bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global Survey on Pancreatic Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Oba Atsushi , Stoop Thomas F. , Löhr Matthias , Hackert Thilo , Zyromski Nicholas , Nealon William H. , Unno Michiaki , Schulick Richard D. , Al-Musawi Mohammed H. , Wu Wenming , Zhao Yupei , Satoi Sohei , Wolfgang Christopher L. , Abu Hilal Mohammad , Besselink Marc G. , Del Chiaro Marco 
Published: May 2020

Objective:
The aim of this study was to clarify the role of pancreatic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic to optimize patients’ and clinicians’ safety and safeguard health care capacity.

Summary Background Data:
The COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacts health care systems worldwide. Cancer patients appear to have an increased risk for adverse events when infected by COVID-19, but the inability to receive oncological care seems may be an even larger threat, particularly in case of pancreatic cancer.

Methods:
An online survey was submitted to all members of seven international pancreatic associations and study groups, investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pancreatic surgery using 21 statements (April, 2020). Consensus was defined as >80% agreement among respondents and moderate agreement as 60% to 80% agreement.

Results:
A total of 337 respondents from 267 centers and 37 countries spanning 5 continents completed the survey. Most respondents were surgeons (n = 302, 89.6%) and working in an academic center (n = 286, 84.9%). The majority of centers (n = 166, 62.2%) performed less pancreatic surgery because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the weekly pancreatic resection rate from 3 [interquartile range (IQR) 2–5] to 1 (IQR 0–2) (P < 0.001). Most centers screened for COVID-19 before pancreatic surgery (n = 233, 87.3%). Consensus was reached on 13 statements and 5 statements achieved moderate agreement.

Conclusions:
This global survey elucidates the role of pancreatic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, regarding patient selection for the surgical and oncological treatment of pancreatic diseases to support clinical decision-making and creating a starting point for further discussion.
Global strategy for New Psychoactive Substances: an update
Authors: Vicknasingam Balasingam , Narayanan Suresh , Singh Darshan , Corazza Ornella 
Published: May 2020

Purpose of review
The aim of this review is to provide an update on recent trends of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and the current global strategies implemented to manage them.

Recent findings
The number of NPS has increased from 166 in 2009 to 892 in 2018, with about 36% having stimulant effects. Such trend revels some unprecedented patterns. The decline in the emergence of new synthetic cannabinoids has coincided with rising deaths due to overdose of fentanyl and non-fentanyl compounds in North America and Europe. The detection of new stimulant NPS has stabilized since 2015. Although the level of seizures of mephedrone have risen since then, they are still below the levels reported before international control. The legal status of kratom still remains unclear, whereas calls for research on its benefits continue. The nonmedical use of tramadol in Africa and Middle East is a cause of growing concern.

