bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of cardiac rehabilitation on blood pressure, and on left atrial and ventricular functions in hypertensive patients
Authors: Sahin Ahmet Anil , Ozben Beste , Sunbul Murat , Yagci Ilker , Sayar Nurten , Cincin Altug , Gurel Emre , Tigen Kursat , Basaran Yelda 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPurposeHypertension is associated with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, impaired LV relaxation, and left atrial (LA) enlargement. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves clinical outcomes in a broad spectrum of cardiac disease. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of CR on blood pressure (BP), and on LA and LV functions in hypertensive patients.MethodsThirty consecutive hypertensive patients who would undergo CR program, and 38 hypertensive patients who refused to undergo CR program were included. All patients underwent ambulatory BP monitoring and transthoracic echocardiography, which were repeated after completion of the CR program, or 12 weeks later in the control group. LA and LV functions were assessed by both speckle tracking and 3‐dimensional echocardiography. N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) levels were assessed before and after CR.ResultsAlthough initial ambulatory BP values and NT‐proBNP levels were similar between the groups, daily, day‐time, and night‐time BP and NT‐proBNP were significantly lower in the CR group after rehabilitation. LA reservoir strain and LV global longitudinal strain of the CR group significantly increased after CR while no significant increase was observed in controls.ConclusionCR improves LA and LV strain while lowering BP and should be encouraged in routine management of hypertensive patients.
Assembling a library of typical surgery video clips to construct a system for assessing the surgical difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy
Authors: Kurata Masanao , Iwashita Yukio , Ohyama Tetsuji , Endo Itaru , Hibi Taizo , Umezawa Akiko , Suzuki Kenji , Watanabe Manabu , Asai Koji , Mori Yasuhisa , Higashida Masaharu , Kumamoto Yusuke , Shindoh Junichi , Yoshida Masahiro , Honda Goro , Misawa Takeyuki , Abe Yuta , Nagakawa Yuichi , Toyota Naoyuki , Yamada Shigetoshi , Norimizu Shinji , Matsumura Naoki , Sata Naohiro , Sunagawa Hiroki , Ito Masahiro , Takeda Yutaka , Nakamura Yoshiharu , Rikiyama Toshiki , Higuchi Ryota , Gocho Takeshi , Ueno Kimihiko , Kumagai Yuko , Kanaji Shingo , Takada Tadahiro , Yamamoto Masakazu 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundTo explore best practices for acute cholecystitis, it is necessary to construct a system to assess the difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) based on intraoperative findings. In this study, multiple evaluators assessed videos of LC to assemble a library of typical video clips for 25 intraoperative findings.MethodsWe have previously identified 25 items that contribute to surgical difficulty in LC. For each item, roughly 30‐second video clips were submitted from videos of LC performed at member institutions. We then selected one typical video from the collected clips based on simple tabulation of the instances of agreement. Inter‐rater agreement was assessed with Fleiss's κ and Gwet's agreement coefficient (AC).ResultsExcept in the case of two assessment items (“edematous change” and “easy bleeding”), κ or AC significantly exceeded 0.5 and the typical videos were judged to be applicable. For the two remaining items, the evaluation was repeated after clarifying the definitions of positive and negative findings. Eventually, they were recognized as typical. The completed video clip library contains 31 clips and is divided into five categories (http://www.jshbps.jp/modules/project/index.php?content_id=13).ConclusionsThis clip library may be highly useful in clinical settings as a more objective standard for assessing surgical difficulty in LC.
Over 90% of clinical swabs used for SARS‐CoV‐2 diagnostics contain sufficient nucleic acid concentrations
Authors: Klingen Robin L. , Katschinski Benjamin , Anastasiou Olympia E. , Ross R. Stefan , Dittmer Ulf , Le‐Trilling Vu Thuy Khanh , Trilling Mirko 
Published: December 2020

AbstractDuring the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), reliable diagnostics are absolutely indispensable. Molecular SARS‐CoV‐2 diagnostics based on nucleic acids (NA) derived from oro‐ or nasopharyngeal swabs constitute the current gold standard. Given the importance of test results, it is crucial to assess the quality of the underlying swab samples and NA extraction procedures. We determined NA concentrations in clinical samples used for SARS‐CoV‐2 testing applying an NA‐specific dye. In comparison to cut‐offs defined by SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive samples, internal positive controls, and references from a federal laboratory, 90.85% (923 of 1016) of swabs contained NA concentrations enabling SARS‐CoV‐2 recognition. Swabs collected by local health authorities and the central emergency department either had significantly higher NA concentrations or were less likely to exhibit insufficient quality, arguing in favor of sampling centers with routined personnel. Interestingly, samples taken from females had significantly higher NA concentrations than those from males. Among eight longitudinal patient sample sets with intermitting negative quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results, two showed reduced NA concentrations in negative specimens. The herein described fluorescence‐based NA quantification approach is immediately applicable to evaluate swab qualities, optimize sampling strategies, identify patient‐specific differences, and explain some peculiar test results including intermittent negative samples with low NA concentrations.
Vivaldi dipolenano‐rectennaforIRenergy harvesting at 28.3THz
Authors: Amara Wided , Yahyaoui Ali , Eltresy Nermeen , Aseeri Mohammed , Hakim Bandar , Al‐Turki Yusuf , Rmili Hatem 
Published: December 2020

