bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coronary Artery Perforations: Glasgow Natural History Study of Covered Stent Coronary Interventions (GNOCCI) Study
Authors: Ford Thomas J. , Adamson Carly , Morrow Andrew J. , Rocchiccioli Paul , Collison Damien , McCartney Peter J. , Shaukat Aadil , Lindsay Mitchell , Good Richard , Watkins Stuart , Eteiba Hany , Robertson Keith , Berry Colin , Oldroyd Keith G. , McEntegart Margaret
Published: September 2022

Background

The objective of the GNOCCI (Glasgow Natural History Study of Covered Stent Coronary Interventions) Study was to report the incidence and outcomes of coronary artery perforations over an 18‐year period at a single, high‐volume percutaneous coronary intervention center. We considered both the temporal trends and long‐term outcomes of covered stent deployment.

Methods and Results

We evaluated procedural and long‐term clinical outcomes following coronary perforation in a cohort of 43,343 consecutive percutaneous coronary intervention procedures. Procedural major adverse cardiac events were defined as a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, target vessel revascularization, or cardiac surgery within 24 hours. A total of 161 (0.37%) procedures were complicated by coronary perforation of which 57 (35%) were Ellis grade III. Incidence increased with time over the study period (
r
=0.73;
P
<0.001). Perforation severity was linearly associated with procedural mortality (median 2.9‐year follow‐up): Ellis I (0%), Ellis II (1.7%), Ellis III/IIIB (21%),
P
<0.001. Procedural major adverse cardiac events occurred in 47% of patients with Ellis III/IIIB versus 13.5% of those with Ellis I/II perforations (odds ratio, 5.8; 95% CI, 2.7–12.5;
P
<0.001). Covered stents were associated with an increased risk of stent thrombosis at 2.9‐year follow‐up (Academic Research Consortium definite or probable; 9.1% versus 0.9%; risk ratio, 10.5; 95% CI, 1.1–97;
P
=0.04).

Conclusions

The incidence of coronary perforation increased between 2001 and 2019. Severe perforation was associated with higher procedural major adverse cardiac events and was an independent predictor of long‐term mortality. Although covered stents are a potentially lifesaving treatment, the generation of devices used during the study period was limited by their efficacy and high risk of stent thrombosis.

Registration Information

Clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT03862352.
Determining the Likelihood of Disease Pathogenicity Among Incidentally Identified Genetic Variants in Rare Dilated Cardiomyopathy‐Associated Genes
Authors: Yang Qixin , Berkman Amy M. , Ezekian Jordan E. , Rosamilia Michael , Rosenfeld Jill A. , Liu Pengfei , Landstrom Andrew P.
Published: September 2022

Background

As utilization of clinical exome sequencing (ES) has expanded, criteria for evaluating the diagnostic weight of incidentally identified variants are critical to guide clinicians and researchers. This is particularly important in genes associated with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which can cause heart failure and sudden death. We sought to compare the frequency and distribution of incidentally identified variants in DCM‐associated genes between a clinical referral cohort with those in control and known case cohorts to determine the likelihood of pathogenicity among those undergoing genetic testing for non‐DCM indications.

Methods and Results

A total of 39 rare, non‐
TTN
DCM‐associated genes were identified and evaluated from a clinical ES testing referral cohort (n=14 005, Baylor Genetic Laboratories) and compared with a DCM case cohort (n=9442) as well as a control cohort of population variants (n=141 456) derived from the gnomAD database. Variant frequencies in each cohort were compared. Signal‐to‐noise ratios were calculated comparing the DCM and ES cohort with the gnomAD cohort. The likely pathogenic/pathogenic variant yield in the DCM cohort (8.2%) was significantly higher than in the ES cohort (1.9%). Based on signal‐to‐noise and correlation analysis, incidental variants found in
FLNC
,
RBM20
,
MYH6
,
DSP
,
ABCC9
,
JPH2
, and
NEXN
had the greatest chance of being DCM‐associated.

Conclusions

The distribution of pathogenic variants between the ES cohort and the DCM case cohort was gene specific, and variants found in the ES cohort were similar to variants found in the control cohort. Incidentally identified variants in specific genes are more associated with DCM than others.
Spoke‐Administered Thrombolysis Improves Large‐Vessel Occlusion Early Recanalization: The Real‐World Experience of a Large Academic Hub‐and‐Spoke Telestroke Network
Authors: Kraft Andrew W. , Regenhardt Robert W. , Awad Amine , Rosenthal Joseph A. , Dmytriw Adam A. , Vranic Justin E. , Bonkhoff Anna K. , Bretzner Martin , Hirsch Joshua A. , Rabinov James D. , Stapleton Christopher J. , Schwamm Lee H. , Singhal Aneesh B. , Rost Natalia S. , Leslie‐Mazwi Thabele M. , Patel Aman B.
Published: September 2022

Background

Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) before mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for large‐vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke is increasingly controversial. Recent trials suggest MT without IVT is reasonable for patients presenting directly to MT‐capable “hub” centers. However, bypassing IVT has not been evaluated for patients presenting to IVT‐capable “spoke” hospitals that require hub transfer for MT. A perceived lack of efficacy of IVT to result in LVO early recanalization (ER) is often cited to support bypassing IVT, but data for IVT in patients who require interhospital transfer are limited. Here, we examined LVO ER rates after spoke‐administered IVT in our hub‐and‐spoke stroke network.

