bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Continuous EEG Utilization
Authors: Zafar Sahar F. , Khozein Rebecca J. , LaRoche Suzette M. , Westover Michael B. , Gilmore Emily J. 
Published: December 2020

Purpose:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly impacted healthcare delivery and utilization. The aim of this article was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on in-hospital continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) utilization and identify areas for process improvement.

Methods:
A 38-question web-based survey was distributed to site principal investigators of the Critical Care EEG Monitoring Research Consortium, and institutional contacts for the Neurodiagnostic Credentialing and Accreditation Board. The survey addressed the following aspects of cEEG utilization: (1) general center characteristics, (2) cEEG utilization and review, (3) staffing and workflow, and (4) health impact on EEG technologists.

Results:
The survey was open from June 12, 2020 to June 30, 2020 and distributed to 174 centers with 79 responses (45.4%). Forty centers were located in COVID-19 hotspots. Fifty-seven centers (72.1%) reported cEEG volume reduction. Centers in the Northeast were most likely to report cEEG volume reduction (odds ratio [OR] 7.19 [1.53–33.83]; P = 0.012). Additionally, centers reporting decrease in outside hospital transfers reported cEEG volume reduction; OR 21.67 [4.57–102.81]; P ≤ 0.0001. Twenty-six centers (32.91%) reported reduction in EEG technologist coverage. Eighteen centers had personal protective equipment shortages for EEG technologists. Technologists at these centers were more likely to quarantine for suspected or confirmed COVID-19; OR 3.14 [1.01–9.63]; P = 0.058.

Conclusions:
There has been a widespread reduction in cEEG volume during the pandemic. Given the anticipated duration of the pandemic and the importance of cEEG in managing hospitalized patients, methods to optimize use need to be prioritized to provide optimal care. Because the survey provides a cross-sectional assessment, follow-up studies can determine the long-term impact of the pandemic on cEEG utilization.
Understanding Covid-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in context: Findings from a qualitative study involving citizens in Bradford, UK
Authors: Lockyer Bridget , Islam Shahid , Rahman Aamnah , Dickerson Josie , Pickett Kate , Sheldon Trevor , Wright John , McEachan Rosemary , Sheard Laura 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundCovid-19 vaccines can offer a route out of the pandemic, yet initial research suggests that many are unwilling to be vaccinated. A rise in the spread of misinformation is thought to have played a significant role in this vaccine hesitancy. In order to maximise vaccine uptake it is important to understand why misinformation has been able to take hold at this time and why it may pose a more significant problem within certain populations and places.ObjectiveTo understand people’s Covid-19 beliefs, their interactions with health (mis)information during Covid-19 and attitudes towards a Covid-19 vaccine.Design and participantsIn-depth phone interviews were carried out with 20 people from different ethnic groups and areas of Bradford during Autumn 2020. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted.ResultsParticipants spoke about a wide range of emotive misinformation they had encountered regarding Covid-19, resulting in confusion, distress and mistrust. Vaccine hesitancy could be attributed to three prominent factors: safety concerns, negative stories and personal knowledge. The more confused, distressed and mistrusting participants felt about their social worlds during the pandemic, the less positive they were about a vaccine.ConclusionsCovid-19 vaccine hesitancy needs to be understood in the context of the relationship between the spread of misinformation and associated emotional reactions. Vaccine programmes should provide a focused, localised and empathetic response to counter misinformation.Patient or public contributionA rapid community and stakeholder engagement process was undertaken to identify Covid-19 related priority topics important to both Bradford citizens and local decision makers.
