bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The complex relationships among race/ethnicity, social determinants, and opioid utilization
Authors: Moriya Asako S. , Xu Lanlan
Published: January 2021

Objective

To examine individual‐ and community‐level factors associated with racial/ethnic differences in individuals’ opioid prescription use.

Data Sources

Outpatient opioid prescription utilization and demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics from a nationally representative sample of the US noninstitutionalized civilian population obtained from 2013‐2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data and combined with 2012‐2016 American Community Survey data and 2015 Health Area Resources File data.

Study Design

We use the Oaxaca‐Blinder decomposition method to disaggregate racial/ethnic differences in prescription opioid utilization into differences explained by underlying predisposing, enabling and need characteristics, and unexplained differences.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

We use restricted‐use geographic identifiers to supplement the MEPS data with information on community characteristics and local health care resources.

Principal Findings

The average annual rate of any outpatient opioid prescription use was higher for non‐Hispanic whites (15.8%; standard errors [SE]: 0.3) than for non‐Hispanic blacks and Hispanics by 1.4 percentage points (SE: 0.5) and 6.2 percentage points (SE: 0.4), respectively. The smaller difference between non‐Hispanic blacks and whites is not explained by the differences in the risk factors, while almost all the difference between Hispanics and non‐Hispanic whites can be explained by the differences in the means of the risk factors. The differences in the prevalence of pain, the rate of being United States‐born, and the racial/ethnic composition of the community explain 2.4 (SE: 0.2), 1.4 (SE: 0.3), and 1.9 (SE: 0.4) percentage‐point differences, respectively. Pain prevalence explains the difference regardless of opioid potency, while foreign‐born status and community racial/ethnic composition explain the difference in higher‐potency opioid utilization only.

Conclusions

This study underscores the importance of accounting for both individual and community characteristics when investigating patterns in opioid use. Our results could assist policy makers in tailoring strategies to promote safer and more effective pain management based on individual and community characteristics.
Optimising accuracy of performance predictions using available morphophysiological information in wheat breeding germplasm
Authors: Guberac Sunčica , Galić Vlatko , Rebekić Andrijana , Čupić Tihomir , Petrović Sonja
Published: January 2021

Wheat breeding programmes often harbour large number of developed progenies. Testing of all progenies in many target environments is not considered cost‐effective, so the genomic predictions are employed. Genomic predictions might be enhanced with adaptational traits given the cost‐effectiveness of their phenotyping. The aim of this study was to assess effectiveness of adding a priori available phenotyping data of adaptational morpho‐physiological traits to genomic predictions in Bayesian framework. The panel of 120 winter wheat genotypes was sown over four growing seasons (2013/2014–2016/2017) in field conditions in two replicates and phenotyped for target traits grain yield and plant height along with nine distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) traits. Five genotype groups were defined by the K‐means clustering method based on nine DUS traits. DUS traits were used as fixed covariates in five different genomic prediction models with different assumptions about the distribution densities of marker effects: Bayes A, Bayes B, Bayes C, Bayesian ridge regression and Bayesian lasso. Adding DUS traits as covariates significantly improved accuracies and reduced the root mean square errors (RMSEP) of genomic predictions. Marginal differences between different models were observed. Adding covariates to genomic prediction models might be good strategy to improve accuracies of the predictions by accounting for environmental adaptations, provided their a priori availability or low costs of additional phenotyping.
Sound, Sentience, and Schooling: Writing the Field Recording in Educational Ethnography
Authors: Wargo Jon M. , Brownell Cassie J. , Oliveira Gabrielle
Published: January 2021

This article examines how sound—as a medium, method, and modality—attunes educational ethnographers to writing the “field” in new ways. In particular, the authors ask: How might cultivating practices of writing the field recording reorient the field note as an ethnographic object of inquiry? Examining the field recording as a representational, experimental, and pedagogical resource for prolonging encounters, this article reframes inquiry to disrupt what is traditionally read as experience in writing ethnographic research.
Regulation of lipid metabolism by the unfolded protein response
Authors: Moncan Matthieu , Mnich Katarzyna , Blomme Arnaud , Almanza Aitor , Samali Afshin , Gorman Adrienne M.
Published: January 2021

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site of protein folding and secretion, Ca2+ storage and lipid synthesis in eukaryotic cells. Disruption to protein folding or Ca2+ homeostasis in the ER leads to the accumulation of unfolded proteins, a condition known as ER stress. This leads to activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway in order to restore protein homeostasis. Three ER membrane proteins, namely inositol‐requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1), protein kinase RNA‐like ER kinase (PERK) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), sense the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins and are activated, initiating an integrated transcriptional programme. Recent literature demonstrates that activation of these sensors can alter lipid enzymes, thus implicating the UPR in the regulation of lipid metabolism. Given the presence of ER stress and UPR activation in several diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the growing recognition of altered lipid metabolism in disease, it is timely to consider the role of the UPR in the regulation of lipid metabolism. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on the impact of the three arms of the UPR on the synthesis, function and regulation of fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol.
Prediction of live birth probability after in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment: A multi‐center retrospective study in Chinese population
Authors: Wen Mingyang , Wu Fang , Du Jiangbo , Lv Hong , Lu Qun , Hu Zhibin , Diao Feiyang , Ling Xiufeng , Tan Jichun , Jin Guangfu
Published: January 2021

Aim

To develop a prediction model to estimate the chances of live birth over multiple cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was launched in three reproductive centers including 10 824 couples who received 14 106 treatment cycles with known pregnancy outcomes by the end of 2016. Discrete time logistic regression was used to establish the model and a nomogram was developed to predict the chance of live birth on plain paper‐based final predictors.