Methods

Patients presenting to 25 spokes before hub transfer for MT consideration from 2018 to 2020 were retrospectively identified from a prospectively maintained database. Inclusion criteria were pretransfer computed tomography angiography–defined LVO, Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score ≥6, and posttransfer repeat vessel imaging.

Results

Of 167 patients, median age was 69, and 51% were women. Seventy‐six received spoke IVT, and 91 did not. Alteplase was the only IVT used in this study. Comorbidities and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale were similar between groups. ER frequency was increased 7.2‐fold in patients who received spoke IVT (12/76 [15.8%] versus 2/91 [2.2%];
P
<0.001]. Spoke‐administered IVT was independently associated with ER (adjusted odds ratio, =11.5 [95% CI, 2.2–99.6;
P
<0.05) after adjusting for the timing of last known well, interhospital transfer, and repeat vessel imaging. Interval National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was improved in patients with ER (median −2 [interquartile range, −6.3 to −0.8] versus 0 [−2.5 to 1];
P
<0.05).

Conclusion

Within our network, patients who received spoke IVT had a 7.2‐fold increased ER relative likelihood. This real‐world analysis supports IVT use in eligible patients with LVO at spoke hospitals before hub transfer for MT.
Did the Black Death Reach the Kingdom of Poland in the Mid-Fourteenth Century?
Authors: Guzowski Piotr
Published: September 2022

The Black Death is a turning point in late medieval European history. Recent studies have shown that even regions ostensibly not affected by it directly, or only marginally affected by it, suffered from profound demographic and economic consequences. The scale and geographical range of the plague in Central Europe, including the Kingdom of Poland, remains, however, a matter of dispute. Important to note in this regard is that the outbreak of the plague in Western Europe coincided with the reign of King Casimir of the Piast dynasty, which is associated with Poland’s extraordinarily successful modernization. Thus far, neither the primary sources documenting this era nor the palynological data that refer it can testify to the demographic and economic changes that would have ensued if an outbreak of the plague similar to the one that ravaged Western Europe had occurred in the Kingdom of Poland during the mid-fourteenth century.
Social Mobility through Migration to the Colonies: The Case of Algeria
Authors: van Leeuwen Marco H. D. , Maas Ineke
Published: September 2022

Most migrants move to further their economic and social position. How successful were they, and which migrants succeeded best? Would they have fared better if they had stayed at home? These questions are often raised regarding recent migrants to the United States and Europe, who often entered the labor market in relatively low positions. During their lifetime, many migrants improve their social position, as do subsequent generations. The migrants to Algeria during French colonial rule, however, entered the labor market at the higher echelons of society. Did they fare better than their parents? If so, did their descendants keep their relatively privileged colonial position? The effects of gaining or losing social, cultural, economic, and human capital appear to be different for various groups of migrants who moved to colonies, tweaking existing theories in economic history, settler history, and the sociology of migration.
Adult Female Height and the Gender Gap in Chile, 1860s–1990s
Authors: Llorca-Jaña Manuel , Clarke Damian , Araya-Valenzuela Roberto , Navarrete-Montalvo Juan
Published: September 2022

Analysis of a sample of around 4,600 women born between the 1860s and the 1990s finds that the height of adult females increased by about 5 cm, primarily from the 1860s to the 1880s and during the second half of the twentieth century—representing the greatest known improvement in women’s biological welfare in Chilean history. Chilean women have never been as tall as they are today. The secular height increase was higher for men than for women, but only slightly. The increasing sexual dimorphism in stature since the 1920s (achieving its highest value ever during the 1990s) suggests that male stature is more sensitive than female stature to changes in environmental conditions. Adult female heights also correlate with positive gradients in literacy and occupational status, and negative height differentials are in evidence between the native (Mapuche) population and the population with European ancestry.
Event-Related Potential Correlates of Learning to Produce Novel Foreign Phonemes
Authors: Railo Henry , Varjonen Anni , Lehtonen Minna , Sikka Pilleriin
Published: September 2022

Learning to pronounce a foreign phoneme requires an individual to acquire a motor program that enables the reproduction of the new acoustic target sound. This process is largely based on the use of auditory feedback to detect pronunciation errors to adjust vocalization. While early auditory evoked neural activity underlies automatic detection and adaptation to vocalization errors, little is known about the neural correlates of acquiring novel speech targets. To investigate the neural processes that mediate the learning of foreign phoneme pronunciation, we recorded event-related potentials when participants (N = 19) pronounced native or foreign phonemes. Behavioral results indicated that the participants’ pronunciation of the foreign phoneme improved during the experiment. Early auditory responses (N1 and P2 waves, approximately 85–290 ms after the sound onset) revealed no differences between foreign and native phonemes. In contrast, the amplitude of the frontocentrally distributed late slow wave (LSW, 320–440 ms) was modulated by the pronunciation of the foreign phonemes, and the effect changed during the experiment, paralleling the improvement in pronunciation. These results suggest that the LSW may reflect higher-order monitoring processes that signal successful pronunciation and help learn novel phonemes.
Causal Contributions of the Domain-General (Multiple Demand) and the Language-Selective Brain Networks to Perceptual and Semantic Challenges in Speech Comprehension
Authors: MacGregor Lucy J. , Gilbert Rebecca A. , Balewski Zuzanna , Mitchell Daniel J. , Erzinçlioğlu Sharon W. , Rodd Jennifer M. , Duncan John , Fedorenko Evelina , Davis Matthew H.
Published: September 2022

