bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular autonomic testing in the work-up of cerebellar ataxia: insight from an observational single center study
Authors: Indelicato Elisabetta , Fanciulli Alessandra , Nachbauer Wolfgang , Eigentler Andreas , Amprosi Matthias , Ndayisaba Jean-Pierre , Granata Roberta , Wenning Gregor , Boesch Sylvia 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background
Cerebellar ataxias are a heterogeneous group of disorders of both genetic and non-genetic origin. In sporadic cases, two entities are recognized: multiple system atrophy of cerebellar type (MSA-C) and SAOA (sporadic adult-onset ataxia). The presence of severe cardiovascular autonomic failure reliably distinguishes MSA-C from other ataxias, but it may appear only late in the disease course.

Objective
To evaluate the diagnostic yield of cardiovascular autonomic function tests in the work-up of cerebellar ataxia.

Methods
We applied a cardiovascular autonomic tests battery in consecutive patients with neurodegenerative cerebellar ataxia and matched healthy controls. We recorded the presence of both orthostatic hypotension (OH) and blood pressure falls non-fulfilling the criteria of OH (non-OH BP). Sporadic cases were followed-up for an eventual conversion to MSA-C.

Results
Forty-two patients were recruited, 19 of whom with sporadic disease (2 probable MSA-C, 6 possible MSA-C, 11 SAOA). Sporadic and hereditary cases showed no difference concerning ataxia severity at baseline. At head-up tilt, non-OH BP falls were detected in nine patients, but not in controls. This finding was significantly more frequent in sporadic cases (p = 0.006) and was detected in five out of seven patients that during follow-up converted to possible/probable MSA-C. Findings at standing test were normal in four out of nine cases with non-OH BP falls at head-up tilt.

Conclusions
A complete cardiovascular autonomic battery with head-up tilt can detect early signs of BP dysregulation which may be missed at bed-side tests, thus warranting its application in the first line work-up of cerebellar ataxias.
The relation of work-related factors with ambulatory blood pressure and nocturnal blood pressure dipping among aging workers
Authors: Karelius Saana , Vahtera Jussi , Pentti Jaana , Lindroos Annika S. , Jousilahti Pekka , Heinonen Olli J. , Stenholm Sari , Niiranen Teemu J. 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Objectives
Individuals with reduced nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared to persons with normal BP dipping. Although the relation of work-related factors and BP has been studied extensively, very little is known of the association between work-related factors and 24-h BP patterns in aging workers. We examined the cross-sectional relation of work-related risk factors, including occupational status, work-time mode, job demands and job control, with ambulatory BP in aging workers, focusing on nocturnal BP dipping.

Methods
208 workers (mean age 62 ± 3 years; 75% women) from two Finnish population-based cohort studies underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring. Work-related factors were inquired using a questionnaire. Nocturnal BP dipping was calculated as [1 − (asleep BP/awake BP)] × 100.

Results
Shift workers demonstrated a higher nocturnal diastolic BP dipping than regular day workers (19% vs. 17%, p = 0.03) and had a significantly higher systolic awake BP than regular day workers (136.5 mmHg vs. 132.5 mmHg, p = 0.03). Participants with high job demands demonstrated a smaller nocturnal systolic BP dipping than participants with low job demands (14% vs. 16%, p = 0.04). We did not observe significant differences in nocturnal systolic or diastolic BP dipping between groups categorized by occupational status or job control.

