bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Peer support interventions in type 2 diabetes: Review of components and process outcomes
Authors: Afshar Rowshanak , Tang Tricia S. , Askari Amir S. , Sidhu Rawel , Brown Helen , Sherifali Diana 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundThis review seeks to identify (a) the various components and process outcomes of type 2 diabetes peer support (PS) interventions and (b) the measures implemented to monitor intervention fidelity and evaluate outcomes in these studies.MethodsThe MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE (Excerpta Medica Database), CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and PsycINFO databases were searched from inception to May 2019. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data from eligible articles via the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist (why, what, who provided, how, where, when and how much, tailoring, modifications, and how well).ResultsTwenty‐three trials were included. The total number of participants was 7178. Most interventions were in primary care. Although face‐to‐face was the most common modality of contact, rates of contact were highest for telephone. Potential peer leaders (PLs) were identified primarily through recommendations from health professionals, based on their communication skills, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and coaching interest. PLs were mostly female, university educated, and had a long history of diabetes (≥ 10 years). PL training varied significantly in length and content; the two most frequent topics were communication skills and diabetes knowledge. Although several studies implemented methods to evaluate “intervention fidelity,” only few rigorously assessed the two key components of fidelity, “adherence” and “competence,” through audio‐ and video‐taping or direct observations.ConclusionsThe impact of PS on participants' health outcomes is well investigated; however, the implementation and evaluation strategies vary significantly across these studies. In the present review, we define the various components of PS interventions and propose suggestions for enhancing the implementation and evaluation of future PS models.
Analysis of genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S‐transferase (GSTP1, GSTM1, and GSTT1) in Polish patients with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Barańska Małgorzata , Rychlik‐Sych Mariola , Skrętkowicz Jadwiga , Dudarewicz Michał , Dziankowska‐Bartkowiak Bożena , Owczarek Jacek , Orszulak–Michalak Daria , Waszczykowska Elżbieta 
Published: October 2019

AbstractAimIt is commonly assumed that a genetically determined polymorphism of xenobiotic biotransformation plays a particular role in the development of such disease entities in which chemical compounds and environmental pollutants are relevant etiologic factors. Systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma) belongs to diseases of connective tissue, characterized by chronic inflammation developing on an autoimmune background. The current state of knowledge on the etiopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases indicates the existence of many factors affecting the development of the disease, including factors of the external environment. Considering all the above, a study on a role of genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S‐transferase has been undertaken in which predisposition to SSc in a Polish population was assessed.MethodsThe study was carried out in 161 subjects: 61 patients with SSc and 100 healthy volunteers. A determination of the polymorphism of GSTM1 and GSTT1 was performed with a multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction). The GSTP1 polymorphism was determined by using the PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism.ResultsThe risk of developing SSc was 3‐fold higher for persons with the null GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes (odds ratio [OR] = 3.3; P = .0051). The risk for SSc was also demonstrated to be over 2.5‐fold greater in the GSTP1 Ile/Val genotype individuals (OR = 2.62; P = .0037). Carriers of the GSTP1 Val variant allele had a greater than 2‐fold increase in SSc risk (OR = 2.41; P = .0006).ConclusionThe genetic polymorphism of glutathione S‐transferase may affect the risk of SSc in a Polish population.
Keep Calm and Carry On (Differently): NATO and CSDP after Brexit
Authors: Cladi Lorenzo , Locatelli Andrea 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThis article investigates the impact that Brexit could have on the relationship between NATO and the Common European Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The relationship between NATO and CSDP has historically not been straightforward and Brexit seems to have intervened as an aggravating factor. In fact, the EU has launched a series of military initiatives and it has now renewed its ambition to create separate military headquarters from NATO. The UK will join countries such as Norway and Turkey in being a member of NATO but not of the EU, affording greater importance to NATO to the detriment of cooperation with its European allies. This article provides an analytical framework to analyse the possible effects of Brexit upon the EU–NATO relationship. In so doing, it lays out three distinct levels of analysis. These are the state level, the inter‐organisational level and, finally, the personnel level. The levels of analysis allow us to generate empirical observations, which then lead us to suggest three scenarios for the development of the EU–NATO relationship beyond Brexit.
How Reliably Do Empirical Tests Identify Tax Avoidance?
