bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unpacking news engagement through the perceived affordances of social media: A cross-platform, cross-country approach
Authors: Dvir-Gvirsman Shira , Sude Daniel , Raisman Guy
Published: March 2023

In the extant ample research on news engagement on social media, a majority of studies thus far have centered mainly on users’ motivations, gratifications, and characteristics and less on platforms in which they operate. Yet, it is well recognized that users’ behavior is shaped by technological interfaces, and that users differentiate between platforms and switch to suit their specific needs. The current study, therefore, adopts a cross-platform (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and instant messaging apps) approach to explore how users’ engagement with news varies, with a focus on users’ perceptions of platforms’ affordances as a main predictor. Based on an online survey in eight countries (the United States, United Kingdom, France, Israel, Sweden, Germany, Hong Kong, and Japan), the study identifies as key affordances, which determine both receiving and dissemination of news, users’ perceptions regarding a platform’s personalization, network association, anonymity, and content persistence. The findings also highlight the differences between countries and between platforms.
Parameter sensitivity of the excessive acceleration failure mode in second-generation intact stability
Authors: Yang Kyung-Kyu
Published: March 2023

In this study, the parameter sensitivity of the level 1 and 2 assessments of the excessive acceleration failure mode in the International Maritime Organization second-generation intact stability was analyzed. Monte-Carlo simulations were conducted using the input parameter space, which was generated using a Gaussian distribution, and a variance-based sensitivity analysis was performed using the Monte-Carlo simulation results. The longitudinal and vertical positions of the check point, natural roll period, and roll decay coefficient were selected as input parameters for the level 1 assessment, whereas the roll damping coefficient and effective wave slope coefficient replaced the roll decay coefficient for the level 2 assessment. The results revealed that the highest total sensitivity index for the level 1 assessment was the natural roll period, which was 0.8, and the effective wave slope had a total sensitivity index of 0.5 for the level 2 assessment. This indicated that the uncertainty of the natural roll period was dominantly propagated to the resultant value of the level 1 assessment, while the effective wave slope coefficient was the most sensitive parameter in the level 2 assessment. The uncertainty in the input variable was found to cause the opposite decision if the resultant value was close to the criterion value under a given loading condition.
Power function-based Gini indices: New sparsity measures using power function-based quasi-arithmetic means for bearing condition monitoring
Authors: Chen Bingyan , Gu Fengshou , Zhang Weihua , Song Dongli , Cheng Yao , Zhou Zewen
Published: March 2023

The Gini index (GI), GI II, and GI III are proven to be effective sparsity measures in the fields of machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis, and they can be reformulated as the ratio of different quasi-arithmetic means (RQAM). Under this framework, generalized Gini indices (GGIs) have been developed for sparse quantification by applying nonlinear weights to GI, and another generalized form of GI, referred to here as power function-based Gini indices I (PFGI1s), has been introduced by using power function as the generator of quasi-arithmetic means. The GGIs with different weight parameters exhibit reliable sparse quantization capability for repetitive transient features, while their repetitive transient discriminability is lower than kurtosis and negentropy under noise contamination. PFGI1 achieves enhanced repetitive transient discriminability with increasing power exponent, showing the advantage of the generalization approach. In this paper, based on RQAM, a single-parameter generalization method for generating PFGI1s is introduced into GI II and GI III from the perspective of the quasi-arithmetic mean generator, which leads to the power function-based Gini indices II and III (PFGI2s and PFGI3s) constructed from GI II and GI III, respectively. Mathematical derivation proves that PFGI2s and PFGI3s satisfy at least five of six typical attributes of sparsity measures and are two new families of sparsity measures. Simulation analysis shows that, similar to PFGI1s, PFGI2s and PFGI3s can monotonically estimate the sparsity of the data sequence and can simultaneously achieve strong random transient resistibility and high repetitive transient discriminability compared with traditional sparsity measures. The experimental results of bearing run-to-failure demonstrate that PFGI1s, PFGI2s, and PFGI3s with appropriate power exponents can effectively quantify the repetitive transient features caused by bearing faults and can accurately characterize the bearing degradation status compared with the state-of-the-art sparsity measures.
Application of bridge weigh-in-motion system in bridge health monitoring: a state-of-the-art review
Authors: Paul Debojyoti , Roy Koushik
Published: March 2023