Listening to spoken language engages domain-general multiple demand (MD; frontoparietal) regions of the human brain, in addition to domain-selective (frontotemporal) language regions, particularly when comprehension is challenging. However, there is limited evidence that the MD network makes a functional contribution to core aspects of understanding language. In a behavioural study of volunteers (n = 19) with chronic brain lesions, but without aphasia, we assessed the causal role of these networks in perceiving, comprehending, and adapting to spoken sentences made more challenging by acoustic-degradation or lexico-semantic ambiguity. We measured perception of and adaptation to acoustically degraded (noise-vocoded) sentences with a word report task before and after training. Participants with greater damage to MD but not language regions required more vocoder channels to achieve 50% word report, indicating impaired perception. Perception improved following training, reflecting adaptation to acoustic degradation, but adaptation was unrelated to lesion location or extent. Comprehension of spoken sentences with semantically ambiguous words was measured with a sentence coherence judgement task. Accuracy was high and unaffected by lesion location or extent. Adaptation to semantic ambiguity was measured in a subsequent word association task, which showed that availability of lower-frequency meanings of ambiguous words increased following their comprehension (word-meaning priming). Word-meaning priming was reduced for participants with greater damage to language but not MD regions. Language and MD networks make dissociable contributions to challenging speech comprehension: Using recent experience to update word meaning preferences depends on language-selective regions, whereas the domain-general MD network plays a causal role in reporting words from degraded speech.
DP-Parse: Finding Word Boundaries from Raw Speech with an Instance Lexicon
Authors: Algayres Robin , Ricoul Tristan , Karadayi Julien , Laurençon Hugo , Zaiem Salah , Mohamed Abdelrahman , Sagot Benoît , Dupoux Emmanuel
Published: September 2022

Finding word boundaries in continuous speech is challenging as there is little or no equivalent of a ‘space’ delimiter between words. Popular Bayesian non-parametric models for text segmentation (Goldwater et al., 2006, 2009) use a Dirichlet process to jointly segment sentences and build a lexicon of word types. We introduce DP-Parse, which uses similar principles but only relies on an instance lexicon of word tokens, avoiding the clustering errors that arise with a lexicon of word types. On the Zero Resource Speech Benchmark 2017, our model sets a new speech segmentation state-of-the-art in 5 languages. The algorithm monotonically improves with better input representations, achieving yet higher scores when fed with weakly supervised inputs. Despite lacking a type lexicon, DP-Parse can be pipelined to a language model and learn semantic and syntactic representations as assessed by a new spoken word embedding benchmark. 1
Evaluating Attribution in Dialogue Systems: The BEGIN Benchmark
Authors: Dziri Nouha , Rashkin Hannah , Linzen Tal , Reitter David
Published: September 2022

Knowledge-grounded dialogue systems powered by large language models often generate responses that, while fluent, are not attributable to a relevant source of information. Progress towards models that do not exhibit this issue requires evaluation metrics that can quantify its prevalence. To this end, we introduce the Benchmark for Evaluation of Grounded INteraction (Begin), comprising 12k dialogue turns generated by neural dialogue systems trained on three knowledge-grounded dialogue corpora. We collect human annotations assessing the extent to which the models’ responses can be attributed to the given background information. We then use Begin to analyze eight evaluation metrics. We find that these metrics rely on spurious correlations, do not reliably distinguish attributable abstractive responses from unattributable ones, and perform substantially worse when the knowledge source is longer. Our findings underscore the need for more sophisticated and robust evaluation metrics for knowledge-grounded dialogue. We make Begin publicly available at https://github.com/google/BEGIN-dataset.
Patterns of variation in dietary composition among four populations of Alpine salamanders (Salamandra atra prenjensis)
Authors: Šunje Emina , Courant Julien , Vesnić Adi , Koren Toni , Lukić Bilela Lada , Van Damme Raoul
Published: September 2022

In this paper we studied the diet in four allopatric populations of alpine salamanders in the Dinarides (Salamandra atra prenjensis). Food consumption was assessed by stomach flushing while food availability by pitfall traps and netting. We aimed to: (i) assess the realized dietary niche, (ii) investigate prey preferences, (ii) explore individual specialization, clustering and nestedness. All populations have an equally wide dietary span that is among the largest reported for terrestrial salamanders. On the other hand, the amount of ingested prey is rather low compared to other salamander species; the quantity of consumed prey did not differ among populations but younger individuals fed more than adults. Food composition somewhat differed among populations but not among sex/age classes. In all four populations, the bulk of diet consisted of beetles, spiders, snails and millipedes; except for beetles, such prey was also preffered together with centipedes and isopods. For most of the prey categories, the direction of the electivity indices was the same across populations. In none of the populations a nested pattern in the interindividual subdivision of dietary resources was registered. However, indications for individual specialization and modularity were observed disclosing that the broad niche of populations is composed of smaller individual niches that cluster along the dietary axis. Overall, the four populations have very similar structural characteristics of the dietary niche and there is little evidence for local dietary differentiation probably due to the absence of drivers for change.
The genus Micranurida Börner, 1901 sensu Deharveng 1982 (Collembola, Neanuridae, Pseudachorutinae) in the fauna of the Russian Far East
Authors: BABENKO ANATOLY , SHVEENKOVA YULIA , POTAPOV MIKHAIL
Published: September 2022

A review of the genus Micranurida from the East Palaearctic fauna is performed, with two new species described from the Russian Far East: Micranurida sectilis sp. nov. and Micranurida distincta sp. nov.
Performance of saline and water gargling for SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase PCR testing: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Tsang Nicole Ngai Yung , So Hau Chi , Cowling Benjamin J. , Leung Gabriel M. , Ip Dennis Kai Ming
Published: September 2022

The performance of gargling for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR testing has not been previously reviewed. This review systematically assessed the performance of saline and water gargling for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing in the settings of diagnosing and monitoring viral shedding.

