bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationships between test positivity rate, total laboratory confirmed cases of malaria, and malaria incidence in high burden settings of Uganda: An ecological analysis
Authors: Okiring Jaffer , Epstein Adrienne , Namuganga Jane F. , Kamya Victor , Sserwanga Asadu , Kapisi James , Ebong Chris , Kigozi Simon P. , Mpimbaza Arthur , Wanzira Humphrey , Briggs Jessica , Kamya Moses R. , Nankabirwa Joaniter I. , Dorsey Grant
Published: January 2021

Background: Malaria surveillance is critical for monitoring changes in malaria morbidity over time. National Malaria Control Programs often rely on surrogate measures of malaria incidence, including the test positivity rate (TPR) and total laboratory confirmed cases of malaria (TCM), to monitor trends in malaria morbidity. However, there are limited data on the accuracy of TPR and TCM for predicting temporal changes in malaria incidence, especially in high burden settings.Methods: This study leveraged data from 5 malaria reference centers (MRCs) located in high burden settings over a 15-month period from November 2018 through January 2020 as part of an enhanced health facility-based surveillance system established in Uganda. Individual level data were collected from all outpatients including demographics, laboratory test results, and village of residence. Estimates of malaria incidence were derived from catchment areas around the MRCs. Temporal relationships between monthly aggregate measures of TPR and TCM relative to estimates of malaria incidence were examined using linear and exponential regression models.Results: A total of 149,739 outpatient visits to the 5 MRCs were recorded. Overall, malaria was suspected in 73.4% of visits, 99.1% of patients with suspected malaria received a diagnostic test, and 69.7% of those tested for malaria were positive. Temporal correlations between monthly measures of TPR and malaria incidence using linear and exponential regression models were relatively poor, with small changes in TPR frequently associated with large changes in malaria incidence. Linear regression models of temporal changes in TCM provided the most parsimonious and accurate predictor of changes in malaria incidence, with adjusted R2 values ranging from 0.81 to 0.98 across the 5 MRCs. However, the slope of the regression lines indicating the change in malaria incidence per unit change in TCM varied from 0.57 to 2.13 across the 5 MRCs, and when combining data across all 5 sites, the R2 value reduced to 0.38.Conclusions: In high malaria burden areas of Uganda, site-specific temporal changes in TCM had a strong linear relationship with malaria incidence and were a more useful metric than TPR. However, caution should be taken when comparing changes in TCM across sites.
Evaluation of different blood feeding frequencies on Glossina palpalis gambiensis performance in a mass-rearing insectary
Authors: Camara Karifa , Ilboudo Kadidiata , Salou Ernest Wendemanegde , Gimonneau Geoffrey
Published: January 2021

Background: In tsetse fly mass-rearing insectaries, the sustainable supply of high quality blood meals is the main challenge, especially in Africa. Because the collection of high quality blood in large quantities may be an important constraint to production, blood feeding frequency can be a lever to lessen its impact. Therefore, this study evaluates three blood feeding frequencies on Glossina palpalis gambiensis colony performance.Methods: Three effects of blood feeding treatments - three, four and six times per week - were evaluated on female survival and productivity over a 30-day period. Progeny emergence rate and flight ability were also evaluated.Results: Female survival was significantly higher for flies fed four times per week (87%) than three (72%) and six times (78%; p<0.05). Productivity was similar between flies fed four and six times per week (457 and 454 larvae) but significantly reduced when fed three times (280 larvae produced; p<0.05). Similarly, emergence rate and flight ability rate were both similar between flies fed four times (97% and 94%) and six times (96% and 97%) per week but significantly reduced when fed three times per week (89% and 84%, respectively; p<0.05).Conclusions: Blood feeding frequency could be reduced to four times per week without affecting mass-rearing production and progeny quality. We discuss the implications of these results on tsetse mass-rearing production.
Education's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Reveals Online Education’s Three Enduring Challenges
Authors: Openo Jason
Published: January 2021

Closed campuses, working remotely, and physical distancing have changed the way we work, teach, learn, shop, attend conferences, and interact with family and friends. But the Covid-19 pandemic has not changed what we know about creating high-end online education. Two decades of research has shown that online education often fails to fulfill its promise, and the emergency shift to remote instruction has, for many, justified their distrust and dislike of online learning. Low interactivity remains a widely recognized short-coming of current online offerings. Low interactivity results, in part, from many faculty not feeling comfortable being themselves online. The long-advocated for era of authentic assessments is needed now more than ever. Finally, greater support is needed for both underrepresented students and for faculty to move beyond basic online instruction to create a strong continuum of care between the teaching and learning environment and the student support infrastructure. For those who have been long-term champions of online education, it has never been more important to confront the three biggest challenges that continue to haunt online education – interactivity, authenticity, and support. Only by confronting these challenges squarely can instructors, educational developers, and their institutions take huge steps towards better online instruction in the midst of a pandemic and make widespread, high-quality online education permanently part of the “new normal.”
An Evaluation of Pass/Fail Decisions through Norm- and Criterion-Referenced Assessments
Authors: CUHADAR Ismail , GELBAL Selahattin
Published: January 2021