AbstractA Vivaldi dipole rectenna system for infrared (IR) energy harvesting is investigated. First, a parametric study on the Vivaldi dipole antenna is performed to collect the maximum electric field between the Vivaldi poles. The antenna arms were optimized to achieve a high‐efficiency rectenna system. The two arms of the antenna were formed using two different metals, that is, gold and titanium. These two metals have different work functions, which facilitate the diode operation through tunneling at zero bias. The two arms of the Vivaldi dipole are overlapped, and a suitable insulator layer is injected in the overlapped area to form the metal‐insulator‐metal (MIM) diode. The MIM diode is an ideal candidate for this operation as it works without any bias, provided the two metals have different work functions. For rectenna operation, it is crucial that the rectifying diodes should work without any aid of external bias. The Al2O3is the insulator layer of the MIM diode. We have chosen Al2O3because it has a low dielectric constant at terahertz frequency regime, which allows us to match the operational cut‐off frequency, that is, 28.3 THz. A parametric study of the Al2O3insulator layer is performed to increase the captured received intensity. At the end, the nano‐antenna operates at a frequency band of [26 … 30 THz] to harvest IR energy from the environment with good efficiency and demonstrate its capacity to capture incident waves and obtain high‐intensity values within its gap. It is a development that could eventually boost electricity generation.
Survival of Young Versus Old Patients With Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Lee David S. , Ramirez Ricardo J. , Lee Jake J. , Valenzuela Carla V. , Zevallos Jose P. , Mazul Angela L. , Puram Sidharth V. , Doering Michelle M. , Pipkorn Patrik , Jackson Ryan S. 
Published: December 2020

Objective/HypothesisTo assess whether young patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) demonstrate worse oncologic outcomes than older patients after definitive therapy.Study DesignSystematic review and meta‐analysis.MethodsA medical librarian composed a search strategy to identify relevant studies in Medline, Embase, Scopus, and other major databases (Prospero registration number CRD42019127974). Inclusion criteria were adults with histologically diagnosed OCSCC that underwent treatment, comparator groups with an age cutoff of 40 years old, and reported survival outcomes. Articles were excluded if they contained patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma or patients treated for palliative intent. Overall survival hazard ratios were analyzed with a meta‐analysis.ResultsThere were 23,382 patients with OCSCC that were treated with definitive therapy from 22 included studies. The pooled cohort contained 2,238 (10%) patients ≤40 years of age. Oral tongue was the most common subsite in both the younger (n = 1,961, 91%) and older (n = 18,047, 88%) cohorts. The majority of OCSCCs were either T1 or T2, representing 859 (80%) malignancies in younger patients and 8,126 (77%) malignancies in older patients. A meta‐analysis of nine studies demonstrated that younger patients did not experience worse survival outcomes than older patients (hazard ratio = 0.97, 95% confidence interval = 0.66–1.41).ConclusionsYoung adults with OCSCC experienced similar oncologic outcomes as older patients with OCSCC after definitive treatment. Until compelling evidence demonstrates clinically relevant differences between these two cohorts, their approach to management should be similar. Future studies should consider comorbidities and using age 40 as a standard age cutoff to provide more uniform data moving forward. Laryngoscope, 131:1310–1319, 2021
Dual‐polarized beam‐switching Yagi–Uda patch antenna with large tilted angle
Authors: Liu Chuzhao , Cao Yunfei , Yang Deqiang , Yang Xin , Chen Yongpin 
Published: December 2020