Summary
Although the rise of NPS is a cause for concern, evidence suggests that the strategy to face the challenge should include updating international data collection systems, integrating scientific-based interventions for drug use, strengthening national monitoring, and increasing collaborative research and forensic capabilities. The legal, regulatory framework and clinical guidelines should remain dynamic, whereas enforcement agencies should measure success by destroying drug networks as seizures rarely dismantle drug markets.
“Clinical, Radiological and Therapeutic Characteristics of Patients with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia”
Authors: Shabrawishi Mohammed , Al-Gethamy Manal M , Naser Abdallah Y , Ghazawi Maher A , Alsharif Ghaidaa F , Obaid Elaf F , Melebari Haitham A , Alamri Dhaffer M , Brinji Ahmad S , Al Jehani Fawaz H , Almaimani Wail , Ekram Rakan A , Alkhatib Kasim H , Alwafi Hassan 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading global pandemic. The clinical characteristics of COVID-19 has been reported; however, there are limited researches that investigated the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in the Middle East. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical, radiological and therapeutic characteristics of patients diagnosed with COVID19 in Saudi Arabia.METHODSThis study is a retrospective single-centre case series study. We extracted data for patients who were admitted to the Al-Noor Specialist hospital with a PCR confirmed SARS-COV-2 between 12th and 31st of March 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to describe patients’ characteristics. Continuous data were reported as mean ± SD. Chi-squared test/Fisher test were used as appropriate to compare proportions for categorical variables.RESULTSA total of 150 patients were hospitalised for COVID-19 during the study period. The mean age was 46.1 years (SD: 15.3 years). Around 61.0% (n= 90) were males and six patients (3.9%) reported working in the healthcare sector. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (28.8%, n= 42) and diabetes mellitus (26.0%, n= 38). The majority of the patients, 64.4% (n = 96) had a recent contact history with a COVID patient. Regarding the severity of the hospitalised patients, 105 patients (70.0%) were mild, 29 (19.3%) were moderate, and 16 patients (10.7%) were severe or required ICU care. From the 105 mild patients, around 31.3% (n= 47) were asymptomatic.CONCLUSIONThis case series provides clinical, radiological and therapeutic characteristics of hospitalised patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.
Facemasks prevent influenza-like illness: implications for COVID-19
Authors: Wei Jie , Doherty Michael , Persson Monica S.M. , Sarmanova Aliya , Swain Subhashisa , Kuo Changfu , Zeng Chao , Lei Guanghua , Zhang Weiya 
Published: May 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is causing a huge toll on individuals, families, communities and societies across the world. Currently, whether wearing facemasks in public should be a measure to prevent transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains contraversial.1 This is largely because there have been no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for coronavirus to directly support this. However, lessons may be taken from published RCTs examining influenza-like illness (ILI).2,3 Recent studies suggested that SARS-CoV-2 shares similar transmission route with influenza virus,4 and the incidence of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in individuals with ILI is high.5 Therefore, we undertook this meta-analysis of RCTs examining the efficacy of wearing facemasks to prevent ILI in community settings, irrespective of confirmatory testing for the causative virus.We undertook a systematic literature search for RCTs related to facemasks and ILI between 1966 and April 2020 using PUBMED, EMBASE, and Cochrane library. RCTs undertaken in community (not hospital) settings comparing wearing and not wearing facemasks for ILI were included. Incidence of ILI (e.g., fever, cough, headache, sore throat, aches or pains in muscles or joints) was estimated per group. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.We screened 899 related abstracts and eventually included 8 RCTs (Figure S1). Basic characteristics and quality of included RCTs are listed in Supplement. Participants wearing facemasks had a significantly lower risk of developing ILI than those not wearing facemasks (pooled RR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.70–0.95) and there was no heterogeneity (Figure 1). The decreased risk of ILI was more pronounced if everyone wore facemask irrespective of whether they were infected or not (RR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.65-0.91), compared to those wearing facemasks when infected (RR=0.95, 95% CI: 0.58-1.56) or uninfected (RR=1.26, 95% CI: 0.69-2.31).This study shows that wearing facemasks, irrespective of infection status, is effective in preventing ILI spread in the community. This situation mirrors what is happening now in public settings where we do not know who has been infected and who has not. Although there are no RCTs of facemasks for SARS-CoV-2, as with other simple measures such as social distancing and handwashing, these data support the recommendation to wear facemasks in public to further reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and flatten the curve of this pandemic, especially when social distancing is impractical, such as shopping, or travelling with public transport for work that cannot be done from home.
Expression of the long noncoding RNA DINO in HPV positive cervical cancer cells reactivates the dormant TP53 tumor suppressor through ATM/CHK2 signaling
Authors: Sharma Surendra , Munger Karl 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTTumor cells overcome the cytostatic and cytotoxic restraints of TP53 tumor suppressor signaling through a variety of mechanisms. High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) positive tumor cells retain wild type TP53 because the HPV E6/UBE3A ubiquitin ligase complex targets TP53 for proteasomal degradation. While restoration of TP53 in tumor cells holds great promise for cancer therapy, attempts to functionally restore the dormant TP53 tumor suppressor in HPV positive cancer cells by inhibiting the HPV E6/UBE3A ubiquitin ligase complex have not yet been successful. The Damage Induced long noncoding RNA, DINO, (DINOL) is a TP53 transcriptional target that has been reported to bind to and stabilize TP53, thereby amplifying TP53 signaling. We show that HPV positive cervical carcinoma cells contain low levels of DINO because of HPV E6/UBE3A mediated TP53 degradation. Acute DINO expression overrides HPV16 E6/UBE3A mediated TP53 degradation, causing TP53 stabilization and increased expression of TP53 transcriptional target genes. This causes a marked sensitization to chemotherapy agents and renders cells vulnerable to metabolic stress. Acute DINO expression in HPV positive cervical cancer cells induces hallmarks of DNA damage response signaling and TP53 activation involves ATM/CHK2 signaling. DINO upregulation in response to DNA damage is independent of ATM/CHK2 and can occur in cancer cells that express mutant TP53.IMPORTANCEFunctional restoration of the TP53 tumor suppressor holds great promise for anti-cancer therapy. Current strategies are focused on modulating TP53 regulatory proteins. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of TP53 as well as modulators of downstream tumor suppressive transcriptional responses. Unlike many other cancer types, human papillomavirus (HPV) positive cancer cells retain wild type TP53 that is rendered dysfunctional by the viral E6 protein. We show that acute expression of the Damage Induced long Noncoding RNA, DINO, a known TP53 transcriptional target and functional modulator, causes TP53 reactivation in HPV positive cervical cancer cells. This causes increased vulnerability to standard chemotherapeutics as well as biguanide compounds that cause metabolic stress. Hence, strategies that target DINO may be useful for restoring TP53 tumor suppressor activity in HPV positive cancers and other tumor types that retain wild type TP53.
Mental Health Status among the South Indian Pharmacy Students during Covid-19 Pandemic’s Quarantine Period: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Vidyadhara S , Chakravarthy A , Kumar A Pramod , Harsha C Sri , Rahul R 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIntroductionThe COVID-19 outbreak created a major panic among all the citizens of the country owing to its severity, contagiousness within the community, lack of specific treatment and possibility of re-infection. All these factors along with the uncertain behaviour of the virus lead to state of fear and concern all throught out the nation. The current study represents the mental health survey conducted on the students of South Indiaafter the completion of one month quarantine period of the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodologyThe present study is a cross-sectional, web-based online survey which consists of 21-item DASS questionnaire. Thiswas used to assess the emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress. Using Google Forms, the questionnaire was randomly distributed among the pharmacy students of selected colleges. Mean with standard deviation was calculated for continuous variables and the number with percentage was calculated for categorical variables.ResultsA total of 500 participants responded to the questionnaire. More than half of the responses were received from females (65%). On assessment it was found that, 26 % of respondents reported severe to extremely severe depressive symptoms; 31.5 % of respondents reported severe to extremely severe anxiety symptoms, and 19 % reported severe to extremely severe stress levels.ConclusionIn India during the outbreak of COVID-19, an alarming number of students were found to have an impact on mental health due to the outbreak and were observed to have higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The study findings shows the need of conducting more such studies and can be used to prepare appropriate psychological interventions to improvemental health among the young public during the pandemic.
Predicting Long-term Evolution of COVID-19 by On-going Data using Bayesian Susceptible-Infected-Removed Model
Authors: Hidaka Shohei , Torii Takuma 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIn this study, we propose a novel statistical method to predict a long-term epidemic evolution based on a on-going data. We developed a Bayesian framework for the Susceptible-Infected-Removed model (Bayesian SIR), and estimated its underlying parameters based on day-by-day timeseries of the cumulative number of infectious individuals. The new Baysian framework extends the deterministic SIR model to a probabilistic form, which provides an accurate estimation of the underlying system by a short and noisy data. We applied it to the data reported on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and made a month long prediction on its evolution. Our simulated test using past timeseries to predict the current data gives a reasonable reliablity of the proposed method. Our analysis of the current data detected and warned a rising trend in the countries in Central Asia, Middle East, and South America, while United States or European countries, which have already experienced large numbers of infected cases, are predicted to slow down in the increase.
Capsid integrity quantitative PCR to determine virus infectivity in environmental and food applications – a systematic review
Authors: Leifels Mats , Dan Cheng , Sozzi Emanuele , Shoults David C. , Wuertz Stefan , Mongkolsuk Skorn , Sirikanchana Kwanrawee 
Published: May 2020