The institutions in education use various assessment methods to decide on the proficiency levels of students in a particular construct. This study investigated whether the decisions differed based on the type of assessment: norm- and criterion-referenced assessment. An achievement test with 20 multiple-choice items was administered to 107 students in guidance and psychological counseling department to assess their mastery in the course of measurement and evaluation. First, the raw scores were transformed into T-scores for the decisions from norm-referenced assessments. Two decisions were made to classify students as passed/failed comparing each student’s T-score with two common cutoffs in education: 50 and 60. Second, two standard-setting methods (i.e., Angoff and Nedelsky) were conducted to get two cut scores for the criterion-referenced assessment with the help of experts in measurement and evaluation. Two more decisions were made on the classification of students into pass/fail group by comparing the raw scores and the cut scores from two standard-setting methods. The proportions of students in pass/fail categories were found to be statistically different across each pair of four decisions from norm- and criterion-referenced assessments. Cohen’s Kappa showed that the decisions based on Nedelsky method indicated a moderate agreement with the pass/fail decisions from the students’ semester scores in measurement and evaluation while the other three decisions showed a lower agreement. Therefore, the criterion-referenced assessment with Nedelsky method might be considered in making pass/fail decisions in education due to its criterion validity from the agreement with the semester scores.
DESENVOLVIMENTO DE TECNOLOGIA DE GESTÃO HOSPITALAR: ÊNFASE NA COMPETITIVIDADE E SEGURANÇA DO PACIENTE
Authors: Marcondes de Azevedo Beatriz , Leite Siqueira Campos Fred , Margotti Emiliana , Pott de Medeiros Angélica
Published: January 2021

Objetivo: este estudo visou desenvolver uma tecnologia de avaliação do sistema de produção hospitalar possibilitando diagnosticar o desempenho e gerar iniciativas para melhoria e inovação. Método: trata-se de um estudo teórico-empírico realizado em quatro hospitais do Sul-Sudeste do Brasil. Quanto à tecnologia gerada, baseou-se na ferramenta desenvolvida pelo NIEPC/UFSC. Ademais, com base num conjunto de variáveis de input e output selecionadas e de dados coletados no DATA-SUS, geraram-se com DEA, cinco modelos para avaliar a eficiência produtiva dos hospitais selecionados. Fundamentação teórica: conceitos chave acerca de Pesquisa Operacional (PO) e a Análise Envoltória dos Dados (DEA) e o seu uso na área da saúde e no âmbito das organizações hospitalares Resultados: o instrumento proposto revelou ser capaz de desvelar interações entre as áreas constitutivas e representativas do sistema de produção hospitalar, apontando potenciais ações de melhoria, em sintonia com o pensamento complexo inerente a este tipo de gestão. Conclusões: a tecnologia desenvolvida possibilitou o aumento do leque perceptivo das pessoas envolvidas, ajudando-as a entenderem que as ações precisam estar integradas para que os fatores de competitividade possam ser alcançados.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Tecnologia de gestão, gestão hospitalar, Análise Envoltória de Dados, competitividade, desempenho.
Dependence between mortality in regions and prevalence of active SARS-COV2 carriers and resources available to public healthcare organizations
Authors:   The Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 47 Nakhimovskii Ave., Moscow, 117418, Russian Federation, Stepanov V.S.
Published: January 2021

The paper dwells on certain mathematical models showing how epidemics develop, namely, logistic ones, SIR-model, and some others. There is also a review of articles that focus on such models showing dynamics of incidence with COVID-19 infection. These models are often successfully applied for data collected in a whole country but on a regional level there are difficulties due to peculiarities of calculating mortality figures in Russia. In this case regression models can be useful with their obvious advantage at the initial stage in an epidemic process. They also include exogenous variables that influence mortality, for example, a number of doctors and nurses per a hospital, how well hospitals are equipped with ALV devices, and a number of available beds in them. Our research goal was to build up a linear regression model that could be used as a basis for estimating regional mortality caused by COVID-19 as well as for more efficient distribution of all the resources mentioned above. The model is built as per a set of resource parameters including data on «active cases». Preliminary three variables that showed data on resources available to communicable diseases departments in hospitals were transformed into a new single one via linear transformation. Then the model was tested on a training sample containing an endogenous variable on mortality and four factor ones including prevalence of active virus carriers. Regions were included into training data with different lags; they were included into such daily samples when death cases were registered rarely. Then the estimated model was applied with other values. It turned out to be quite efficient in estimating COVID-induced mortality for regions from trainings samples as well as for several others (for certain intervals). As a result, we built a regression model and estimated its precision; the model showed a relation between mortality in a region and prevalence of active SARS-CoV2 carriers and availability of resources to hospitals in it. It can be useful when these resources are distributed. It can also be used to build SIRD, SEIR, and SEIRF models at a regional level when choosing parameters in them related to mortality. A methodology itself that can be similarly applied for other epidemic processes also deserves certain attention
Working conditions and work-related pathologies at enterprises located in chukotka autonomous area
Authors:   North-West Scientific Center for Hygiene and Public Health, 4 2-ya Sovetskaya Str., Saint Petersburg, 191036, Russian Federation, Syurin S.A. , Kovshov A.A. ,   North-West Scientific Center for Hygiene and Public Health, 4 2-ya Sovetskaya Str., Saint Petersburg, 191036, Russian Federation,   North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov, 41 Kirochnaya Str., Saint Petersburg, 195067, Russian Federation
Published: January 2021

