bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Qualitative measurement of opioid effects on pain and dyspnea: gender difference in the sensitivity
Authors: Nozaki-Taguchi Natsuko , Hayashida Taiichiro , Isono Shiroh 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
An increasing number of patients come to the operating room in use of opioid analgesics. They have different levels of tolerance to opioid effects which challenge the anesthesiologists in search of safe and effective opioid dosing perioperatively. The tested hypothesis is that simple measures introduced will allow us to measure tolerance qualitatively. Opioid effects on pain (analgesia) and dyspnea sensations (relieving effect) are tested. Patients were allocated to three groups according to pre-operative analgesics: (1) control, without any opioid analgesics, (2) weak opioid, and (3) strong opioid. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) and no-respiratory sensation period (NRSP) were measured at two points: before and 3 min after intravenous fentanyl administration.

Results
A total of 58 (43 controls, 9 weak opioids, and 6 strong opioids) patients were enrolled. PPT and NRSP, after iv 2 μg/kg ideal body weight (IBW) fentanyl, were significantly elevated in the control patients (PPT: 6.2 ± 2.1 N to 9.2 ± 3.9 N, p < 0.0001, NRSP: 17.8 ± 10.8 s to 22.8 ± 18.7 s, p < 0.005, paired t test). However, preoperative opioid use, though with tendency, did not show a significant decrease of the opioid effect. Due to an insufficient number of participants, no conclusion could be drawn. Further analysis of the data from control patients showed a significant difference between the two sexes in sensitivity to PPT and NRSP, as well as fentanyl effect on PPT.

Conclusions
Current data showed a simple method of measuring the opioid effect on two dimensions: pain and respiration. Though not able to show a qualitative measurement of tolerance formation in opioid-users, data from control patients showed females to be more sensitive to pain and dyspnea but is less sensitive to the opioid effect. Further studies are necessary to show whether these gender differences serve as clinical relevance.

Trial registration
UMIN, UMIN 000011580. Registered 27 August 2013, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr.cgi?function=brows&action=brows&type=summary&recptno=R000013352&language=J
Prevalence of vertical HIV infection and its risk factors among HIV exposed infants in East Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Belachew Amare , Tewabe Tilahun , Malede Gizat Abinet 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the most important global health problems. More than one and half million of children are living with HIV in the world, and majority of them are found in sub-Saharan Africa. There are primary fragmented study findings, and no review was conducted with regard to vertical HIV infection in East Africa. Therefore, this review aimed to assess the prevalence of vertical HIV infection and its risk factors among HIV-exposed infants in East Africa.

Main body
Eligible studies were retrieved by relevant search terms in CINHAL, Pub-MED, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Cochrane, African Journals Online databases, and Ethiopian University research repositories. Data were extracted with Microsoft Excel and analyzed with Stata version 11 software. The random effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of vertical HIV infection in East Africa. The variation between studies was quantified with an I2 statistic test. Furthermore, sub-group and meta-regression analyses were done to identify the sources of heterogeneity between the studies. The publication bias was assessed by Egger test. This systematic review and meta-analysis have included a total of 33 research articles. The overall pooled prevalence of vertical HIV infection in East Africa was 7.68% with a 95% confidence interval [CI]: (6.23, 9.12) with a heterogeneity of I2 = 86.8 with a p value < 0.001. In subgroup analysis, the pooled prevalence of vertical HIV infection in cross-sectional studies was 6.58%, while in cohort studies were 9.37%. Mixed feeding, AOR = 6.22 (1.02, 11.41); home delivery, AOR = 2 (1.01, 3); mothers took ART less than 4 weeks, AOR = 1.92 (1.79, 2.06); and infants who have not received ARV prophylaxis, AOR = 2.02 (1.05, 2.98) were the associated factors for vertical HIV infection for exposed infants.

