bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Direct estimates of disability-adjusted life years lost due to stroke : a cross-sectional observational study in a demographic surveillance site in rural Gadchiroli, India
Authors: Sudharsanan Nikkil , Deshmukh Mahesh , Kalkonde Yogeshwar 
Published: November 2019

ObjectiveTo directly estimate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost due to stroke in rural Gadchiroli, India and measure the contribution of mortality and disability to total DALYs lost.DesignCross-sectional descriptive study using population census, vital registration and stroke prevalence data.SettingA demographic surveillance site of 86 villages in Gadchiroli, a rural district in Maharashtra, India.ParticipantsPopulation counts and mortality information were drawn from a census and vital registration system covering a population of approximately 94 154 individuals; stroke prevalence information was based on a door-to-door evaluation of all 45 053 individuals from 39 of the 86 villages in the surveillance site.Primary outcome measuresYears of life lost (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD) and DALYs lost due to stroke.ResultsThere were 229 stroke deaths among the total population of 94 154 individuals and 175 stroke survivors among the subpopulation of 45 053 individuals. An estimated 2984 DALYs were lost due to stroke per 100 000 person-years with a higher burden among men compared with women (3142 vs 2821 DALYs). Over three-fourths (80%) of the total DALYs lost due to stroke were between ages 30 and 70 years. YLL accounted for 98.9% of total DALYs lost.ConclusionsThere was a high burden of stroke in rural Gadchiroli with a significant burden at premature ages. These results reveal a substantial need for surveillance and improved preventive and curative services for stroke in rural India.
MEchanical DIlatation of the Cervix­­ in a Scarred uterus (MEDICS): the study protocol of a randomised controlled trial comparing a single cervical catheter balloon and prostaglandin PGE2 for cervical ripening and labour induction following caesarean delivery
Authors: Choo Soe-Na , Kanneganti Abhiram , Abdul Aziz Muhammad Nur Dinie Bin , Loh Leta , Hargreaves Carol , Gopal Vikneswaran , Biswas Arijit , Chan Yiong Huak , Ismail Ida Suzani , Chi Claudia , Mattar Citra 
Published: November 2019

IntroductionLabour induction in women with a previous caesarean delivery currently uses vaginal prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which carries the risks of uterine hyperstimulation and scar rupture. We aim to compare the efficacy of mechanical labour induction using a transcervically applied Foley catheter balloon (FCB) with PGE2 in affected women attempting trial of labour after caesarean (TOLAC).Methods and analysisThis single-centre non-inferiority prospective, randomised, open, blinded-endpoint study conducted at an academic maternity unit in Singapore will recruit a total of 100 women with one previous uncomplicated caesarean section and no contraindications to vaginal delivery. Eligible consented participants with term singleton pregnancies and unfavourable cervical scores (≤5) requiring labour induction undergo stratified randomisation based on parity and are assigned either FCB (n=50) or PGE2 (n=50). Treatments are applied for up to 12 hours with serial monitoring of the mother and the fetus and serial assessment for improved cervical scores. If the cervix is still unfavourable, participants are allowed a further 12 hours’ observation for cervical ripening. Active labour is initiated by amniotomy at cervical scores of ≥6. The primary outcome is the rate of change in the cervical score, and secondary outcomes include active labour within 24 hours of induction, vaginal delivery, time-to-delivery interval and uterine hyperstimulation. All analyses will be intention-to-treat. The data generated in this trial may guide a change in practice towards mechanical labour induction if this proves efficient and safer for women attempting TOLAC compared with PGE2, to improve labour management in this high-risk population.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is granted by the Domain Specific Review Board (Domain D) of the National Healthcare Group, Singapore. All adverse events will be reported within 24 hours of notification for assessment of causality. Data will be published and will be available for future meta-analyses.Trial registration numberNCT03471858; Pre-results.