X-MOL: large-scale pre-training for molecular understanding and diverse molecular analysis
Authors: Xue Dongyu , Zhang Han , Xiao Dongling , Gong Yukang , Chuai Guohui , Sun Yu , Tian Hao , Wu Hua , Li Yukun , Liu Qi 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn silico modelling and analysis of small molecules substantially accelerates the process of drug development. Representing and understanding molecules is the fundamental step for various in silico molecular analysis tasks. Traditionally, these molecular analysis tasks have been investigated individually and separately. In this study, we presented X-MOL, which applies large-scale pre-training technology on 1.1 billion molecules for molecular understanding and representation, and then, carefully designed fine-tuning was performed to accommodate diverse downstream molecular analysis tasks, including molecular property prediction, chemical reaction analysis, drug-drug interaction prediction, de novo generation of molecules and molecule optimization. As a result, X-MOL was proven to achieve state-of-the-art results on all these molecular analysis tasks with good model interpretation ability. Collectively, taking advantage of super large-scale pre-training data and super-computing power, our study practically demonstrated the utility of the idea of “mass makes miracles” in molecular representation learning and downstream in silico molecular analysis, indicating the great potential of using large-scale unlabelled data with carefully designed pre-training and fine-tuning strategies to unify existing molecular analysis tasks and substantially enhance the performance of each task.
SARS-CoV-2 mutations among minks show reduced lethality and infectivity to humans
Authors: Konishi Tomokazu 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 infection in minks has become a serious problem, as the virus may mutate and reinfect humans; some countries have decided to cull minks. Here, the virus sequencing data in minks were analysed and compared to those of human-virus. Although the mink-virus maintained the characteristics of human-virus, some variants rapidly mutated, adapting to minks. Some mink-derived variants infected humans, which accounted for 40% of the total SARS-CoV-2 cases in the Netherlands. These variants appear to be less lethal and infective compared to those in humans. Variants that have mutated further among minks were not found in humans. Such mink-viruses might be suitable for vaccination for humans, such as in the case of the smallpox virus, which is less infective and toxic to humans.
Mental health, personality and lifetime psychedelic use during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Cavanna Federico , Pallavicini Carla , Milano Virginia , Cuiule Juan , Di Tella Rocco , González Pablo , Tagliazucchi Enzo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences represent a major challenge to the mental health and well-being of the general population. Some groups may be more vulnerable than others, depending on factors such as preexisting conditions, personality, and past life experiences. Building on previous work on the potential long-term benefits of psychedelics, we hypothesized that lifetime use of these drugs could be linked to better mental health indicators in the context of the ongoing pandemic.MethodsTwo anonymous online surveys were conducted between April 2020 and June 2020, including questions about lifetime experience with psychedelics and other psychoactive drugs, and psychometric scales designed to measure personality traits, anxiety, negative and positive affect, well-being and resilience. Principal component analysis was applied to divide the sample into groups of subjects based on their drug use reports.Results5618 participants (29.15 ± 0.12 years, 71.97% female) completed both surveys and met the inclusion criteria, with 32.43% of the final sample reporting at least one use of a psychedelic drug. Lifetime psychedelic use was linked to increased openness and decreased conscientiousness, and with higher scores of positive affect. The reported number of past psychedelic experiences predicted higher scores of the secondary personality trait beta factor, which has been interpreted as a measure of plasticity. No significant associations between lifetime use of psychedelics and indicators of impaired mental health were observed.ConclusionWe did not find evidence of an association between lifetime use of psychedelics and poor mental health indicators. Conversely, experience with psychedelic drugs was linked to increased positive affect and to personality traits that favor resilience and stability in the light of the ongoing crisis. Future studies should be conducted to investigate these results from a causal perspective.
