bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mortality Among Male Cigar and Cigarette Smokers in the U.S.
Authors: Rodu Brad , Plurphanswat Nantaporn 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background. Cigars and cigarettes are both smoked, but much less is known about the former’s long-term health effects, due to its low prevalence and infrequent collection of cigar information in national surveys. Purpose. We conducted a follow-up mortality study of cigar-smoking men age 40-79 years in National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS). Methods. We used pooled NHIS files linked to the National Death Index to obtain follow-up from year of interview to year of death or December 31, 2015. We developed categories of cigarette and cigar smoking that accommodate dual and former use of both products. We used Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, income, health status, body mass index, and region to estimate hazard ratios (HRs, 95% confidence intervals, CI) for mortality from all causes, heart diseases, malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases and two mutually exclusive categories: smoking-related and other diseases. Results. There were 14,628 deaths from all causes, including 3,420 never tobacco users, 3,266 exclusive cigarette smokers, and 176 exclusive cigar users. The latter had no statistically significant evidence of increased mortality from all causes, heart diseases, malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular disease, smoking related diseases or other causes. In contrast, the mortality experience of dual users of cigars and cigarettes and cigar smokers who formerly used cigarettes is similar to exclusive cigarette smokers. Conclusions. This study provides evidence that male cigar smokers age 40+ years had elevated mortality risks. However, after accounting for cigarette smoking and other confounding variables, we found significantly increased mortality only among dual and former users of cigarettes.
Location Inference for Hidden Population with Online Text Analysis
Authors: Liu Chuchu , Cao Ziqiang , Lu Xin 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background: Understanding the geographic distribution of hidden population, such as men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, or injecting drug users, are of great importance for the adequate deployment of intervention strategies and public health decision making. However, due to the hard-to-access properties, e.g., lack of a sampling frame, sensitivity issue, reporting error, etc., traditional survey methods are largely limited when studying such populations. With data extracted from the very active online community of MSM in China, in this study we adopt and develop location inferring methods to achieve a high-resolution mapping of users in this community at national level. Methods: We collect a comprehensive dataset from the largest sub-community related to MSM topics in Baidu Tieba, covering 628,360 MSM-related users. Based on users’ publicly available posts, we evaluate and compare the performances of mainstream location inference algorithms on the online locating problem of Chinese MSM population. To improve the inference accuracy, other approaches in natural language processing are introduced into the location extraction, such as context analysis and pattern recognition. In addition, we develop a hybrid voting algorithm (HVA-LI) by allowing different approaches to vote to determine the best inference results, which guarantees a more effective way on location inference for hidden population.Results: By comparing the performances of popular inference algorithms, we find that the classic gazetteer-based algorithm has achieved better results. And in the HVA-LI algorithms, the hybrid algorithm consisting of the simple gazetteer-based method and named entity recognition (NER) is proven to be the best to deal with inferring users’ locations disclosed in short texts on online communities, improving the inferring accuracy from 50.3% to 71.3% on the MSM-related dataset.Conclusions: In this study, we have explored the possibility of location inferring by analyzing textual content posted by online users. A more effective hybrid algorithm, i.e., the Gazetteer & NER algorithm is proposed, which is conducive to overcoming the sparse location labeling problem in user profiles, and can be extended to the inference of geo-statistics for other hidden populations.
Transcriptional response of Bacillus megaterium FDU301 to PEG200-mediated arid stress
Authors: Zhao Lei , Zhou Yanjun , Li Jianbei , Xia Yucheng , Wang Weiyun , Luo Xiuqi , Yin Juan , Zhong Jiang 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background: For microorganisms on a paper surface, the lack of water is one of the most important stress factors. A strain of Bacillus megaterium FDU301 was isolated from plaques on a paper surface using culture medium with polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG200) to simulate an arid condition. Global transcriptomic analysis of B. megaterium FDU301 grown under normal and simulated arid conditions was performed via RNA-seq technology to identify genes involved in arid stress adaptation.Results: The transcriptome of B. megaterium FDU301 grown in LB medium under arid (15% PEG200 (w/w)) and normal conditions were compared. A total of 2941 genes were differentially expressed, including 1422 genes upregulated and 1519 genes downregulated under arid conditions. Oxidative stress-responsive regulatory genes perR, fur, and tipA were significantly upregulated, along with DNA protecting protein (dps), and catalase (katE). Genes related to Fe2+ uptake (feoB), sporulation stage II (spoIIB, spoIIE, spoIIGA), small acid-soluble spore protein (sspD), and biosynthesis of compatible solute ectoine (ectB, ectA) were also highly expressed to various degrees. Oxidative phosphorylation-related genes (atpB, atpE, atpF, atpH, atpA, atpG, atpD, atpC) and glycolysis-related genes (pgk, tpiA, frmA) were significantly downregulated.Conclusion: This is the first report about transcriptomic analysis of a B. megaterium to explore the mechanism of arid resistance. Major changes in transcription were seen in the arid condition simulated by PEG200 (15%), with the most important one being genes related to oxidative stress. The results showed a complex mechanism for the bacteria to adapt to arid stress.
