bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anticoagulation strategies in critical care for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Johnston Brian , Nelson Alexandra , Waite Alicia C , Lemma Gedeon , Welters Ingeborg 
Published: October 2020

IntroductionAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in critically ill patients and is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events and mortality. Oral anticoagulation for thromboembolism prophylaxis is a key component of managing AF in the general population and is recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. However, assessment tools used to aid decision making about anticoagulation have not yet been validated in the critical care setting. There is a paucity of data assessing the impact of anticoagulation strategies on clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with AF. We present a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of anticoagulation strategies for AF used specifically in critical care.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic review of the literature by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL and PubMed databases for articles published from January 1990 to October 2019. Studies reporting anticoagulation strategies for AF in adults (>18 years) admitted to a general critical care setting will be assessed for inclusion. Outcomes of interest will include (1) percentage of patients started on anticoagulation in critical care for AF, (2) incidence of thromboembolism, (3) incidence of bleeding events, (4) intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, (5) hospital mortality, (6) ICU length of stay and (7) hospital length of stay. We will conduct a meta-analysis of trials. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomised trials or the Newcastle-Ottawa Risk of Bias assessment tool for non-randomised studies. This protocol and subsequent systematic review will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist.Ethics and disseminationThis proposed systematic review will include data extracted from published studies; therefore, ethical approval is not required. The results of this review will be published in clinical specialty journals and presented at international meetings and conferences.Trial registration numberCRD42020158237.
Cerebrovascular accident and acute coronary syndrome and perioperative outcomes (CAPO) study protocol: a 10-year database linkage between Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care, Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project and Office for National Statistics registries for time-dependent risk analysis of perioperative outcomes in English NHS hospitals
Authors: Luney Matthew Stephen , Lindsay William , McKeever Tricia M , Moppett Iain Keith 
Published: October 2020

IntroductionAn increasing number of people who have a history of acute coronary syndrome or cerebrovascular accident (termed cardiovascular events) are being considered for surgery. Up-to-date evidence of the impact of these prior events is needed to inform person-centred decision making. While perioperative risk for major adverse cardiac events immediately after a cardiovascular event is known to be elevated, the duration of time after the event for which the perioperative risk is increased is not clear.Methods and analysisThis is an individual patient-level database linkage study of all patients in England with at least one operation between 2007 and 2017 in the Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care database. Data will be linked to mortality data from the Office for National Statistics up to 2018, for 30-day, 90-day and 1-year mortality and to the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project, a UK registry of acute coronary syndromes. The primary outcome will be the association between time from cardiovascular event to index surgery and 30-day all-cause mortality. Additional associations we will report are all unplanned readmissions, prolonged length of stay, 30-day hospital free survival and incidence of new cardiovascular events within one postoperative year. Important subgroups will be surgery specific (invasiveness, urgency and subspecialty), type of acute coronary syndrome (ST or non-ST elevation myocardial infarction) and type of cerebrovascular accident (ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke).Ethics and disseminationEthical approval for this observational study has been obtained from East Midlands—Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee; REC reference: 18/EM0403. The results of the study will be made available through peer-reviewed publications and via the Health Services Research Centre of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, London.
Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) measured by a new device: protocol for a validation study
Authors: Rico Martín Sergio , Vassilenko Valentina , de Nicolás Jiménez Jorge M , Rey Sánchez Purificación , Serrano Andreia , Martínez Alvarez Mariana , Calderón García Julián F , Sánchez Muñoz-Torrero Juan F 
Published: October 2020

IntroductionCardio‐ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a new marker of arterial stiffness (AS) that can assess vascular wall stiffness in the aorta, femoral artery and tibial artery. CAVI is less affected by blood pressure at the time of measurement than the gold standard method (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)). Our group has developed a device called VOPITB (Velocidad Onda de Pulso Índice Tobillo Brazo) that uses the oscillometric method and easily and accurately measures the PWV in the arms and legs separately, allowing new AS indices to be studied. This article describes the research protocol to determine CAVI using VOPITB and to validate the device against a reference device (VaSera VS-1500) and assess its clinical utility.Methods and analysesA cross-sectional, descriptive and observational study will be conducted. In all, 120 subjects (a minimum of 40% of subjects from any one gender) will be evaluated. CAVI will be determined from the measurement by VOPITB and VaSera VS-1500. For each subject, the average of the three readings taken with each device will be calculated. The Bland-Altman plot will be used to determine whether any bias exists in the data—that is, a tendency of the size of the difference to vary with the mean. The participants will be divided roughly equally between the following age bands: <30, 30–60 and >60 years.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the ethics committee of the Hospital San Pedro de Alcántara, Cáceres, Spain. The participants will be required to sign an informed consent form before inclusion in the study, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and WHO standards for observational studies. The dissemination plan of the research study results will be through presentations in relevant national and international conferences and scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT04303546.
Decomposition of socioeconomic inequalities in child vaccination in Ethiopia: results from the 2011 and 2016 demographic and health surveys
Authors: Bobo Firew Tekle , Hayen Andrew 
Published: October 2020

