bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Living with hypoparathyroidism: development of the Hypoparathyroidism Patient Experience Scale-Impact (HPES-Impact)
Authors: Brod Meryl , Waldman Laura Tesler , Smith Alden , Karpf David 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPurposeHypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder characterized by absent or inappropriately low levels of circulating parathyroid hormone (PTH). Research indicates that HP patients on conventional therapy may have a reduced quality of life. The study’s purpose was to develop a new disease-specific measure of the impacts of hypoparathyroidism on functioning and well-being and provide evidence for its content validity based on rigorous qualitative research methodologies for patient-reported outcomes development.MethodsSemi-structured, individual concept elicitation (CE) interviews were conducted with 5 clinical experts and 42 adults in the USA with HP to identify impacts of relevance and importance to the target population. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using an adapted grounded theory approach common to qualitative research. Following item generation, the draft measure was cognitive debriefed in an independent sample of 16 adults with HP.ResultsAnalyses identified four impact domains: physical functioning, including ability to exercise (n = 32, 76%) and mobility (n = 21, 50%); daily life, including ability to do things around the home (n = 33, 79%), and interference with work productivity (n = 18, 43%); psychological well-being, including feeling anxious/anxiety (n = 34, 81%) and frustrated (n = 27, 64%); and social, including ability to participate in social activities (n = 33, 79%) and relationships (n = 32, 76%). Twenty-seven impacts were identified and included in the preliminary measure. After the cognitive debriefing, a validation-ready, 26-item Hypoparathyroidism Patient Experience Scale-Impact (HPES-Impact) was generated.ConclusionFindings provide substantial evidence of content validity for the validation-ready HPES-Impact in adults with HP.
Effect of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors in Patients with COVID-19: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 28,872 Patients
Authors: Baral Ranu , White Madeline , Vassiliou Vassilios S 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Purpose of Review
The role of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors, notably angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), in the COVID-19 pandemic has not been fully evaluated. With an increasing number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, it is imperative to better understand the impact of RAAS inhibitors in hypertensive COVID patients. PubMed, Embase and the pre-print database Medrxiv were searched, and studies with data on patients on ACEi/ARB with COVID-19 were included. Random effects models were used to estimate the pooled mean difference with 95% confidence interval using Open Meta[Analyst] software.

Recent Findings
A total of 28,872 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The use of any RAAS inhibition for any conditions showed a trend to lower risk of death/critical events (OR 0.671, CI 0.435 to 1.034, p = 0.071). Within the hypertensive cohort, however, there was a significant lower association with deaths (OR 0.664, CI 0.458 to 0.964, p = 0.031) or the combination of death/critical outcomes (OR 0.670, CI 0.495 to 0.908, p = 0.010). There was no significant association of critical/death outcomes within ACEi vs non-ACEi (OR 1.008, CI 0.822 to 1.235, p = 0.941) and ARB vs non-ARB (OR 0.946, CI 0.735 to 1.218, p = 0.668).