Conclusions
The pooled prevalence of the mother to child transmission of HIV is way more than the desired target of the World Health Organization, which is less than 5% in breastfeeding populations. Thus, strengthening the prevention of vertical HIV transmission, promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, timely initiation of ART prophylaxis for HIV exposed infants, encouragement of hospital delivery, and the start of ART at the time of diagnosis of every HIV-positive person may all reduce the transmission of vertical HIV infection.
Recommender systems to support learners’ Agency in a Learning Context: a systematic review
Authors: Deschênes Michelle 
Published: October 2020

AbstractRecommender systems for technology-enhanced learning are examined in relation to learners’ agency, that is, their ability to define and pursue learning goals. These systems make it easier for learners to access resources, including peers with whom to learn and experts from whom to learn. In this systematic review of the literature, we apply an Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI) approach to examine the context in which recommenders are used, the manners in which they are evaluated and the results of those evaluations. We use three databases (two in education and one in applied computer science) and retained articles published therein between 2008 and 2018. Fifty-six articles meeting the requirements for inclusion are analyzed to identify their approach (content-based, collaborative filtering, hybrid, other) and the experiment settings (accuracy, user satisfaction or learning performance), as well as to examine the results and the manner in which they were presented. The results of the majority of the experiments were positive. Finally, given the results introduced in this systematic review, we identify future research questions.
Factors associated with disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with persistent moderate disease activity: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Scott Ian C. , Mount Julie , Barry Jane , Kirkham Bruce 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) do not attain remission/low disease activity, remaining in a moderate disease activity state (MDAS) with ongoing disability and impaired quality of life (QoL). If patients in persistent MDAS with poor future outcomes could be prospectively identified, they could arguably be treated more intensively. We evaluated baseline factors predicting function (Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index [HAQ-DI] scores) and QoL (3-level EuroQol-5 dimensions questionnaire [EQ-5D-3L] index scores) at 12 months in patients with RA in persistent MDAS in a real-world setting.

Methods
Patients with persistent MDAS (Disease Activity Score for 28-joint count based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate [DAS28-ESR] 3.2–5.1 on at least two consecutive outpatient appointments over 12 months) were identified retrospectively from Guy’s Hospital RA Centre and analysed in two groups: (1) biologic naïve at baseline or (2) receiving/ever received biologics. The baseline timepoint was the second-visit MDAS DAS28-ESR score; the endpoint was the closest visit to 12 months. Linear regression analyses evaluated relationships between baseline variables and (1) 12-month HAQ-DI scores, (2) 12-month rank-transformed EQ-5D-3L index scores, (3) 12-month changes in HAQ-DI scores, and (4) 12-month changes in EQ-5D-3L index scores.

Results
The analysis included 207 biologic-naïve and 188 biologic-experienced patients. All patients had moderate disability (mean HAQ-DI 1.21 and 1.46) and impaired QoL (mean EQ-5D-3L index scores 0.52 and 0.50). Many reported moderate/severe pain (93 and 96%) and showed little change in HAQ-DI and EQ-5D-3L index scores over 12 months. In both biologic-naïve and biologic-experienced groups, multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between baseline HAQ-DI scores and endpoint HAQ-DI scores (β = 0.67, P < 0.001 and β = 0.76, P < 0.001, respectively), 12-month changes in HAQ-DI scores (both β = − 0.21, P < 0.001), and 12-month EQ-5D-3L index scores (β = − 0.57, P < 0.001 and β = − 0.29, P = 0.004, respectively). Baseline EQ-5D-3L index scores were significantly associated with 12-month changes in EQ-5D-3L index scores in both groups (β = − 0.73, P < 0.001 and β = − 0.40, P = 0.003, respectively).

