are able to guess the correct treatment allocation more often than expected based on chance, the assessors may have been not properly blinded.

Aims:

We aimed to assess blinding of outcome assessors in a stroke trial with PROBE design and its association with outcome.

Methods:

We used data of the Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS) III trial. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days was assessed by local assessors who were unaware of treatment allocation. To assess success of blinding, each assessor was asked to guess the patient’s treatment allocation. We assessed whether the percentage of correct guesses was higher than chance (i.e. 50%). The association between correctly guessed treatment allocation and the mRS at 90 days was analyzed with ordinal logistic regression stratified by treatment allocation. We tested for interaction of correctly versus incorrectly guessed treatment allocation with actual treatment allocation on the mRS. Patients with missing data on guessed treatment allocation and patients who died prior to 90-day assessment were excluded.

Results:

In total, 459 patients were included in this study. The assessors guessed the correct treatment allocation significantly more often than expected (267/459, 58.2%, one-sided p = 0.0003). Correctly guessed treatment allocations were associated with better mRS scores in the intervention group (common odds ratio (cOR): 2.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.50–3.48) and with worse mRS scores in the control group (cOR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27–0.83) (pinteraction < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Assessors may not always be truly blinded for treatment allocation in clinical trials, and their guesses may be associated with outcome. Although causality between the assessors’ guess and patient outcome cannot be determined, future trials with subjective outcome should make efforts to ensure blinding and should report their blinding method and the success of blinding like the IMS III trial.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00359424.
A phytochemical investigation and evaluation of the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the stem bark extract of Clematis simensis (Yeazo hareg)
Authors: Ayana Misganaw T , Mehari Yekedem G , Beyene Belete B
Published: September 2022

Medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of various diseases and still play an important role in covering the basic health needs in the developing countries like Ethiopia. In this study, successive extraction, partial purification using column chromatograpy, phytochemical screening, determination of the total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethanol stem bark extracts and fractions of Clematis simensis are reported. The results show the presence of different valuable phytochemicals. The total phenolic content is 54.744, 68.933, and 87.522 mg g–1 of gallic acid equivalent for the petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethanol extracts, respectively. The total flavonoid content of the petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethanol extracts are 22.770, 37.223, and 52.289 mgCE g–1, respectively. This could lead to potential biological activity of the plant extract. Besides, the ethanol extract exhibits higher antioxidant activity than all the tested extracts. Likewise, the extracts have promising antibacterial activity with that of the ethanol extract being higher than those of the chloroform and petroleum extracts as well as isolated fractions.
Televisual transformations: The making of (media) citizens in interventional television productions
Authors: Boross Balázs
Published: September 2022

Interventional reality programmes often give rise to speculations about how they treat their contributors. However, little is known about the actual production practices that lie behind these complex and often contradictory media texts. Based on in-depth interviews with crew members of a variety of popular formats, this article explores how ordinary people are turned into subjects of emancipation and spectacular transformations. By analysing the ideals, tactics and constraints characterising this process, I address how particular discursive and organisational mechanisms support or hinder morally viable compromises in situations where the imperative of ‘selling strong performances’ and personal standpoints come into conflict.
Racialised regimes of remembrance: The politics of trivialising and forgetting the murders of Black children in Brazil
Authors: Amaral Fernanda
Published: September 2022

This article starts from the notion of collective memory as a source of power and meaning and draws from the concepts of activist memory to reflect on the existence of a racialised regime of memory in Brazil. Considering the social struggles involving Black people and the decades of fights for voice and justice, this investigation will deliberate on the media practices and general public recollections around the death of Black children under the optics of Hall’s concept of racialised regimes of representation. Employing an online survey and content analysis, this work uncovers evidence of a different set of practices to report and remember the death of White and Black children and considers the impact of those practices by analysing the remembrance rates on the survey.
Discriminative Chemical Profiles of Shan Tuyet Tea (Camellia sinensis var. Shan) and Sinensis Tea (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis) Collected in Ta Xua, Son La, Vietnam and Their Correlation With Antioxidant Activity
Authors: Nguyen Kieu-Oanh Thi , Nguyen Phuong-Linh , Le Hoang-Long , Le Huyen-Thao
Published: September 2022