Summary
This is the largest meta-analysis including critical events and mortality data on patients prescribed ACEi/ARB and found evidence of beneficial effects of chronic ACEi/ARB use especially in hypertensive cohort with COVID-19. As such, we would strongly encourage patients to continue with RAAS inhibitor pharmacotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Loneliness among Elderly People: Can Food and Meals Change this Situation?
Authors: Hansen Kai Victor 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn a relationship, it is natural that one person lives longer than the other, leading to many challenges, including the possibility of loneliness. This article focuses on how food and meals can help reduce loneliness among the elderly. There are many reasons for loneliness or emptiness, including being a widow or a widower, illness, and poverty. As the number of elderly people is greatly increasing in all welfare states, meals are an important function that should be maintained throughout life. This study used CurroCus® group interviews, or fast focus groups. Nine CurroCus® groups were conducted, lasting for 37–56 min (average = 45 min). Altogether, 76 persons participated, ranging in age from 60 to 87 years; participants were predominantly female (> 80%). The collected empirical data were recorded, transcribed, and entered into NVivo 11.0. Interviews were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The main findings of this article fall into two main categories: togetherness and life action. Based on the interpretation of respondents’ answers, elderly people make both conscious and unconscious choices that help reduce loneliness. They also gather around food and meals to experience more togetherness. In future research, loneliness strategies carried out unknowingly should be investigated more closely. In addition, elderly participants should self-report on meal activities throughout the day.
The Impact of MTHFR 1298 A > C and 677 C > T Gene Polymorphisms as Susceptibility Risk Factors in Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Related to HPV and Sexually Transmitted Infections
Authors: Sohrabi Amir , Bassam-Tolami Fatemeh , Imani Mohsen 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background
HPV genotypes are the most common etiological factor for genital neoplasia. It would appear that sexually transmitted infections accompanied with HPV genotypes might have synergistic interactions in cancer progression. The genetic polymorphisms are involved in metabolizing carcinogens which may contribute to the susceptibility of developing genital cancers by less efficient or overly down metabolic pathways and cell signaling. MTHFR polymorphisms are related to several metabolic disorders and human cancers. We investigated the contribution of MTHFR 1298 and MTHFR 677 polymorphisms as potential risk factors for outcomes with HPV genotypes and STIs in Iranian population.

Materials and Methods
As a case–control study, MTHFR A1298C and C677T were assessed for SNPs analysis using a PCR–RFLP assay in 50 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) cases, 98 HPV-positive subjects and 47 non-cancerous/non-HPV patients as healthy controls.

Results
Finding suggested a significant association between the MTHFR 1298 CC polymorphisms (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.13–10.82, P ≤ 0.05) in women with CIN as compared to non-cancerous/non-HPV subjects. There was not a significant difference of MTHFR 677 between outcomes.

Discussion
It would seem MTHFR 1298 CC is more likely to be a potential risk factor for HPV–cervical cancer progression. Consequences support further attempts to understand the clinical manifestations of neoplasia related to genital infections and gene mutations.
The Direct Effect of Taxes and Transfers on Changes in the U.S. Income Distribution, 1967–2015
Authors: Wimer Christopher , Parolin Zachary , Fenton Anny , Fox Liana , Jencks Christopher 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Scholars have increasingly drawn attention to rising levels of income inequality in the United States. However, prior studies have provided an incomplete account of how changes to specific transfer programs have contributed to changes in income growth across the distribution. Our study decomposes the direct effects of tax and transfer programs on changes in the household income distribution from 1967 to 2015. We show that despite a rising Gini coefficient, lower-tail inequality (the ratio of the 50th to 10th percentile) declined in the United States during this period due to the rise of in-kind and tax-based transfers. Food assistance and refundable tax credits account for nearly all the income growth between 1967 and 2015 at the 5th percentile and roughly one-half the growth at the 10th percentile. Moreover, income gains near the bottom of the distribution are concentrated among households with children. Changes in the income distribution were far less progressive among households without children.
The Wealth of Parents: Trends Over Time in Assortative Mating Based on Parental Wealth
Authors: Wagner Sander , Boertien Diederik , Gørtz Mette 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis article describes trends in parental wealth homogamy among union cohorts formed between 1987 and 2013 in Denmark. Using high-quality register data on the wealth of parents during the year of partnering, we show that the correlation between partners’ levels of parental wealth is considerably lower compared with estimates from research on other countries. Nonetheless, parental wealth homogamy is high at the very top of the parental wealth distribution, and individuals from wealthy families are relatively unlikely to partner with individuals from families with low wealth. Parental wealth correlations among partners are higher when only parental assets rather than net wealth are examined, implying that the former might be a better measure for studying many social stratification processes. Most specifications indicate that homogamy increased in the 2000s relative to the 1990s, but trends can vary depending on methodological choices. The increasing levels of parental wealth homogamy raise concerns that over time, partnering behavior has become more consequential for wealth inequality between couples.
Transition to multiple mini interview (MMI) interviewing for medical school admissions
Authors: Langer Tessa , Ruiz Colby , Tsai Perry , Adams Ursula , Powierza Camilla , Vijay Ammu , Alvarez Paul , Dallahan Gary Beck , Rahangdale Lisa 
Published: August 2020