Results

Among 10 824 couples, 5809 (53.7%) ended up with a live birth with several successive transplant cycles. What's more, we found that younger female age (p < 0.001), smaller cycle number (p < 0.001), female body mass index (p < 0.001), male factor (p < 0.001), ovulation disorder (p = 0.006), and higher endometrial thickness (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with increased live birth rate. Discrimination of the model expressed by area under the curve (AUC) was 0.66.

Conclusion

Our study will help shape couples' expectations of their ART outcome, allowing them to plan their treatments more efficiently and prepare emotionally and financially.
Potential effects of dietary probiotics with Chinese herb polysaccharides on the growth performance, immunity, disease resistance, and intestinal microbiota of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Fan Ying , Wang Xiaolu , Wang Youhong , Liu Hongjun , Yu Xiaoqing , Li Le , Ye Haibin , Wang Shuxian , Gai Chunlei , Xu La , Diao Jing , Guo Pingping
Published: January 2021

This study evaluated the effect of probiotics (Clostridium butyricum, Bacillus coagulans) and Chinese herb polysaccharides (Astragalus polysaccharides, APS) on growth performance, immunity, disease resistance, and intestinal microbiota of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Specimens of O. mykiss (n = 360; 79.9 ± 2.2 g) were fed for 42 days with different diets containing a basal diet (control, C0), supplemented with 109 CFU/kg of C. butyricum + 109 CFU/kg of B. coagulans (E1) and 109 CFU/kg of C. butyricum + 109 CFU/kg of B. coagulans + 100 g/kg of APS (E2) as experimental diets. The results indicated that both E1 and E2 diets increased specific growth rate, reduced feed conversion ratio, and optimized muscle composition. Compared with the control treatment, after trout were fed with E2 diet 42 days, activities of SOD, T‐AOC, and CAT increased significantly, while malondialdehyde content decreased significantly in the E1 treatment. After Aeromonas salmonicida challenge, cumulative mortality was 80%, 41%, and 29% in C0, E1 and E2 treatments, respectively. The abundance of Bacillales, Actinomycetales, and Pseudomonadales increased in the fish intestine of E2 treatment, while that of Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales decreased. These data showed that C. butyricum + B. coagulans with APS improved growth performance, enhanced immunity and disease resistance, and modulated intestinal microbiota of O. mykiss.
Controlling space, controlling labour? Contested space in food delivery gig work
Authors: Heiland Heiner
Published: January 2021

The article investigates the control of the platform labour process by means of the digital production of space and how workers resist it. The segment of German platform‐mediated food delivery is examined via qualitative interviews and auto‐ethnography. It is shown how the platforms create different spaces to efficiently coordinate and control mobile delivery gig work. Steered by geolocalisation and geofencing, the couriers operate autonomously in spatial corridors defined by the platforms. The agency of the riders is thus limited, but they are occasionally able to undermine the platforms’ spatial control and reinterpret it. The article shows that space is a central but contested instrument for controlling labour.
A Post‐Traumatic Osteoarthritic Model of Hip Following Fracture of Acetabulum in Rabbit: A Preliminary Study by Macroscopic and Radiographic Assessment
Authors: Li Yanjin , Feng Ruibing , Liu Ximing , Wang Guodong , Wang Wei , Lu Qilin , Huang Wei , Wu Haiyang , Cai Xianhua
Published: January 2021

Objective

To develop a post‐traumatic osteoarthritic model of hip following fracture of acetabulum in rabbit for revealing biochemical mechanism of post‐traumatic osteoarthritis.

Methods

A total of 36 mature male New Zealand white rabbits were equally divided into sham group (n = 12), non‐ORIF group (n = 12), and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) group (n = 12). Except for the sham group, rabbits had survival surgeries to create acetabular fractures of dorsal wall for simulating dashboard impaction mechanism. The ORIF group received open reduction and internal fixation, while fractures in the non‐ORIF group were left as displaced but transverse fracture and dislocation was reduced. Besides intraoperative appearance and postoperative recovery, macroscopic and radiographic characteristics of the hips were recorded and assessed by a radiographic scoring scale at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 6 months, respectively.