We included original studies comparing the performance of gargling and (oropharyngeal–)nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing. Studies conducted in either suspected individuals or confirmed cases were included and analysed separately. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were examined using random-effects models.

Gargles achieved a high overall sensitivity (91%), specificity (97%), PPV (95%) and NPV (91%) for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing. Studies using saline gargle and water gargle have an overall sensitivity of 97% and 86%, respectively. The sensitivity values were largely maintained for saline and water gargling on stratified analysis, for both diagnosis (96% and 92%) and viral shedding monitoring (98% and 78%). A higher sensitivity was also reported by studies using sterile saline (100%), a smaller amount of gargling solution (92%versus87%) and a longer gargling duration (95%versus86%).

Our results supported the use of gargling as a sampling approach for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing, which achieved a high sensitivity for both diagnosis and viral shedding monitoring purposes. Further investigation on the comparative performance of different gargling mediums is needed to draw a definitive conclusion.
Ventilatory neural drive in chronically hypercapnic patients with COPD: effects of sleep and nocturnal noninvasive ventilation
Authors: McCartney Alexandra , Phillips Devin , James Matthew , Chan Olivia , Neder J. Alberto , de-Torres Juan P. , Domnik Nicolle J. , Crinion Sophie J.
Published: September 2022

Sleep brings major challenges for the control of ventilation in humans, particularly the regulation of arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2). In patients with COPD, chronic hypercapnia is associated with increased mortality. Therefore, nocturnal high-level noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIV) is recommended with the intention to reducePaCO2down to normocapnia. However, the long-term physiological consequences ofPaCO2“correction” on the mechanics of breathing, gas exchange efficiency and resulting symptoms (i.e.dyspnoea) remain poorly understood. Investigating the influence of sleep on the neural drive to breathe and its translation to the mechanical act of breathing is of foremost relevance to create a solid rationale for the use of nocturnal NIV. In this review, we critically discuss the mechanisms by which sleep influences ventilatory neural drive and mechanical consequences in healthy subjects and hypercapnic patients with advanced COPD. We then discuss the available literature on the effects of nocturnal NIV on ventilatory neural drive and respiratory mechanics, highlighting open avenues for further investigation.
Metal Electrode-Free Halide Perovskite-Based Flexible Ultraviolet-C Photodetector with Large Area
Authors: Nguyen Thi My Huyen , Garner Sean M. , Bark Chung Wung
Published: September 2022

Ultraviolet-C (UVC) photodetector has appealed to a numerous number of research owing to its manifold applications in wireless communication, flame monitoring, and medicine. However, in addition to superior performance and high stability of recent studies, scalability and production cost are important factors for commercialization and practical implementation. In this study, a halide perovskite-based UVC photodetector was fabricated using spin-coating process and low-temperature annealing. Corning® Willow® Glass was selected as the substrate for the bottom-illuminated device due to its flexibility and exceptional optical transmission (approximately 60%) in the deep-UV region. The device had a vertical structure with a large active area (1 cm2) owing to the judicious utilization of electrodes. Under bent state with a curvature radius of 25 mm, the as-fabricated device exhibited high response and repeatability with an on/off ratio of 9.57 × 103, a fast response speed of 45/46 ms (rise/fall times) at zero bias under the illumination of a 254-nm UV lamp. The results are based on a flexible and lightweight photodetector without the utilization of notable metal electrodes.
Evaluation of classification in single cell atac-seq data with machine learning methods
Authors: Guo Hongzhe , Yang Zhongbo , Jiang Tao , Liu Shiqi , Wang Yadong , Cui Zhe
Published: September 2022

Background

The technologies advances of single-cell Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin using sequencing (scATAC-seq) allowed to generate thousands of single cells in a relatively easy and economic manner and it is rapidly advancing the understanding of the cellular composition of complex organisms and tissues. The data structure and feature in scRNA-seq is similar to that in scATAC-seq, therefore, it’s encouraged to identify and classify the cell types in scATAC-seq through traditional supervised machine learning methods, which are proved reliable in scRNA-seq datasets.

Results

In this study, we evaluated the classification performance of 6 well-known machine learning methods on scATAC-seq. A total of 4 public scATAC-seq datasets vary in tissues, sizes and technologies were applied to the evaluation of the performance of the methods. We assessed these methods using a 5-folds cross validation experiment, called intra-dataset experiment, based on recall, precision and the percentage of correctly predicted cells. The results show that these methods performed well in some specific types of the cell in a specific scATAC-seq dataset, while the overall performance is not as well as that in scRNA-seq analysis. In addition, we evaluated the classification performance of these methods by training and predicting in different datasets generated from same sample, called inter-datasets experiments, which may help us to assess the performance of these methods in more realistic scenarios.