AbstractCapsid-integrity quantitative PCR (qPCR), a molecular detection method for infectious viruses combining azo-dye pretreatment with qPCR, has been widely used in recent years; however, variations in pretreatment conditions for various virus types can limit the efficacy of specific protocols. By identifying and critically synthesizing forty-two recent peer-reviewed studies employing capsid-integrity qPCR for viruses in the last decade (2009 to 2019) in the fields of food safety and environmental virology, we aimed to establish recommendations for the detection of infectious viruses. Intercalating dyes are effective measures of viability in PCR assays provided the viral capsid is damaged; viruses that have been inactivated by other causes, such as loss of attachment or genomic damage, are less well detected using this approach. Although optimizing specific protocols for each virus is recommended, we identify a framework for general assay conditions. These include concentrations of ethidium monoazide, propidium monoazide or its derivates between 10 and 200 µM; incubation on ice or at room temperature (20 - 25°C) for 5 to 120 min; and dye activation using LED or high light (500 – 800 Watts) exposure for periods ranging from 5 to 20 min. These simple steps can benefit the investigation of infectious virus transmission in routine (water) monitoring settings and during viral outbreaks such as the current COVID-19 pandemic or endemic diseases like dengue fever.Graphical abstract
Using epidemic simulators for monitoring an ongoing epidemic
Authors: Raghavan Mohan , Sridharan Kousik Sarathy , Yashaswini M R 
Published: May 2020