Bridge health monitoring (BHM) has grown as an essential component of the maintenance paradigm in any transportation network around the world. The mostly used visual inspection method has limitations such as inspector bias, inaccessibility in remote areas, need for human physical presence at the bridge location, etc. On the other hand, vibration-based BHM methods require artificial excitation to the bridge. This motivates researchers to explore potential alternatives for BHM. The bridge weigh-in-motion (B-WIM) system has emerged as a promising alternative with the potential to augment traditional BHM techniques. The advantages of B-WIM systems are durability, portability, easy installation, etc. In addition to weight estimation of passing vehicles, it provides other structural informations that are helpful for bridge assessment. It also overcomes the limitations of pavement-based WIM systems. Most importantly, a B-WIM system uses the same components as a standard BHM system, making BHM a by-product and economical compared to a standalone BHM system. With the development of B-WIM theory, recent researches have revealed the feasibility of B-WIM system for BHM. However, the applicability of the B-WIM system for BHM in any type of bridge and condition is limited. Through the fundamentals of B-WIM theory, this paper reviews the existing bridge response-based BHM methods that involved B-WIM algorithm. The findings are discussed in order to identify the remaining challenges and provide insight to the future aspects.
Thermal monitoring of live-line power transmission lines with an infrared camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle
Authors: Jeong Siheon , Kim Min-Gwan , Kim Joo-Hyung , Oh Ki-Yong
Published: March 2023

This study proposes a thermal monitoring method in outdoor environments to inspect the health state of overhung transmission lines (TLs) with an infrared camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The suggested method features three characteristics. First, the thermal energy of TLs measured by an infrared camera is converted into accurate temperature accounting for the conversion principle of the infrared camera. Characteristic parameters in the conversion principle, including emissivity, transmissibility, and reflectability, are systematically quantified through experiments. Second, a simple yet effective postprocessing method is proposed to eliminate thermal energy emitted from other heat sources in outdoor environments. Third, an automatic line-tracking method is proposed to focus on TLs for reliable thermal imaging during patrol inspection. The proposed method with an infrared camera deployed on a UAV is field-tested through an autonomous flight and gimbal control. A systemic analysis on field tests demonstrates that the proposed method overcomes several bottlenecks in current technologies and reveals several important considerations regarding thermally monitoring overhung TLs in outdoor environments. This insightful discovery supports developing a fully autonomous solution for accurate outdoor thermal imaging despite the many challenges that remain.
Grading diagnosis of beam bridge support separation disease within one cluster based on the difference in the probability density function of the measured data
Authors: Jiang Yuyin , Liu Yang , Zhou Xingyu
Published: March 2023

Bridge supports are the main bridge devices for resisting loads; thus, if separation disease occurs in bridge supports, the structural safety of a bridge cannot be ensured. There are very few studies using measured data for diagnosing the separation disease of support, and more studies are urgently needed. To address the abovementioned issue, a method of grading diagnosis of separation disease of beam bridge supports within one cluster based on the difference in the probability density function of measured data is proposed in this study. By making full use of the symmetry of the bridge structure and the rule of the beam body morphologic change with the state of the support, the instantaneous diagnosis index and the cumulative diagnosis index are constructed by utilizing the relationship of angular displacement at supports within one cluster. A grading diagnosis for the separation disease of support with the data measured by a wireless sensing network is proposed, which indirectly solves the difficulty of detecting the separation disease by directly measuring the supporting reaction force. The proposed method is validated by using both numerical examples and measured data from an actual bridge. The results show that the proposed method is effective for diagnosing the separation disease of bridge supports and is suitable for application to actual bridges.
Platypnoea orthodeoxia syndrome and its association with cryptogenic ischaemic stroke
Authors: Salam Abdul , Mandal Snigdhendu , Fathima Samaah , Rasthapuram Sripriya , Radhakrishnan Krishnakumar
Published: March 2023

Platypnoea orthodeoxia syndrome is a rare condition, which can be present in patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO). In this case, a 72-year-old lady presented to the emergency department with a cryptogenic stroke associated with right thalamic infarct. While in hospital, it was noticed that the patient had desaturations in the upright position, and these improved in the recumbent position, consistent with platypnoea orthodeoxia syndrome. The patient was found to have a PFO, which was then closed, and her saturations returned to normal. This case highlights the importance of patients who present with cryptogenic stroke and features of platypnoea orthodeoxia syndrome need to be considered for underlying PFO or other septal defect.
A Systematic Review of Barriers to Formal Supports for Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence in Spanish-Speaking Countries in Latin America
Authors: Carney Jessica R.
Published: March 2023

Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Latin America (LA)’s Spanish-speaking countries have demonstrated great need for formal services, including medical, legal, and mental health supports. However, women’s rates of formal help-seeking for IPV in the Americas remain extremely low. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand barriers to women’s help-seeking for IPV in LA’s Spanish-speaking countries. Five electronic databases were searched with search terms in English and Spanish related to IPV, help-seeking, and barriers. Articles were included in the review if they were published in peer-reviewed journals; original empirical research; published in English or Spanish; and had participants who were women exposed to IPV or service providers who worked with IPV-exposed women; and were conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. 19 manuscripts were synthesized. Inductive thematic analysis of barriers to formal help-seeking for IPV identified in the articles resulted in five key themes: intrapersonal barriers, interpersonal barriers, organization-specific barriers, systemic barriers, and cultural barriers. Findings demonstrate the need to consider culture as a driving force in why women face extensive barriers to help-seeking across the social ecology. Suggestions for interventions at each level of the social ecology to better support women exposed to IPV in LA’s Spanish-speaking countries are discussed.
Association between vitamin D and cardiovascular health: Myth or Fact? A narrative review of the evidence
Authors: Ahmadieh Hala , Arabi Asma
Published: March 2023