Results

Out of 24 modeled acetabula, 21 (87.5%) were pure dorsal wall fractures as proposed and the remaining three were associated fractures (dorsal wall plus transverse fracture) accompanied by dorsal dislocation or not. All hips were stable, and no sciatic nerve injury was observed. One rabbit in the ORIF group died of deep infection 4 days after surgery. Rabbits in the sham and ORIF groups returned to normal gait in 2 weeks, but animals in the non‐ORIF group suffered from limping and restricted movement. As the time progressed, the hips in the non‐ORIF group experienced progressive and severe degeneration which exhibited dramatically malformed and hypertrophic joints at 6 months, but the ORIF group maintained much better morphological structure. Corresponding to morphological changes, the average radiographic scores of the non‐ORIF group increased from 1.25 at 3 weeks to 2.75 at 6 months and showed statistically significant difference when compared to the sham group at all three time points (P = 0.011, 0.011, 0.015, respectively, <0.0167). Although the scores of the ORIF group showed apparent improvements (increased from 0.67 at 3 weeks to 2.00 at 6 months), there was no significant difference between the two modeled groups at all three time points.

Conclusion

The fracture model with high consistency and reproducibility showed progressive post‐traumatic osteoarthritic changes which could be improved by open reduction and internal fixation surgery and provided an alternative selection for investigating potential pathogenesis and pathology of post‐traumatic osteoarthritis following fracture of acetabulum.
Forecasting Exchange Rate Across Countries with Gold Price as Exogenous Variable Using Transfer Function and VARI-X Model
Authors: Sesay Alhassan , Suhartono Suhartono , Dwi Prastyo Dedy
Published: January 2021

Investors and collectors hold gold as protection for their savings and wealth atlarge. Gold does not pay interest like treasure bonds or savings accounts, but current goldprices often reflect increases and decreases of an asset. This research aims to provide amodel for the relationship between the exchange rate, which is vital in exporting gold, andgold prices across countries. The Australia, Brazil, and South Africa exchange rates areused as a case study against the gold price. The ARIMA model is used for forecasting goldprice as an input for the Transfer Function and VARIX models. The Transfer Functionmodel only considers the relationship between gold prices as input with the exchange ratein each country, whereas the VARIX model also considers the interrelationship betweenexchange rates in these countries. Daily data is used for the period 1st June 2010 to the28th February 2018. The RMSE and MAPE are used as criteria for selecting the bestmodel. The results show that VARIX is the best model for forecasting the Australianexchange rate, while the Transfer function is the best model for forecasting South Africanand Brazilian exchange rates.
Sensitivity and specificity of a method for diagnosis of military noise-induced hearing loss
Authors: Moore Brian C. J. , von Gablenz Petra
Published: January 2021

Moore [(2020). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 148, 884–894] proposed a method for the diagnosis of hearing loss produced by noise exposure during military service (denoted M-NIHL) based on the audiogram. This letter characterizes the sensitivity and specificity of the method, based on 116 ears of men claiming compensation for M-NIHL and 244 ears of an age-matched non-noise-exposed control group of men screened to match the noise-exposed group in age, absence of conductive hearing loss, no history of ear diseases, and asymmetry across ears ≤10 dB. The sensitivity was 0.97 and the specificity was 0.67, giving a discriminability index d′ of 2.3.
Salmonella
Genomics and Population Analyses Reveal High Inter- and Intraserovar Diversity in Freshwater
Authors: Deaven Abigail M. , Ferreira Christina M. , Reed Elizabeth A. , Chen See Jeremy R. , Lee Nora A. , Almaraz Eduardo , Rios Paula C. , Marogi Jacob G. , Lamendella Regina , Zheng Jie , Bell Rebecca L. , Shariat Nikki W.
Published: January 2021

Salmonella
is a leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the United States, and outbreaks linked to fresh produce are increasing. Understanding
Salmonella
ecology in freshwater is of importance, especially where irrigation practices or recreational use occur.
Structure-Guided Design of a Synthetic Mimic of an Endothelial Protein C Receptor-Binding PfEMP1 Protein
Authors: Barber Natalie M. , Lau Clinton K. Y. , Turner Louise , Watson Gareth , Thrane Susan , Lusingu John P. A. , Lavstsen Thomas , Higgins Matthew K.
Published: January 2021

Vaccines train our immune systems to generate antibodies which recognize pathogens. Some of these antibodies are highly protective, preventing infection, while others are ineffective.
Utility of endoscopic ultrasound in idiopathic acute recurrent pancreatitis
Authors: Tepox-Padrón Alejandra , Bernal-Mendez Rafael Ambrosio , Duarte-Medrano Gilberto , Romano-Munive Adriana Fabiola , Mairena-Valle Milton , Ramírez-Luna Miguel Ángel , Marroquin-Reyes Jose Daniel , Uscanga Luis , Chan Carlos , Domínguez-Rosado Ismael , Hernandez-Calleros Jorge , Pelaez-Luna Mario , Tellez-Avila Felix
Published: January 2021

Idiopathic acute recurrent pancreatitis (IARP) is defined as at least two episodes of acute pancreatitis with the complete or near-complete resolution of symptoms and signs of pancreatitis between episodes, without an identified cause. There is a paucity of information about the usefulness of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in IARP.