Surveillance of acute SARS-CoV-2 infections in school children and point-prevalence during a time of high community transmission in Switzerland
Authors: Kriemler Susi , Ulyte Agne , Ammann Priska , Peralta Gabriela P. , Berger Christoph , Puhan Milo A , Radtke Thomas 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundSwitzerland had one of the highest incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in Europe during the second wave. Schools were open as in most of Europe with specific preventive measures in place. However, the frequency and transmission of acute unrecognized, asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic infections in schools during this time of high community transmission is unknown. Thereof, our aim was to pilot a surveillance system that detects acute SARS-CoV-2 infections in schools and possible transmission within classes.Methods14 out of the randomly selected sample of the Ciao Corona cohort study participated between December 1 and 11, a time when incidence rate for SARS-CoV-2 infections was high for the canton of Zurich. We determined point-prevalence of acute SARS-CoV-2 infections of school children attending primary and secondary school. A buccal swab for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to detect SARS-CoV-2 were taken twice 1 week apart (T1 and T2) in a cohort of children from randomly selected classes. A questionnaire assessed demographics and symptoms compatible with a SARS-CoV-2 infection during the past 5 days.ResultsOut of 1299 invited children, 641 (49%) 6- to 16-year-old children and 66 teachers from 14 schools and 67 classes participated in at least 1 of 2 testings. None of the teachers but 1 child had a positive PCR at T1, corresponding to a point-prevalence in children of 0.2% (95% CI 0.0% to 1.1%), and no positive PCR was detected at T2. The child with positive PCR at T1 was negative on the RDT at T1 and both tests were negative at T2. There were 7 (0.6%) false positive RDTs in children and 2 (1.7%) false positive RDTs in teachers at T1 or T2 among 5 schools (overall prevalence 0.7%). All 9 initially positive RDTs were negative in a new buccal sample taken 2 hours to 2 days later, also confirmed by PCR. 35% of children and 8% of teachers reported mild symptoms during the 5 days prior to testing.ConclusionIn a setting of high incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections, unrecognized virus spread within schools was very low. Schools appear to be safe with the protective measures in place (e.g., clearly symptomatic children have to stay at home, prompt contact tracing with individual and class-level quarantine, and structured infection prevention measures in school). Specificity of the RDT was within the lower boundary of performance and needs further evaluation for its use in schools. Given the low point prevalence even in a setting of very high incidence, a targeted test, track, isolate and quarantine (TTIQ) strategy for symptomatic children and school personnel adapted to school settings is likely more suitable approach than surveillance on entire classes and schools.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT04448717https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04448717
Estimating Excess Mortality Following Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer in the U.S.
Authors: Williams AnnaLynn M. , Liu Qi , Bhakta Nickhill , Krull Kevin R. , Hudson Melissa M. , Robison Leslie L. , Yasui Yutaka 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTThe increasing number of long-term survivors of childhood/adolescent cancer are at-risk for premature death resulting from cancer treatment exposures. To better understand the implications of late mortality, we estimated and characterized the magnitude and temporal patterns of annual excess deaths following childhood/adolescent cancers diagnosed in 1975-2016 in the US using SEER 9 registries. We demonstrate for several tumor types that, despite decreasing excess deaths <5.0 years from diagnosis, the total number of excess deaths is not necessarily decreasing due to the growing and aging population of survivors at risk for treatment related late effects.
Quantifying the online news media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Krawczyk K. , Chelkowski T. , Mishra S. , Xifara D. , Gibert B. , Laydon D.J. , Flaxman S. , Mellan T. , Schwämmle V. , Röttger R. , Hadsund J.T. , Bhatt S. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundNon-pharmaceutical interventions such as lockdowns, mask wearing and social distancing have been the primary measures to effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Such measures are highly effective when there is strong population wide adherence which needs to be facilitated by information on the current risks posed by the pandemic alongside a clear exposition of the rules and guidelines in place. Here we address the issue of communication on the pandemic by offering data and analysis of online news media coverage of COVID-19.MethodsWe collected 26 million news articles from the front pages of 172 major online news sources in 11 countries (available athttp://sciride.org). Using topic detection we identified COVID-19-related content to quantify the proportion of total coverage pandemic received in 2020. Sentiment analysis tool Vader was employed to stratify the emotional polarity of COVID-19 reporting. Further topic detection and sentiment analysis was performed on COVID-19 articles to reveal the leading themes in pandemic reporting and their respective emotional polarizations.FindingsWe find that COVID-19 coverage accounted for approximately 25% of all front-page online news articles between January and October 2020. Sentiment analysis of English-speaking sources reveals that the overall COVID-19 coverage cannot be simply classified as negative due to the disease subject matter, suggesting a wide heterogeneous reporting of the pandemic. Within this heterogenous coverage, 16% of COVID-19 news articles (or 4% of all English-speaking articles) can be classified as highly negatively polarized, citing issues such asdeath, fearorcrisis.InterpretationThe goal of pandemic public health communication is to increase understanding of distancing rules and maximize the impact of any governmental policy. Our results suggest an information overload in COVID-19 reporting that could risk obscuring effective policy communication. We hope that our data and analysis will inform health communication strategy to minimize the risks of COVID-19 while vaccination regimes are being introduced.