AbstractA compact dual‐polarized beam‐switching patch antenna with large tilted angle is presented in this paper. The antenna is a Yagi–Uda patch antenna, which consists of one driven patch and two parasitic elements. Two PIN diodes are placed across the slots of the complementary split‐ring resonator to switch the function of the corresponding parasitic element between director and reflector. By properly controlling the PIN diodes, either one of the two parasitic elements will act as a director or a reflector. In doing this, reconfigurable patterns with large tilted angle of the main lobe, and hence a wide scanning angle can be achieved for both ports. Simulated and measured results of the S‐parameters and radiation patterns are presented. It is shown that within 4.7–5.0 GHz, the beam direction of the proposed antenna can be switched among 0°, −27° and 27° to cover a wide scanning angle, where the peak realized gain is higher than 7.0 dBi.
Cultural adaptation and validation of the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey Short‐Form among cancer patients in China
Authors: Yan Tingting , Zheng Wei , Wang Dandan , Zhang Wei 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAimCancer patients have long been found to have multiple types of unmet needs during their survivorship. Composite psychological instruments are essential for measuring the unmet needs of cancer patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Short‐Form Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SF‐SUNS)‐Chinese version.DesignA cross‐sectional survey.MethodsThe Chinese version was developed using the standard Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) translation methodology and 428 Chinese cancer patients participated in the survey between 2016‐2017. Inter‐rater reliability, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were calculated.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis supported the four‐factor structure with good model fit. Cronbach's alpha of 0.894 for the overall scale and intra‐class correlation coefficients (0.869–0.884) indicated that reliability was satisfactory. The EFA extracted four factors with eigenvalues greater than 1 and these factors explained 50.68% of the total variance. The Chinese version of SF‐SUNS was confirmed to have the potential to become a useful and valid instrument. It could contribute to the assessment of unmet needs among Chinese cancer patients with accuracy and with respect to Chinese culture and context. This measurement of unmet needs may help promote cancer management and nursing quality. Clinical nurses and researchers could use the simple assessment tool to target the individual needs of Chinese cancer patients and then provide more personalized care efficiently.
Evaluating the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Paradigm for the Local Management of Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcoma
Authors: Boyce-Fappiano David , Guadagnolo B. Ashleigh , Ratan Ravin , Wang Wei-Lien , Wagner Michael J. , Patel Shreyaskumar , Livingston John A. , Lin Patrick P. , Diao Kevin , Mitra Devarati , Farooqi Ahsan , Lazar Alexander J. , Roland Christina L. , Bishop Andrew J. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Objectives
We reviewed our experience treating patients with localized extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma (EES) to determine optimal local management strategies for this rare disease.

Methods
Sixty patients with localized EES treated at our institution between 1994 and 2018 were reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimates disease outcomes.

Results
The median follow-up time was 74 months (interquartile range [IQR], 17–121). Half the patients (n = 30) received combined-modality local therapy (CMT) with both surgery and radiation therapy (RT), whereas the other half received single-modality local therapy (SMT) with either surgery or RT. All patients received chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival was 76%. Twenty-two patients (37%) developed recurrence at a median time of 15 months (IQR, 5–56 months) resulting in 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 65%. On univariate analysis, the use of both neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved 5-year PFS (71% vs. 50%, p = .04) compared with those who received one or the other. Furthermore, 11 patients (18%) developed local recurrences at a median time of 14 months (IQR, 2–19 months), resulting in a 5-year local control (LC) rate of 77%. Use of CMT was not associated with improved LC (83% vs. 72% SMT, p = .41). Also, use of CMT was the only factor associated with poorer disease-specific survival (vs. SMT; hazard ratio, 3.4; p = .047; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–11.4).

Conclusion
For patients with EES, CMT was not associated with a decreased rate of local relapse. These data suggest that SMT alone may be sufficient for LC in select patients. A multi-institutional collaborative effort should be considered to validate these findings.

Implications for Practice
Extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma is a rare chemosensitive sarcoma whose clinical course more closely follows Ewing sarcoma of bone rather than that of other soft tissue sarcomas. Based on this study, combined-modality local therapy did not confer a local control advantage compared with single-modality local therapy. Therefore, single-modality local therapy is likely adequate in select patients with favorable disease features, which has the advantage of ensuring prompt administration of systemic therapy. A multi-institutional collaborative effort is warranted to determine which patients may benefit from de-escalated local therapy.
High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy for Exertional Dyspnea in Patients with Cancer: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Hui David , Mahler Donald A. , Larsson Liliana , Wu Jimin , Thomas Saji , Harrison Carol A. , Hess Kenneth , Lopez-Mattei Juan , Thompson Kara , Gomez Daniel , Jeter Melenda , Lin Steven , Basen-Engquist Karen , Bruera Eduardo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundExertional dyspnea is common in patients with cancer and limits their function. The impact of high-flow nasal cannula on exertional dyspnea in nonhypoxemic patients is unclear. In this double-blind, parallel-group, randomized trial, we assessed the effect of flow rate (high vs. low) and gas (oxygen vs. air) on exertional dyspnea in nonhypoxemic patients with cancer.Patients and MethodsPatients with cancer with oxygen saturation &gt;90% at rest and exertion completed incremental and constant work (80% maximal) cycle ergometry while breathing low-flow air at 2 L/minute. They were then randomized to receive high-flow oxygen, high-flow air, low-flow oxygen, or low-flow air while performing symptom-limited endurance cycle ergometry at 80% maximal. The primary outcome was modified 0–10 Borg dyspnea intensity scale at isotime. Secondary outcomes included dyspnea unpleasantness, exercise time, and adverse events.ResultsSeventy-four patients were enrolled, and 44 completed the study (mean age 63; 41% female). Compared with low-flow air at baseline, dyspnea intensity was significantly lower at isotime with high-flow oxygen (mean change, −1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], −2.1, −0.12) and low-flow oxygen (−1.83; 95% CI, −2.7, −0.9), but not high-flow air (−0.2; 95% CI, −0.97, 0.6) or low-flow air (−0.5; 95% CI, −1.3, 0.4). Compared with low-flow air, high-flow oxygen also resulted in significantly longer exercise time (difference + 2.5 minutes, p = .009), but not low-flow oxygen (+0.39 minutes, p = .65) or high-flow air (+0.63 minutes, p = .48). The interventions were well tolerated without significant adverse effects.ConclusionOur preliminary findings support that high-flow oxygen improved both exertional dyspnea and exercise duration in nonhypoxemic patients with cancer. (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02357134).Implications for PracticeIn this four-arm, double-blind, randomized clinical trial examining the role of high-flow nasal cannula on exertional dyspnea in patients with cancer without hypoxemia, high-flow oxygen, but not high-flow air, resulted in significantly lower dyspnea scores and longer exercise time. High-flow oxygen delivered by high-flow nasal cannula devices may improve clinically relevant outcomes even in patients without hypoxemia.
Advanced control‐flow and concurrency in C∀
Authors: Delisle Thierry , Buhr Peter A. 
Published: December 2020