AbstractPrediction of infection trends, estimating the efficacy of contact tracing, testing or impact of influx of infected are of vital importance for administration during an ongoing epidemic. Most effective methods currently are empirical in nature and their relation to parameters of interest to administrators are not evident. We thus propose a modified SEIRD model that is capable of modeling effect of interventions and in migrations on the progress of an epidemic. The tunable parameters of this model bear relevance to monitoring of an epidemic. This model was used to show that some of the commonly seen features of cumulative infections in real data can be explained by piece wise constant changes in interventions and population influx. We also show that the data of cumulative infections from twelve Indian states between mid March and mid April 2020 can be generated from the model by applying interventions according to a set of heuristic rules. Prediction for the next ten days based on this model, reproduced real data very well. In addition, our model also reproduced the time series of recoveries and deaths. Our work constitutes an important first step towards an effective dashboard for the monitoring of epidemic by the administration, especially in an Indian context.
Adverse events of colonoscopy in a colorectal cancer screening programme with faecal immunochemical test: a population-based community-based observational study
Authors: Denis Bernard , Gendre Isabelle , Weber Sarah , Perrin Philippe 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTObjectivesColonoscopy is considered a safe examination, serious complications being uncommon. Our study aimed to assess the adverse events of colonoscopy in a colorectal cancer screening programme with faecal immunochemical test (FIT) and to compare them with those of a previous programme with guaiac-based faecal occult blood test (gFOBT).DesignRetrospective observational studySettingPopulation-based community-based colorectal cancer screening programme organised in Alsace, part of the national French programme, with FIT from 2015 to 2018 and gFOBT from 2003 to 2014.ParticipantsAll residents aged 50 – 74 years having a colonoscopy performed for a positive FOBT.Main outcome measuresAdverse events were recorded through prospective voluntary reporting by community gastroenterologists and retrospective postal surveys addressed to persons screened.ResultsOf 9576 colonoscopies performed for a positive FIT, 6194 (64.7%) were therapeutic. Overall, 180 adverse events were recorded (18.8‰, 95% CI 16.1-21.5), 114 of them (11.9‰, 95% CI 9.7-14.1) requiring hospitalisation, 55 (5.7‰, 95% CI 4.2-7.3) hospitalisation >24hrs, and 8 (0.8‰, 95% CI 0.3-1.4) surgery. The main complications requiring hospitalisation were perforation (n=18, 1.9‰, 95% CI 1.0-2.7) and bleeding (n=31, 3.2‰, 95% CI 2.1-4.4). We observed one death (1 / 27,000 colonoscopies). Overall, 52 persons harbouring at least one adenoma ≥ 10 mm were detected for one adverse event requiring hospitalisation >24hrs. The rate of adverse events remained stable between gFOBT and FIT programmes.ConclusionsThe harms of colonoscopy in a colorectal cancer screening programme with FIT are more frequent than usually estimated, here six adverse events requiring hospitalisation >24hrs (three bleedings, two perforations), one necessitating surgery and 50 minor complications per 1000 colonoscopies. The price to be paid to save lives through colorectal cancer screening programmes is higher than what is stated in most pilots. Today, comparison between series dealing with colonoscopy-related adverse events is almost impossible.
Skin protective effects of RM191A, a novel superoxide dismutase mimetic
Authors: Shariev Artur , Laos Alistair J. , Lai Donna , Hua Sheng , Zinger Anna , McRae Christopher R. , Casbolt Llewellyn S. , Combes Valery , Hung Tzong-tyng , Dixon Katie M. , Thordarson Pall , Mason Rebecca S. , Das Abhirup 
Published: May 2020