Chè Shan Tuyet ( Camellia sinensis var. Shan) is one of the precious tea resources of Vietnam; however, there is little research on its chemical composition. The purpose of this study was to characterize the main quality components, such as free amino acids and catechins, in Camellia sinensis var. Shan and Camellia sinensis var. sinensis collected in the high mountain of Ta Xua, Son La, Vietnam by using an amino acid analyzer and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) discrimination analysis of chemical profiles revealed a clear metabolic difference between the young leaves of Shan Tuyet tea and mature leaves of the same variety and of sinensis tea. The amino acids serine, glutamic acid, arginine, ornithine, and aspartic acid contributed mainly to the discrimination and could be considered biomarkers for Shan Tuyet tea. The levels of caffeine and 7 catechins, catechin, catechin 3-gallate, epicatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, epigallocatechin 3-gallate, gallocatechin, and gallocatechin 3-gallate, in young leaves of Shan Tuyet tea were significantly higher than in the other types. Notably, the pair correlation among catechins revealed strong coefficients of the epistructures and non-epistructures, which suggested that these compounds can be converted naturally to each other. The strong correlation between epicatechin-3-gallate and catechin 3-gallate with antiradical ABTS activity of Shan Tuyet tea leaves indicates that these 2 catechins are mainly responsible for the antioxidant activity. This is the first report on the bioactive compounds of Shan Tuyet tea, as well as its potential for the production of health supplements.
Avatrombopag for the treatment of thrombocytopenia post hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation
Authors: Zhou Meng , Qi Jiaqian , Gu Chengyuan , Wang Hong , Zhang Ziyan , Wu Depei , Han Yue
Published: September 2022

Background:

Thrombocytopenia post hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HCT) usually contributes to poor outcomes with no standardized treatment. Eltrombopag and romiplostim can be feasible for post-HCT thrombocytopenia, but the use of avatrombopag has not yet been evaluated.

Objectives:

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of avatrombopag treatment in patients diagnosed with post-HCT thrombocytopenia.

Design:

In this retrospective study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of avatrombopag treatment in a cohort of 61 patients diagnosed with thrombocytopenia post HCT in our clinical center.

Methods:

Avatrombopag was initiated at 20 mg daily, with a dosage adjustment to achieve platelet recovery to >20 × 109/l independent from transfusion for 7 consecutive days (overall response, OR) or to >50 × 109/l free from transfusion for 7 consecutive days (complete response, CR). Factors influencing OR and CR were studied in univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Within the follow-up, adverse events like myelofibrosis, thrombosis, and organ toxicities were monitored carefully.

Results:

The overall response rate (ORR) to avatrombopag was 68.9% and the cumulative incidence (CI) of OR was 69.1%. The complete response rate (CRR) and the CI of CR were both 39.3%. The median days from avatrombopag initiation to OR and CR were 21 and 25 days, respectively. An adequate number of megakaryocytes before the initiation of avatrombopag was an independent protective factor of avatrombopag treatment for OR (hazard ratio, HR = 4.628, 95% confidence interval 1.92–11.15, p = 0.0006) and CR (HR = 4.892, 95% confidence interval 1.58–15.18, p = 0.006). Avatrombopag was well tolerated in all patients with no severe adverse events.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggested that avatrombopag can be optional for thrombocytopenia post HCT.
A digital self-care intervention for Ugandan patients with heart failure and their clinicians: User-centred design and usability study
Authors: Hearn Jason , Wali Sahr , Birungi Patience , Cafazzo Joseph A , Ssinabulya Isaac , Akiteng Ann R , Ross Heather J , Seto Emily , Schwartz Jeremy I
Published: September 2022

Background

The prevalence of heart failure (HF) is increasing in Uganda. Ugandan patients with HF report receiving limited information about their illness and associated self-care behaviours. Interventions targeted at improving HF self-care have been shown to improve patient quality of life and reduce hospitalizations in high-income countries. However, such interventions remain underutilized in resource-limited settings like Uganda. This study aimed to develop a digital health intervention that enables improved self-care amongst HF patients in Uganda.