For many years, morbidity with work-related diseases has been higher in Chukotka Autonomous Area (ChAA) than on average in Russia. Our research objects were working conditions and morbidity with work-related diseases. Our research goal was to examine reasons for work-related pathology occurrence, its structure, and prevalence in ChAA in 2008–2018. We examined data obtained via social-hygienic monitoring in 2008–2018 in Chukotka, paying close attention to a section entitled «Working conditions and work-related pathology». We established that noise (17.4%) and cooling microclimate (11.8%) were the most widely spread hazardous occupational factors in ChAA. 20.1% workers were exposed to a combination of hazardous factors. 13.5% workers were employed at industrial objects that belonged to the 1st surveillance group (the highest risks); 31.9% worked at economic entities from the 3rd surveillance group (average risks). In 2008–2018 216 work-related diseases were first diagnosed in Chukotka, mostly among workers employed at mining enterprises (81.5%). Sensorineural hearing loss / noise effects in the internal ear (35.2%) and respiratory diseases (31.9%) prevailed in their structure. 73.6% diseases were detected due to patients applying for medical aid themselves. In 2008–2015 there was a steady growth in work-related morbidity (from 1.94 to 13.5 per 10,000 workers), but there was a decrease in it in 2016–2018 (down to 5.11 per 10,000 workers) with considerable fluctuations in numbers of first diagnosed diseases. Risks of work-related pathology occurrence were higher in Chukotka in 2018 than in 2008: OR=2.37; CI 1.82–3.09; χ2=43.8; р<0.001. To prevent work-related pathology in Chukotka, it is necessary to continue activities aimed at working conditions improvement, in particular, reducing exposure to noise and aerosols with predominantly fibrogenic effects in mining industry in the region.
COVID-19: well-known drugs, new opportunities
Authors:   Uzbekistan’s Public Healthcare Ministry, 26 Spitamena Str., Tashkent, 100121, Uzbekistan, Ashirmetov A.Kh. , Mavlyanov I.R. ,   Tashkent Institute for Post-Graduate Medical Education, 12 Sharafa Ave., Tashkent, 100000, Uzbekistan, Mavlyanov Z.I. ,   Tashkent Institute for Post-Graduate Medical Education, 12 Sharafa Ave., Tashkent, 100000, Uzbekistan, Zharylkasynova G.Zh. ,   Bukhara State Medical Institute named after Abu Ali ibn Sino, 1 Navoi Ave., Bukhara, 200118, Uzbekistan
Published: January 2021

Up to now, coronavirus infection that causes an acute respiratory syndrome has been detected almost in all countries worldwide. Global spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a world pandemic and there is no efficient and commonly accepted conventional therapy against COVID-19. Due to the existing emergency most drugs that can potentially be used to treat COVID-19 are allowed to be applied only basing on certain data probing their safety and efficiency against SARS-CoV. At present only Lopinavir/Ritonavir and Remdesivir are the only anti-virus drugs that are included into well-recognized management procedures for COVID-19 treatment; an acceptable alternative could probably be combined therapy that includes Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin. Given the existing situation, a lot of drugs that are usually used to treat other diseases are now being suggested as probable ways to treat COVID-19 taking into account all the available knowledge on pathophysiology of the infection. In this review, basing on available data on how SARA-CoV-2 virus enters a cell and pathophysiological aspects of cytokine storm development, we have strived to highlight certain prospects related to applying anti-viral medications, anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing drugs, vitamins and microelements that are widely used to treat and prevent various diseases. Most tested drugs as well as zinc preparations, and vitamins С and D3 turned out to have not only immune-modulating but also anti-inflammatory properties; or either they were able to block ways for the virus to enter a cell or disrupt SARS-CoV-2 intracellular replication. Having leant from previous experience in fighting against SARS and MERS, doctors have applied some existing drugs to treat COVID-19 infections in their clinical practices; clinical tests aimed at confirming their safety and efficiency in treating COVID-19 are still being performed at the moment. Although a lot of various treatment procedures have been suggested, it is necessary to perform specifically planned randomized clinical trials based on evidence-based medicine principles, if we want to determine the most suitable ones.
Conformational Stability, FMO, NMR, MEP and NBO Analysis of 2,5-Di-methyl-2,5-bis(methylthio)-1,4-dithiane and Dimethoxy compounds by DFT Approach
Authors: Masnabadi Nasrin
Published: January 2021