Conclusions
Although shift workers have a higher daytime BP than regular daytime workers, they exhibit greater nighttime BP dipping. Participants with high job demand had smaller nighttime BP dipping than participants with low job demand. Job control or occupation did not affect the 24-h ambulatory BP profile of aging workers.
Evaluation of growth, stemness, and angiogenic properties of dental pulp stem cells cultured in cGMP xeno-/serum-free medium
Authors: Qu Chengjuan , Brohlin Maria , Kingham Paul J , Kelk Peyman 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis study was aimed to investigate the effects of cGMP xeno-/serum-free medium (XSF, Irvine Scientific) on the properties of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). DPSCs, from passage 2, were cultured in XSF or fetal bovine serum (FBS)-supplemented medium, and sub-cultured up to passage 8. Cumulative population doublings (PDs) and the number of colony-forming-units (CFUs) were determined. qRT-PCR, ELISA, and in vitro assays were used to assess angiogenic capacity. Flow cytometry was used to measure CD73, CD90, and CD105 expression. Differentiation into osteo-, adipo-, and chondrogenic cell lineages was performed. DPSCs showed more elongated morphology, a reduced rate of proliferation at later passages, and lower CFU counts in XSF compared with FBS. Expression of angiogenic factors at the gene and protein levels varied in the two media and with passage number, but cells grown in XSF had more in vitro angiogenic activity. The majority of early and late passage DPSCs cultured in XSF expressed CD73 and CD90. In contrast, the percentage of CD105 positive DPSCs in XSF medium was significantly lower with increased passage whereas the majority of cells cultured in FBS were CD105 positive. Switching XSF-cultured DPSCs to medium supplemented with human serum restored the expression of CD105. The tri-lineage differentiation of DPSCs cultured under XSF and FBS conditions was similar. We showed that despite reduced CD105 expression levels, DPSCs expanded in XSF medium maintained a functional MSC phenotype. Furthermore, restoration of CD105 expression is likely to occur upon in vivo transplantation, when cells are exposed to human serum.
Cannabinoid1 (CB-1) receptor antagonists: a molecular approach to treating acute cannabinoid overdose
Authors: Skolnick Phil , Crystal Roger 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe legalization of cannabis for both recreational and medical use in the USA has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of emergency department visits and hospital admissions for acute cannabinoid overdose (also referred to as cannabis intoxication and cannabis poisoning). Both “edibles” (often sold as brownies, cookies, and candies) containing large amounts of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and synthetic cannabinoids (many possessing higher potencies and efficacies than Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) are responsible for a disproportionate number of emergency department visits relative to smoked cannabis. Symptoms of acute cannabinoid overdose range from extreme lethargy, ataxia, and generalized psychomotor impairment to feelings of panic and anxiety, agitation, hallucinations, and psychosis. Treatment of acute cannabinoid overdose is currently supportive and symptom driven. Converging lines of evidence indicating many of the symptoms which can precipitate an emergency department visit are mediated through activation of cannabinoid1 receptors. Here, we review the evidence that cannabinoid1 receptor antagonists, originally developed for indications ranging from obesity to smoking cessation and schizophrenia, provide a molecular approach to treating acute cannabinoid overdose.
Precious metal recoveries in secondary copper smelting with high-alumina slags
Authors: Avarmaa Katri , O’Brien Hugh , Klemettinen Lassi , Taskinen Pekka 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWaste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) represents a significant urban resource for precious metals. To maximize the recoveries and sustainable use of these metals, their behavior needs to be characterized in the secondary copper smelting of WEEE. The current study experimentally determined the distributions of gold, silver, platinum and palladium between copper alloy and FeOx–SiO2–Al2O3/FeOx–SiO2–Al2O3–CaO slags (LCu/s[M] = [M]Copper/[M]Slag) over the oxygen partial pressure range of 10−5 – 10−10 atm at 1300 °C. In addition, the equilibria of copper alloy, slag and Al–Fe spinel system are presented and discussed. The experiments were conducted employing an equilibration—drop-quenching technique followed by major element analysis with Electron Probe MicroAnalysis (EPMA) and trace element analysis with sensitive Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results showed that the distribution coefficient of silver increased from 10 to 103 as a function of decreasing oxygen partial pressure. For gold, platinum and palladium, the distribution coefficients were at minimum 105. Lime addition improved the recovery of silver notably and had a small positive effect on gold recovery into copper. Overall, the precious metals can be recovered very efficiently in copper alloy via secondary copper smelting with alumina-rich iron-silicate slags.
Instituting a national early detection and rapid response program: needs for building federal risk screening capacity