Methods

We implemented a user-centred design (UCD) process to develop a self-care intervention entitled Medly Uganda. The ideation phase comprised a scoping review and preliminary data collection amongst HF patients and clinicians in Uganda. An iterative design process was then used to advance an initial prototype into a functional digital health intervention. The evaluation phase involved usability testing of the intervention amongst Ugandan patients with HF and their clinicians.

Results

Medly Uganda is a digital health intervention that allows patients to report daily HF symptoms, receive tailored treatment advice and connect with a clinician when showing signs of decompensation. The system harnesses Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) technology that is already widely used in Uganda for mobile phone-based financial transactions. Usability testing showed Medly Uganda to be both acceptable and feasible amongst clinicians, patients and caregivers.

Conclusions

Medly Uganda is a functional digital health intervention with demonstrated acceptability and feasibility in enabling Ugandan HF patients to better care for themselves. We are hopeful that the system will improve self-care efficacy amongst HF patients in Uganda.
Effects of a serious game on knowledge, attitude and practice in vector control and dengue prevention among adults in primary care: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Tan Alon , Koh Eileen , Sankari Usha , Tang Jiasheng , Goh Chi Keong , Tan Ngiap Chuan
Published: September 2022

Objective

Dengue is endemic but vaccination against it is optional in tropical Singapore. Despite vector control measures to curb mosquito breeding, dengue infection continues to be prevalent. A serious game has been developed to raise the community awareness of dengue vector control programme among residents in Singapore. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this serious game on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) in dengue prevention among adults. It also determined their willingness to be vaccinated against dengue.

Methods

A randomised controlled trial was conducted among volunteer adults who were visiting a regional primary care clinic in Sengkang, Singapore. 400 participants were randomly allocated to receive information regarding dengue prevention from either playing a serious game (intervention) or visiting a dengue prevention website (control). Before and after receiving information on dengue prevention, participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire within a two-week interval to assess the KAP score and their interest to vaccinate against dengue. Participants, who played serious game, evaluated the game with the System Usability Scale (SUS).

Results

A total of 374 participants, comprising of 178 participants (89%) from intervention group and 196 participants (98%) from control group, completed both questionnaires. 157 (78.5%) participants in the intervention group completed playing the serious game. Participants in both groups had increased KAP score from baseline, but the mean difference in score (SD) was greater when assessing participants’ daily practice towards dengue prevention in the serious game group compared to the control group (1.0 (2.8) vs 0.3 (1.9), p = .009). There was a positive correlation (rho = 0.275) between mean change in KAP score and highest achievement attained within serious game ( p = .001). The mean SUS (SD) was 61.8 (19.2) among participants who played the serious game. 84.2% of the study population was willing to undertake the dengue vaccination at baseline. Participants in both groups had increased proportion of participants who showed interest in dengue vaccination from baseline but the difference between serious game group and control group were not significant (5.6% vs 2.6%, p = .131).

Conclusions

Serious game is at least equally effective compared to conventional web-based learning in promoting dengue prevention measures and vaccination intention among adults, and may be considered as a feasible alternative to digitally engage local residents.
Willingness to join and pay social health insurance and associated factors among public sectors workers in Didu Woreda, South West Ethiopia, 2018
Authors: Regassa Zelalem , Negera Ebissa , Silashi Tesfaye , Kaba Zalalem , Mosisa Getu
Published: September 2022

Introduction:

Cost-sharing between beneficiaries and governments is critical to achieving universal health care coverage. To address this, Ethiopia is currently introducing social health insurance. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the willingness and associated factors to join and pay social health insurance among public sectors workers in Didu Woreda, southwest Ethiopia.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 15 to 30, 2018 on 280 public sector workers of Didu Woreda. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used, and data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to a compute crude odd ratio with its 95% confidence interval to test the associations between dependent and independent variables and a p-Value of 0.05 with a confidence interval of 95% was used to declare the level of statistical significance.