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent worldwide. Since the discovery of the expression of vitamin D receptor in ventricular cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, and blood vessels, there has been a growing body of literature assessing the link between vitamin D status and cardiovascular health from one side, and the effect of vitamin D supplementation on prevention of cardiovascular diseases from the other side. In this review, we summarized studies highlighting the role of vitamin D on cardiovascular health, namely atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart failure, and metabolic syndrome, a recognized significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Studies showed discrepancies between findings from cross-sectional and longitudinal cohorts and those from interventional trials, but also between one outcome and another. Cross-sectional studies found a strong association between low 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D3) and acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure. These findings encouraged the promotion for vitamin D supplementation as a preventive measure for cardiovascular diseases in the elderly, namely in women. This fact, however, turned out into a myth with the results of large interventional trials that did not show any benefit from vitamin D supplementation in reducing ischemic events, heart failure or its outcomes, or hypertension. Although some clinical studies showed beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation on insulin sensitivity and metabolic syndrome, this effect was not consistent across all studies.
Best practices in prenatal health promotion: Perceptions, experiences, and recommendations of Ottawa, Canada, prenatal key informants
Authors: Soucy Nura L , Terrell Rowan M , Chedid Rebecca A , Phillips Karen P
Published: March 2023

Background:

Prenatal health promotion includes the provision of evidence-based information and practical skills to optimize maternal–fetal outcomes. Increasingly, prenatal education is delivered by both healthcare professionals and allied childbirth educators, in community- or hospital-based group classes, targeted outreach programs, and online modules.

Objectives:

To better understand how prenatal health promotion relates to a diverse urban community, we assessed the perspectives of Ottawa, Canada prenatal key informants.

Design:

This is a qualitative research with key informant interviews.

Methods:

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 prenatal key informants, responsible for the design, delivery, or promotion of publicly available prenatal health services. Interviews explored concepts and delivery of prenatal health promotion, strategies to address existing and emerging prenatal topics, identification of barriers to prenatal health services, and recommendations.

Results:

Key informants recommended a lifespan approach to prenatal health promotion, with an emphasis on healthy behaviors, emotional health, labor and delivery, and postpartum/early parenting. Recognizing community health disparities, key informants used community outreach, and intersectoral collaborations for Indigenous and other at-risk communities to mitigate barriers to prenatal service uptake.

Conclusions:

Ottawa key informants conceptualized prenatal health promotion as inclusive, comprehensive, and as an extension of preconception, school-based sexual education. Respondents recommended the design and delivery of prenatal interventions as culturally safe and trauma informed, using online modalities to complement in-person activities. The experience and intersectoral networks of community-based prenatal health promotion programs represent potential capacity to address emergent public health risks to pregnancy, particularly among at-risk populations.

Plain Language Summary:

A broad and diverse community of professionals deliver prenatal education to help people have healthy babies. We interviewed Ottawa, Canada experts in prenatal care/education to learn about the design and delivery of reproductive health promotion. We found that Ottawa experts emphasized healthy behaviors beginning before conception and through pregnancy. Community outreach was identified as a successful strategy to promote prenatal education to marginalized groups.
Vedolizumab more likely to be discontinued than ustekinumab in anti-TNF-experienced patients with fistulizing Crohn’s disease
Authors: Newman Kira L. , Johnson Laura A. , Stidham Ryan W. , Higgins Peter D. R.
Published: March 2023

Background:

Data on the performance of newer biologics in patients with fistulizing Crohn’s disease (CD) are limited.

Objective:

Our study’s objective was to evaluate the response to ustekinumab (UST) and vedolizumab (VDZ) in patients with fistulizing CD.

Design:

Retrospective cohort.

Methods:

We used natural language processing of electronic medical record data to identify a retrospective cohort of individuals with fistulizing CD at a single academic tertiary-care referral center and then performed a chart review. Individuals were eligible for inclusion if a fistula was present at the time of UST or VDZ initiation. Outcomes included medication discontinuation, surgical intervention, development of a new fistula, and fistula closure. Groups were compared with unadjusted analyses and competing risk analyses using multi-state survival models.

Results:

In all, 68 patients were included (48 UST and 20 VDZ). Most patients had one fistula (79%) and had prior anti-tumor necrosis factor-α treatment (98% in UST group, 80% in VDZ group, p = 0.01). VDZ was significantly more likely to be discontinued than UST ( p < 0.0001), most frequently due to inadequate clinical response. Those on UST had a longer median time to surgery for CD than those on VDZ ( p = 0.008). In those without surgical fistula repair, 79% on UST and 100% on VDZ still had an active fistula at 1 year ( p = 0.30).