Conclusions
Patients with RA in persistent MDAS experience substantial ongoing physical disability, poor QoL, and pain. HAQ-DI is an important predictor of future disability and reduced QoL, supporting current national recommendations to measure HAQ-DI in routine care.
Antiglycaemic potentials and molecular docking studies of the extracts of Cassia alata L.
Authors: Oso Babatunde Joseph , Olaoye Ige Francis 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
This study assessed the antiglycaemic properties of the methanolic extracts of the dried leaf of Cassia alata L. through in vitro and in silico approaches. The methanolic crude extract (MCE) of the dried leaf was prepared and partitioned into n-butanol (BPE) and aqueous (ARE) extracts. The antiglycaemic potential was assessed in vitro by studying the inhibitory actions of the extracts with α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and sucrase. The antiglycation capacity of the extracts was evaluated through the inhibition of albumin glycation, thiol oxidation, and β-fibril formation. Previously identified compounds (emodin, quercetin, chrysoeriol, and kaempferol) were docked with α-amylase (1HNY), α-glucosidase (5ZCB), and sucrase-isomaltase (3LPO) using the Pyrex Virtual Screening tool.

Results
The results revealed that MCE had the highest inhibitory potential with the lowest IC50 values of 69.67 ± 0.88, 65.54 ± 0.34, and 48.35 ± 1.45 μg/mL for α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and sucrase inhibitions, respectively. The molecular docking studies showed that quercetin and kaempferol had the best docking scores with 1HNY while emodin and chrysoeriol had the best scores towards 5ZCB and 3LPO. MCE and BPE significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited glucose-induced albumin glycation and modification.

Conclusion
This study suggested that the extract of the leaf of C. alata could contain a mix of different phytochemicals that could be beneficial in reducing the absorption of glucose and preventing diabetes-induced complications.
Drug-related factors affecting medication adherence among Egyptian asthma patients
Authors: Ali Abdellah H K , Ameen Esraa , Atta Kamal , Alkhayat Khaled Fawzy 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
The aim of this study is to evaluate adherence to inhaler therapy in asthmatic patients and examine drug-related factors affecting medication adherence among Egyptian asthma patients. The study was carried out among 110 clinically diagnosed asthma patients attending at a university hospital, Sohag, Egypt. Inhaler criteria and adherence were evaluated by a standardized tool “Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), 2008.”

Results
The study revealed that out of 110 patients, 42.2% had a high level, 22.9% had medium level, and 34.9% had a low level of medication adherence. There was no relationship between demographic data and medication adherence in asthmatic patients. However, good adherence was frequently encountered among asthmatic patients who used inhaler twice daily, who used drugs its onset of action 5-20 min, who used aerolizer and turbo haler devices, and who used budesonide and budesonide/formoterol.

Conclusions
Poor adherence to inhaler therapy is high in patients with bronchial asthma attending Sohag University Hospital in Upper Egypt. There was a strong relationship between inhaled drug criteria and degree of adherence in asthmatic patients.
Patterns of Biomarker Use in Cancer Treatment Among Medical Oncologists in the Philippines
Authors: Catedral Lance Isidore , Tan Harold Nathan , Chua Alfredo , Benedict Sacdalan Danielle , Sacdalan Dennis L. 
Published: October 2020