Results:

About 47.5% of participants were willing to join for the suggested insurance scheme these about 58% of those who were willing to join are willing to pay 3% of their monthly salary that was proposed. Willingness to join was significantly associated with the age of respondents, marital status, job description, how much paid, the satisfaction of the respondents, and previous history of borrowing money for the medical service fees.

Conclusion:

Willingness to join and pay in this study was found to be 47.5% and 58% respectively. Therefore, adequate awareness creation and discussion should be made with all employees.
Comparing parametric and Cox regression models using HIV/AIDS survival data from a retrospective study in Ntcheu district in Malawi
Authors: Dzinza Rabson , Ngwira Alfred
Published: September 2022

Background:

The study was designed to compare parametric and Cox regression survival models. It was also aimed at determining risk factors of death due to HIV/AIDS.

Design and methods:

The models were fitted to time from ART initiation to death due to HIV/AIDS while using data that was collected from 6670 patients records who registered for ART from 2007 to 2012 at Ntcheu district hospital in Malawi. The best fitting model was used to determine risk factors of death due to HIV/AIDS.

Results:

The exponential and Gompertz model competed very well with the Cox regression. Patients in WHO clinical stage 4 (HR = 1.69, p-value <0.001) and males (HR = 1.74, p-value <0.001) were associated with increased hazard of death than those in WHO clinical stage 3 and females. Patients with high body mass index (HR = 0.82, p-value <0.001) were associated with lower hazard of death than those with lower body mass index.

Conclusions:

Parametric models may perform as good as the Cox regression and the plausibility of all models needs to be investigated to use the correct model for accurate inferences. Furthermore, strategies to limit deaths due to HIV/AIDS should initiate ART early before WHO clinical stage 4 and males should receive special attention. The strategies should also aim at improving the body mass index of patients.
APA-Scan: detection and visualization of 3′-UTR alternative polyadenylation with RNA-seq and 3′-end-seq data
Authors: Fahmi Naima Ahmed , Ahmed Khandakar Tanvir , Chang Jae-Woong , Nassereddeen Heba , Fan Deliang , Yong Jeongsik , Zhang Wei
Published: September 2022

Background

The eukaryotic genome is capable of producing multiple isoforms from a gene by alternative polyadenylation (APA) during pre-mRNA processing. APA in the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of mRNA produces transcripts with shorter or longer 3′-UTR. Often, 3′-UTR serves as a binding platform for microRNAs and RNA-binding proteins, which affect the fate of the mRNA transcript. Thus, 3′-UTR APA is known to modulate translation and provides a mean to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Current bioinformatics pipelines have limited capability in profiling 3′-UTR APA events due to incomplete annotations and a low-resolution analyzing power: widely available bioinformatics pipelines do not reference actionable polyadenylation (cleavage) sites but simulate 3′-UTR APA only using RNA-seq read coverage, causing false positive identifications. To overcome these limitations, we developed APA-Scan, a robust program that identifies 3′-UTR APA events and visualizes the RNA-seq short-read coverage with gene annotations.

Methods

APA-Scan utilizes either predicted or experimentally validated actionable polyadenylation signals as a reference for polyadenylation sites and calculates the quantity of long and short 3′-UTR transcripts in the RNA-seq data. APA-Scan works in three major steps: (i) calculate the read coverage of the 3′-UTR regions of genes; (ii) identify the potential APA sites and evaluate the significance of the events among two biological conditions; (iii) graphical representation of user specific event with 3′-UTR annotation and read coverage on the 3′-UTR regions. APA-Scan is implemented in Python3. Source code and a comprehensive user’s manual are freely available at https://github.com/compbiolabucf/APA-Scan.

Result

APA-Scan was applied to both simulated and real RNA-seq datasets and compared with two widely used baselines DaPars and APAtrap. In simulation APA-Scan significantly improved the accuracy of 3′-UTR APA identification compared to the other baselines. The performance of APA-Scan was also validated by 3′-end-seq data and qPCR on mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. The experiments confirm that APA-Scan can detect unannotated 3′-UTR APA events and improve genome annotation.