Authors: De Simone Lisa , Nickerson Jordan , Seidman Jeri , Stomberg Bridget 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTResearch on the determinants of tax avoidance have relied on tests using GAAP and cash effective tax rates (ETRs) and total and permanent book‐tax differences. Two new proxies have emerged that overcome documented limitations of these proxies: one, developed by Henry and Sansing (2018), allows for more meaningful interpretation of results estimated in samples that include loss observations. The other, reserves for unrecognized tax benefits (UTB), provides new data on tax uncertainty. We offer empirical evidence on how well tests using these new proxies perform relative to those extensively used in prior research. The paper finds that tests using the proxy developed by Henry and Sansing (2018) have lower power relative to those using other proxies across all samples, including a sample that includes loss observations. In contrast, when firms accrue reserves for uncertain tax avoidance, tests using the current‐year addition to the UTB have the highest power across all proxies, samples, and levels of reserves. In the absence of reserves, tests using the GAAP ETR best detect uncertain tax avoidance, on average. This study contributes to the literature by using a controlled environment to provide the first large‐scale empirical evidence on how the power of tests varies with the use of relatively new proxies, the inclusion of loss observations, and the advent of FIN 48.
Freestanding Emergency Department Entry and Market‐level Spending on Emergency Care
Authors: Ho Vivian , Xu Yingying , Akhter Murtaza 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundFreestanding emergency departments (FrEDs) could reduce wait times in overcrowded emergency departments (EDs), but they might also increase usage and overall spending for emergency care. We investigate the relationship between the number of FrEDs entering a local market and overall spending on emergency care.MethodsWe accessed data from Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas in Blue Cross Blue Shield Axis; a limited data set of deidentified insurance data claims that we linked to Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) data from the American Community Survey; and lists of licensed FrEDs from state agencies. Regression analysis was used to estimate the association between changes in the number of FrEDs in 495 PUMAs and total spending on emergency care, out‐of‐pocket spending, utilization, and price per visit from January 2013 to December 2017. Final estimates came from a PUMA‐level fixed‐effects model, with controls for state, quarter, and PUMA‐level demographics.ResultsEntry of an additional FrED in a PUMA was associated with a 3.6 percentage point (pp; CI = 2.4 to 4.9) increase in emergency provider reimbursement per insured beneficiary in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. There was no change in spending (2.5 pp; CI = −8.2 to 3.1) associated with a FrED's entry in Arizona. Entry of an additional FrED was associated with a 0.18 (CI = 0.12 to 0.23) increase in the number of emergency care visits per 100 enrollees in Texas, Florida, and Arizona. In contrast, entry of another FrED was not associated with a change in utilization (−0.03; CI = −0.09 to 0.02) in North Carolina. Estimated out‐of‐pocket payments for emergency care increased 3.6 pp (CI = 2.5 to 4.8) with the entry of a FrED in Texas, Florida, and Arizona, but declined by 15.3 pp (CI = −26.8 to −3.7) in North Carolina.ConclusionsRather than functioning as substitutes for hospital‐based EDs, FrEDs have increased local market spending on emergency care in three of four states’ markets where they have entered. State policy makers and researchers should carefully track spending and utilization of emergency care as FrEDs disseminate to better understand their potential health benefits and cost implications for patients.
A Crisis of Opportunity: Market‐Making, Big Data, and the Consolidation of Migration as Risk
Authors: Taylor Linnet , Meissner Fran 
Published: October 2019

AbstractCrisis narratives surrounding Europe’s 2015 migration influx fuelled demands for new ways of tracking, mapping and predicting human mobility. We explore how market opportunities for technology firms and data analytics start‐ups created by the EU’s Global Approach to Migration led to solutionistic approaches to compiling and analysing migration statistics. We show that initiatives such as the rebranding of existing platforms and services as migration prediction systems are consolidating policy conceptualisations of migration as risk. Despite the promise of greater granularity, this “big data approach” cannot offer greater certainty about who is on the move and why. Instead such approaches are ill‐suited to understanding the complex dynamics of migration and to offering protection to vulnerable people. The marketisation of migration statistics through big data offers a key case for advancing progressive approaches to both migration statistics and global data justice.
Impassable scientific, ethical and legal barriers to body‐to‐head transplantation
Authors: Lei Ruipeng , Qiu Renzong 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThis article consists of four parts. In the first part it briefly describes the history of body‐to‐head transplantation (BHT) and the surgical plan proposed by Drs. Sergio Canavero and Ren Xiaoping on a human subject. In the second part it argues that the BHT procedure that they propose is scientifically invalid and technically infeasible so therefore would end in failure. In the third part it argues that the present conceivable procedure of BHT cannot be ethically justified because it would bring great harm to the human subject, it is uncertain who would be the possible beneficiary, and valid informed consent cannot be obtained. In the fourth part it argues that the action of performing the procedure of BHT might violate China’s current criminal and civil laws. The conclusion that follows from the arguments above is that BHT should be prohibited now and also in the near future. However, this conclusion does not preclude scientists, neurosurgeons and bioethicists doing research into scientific, technical, surgical and ethical issues raised by BHT.