Introduction The multiple mini interview (MMI) has been incorporated into the holistic review process in the selection of students to US medical schools. The MMI has been used to evaluate interpersonal and intrapersonal attributes which are deemed as necessary for future physicians. We hypothesized that there would be little difference in overall MMI evaluation data compared with traditional interview ratings.
Methods The University of North Carolina School of Medicine developed an interview process that included a traditional interview and MMI format during the 2019 admissions cycle. Evaluation data along with key demographic variables for 608 MD program applicants were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical analyses.
Results The MMI format slightly favored female over male applicants (p = 0.002) but did not select for or against applicants based on age, race/ethnicity, underserved/rural area upbringing, or indicators of disadvantage. Out of 608 applicants, 356 (59%) completed a post-interview survey in which the experience was positively rated.
Discussion Based on our experience, the use of a hybrid model of traditional interviews complemented with MMI stations provided greater details in the assessment of medical school applicants while obtaining equivalent data and acceptability amongst applicants.
Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19: Potential Mechanism of Action Against SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Satarker Sairaj , Ahuja Tejas , Banerjee Madhuparna , E Vignesh Balaji , Dogra Shagun , Agarwal Tushar , Nampoothiri Madhavan 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Purpose of Review
The rapid spread of virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has turned out to be a global emergency. Symptoms of this viral infection, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), include mild infections of the upper respiratory tract, viral pneumonia, respiratory failure, multiple organ failure and death. Till date, no drugs have been discovered to treat COVID-19 patients, and therefore, a considerable amount of interest has been shown in repurposing the existing drugs.

Recent Findings
Out of these drugs, chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have demonstrated positive results indicating a potential antiviral role against SARS-CoV-2. Its mechanism of action (MOA) includes the interference in the endocytic pathway, blockade of sialic acid receptors, restriction of pH mediated spike (S) protein cleavage at the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding site and prevention of cytokine storm. Unfortunately, its adverse effects like gastrointestinal complications, retinopathy and QT interval prolongation are evident in treated COVID-19 patients. Yet, multiple clinical trials have been employed in several countries to evaluate its ability in turning into a needed drug in this pandemic.

Summary
This review attempts to summarize the MOA of CQ/HCQ and its side effects. The existing literature hints that till date, the role of CQ/HCQ in COVID-19 may be sceptical, and further studies are warranted for obtaining a therapeutic option that could be effectively used across the world to rise out from this pandemic.
Exploiting Latent Semantic Subspaces to Derive Associations for Specific Pharmaceutical Semantics
Authors: Wawrzinek Janus , Pinto José María González , Wiehr Oliver , Balke Wolf-Tilo 
Published: August 2020

AbstractState-of-the-art approaches in the field of neural embedding models (NEMs) enable progress in the automatic extraction and prediction of semantic relations between important entities like active substances, diseases, and genes. In particular, the prediction property is making them valuable for important research-related tasks such as hypothesis generation and drug repositioning. A core challenge in the biomedical domain is to have interpretable semantics from NEMs that can distinguish, for instance, between the following two situations: (a) drug x induces disease y and (b) drug x treats disease y. However, NEMs alone cannot distinguish between associations such as treats or induces. Is it possible to develop a model to learn a latent representation from the NEMs capable of such disambiguation? To what extent do we need domain knowledge to succeed in the task? In this paper, we answer both questions and show that our proposed approach not only succeeds in the disambiguation task but also advances current growing research efforts to find real predictions using a sophisticated retrospective analysis.
Furthermore, we investigate which type of associations is generally better contextualized and therefore probably has a stronger influence in our disambiguation task. In this context, we present an approach to extract an interpretable latent semantic subspace from the original embedding space in which therapeutic drug–disease associations are more likely
.
Harnessing the Power of Quality Assurance Data: Can We Use Statistical Modeling for Quality Risk Assessment of Clinical Trials?
Authors: Koneswarakantha Björn , Ménard Timothé , Rolo Donato , Barmaz Yves , Bowling Rich 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background
The increasing number of clinical trials and their complexity make it challenging to detect and identify clinical quality issues timely. Despite extensive sponsor audit programs and monitoring activities, issues related to data integrity, safety, sponsor oversight and patient consent have recurring audit and inspection findings. Recent developments in data management and IT systems allow statistical modeling to provide insights to clinical Quality Assurance (QA) professionals to help mitigate some of the key clinical quality issues more holistically and efficiently.