Conclusions

Both in intra-dataset and in inter-dataset experiment, SVM and NMC are overall outperformed others across all 4 datasets. Thus, we recommend researchers to use SVM and NMC as the underlying classifier when developing an automatic cell-type classification method for scATAC-seq.
Fear of recurrence in elderly patients with coronary heart disease: the current situation and influencing factors according to a questionnaire analysis
Authors: Zhen Jing , Wang Jing , Wang Yi-Lin , Jiao Jin , Li Jing , Du Xiao-Jing , Li Yan-Ling
Published: September 2022

Objective

Fear of recurrence is a common psychosocial sequela among patients with heart disease. Analyses of coronary heart disease, particularly in elderly patients, are relatively rare. This study aimed to investigate the current situation in this context, as well as the influencing fear factors concerning recurrence in elderly patients with coronary heart disease.

Methods

A total of 200 elderly outpatients with coronary heart disease were recruited to participate in this survey from a tertiary hospital in Baoding (China). The questionnaires included items from the Disease Progression Simplified Scale, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were adopted to investigate the influencing factors on the fear of recurrence.

Results

The fear of recurrence score in elderly patients with coronary heart disease was (38.46 ± 8.13), among which 119 cases (59.5%) scored higher than 34 points. The SSRS total average score was (34.89 ± 9.83) points. Positive coping style and social support were negatively correlated with the total score of recurrence fear (r =  − 0.621, − 0.413, both P < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between negative coping style and the total score of recurrence fear (r = 0.232, P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the course of the disease, the number of disease recurrence cases, active coping, and social support were relevant factors in fear of recurrence (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The detection rate of fear of recurrence in elderly patients with coronary heart disease was relatively high but could be reduced by active interventions and enhancing social support.
Systemic immune-inflammation index could be associated with pseudophakic cystoid macular edema after an uneventful phacoemulsification surgery in patients without risk factors
Authors: Kocamış Sücattin İlker , Boz Ali Altan Ertan , Özdemir İbrahim
Published: September 2022

Background

To evaluate the association between serum biomarkers and pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) in eyes without risk factors after uneventful phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

Methods

This is a case–control study. Patients without risk factors and who developed clinically significant PCME after uncomplicated phacoemulsification surgery were enrolled in the study. The age- and sex-matched control group that had normal fundus examination findings and 10/10 visual acuity in the first week, first month and following postoperative control visits was randomly recruited from the same study cohort. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) were obtained from the preoperative complete blood count (CBC) test and compared between the two groups. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between central macular thickness (CMT) and biomarkers. A binary logistic regression model was generated to evaluate the significance of the biomarkers in predicting PCME. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the significant parameters in the logistic regression model were presented to detect the area under the curve (AUC), the cut-off point, the sensitivity and the specificity.

Results

The study cohort included 5352 patients. Of these patients, 52 (0.97%) met the inclusion criteria, and 60 age- and sex-matched patients were recruited as the control group. PLR, NLR, and SII were significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.006, p = 0.002, p < 0.001, respectively). According to the linear regression analysis, SII was found to have a significant relationship with CMT (p < 0.001). Only SII was assessed as significant in the logistic regression model (p = 0.046). In the ROC curve, the AUC of SII was 0.709. The sensitivity and specificity of SII for PCME prediction were 65.38% and 75%, respectively, and the cut-off point was 433.70.

Conclusion

SII is associated with the occurrence of PCME in eyes without risk factors after uneventful phacoemulsification surgery. SII could be a useful tool to predict PCME in eyes without risk factors.
Evaluating the validity of the Amharic Brief Pain Inventory among people with chronic primary musculoskeletal pain in Ethiopia
Authors: Abebe Abey Bekele , Ayele Tadesse Awoke , Miller Jordan
Published: September 2022

Background

The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) is a multidimensional pain assessment tool used to evaluate pain severity and pain interference. The BPI has been translated and validity estimated across multiple languages and patient populations for clinical and research settings. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of Amharic BPI test scores among patients with chronic primary musculoskeletal pain living in Ethiopia.

Methods

This study had two parts: cognitive interviews and psychometric testing. An expert committee reviewed the Amharic BPI, and fifteen participants participated in the cognitive interviews. The results from the cognitive interviews were evaluated, and the committee approved recommendations for the tool prior to psychometric testing. Two hundred and sixty-nine patients were recruited from three sites for the psychometric testing. The results were summarised using descriptive statistics. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to estimate the internal consistency. To assess test-retest reliability, the intraclass coefficient was examined, and a Bland-Altman plot was created. Construct validity was determined using confirmatory factor analysis by testing BPI’s previously suggested two or three-factor dimensionalities. Convergent validity was assessed by estimating the correlation between the Amharic BPI and SF-36 subscales.

Results

The Amharic BPI scores showed a good internal consistency using a 2-factor model with α = 0.89 for pain severity and α = 0.91 for pain interference. Good internal consistency was also observed in the 3-factor model, with α = 0.89 for pain severity, α = 0.84 for activity interference, and α = 0.86 for affective interference items. The test-retest reliability testing resulted in an ICC = 0.82 for pain severity and ICC = 0.90 for the pain interference. The severity scale had the highest correlation with bodily pain subscale of the SF-36 at r = − 0.44, and the interference scale with Physical functioning scale of SF-36 at r = − 0.63. Confirmatory factor analysis support rating Amharic BPI using a two-factor approach.