Salivary SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid detection: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Basso Daniela , Aita Ada , Padoan Andrea , Cosma Chiara , Navaglia Filippo , Moz Stefania , Contran Nicole , Zambon Carlo-Federico , Cattelan Anna Maria , Plebani Mario 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundSARS-CoV-2 quick testing and reporting are now considered relevant for the containment of new pandemic waves. Antigen testing in self-collected saliva might be useful. We compared the diagnostic performance of salivary and naso-pharyngeal swab (NPS) SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection by a rapid chemiluminescent assay (CLEIA) and two different point-of-care (POC) immunochromatographic assays, with that of molecular testing.Methods234 patients were prospectively enrolled. Paired self-collected saliva (Salivette) and NPS were obtained to perform rRT-PCR, chemiluminescent (Lumipulse G) and POC (NPS: Fujirebio and Abbott; saliva: Fujirebio) for SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection.ResultsThe overall agreement between NPS and saliva rRT-PCR was 78.7%, reaching 91.7% at the first week from symptoms onset. SARS-CoV-2 CLEIA antigen was highly accurate in distinguishing between positive and negative NPS (ROC-AUC=0.939, 95%CI:0.903-0.977), with 81.6% sensitivity and 93.8% specificity. This assay on saliva had an overall good accuracy (ROC-AUC=0.805, 95%CI:0.740-0.870), reaching the optimal value within 7 days from symptom onset (Sensitivity: 72%; Specificity: 97%). POC antigen in saliva had a very limited sensitivity (13%), performing better in NPS (Sensitivity: 48% and 66%; Specificity: 100% and 99% for Espline and Abbott respectively), depending on viral loads.ConclusionsSelf-collected saliva is a valid alternative to NPS for SARS-CoV-2 detection not only by molecular, but also by CLEIA antigen testing, for which the highest diagnostic accuracy was achieved in the first week from symptom onset. Saliva is not suitable for POC, although the accuracy of these tests appears satisfactory for NPS with high viral load.
Short-term forecasting of COVID-19 in Germany and Poland during the second wave – a preregistered study
Authors: Bracher J. , Wolffram D. , Deuschel J. , Görgen K. , Ketterer J.L. , Ullrich A. , Abbott S. , Barbarossa M.V. , Bertsimas D. , Bhatia S. , Bodych M. , Bosse N.I. , Burgard J.P. , Castro L. , Fairchild G. , Fuhrmann J. , Funk S. , Gogolewski K. , Gu Q. , Heyder S. , Hotz T. , Kheifetz Y. , Kirsten H. , Krueger T. , Krymova E. , Li M.L. , Meinke J.H. , Michaud I.J. , Niedzielewski K. , Ożański T. , Rakowski F. , Scholz M. , Soni S. , Srivastava A. , Zieliński J. , Zou D. , Gneiting T. , Schienle M. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWe report insights from ten weeks of collaborative COVID-19 forecasting for Germany and Poland (12 October – 19 December 2020). The study period covers the onset of the second wave in both countries, with tightening non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and subsequently a decay (Poland) or plateau and renewed increase (Germany) in reported cases. Thirteen independent teams provided probabilistic real-time forecasts of COVID-19 cases and deaths. These were reported for lead times of one to four weeks, with evaluation focused on one- and two-week horizons, which are less affected by changing NPIs. Heterogeneity between forecasts was considerable both in terms of point predictions and forecast spread. Ensemble forecasts showed good relative performance, in particular in terms of coverage, but did not clearly dominate single-model predictions. The study was preregistered and will be followed up in future phases of the pandemic.