Conclusion

APA-Scan is a comprehensive computational pipeline to detect transcriptome-wide 3′-UTR APA events. The pipeline integrates both RNA-seq and 3′-end-seq data information and can efficiently identify the significant events with a high-resolution short reads coverage plots.
The effect of an on-site trauma surgeon during resuscitations of severely injured patients
Authors: van Maarseveen Oscar E. C. , Ham Wietske H. W. , Leenen Loek P. H.
Published: September 2022

Background

Although the timely involvement of trauma surgeons is widely accepted as standard care in a trauma center, there is an ongoing debate regarding the value of an on-site attending trauma surgeon compared to an on-call trauma surgeon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of introducing an on-site trauma surgeons and the effect of their presence on the adherence to Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) related tasks and resuscitation pace in the trauma bay.

Methods

The resuscitations of severely injured (ISS > 15) trauma patients 1 month before and 1 month after the introduction of an on-site trauma surgeon were assessed using video analysis. The primary outcome was total resuscitation time. Second, time from trauma bay admission until tasks were performed, and ATLS adherence were assessed.

Results

Fifty-eight videos of resuscitations have been analyzed. After the introduction of an on-site trauma surgeon, the mean total resuscitation time was 259 seconds shorter (p = 0.03) and seven ATLS related tasks (breathing assessment, first and second IV access, EKG monitoring and abdominal, pelvic, and long bone examination; were performed significantly earlier during trauma resuscitation (p ≤ 0.05). Further, we found a significant enhancement to the adherence of six ATLS related tasks (Airway assessment, application of a rigid collar, IV access; EKG monitoring, log roll, and pronouncing results of arterial blood gas analysis; p-value ≤0.05).

Conclusion

Having a trauma surgeon on-site during trauma resuscitations of severely injured patients resulted in improved processes in the trauma bay. This demonstrates the need of direct involvement of trauma surgeons in institutions treating severely injured patients.
Pneumococcal vaccination coverage in individuals (16–59 years) with a newly diagnosed risk condition in Germany
Authors: Deb Arijita , Podmore Bélène , Barnett Rosemarie , Beier Dominik , Galetzka Wolfgang , Qizilbash Nawab , Haeckl Dennis , Boellinger Timo , Johnson Kelly D. , Weiss Thomas
Published: September 2022

Background

Despite recommendations from the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO), pneumococcal vaccination coverage remains low in vulnerable populations. This study estimated the pneumococcal vaccination coverage rate (VCR) and timing among individuals aged 16–59 years in Germany who were recommended to receive pneumococcal vaccination, according to STIKO.

Methods

A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using the German InGef database. Individuals aged 16 to 59 years diagnosed with at least one “at-risk” (chronic disease) or “high-risk” (e.g., immunocompromising) condition considered to be at-risk of pneumococcal infection were identified at the time of first diagnosis, between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018, and followed up until December 31, 2019. The percentage of cumulative pneumococcal VCR with 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported for each calendar year of follow-up.

Results

There were 334,292 individuals followed for a median of 2.38 (interquartile range (IQR) 1.63–3.13) person years. For individuals aged 16–59 years diagnosed with an incident risk condition in 2016, pneumococcal VCR increased from 0.44% (95% CI 0.41–0.48) in 2016 to 1.24% (95% CI 1.18–1.30) in 2019. In 2019, VCRs were higher in individuals with high-risk conditions compared with at-risk conditions (2.24% (95% CI 2.09–2.40) vs. 0.90% (95% CI 0.85–0.96)). In 2019, VCRs were higher in individuals aged 50 to 59 years compared with individuals aged 16 to 49 years (2.25% (95% CI 2.10–2.41) vs. 0.90% (95% CI 0.84–0.96)). Similar trends were observed in individuals with newly diagnosed risk conditions identified in 2017 and in 2018. Older age, influenza vaccination and increasing number of risk conditions increased the likelihood of pneumococcal vaccination. Median time to vaccination from diagnosis of the risk condition was shorter for high-risk conditions (369.5 days (IQR 155.8–702.0)) compared to at-risk conditions (435.5 days (IQR 196.3–758.8)).