Conclusions

Our findings showed that Amharic BPI scores demonstrate internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity among patients with chronic primary musculoskeletal pain in Ethiopia. Accordingly, the tool can be used in clinical practice or research in similar settings.
Availability and readiness of healthcare facilities and their effects on long-acting modern contraceptive use in Bangladesh: analysis of linked data
Authors: Khan Md Nuruzzaman , Akter Shahinoor , Islam M. Mofizul
Published: September 2022

Aim

Increasing access to long-acting modern contraceptives (LMAC) is one of the key factors in preventing unintended pregnancy and protecting women’s health rights. However, the availability and accessibility of health facilities and their impacts on LAMC utilisation (implant, intrauterine devices, sterilisation) in low- and middle-income countries is an understudied topic. This study aimed to examine the association between the availability and readiness of health facilities and the use of LAMC in Bangladesh.

Methods

In this survey study, we linked the 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data with the 2017 Bangladesh Health Facility Survey data using the administrative-boundary linkage method. Mixed-effect multilevel logistic regressions were conducted. The sample comprised 10,938 married women of 15–49 years age range who were fertile but did not desire a child within 2 years of the date of survey. The outcome variable was the current use of LAMC (yes, no), and the explanatory variables were health facility-, individual-, household- and community-level factors.

Results

Nearly 34% of participants used LAMCs with significant variations across areas in Bangladesh. The average scores of the health facility management and health facility infrastructure were 0.79 and 0.83, respectively. Of the facilities where LAMCs were available, 69% of them were functional and ready to provide LAMCs to the respondents. The increase in scores for the management (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.59; 95% CI, 1.21–2.42) and infrastructure (aOR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.01–1.69) of health facilities was positively associated with the overall uptake of LAMC. For per unit increase in the availability and readiness scores to provide LAMC at the nearest health facilities, the aORs for women to report using LAMC were 2.16 (95% CI, 1.18–3.21) and 1.74 (95% CI, 1.15–3.20), respectively. A nearly 27% decline in the likelihood of LAMC uptake was observed for every kilometre increase in the average regional-level distance between women’s homes and the nearest health facilities.

Conclusion

The proximity of health facilities and their improved management, infrastructure, and readiness to provide LAMCs to women significantly increase their uptake. Policies and programs should prioritise improving health facility readiness to increase LAMC uptake.
“It’s all about asking from those who have walked the path”: Patient and stakeholder perspectives on how peers may shift substance use stigma in HIV care in South Africa
Authors: Magidson Jessica F. , Rose Alexandra L. , Regenauer Kristen S. , Brooke-Sumner Carrie , Anvari Morgan S. , Jack Helen E. , Johnson Kim , Belus Jennifer M. , Joska John , Bassett Ingrid V. , Sibeko Goodman , Myers Bronwyn
Published: September 2022

Background

South Africa has the highest number of people with HIV (PWH) globally and a significant burden of co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD). Health care worker (HCW) stigma towards SUD is a key barrier to HIV care engagement among PWH with SUD. Support from peers—individuals with lived experience of SUD—may be a promising solution for addressing SUD stigma, while also improving engagement in HIV care. We evaluated the perceived acceptability of integrating a peer role into community-based HIV care teams as a strategy to address SUD stigma at multiple levels and improve patient engagement in HIV care.

Methods

Patients and stakeholders (N = 40) were recruited from publicly-funded HIV and SUD organizations in Cape Town, South Africa. We conducted a quantitative assessment of stigma among stakeholders using an adapted Social Distance Scale (SDS) and patient perceptions of working with a peer, as well as semi-structured interviews focused on experiences of SUD stigma, acceptability of a peer model integrated into community-based HIV care, and potential peer roles.

Results

On the SDS, 75% of stakeholders had high stigma towards a patient with SUD, yet 90% had low stigma when in recovery for at least 2 years. All patients endorsed feeling comfortable talking to someone in recovery and wanting them on their HIV care team. Three main themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1) patient-reported experiences of enacted SUD and HIV stigmas were common and impacted HIV care engagement; (2) both patients and stakeholders considered a peer model highly acceptable for integration into HIV care to support engagement and address SUD stigma; and (3) patients and stakeholders identified both individual-level and systems-level roles for peers, how peers could work alongside other providers to improve patient care, and key characteristics that peers would need to be successful in these roles.

Conclusions

Findings from this formative work point to the promise of a peer model for reducing SUD stigma among patients and HCWs within community-based HIV care teams in SA.
The mental representation of occupational stereotypes is driven as much by their affective as by their semantic content
Authors: Kocsor Ferenc , Ferencz Tas , Kisander Zsolt , Tizedes Gitta , Schaadt Blanka , Kertész Rita , Kozma Luca , Vincze Orsolya , Láng András
Published: September 2022

Background

Studies on person perception showed that stereotypes can be activated by presenting either characteristic traits of group members, or labels associated to these groups. However, it is not clear whether these pieces of semantic information activate negative and positive stereotypes directly, or via an indirect cognitive pathway leading through brain regions responsible for affective responses. Our main objective with this study was to disentangle the effects of semantic and affective contents. To this end, we intended to scrutinize whether the representation of occupational labels is independent of the emotions they evoke.