TheraP: a randomized phase 2 trial of 177Lu‐PSMA‐617 theranostic treatment vs cabazitaxel in progressive metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (Clinical Trial Protocol ANZUP 1603)
Authors: Hofman Michael S. , Emmett Louise , Violet John , Y. Zhang Alison , Lawrence Nicola J. , Stockler Martin , Francis Roslyn J. , Iravani Amir , Williams Scott , Azad Arun , Martin Andrew , McJannett Margaret ,   ANZUP TheraP team, Davis Ian D. 
Published: October 2019

ObjectiveTo assess the activity and safety of cabazitaxel chemotherapy vs that of treatment with 177Lu‐PSMA‐617, a novel radiolabelled small molecule that binds with high affinity to prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA), in men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have received prior docetaxel treatment.Patients and methodsThe TheraP trial (ANZUP 1603) is an open‐label, randomized, stratified, two‐arm multicentre phase 2 trial comparing the activity and safety of cabazitaxel chemotherapy vs 177Lu‐PSMA‐617 therapy in the treatment of men with mCRPC. Key eligibility criteria include prior docetaxel chemotherapy, rising prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level, sufficient PSMA avidity, as defined by centrally reviewed 68Ga‐PSMA‐11 and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)‐positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) with no discordant FDG‐avid PSMA‐negative sites of disease. Patients in the control group receive standard treatment with cabazitaxel (20 mg/m2) i.v. every 3 weeks with prednisolone 10 mg daily orally, for a maximum of 10 cycles. Patients in the experimental group receive 177Lu‐PSMA‐617 (8.5 GBq decreasing by 0.5 GBq per cycle) i.v. every 6 weeks, for up to a maximum of six cycles. In the event of an exceptional response as defined on centrally reviewed post‐therapy single‐photon emission CT imaging, treatment will be suspended but can recommence on progression. The trial aims to include 200 patients who will be centrally randomized to one of the two treatment groups, in a 1:1 ratio. The primary endpoint is PSA response. Secondary endpoints are overall survival, progression‐free survival (PFS), radiographic PFS, PSA PFS, objective tumour response, pain response, pain PFS, health‐related quality of life, and frequency and severity of adverse events. The treatment and outcomes of patients excluded on the basis of low PSMA avidity or discordant FDG‐avid disease on screening 68Ga‐PSMA‐11 and Fluorine‐18 (18F)‐FDG‐PET/CT scan will also be assessed. Enrolment in the study commenced on 29 January 2018.Results and Conclusions177Lu‐PSMA‐617 offers a potential additional life‐prolonging treatment option for men with mCRPC. The results of this trial will determine, for the first time in a randomized design, the activity and safety of 177Lu‐PSMA‐617, as compared with cabazitaxel chemotherapy in men with progressive mCRPC.
The cardiovascular risk profile of middle‐aged women with polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Meun Cindy , Gunning Marlise N , Louwers Yvonne V , Peters Henrike , Roos‐Hesselink Jolien , Roeters van Lennep Jeanine , Rueda Ochoa Oscar‐Leonel , Appelman Yolande , Lambalk Nils , Boersma Eric , Kavousi Maryam , Fauser Bart CJM , Laven Joop SE ,   on behalf of the CREW consortium
Published: October 2019

AbstractObjectivesContradictory results have been reported regarding the association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We assessed the cardiometabolic phenotype and prevalence of CVD in middle‐aged women with PCOS, compared with age‐matched controls from the general population, and estimated 10‐year CVD risk and cardiovascular health score.DesignA cross‐sectional study.Participants200 women aged >45 with PCOS, and 200 age‐matched controls.MeasurementsAnthropometrics, insulin, lipid levels, prevalence of metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes. Ten‐year Framingham risk score and the cardiovascular health score were calculated, and carotid intima‐media thickness (cIMT) was measured.ResultsMean age was 50.5 years (SD = 5.5) in women with PCOS and 51.0 years (SD = 5.2) in controls. Increased waist circumference, body mass index and hypertension were more often observed in women with PCOS (P < .001). In women with PCOS, the prevalence of type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome was not significantly increased and lipid levels were not different from controls. cIMT was lower in women with PCOS (P < .001). Calculated cardiovascular health and 10‐year CVD risk were similar in women with PCOS and controls.ConclusionsMiddle‐aged women with PCOS exhibit only a moderately unfavourable cardiometabolic profile compared to age‐matched controls, even though they present with an increased BMI and waist circumference. Furthermore, we found no evidence for increased (10‐year) CVD risk or more severe atherosclerosis compared with controls from the general population. Long‐term follow‐up of women with PCOS is necessary to provide a definitive answer concerning long‐term risk for CVD.