Objectives

To determine the diagnostic yield of EUS in IARP.

Design

A retrospective study was performed in patients with IARP evaluated by EUS between January 2009 and December 2016. Follow-up assessments of acute pancreatitis recurrence were carried out.

Results

Seventy-three patients with 102 EUS procedures were included. EUS was able to identify the cause of IARP in 55 patients (75.3%). The most common findings were chronic pancreatitis in 27 patients (49.1%), followed by lithiasic pathology in 24 patients (43.6%), and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm in four patients (7.3%). A directed treatment against EUS findings had a protective tendency associated with the final resolution of recurrence. There were no complications reported.

Conclusion

EUS performed in patients with IARP helped to identify a possible cause in 2/3 of the cases. The majority of patients have a treatable disease.
PEMCRC anaphylaxis study protocol: a multicentre cohort study to derive and validate clinical decision models for the emergency department management of children with anaphylaxis
Authors: Dribin Timothy E , Michelson Kenneth A , Vyles David , Neuman Mark I , Brousseau David C , Mistry Rakesh D , Dayan Peter S , Zhang Nanhua , Viswanathan Shiv , Witry John , Boyd Stephanie , Schnadower David
Published: January 2021

Introduction

There remain significant knowledge gaps about the management and outcomes of children with anaphylaxis. These gaps have led to practice variation regarding decisions to hospitalise children and length of observation periods following treatment with epinephrine. The objectives of this multicentre study are to (1) determine the prevalence of and risk factors for severe, persistent, refractory and biphasic anaphylaxis, as well as persistent and biphasic non-anaphylactic reactions; (2) derive and validate prediction models for emergency department (ED) discharge; and (3) determine data-driven lengths of ED and inpatient observation prior to discharge to home based on initial reaction severity.

Methods and analysis

The study is being conducted through the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee (PEMCRC). Children 6 months to less than 18 years of age presenting to 30 participating EDs for anaphylaxis from October 2015 to December 2019 will be eligible. The primary outcomes for each objective are (1) severe, persistent, refractory or biphasic anaphylaxis, as well as persistent or biphasic non-anaphylactic reactions; (2) safe ED discharge, defined as no receipt of acute anaphylaxis medications or hypotension beyond 4 hours from first administered dose of epinephrine; and (3) time from first to last administered dose of epinephrine and vasopressor cessation. Analyses for each objective include (1) descriptive statistics to estimate prevalence and generalised estimating equations that will be used to investigate risk factors for anaphylaxis outcomes, (2) least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and binary recursive partitioning to derive and validate prediction models of children who may be candidates for safe ED discharge, and (3) Kaplan-Meier analyses to assess timing from first to last epinephrine doses and vasopressor cessation based on initial reaction severity.

Ethics and dissemination

All sites will obtain institutional review board approval; results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated via traditional and social media, blogs and online education platforms.
Knowledge, attitude and practice concerning healthcare-associated infections among healthcare workers in Wuhan, China: cross-sectional study
Authors: Wu Wenwen , Wang Wenru , Yuan Yufeng , Lin Likai , Tan Yibin , Yang Jinru , Dai Li , Wang Ying
Published: January 2021

Objectives

To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) concerning healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) among healthcare givers and to identify the factors influencing KAP.

Design

This was a hospital-based, cross-sectional study.

Setting

Two public hospitals in Wuhan, central China.

Participants

Participants were recruited among healthcare workers (HCWs) of one general hospital and one children’s hospital in Wuhan city between 1 June and 30 September 2019.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The outcomes were KAPs concerning HAIs.

Results

Data from 455 HCWs were included in the final data analysis. The mean scores of KAP and total KAP were 15.67±3.32, 25.00±2.75, 43.44±5.15 and 84.76±6.72, respectively. The following factors were significantly associated with the total KAP score concerning HAIs, explaining 61% of the variance (p<0.001): gender (β=2.36, 95% CI 1.11 to 4.40), age (β=6.65, 95% CI 5.07 to 7.74), position (β=7.02, 95% CI 3.88 to 8.45), type of employment (β=−1.08, 95% CI −2.08 to −0.07), with HAI education within last year (β=−2.98, 95% CI −4.23 to −1.72), with invasive operation authority (β=−4.22, 95% CI −5.46 to −2.99), antibacterial drug training (β=−4.38, 95% CI −5.45 to −3.31) and with antibacterial drug training and clinical consultation (β=−4.35, 95% CI −5.38 to −3.32).

Conclusion

The controllable factors identified in this study can be used by hospital managers to implement measures that improve KAP among HCWs. Moreover, these measures should be customised, based on uncontrollable factors to suit the specific characteristics of medical staff and to improve KAP. Training programmes should be designed for medical workers to increase their awareness of HAIs and to foster positive attitudes and practices.
Impact of microfinance health interventions on health-related outcomes among female informal workers in Pakistan: a retrospective quasi-experimental study
Authors: Jafree Sara Rizvi , Zakar Rubeena , Ahsan Humna , Mustafa Mudasir , Fischer Florian
Published: January 2021

Objective

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of microfinance health interventions (health insurance and health-awareness programmes) on health-related outcomes among female informal workers in Pakistan.