Physiology-Based Electrocardiographic Criteria for Left Bundle Branch Capture
Authors: Jastrzębski Marek , Kiełbasa Grzegorz , Curila Karol , Moskal Paweł , Bednarek Agnieszka , Rajzer Marek , Vijayaraman Pugazhendhi 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundDuring left bundle branch (LBB) area pacing, it is important to confirm that the capture of the LBB is achieved, not just the capture of only the adjacent left ventricular myocardium (LV septal capture). Our aim was to establish ECG criteria for LBB capture by analyzing ECGs with confirmed LBB capture and non-capture. We hypothesized that since LBB pacing results in physiologic depolarization of the left ventricle then the native QRS can serve as a reference for the diagnosis of LBB capture in the same patient.MethodsOnly patients with direct evidence of LBB capture (output-dependent or refractoriness-dependent QRS morphology transition) were included. Several QRS characteristics were compared between the native rhythm and different types of LBB area capture. Receiver-operator characteristics analysis was performed to determine the optimal V6 R-wave peak time (RWPT) cut-off for LBB diagnosis.ResultsA total of 357 ECG tracing (124 patients) were analyzed: 118 with native rhythm, 124 with non-selective LBB capture, 69 with selective LBB capture and 46 with LV septal capture. Our hypotheses that during LBB capture the paced V6 RWPT (measured from QRS onset) equals the native V6 RWPT and that the paced V6 RWPT (measured from the stimulus) equals the LBB potential to V6 R-wave peak interval were positively validated. Criteria based on these rules had sensitivity and specificity of 98.0–88.2% and 85.7–95.4%, respectively. The optimal and 100% specific V6 RWPT values for differentiation between LBB capture and LV septal capture in patients with narrow QRS / right bundle branch block were 83 ms and 74 ms, respectively; while in patients with left bundle branch block/asystole/ventricular escape the optimal and 100% specific V6 RWPT values were 101 ms and 80 ms, respectively.ConclusionsNovel criteria for LBB capture were developed and optimal V6 RWPT cut-offs were determined.What this study addsWe showed that LBB pacing truly reproduce the physiological depolarization of the left ventricle since the paced V6 RWPT equals the native conduction V6 RWPT.Individualized LBB capture criteria, that use the native QRS as a reference, were developed.The optimal V6 RWPT values for differentiation between LBB capture and LV septal capture were determined, separately for patients with healthy and diseased LBB.
A New State-Space Epidemiological Model for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Non-Medical Interventions- A Study on COVID-19 in California and Florida
Authors: Deo Vishal , Grover Gurprit 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn the absence of sufficient testing capacity for COVID-19, a substantial number of infecteds are expected to remain undetected, and hence, are not quarantined. This, in turn, defeats the whole purpose of non-medical containment measures, like quarantine, lockdown, travel ban, physical distancingetc., by keeping the average reproduction rate above 1. To stress upon the importance of extensive random testing for breaking the chains of transmissions, we have formulated a detailed framework for carrying out cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of extensive random testing in comparison to targeted testing (the existing testing policy followed by most countries). This framework can be easily extended for CEA of any other non-medical or even medical interventions for containing epidemics.We have developed a new version of the basic susceptible-infected-removed (SIR) compartmental model, called the susceptible-infected (quarantined/ free) - recovered-deceased [SI(Q/F)RD] model, to incorporate the impact of undetected cases on the transmission dynamics of the epidemic. Further, we have presented a Dirichlet-Beta state-space formulation of the SI(Q/F)RD model for the estimation of its parameters using posterior realizations from Gibbs sampling procedure. As an application, the proposed methodology is implemented to forecast the COVID-19 transmission in California and Florida, and further carry out CEA of extensive random testing over targeted testing.HighlightsEstimated values of excess deaths associated with COVID-19 are used to account for underreporting, and for calibrating data to obtain actual counts of cases.A new flexible version of SIR compartmental model, called SI(Q/F)RD, is introduced to facilitate in the CEA exercise.Dirichlet-Beta state-space formulation of the SI(Q/F)RD model is used to predict the transmission dynamics of the epidemic.CEA is conducted in terms of outcome (reduction in infections and deaths) and total cost of tests.Proposed methodology is applied on the data of California and Florida.