Bloodstream infections&nbsp;caused by ST2 Acinetobacter baumannii: Risk factors, antibiotic regimens, and virulence over 6 years period in China
Authors: Yu Kaihang , Zeng Weiliang , Xu Ye , Liao Wenli , Xu Wenya , Zhou Tieli , Cao Jianming , Chen Lijiang 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background: Bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) has been increasingly observed among hospitalized patients. The following study analyzed the epidemiology and microbiological characteristics of MDR-AB, as well as the clinical features, antimicrobial treatments, and outcomes in patients over a six years period in ChinaMethods: This retrospective study was conducted in a large tertiary hospital in China between January 2013 and December 2018. The clinical and microbiological data of all consecutive hospitalized patients with MDR-AB induced bloodstream infection were included and analyzed.Results: A total of 108 BSI episodes were analyzed. All MDR isolates belonged to ST2. Overall, ST2 strains showed strong biofilm formation ability, high serum resistance, and high pathogenicity. As for the clinical characteristics of the patient, 30-day mortality was 69.4% (75/108). The three main risk factors included mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and thrombocytopenia; three protective factors included a change of antimicrobial regimen within 48 h after bacteria isolation from blood, use of the antibacterial agent combination, and more inpatient days. The most effective antibacterial regimen was the combination of cefoperazone/sulbactam and tigecycline.Conclusions: BSI caused by ST2 A.baumannii represents a difficult challenge for physicians, considering the high mortality associated with this infection. The combination of cefoperazone/sulbactam and tigecycline may be an effective treatment option.
Dosimetric comparison between dynamic wave arc and co-planar volumetric modulated radiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer
Authors: Abdelghaffar Alshaymaa , Kishi Noriko , Ashida Ryo , Matsuo Yukinori , Hirashima Hideaki , Mukumoto Nobutaka , Yoshimura Michio , Nakamura Mitsuhiro , Mohamed Ahmed El Sayed , Ali Elsayed Mostafa , Gaber Mohamed Soliman , Mizowaki Takashi 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background: Dose reduction to the duodenum is important to decrease gastrointestinal toxicities in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy. We aimed to compare dynamic wave arc (DWA), a volumetric-modulated beam delivery technique with simultaneous gantry/ring rotations passing the waved trajectories, with coplanar VMAT (co-VMAT) with respect to dose distributions in LAPC. Methods: DWA and co-VMAT plans were created for 13 patients with LAPC in the pancreatic head or body. The prescribed dose was 45.6 or 48 Gy in 15 fractions. The dose volume indices (DVIs) for the gross tumor volume, planning target volume (PTV), stomach, duodenum, small bowel, large bowel, kidney, liver, and spinal cord were compared between the corresponding plans. The values of the gamma passing rate, monitor unit (MU), and beam-on time were also compared. Results: The volumes of the duodenum receiving 39, 42, and 45 Gy were significantly reduced to 2.8, 0.8 and 0.15 cm3 in DWA from 3.9, 1.6 and 0.34 cm3 in co-VMAT, respectively. The mean dose of the liver and D2cm3 of the planning volume for the spinal cord were significantly increased to 6.9 and 31.7 Gy in DWA from 5.9 and 30.2 Gy in co-VMAT, respectively. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in the target volumes except for dose irradiated to 2% of PTV (110.4% in DWA vs. 109.6% in co-VMAT). There were also no significant differences in the other DVIs. Further, the gamma passing rate was 96.5% for DWA and 96.7% for co-VMAT (p = 0.65). The MU was significantly higher in DWA than in co-VMAT (620 vs. 589, p = 0.001), and there was a significant increase in the beam-on time (104 sec vs. 89 sec, p = 0.04).Conclusion: DWA was superior to co-VMAT regarding dose distributions in the duodenum in LAPC, albeit with slight increasing doses to the liver and the spinal cord and increasing MU and the beam delivery time. Further evaluation is needed to know how the dose differences would affect the clinical outcomes in chemoradiotherapy for LAPC.
New ibuprofen derivatives with thiazolidin-4-one scaffold with improved pharmaco-toxicological profile
Authors: Vasincu Ioana-Mirela , Apotrosoaei Maria , Constantin Sandra Madalina , Butnaru Maria , Vereștiuc Liliana , Lupusoru Catalina-Elena , Buron Frederic , Routier Sylvain , Lupascu Dan , Tauser Roxana-Georgiana , PROFIRE LENUȚA 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background
Aryl-propionic acid derivatives with ibuprofen as representative drug are very important for therapy, being recommended especially for anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. On other hand 1,3-thiazolidine-4-one scaffold is an important heterocycle, which is associated with different biological effects such as anti-inflammatory and analgesic, antioxidant, antiviral, antiproliferative, antimicrobial etc. The present study aimed to evaluated the toxicity degree and the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of new 1,3-thiazolidine-4-one derivatives of ibuprofen.