Methods

Participants (N = 73, M = 27.0, SD = 9.1, 31 men 42 women,) were asked to complete two tasks presented online. In the first task they had to arrange 20 occupational labels—randomly chosen from a pool of 60 items—in a two-dimensional space, moving the mouse pointer along two undefined axes. In a second task the axes’ names were defined a priori. Subjects were asked to arrange the labels according to valence, the extent to which the word evoked pleasant or unpleasant feelings, and arousal, the extent to which the word evoked excitement or calmness.

Results

Based on the final coordinates of the labels, two cluster analyses were carried out separately in the two tasks. The two clusters were compared with Fisher’s exact test, which revealed that the cluster structures overlap significantly.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the spontaneous categorization and the semantic representation of occupations rely largely on the affective state they evoke. We propose that affective content might have a primacy over detailed semantic information in many aspects of person perception, including social categorization.
TOMAS-R: A template to identify and plan analysis for clinically important variation and multiplicity in diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews
Authors: Mallett Sue , Dinnes Jacqueline , Takwoingi Yemisi , de Ruffano Lavinia Ferrante
Published: September 2022

The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DTA) provides guidance on important aspects of conducting a test accuracy systematic review. In this paper we present TOMAS-R (Template of Multiplicity and Analysis in Systematic Reviews), a structured template to use in conjunction with current Cochrane DTA guidance, to help identify complexities in the review question and to assist planning of data extraction and analysis when clinically important variation and multiplicity is present. Examples of clinically important variation and multiplicity could include differences in participants, index tests and test methods, target conditions and reference standards used to define them, study design and methodological quality. Our TOMAS-R template goes beyond the broad topic headings in current guidance that are sources of potential variation and multiplicity, by providing prompts for common sources of heterogeneity encountered from our experience of authoring over 100 reviews. We provide examples from two reviews to assist users. The TOMAS-R template adds value by supplementing available guidance for DTA reviews by providing a tool to facilitate discussions between methodologists, clinicians, statisticians and patient/public team members to identify the full breadth of review question complexities early in the process. The use of a structured set of prompting questions at the important stage of writing the protocol ensures clinical relevance as a main focus of the review, while allowing identification of key clinical components for data extraction and later analysis thereby facilitating a more efficient review process.
Ήχος και ακρόαση στην Αθηναϊκή πολυκατοικία ως καλλιτεχνική πρακτική
Authors: Ραυτοπούλου Θάλεια
Published: September 2022

Η διατριβή επιχειρεί να κινηθεί ανάμεσα σε πεδία και έννοιες, διαμέσου της φωνής και της προφορικότητας, στο συγκείμενο της πολυκατοικίας ως τοπικό, σχεδόν «μοντέρνο» στοιχείο, με στόχο να εστιάσει στη μικροκλίμακα του πώς οι φωνές των κατοίκων και της ερευνήτριας ανακλούν ηχητικές επιδράσεις. Αφορμώντας από την επιτόπια έρευνα, εστιάζοντας σε πολυκατοικίες της Αθήνας, στη γειτονιά του Μεταξουργείου και σε άλλα προάστια, κατά το χρονικό διάστημα 2011- 2019, η ερευνήτρια επιχειρεί πιθανές ερμηνείες διαφορετικών τοποθετήσεων ακουστικών εμπειριών τόσο των κατοίκων όσο και δικές της. Δίνει προσοχή στο πώς, αυτές οι ερμηνείες συμβάλουν στη συζήτηση της πρόσληψης του ήχου που εδράζεται σε ζητήματα και διαδικασίες δημιουργίας χώρου στη βάση ρύθμισης ορίων, ανοχών και διαφορετικών βαθμών δεκτικότητας και ευθύνης- απόκρισης. Με άξονες τις έννοιες απορρόφηση και ανάκλαση, στη βάση της μεταφοράς της πολυκατοικίας ως δοχείο ήχου, εξετάζονται οι αλληλεπιδράσεις στην πολυκατοικία και στους ενδιάμεσους χώρους. Αποκρινόμενη σε ερευνητικά ζητούμενα που εκκινούν από την καλλιτεχνική της πρακτική, η ερευνήτρια πραγματοποιεί οικιακές ηχητικές καταγραφές, διερευνά πτυχές των συζητήσεων περί καλλιτεχνικής έρευνας και πτυχές του κοινωνικού και αρχιτεκτονικού συγκείμενου της αθηναϊκής πολυκατοικίας. Διαμέσου των τοποθετήσεων για τις ακουστικές εμπειρίες, ιχνηλατούνται εγγραφές του ήχου, της φωνής, της σιωπής, της συγκατοίκησης, του θορύβου- ως χώρο και ως κατευναστικό ήχο- ενώ χαρτογραφούνται επινοητικές πρακτικές και διαφορετικοί τρόποι ακρόασης.
Μοριακή διερεύνηση των νεοπλασματικών επεξεργασιών της στοματοφαρυγγικής κοιλότητας
Authors: Αγγελοπούλου Ευσταθία
Published: September 2022