Phase II randomised control feasibility trial of a nutrition and physical activity intervention after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer
Authors: Hackshaw-McGeagh Lucy E , Penfold Chris , Shingler Ellie , Robles Luke A , Perks Claire M , Holly Jeff M P , Rowe Edward , Koupparis Anthony , Bahl Amit , Persad Raj , Shiridzinomwa Constance , Johnson Lyndsey , Biernacka Kalina M , Frankow Aleksandra , Woodside Jayne V , Gilchrist Sarah , Oxley Jon , Abrams Paul , Lane J Athene , Martin Richard M 
Published: November 2019

ObjectiveDietary factors and physical activity may alter prostate cancer progression. We explored the feasibility of lifestyle interventions following radical prostatectomy for localised prostate cancer.DesignPatients were recruited into a presurgical observational cohort; following radical prostatectomy, they were offered randomisation into a 2×3 factorial randomised controlled trial (RCT).SettingA single National Health Service trust in the South West of England, UK.ParticipantsThose with localised prostate cancer and listed for radical prostatectomy were invited to participate.RandomisationRandom allocation was performed by the Bristol Randomised Trial Collaboration via an online system.InterventionsMen were randomised into both a modified nutrition group (either increased vegetable and fruit, and reduced dairy milk; or lycopene supplementation; or control) and a physical activity group (brisk walking or control) for 6 months.BlindingOnly the trial statistician was blind to allocations.Primary outcome measuresPrimary outcomes were measures of feasibility: randomisation rates and intervention adherence at 6 months. Collected at trial baseline, three and six months, with daily adherence reported throughout. Our intended adherence rate was 75% or above, the threshold for acceptable adherence was 90%.Results108 men entered the presurgical cohort, and 81 were randomised into the postsurgical RCT (randomisation rate: 93.1%) and 75 completed the trial. Of 25 men in the nutrition intervention, 10 (40.0%; 95% CI 23.4% to 59.3%) adhered to the fruit and vegetable recommendations and 18 (72.0%; 95% CI 52.4% to 85.7%) to reduced dairy intake. Adherence to lycopene (n=28), was 78.6% (95% CI 60.5% to 89.8%), while 21/39 adhered to the walking intervention (53.8%; 95% CI 38.6% to 68.4%). Most men were followed up at 6 months (75/81; 92.6%). Three ‘possibly related’ adverse events were indigestion, abdominal bloating and knee pain.ConclusionsInterventions were deemed feasible, with high randomisation rates and generally good adherence. A definitive RCT is proposed.Trial registration numberISRCTN 99048944.
Role of body mass category in the development of faulty postures in school-age children from a rural area in south-eastern Poland: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Rusek Wojciech , Leszczak Justyna , Baran Joanna , Adamczyk Marzena , Weres Aneta , Baran Rafał , Inglot Grzegorz , Czenczek-Lewandowska Ewelina , Porada Sławomir , Pop Teresa 
Published: November 2019

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of abnormalities in selected parameters measured in the trunk area.DesignCross-sectional studies.SettingThe research was conducted in a primary school in the Trzebownisko Municipality, a rural area in south-eastern Poland.ParticipantsA group of 464 children, ranging in age from 6 to 16 years (234 boys and 230 girls), was recruited to participate in the study.Outcome measuresThe examination of their body postures was conducted with the use of the Zebris system. Body mass was determined using a body mass analyser Tanita MC-780 MA. BMI was calculated based on the acquired data.ResultsIt was noticed that the children with overweight and obesity tended to have an incorrect position of the shoulders and pelvis in comparison to children with normal body weight. It was found that greater body mass (higher BMI) coincided with a larger distance of the scapulae from the frontal plane (p=0.009).ConclusionsIncrease in children’s BMI produces adverse effects in the position of the shoulder blades, reflected by their greater distance from the frontal plane. Increase in BMI is not significantly related to the position of the shoulder joints or pelvis; however, the subjects with overweight or obesity presented a greater difference in the position of the shoulder joints and pelvis.