Design

We conducted a retrospective, quasi-experimental study among a total of 442 female borrowers from seven microfinance providers (MFPs) across four provinces of Pakistan in 2018. A standardised tool was used for data collection. Probit regression was used to identify the probability of female borrowers gaining improvements in health outcomes based on their sociodemographic characteristics. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to assess the overall impact of health interventions.

Primary outcome measures

Four health-related outcomes reported by the women were used: perception of good health overall, ability to visit a general practitioner, ability to purchase prescribed medicine and intake of multivitamins.

Results

We found that women receiving health interventions had a greater probability of better health outcomes when they were from Punjab province, borrowing in groups and attending monthly meetings at MFPs. Even with a small loan amount, all four health-related outcomes were significantly associated with receiving health insurance and health-awareness programmes. PSM results show a greater likelihood of overall perceived good health (nearest neighbour matching (NNM) =17.4%; kernel matching (KM) =11.8%) when health insurance is provided and a significant improvement in the ability to purchase prescribed medicine when a health-awareness programme is provided (NNM=10.1%; KM=11.7%).

Conclusion

Health and social policies are vital to secure health and well-being among poor women working in the informal sector. Targeting improved equity across female population groups for health interventions will in the long run improve poor women’s health, income-earning abilities and capacity expansion for small businesses.
Benefits and safety of transdermal glyceryl trinitrate in acute stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials (protocol)
Authors: Lim Beng Leong , Lee Wei Feng , Ng Wei Ming , Tay Wei Ling , Chan Wui Ling
Published: January 2021

Introduction

High blood pressure (BP) in acute stroke has adverse outcomes. Transdermal glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) has beneficial properties in controlling BP. The 2016 meta-analysis and 2017 Cochrane review showed that transdermal GTN was beneficial in a small patient subgroup with stroke onset ≤6 hours. Larger studies focusing on this patient subgroup have since been conducted. We report the protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on the safety and benefits of transdermal GTN in acute stroke.

Methods and analysis

We will search Medline, Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Library from inception until June 2020 for randomised trials that report the efficacy and safety of transdermal GTN versus placebo/control therapy among adult patients with acute stroke. Primary outcomes include in-hospital mortality, BP lowering and late functional status. Secondary outcomes include early, late, resource utilisation and surrogate outcomes. Safety outcomes include reported adverse events. Reviewers will first screen titles and abstracts, and then full texts, to identify eligible studies. Independently and in duplicate, they will extract data, assess risk of bias (RoB) using a modified Cochrane RoB tool and quality of evidence using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Disagreement will be resolved by discussion and consultation with an external reviewer if necessary. Using a random-effects model, we will report effect sizes using relative risks and 95% CIs. We will perform predefined subgroup analyses: intracerebral haemorrhage versus ischaemic stroke; minor (NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) ≤five) versus major (NIHSS >five) ischaemic stroke; ischaemic stroke with versus without thrombolysis; prehospital versus non-prehospital settings; time from stroke to randomisation ≤6 versus >6 hours and high versus low overall RoB studies. We will also perform trial sequential analysis for the primary outcomes.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics board approval is unnecessary. PROSPERO registration has been obtained. The results will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020173093.
Novel non-invasive particles in exhaled air method to explore the lining fluid of small airways—a European population-based cohort study
Authors: Hussain-Alkhateeb Laith , Bake Björn , Holm Mathias , Emilsson Össur , Mirgorodskaya Ekaterina , Olin Anna-Carin
Published: January 2021

Introduction

Respiratory tract lining fluid of small airways mainly consists of surfactant that can be investigated by collection of the particles of exhaled aerosol (PExA) method. This offers an exciting prospect to monitor small airway pathology, including subjects with asthma and smokers.

Aim

To explore the influence of anthropometric factors and gender on phospholipids, surfactant protein A (SP-A) and albumin of the lining fluid of small airwaysand to examine the association with asthma and smoking. Furthermore, to examine if the surfactant components can predict lung function in terms of spirometry variables.

Method

This study employs the population-based cohort of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey III, including participants from Gothenburg city, Sweden (n=200). The PExA method enabled quantitative description and analytical analysis of phospholipids, SP-A and albumin of the lining fluid of small airways.

Results

Age was a significant predictor of the phospholipids. The components PC14:0/16:0, PC16:0/18:2 (PC, phosphatidylcholine) and SP-A were higher among subjects with asthma, whereas albumin was lower. Among smokers, there were higher levels particularly of di-palmitoyl-di-phosphatidyl-choline compared with non-smokers. Most phospholipids significantly predicted the spirometry variables.