Authors: Marshall Meyers N. , Reaser Jamie K. , Hoff Michael H. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe invasive species issue is inherently a matter of risk; what is the risk that an invasive species will adversely impact valued assets? The early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR) requires that an assessment of risk is conducted as rapidly as possible. We define risk screening as rapid characterization of the types and degree of risks posed by a population of non-native species in a particular spatio-temporal context. Risk screening is used to evaluate the degree to which various response measures are warranted and justifiable. In this paper, we evaluate the US government’s risk screening programs with a view towards advancing national EDRR capacity. Our survey-based findings, consistent with prior analyses, indicate that risk evaluation by federal agencies has largely been a reactive, ad hoc process, and there is a need to improve information sharing, risk evaluation tools, and staff capacity for risk screening. We provide an overview of the US Department of Agriculture’s Tiered Weed Risk Evaluation and US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ecological Risk Screening Summaries, two relatively new approaches to invasive species risk screening that hold promise as the basis for future work. We emphasize the need for a clearinghouse of risk evaluation protocols, tools, completed assessments and associated information; development of performance metrics and standardized protocols for risk screening; as well as support for complementary, science-based tools to facilitate and validate risk screening.
The Determinants of Subjective Well-Being in a Developing Country: The Ecuadorian Case
Authors: Pontarollo Nicola , Orellana Mercy , Segovia Joselin 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIn this study, we identify some individual and contextual factors potentially affecting subjective well-being in developing countries and check their effect in the Ecuadorian case. Ecuador is an oil country where attempts have been made to overcome deep social and territorial inequalities by placing human well-being at the core of public policy through the National Plan for Good Living. By means of ordinary least squares and ordered logit with clustered standard errors, as well as multilevel ordered logit models, we find that oil-dependent territories negatively affect well-being. Moreover, women and indigenous people report lower well-being, while personal income, education, housing quality, institutional trust, health insurance and social relationships can improve it. From a policy perspective, we find that basic unmet needs still need to be fulfilled to increase well-being, and further improvements of the institutional framework, redistributive system and inclusion policies are required. In this respect, we observe that Good Living-based policy accurately addresses these elements and, therefore, has great potential for application in other countries with similar characteristics.
New Homogeneous Dataset of Solar EUV Synoptic Maps from SOHO/EIT and SDO/AIA
Authors: Hamada A. , Asikainen T. , Mursula K. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractSynoptic maps of solar EUV intensities have been constructed for many decades in order to display the distribution of the different EUV emissions across the solar surface, with each map representing one Carrington rotation (i.e. one rotation of the Sun). This article presents a new solar EUV synoptic map dataset based on full-disk images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SOHO/EIT) and Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA). In order to remove the significant and complicated drift of EIT and AIA EUV intensities due to sensor degradation, we construct the synoptic maps in standardized intensity scale. We describe a method of homogenizing the SOHO/EIT maps with SDO/AIA maps by transforming the EIT intensity histograms to AIA levels. The new maps cover the years from 1996 to 2018 with 307 SOHO/EIT and 116 SDO/AIA synoptic maps, respectively. These maps provide a systematic and homogeneous view of the entire solar surface in four EUV wavelengths, and are well suited, e.g., for studying long-term coronal hole evolution.
Stigmatisation and resilience in inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Lenti Marco Vincenzo , Cococcia Sara , Ghorayeb Jihane , Di Sabatino Antonio , Selinger Christian P. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractInflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is an immune-mediated, chronic relapsing disorder characterised by severe gastrointestinal symptoms that dramatically impair patients’ quality of life, affecting psychological, physical, sexual, and social functions. As a consequence, patients suffering from this condition may perceive social stigmatisation, which is the identification of negative attributes that distinguish a person as different and worthy of separation from the group. Stigmatisation has been widely studied in different chronic conditions, especially in mental illnesses and HIV-infected patients. There is a growing interest also for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, in which the possibility of disease flare and surgery-related issues seem to be the most important factors determining stigmatisation. Conversely, resilience represents the quality that allows one to adopt a positive attitude and good adjustments despite adverse life events. Likewise, resilience has been studied in different populations, age groups, and chronic conditions, especially mental illnesses and cancer, but little is known about this issue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, even if this could be an interesting area of research. Resilience can be strengthened through dedicated interventions that could potentially improve the ability to cope with the disease. In this paper, we focus on the current knowledge of stigmatisation and resilience in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Du harcèlement sexuel sans conséquence pour la victime? Analyse discursive de la jurisprudence du Tribunal administratif du travail du Québec
Authors: Cox Rachel 
Published: December 2019