ObjectivesMonitoring and addressing unnecessary and avoidable differences in child vaccination is a critical global concern. This study aimed to assess socioeconomic inequalities in basic vaccination coverage among children aged 12–23 months in Ethiopia.Design, setting and participantsSecondary analyses of cross-sectional data from the two most recent (2011 and 2016) Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys were performed. This analysis included 1930 mother–child pairs in 2011 and 2004 mother–child pairs in 2016.Outcome measuresCompletion of basic vaccinations was defined based on whether a child received a single dose of Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), three doses of diphtheria, tetanus toxoids and pertussis (DTP), three doses of oral polio vaccine and one dose of measles vaccine.MethodsThe concentration Curve and Concentration Indices (CCIs) were used to estimate wealth related to inequalities. The concentration indices were also decomposed to examine the contributing factors to socioeconomic inequalities in childhood vaccination.ResultsFrom 2011 to 2016, the proportion of children who received basic vaccination increased from 24.6% (95% CI 21.4% to 28.0%) to 38.6% (95% CI 34.6% to 42.9%). While coverage of BCG, DTP and polio immunisation increased during the study period, the uptake of measles vaccine decreased. The positive concentration index shows that basic vaccination coverage was pro-rich (CCI=0.212 in 2011 and CCI=0.172 in 2016). The decomposition analysis shows that use of maternal health services such as family planning and antenatal care, socioeconomic status, exposure to media, urban–rural residence and maternal education explain inequalities in basic vaccination coverage in Ethiopia.ConclusionsChildhood vaccination coverage was low in Ethiopia. Vaccination was less likely in poorer than in richer households. Addressing wealth inequalities, enhancing education and improving maternal health service coverage will reduce socioeconomic inequalities in basic vaccination uptake in Ethiopia.
COVID-19 outbreak–related psychological distress among healthcare trainees: a cross-sectional study in China
Authors: Wang Yue , Li Yuchen , Jiang Jingwen , Feng Yuying , Lu Donghao , Zhang Wei , Song Huan 
Published: October 2020

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 outbreak has caused enormous strain on healthcare systems, and healthcare trainees, which comprise the future healthcare workforce, may be a vulnerable group. It is essential to assess the psychological distress experienced by healthcare trainees during the COVID-19 outbreak.Design, setting and participantsA cross-sectional study with 4184 healthcare trainees at Sichuan University in China was implemented during 7–13 February 2020. Participants were grouped by training programmes (medicine, medical technology and nursing) and training stages (undergraduate, postgraduate and residency).Main outcomesCOVID-19–related psychological distress and acute stress reaction (ASR) were assessed using the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale and the Impact of Event Scale–Revised, respectively. We estimated the ORs of distress by comparing trainees across programmes and training stages using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsSignificant psychological distress was found in 1150 (30.90%) participants and probable ASR in 403 (10.74%). Compared with the nursing trainees, the medical trainees (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.95) reported a higher burden of psychological distress during the outbreak, while the medical technology trainees (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.62) reported similar symptom scores. Postgraduates (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.08) in medicine had higher levels of distress than their undergraduate counterparts did, whereas the nursing residents (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.71) reported a lower burden than did nursing undergraduates. A positive association was found between having active clinical duties during the outbreak and distress (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.39), particularly among the medical trainees (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.33) and undergraduates (OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.61 to 11.70). No clear risk patterns of ASR symptoms were observed.ConclusionsMedical trainees, particularly postgraduates and those with active clinical duties, were at risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 outbreak. Stress management may be considered for high-risk healthcare trainees.
Preconditioning of the tumor microenvironment with oncolytic reovirus converts CD3-bispecific antibody treatment into effective immunotherapy
Authors: Groeneveldt Christianne , Kinderman Priscilla , van den Wollenberg Diana J M , van den Oever Ruben L , Middelburg Jim , Mustafa Dana A M , Hoeben Rob C , van der Burg Sjoerd H , van Hall Thorbald , van Montfoort Nadine 
Published: October 2020