Conformational behaviors of 2,5-dimethoxy-2,5-dimethyl-1,4-dithiane (compound 1) and 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-bis (methylthio)-1,4-dithiane (compound 2) investigated by computational methods including B3LYP/6-311+G** and M06-2X/6-311+G** levels of theory and NBO analysis. The stereoelectronic effect of axial, axial (ax, ax) and equatorial, equa-torial (eq, eq) conformations were studied using NBO analysis. Using NBO analysis, the values of the stereoelectronic effects were calculated through the energy of stability associated with the electron transfers of compounds 1 and 2. The results showed that the eq, eq conformations of the studied compounds were more stable than their corresponding ax, ax conformations, and LP2X→σS1-C2 and LP2S→σ*C2-X electron transfers play important roles in the conformational be-havior of the studied compounds. The main purpose of the present work was to study the effects of stereoelectronic inter-actions and steric on the conformational superiority of the di-methoxy (compound 1) and di-thiomethyl compounds (com-pound 2). Thus, the values of resonance stability energy, non-diagonal elements, and orbital populations were investigated. Also, active electrophilic and nucleophilic centers were identified using fronting orbitals analysis obtained by DFT methods. The electrostatic potential maps of the title compounds were investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory. All of the NMR parameters and geometrical properties of both compounds were determined in this study.
Growth Differentiation Factor-15 as a Biomarker of Obese Pre-diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Indian Subjects: A Case-control Study
Authors: Roy Dipayan , Purohit Purvi , Modi Anupama , Khokhar Manoj , Shukla Ravindra Kumar Gayaprasad , Chaudhary Ramkaran , Sankanagoudar Shrimanjunath , Sharma Praveen
Published: January 2021

Background:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an ever-growing epidemic in India, and poses significant
morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic burden.

Introduction:

Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) is a stress-responsive cytokine, increased in T2DM patients
compared to control subjects without the disease. We aimed to assess whether serum GDF15 and adipose tissue GDF15
expression can differentiate between obese pre-diabetes and T2DM and control populations.

Methodology:

We recruited 156 individuals including 73 type 2 diabetes, 30 pre-diabetes, and 53 healthy controls.
Clinical history, anthropometric measurements and biochemical profiling were done. Insulin resistance indices were
calculated following HOMA models. Serum GDF15 was measured by sandwich ELISA. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT)
expression of GDF15 was observed in 17 T2DM patients and 29 controls using SYBR Green chemistry in RT-PCR using
GAPDH as housekeeping gene. The data were analyzed on R programming platform using RStudio.

Results:

Serum GDF15 was significantly higher (p<0.001) in T2DM subjects (median 1445.47 pg/mL) compared to prediabetes (627.85 pg/mL) and healthy controls (609.01 pg/mL). Using the ΔΔCt method, the VAT GDF15 expression was
1.54 fold and 1.57 fold upregulated in T2DM (n=17) compared to control subjects (n=29), and obese (n=12) compared to
non-obese (n=34)subjects, respectively. The optimal cut-off point following the Youden’s index method was found to be
868.09 pg/mL. ROC curve analysis revealed that serum GDF15 had a sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve
(AUC) of 90.41%, 79.52%, and 0.892 respectively. GDF15 levels were significantly associated with age, BMI, HbA1c,
fasting blood sugar, and insulin resistance indices.

Conclusion:

Hence, serum GDF15 is a biomarker for T2DM patients in our study population from Western India.
However, larger prospective cohorts are necessary to validate this claim.
99mTechnetium- or Cy7-Labeled Fab(Tocilizumab) as Potential Multiple Myeloma Imaging Agents
Authors: Camacho Ximena , Perroni Carolina , Machado Camila L. , de Godoi Carneiro Camila , de Souza Junqueira Mara , Faria Daniele , García María F. , Fernández Marcelo , Oddone Natalia , Benech Juan , Buchpiguel Carlos A. , Cerecetto Hugo , Chammas Roger , Riva Eloisa , Cabral Pablo , Gambini Juan P.
Published: January 2021

Background:

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a malignant hematologic disorder and the second most
common blood cancer. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been identified as a crucial factor for the proliferation and
survival of MM cells and the overexpression of IL-6 receptor is being studied as a molecular target for
therapeutic and diagnostic use in myelomas and other comorbidities. Tocilizumab is a humanized monoclonal
antibody that binds IL-6R.

Objective:

We aim to label and evaluate Fab(Tocilizumab) with 99mTechnetium or Cy7 as potential MM imaging
agents.

Methods:

IL-6R distribution was analyzed by Laser Confocal Microscopy (LCM) in MM cell lines.
Fab(Tocilizumab) was produced by the digestion of Tocilizumab with papain for 24h at 37°C, derivatized with
NHS-HYNIC-Tfa and radiolabeled with 99mTc. Radiochemical stability and in vitro cell assays were evaluated.
Biodistribution and SPECT/CT were performed. Also, Fab(Tocilizumab) was labeled with Cy7 for in vivo
fluorescence imaging up to 72h.