RésuméCette étude s’intéresse au discours des juges du Tribunal administratif du travail du Québec en matière de harcèlement sexuel à partir d’un échantillon de 12 décisions rendues entre 2014 et 2017. Dans la moitié des décisions analysées, les motifs du juge reposent sur une logique binaire. Des binômes (femmes/hommes; subjectivité/objectivité; émotionnalité/rationalité, etc.) se glissent dans l’appréciation de la preuve, perpétuant des mythes qui banalisent le harcèlement sexuel. Une logique binaire est généralement associée au rejet de la réclamation. En revanche, dans l’autre moitié des décisions, les motifs du juge prennent en compte le contexte ainsi que la complexité du harcèlement sexuel. Nos résultats illustrent comment le discours des juges sert soit à perpétuer, soit à remettre en question les stéréotypes négatifs relatifs au harcèlement sexuel des femmes au travail, et ce, dans un cadre juridique identique.
OP06 Evaluating Public Health Interventions: A Neglected Area In HTA
Authors: Lenoir-Wijnkoop Irene , Stojanovic Jovana , Rodrigo Eva Reviriego , Burton Alexia Campbell , Hampson Grace , Gutiérrez-Ibarluzea Iñaki 
Published: December 2019

IntroductionPublic health (PH) interventions are crucial for ensuring sustainable healthcare infrastructures. Nevertheless, they represent a neglected area in HTA due to various methodological issues and their complex design that goes beyond clinical setting. Our study provides an environmental scan of HTA initiatives related to the assessment of PH technologies on a global level.MethodsThe Initiative for Public Health Outcomes Research and Measurement (INPHORM) interest group has conducted a survey among European and international societies, health bodies and networks during September 2018. The questionnaire evaluates what kind of PH technologies and/or interventions have been evaluated in the last five years, or are planned for the future.ResultsOur preliminary findings from November 2018 indicate a total of 94 initiated and 44 completed surveys. Among the completed ones, the majority of respondents came from European countries (36%), followed by North (30%) and South America (16%) countries. Sixty-eight percent of institutions reported engagement in any aspect of HTA in the area of PH (N = 30). Medical aspects of the PH technology are considered by 83 percent of the institutions, followed by organizational impact (67%), economic evaluation (60%) and societal consequences (60%). An average of four PH technologies has been evaluated by the responding institutions in the last five years. In reference to methodological aspects, 90 percent of institutions used a classical HTA approach for evaluating PH interventions, while 40 percent used budget impact analyses. Among the barriers for reaching a decision, conflicting stakeholder priorities, lack of data and clear methodological frameworks were most commonly cited.ConclusionsData analysis is currently on-going and final results will be presented during the Cologne meeting. This study will allow to raise awareness about the importance of PH interventions in HTA, identify existing gaps and propose future methodological developments.
OP22 Patient-Based Evidence: Its Role In Decision-Making On New Medicines
Authors: Hems Sharon , Taylor Louise , Jones Jan , Holmes Eileen 
Published: December 2019

IntroductionThe Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) advises NHS Scotland on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of new medicines. Since 2014, evidence from patients and carers on end-of-life and orphan medicines has been gathered during Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) meetings. The output is a consensus statement which describes the added value of a new medicine from the perspective of the patient/carer and clinician. This study investigates the importance of factors identified through PACE to committee members and how these are used in their decision-making.MethodsSurvey methodology was used to gain an understanding of the factors from the PACE statement that are most likely to influence members (n = 26) in decision-making. The survey instrument was informed by a literature review and observation of PACE and SMC meetings. Likert scale questions were used to determine the relative importance of factors in the PACE statement, including information relating to eight prominent ‘quality of life’ themes (family/carer impact, health benefits, tolerability, psychological benefit, hope, normal life, treatment choice and convenience), that were identified by an earlier thematic analysis of these statements.ResultsAnalysis of survey responses will use mainly descriptive techniques to generate percentages and ranges. Correlation analysis will be considered to investigate relationships between members’ demographics, type of medicine (end-of-life, orphan) and the importance of different factors in the PACE statement. Preliminary results indicate that key quality of life themes highly valued by patients/carers are also important to committee members in their decision making. Challenges in assimilating qualitative patient-based evidence from PACE alongside quantitative clinical and economic data were highlighted.ConclusionsFindings from this survey will provide valuable insight into how PACE evidence is used by SMC decision makers alongside traditional clinical and economic evidence and will help shape future improvements to the PACE methodology.
OP25 Organisational Learning Principles Applied To Information Retrieval
Authors: Macmillan Thomas 
Published: December 2019

IntroductionA key discussion point during HTAi's 2018 Meeting was how Health Technology Assessment (HTA) practitioners might borrow ideas from other industries or academic areas. Organisational learning (OL) is the study of how individual knowledge is shared within an organisation to become institutional/group knowledge. There are several models of OL, all focusing on how tacit knowledge (abstract, personalised, hard to define, action-based) is converted to explicit knowledge (definable, concrete, fixed, information-based). Effective knowledge sharing is crucial to leveraging individual knowledge to drive innovation, efficiency and effectiveness. Information retrieval is a knowledge-intensive field, with many processes requiring both tacit and explicit knowledge. Ideas from OL demonstrate ways to improve practice by increasing knowledge sharing.MethodsNonaka & Takeuchi's (1994) SECI model describes the cyclical process by which knowledge is shared. The model includes 4 stages: socialisation (tacit-to-tacit), externalisation (tacit-to-explicit), combination (explicit-to-explicit) and internalisation (explicit-to-tacit). Each stage describes how knowledge sharing takes place and highlights ways to ameliorate these processes. Information retrieval involves many elements that require or benefit from knowledge sharing and both tacit and explicit knowledge is required.ResultsIn the SECI model the Socialisation stage is characterised by face-to-face learning. Peer reviewing of search strategies, open dialogue and team working are ways of facilitating this stage. The Externalisation stage is crucial to OL. This can be seen as the practice-into-research stage; the results of successful experimentation, for example with search filters. The Combination stage is the easiest to understand. Communities of practice and inter-organisational networks can widen knowledge sharing and help refine or increase detail of best practice. The Internalisation stage is the hardest to conceptualise or measure. The extent to which guidelines become adopted in individual practice is one way to gauge Internalisation.ConclusionsInformation retrieval practitioners could benefit from thinking about ways to improve knowledge sharing. Models of OL can be instructive in this regard.