Methods
For evaluation the toxicity degree, cell viability assay using MTT method and acute toxicity assay on rats were applied. The carrageenan-induced paw-edema in rat was used for evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect while for analgesic effect the tail-flick test, as thermal nociception in rats and the writhing assay, as visceral pain in mice, were used.
Results
The toxicological screening, in terms of cytotoxicity and toxicity degree on mice, revealed that the ibuprofen derivatives (4a-n) are non-cytotoxic at 2 µg/ml. In addition, ibuprofen derivatives reduced carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats, for most of them the maximum effect was recorded at 4 h after administration which means they have medium action latency, similar to that of ibuprofen. Moreover, for compound 4d the effect was higher than that of ibuprofen, even after 24 h of administration. The analgesic effect evaluation highlighted that 4 h showed increased pain inhibition in reference to ibuprofen in thermal (tail-flick assay) and visceral (writhing assay) nociception models.
Conclusions
The study revealed for ibuprofen derivatives, noted as 4 m, 4 k, 4e, 4d, a good anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect and also a safer profile compared with ibuprofen. These findings could suggest the promising potential use of them in the treatment of inflammatory pain conditions.
Knowledge, attitude and practice of health care workers on measuring adult vitamin D level, diagnosis of deficiency, and management of consequent health conditions in three ecologies of Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Mekonnen Wubegzier , Feleke Yeweyenhareg , Desalegn Yakob , Tarekegne Getahun , Lambisso Biruk , Haidar Jemal , Zewede Tewabech 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background: Vitamin D is essential for health and its shortage exacerbate overall mortality. Health care workers (HCWs) need to educate on its uses and sources although studies indicate their low level of practice. The main aim of this study is therefore to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of measuring adult vitamin D status, diagnosis of deficiency and managing health consequences among HCWs in Ethiopia.Methods: This study was conducted in three ecologies covering lowland, midland and highland districts. A total of 405 health care workers with different levels were interviewed. Tablets were used for data collection to archive in a cloud server. Data were exported to Stata version 14 software for cleaning and analysis. Rates were computed and Chi-square test was used to compare differences between the two groups. Binary logistic regression was used to measure the strength, direction and significance of association between different covariates and the practice of HCWs.Result: The level of knowledge, positive attitude and good practice in measuring adult vitamin D status, diagnosis of deficiency and managing health consequences among HCWs was 210(51.8%), 261(63.5%) and 195(47.4%) respectively. The odds of good practice in the provision of adult vitamin D service were AOR=6.87: 95% CI (3.57, 13.21) and AOR= 2.20: 95% CI (1.23, 3.92) times higher among HCWs in Addis Ababa and highlands compared with those working in lowlands. Good practice among clinicians was AOR=4.26: 95% CI (1.48, 12.25) times higher compared with those working in leadership positions. The likelihood was AOR=1.96: 95% CI (1.19, 3.23) times higher among those with good knowledge compared with those with poor knowledge. Besides, good practice in adult vitamin D service provision was AOR=2.30: 95% CI (1.40, 3.78) times higher among those with positive attitude compared with those who had negative attitude.Conclusions: A little over half of HCWs have good knowledge and close to two-third of them has positive attitude while less than half of them have good practice on adult vitamin D deficiency. Besides, HCWs residential ecology, clinical position, knowledge and attitude is associated with good practice on adult vitamin D. It is essential to provide rigorous and continues training for HCWs focusing on their deployment ecology.
Perspectives of family physicians towards access to lung cancer screening for individuals living with low income – a qualitative study
Authors: Sayani Ambreen , Vahabi Mandana , O’Brien Mary Ann , Liu Geoffrey , Hwang Stephen W. , Selby Peter , Nicholson Erika , Lofters Aisha 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background: Individuals living with low income are less likely to participate in lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography. Family physicians (FPs) are typically responsible for referring eligible patients to LCS; therefore, we sought to understand their perspectives on access to lung cancer screening for individuals living with low income in order to improve equity in access to LCS. Methods: A theory-informed thematic analysis was conducted using data collected from 11 semi-structured interviews with FPs recruited from three primary care sites in downtown Toronto. Data was coded using the Systems Model of Clinical Preventative Care as a framework and interpretation was guided by the synergies of oppression analytical lens. Results: Four overarching themes describe FP perspectives on access to LCS for individuals living with low income: the degree of social disadvantage that influences lung cancer risk and opportunities to access care; the clinical encounter, where there is often a mismatch between the complex health needs of low income individuals and structure of health care appointments; the need for equity-oriented health care, illustrated by the neglect of structural origins of health risk and the benefits of a trauma-informed approach; and finally, the multiprong strategies that will be needed in order to improve equity in health outcomes. Conclusion: An equity-oriented and interdisciplinary team based approach to care will be needed in order to improve access to LCS, and attention must be given to the upstream determinants of lung cancer in order to reduce lung cancer risk.