Results:

LCM analysis demonstrates IL-6R distribution on MM cell lines. Incubation with papain resulted in
complete digestion of Tocilizumab and exhibited a good purity and homogeneity. Radiolabeling with 99mTc via
NHS-HYNIC-Tfa was found to be fast, easy, reproducible and stable, revealing high radiochemical purity and
without interfering with IL-6R recognition. Biodistribution and SPECT/CT studies showed a quick blood
clearance and significant kidney and MM engrafted tumor uptake. Cy7-Fab(Tocilizumab) fluorescent imaging
allowed MM1S tumor identification up to 72h p.i.

Conclusion:

These new molecular imaging agents could potentially be used in the clinical setting for staging and
follow-up of MM through radioactive whole-body IL-6R expression visualization in vivo. The fluorescent
version could be used for tissue sample evaluation and to guide surgical excision, if necessary.
Research Trend of Persian Medicine Based on the PubMed Database,
2015 -2019
Authors: Shojaii Asie , Bahmani Mahmoud , Alvar Hori Ghanei , Abbasi Naser , Kakaee Saeed , Ghods Peymaneh , Ghods Roshanak
Published: January 2021

Introduction:

Persian medicine (PM) is one of the oldest branches of medicine in the world. The purpose of this
research was to analyze published articles about PM in the PubMed indexed journals.

Method:

Articles indexing in the PubMed database (2015-2019) searched for keywords "Iranian traditional medicine",
"Iranian medicine", "Persian traditional medicine" and "Persian medicine". The finding data evaluated for subject relevance
and categorized based on the journal metrics. Finally, all data were analyzed and reported.

Results:

From the 3,000 records, 359 PM related articles were extracted. The most abundant number of published articles
was in the year 2016, followed by a downward trend. The mean citation per article was 6.6. The largest portion of published
articles belonged to the Iranian journal of medical sciences. Among the top ten journals, the highest impact factor was 3.414
for the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Most of the journals were in the Q1 category according to Cite score Quartile. The
highest impact factor (IF) was 7.995 for the JAMA Dermatology Journal and the average IF of all Journals was 1.39. The
highest Citescore among all journals was 5.27 and the highest journal h-Index was 170 for the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

Conclusion:

The total number of published PM articles over the past five years, despite a downtrend in 2016, has increased
compared to previous years.
Análise de mecanismos de regulação da força ilocutória em textos de opinião produzidos por estudantes chineses de PLE de nível B1
Authors: Ferreira Alexandra
Published: January 2021

In this work, carried out on a corpus of opinion texts produced by students of Portuguese as a Foreign Language, at level B1, whose theme focused on a comparative perspective between two cultures, native and host, we proceeded to a descriptive-qualitative analysis of of modifying mechanisms of illocutionary force, attenuation and reinforcement, which the students resorted to. The results allowed to observe that the students resort mainly to assertive and expressive acts in the production of opinion texts, regulating their illocutionary force using essentially lexical mechanisms, to the detriment of semantic or morphological mechanisms. In addition, the epistemic modality assumes a predominance in relation to other types, although, in most evidence, there is no validation of the predicative relationship. To support this analysis, we used guiding readings on illocutionary acts (Searle, 1969), on their modalization (Corbari, 2013; Soares, 1998) and, specifically, on attenuation and reinforcement phenomena (Briz & Albelda, 2013; Albelda , 2005) and how they relate to the issue of modality (Campos & Xavier, 1991; Oliveira e Mendes, 2013) and how all these issues are referenced, in terms of pedagogical and didactic approach in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ( 2001).
Do dissenso à polémica: estratégias retórico-discursivas. Um caso em análise
Authors: Gil isabel fuzeta
Published: January 2021

This study focuses on the analysis of some rhetorical-argumentative strategies and the textual and compositional configuration of discursive productions within the parliamentary political discourse, which generates agonism and a strong cleavage between parties. We specifically analysed the discourses on the referenda held in 1998 e 2007, concerning changes to the socalled “VIP law”. We established a corpus comprising 41 texts published in the press and 7 texts published in the Diário da Assembleia da República (containing written transcripts of the debates held in Parliament). We concluded that rhetorical-discursive strategies that highlight and deepen dissention are particularly relevant, particularly in the process of referencing “abortion”. The strategies used to reference the discursive object “abortion” are analysed from a discursive-pragmatical and rhetorical standpoint; the reference of “abortion” is at the centre of agonistic interactions and sustains the arguments presented by the two opposing groups. We draw on the work by Amossy (2012 [2000], 2014), Plantin (1996, 2011), Micheli (2008, 2011), Charaudeau (2005, 2017), Marques (2000, 2005) and Fonseca (1992, 1998).
Acknowlegement to Reviewers of Advances in Chemical Research in 2020
Authors:   LIDSEN Publishing Inc., 2000 Auburn Drive, One Chagrin Highlands, Suite 200, Beachwood, OH, USA, LIDSEN Publishing Inc. Advances in Chemical Research Editorial Office
Published: January 2021