Anhedonia across borders: Transdiagnostic relevance of reward dysfunction for noninvasive brain stimulation endophenotypes
Authors: Spano Maria Chiara , Lorusso Marco , Pettorruso Mauro , Zoratto Francesca , Di Giuda Daniela , Martinotti Giovanni , di Giannantonio Massimo 
Published: October 2019

AbstractIntroductionAnhedonia is a transdiagnostic psychopathological dimension, consisting in the impaired ability to experience pleasure. In order to further our understanding of its neural correlates and to explore its potential relevance as a predictor of treatment response, in this article we systematically reviewed studies involving anhedonia and neuromodulation interventions, across different disorders.MethodsWe included seven studies fulfilling inclusion/exclusion criteria and involving different measures of anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia, as well as different noninvasive brain stimulation interventions (transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation). Studies not exploring hedonic measures or not involving neuromodulation intervention were excluded.ResultsAll the included studies entailed the use of rTMS protocols in one of the diverse prefrontal targets. The limited amount of studies and the heterogeneity of stimulation protocols did not allow to draw any conclusion with regard to the efficacy of rTMS in the treatment of transnosographic anhedonia. A potential for anhedonia in dissecting possible endophenotypes of different psychopathological conditions preliminarily emerged.ConclusionsAnhedonia is an underexplored condition in neuromodulation trials. It may represent a valuable transdiagnostic dimension that requires further examination in order to discover new clinical predictors for treatment response.
Worker Activism and Enterprise Union Reform in China: A Case Study of Grassroots Union Agency in the Auto Parts Industry
Authors: Zhang Lu , Yang Tao 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTResearch on Chinese trade unions has privileged a state‐centred, structuralist approach, while the question of union agency has remained undertheorized. Seeking to overcome this limitation, this article examines the agency, the strategies and practice, and the limits and potentials of enterprise union reform in China's auto parts industry driven by worker activism since the wave of auto strikes in 2010. Drawing on in‐depth fieldwork conducted in Guangzhou and Chongqing between 2011 and 2017, the authors reveal variegated but constrained grassroots union agency and identify four key factors to explain the variations in the operation and reform of enterprise unions. Contrary to the common perception that Chinese trade unions are of no value to workers, the authors argue that, driven by worker activism and under specific circumstances, democratically elected enterprise unions are able to exploit certain operational space within the existing political and institutional constraints to carry out substantive collective bargaining and adaptive, incremental reforms, which have improved workers’ material well‐being and union representativeness and effectiveness. However, given the authoritarian regime and state‐controlled union structure, the space for grassroots union agency is severely restricted and contingent on broader political and economic environments. With growing state repression, the future of worker‐driven grassroots union reform is unclear.
Oral semaglutide for type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Avgerinos Ioannis , Michailidis Theodoros , Liakos Aris , Karagiannis Thomas , Matthews David R. , Tsapas Apostolos , Bekiari Eleni 
Published: October 2019

AbstractAimTo assess the efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide, a novel glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, for patients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library and grey literature sources up to July 1, 2019 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral semaglutide with placebo or other antidiabetic agents. The primary outcome was change from baseline in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes included change from baseline in body weight and blood pressure, cardiovascular endpoints, severe hypoglycaemia, gastrointestinal adverse events and diabetic retinopathy. We synthesized results using weighted mean differences (WMDs) for continuous outcomes and odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous outcomes, along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsWe included 11 RCTs with 9890 patients in the systematic review. Compared with placebo, oral semaglutide reduced HbA1c and body weight (WMD –0.89%, 95% CI −1.07 to −0.71 and − 2.99 kg, 95% CI −3.69 to −2.30, respectively). Oral semaglutide was also superior to other active comparators (including liraglutide, empagliflozin and sitaglipitin) in terms of lowering HbA1c (WMD –0.35%, 95% CI −0.43 to −0.26) and reduction of body weight (WMD −1.48 kg, 95% CI −2.28 to −0.67), and had a favourable effect on systolic blood pressure. Compared with placebo, oral semaglutide reduced all‐cause mortality (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.92) and cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.98), and had a neutral effect on myocardial infarction, stroke, severe hypoglycaemia and diabetic retinopathy. However, treatment with oral semaglutide increased the incidence of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, while events of acute pancreatitis were rare.ConclusionsOral semaglutide can effectively and safely reduce blood glucose, body weight and systolic blood pressure. Nevertheless, it is associated with increased incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events. Further research is needed to clarify its long‐term safety and comparative effectiveness against other antidiabetic agents.