Conclusion

This non-invasive PExA method appears to have great potential to explore the role of lipids and proteins of surfactant in respiratory disease.
Prioritising intubator safety in a pandemic: the details matter
Authors: Barnicle Ryan , Bracey Alexander , Zahid Bassam , Davic Alexandra , Weingart Scott
Published: January 2021

Our ED-intensive care unit has instituted a new protocol meant to maximise the safety of physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists involved with endotracheal intubation of patients known or suspected of being infected with the novel SARS-CoV-2. The level of detail involved with this checklist is a deviation from standard intubation practices and is likely unfamiliar to most emergency physicians. However, the two-person system used in our department removes the cognitive burden such complexity would otherwise demand and minimises the number of participants that would typically be exposed during endotracheal intubation. We share this checklist to demonstrate to other departments how adopting international airway guidelines to a specific institution can be achieved in order to promote healthcare worker safety.
Understanding implementation factors and participant experiences of a cluster randomised controlled trial to prevent falls among older Aboriginal people: a process evaluation protocol
Authors: Macniven Rona , Coombes Julieann , Wilson Roland , Simon Aaron , Mackean Tamara , Hunter Kate , Ma Tracey , Gwynn Josephine , Sherrington Catherine , Tiedemann Anne , Hill Anne-Marie , Delbaere Kim , Lewis Carolyn , Bennett-Brook Keziah , Howie Adam , Stewart Georgia , Shakespeare Madison , Rogers Kris , Ivers Rebecca Q , Clapham Kathleen
Published: January 2021

Introduction

Process evaluations examining programme implementation are often conducted in conjunction with effectiveness studies. Their inclusion in studies with Aboriginal participants can give an understanding of programme delivery in Aboriginal community contexts. TheIronbark: Standing Strong and Tallprogramme was codesigned with Aboriginal communities and includes exercise and facilitated ‘yarning’ discussion about fall risk and prevention strategies. The programme pilot showed favourable outcomes and acceptability for Aboriginal people aged 45 years and over. TheIronbark: Standing Strong and Tallprogramme is now being compared with a ‘Healthy Community’ programme in a cluster randomised controlled trial within Aboriginal health and community services. An embedded process evaluation aims to explore relationships between participation and programme outcomes and the quality of programme implementation.

Methods and analysis

The process evaluation will use a mixed methods design, guided by Indigenous research methodology. It will evaluate quantitative data (number of completed sessions, site coaching checklist tool, participant and facilitator questionnaire data and a participant habit formation scale), as well as qualitative data (open-ended responses from project and site staff and semistructured interviews using yarning with study participants and site managers). A programme logic model was developed to explain the intended inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes, which guided this process evaluation design.

Conclusion

This process evaluation of a fall prevention programme for older Aboriginal people using a mixed methods design and data triangulation will allow for a comprehensive understanding of study findings. Multiple study sites allow for generalisability of findings and exploration of variation across sites.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12619000349145.
Social inequality and the syndemic of chronic disease and COVID-19: county-level analysis in the USA
Authors: Islam Nazrul , Lacey Ben , Shabnam Sharmin , Erzurumluoglu A Mesut , Dambha-Miller Hajira , Chowell Gerardo , Kawachi Ichiro , Marmot Michael
Published: January 2021

Background

Given the effect of chronic diseases on risk of severe COVID-19 infection, the present pandemic may have a particularly profound impact on socially disadvantaged counties.

Methods

Counties in the USA were categorised into five groups by level of social vulnerability, using the Social Vulnerability Index (a widely used measure of social disadvantage) developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incidence and mortality from COVID-19, and the prevalence of major chronic conditions were calculated relative to the least vulnerable quintile using Poisson regression models.

Results

Among 3141 counties, there were 5 010 496 cases and 161 058 deaths from COVID-19 by 10 August 2020. Relative to the least vulnerable quintile, counties in the most vulnerable quintile had twice the rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths (rate ratios 2.11 (95% CI 1.97 to 2.26) and 2.42 (95% CI 2.22 to 2.64), respectively). Similarly, the prevalence of major chronic conditions was 24%–41% higher in the most vulnerable counties. Geographical clustering of counties with high COVID-19 mortality, high chronic disease prevalence and high social vulnerability was found, especially in southern USA.

Conclusion

Some counties are experiencing a confluence of epidemics from COVID-19 and chronic diseases in the context of social disadvantage. Such counties are likely to require enhanced public health and social support.
Effect of erenumab on functional outcomes in patients with episodic migraine in whom 2–4 preventives were not useful: results from the LIBERTY study
Authors: Lanteri-Minet Michel , Goadsby Peter J , Reuter Uwe , Wen Shihua , Hours-Zesiger Peggy , Ferrari Michel D , Klatt Jan
Published: January 2021

Objective

To evaluate the effect of erenumab on patient-reported, functional outcomes in patients with episodic migraine (EM) in whom 2–4 preventives were not useful from the Phase 3b LIBERTY study.

Methods

As previously reported, 246 patients with EM with 2–4 prior failed preventives were randomised 1:1 to subcutaneous erenumab 140 mg or placebo every 4 weeks for 12 weeks. This analysis evaluated Migraine Physical Function Impact Diary (MPFID), Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) scores at Week 12. P values were nominal without multiplicity adjustment.