Comparing the efficacy and safety of faecal microbiota transplantation with bezlotoxumab in reducing the risk of recurrentClostridium difficileinfections: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Alhifany Abdullah A , Almutairi Abdulaali R , Almangour Thamer A , Shahbar Alaa N , Abraham Ivo , Alessa Mohammed , Alnezary Faris S , Cheema Ejaz 
Published: November 2019

ObjectivesThe risk of recurrentClostridium difficileinfections (RCDIs) is high when treated with standard antibiotics therapy (SAT) alone. It is suggested that the addition of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) or bezlotoxumab after SAT reduces the risk of RCDI. In the absence of head-to-head randomised controlled trials (RCTs), this review attempts to compare the efficacy and safety of bezlotoxumab with FMT in reducing the risk of RCDI in hospitalised patients.DesignA systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.Data sourceA comprehensive search from inception to 30 February 2019 was conducted in four databases (Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov).Eligibility criteriaRCTs reporting the resolution of diarrhoea associated with RCDI without relapse for at least 60 days after the end of treatments as the primary outcome.Data extraction and synthesisWe extracted author, year of publication, study design and binomial data that represented the resolution of diarrhoea or adverse events of monoclonal antibodies and FMT infusion. Random-effects models were used for resolution rate of RCDI and adverse events. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the quality of included RCTs.ResultsOut of 1003 articles identified, seven RCTs involving 3043 patients contributed to the review. No difference was reported between single or multiple infusions of FMT and bezlotoxumab in resolving RCDI, (OR 1.53, 95% credible interval (CrI) 0.39 to 5.16) and (OR 2.86, 95% CrI 1.29 to 6.57), respectively. Patients treated with SAT alone or bezlotoxumab with SAT showed significantly lower rates of diarrhoea than FMT (OR 0, 95% CrI 0 to 0.09) and (OR 0, 95% CrI 0 to 0.19), respectively. There was no difference in terms of other adverse events.ConclusionsThis is the first network meta-analysis that has compared the recently Food and Drug Administration-approved monoclonal antibody bezlotoxumab with FMT for resolving RCDI. The quality of the included RCTs was variable. The findings of this study suggested no difference between single or multiple infusions of FMT and bezlotoxumab. However, FMT was associated with a higher rate of non-serious diarrhoea as opposed to SAT used alone or in combination with bezlotoxumab.
Quality of patient, family, caregiver and public engagement in decision-making in healthcare systems: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Hamilton Clayon , Snow M Elizabeth , Clark Nancy , Gibson Shannon , Dehnadi Maryam , Lui Michelle , Koster Andrew , McLean Janet , Li Linda C 
Published: November 2019

IntroductionTo advance person- and family-centred healthcare, government initiatives have supported the engagement of patients and family caregivers in decision-making in healthcare systems. There is, however, no consensus on how to define success for such initiatives. This scoping review aims to identify the key elements for defining the quality of patient and family caregiver engagement in decision-making across the engagement domains (individual, community/organisation, system) of British Columbia’s healthcare system. We will use those elements to develop a conceptual evaluation framework.Methods and analysisThis scoping review follows Arskey and O’Malley’s methodology. (1) The research question was identified through team discussions. (2) Articles for data source will be identified using a librarian-informed search strategy for seven bibliographic databases as well as grey literature sources. (3) Selected articles will be relevant to the evaluation of patient and family caregiver engagement in healthcare systems. (4) Two researchers will independently extract data into predefined and emerging categories. (5) The researchers will reconcile and organise the identified elements. The research team’s collective perspective will then refine the elements, and select, interpret and summarise the results. (6) Persons from key stakeholder groups will be consulted to refine the emergent conceptual framework.Ethics and disseminationWe will seek ethics approval for the stakeholder consultation. This study follows an integrated knowledge translation approach. The results will inform evaluation of the Patients as Partners Initiative of the British Columbia Ministry of Health, and will be disseminated as a scientific article, a research brief, and presentations at conferences and stakeholder meetings.