The editors of Advances in Chemical Research would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2020. We greatly appreciate the contribution of expert reviewers, which is crucial to the journal's editorial process. We aim to recognize reviewer contributions through several mechanisms, of which the annual publication of reviewer names is one. Reviewers receive a voucher entitling them to a discount on their next LIDSEN publication and can download a certificate of recognition directly from our submission system. Additionally, reviewers can sign up to the service Publons (https://publons.com) to receive recognition. Of course, in these initiatives we are careful not to compromise reviewer confidentiality. Many reviewers see their work as a voluntary and often unseen part of their role as researchers. We are grateful to the time reviewers donate to our journals and the contribution they make.
Medical Hypothesis: Deep Brain Stimulation for Intractable Migraine
Authors:   Department of Health Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Denmark, Gazerani Parisa , Cairns Brian E ,   Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Published: January 2021

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has been introduced as an innovative treatment for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia and it has been proven effective in helping individuals affected by these disorders; hence, enhancing their quality of life. DBS has also been investigated for the treatment of cluster and other primary headaches. Electrodes are surgically implanted into brain structures, for example the posterior hypothalamus in case of cluster headache. Hypothalamic DBS has been successfully used to treat patients with cluster headache and short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT). In these headache conditions, DBS may reduce headache frequency by half, however, some side effects have also been reported that are mainly related to infection where the electrodes are placed, syncope, and diplopia. Hypothalamic DBS is proposed to modulate neuronal structures that are directly or indirectly involved in detection or transmission of painful stimuli or in the processing of this information. Reports of the use of DBS for chronic migraine are not found in the literature. This commentary explores the medical hypothesis that DBS could be considered as a therapeutic option for intractable chronic migraine. This hypothesis is based on the commonalities between cluster headache and migraine in terms of some shared symptoms, and potential overlap of underlying mechanisms. However, due to the absence of clinical evidence supporting the use of DBS in CM, the fact that disease-specific optimization of DBS parameters must be considered carefully, and considering the optimal CNS structures to target are currently unknown, it is concluded that this interventional and invasive technique should be avoided for CM for the present time.
Measurement of Human Walking Movements by Using a Mobile Health App: Motion Sensor Data Analysis
Authors: Lee Sungchul , Walker Ryan M , Kim Yoohwan , Lee Hyunhwa
Published: January 2021

Background

This study presents a new approach to measure and analyze the walking balance of humans by collecting motion sensor data in a smartphone.

Objective

We aimed to develop a mobile health (mHealth) app that can measure the walking movements of human individuals and analyze the differences in the walking movements of different individuals based on their health conditions. A smartphone’s motion sensors were used to measure the walking movements and analyze the rotation matrix data by calculating the variation of each xyz rotation, which shows the variables in walking-related movement data over time.

Methods

Data were collected from 3 participants, that is, 2 healthy individuals (1 female and 1 male) and 1 male with back pain. The participant with back pain injured his back during strenuous exercise but he did not have any issues in walking. The participants wore the smartphone in the middle of their waistline (as the center of gravity) while walking. They were instructed to walk straight at their own pace in an indoor hallway of a building. The walked a distance of approximately 400 feet. They walked for 2-3 minutes in a straight line and then returned to the starting location. A rotation vector in the smartphone, calculated by the rotation matrix, was used to measure the pitch, roll, and yaw angles of the human body while walking. Each xyz-rotation vector datum was recalculated to find the variation in each participant’s walking movement.

Results

The male participant with back pain showed a diminished level of walking balance with a wider range of xyz-axis variations in the rotations compared to those of the healthy participants. The standard deviation in the xyz-axis of the male participant with back pain was larger than that of the healthy male participant. Moreover, the participant with back pain had the widest combined range of right-to-left and forward-to-backward motions. The healthy male participant showed smaller standard deviation while walking than the male participant with back pain and the female healthy participant, indicating that the healthy male participant had a well-balanced walking movement. The walking movement of the female healthy participant showed symmetry in the left-to-right (x-axis) and up-to-down (y-axis) motions in the x-y variations of rotation vectors, indicating that she had lesser bias in gait than the others.

Conclusions

This study shows that our mHealth app based on smartphone sensors and rotation vectors can measure the variations in the walking movements of different individuals. Further studies are needed to measure and compare walking movements by age, gender, as well as types of health problems or disease. This app can help in finding differences in gait in people with diseases that affect gait.
Blockchain-Based Digital Contact Tracing Apps for COVID-19 Pandemic Management: Issues, Challenges, Solutions, and Future Directions
Authors: Idrees Sheikh Mohammad , Nowostawski Mariusz , Jameel Roshan
Published: January 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial global disturbance by affecting more than 42 million people (as of the end of October 2020). Since there is no medication or vaccine available, the only way to combat it is to minimize transmission. Digital contact tracing is an effective technique that can be utilized for this purpose, as it eliminates the manual contact tracing process and could help in identifying and isolating affected people. However, users are reluctant to share their location and contact details due to concerns related to the privacy and security of their personal information, which affects its implementation and extensive adoption. Blockchain technology has been applied in various domains and has been proven to be an effective approach for handling data transactions securely, which makes it an ideal choice for digital contact tracing apps. The properties of blockchain such as time stamping and immutability of data may facilitate the retrieval of accurate information on the trail of the virus in a transparent manner, while data encryption assures the integrity of the information being provided. Furthermore, the anonymity of the user’s identity alleviates some of the risks related to privacy and confidentiality concerns. In this paper, we provide readers with a detailed discussion on the digital contact tracing mechanism and outline the apps developed so far to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, we present the possible risks, issues, and challenges associated with the available contact tracing apps and analyze how the adoption of a blockchain-based decentralized network for handling the app could provide users with privacy-preserving contact tracing without compromising performance and efficiency.
Improved Digital Therapy for Developmental Pediatrics Using Domain-Specific Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Study (Preprint)
Authors: Washington Peter , Kalantarian Haik , Kent John , Husic Arman , Kline Aaron , Leblanc Emilie , Hou Cathy , Mutlu Onur Cezmi , Dunlap Kaitlyn , Penev Yordan , Varma Maya , Stockham Nate Tyler , Chrisman Brianna , Paskov Kelley , Sun Min Woo , Jung Jae-Yoon , Voss Catalin , Haber Nick , Wall Dennis Paul
Published: January 2021