Conclusion

Despite recommendations from STIKO, pneumococcal vaccination coverage remains very low and with long delays in vulnerable individuals aged 16–59 in Germany. Further efforts are required to increase immunization levels and shorten time to vaccination among individuals 16–59 years of age developing conditions with higher susceptibility to pneumococcal infection.
Formative acceptance of ingestible biosensors to measure adherence to TB medications
Authors: Vaz Clint , Jose Nisha K. , Tom Jeremiah Jacob , Goodman Georgia R. , Lee Jasper S. , Padappayil Rana Prathap , Madathil Manjunath , O’Cleirigh Conall , Rodrigues Rashmi , Chai Peter R.
Published: September 2022

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) represents a significant public health threat in India. Adherence to antitubercular therapy (ATT) is the key to reducing the burden of this infectious disease. Suboptimal adherence to ATT and lack of demonstrated feasibility of current strategies for monitoring ATT adherence highlights the need for alternative adherence monitoring systems.

Methods

A quantitative survey was conducted to assess the acceptance of and willingness to use a digital pill system (DPS) as a tool for monitoring ATT adherence among stakeholders directly involved in the management of patients with TB in India. Participants reviewed a video explaining the DPS and completed a survey, which covered sociodemographics, degree of involvement with TB patients, initial impressions of the DPS, and perceived challenges for deploying the technology in India. Participants were also asked to interpret mock DPS adherence data.

Results

The mean age was 34.3 (SD = 7.3), and participants (N = 50) were predominantly male (70%). The sample comprised internists (52%) and pulmonologists (30%), with a median of 4 years’ experience (IQR 3, 6) in the management of TB patients. No participants had previously used a DPS, but some reported prior awareness of the technology (22%). Most reported that they would recommend use of a DPS to patients on ATT (76%), and that they would use a DPS in both the intensive and continuation phases of TB management (64%). The majority viewed the DPS (82%) as a useful alternative to directly observed therapy-short course (DOTS), particularly given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Participants reported that a DPS would be most effective in patients at risk of nonadherence (64%), as well as those with past nonadherence (64%). Perceived barriers to DPS implementation included lack of patient willingness (92%), cost (86%), and infrastructure constraints (66%). The majority of participants were able to accurately interpret patterns of adherence (80%), suboptimal adherence (90%), and frank nonadherence (82%) when provided with mock DPS data.

Conclusions

DPS are viewed as an acceptable, feasible, and useful technology for monitoring ATT adherence by stakeholders directly involved in TB management. Future investigations should explore patient acceptance of DPS and pilot demonstration of the system in the TB context.
Proteomics profiling identifies extracellular vesicles’ cargo associated with tumour cell induced platelet aggregation
Authors: McNamee Niamh , de la Fuente Laura Rodriguez , Santos-Martinez Maria Jose , O’Driscoll Lorraine
Published: September 2022

Background

Cancer patients have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism, with up to 30% dying within a month of their development. Some cancer cells are known to induce platelet aggregation, and this interaction is understood to contribute to thrombosis and haematogenous metastasis. Many researchers have reported on extracellular vesicles (EVs) released from platelets. However, less is known about how cancer cells’ EVs may affect platelet function. Here EVs released by triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line variants were extensively investigated in this regard.

Methods

EVs were separated from conditioned media of TNBC Hs578T and Hs578Ts(i)8 cells using filtration and ultracentrifugation and were characterised by nanoparticle tracking analysis, immunoblots, and transmission electron microscopy. Blood samples from consenting donors were procured, and their platelets collected by differential centrifugation. Light transmission aggregometry and optical microscopy evaluated the potential interaction of TNBC cells and their EVs with platelets. Global proteomic analysis was performed on the EVs, by in-solution digestion and mass spectrometry. Data analysis included the use of Perseus, FunRich, and Vesiclepedia. Immunoblotting was used as a secondary method to investigate some key EV cargo proteins identified by the global proteomics approach.