Conclusion:

In individuals with fistulizing CD, our data suggest that UST has better clinical utility than VDZ based on lower rates of discontinuation, though the sample size is small. These findings highlight the importance of further research on the treatment of perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease.
Investigating the behavior of pedestrians and related factors in northern Iran in 2021
Authors: Zohrehvandi Behzad , Hosseinnia Marjan , Nazari Taha , Homaie Rad Enayatollah , Kouchakinejad-Eramsadati Leila , Khodadadi-Hassankiadeh Naema
Published: March 2023

Among all road users, pedestrian behavior is most unpredictable, and our knowledge of pedestrian behavior and compliance in northern Iran is limited. The aim of the study was to determine the self-reporting behavior of pedestrians and related factors in northern Iran in 2021. This cross-sectional study’s research tool included demographic characteristics, social characteristics, and a pedestrian behavior questionnaire (PBS – 43 questions). Data collection was randomly performed in 30 different passages around Rasht (a city in the north of Iran). We used the Poisson regression model and statistical software STATA version 15 for data analysis. With increasing age, pedestrians showed better crossing behavior ( p < 0.001, β = 0.202), and the behavior of female pedestrians was better than that of male pedestrians ( p < 0.001, β −4.79). As pedestrians, those with private jobs had worse crossing behavior than others ( p < 0.045, β = 9.380), and those pedestrians who mentioned they were motorcyclists before had worse crossing behavior than others ( p < 0.045, β = 9.380). The findings of this study can be used to establish pedestrian safety and preventative planning. In behavior change intervention programs, it is best to target young male pedestrians aiming to walk to their workplace, a private business. In addition, the behavior of pedestrians whose predominant means of transportation is the motorcycle must be corrected. It is necessary to conduct information campaigns and educational programs for pedestrians with common high-risk behaviors, especially errors and violations.
Clinical outcomes of volume of disease on patients receiving enzalutamide versus abiraterone acetate plus prednisone as first-line therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Nuzzo Pier Vitale , Ravera Francesco , Saieva Calogero , Zanardi Elisa , Fotia Giuseppe , Malgeri Andrea , Rossetti Sabrina , Valença Loana Bueno , El Zarif Talal , Davidsohn Matthew P. , McClure Heather , Oliveira Thiago Martins , Vauchier Charles , Pereira Mestre Ricardo , Modesti Mikol , Ravi Praful , Patrikidou Anna , Pignata Sandro , Procopio Giuseppe , Fornarini Giuseppe , De Giorgi Ugo , Russo Antonio , Francini Edoardo
Published: March 2023

Background:

Androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSis) abiraterone acetate (AA) plus prednisone and enzalutamide (Enza), are currently the most administered first-line treatments for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). AA and Enza have shown similar overall survival (OS) benefits and there is no consensus upon the best option for mCRPC first-line treatment. Volume of disease may represent a useful biomarker to predict response to therapy in such patients.

Objectives:

In this study, we seek to evaluate the impact of volume of disease on patients treated with first-line AA versus Enza for mCRPC.

Design and methods:

We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of consecutive patients with mCRPC categorized by volume of disease [high volume (HV) or low volume (LV) per E3805 criteria] at ARSi onset and treatment type (AA or Enza), assessing OS and radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS), from therapy start, as co-primary endpoints.

Results:

Of the 420 patients selected, 170 (40.5%) had LV and received AA (LV/AA), 76 (18.1%) LV and had Enza (LV/Enza), 124 (29.5%) HV and were given AA (HV/AA), and 50 (11.9%) HV and received Enza (HV/Enza). Among patients with LV, OS was significantly longer when treated with Enza [57.2 months; 95% confidence interval (CI): 52.1–62.2 months] versus AA (51.6 months; 95% CI, 42.6–60.6 months; p = 0.003). Consistently, those with LV receiving Enza showed increased rPFS (40.3 months; 95 CI, 25.0–55.7 months) than those having AA (22.0 months; 95% CI, 18.1–26.0 months; p = 0.004). No significant difference in OS or rPFS was observed in those with HV treated with AA versus Enza ( p = 0.51 and p = 0.73, respectively). In multivariate analysis of patients with LV, treatment with Enza was independently associated with better prognosis than AA.

Conclusion:

Within the intrinsic limitations of a retrospective design and small population, our report suggests that volume of disease could be a useful predictive biomarker for patients starting first-line ARSi for mCRPC.
Treatment strategies based on different oligoprogressive patterns after immunotherapy failure in metastatic NSCLC
Authors: Xuzhang Wendi , Huang Huayan , Yu Yongfeng , Shen Lan , Li Ziming , Lu Shun
Published: March 2023

Background:

Oligoprogressive disease is recognized as the overall umbrella term; however, a small number of progressions on imaging can represent different clinical scenarios. This study aims to explore the optimal treatment strategy after immunotherapy (IO) resistance in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in personalized therapies for patients with different oligoprogressive patterns.