BACKGROUND

Automated emotion classification could aid those who struggle to recognize emotions, including children with developmental behavioral conditions such as autism. However, most computer vision emotion recognition models are trained on adult emotion and therefore underperform when applied to child faces.

OBJECTIVE

We designed a strategy to gamify the collection and labeling of child emotion–enriched images to boost the performance of automatic child emotion recognition models to a level closer to what will be needed for digital health care approaches.

METHODS

We leveraged our prototype therapeutic smartphone game, GuessWhat, which was designed in large part for children with developmental and behavioral conditions, to gamify the secure collection of video data of children expressing a variety of emotions prompted by the game. Independently, we created a secure web interface to gamify the human labeling effort, called HollywoodSquares, tailored for use by any qualified labeler. We gathered and labeled 2155 videos, 39,968 emotion frames, and 106,001 labels on all images. With this drastically expanded pediatric emotion–centric database (>30 times larger than existing public pediatric emotion data sets), we trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) computer vision classifier of happy, sad, surprised, fearful, angry, disgust, and neutral expressions evoked by children.

RESULTS

The classifier achieved a 66.9% balanced accuracy and 67.4% F1-score on the entirety of the Child Affective Facial Expression (CAFE) as well as a 79.1% balanced accuracy and 78% F1-score on CAFE Subset A, a subset containing at least 60% human agreement on emotions labels. This performance is at least 10% higher than all previously developed classifiers evaluated against CAFE, the best of which reached a 56% balanced accuracy even when combining “anger” and “disgust” into a single class.

CONCLUSIONS

This work validates that mobile games designed for pediatric therapies can generate high volumes of domain-relevant data sets to train state-of-the-art classifiers to perform tasks helpful to precision health efforts.
Engaging with a self-help app for PTSD: A qualitative study of patients’ experiences (Preprint)
Authors: Riisager Lisa Helena Groenberg , Christensen Anne Bryde , Scharff Frederik Bernt , Arendt Ida-Marie Terese Pereira , Ismail Israa , Lau Marianne Engelbrecht , Moeller Stine Bjerrum
Published: January 2021

BACKGROUND

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder for which more treatment options are needed. Mental health app (mHealth) interventions are promising to patients suffering from PTSD, however, knowledge about mHealth interventions is sparse and primarily based on quantitative studies.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore PTSD patients’ experiences with using a mHealth app as a stand-alone intervention before commencing psychotherapeutic treatment.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen partients, who were interviewed six weeks after receiving the app. An inductive analysis style was used and interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three overall themes were identified: Use of app, Being a patient and Overall evaluation of the app. Use of the app was described with the subtheme of habits and and the theme of being a patient included the subthemes of negative experiences with the app and being a part of a research project. Use of the app encompassed how psychological factors and technical problems could interfere with the use of the app. Being a patient depicted that the waiting time before starting treatment felt long, and a subgroup of patients experienced feeling worse during this time, which they partly attributed to using the app. Several suggestions of change were described in the overall evaluation of the app.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings in this study revealed that emotional arousal influenced the use of the app and that it was difficult for patients to establish a habit of using the app thus reflecting the importance of supporting habit formation when implementing an mHealth app into mental health care services. Some patients shared having negative experiences from using the app reflecting the potential harm from having an mHealth app without the support from a clinician. It is therefore recommended to use a blended-care treatment or an approach where mental health care professionals “prescribe” a mHealth app for relevant patients to avoid increased suicidal risk.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

RR2-10.2196/preprints.26852
Bots and Misinformation Spread on Social Media: Implications for COVID-19 (Preprint)
Authors: Himelein-Wachowiak McKenzie , Giorgi Salvatore , Devoto Amanda , Rahman Muhammad , Ungar Lyle , Schwartz H Andrew , Epstein David H , Leggio Lorenzo , Curtis Brenda
Published: January 2021