PURPOSE Several factors affect how medical oncologists in the Philippines use biomarkers in real-world practice. This study describes patterns of biomarker testing for the management of breast, colorectal, and lung cancers among medical oncologists in the Philippines. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was performed among practicing medical oncologists in the Philippines from November to December 2019. The questionnaire determined the ideal and practical use of biomarkers as perceived by the respondents. Responses were summarized. Associations between biomarker use across select conditions were determined. RESULTS A total of 127 respondents (38% of medical oncologists in the Philippines) participated in this study. In actual practice, 97% of the respondents requested estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor testing, and 93% requested human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing. For colorectal cancer, the respondents would use KRAS and mismatch repair/microsatellite instability, but 59.84% had never used BRAF. For lung cancer, 97.64% of respondents would test for epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR), 88.19% would test for PD-L1, 80.31% for anaplastic lymphoma kinase, 58.27% for ROS1, and 33.07% for BRAF. In actual practice, EGFR was the most frequently ordered test (67.72%), while 44.80% of medical oncologists had never used ROS1. The most common reason for testing was adherence to international guidelines (96%). The most commonly cited barrier to biomarker use was patients’ financial constraints (94.49%). Overall, the respondents’ use of biomarkers was not significantly associated with institutional affiliation, the number of patients they saw monthly, and the availability of biomarker tests in their areas of practice. CONCLUSION Medical oncologists in the Philippines would use biomarkers in treating breast, colorectal, and lung cancers if these were clinically indicated and if cost were not a factor. Financial difficulty experienced by patients was the most commonly cited barrier to biomarker use.
Safety of the LMA®Gastro™ for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Authors: Hagan Katherine B. , Carlson Richard , Arnold Benjamin , Nguyen Linh , Lee Jeffrey , Weston Brian , Hernandez Mike , Feng Lei , Syed Tariq , Hagberg Carin A. 
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND:
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) patients typically receive either tubeless anesthesia or general endotracheal anesthesia (GETA). Patients receiving propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) are at higher risk of sedation-related adverse events (SRAEs) than patients receiving GETA, primarily due to the need for additional airway maneuvers. The increasing use of non–operating room (OR) anesthesia and the perception of a higher incidence of adverse outcomes in non-OR areas has led to the development of devices to improve safety while maintaining efficiency. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the LMA® Gastro™ could be used as a safe alternative to tubeless anesthesia for successfully completing ERCPs.

METHODS:
Eligible subjects were identified within the patient population at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Inclusion criteria consisted of adult patients (≥18 years old) scheduled for elective ERCP with TIVA. This was a prospective observational study in which the following data were collected: number of attempts and time to successful supraglottic airway (SGA) placement, vital signs, peripheral oxygen saturation (Spo
2), median end-tidal CO2, practitioner satisfaction, and any complications.

RESULTS:
A total of 30 patients were included in this study. The overall rate of successful SGA placement within 3 attempts was 96.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.8–99.9) or 29/30. The rate of successful ERCP with SGA placement within 3 attempts was 93.3% (95% CI, 77.9–99.2) or 28/30. Both the gastroenterologist and anesthesiologist reported satisfaction with the device in 90% of the cases (in 66.7% of the cases both anesthesiologist and gastroenterologist scored the device a 7/7 for satisfaction). Patients maintained an Spo
2 of 95%–100% from induction to discharge, with the exception of 1 patient who had an Spo
2 of 93%. The median end-tidal CO2 during the procedure for all patients was 35 mm Hg. Observed aspiration did not occur in any patient. Symptoms of hoarseness (13.3%), mouth soreness (6.7%), sore throat (6.6%), and minor bleeding/cuts/redness/change in taste to the tongue (3.3%) were determined through patient questioning before postanesthesia care unit (PACU) discharge.

CONCLUSIONS:
Our study suggests that the LMA Gastro might be a safe alternative for ERCP procedures. There was a high level of practitioner satisfaction. Only minor complications, such as hoarseness, mouth or throat soreness, or minor trauma to the tongue were experienced by patients. Similar incidences of complications may occur with GETA and tubeless anesthesia. The procedure was well tolerated by all patients; all patients maintained adequate oxygenation and required only minimal blood pressure support.
Dynamic Pricing of Relocating Resources in Large Networks
Authors: Balseiro Santiago R. , Brown David B. , Chen Chen 
Published: October 2020

Motivated by applications in shared vehicle systems, we study dynamic pricing of resources that relocate over a network of locations. Customers with private willingness to pay sequentially request to relocate a resource from one location to another, and a revenue-maximizing service provider sets a price for each request. This problem can be formulated as an infinite-horizon stochastic dynamic program, but it is difficult to solve, as optimal pricing policies may depend on the locations of all resources in the network. We first focus on networks with a hub-and-spoke structure, and we develop a dynamic pricing policy and a performance bound based on a Lagrangian relaxation. This relaxation decomposes the problem over spokes and is thus far easier to solve than the original problem. We analyze the performance of the Lagrangian-based policy and focus on a supply-constrained large network regime in which the number of spokes (n) and the number of resources grow at the same rate. We show that the Lagrangian policy loses no more than O(ln n/n) in performance compared with an optimal policy, thus implying asymptotic optimality as n grows large. We also show that no static policy is asymptotically optimal in the large network regime. Finally, we extend the Lagrangian relaxation to provide upper bounds and policies to general networks with multiple interconnected hubs and spoke-to-spoke connections and to incorporate relocation times. We also examine the performance of the Lagrangian policy and the Lagrangian relaxation bound on some numerical examples, including examples based on data from RideAustin. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, revenue management and market analytics.
Image transmission with binary coding for free space optical communications in the presence of atmospheric turbulence
Authors: Huang Xianwei , Bai Yanfeng , Fu Xiquan 
Published: October 2020