BackgroundT-cell-engaging CD3-bispecific antibodies (CD3-bsAbs) are promising modalities for cancer immunotherapy. Although this therapy has reached clinical practice for hematological malignancies, the absence of sufficient infiltrating T cells is a major barrier for efficacy in solid tumors. In this study, we exploited oncolytic reovirus as a strategy to enhance the efficacy of CD3-bsAbs in immune-silent solid tumors.MethodsThe mutantp53andK-rasinduced murine pancreatic cancer model KPC3 resembles human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas with a desmoplastic tumor microenvironment, low T-cell density and resistance to immunotherapy. Immune-competent KPC3 tumor-bearing mice were intratumorally injected with reovirus type 3 Dearing strain and the reovirus-induced changes in the tumor microenvironment and spleen were analyzed over time by NanoString analysis, quantitative RT-PCR and multicolor flow cytometry. The efficacy of reovirus in combination with systemically injected CD3-bsAbs was evaluated in immune-competent mice with established KPC3 or B16.F10 tumors, and in the close-to-patient human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+breast cancer model BT474 engrafted in immunocompromised mice with human T cells as effector cells.ResultsReplication-competent reovirus induced an early interferon signature, followed by a strong influx of natural killer cells and CD8+T cells, at the cost of FoxP3+Tregs. Viral replication declined after 7 days and was associated with a systemic activation of lymphocytes and the emergence of intratumoral reovirus-specific CD8+T cells. Although tumor-infiltrating T cells were mostly reovirus-specific and not tumor-specific, they served as non-exhausted effector cells for the subsequently systemically administered CD3-bsAbs. Combination treatment of reovirus and CD3-bsAbs led to the regression of large, established KPC3, B16.F10 and BT474 tumors. Reovirus as a preconditioning regimen performed significantly better than simultaneous or early administration of CD3-bsAbs. This combination treatment induced regressions of distant lesions that were not injected with reovirus, and systemic administration of both reovirus and CD3-bsAbs also led to tumor control. This suggests that this therapy might also be effective for metastatic disease.ConclusionsOncolytic reovirus administration represents an effective strategy to induce a local interferon response and strong T-cell influx, thereby sensitizing the tumor microenvironment for subsequent CD3-bsAb therapy. This combination therapy warrants further investigation in patients with non-inflamed solid tumors.
Galectin-9-based immune risk score model helps to predict relapse in stage I–III small cell lung cancer
Authors: Chen Peixin , Zhang Liping , Zhang Wei , Sun Chenglong , Wu Chunyan , He Yayi , Zhou Caicun 
Published: October 2020

BackgroundFor small cell lung cancer (SCLC) therapy, immunotherapy might have unique advantages to some extent. Galectin-9 (Gal-9) plays an important role in antitumor immunity, while little is known of its function in SCLC.Materials and methodsBy mean of immunohistochemistry (IHC), we tested the expression level of Gal-9 and other immune markers on both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in 102 surgical-resected early stage SCLC clinical samples. On the basis of statistical analysis and machine learning results, the Gal-9-based immune risk score model was constructed and its predictive performance was evaluated. Then, we thoroughly explored the effects of Gal-9 and immune risk score on SCLC immune microenvironment and immune infiltration in different cohorts and platforms.ResultsIn the SCLC cohort for IHC, the expression level of Gal-9 on TILs was statistically correlated with the levels of program death-1 (p=0.001), program death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) (p<0.001), CD3 (p<0.001), CD4 (p<0.001), CD8 (p<0.001), and FOXP3 (p=0.047). High Gal-9 protein expression on TILs indicated better recurrence-free survival (30.4 months, 95% CI: 23.7–37.1 vs 39.4 months, 95% CI: 31.6–47.3, p=0.009). The immune risk score model which consisted of Gal-9 on TILs, CD4, and PD-L1 on TILs was established and validated so as to differentiate high-risk or low-risk patients with SCLC. The prognostic predictive performance of immune risk score model was better than single immune biomarker (area under the curve 0.671 vs 0.621–0.644). High Gal-9-related enrichment pathways in SCLC were enriched in immune system diseases and rheumatic disease. Furthermore, we found that patients with SCLC with low immune risk score presented higher fractions of activated memory CD4 T cells than patients with high immune risk score (p=0.048).ConclusionsGal-9 is markedly related to tumor-immune microenvironment and immune infiltration in SCLC. This study emphasized the predictive value and promising clinical applications of Gal-9 in stage I–III SCLC.
Rotation curve and dark matter halo profile in Finsler geometry
Authors: Paul Nupur , Rahaman Farook , Islam Nasarul , De S.S. 
Published: October 2020