Results

Erenumab significantly improved MPFID-Physical Impairment (PI) and Everyday Activities (EA) scores versus placebo (treatment difference (TD) (95% CI) MPFID-PI: −3.5 (−5.7 to –1.2) (p=0.003); MPFID-EA: −3.9 (−6.1 to –1.7)) (p<0.001) at 12 weeks. Patients on erenumab were more likely to have a ≥5-point reduction in MPFID score (OR vs placebo (95% CI) MPFID-EA: 2.1 (1.2 to 3.6); MPFID-PI: 2.5 (1.4 to 4.5)). A similar trend was observed for HIT-6 (TD: −3.0; p<0.001); significantly higher proportions of patients on erenumab reported a ≥5-point reduction (OR (95% CI): 2.4 (1.4 to 4.1)). In three out of four WPAI domains, erenumab showed improvement versus placebo.

Conclusion

At 12 weeks, erenumab was efficacious on functional outcomes in patients with EM in whom 2–4 preventives were not useful.

Trial registration details

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03096834.
Cerebrovascular assessments to help understand brain-related changes associated with aerobic exercise after stroke
Authors: Atwi Sarah , Sweeny Michelle , Cohen Ellen , Robertson Andrew D. , Marzolini Susan , Swardfager Walter , Swartz Richard H. , Oh Paul I. , MacIntosh Bradley J.
Published: January 2021

Evidence suggests exercise is “good medicine” after stroke, yet consensus is lacking on the time to initiate, type, exertion level, and duration per session. It remains a challenge to identify outcome measures for stroke−exercise trials that are sufficiently sensitive to intervention parameters. Cerebrovascular assessments, namely cerebral blood flow and intracranial pulsatility, are herein discussed as examples of quantitative brain-specific measures that may be useful to monitor exercise-related brain changes and help to guide stroke rehabilitation interventions.

Novelty: Cerebral blood flow and arterial stiffness are potential vascular targets for stroke exercise trials.
Account Guarantee Scheme
Authors: Cheng Lichen , Liu Jiqiang , Jin Yi , Li Yidong , Wang Wei
Published: January 2021

In blockchain networks, reaching effective supervision while maintaining anonymity to the public has been an ongoing challenge. In existing solutions, certification authorities need to record all pairs of identities and pseudonyms, which is demanding and costly. This article proposed an account guarantee scheme to realize feasible supervision for existing anonymous blockchain networks with lower storage costs. Users are able to guarantee anonymous accounts with account guarantee key pairs generated from certificated polynomial functions, which inherently maintains one-to-n mapping certifications. Single or limited account guarantee key pairs do not leak privacy. Victims are able to request TCs to screen a cheater or disclose a cheater with enough fraud transactions by themselves. Detailed security and privacy analysis showed that the account guarantee scheme preserves user privacy and realizes feasible supervision. Experimental results demonstrated that the account guarantee scheme is efficient and practical.
Beyond Frequency
Authors: Gan Wensheng , Lin Jerry Chun-Wei , Fournier-Viger Philippe , Chao Han-Chieh , Yu Philip S.
Published: January 2021

Consumer behavior plays a very important role in economics and targeted marketing. However, understanding economic consumer behavior is quite challenging, such as finding credible and reliable information on product profitability. Different from frequent pattern mining, utility-oriented mining integrates utility theory and data mining. Utility mining is a useful tool for understanding economic consumer behavior. Traditional algorithms for mining high-utility patterns (HUPs) applies a single/uniform minimum utility threshold (
minutil
) to obtain the set of HUPs, but in some real-life circumstances, some specific products may bring lower utilities compared with others, but their profit may offer some vital information. If
minutil
is set high, the patterns with low
minutil
are missed; if
minutil
is set low, the number of patterns becomes unmanageable. In this article, an efficient one-phase utility-oriented pattern mining algorithm, called HIMU, is proposed for mining HUPs with varied item-specific minimum utility. A novel tree structure called a multiple item utility set-enumeration tree (MIU-tree) and the global sorted and the conditional downward closure properties are introduced in HIMU. In addition, we extended the compact utility-list structure to keep the necessary information, and thus this one-phase HIMU model greatly reduces the computational costs and memory requirements. Moreover, two pruning strategies are then extended to enhance the performance. We conducted extensive experiments in several synthetic and real-world datasets; the results indicate that the designed one-phase HIMU algorithm can address the “
rare item problem
” and has better performance than the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of runtime, memory usage, and scalability. Furthermore, the enhanced algorithms outperform the non-optimized HIMU approach.
"So-called privacy breeds evil"
Authors: Bellini Rosanna , Tseng Emily , McDonald Nora , Greenstadt Rachel , McCoy Damon , Ristenpart Thomas , Dell Nicola
Published: January 2021