Methods
We used findings from a curated data set from Roche/Genentech operational and quality assurance study data, covering a span of 8 years (2011–2018) and grouped them into 5 clinical impact factor categories, for which we modeled the risk with a logistic regression using hand crafted features.

Results
We were able to train 5 interpretable, cross-validated models with several distinguished risk factors, many of which confirmed field observations of our quality professionals. Our models were able to reliably predict a decrease in risk by 12–44%, with 2–8 coefficients each, despite a low signal-to-noise ratio in our data set.

Conclusion
We proposed a modeling strategy that could provide insights to clinical QA professionals to help them mitigate key clinical quality issues (e.g., safety, consent, data integrity) in a more sustained data-driven way, thus turning the traditional reactive approach to a more proactive monitoring and alerting approach. Also, we are calling for cross-sponsors collaborations and data sharing to improve and further validate the use of statistical models in clinical QA.
Developing Cricothyroidotomy Skills Using a Biomaterial-Covered Model
Authors: Ozkaya Senuren Cigdem , Yaylaci Serpil , Kayayurt Kamil , Aldinc Hasan , Gun Cem , Şimşek Perihan , Tatli Ozgur , Turkmen Suha 
Published: August 2020

Introduction Cricothyroidotomy is an advanced and life-saving technique, but it is also a rare and a difficult procedure. The purpose of the present study was to produce a low-cost simulation model with realistic anatomic features to investigate its effectiveness in developing cricothyroidotomy skills. Methods This study was performed at a university simulation center with 57 second-year student paramedics and a cricothyroidotomy simulation model. Total scores were assessed using a checklist. This consisted of 13 steps and was scored as misapplication/omission=0, correct performance and timing with hesitation=1, and correct performance and timing without hesitation=2. One of these steps, local anesthesia of the area if time is available, was not performed owing to time limitations. The highest possible score was 24. Data are presented as mean±SD with range, as appropriate. Normal distribution was evaluated using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Student t test, and Mann-Whitney U test, and correlation analysis was used for statistical analysis. Results Students completed the cricothyroidotomy procedure steps in 116±46 (55–238) s. At performance assessment, the score achieved was 12±5 (2–24). The highest total score of 24 was achieved by 3 students (5%). Total scores exhibited negative and significant correlation with procedure time (r=−0.403, P=0.002). Conclusions The model developed in this study is an inexpensive and effective method that can be used in cricothyroidotomy training for student paramedics. We think that repeating the cricothyroidotomy procedure on the model will increase success levels.
The aerodynamic optimisation of a low-Reynolds paper plane with adjoint method
Authors: Zhang Y. , Zhang X. , Chen G. 
Published: August 2020