Methods:

Based on European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer consensus, metastatic NSCLC patients with cancer progression after IO resistance were divided into four patterns, repeat oligoprogression (REO, oligoprogression with a history of oligometastatic disease), induced oligoprogression (INO, oligoprogression with a history of polymetastatic disease), de-novo polyprogression (DNP, polyprogression with a history of oligometastatic disease), and repeat polyprogression (REP, polyprogression with a history of polymetastatic disease). Patients with advanced NSCLC who received programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand-1 inhibitors between January 2016 and July 2021 at Shanghai Chest Hospital were identified. The progression patterns and next-line progression-free survival (nPFS), overall survival (OS) were investigated stratified by treatment strategies. nPFS and OS were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results:

A total of 500 metastatic NSCLC patients were included. Among 401 patients developed progression, 36.2% (145/401) developed oligoprogression and 63.8% (256/401) developed polyprogression. Specifically, 26.9% (108/401) patients had REO, 9.2% (37/401) patients had INO, 27.4% (110/401) patients had DNP, and 36.4% (146/401) patients had REP, respectively. The patients with REO who received local ablative therapy (LAT) had significant longer median nPFS and OS compared with no LAT group (6.8 versus 3.3 months; p = 0.0135; OS, not reached versus 24.5 months; p = 0.0337). By contrast, there were no nPFS and OS differences in INO patients who received LAT compared with no LAT group (nPFS, 3.6 versus 5.3 months; p = 0.3540; OS, 36.6 versus 45.4 months; p = 0.8659). But in INO patients, there were significant longer median nPFS and OS using IO maintenance by contrast with IO halt treatment (nPFS, 6.1 versus 4.1 months; p = 0.0264; OS, 45.4 versus 32.3 months; p = 0.0348).

Conclusions:

LAT (radiation or surgery) is more important for patients with REO while IO maintenance plays a more dominant role in patients with INO.
Circulating tumor DNA: toward evolving the clinical paradigm of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Topham James T. , Renouf Daniel J. , Schaeffer David F.
Published: March 2023

Over a decade of sequencing-based genomics research has unveiled a diverse somatic mutation landscape across patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and the identification of druggable mutations has aligned with the development of novel targeted therapeutics. However, despite these advances, direct translation of years of PDAC genomics research into the clinical care of patients remains a critical and unmet need. Technologies that enabled the initial mapping of the PDAC mutation landscape, namely whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing, remain overly expensive in terms of both time and financial resources. Consequentially, dependence on these technologies to identify the relatively small subset of patients with actionable PDAC alterations has greatly impeded enrollment for clinical trials testing novel targeted therapies. Liquid biopsy tumor profiling using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) generates new opportunities by overcoming these challenges while further addressing issues particularly relevant to PDAC, namely, difficulty of obtaining tumor tissue via fine-needle biopsy and the need for faster turnaround time due to rapid disease progression. Meanwhile, ctDNA-based approaches for tracking disease kinetics with respect to surgical and therapeutic interventions offer a means to elevate the current clinical management of PDAC toward higher granularity and accuracy. This review provides a clinically focused summary of ctDNA advances, limitations, and opportunities in PDAC and postulates ctDNA sequencing technology as a catalyst for evolving the clinical decision-making paradigm of this disease.
Conference Report: European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022
Authors: Dogan Sevda
Published: March 2023

The European Society of Medical Oncology took place in Paris Convention Centre, Paris, France on 9th −13th September 2022 and was attended by more than 28,000 delegates, 23,000 of which were in person and 5000 online. This was the first on-site ESMO congress after the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on a selection of talks delivered at the conference. There was a vast collection of interesting talks, nevertheless, I attended talks that focused on rare cancers.
Machine learning for prediction of bleeding in acute myocardial infarction patients after percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Zhao Xueyan , Wang Junmei , Yang Jingang , Chen Tiange , Song Yanan , Li Xiang , Xie Guotong , Gao Xiaojin , Xu Haiyan , Gao Runlin , Yuan Jinqing , Yang Yuejin
Published: March 2023

Background:

Prediction of bleeding is critical for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Machine learning methods can automatically select the combination of the important features and learn their underlying relationship with the outcome.

Objectives:

We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of machine learning methods to predict in-hospital bleeding for AMI patients.

Design:

We used data from the multicenter China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry. The cohort was randomly partitioned into derivation set (50%) and validation set (50%). We applied a state-of-art machine learning algorithm, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), to automatically select features from 98 candidate variables and developed a risk prediction model to predict in-hospital bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium [BARC] 3 or 5 definition).

Results:

A total of 16,736 AMI patients who underwent PCI were finally enrolled. 45 features were automatically selected and were used to construct the prediction model. The developed XGBoost model showed ideal prediction results. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) on the derivation data set was 0.941 (95% CI = 0.909–0.973, p < 0.001); the AUROC on the validation set was 0.837 (95% CI = 0.772–0.903, p < 0.001), which was better than the CRUSADE score (AUROC: 0.741; 95% CI = 0.654–0.828, p < 0.001) and ACUITY-HORIZONS score (AUROC: 0.731; 95% CI = 0.641–0.820, p < 0.001). We also developed an online calculator with 12 most important variables ( http://101.89.95.81:8260/ ), and AUROC still reached 0.809 on the validation set.