A growing body of research suggests that intimate partner abusers use digital technologies to surveil their partners, including by installing spyware apps, compromising devices and online accounts, and employing social engineering tactics. However, to date, this form of privacy violation, called intimate partner surveillance (IPS), has primarily been studied from the perspective of victim-survivors. We present a qualitative study of how potential perpetrators of IPS harness the emotive power of sharing personal narratives to validate and legitimise their abusive behaviours. We analysed 556 stories of IPS posted on publicly accessible online forums dedicated to the discussion of sexual infidelity. We found that many users share narrative posts describing IPS as they boast about their actions, advise others on how to perform IPS without detection, and seek suggestions for next steps to take. We identify a set of common thematic story structures, justifications for abuse, and outcomes within the stories that provide a window into how these individuals believe their behaviour to be justified. Using these stories, we develop a four-stage framework that captures the change in a potential perpetrator's approach to IPS. We use our findings and framework to guide a discussion of efforts to combat abuse, including how we can identify crucial moments where interventions might be safely applied to prevent or deescalate IPS.
"Pick Someone Who Can Kick Your Ass" - Moneywork in Financial Third Party Access
Authors: Barros Pena Belén , Kursar Bailey , Clarke Rachel E. , Alpin Katie , Holkar Merlyn , Vines John
Published: January 2021

This paper explores some of the new possibilities for financial third party access that are enabled by "open banking". The term open banking is used to designate the availability of banks' customer data through application programming interfaces (APIs). Financial third party access refers to the mechanisms that facilitate the engagement of others in the management of our personal finances. Engaging trusted others in personal finances may be especially valuable for individuals experiencing financial hardship or life circumstances that place their financial stability at risk. We deployed a new third party access tool enabled by the UK Open Banking APIs for 90 days with 14 people who self-identified as living with a mental health condition. The tool, which was developed by a financial technology startup founded by the second author, allowed participants to select a trusted "ally" who was notified when certain transactions took place in participants' bank accounts. During the deployment, the 14 participants and 8 of their "allies" took part in a diary study and pre- and post-deployment interviews. The experiences of our participants reveal the inadequacy and shortcomings of existing formal third party access mechanisms, and the moneywork involved in financial third party access. We argue that focusing on this moneywork can help us design flexible, proportionate and practice-sensitive services for financial third party access that move beyond discourses of protection and control in order to enable meaningful financial collaboration.
Personalised Services in Social Situations
Authors: Haapoja Jesse , Lampinen Airi , Vesala Kari Mikko
Published: January 2021

We present a qualitative study of how personal accounts on online services, such as Tinder, Netflix and Spotify, may be shared in particular social situations. We draw from agency theory's focus on principal-agent relationships and Goffman's work on frames in analysing situations where others are allowed to use personal accounts, either for a shared purpose or on behalf of the account owner. We deploy Goffman's concepts of regrounding to understand how interests behind activities are transformed and brackets to draw attention to the boundaries of different frames, and how these are incurred or broken in situations that exceed personal account use. Based on a set of 43 written descriptions of account sharing, we depict how employing others to act as agents to use one's personal accounts may lead to playful or serious use. Additionally, we discuss consequentiality of sharing personalised services, considering both what services might reveal about the account owner and how sharing takes place in the context of relationships. We contribute by illustrating how users' relationships with personalised services are complicated by the different interests that are served when accounts are shared.
Learning from Family Mysteries
Authors: Jones Jasmine , Ackerman Mark S.
Published: January 2021

Given the importance and social significance of passing down family stories to each generation, why do important family stories not get told? How should designers of digital family storytelling platforms address missing or incomplete parts of narratives? Drawing from the results of an interview-based, practice-oriented inquiry, we argue that non-telling should be considered an important and integral part of family storytelling. Our findings show that non-telling is not simply silence. Non-telling allows family members to observe protective and discretionary values essential to the identity-making and relational goals of family storytelling. We also show ways that a person's reticence is situated and may change over time. In our discussion, we provide design strategies for family storytelling technologies to make room for silence and incorporate the values, purposes, and practices of non-telling.
Narrative Maps
Authors: Keith Norambuena Brian Felipe , Mitra Tanushree
Published: January 2021

Narratives are fundamental to our perception of the world and are pervasive in all activities that involve the representation of events in time. Yet, modern online information systems do not incorporate narratives in their representation of events occurring over time. This article aims to bridge this gap, combining the theory of narrative representations with the data from modern online systems. We make three key contributions: a theory-driven computational representation of narratives, a novel extraction algorithm to obtain these representations from data, and an evaluation of our approach. In particular, given the effectiveness of visual metaphors, we employ a route map metaphor to design a narrative map representation. The narrative map representation illustrates the events and stories in the narrative as a series of landmarks and routes on the map. Each element of our representation is backed by a corresponding element from formal narrative theory, thus providing a solid theoretical background to our method. Our approach extracts the underlying graph structure of the narrative map using a novel optimization technique focused on maximizing coherence while respecting structural and coverage constraints. We showcase the effectiveness of our approach by performing a user evaluation to assess the quality of the representation, metaphor, and visualization. Evaluation results indicate that the Narrative Map representation is a powerful method to communicate complex narratives to individuals. Our findings have implications for intelligence analysts, computational journalists, and misinformation researchers.