ABSTRACTThe aerodynamic performance of a deployable and low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is investigated and improved in present work. The parameters of configuration, such as airfoil and winglet, are determined via an optimising process based on a discrete adjoint method. The optimised target is locked on an increasing lift-to-drag ratio with a limited variation of pitching moments. The separation that will lead to a stall is delayed after optimisation. Up to 128 design variables are used by the optimised solver to give enough flexibility of the geometrical transformation. As much as 20% enhancement of lift-to-drag ratio is gained at the cruise angle-of-attack, that is, a significant improvement in the lift-to-drag ratio adhering to the preferred configuration is obtained with increasing lift and decreasing drag coefficients, essentially entailing an improved aerodynamic performance.
Identifying the most important predictors of support for climate policy in the United States
Authors: GOLDBERG MATTHEW H. , GUSTAFSON ABEL , BALLEW MATTHEW T. , ROSENTHAL SETH A. , LEISEROWITZ ANTHONY 
Published: August 2020

AbstractReducing global warming will require enacting strong climate policies, which is unlikely to happen without public support. While prior research has identified varied predictors of climate change policy support, it is unclear which predictors are strongest for the American electorate as a whole, and which predictors are strongest for Democrats and Republicans. In a nationally representative sample of registered voters (n = 2063), we use relative weight analysis to identify the strongest predictors of public climate policy support. We find that, among registered voters in the USA, the five most important predictors of climate policy support are: worry about global warming; risk perceptions; certainty that global warming is happening; belief that global warming is human-caused; and general affect toward global warming. Collectively, these five variables account for 51% of the variance in policy support. Results split by political party indicate that pro-climate injunctive norms and global warming risk perceptions are the variables that differ most between Republicans and Democrats, accounting for significantly more variance in policy support among Republicans. These findings can inform policymakers and advocates seeking to build public support for climate action.
An examination of the ethical dilemmas of school counsellors: opinions and solution recommendations
Authors: Camadan Fatih , Topsakal Cem , Sadıkoğlu İnci 
Published: August 2020

AbstractEthical dilemmas are concerning for school counsellors in Turkey. This article presents findings of a qualitative study exploring the views and suggestions of 16 school counsellors in Rize, Turkey. Content analysis was performed on the data obtained from interviews with the participants. The results of the study showed that the school counsellors had the most knowledge about the competency principle of school counselling codes of ethics. The study also showed that regarding legal aspects of school counselling, the participating counsellors had the most knowledge about professional duties and responsibilities, yet they considered themselves inadequate in terms of both professional ethics and legal aspects of counselling. It was concluded that the school counsellors were confronted with ethical dilemmas mostly in cases of confidentiality, and it was understood that the counsellors mostly chose to do research to overcome these dilemmas.
COVID-19: the older adult and the importance of vitamin D sufficiency
Authors: O'Shea Paula M. , Griffin Tomás P. , Brennan Michelle , Mulkerrin Eamon C. 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
In December 2019, in Wuhan, China, the novel coronavirus ‘severe acute respiratory syndrome 2’ (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered as the cause of a pneumonia-like illness and subsequently named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 spread and is now a global pandemic. With few exceptions, countries in the Northern hemisphere have higher mortality rates from COVID-19. This may be due to an increased prevalence of older people in Northern Europe at higher risk of having cardio-pulmonary and metabolic comorbidities as well as hypovitaminosis D. With increasing age, immunosenescence and ‘inflammaging’ lead to impaired and maladaptive immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infections, contributing to the enhanced prevalence of severe COVID-19 in older patients. The association of ageing with increased vitamin D deficiency, which is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and disease and worse prognosis in COVID-19 infection, is discussed. Considerable experimental evidence demonstrates the immuno-modulatory properties of vitamin D, in particular, its role in regulating and suppressing the inflammatory cytokine response to viral respiratory infections links the importance of vitamin D sufficiency as a potential protective factor in COVID-19. There is an urgent need for prospective randomised studies to examine whether hypovitaminosis D correlates with severity of COVID-19 disease and the actual benefit of repletion. Moreover, given what has been described as a ‘pandemic of vitamin D deficiency’, especially in Europe, and in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 contagion, the authors support the call for public health doctors and physicians, with support from Governments, to prioritise and strengthen recommendations on vitamin D intake and supplementation.