UNSTRUCTURED

As of March 2021, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been responsible for over 115 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, resulting in over 2.5 million deaths. As the virus spread exponentially, so did its media coverage, resulting in a proliferation of conflicting information on social media platforms—a so-called “infodemic.” In this viewpoint, we survey past literature investigating the role of automated accounts, or “bots,” in spreading such misinformation, drawing connections to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also review strategies used by bots to spread (mis)information and examine the potential origins of bots. We conclude by conducting and presenting a secondary analysis of data sets of known bots in which we find that up to 66% of bots are discussing COVID-19. The proliferation of COVID-19 (mis)information by bots, coupled with human susceptibility to believing and sharing misinformation, may well impact the course of the pandemic.
Analisis Kesuksesan Sistem Informasi Manajemen Puskesmas pada Pengelolaan Obat di Puskesmas Kabupaten Batang
Authors: Fauziyah Rizza , Satibi Satibi , Nugroho Eko
Published: January 2021

Every Public Health Center in all regions of Batang Regency has implemented a Public Health Center Management Information Systems (SIMPUS) in drug management since 2010 to accelerate access to the drug data, accelerate and improve the accuracy of prescription services, as well as provide accurate and timely information to support the planning, supply, and distribution processes. This study aims to analyze the level of success in the use of information management systems for drug management in the Batang District public health center in terms of user perceptions. This research is a descriptive quantitative analytic. The data from 29 respondents were collected using a questionnaire survey developed from the updated Delone and McLean success model. The quantitative analysis of the questionnaire uses a "Likert" attitude scale. Hypothesis testing is done to find out how the relationship and influence between variables using Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) analysis. Hypothesis testing used two-way probability with a significance level (α) of 5%, whereas the T-statistic value is more than 1.96, which means there is a significant influence between variables. The results showed that the relationship of system quality variable on system use, system quality on user satisfaction, and service quality on user satisfaction has a positive but not significant effect. The relationship of system use variables to user satisfaction has a negative and not significant effect. While the relationship between variable information quality on system use, information quality on user satisfaction, service quality on system use, system use on net benefit, and user satisfaction on net benefit has a positive and significant effect. It can be stated that the success of SIMPUS utilization as a whole in drug management in the Batang District Public Health Center is not optimal, it needs an improvement on the reliability and effectiveness of the system and the service quality to increase the level of utilization.
Pengaruh Pelayanan Kefarmasian di Rumah pada Pasien Diabetes Melitus Tipe 2 di Puskesmas Wilayah Kota Yogyakarta
Authors: Rasdianah Nur , Martodiharjo Suwaldi , Andayani Tri Murti , Hakim Lukman
Published: January 2021

The increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Indonesia requires participation of all parties including pharmacists. This study aims to determine the impact of the implementation of home pharmacy service guidelines for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on the level of knowledge, medication adherence, therapeurical satisfaction and glycemic control. This study used a quasi-experimental design with one group pre-test and post-test design involving 37 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who met the requirements of inclusion and exclusion criterias. The Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ-24) and the Diabetes Medication Satisfaction Tool (DMSAT) were used for collecting the data. Patient adherence was measured using a pillcount method and fasting blood sugar levels (FSB) data were obtained from the laboratory results. The study was conducted in two community health centers and patient’s home in the Yogyakarta Municipality area. The data were analysed using Wilcoxon and Spearman test. The results showed the change of the level of knowledge, medication adherence, therapeutic satisfaction and glycemic control before and after intervention of pharmacy services at home. The average decreasing of fasting blood sugar levels 17.09 mg/dL ± 1.43
Pengaruh Program Pengendalian Resistensi Antimikroba terhadap Penggunaan Antibiotik Profilaksis pada Bedah Obstetri dan Ginekologi
Authors: Winarni Winarni , Yasin Nanang Munif , Andayani Tri Murti
Published: January 2021

The incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) in obstetric and gynecological surgery is quite high. Rational prophylactic antibiotics in surgery are important strategies for the prevention of SSI. Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) for rational prophylactic antibiotic use has been carried out. This study aims to determine the rationality of the use of prophylactic antibiotics and incidence rate of SSI, the effect of ASP on the rationality of prophylactic antibiotics and clinical outcomes in obstetric and gynecology surgery. This study used a quasi-experimental pretest postest design without control group with retrospective data collection. Research time for 2 months from May to June 2019. The subjects of this study were obstetric and gynecology surgery patients at Pandan Arang Hospital Boyolali in 2018 who were divided into 2 groups: patients before the ASP and patients after the ASP with a total sample of 93 patients each group. An evaluation of the type, dose, time of administration, route of administration, and duration of prophylactic antibiotics were performed against the standard. Data analysis used the Pearson Chi-square test to see the relationship between rationality and clinical outcomes with ASP. The rationality of prophylactic antibiotic use increased from 0 (0%) cases before the ASP to 52 cases (55.9%) after the ASP. The SSI incidence rate before ASP was 9.7%, down to 4.3% after ASP. There was a significant relationship between the rationality of prophylactic antibiotics and ASP (p <0.05) but the relationship between clinical outcome (SSI incidence) and ASP was not significant (p> 0.05). The result of this study can be used to promote the implementation of ASP in other wards to increase rational use of antibiotics.