Understanding the influence of atmospheric turbulence on optical information transmission is important for free space optical communication. In this paper, the image transmission through a 1 km horizontal turbulent channel has been numerically investigated, and a simulation model including the process of image pixels encoding and decoding is given. The peak signal-to-noise ratio of the received image is evaluated, and the influences of the channel factors and detector noise are discussed in detail. The critical value of noise level and turbulence strength is given. Our results provide a simulation model for image transmission in a turbulent channel along with insight into the impacts of turbulence parameters and detector noise, which are useful for applications in optical communication.
Study of Gain Switching in Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser under Different Electrical Pulse Inputs
Authors: Krishna K. Murali , Madhan M. Ganesh , Ashok P. 
Published: October 2020

Vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is a strong candidate for short pulse generation among the other semiconductor lasers in the era of laser technology. A 1550 nm, low power VCSEL is excited under different current shapes and the chief laser parameters are found out. The concept of gain switching under various current profiles are utilized effectively to bring out maximum laser power with minimum pulse width, which are the essential factors for long haul high speed optical data transmission. For a haversine electrical current input with 3.7 Ith amplitude, a laser peak power of 2.2 mW at 57 ps pulse width is obtained. In the case of trapezoidal pulse, 67 ps pulse width is obtained for 2.6 Ith current amplitude. It is also observed that square pulse of amplitude 2 Ith produces short optical pulse of 0.887 mW peak power and 89 ps width which shows the best performance when compared to other forms of pulses discussed in this work at the same input condition.
Effect of Collector Voltage on the Large and Small Signal Modulation Characteristics of 980 nm Transistor Laser
Authors: Ramya R. , Piramasubramanian S. , Madhan G. Ganesh , Rebecca D. 
Published: October 2020

Theoretical analysis of Transistor Laser is carried out and the static and frequency responses for different collector voltages, under common emitter configuration are determined. The threshold current (Ith) is observed as 33mA and it increases linearly with reverse collector to base voltage (VCB). Meanwhile, the output optical power is found to decrease proportionately when VCB is increased. A maximum of 18.7GHz modulation bandwidth is observed when an input base current of 95 mA is applied at a fixed value of VCB (1V). The modulation bandwidth is found to decrease with increase in reverse VCB. The turn on delay increases with collector voltage. However, it decreases with increase in base current.
Gra z romantycznym afektem w Mariaszu Artura Daniela Liskowackiego
Authors: Malicka Patrycja 
Published: October 2020

The aim of the article is to show the connection between affection theory and romantic concepts of emotions (mesmerism and melancholy) in Artur Daniel Liskowacki’s 2007 novel Mariasz. By way of introduction, the author presents in brief the most important research on affective turn conducted in Poland and around the world, and also shows the possibilities of affective reading. The next part of the article is an interpretation of Mariasz. What is more, affection theory, as it is used in the novel, helps us to describe the ambiguous network of relations between the characters more fully and clearly, who experience similar affections, despite the temporal distance between them (romanticism and modernity). By analyzing Liskowacki’s novel we can identify the current relevance of the Romantic tradition in Polish literature after 1989, which is far from its martyrological connotations. Romanticism becomes a reference point for contemporary times, and original dialogues from that epoch allow the emotional nature of humans immersed in contemporary times to be described in full.