Locations, associations and temporal evolution of intracranial arterial infundibular dilatations in children
Authors: Dmytriw Adam A , Bisson Daniel-Alexandre , Phan Kevin , Amirabadi Afsaneh , Branson Helen , Dirks Peter B , Shroff Manohar , Muthusami Prakash 
Published: November 2019

BackgroundThere are few data in the literature on the characteristics and natural history of intracranial arterial infundibular dilatations in children.MethodsAn institutional review board-approved retrospective review was performed of infundibula reported on MR angiography in patients <18 years of age at our tertiary pediatric institute from 1998 to 2016. Clinical data (age, sex, diagnosis, other vascular variants/pathologies) were recorded and images assessed for vessel of origin, infundibulum size and exact location. Ratios of infundibulum:parent artery were assessed at diagnosis and last follow-up. Temporal evolution to aneurysm was evaluated.ResultsWe found 60 intracranial infundibula in 60 children (male:female=27:33; mean age 9.7±5.2 years, range 2–18 years,). Family history of aneurysms was present in 2/60 (3.3%). Syndromic association was found in 14/60 (23.3%), most frequently sickle cell disease (4/14=28.6%). Mean infundibulum size was 2.2±0.5 mm, with mean ratio to parent artery of 0.54±0.17. The most common location was on the P1-posterior cerebral artery (34/63=56.7%), whereas posterior communicating infundibula were seen in only 4/60 (6.7%) cases. Other cerebrovascular variants were seen in 12/60 (20%) patients. On follow-up imaging (in 32/60 patients over 86 patient-years, mean 32.3±35.7 months), no significant change in infundibulum:parent artery ratio was noted. None of the infundibular dilatations showed interval evolution to aneurysm.ConclusionWe present the largest reported cohort of pediatric intracranial arterial infundibula, which we found to be distinct from their adult counterparts with regard to location, etiology and temporal evolution. Growth over time and/or aneurysmal formation are rare, not necessitating frequent short-term imaging surveillance during childhood.
Utility of leucocytes, inflammatory markers and pancreatic enzymes as indicators of gangrenous cholecystitis
Authors: Raffee Liqaa , Kuleib Samer , Oteir Alaa , Kewan Tariq , Alawneh Khaled , Beovich Bronwyn , Williams Brett 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundAcute cholecystitis is an emergency condition. If not promptly diagnosed and properly managed, the complication of gangrenous cholecystitis may develop, which may be a life-threatening complication.ObjectivesThe study aims to examine various characteristics and physiological parameters in patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis to evaluate if significant predictive factors exist for the differential diagnosis of gangrenous cholecystitis.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective study included patients with acute cholecystitis diagnosis, who presented to ‘blinded for peer review’ from 1 January 2010 to 1 January 2017. Parameters evaluated included liver function tests, complete cell count, C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), amylase and lipase levels, as well as medical history, and presenting clinical signs. Cases were divided according to whether or not there was a histopathological diagnosis of gangrenous cholecystitis.ResultsA total of 186 (54.5%) female and 155 (45.5%) male cases were examined. Patients with gangrenous cholecystitis tended to be male, showed a significantly higher white cell count, higher neutrophil percentage, lower lymphocyte percentage and higher ESR compared with patients without gangrenous cholecystitis. However, serum amylase and lipase demonstrated no differential diagnostic utilityConclusionMale patients with a high ESR level, high total leucocyte count with a relative high proportion of neutrophils and a low proportion of lymphocytes were found to be at increased risk of the presence of gangrenous cholecystitis.
Is the magnitude of the Peccei–Quinn scale set by the landscape?
Authors: Baer Howard , Barger Vernon , Sengupta Dibyashree , Serce Hasan , Sinha Kuver , Deal Robert Wiley 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
The value of the Higgs boson mass plus the lack of signal at LHC13 has led to a naturalness crisis for supersymmetric models. In contrast, rather general considerations of the string theory landscape imply a mild statistical draw towards large soft SUSY breaking terms tempered by the requirement of proper electroweak symmetry breaking where SUSY contributions to the weak scale are not too far from $$m_{weak}\sim 100$$mweak∼100 GeV. Such a picture leads to the prediction that $$m_h\simeq 125$$mh≃125 GeV while most sparticles are beyond current LHC reach. Here we explore the possibility that the magnitude of the Peccei–Quinn (PQ) scale $$f_a$$fa is also set by string landscape considerations within the framework of a compelling SUSY axion model. First, we examine the case where the PQ symmetry arises as an accidental approximate global symmetry from a more fundamental gravity-safe $$\mathbb {Z}_{24}^R$$Z24R symmetry and where the SUSY $$\mu $$μ parameter arises from a Kim-Nilles operator. The pull towards large soft terms then also pulls the PQ scale as large as possible. Unless this is tempered by rather severe (unknown) cosmological or anthropic bounds on the density of dark matter, then we would expect a far greater abundance of dark matter than is observed. This conclusion cannot be negated by adopting a tiny axion misalignment angle $$\theta _i$$θi because WIMPs are also overproduced at large $$f_a$$fa. Hence, we conclude that setting the PQ scale via anthropics is highly unlikely. Instead, requiring soft SUSY breaking terms of order the gravity-mediation scale $$m_{3/2}\sim 10$$m3/2∼10–100 TeV places the mixed axion–neutralino dark matter abundance into the intermediate scale sweet zone where $$f_a\sim 10^{11}$$fa∼1011–$$10^{12}$$1012 GeV. We compare our analysis to the more general case of a generic SUSY DFSZ axion model with uniform selection on $$\theta _i$$θi but leading to the measured dark matter abundance: this approach leads to a preference for $$f_a\sim 10^{12}$$fa∼1012 GeV.