Salting-Out Induced Liquid-Liquid Microextraction for Alogliptin Benzoate Determination in Human Plasma by HPLC/UV
Authors: Hammad Sherin Farouk , Abdallah Inas , Bedair Alaa , Mansour Fotouh 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Salting-out induced liquid-liquid microextraction method has been developed for plasma sample treatment before determination of alogliptin by high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. Several parameters were optimized to achieve maximum enrichment, including type of extractant, volume of extractant, type of anion, type of cation, salt amount and pH. The optimum conditions were attained using 500 µL of acetonitrile, added to 1 mL of aqueous sample containing 250 mg of sodium chloride at pH 12. An RP-HPLC method was developed and validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines M10. The method was linear in the concentration range of 0.1 to 50 µg/mL (correlation coefficient= 0.997). The limit of detection was 19 ng/mL and limit of quantitation was 60 ng /mL. The method was accurate and precise with an average % recovery of 99.7% and a % relative standard deviation ranging between 1.5 and 2.5. These results showed that the salting-out induced liquid-liquid microextraction methods could be better than other sample preparation protocols in terms of sensitivity, easiness, solvent consumption and waste reduction.
Universal adversarial attacks on deep neural networks for medical image classification
Authors: Hirano Hokuto , Minagi Akinori , Takemoto Kazuhiro 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background. Deep neural networks (DNNs) are widely investigated in medical image classification to achieve ﻿automated support for clinical diagnosis. It is necessary to evaluate the robustness of medical DNN tasks against adversarial attacks, as high-stake decision-making will be made based on the diagnosis. Several previous studies have considered simple adversarial attacks. However, the vulnerability of DNNs to more realistic and higher risk attacks, such as universal adversarial perturbation (UAP), which is a single perturbation that can induce DNN failure in most classification tasks has not been evaluated yet.Methods. We focus on three representative DNN-based medical image classification tasks (i.e., skin cancer, referable diabetic retinopathy, and pneumonia classifications) and investigate their vulnerability to the seven model architectures of UAPs.Results. We demonstrate that DNNs are vulnerable to both nontargeted UAPs, which cause a task failure resulting in an input being assigned an incorrect class, and to targeted UAPs, which cause the DNN to classify an input into a specific class. The almost imperceptible UAPs achieved > 80% success rates for nontargeted and targeted attacks. The vulnerability to UAPs depended very little on the model architecture. Moreover, we discovered that adversarial retraining, which is known to be an effective method for adversarial defenses, increased DNNs’ robustness against UAPs in only very few cases.Conclusion. Unlike previous assumptions, the results indicate that DNN-based clinical diagnosis is easier to deceive because of adversarial attacks. Adversaries can cause failed diagnoses at lower costs (e.g., without consideration of data distribution); moreover, they can affect the diagnosis. The effects of adversarial defenses may not be limited. Our findings emphasize that more careful consideration is required in developing DNNs for medical imaging and their practical applications.
Comparison with tube core and Magill forceps for nasotracheal intubation: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Hu Rui , Niu Jingyi , Wu Lining , Sun Hao , Sun Peng , Huang Jiaying , Yu Junma 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background: Magill forceps are frequently used to complete the process of nasotracheal intubation (NTI). We aimed to identify a tube core that could facilitate the NTI process conveniently without Magill forceps. Methods: Sixty patients with no differences between the two groups (30 per group) with regard to demographic data were enrolled in our study. In Group M, the wire-reinforced tracheal tube was inserted into the trachea using Magill forceps. However, in Group T, a tube core bent to the physiological curve of the nasal cavity lubricated with aseptic liquid paraffin was inserted into the tracheal tube, and the tube core was then withdrawn after the tracheal tube was advanced through the glottis under direct vision. Results: All NTIs were completed successfully, and no Magill forceps were used in Group T. There was a significant difference in total NTI time between the two groups (Group M, 59.7 (5.1) sec vs Group T, 52.4 (3.1) sec). Mild epistaxis was observed in 6 patients in Group M and 5 patients in Group T (6/30 vs 5/30, respectively). There was no presence of damaged oral tissue or damage to the teeth in either group. Conclusion: We conclude that using the tube core, which is a disposable sterilised stylet, for NTI is a convenient choice. Trial registrations: This clinical research was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (www.Chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR1900027387).