Conclusion:

For the first time, we developed the CAMI bleeding model using machine learning methods for AMI patients after PCI.

Trial registration:

NCT01874691. Registered 11 Jun 2013.
Periprocedural, short-term, and long-term outcomes following transcatheter tricuspid valve repair: a systemic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wu Zexuan , Zhu Wengen , Kaisaier Wulamiding , Kadier Miriding , Li Runkai , Tursun Gulpari , Dong Yugang , Liu Chen , Chen Yili
Published: March 2023

Background:

There has been an increasing use of transcatheter tricuspid valve repair (TTVR) recently. However, the periprocedural, short-term, and long-term outcomes of TTVR remain unclear.

Objectives:

To determine the clinical outcomes in patients with significant tricuspid regurgitation undergoing TTVR.

Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Source and Methods:

The systematic review and meta-analysis is reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed and EMBASE were searched for clinical trials and observational studies until March 2022. Studies reporting the incidence of clinical outcomes after TTVR were included. The clinical outcomes included periprocedural, short-term (in-hospital or within 30 days), and long-term (>6-month follow-up) outcomes. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality whereas the secondary outcomes included technical success, procedural success, cardiovascular mortality, rehospitalization for heart failure (HHF), major bleeding, and single leaflet device attachment. The incidence of these outcomes across studies was pooled by a random-effects model.

Results:

A total of 21 studies with 896 patients were included. A total of 729 (81.4%) patients underwent isolated TTVR while only 167 (18.6%) patients underwent combined mitral and tricuspid valve repair. Over 80% of the patients used coaptation devices while approximately 20% used annuloplasty devices. The median follow-up duration was 365 days. Technical and procedural success was high at 93.9% and 82.1%, respectively. The pooled perioperative, short-term, and long-term all-cause mortality for patients undergoing TTVR was 1.0%, 3.3%, and 14.1%, respectively. The long-term cardiovascular mortality rate was 5.3% while the HHF rate was 21.5%. Major bleeding and single leaflet device attachment were two major complications, accounting for 14.3% and 6.4%, respectively, during long-term follow-up.

Conclusion:

TTVR is associated with high procedural success and low procedural and short-term mortality. However, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and HHF rates remain high during long-term follow-up.

Registration:

PROSPERO (CRD42022310020).
Immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device use among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Jimma town public healthcare facilities, Ethiopia: Intentions and barriers
Authors: Terefe Gemechu , Wakjira Diriba , Abebe Fikadu
Published: March 2023

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the intention and barriers to the use of immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Jimma town public healthcare facilities, southwest Ethiopia.

Methods:

A facility-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from 1 September to 30 October 2020 by using a systematic sampling technique. Data were entered into Epi-data 3.1 version and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences 23 for analysis. A binary logistic regression analysis was done to sort candidate variables for multiple logistic regression, and multivariable logistic regressions were done to identify factors associated with the intention to postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices. Factors associated with intention to use immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device declared at 95% confidence interval.

Results:

This study finding showed that 37.6% (95% confidence interval (31.5, 43.7)) of pregnant women intended to use the immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device after their delivery. The main reason women refused to use immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices was being satisfied with other methods to use after they gave birth (27.5 %), the concern of health harm (22.2%), and the fear of impaired future fertility (16.4%). The identified factors that were statically significant with the intention to use immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices among pregnant women were included: attended secondary education (adjusted odd ratio = 2.36; p = 0.03; 95% confidence interval (1.089, 5.128)), attended college and above (adjusted odd ratio = 2.99; p = 0.020; 95% confidence interval (1.189, 7.541)), have high knowledge on immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices ((adjusted odd ratio = 2.10; p = 0.006; 95% confidence interval (1.236, 3.564)), the previous history of LACM used (adjusted odd ratio = 6.85; p = 0.0001; 95% confidence interval (3.560, 10.021)), parity >4 (adjusted odd ratio = 1.86; p = 0.043; 95% confidence interval (3.99, 8.703)).

Conclusion:

The intention of pregnant women to use after they gave birth in the study area was low. Maternal educational level, high knowledge, history of previous long-acting contraceptive methods use, and parity were significantly associated with pregnant women’s intention to use immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices. Healthcare providers should focus on delivering crucial information about immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device benefits for postpartum women, particularly concerning reducing barriers during antenatal care follow-up as they plan to use it after their delivery.
Self-medication practice in Kathmandu Metropolitan City: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Ghimire Prayas , Pant Poonam , Khatiwada Sujata , Ranjit Swechchha , Malla Sharad , Pandey Sudip
Published: March 2023

Objectives:

Self-medication is increasingly popular among people in developing nations like Nepal where the expense of healthcare is relatively high and over-the-counter) medications are widely and easily accessible. Although this method has certain advantages, it is also clear that it has some drawbacks, including the potential for adverse drug reactions, drug resistance, medication interactions, and increased morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the use of self-medication in nine wards of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (ward no. 4, 5, 13, 15, 16, 17, 23, 31, and 32).