AbstractSuperoxide dismutase (SOD) is known to be protective against oxidative stress-mediated skin dysfunction. Here we explore the potential therapeutic activities of RM191A, a novel SOD mimetic, on skin. RM191A is a water soluble, dimeric copper (Cu2+-Cu3+)-centred polyglycine coordination complex. It displays 10-fold higher superoxide quenching activity compared to SOD as well as significant anti-inflammatory activity through beneficial modulation of several significant inflammatory pathways in cells.We tested the therapeutic potential of RM191A in a topical gel using a human skin explant model and observed that it significantly inhibits UV-induced DNA damage in the epidermis and dermis, including cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), 8-oxo-guanine (8-oxoG) and 8-nitroguanine (8NGO). RM191A topical gel is found to be safe and non-toxic in mice following month-long daily dosing at 0.19 mL/kg body weight. Moreover, it significantly accelerates excisional wound healing, and reduces 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced skin inflammation in mice.HighlightsSuperoxide dismutase mimetic RM191A is a highly stable copper (Cu2+-Cu3+)-polyglycine coordination complexRM191A exhibits potent antioxidant (10-fold more than that of superoxide dismutase) propertiesin vitroRM191A exhibits potent anti-inflammatory propertiesin vitroandin vivoRM191A protects human skin explants against UV-induced oxidative stress and DNA damageRM191A is non-toxic and readily bioavailable in miceRM191A attenuates TPA-induced skin inflammation and improves wound healing in mice
Changes in electrophysiological static and dynamic human brain functional architecture from childhood to late adulthood
Authors: Coquelet N , Wens V , Mary A , Niesen M , Puttaert D , Ranzini M , Vander Ghinst M , Bourguignon M , Peigneux P , Goldman S , Woolrich M , De Tiège X 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThis magnetoencephalography study aimed at characterizing age-related changes in resting-state functional brain organization from mid-childhood to late adulthood. We investigated neuromagnetic brain activity at rest in 105 participants divided into three age groups: children (6–9 years), young adults (18–34 years) and healthy elders (53–78 years). The effects of age on static resting-state functional integration were assessed using band-limited power envelope correlation, whereas those on transient functional dynamics were disclosed using hidden Markov modeling of power envelope activity. Brain development from childhood to adulthood came with (i) a strengthening of functional integration within and between resting-state networks and (ii) an increased temporal stability of transient (100–300 ms lifetime) and recurrent states of network activation or deactivation mainly encompassing lateral or medial associative neocortical areas. Healthy aging was characterized by decreased static resting-state functional integration and dynamical stability within the visual network. These results based on electrophysiological measurements free of neurovascular biases suggest that functional brain integration mainly evolves during brain development, with limited changes in healthy aging. These novel electrophysiological insights into human brain functional architecture across the lifespan pave the way for future clinical studies investigating how brain disorders affect brain development or healthy aging.