Results

Both TNBC cell variants induced platelet aggregation. Increasing cell numbers significantly reduced the time taken for platelet aggregation to occur. EVs released by the cells also resulted in platelet aggregation. The time to induce platelet aggregation was EV dose-dependent. Proteomics profiling and immunoblotting of the EVs’ cargo identified candidate proteins (including uPAR and PDGFRβ) that may be involved during this process.

Conclusions

TNBC cells induce platelet aggregation. Furthermore, the cell-free EVs induced this undesirable effect. A number of EV cargo proteins were identified that may be relevant as therapeutic targets.
The expression profiles of CD47 in the tumor microenvironment of salivary gland cancers: a next step in histology-driven immunotherapy
Authors: Votava Michal , Bartolini Robin , Capkova Linda , Smetanova Jitka , Jiri Vachtenheim , Kuchar Martin , Kalfert David , Plzak Jan , Bartunkova Jirina , Strizova Zuzana
Published: September 2022

Background

Salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are extremely rare malignancies with only limited treatment options for the metastatic phase of the disease. Treatment with anti-CD47 antibodies could represent a potent therapy for SGCs by promoting the phagocytic clearance of tumor cells through various mechanisms. However, the efficacy of anti-CD47 therapy is largely dependent on the expression of CD47 within the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Materials and Methods

In 43 patients with SGC, we were the first to investigate the CD47 expression in both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIIC) in the center and periphery of primary tumors. We also correlated the data with the clinicopathological variables of the patients and offered novel insights into the potential effectiveness of anti-CD47 therapy in SGCs.

Results

We observed that the CD47+ tumor cells are outnumbered by CD47+ TIICs in mucoepidermoid carcinoma. In the tumor center, the proportion of CD47+ tumor cells was comparable to the proportion of CD47+ TIICs in most histological subtypes. In low-grade tumors, significantly higher expression of CD47 was observed in TIICs in the periphery of the tumor as compared to the center of the tumor.

Conclusion

The reason for a high expression of ‘don’t eat me’ signals in TIICs in the tumor periphery is unclear. However, we hypothesize that in the tumor periphery, upregulation of CD47 in TIICs could be a mechanism to protect newly recruited leukocytes from macrophage-mediated phagocytosis, while also allowing the removal of old or exhausted leukocytes in the tumor center.
Status of the latest 2016 World Health Organization recommended frequency of antenatal care contacts in Sierra Leone: a nationally representative survey
Authors: Sserwanja Quraish , Musaba Milton W. , Kamara Kassim , Mutisya Linet M. , Mukunya David
Published: September 2022

Background

Timely and increased frequency of quality antenatal care (ANC) contacts is one of the key strategies aimed at decreasing maternal and neonatal deaths. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) revised the ANC guidelines to recommend at least eight ANC contacts instead of four. This study aimed to determine the proportion of women who received eight or more ANC contacts and associated factors in Sierra Leone.

Methods

We used Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2019 data of 5,432 women aged 15 to 49 years who had a live birth, within three years preceding the survey. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants. We conducted multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with utilisation of eight or more ANC contacts using SPSS version 25 complex samples package.

Results

Out of 5,432 women, 2,399 (44.8%) (95% CI: 43.1–45.7) had their first ANC contact in the first trimester and 1,197 (22.0%) (95% CI: 21.2–23.4) had eight or more ANC contacts. Women who had their first ANC contact after first trimester (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 0.58, 95% CI 0.49–0.68) and women aged 15 to 19 years had less odds of having eight or more contacts (aOR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.91). Working (aOR 1.33, 95%CI 1.10 to 1.62) and wealthier women had higher odds of having eight or more contacts compared to poorer ones and those not working respectively. Women residing in the southern region, those using internet and less parous (less than five) women were associated with higher odds of having eight or more ANC contacts. Women who had no big problem obtaining permission to go health facilities also had higher odds of having eight or more ANC contacts compared to those who had big problems.

Conclusion

Sierra Leone’s adoption of eight or more ANC contacts is low and less than half of the women initiate ANC in the first trimester. To ensure increased access to recommended ANC visits, timely ANC should be encouraged. Attributes of women empowerment such as workings status, socio-economic status, and decision-making should also be emphasized.