Methods:

This cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in the chosen wards of Kathmandu Metropolitan city for 3 months from August to October 2021. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 372 patients who were seeking self-medication. The participants were chosen randomly.

Results:

Self-medication was common among people (78%). The most frequent ailments for which participants self-medicated were the common cold (17.1%), headache (14.7%), fever (14.5%), and cough (7.6%). Anticold medications (18.2%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (17.4%), antipyretics (15.2%), and analgesics (9.1%) were the most popular drug classes used in self-medication. The two most frequent justifications for self-medication were the absence of any major ailment (35%) and self-experience (22.7%). When symptoms started, the majority of patients started taking medication for themselves, and 47.7% of them got their prescriptions directly from the pharmacist by explaining their symptoms. When the symptoms were not relieved by the medication used for self-medication, it was found that the majority of participants (79.7%) stopped using the medication and visit the doctor.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of self-medication in Kathmandu city was ascertained by assessing the practice among residents of the Kathmandu Metropolitan city. The study showed self-medication is common among people and therefore, proper education about drug use and self-medication is needed.
A case of vanishing gastroschisis with short bowel syndrome treated by total parenteral nutrition and intestinal lengthening procedures
Authors: Guanà Riccardo , Marocco Lucia , Garofalo Salvatore , Zambaiti Elisa , Pane Alessandro , Scottoni Federico , Fusaro Fabio , Perucca Giulia , Gennari Fabrizio
Published: March 2023

The diagnosis of vanishing gastroschisis is made when in the presence of a full-thickness intrauterine abdominal wall defect the eviscerated loops are incarcerated in the fascial interruption. Four types of vanishing gastroschisis are described (A–D). We report on the case of a newborn with a vanishing gastroschisis-D. Gastroschisis was diagnosed at the 19th week of gestation, confirmed at the 30th, when the herniated loops previously visible to the right of the funiculus were no longer visualized. At the 32nd week, delivery was induced. The neonate weighed 1600 g, and the abdomen was distended, free from skin defects. On surgical exploration, the jejunum was 13 cm in length, with a blind ending. The post-atretic intestine measured 22 cm. A jejunostomy and a colostomy were built. The child received total parenteral nutrition for 13 months due to short bowel syndrome and was then subjected to intestinal lengthening procedure when she was 18 months old. Vanishing gastroschisis is a rare entity with a worse prognosis of the “classic” gastroschisis.
Primary thromboprophylaxis in not surgically treated intra-luminal gastrointestinal cancer (ILGC) treated with first-line chemotherapy: A single institution preliminary safety report
Authors: Vitale Felice V , Giaimo Valentina , D’Angelo Alessandro , Dottore Alessia , D’Amore Fabio , Colina Paolo , Raffaele Mario
Published: March 2023

Occurrence of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients (patients) undergoing chemotherapy is a remarkable concern for the oncologist. In addition, careful attention has to be paid to the possible major bleeding when patients carrying gastrointestinal cancer need antithrombotic therapies. To date some Cancer Associated Thrombosis (CAT) risk scores as Khorana and PROTECHT score have been developed to identify the cancer population at high-risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Consensus guidelines recommend to consider also low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for primary thromboprophylaxis in high-risk patients. This is a report on a retrospective case series of 15 intra-luminal not surgically treated gastrointestinal cancer patients deemed high risk for VTE. The patients had a Khorana or PROTECHT score of 2 points or more (at least ≥ 2 points). They were undergoing first line chemotherapy in the absence of endoscopic signs of cancer spontaneous bleeding. A prophylactic dose of LMWH was administered just before starting the chemotherapy session and until 48 hours after its completion. The authors mainly aimed to report occurrence of clinically perceptible gastrointestinal bleeding events. Fifteen patients were administered LMWH – median age: 59 (range: 42–79); gender: male 12 (80%); tumor type: stomach – 13 patients (86%); gastro-esophageal junction: 2 patients (14%). Duration of heparin treatment: the total treatment duration was 228 days; mean 15.2 days (range: 5–45); nadroparin: mean 14.7 days (range: 5–45); enoxaparin: mean 10.1 days (range: 5–20); parnaparin: a total of 5 days. None of the patients experienced perceptible gastrointestinal bleeding. Short-term LMWH thromboprophylaxis appeared to be safe for this series of patients.
The Impact of What Others Do, Approve Of, and Expect You to Do: An In-Depth Analysis of Social Norms and Self-Disclosure on Social Media
Authors: Masur Philipp K. , Bazarova Natalya N. , DiFranzo Dominic
Published: March 2023