Galactic dark matter is currently an active area of research. Several researchers proposed several descriptions of radial profiles of dark matter halos by using N-body simulations. Among them, the Navarro, Frenk, and White (NFW) dark matter profile provides the most accurate description of dark matter halos. It is believed that dark matter is smooth and distributed uniformly throughout space. Using Finslerian geometrical background and a specific equation of state, we propose a new way to estimate the rotational velocity of galaxies based on the NFW dark matter profile. On small scales, near the center of galaxies (about 30 kpc) the velocity increases whereas, in the outer regions of galaxies, the rotational velocity is found to be fairly constant, which supports observed rotational velocities.
Infrared finiteness of a complete theory of charged scalars and fermions at finite temperature
Authors: Sen Pritam , Indumathi D. , Choudhury Debajyoti 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIt is known that the infrared (IR) divergences accruing from pure fermion–photon interactions at finite temperature cancel to all orders in perturbation theory. The corresponding infrared finiteness of scalar thermal QED has also been established recently. Here, we study the IR behaviour, at finite temperature, of theories where charged scalars and fermions interact with neutrals that could potentially be dark matter candidates. Such thermal field theories contain both linear and sub-leading logarithmic divergences. We prove that the theory is IR-finite to all orders in perturbation, with the divergences cancelling order by order between virtual and real photon corrections, when both absorption and emission of photons from and into the heat bath are taken into account. The calculation follows closely the technique used by Grammer and Yennie for zero temperature field theory. The result is generic and applicable to a variety of models, independent of the specific form of the neutral-fermion–scalar interaction vertex.
(2+1)-dimensional loop quantum cosmology of Bianchi I models
Authors: Ding You , Zhang Xiangdong 
Published: October 2020

We study the anisotropic Bianchi I loop quantum cosmology in [Formula: see text] dimensions. The [Formula: see text] scheme is considered in the present paper and the following expected results are established: (i) the massless scalar field again play the role of emergent time variables and serves as an internal clock; (ii) by imposing the fundamental discreteness of length operator, the total Hamiltonian constraint is obtained and gives rise the evolution as a difference equation; and (iii) the exact solutions of Friedmann equation are constructed rigorously for both classical and effective level. The investigation extends the domain of validity of loop quantum cosmology to beyond the four dimensions.
Prediction of High-Cycle Fatigue Performance of 1Cr11Ni2W2MoV Stainless Steel Plate after Foreign Object Damage
Authors: Zhao Zhenhua , Wang Lingfeng , Liu Chao , Liu Lulu , Chen Wei 
Published: October 2020

High-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of 1Cr11Ni2W2MoV stainless steel impacted by a high-speed steel ball were studied by the foreign object damage (FOD) test and HCF test. The results show that the damage depth

Z

has the most obvious effect on the HCF limit of notched flat plate specimens, and the fatigue limit decreases with the increase of depth

Z

. The microcharacteristics of the FOD notch and HCF fracture of 1Cr11Ni2W2MoV stainless steel were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the microdamage features such as plastic deformation, loss of material, and microcracks promote the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks, and the fatigue source area lies near the root of the notch. The Peterson formula and Worst Case Notch (WCN) mode were used to predict the HCF limit of flat plate specimens after FOD. The crack growth threshold was obtained by the crack growth test. The results show that the prediction results of both methods are conservative. For the notch with damage depth

Z
<
1

mm, the prediction accuracy of the WCN model is higher (

error

range
<
30
%

). For the notch with damage depth

Z
>
1

mm, the prediction results of both methods have large errors (>30%) with the WCN model being slightly more accurate.
Death of a Child and Mortality after Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Sweden
Authors: Wang Yujie , Wei Dang , Chen Hua , Chen Baoan , Li Jiong , László Krisztina D. 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background:
The death of a child is a traumatic life event that may influence mortality in patients with cancer. Only a few studies investigated this association and their findings have been mixed. We analyzed whether the death of a child is associated with mortality in patients with cancer.

Methods:
We conducted a cohort study of 371,673 parents who were diagnosed with cancer in Sweden during 1973 to 2014 by linking several population-based registers. We analyzed the association between the death of a child after the diagnosis of cancer and mortality using Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying exposure.

Results:
The death of a child was associated with an increased risk of mortality [HR, 1.27; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.17–1.39]. The association was present not only in case of children's death due to cancer or other natural deaths, but also in case of unnatural deaths. Mortality was increased only in the long-term follow-up period (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.29–1.56), but not in the short-term (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.78–1.15). The association was most pronounced following loss of an adult child and for patients with reproductive cancers.

Conclusions:
Death of a child is associated with increased risks of overall and long-term mortality in patients with cancer. The findings that the association was present not only in case of natural but also in case of unnatural deaths suggests that stress-related mechanisms may also operate.

Impact:
Our findings highlight the importance of psychosocial support for patients with cancer experiencing severe stress.