The constraint ability of Hubble parameter by gravitational wave standard sirens on cosmological parameters
Authors: Zhang Tong-Jie , Liu Yang , Liu Zhi-E , Wan Hao-Yi , Zhang Ting-Ting , Wang Bao-Quan 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
In this paper, we present the application of a new method measuring Hubble parameter H(z) by using the anisotropy of luminosity distance ($$d_{L}$$dL) of the gravitational wave (GW) standard sirens of neutron star (NS) binary system. The method has never been put into practice so far due to the lack of the ability of detecting GW. However, LIGO’s success in detecting GW of black hole (BH) binary system merger announced the potential possibility of this new method. We apply this method to several GW detecting projects, including Advanced LIGO (aLIGO), Einstein Telescope (ET) and DECIGO, and evaluate its constraint ability on cosmological parameters of H(z). It turns out that the H(z) by aLIGO and ET is of bad accuracy, while the H(z) by DECIGO shows a good one. We simulate H(z) data at every 0.1 redshift span using the error information of H(z) by DECIGO, and put the mock data into the forecasting of cosmological parameters. Compared with the previous data and method, we get an obviously tighter constraint on cosmological parameters by mock data, and a concomitantly higher value of Figure of Merit (FoM, the reciprocal of the area enclosed by the $$2\sigma $$2σ confidence region). For a 3-year-observation by standard sirens of DECIGO, the FoM value is as high as 170.82. If a 10-year-observation is launched, the FoM could reach 569.42. For comparison, the FoM of 38 actual observed H(z) data (OHD) is 9.3. We also investigate the undulant universe, which shows a comparable improvement on the constraint of cosmological parameters. These improvement indicates that the new method has great potential in further cosmological constraints.
Non-similar characteristics of mixed convective slip flow over a wedge with temperature-dependent thermo-physical properties
Authors: Roy Nepal Chandra , Roy Sudharonjon , Azum Naved , Khan Anish , Asiri Abdullah M. , Rahimi-Gorji Mohammad 
Published: November 2019

We examined heat and mass transfer characteristics of mixed convective slip flow over a wedge taking into account the effect of variable transport properties. Unlike other studies, we have utilized non-similar transformation to get the non-similar features of the mixed convective slip flow. For comparison, stream function formulation is used to reduce the governing equation into a convenient form for short- and long-time regimes. We have determined the series solutions by adopting the perturbation techniques. The agreement between the numerical and series solutions is found to be excellent. Numerical solutions reveal that the slip parameters augment the momentum, thermal and concentration boundary layers. The local skin friction coefficient, the local Nusselt number and the local Sherwood number are found to decrease for higher value of slip parameters. For the increasing value of the variable viscosity parameter, the velocity is stronger, but the temperature and concentration lessen. Contrary to this, this parameter diminishes the local skin friction coefficient, local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number. Due to the increase of mass diffusivity parameter, the velocity and concentration significantly increase whereas the temperature remains almost unaffected. Moreover, the mass diffusivity variation parameter leads to an increase in the local skin friction coefficient and local Nusselt number, but it reduces the local Sherwood number.