There are many factors that account for disclosure of private information on social network sites, but a potentially powerful determinant that remains understudied is social norms, which refer to perceptions of what other people do, approve of, and expect us to do on social media. To address this gap, we conducted an in-depth analysis of descriptive, injunctive, and subjective norms for verbal and visual disclosure on Facebook and Instagram, using a preregistered survey study with 863 participants. We further analyzed whether critical media literacy and media-related self-reflection could buffer against uncritical adoption of these norms. The findings revealed that all three types of norms positively and independently predicted self-disclosure, regardless of the platform or type of self-disclosure (visual vs. verbal), while controlling for other common predictors of self-disclosure, including perceived benefits and risks of self-disclosure. Self-reflection and critical media literacy neither directly predicted disclosure, nor accounted for differences in norm-behavior relationships.
Comparison of evoked potentials across four related developmental encephalopathies
Authors: Saby Joni N. , Peters Sarika U. , Benke Timothy A. , Standridge Shannon M. , Swanson Lindsay C. , Lieberman David N. , Olson Heather E. , Key Alexandra P. , Percy Alan K. , Neul Jeffrey L. , Nelson Charles A. , Roberts Timothy P. L. , Marsh Eric D.
Published: March 2023

Background

Developing biomarkers is a priority for drug development for all conditions, but vital in the rare neurodevelopmental disorders where sensitive outcome measures are lacking. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility and tracking of evoked potentials to disease severity in Rett syndrome and CDKL5 deficiency disorder. The aim of the current study is to characterize evoked potentials in two related developmental encephalopathies, MECP2 duplication syndrome and FOXG1 syndrome, and compare across all four groups to better understand the potential of these measures to serve as biomarkers of clinical severity for the developmental encephalopathies.

Methods

Visual and auditory evoked potentials were acquired from participants with MECP2 duplication syndrome and FOXG1 syndrome across five sites of the Rett Syndrome and Rett-Related Disorders Natural History Study. A group of age-matched individuals (mean = 7.8 years; range = 1–17) with Rett syndrome, CDKL5 deficiency disorder, and typically-developing participants served as a comparison group. The analysis focused on group-level differences as well as associations between the evoked potentials and measures of clinical severity from the Natural History Study.

Results

As reported previously, group-level comparisons revealed attenuated visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in participants with Rett syndrome (n = 43) and CDKL5 deficiency disorder (n = 16) compared to typically-developing participants. VEP amplitude was also attenuated in participants with MECP2 duplication syndrome (n = 15) compared to the typically-developing group. VEP amplitude correlated with clinical severity for Rett syndrome and FOXG1 syndrome (n = 5). Auditory evoked potential (AEP) amplitude did not differ between groups, but AEP latency was prolonged in individuals with MECP2 duplication syndrome (n = 14) and FOXG1 syndrome (n = 6) compared to individuals with Rett syndrome (n = 51) and CDKL5 deficiency disorder (n = 14). AEP amplitude correlated with severity in Rett syndrome and CDKL5 deficiency disorder. AEP latency correlated with severity in CDKL5 deficiency disorder, MECP2 duplication syndrome, and FOXG1 syndrome.

Conclusions

There are consistent abnormalities in the evoked potentials in four developmental encephalopathies some of which correlate with clinical severity. While there are consistent changes amongst these four disorders, there are also condition specific findings that need to be further refined and validated. Overall, these results provide a foundation for further refinement of these measures for use in future clinical trials for these conditions.
kegg_pull: a software package for the RESTful access and pulling from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes
Authors: Huckvale Erik , Moseley Hunter N. B.
Published: March 2023

Background

The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) provides organized genomic, biomolecular, and metabolic information and knowledge that is reasonably current and highly useful for a wide range of analyses and modeling. KEGG follows the principles of data stewardship to be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) by providing RESTful access to their database entries via their web-accessible KEGG API. However, the overall FAIRness of KEGG is often limited by the library and software package support available in a given programming language. While R library support for KEGG is fairly strong, Python library support has been lacking. Moreover, there is no software that provides extensive command line level support for KEGG access and utilization.

Results

We present kegg_pull, a package implemented in the Python programming language that provides better KEGG access and utilization functionality than previous libraries and software packages. Not only does kegg_pull include an application programming interface (API) for Python programming, it also provides a command line interface (CLI) that enables utilization of KEGG for a wide range of shell scripting and data analysis pipeline use-cases. As kegg_pull’s name implies, both the API and CLI provide versatile options for pulling (downloading and saving) an arbitrary (user defined) number of database entries from the KEGG API. Moreover, this functionality is implemented to efficiently utilize multiple central processing unit cores as demonstrated in several performance tests. Many options are provided to optimize fault-tolerant performance across a single or multiple processes, with recommendations provided based on extensive testing and practical network considerations.

Conclusions

The new kegg_pull package enables new flexible KEGG retrieval use cases not available in previous software packages. The most notable new feature that kegg_pull provides is its ability to robustly pull an arbitrary number of KEGG entries with a single API method or CLI command, including pulling an entire KEGG database. We provide recommendations to users for the most effective use of kegg_pull according to their network and computational circumstances.