Η εκπονηθείσα ερευνητική μελέτη αναφέρεται στην διερεύνηση της παρουσίας ανθρωπίνων ιών του θηλώματος (HPVs) και στον περαιτέρω χαρακτηρισμό του υψηλού κινδύνων τύπων HPV-16 και HPV-18, σε υπερπλασίες και επιθηλιακού τύπου καρκίνους της περιοχής του στοματοφάρυγγα, καθώς επίσης και στην έκφραση της πρωτεϊνης p53 στα δείγματα που είναι παρόντες οι ως άνω ιοί. Για το σκοπό αυτό συγκεντρώθηκαν συνολικά 102 δείγματα ιστών εγκλεισμένων σε παραφίνη, εκ των οποίων τα 21 αντιστοιχούν σε υπερπλασίες και τα 81 σε επιθηλιακού τύπου καρκίνους της περιοχής του στοματοφάρυγγα. Τα δείγματα αυτά υπέστησαν την απαιτούμενη διαδικασία για εξαγωγή του DNA, το οποίο αποτέλεσε το υλικό για την εφαρμογή της τεχνικής της αλυσιδωτής αντίδρασης της πολυμεράσης (PCR) με σκοπό την ανίχνευση της παρουσίας ιών HPV. Πενήντα από τα 102 δείγματα (49%) ήταν θετικά για ιό HPV. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, το 48% των υπερπλασιών και το 49% των καρκινωμάτων ήταν θετικά για HPV. Η περαιτέρω τυποποίηση των θετικών αυτών δειγμάτων αποκάλυψε την παρουσία HPV-16 στο 22% (6 από τις 10 υπερπλασίες και 5 από τα 40 καρκινώματα) και του HPV-18 στο 44% (22 από τα 40 καρκινώματα και μόνο). Ένα από τα δείγματα παρουσίαζε ταυτόχρονη λοίμωξη με HPV-16 και HPV-18. Τα 49 διαθέσιμα, θετικά για ιό HPV δείγματα υποβλήθηκαν κατόπιν σε ανοσοϊστοχημική εξέταση για την ανίχνευση της έκφρασης της πρωτεϊνης p53, με αντίσωμα ικανό για ανίχνευση τόσο της «φυσιολογικής», όσο και μεταλλαγμένης πρωτεϊνης. Το 55,1% των δειγμάτων αυτών (27 από τα 49) αποδείχθηκε θετικό για p53. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, το 50% των υπερπλασιών (5 από τις 10) και το 56,41% των καρκινωμάτων (22 από τα 39) ήταν θετικά για παρουσία της p53. Από τα αποτελέσματα αυτά αξιοσημείωτες είναι οι παρατηρήσεις: 1) Ο HPV-18 ανευρίσκεται αποκλειστικά και μόνο στα καρκινώματα της μελέτης και μάλιστα σε ποσοστό αρκετά υψηλό. Το γεγονός αυτό μπορεί να υποδεικνύει έναν ιδιαίτερο ρόλο του HPV-18 στην καρκινογένεση του στοματοφάρυγγα του ελληνικού πληθυσμού. 2) Η ανοσοϊστοχημική ανίχνευση της πρωτεϊνης p53 στο 50% των υπερπλασιών υποδεικνύει ότι η μετάλλαξή της αποτελεί μάλλον πρώιμο γενετικό συμβάν, σύμφωνο με τη θεωρία του «πεδίου καρκινογένεσης» του στοματοφάρυγγα. 3) Η παρουσία ιού HPV γενικά, όπως και των τύπων HPV-16 και HPV-18, καθώς και η ανίχνευση της πρωτεϊνης p53, δεν συσχετίζονται σε βαθμό στατιστικά σημαντικό, με τη διαφοροποίηση των καρκινωμάτων της μελέτης. 4) Λοίμωξη από ιούς HPV και ταυτόχρονη μετάλλαξη της πρωτεϊνης p53 δεν είναι ασύνηθες φαινόμενο στην περιοχή του στοματοφάρυγγα και υποδεικνύει ίσως ότι η δράση άλλων εξωγενών καρκινογόνων επισκιάζει εκείνη του ιού, τουλάχιστον όσον αφορά την παρούσα μελέτη σε 'Ελληνες ασθενείς.
Η ιδιαιτερότητα του μεταπολεμικού Συντάγματος του 1952
Authors: Σταυρουλάκης Δημόκριτος
Published: September 2022

Η παρούσα διατριβή αποσκοπεί στην αναλυτική παρουσίαση της περιόδου της μεταπολεμικής Βασιλευόμενης Δημοκρατίας στην Ελλάδα, καθώς και στην ανάλυση των αιτίων διαμόρφωσης της καχεκτικής Δημοκρατίας κατά την περίοδο εκείνη. Συγκεκριμένα, στο πρώτο μέρος της διατριβής θα αναλυθεί όλη η περίοδος που ξεκινά από το τέλος της Β Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας μέχρι και το τέλος του Εμφυλίου Πολέμου, η οποία αποτελεί και την βάση πάνω στην οποία διαμορφώθηκαν οι παθογένειες της μεταπολεμικής Δημοκρατίας. Στο δεύτερο μέρος θα αναλυθεί η διαδικασία θέσπισης του Συντάγματος του 1952 και όλη η εφαρμογή του μέχρι και το 1967, οπότε και έχουμε την κατάλυση του. Ιδιαίτερη έμφαση θα δοθεί στις δυσλειτουργίες του πολιτεύματος από την εφαρμογή του. Τέλος, στο τρίτο μέρος θα γίνει μια σύγκριση με τις ώριμες δημοκρατίες της Ευρώπης για να αναδειχθεί η καθυστέρηση του ελληνικού πολιτεύματος σε σχέση με αυτές καθώς και τα δυσμενή αποτελέσματα αυτής της καχεκτικής δημοκρατίας που οδήγησε στην επιβολή του στρατιωτικού καθεστώτος τον Απρίλιο του 1967.