SummaryC∀ is a polymorphic, nonobject‐oriented, concurrent, backwards compatible extension of the C programming language. This paper discusses the design philosophy and implementation of its advanced control‐flow and concurrent/parallel features, along with the supporting runtime written in C∀. These features are created from scratch as ISO C has only low‐level and/or unimplemented concurrency, so C programmers continue to rely on library approaches like pthreads. C∀ introduces modern language‐level control‐flow mechanisms, like generators, coroutines, user‐level threading, and monitors for mutual exclusion and synchronization. The runtime provides significant programmer simplification and safety by eliminating spurious wakeup and monitor barging. The runtime also ensures multiple monitors can be safely acquired in a deadlock‐free way, and this feature is fully integrated with all monitor synchronization mechanisms. All control‐flow features integrate with the C∀ polymorphic type‐system and exception handling, while respecting the expectations and style of C programmers. Experimental results show comparable performance of the new features with similar mechanisms in other concurrent programming languages.
Self‐Assembled Structures from Solid Cadmium(II) Acetate in Thiol/Ethanol Solutions: A Novel Type of Organic Chemical Garden
Authors: Bernini Fabrizio , Castellini Elena , Sebastianelli Lorenzo , Bighi Beatrice , Sainz‐Díaz Claro Ignacio , Mucci Adele , Malferrari Daniele , Ranieri Antonio , Brigatti Maria Franca , Borsari Marco 
Published: December 2020

AbstractCadmium(II) acetate in tablet form, immersed in ethanol solutions with a high concentration of heptanethiol (30–80 mM), was able to develop self‐assembled sail‐shaped structures. The solution in which the self‐assembled structure is formed is totally organic (both solute and solvent), thus representing a unique case among organic Chemical Gardens. The constituting material for this new Chemical Garden (CG) is made of a single phase, namely a cadmium heptanethiolate with a microcrystalline structure consisting of a central cluster [CdnSn]. The morphological and structural features were studied using different techniques (SEM‐EDS, elemental analysis, ATR‐FTIR, 113Cd MAS NMR, XRPD). A crystalline cell for the Cd(II) heptanethiolate cluster was obtained that completely differs from that of the solid phase precipitated by mixing an ethanol solution of Cd(II) acetate with heptanethiol. It follows that the conditions under which the formation of Cd(II) heptanethiolate occurs (slowly from solid, quickly from solution) play a critical role in determining the nature and structure of the precipitating phase.
Ein modulares Modell zur Qualitätssicherung im Medizin- und Ernährungsjournalismus
Authors: Anhäuser Marcus , Wormer Holger , Viciano Astrid , Rögener Wiebke 
Published: December 2020

ZusammenfassungHintergrund und ZieleDie Qualität medizinjournalistischer Beiträge spielt bei informierten Entscheidungen von Patienten, von politischen, wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Akteuren sowie für die allgemeine Gesundheitskompetenz (Health Literacy) eine zentrale Rolle. Daher erscheinen Qualitätsstandards notwendig, die wissenschaftlicheundjournalistische Prinzipien berücksichtigen, aber auch flexibel auf Besonderheiten spezieller gesundheitsrelevanter Themenfelder (Medizin, Ernährung, Umwelt) skalierbar sind.MethodenIm Rahmen des Medien-Doktor-Projekts wurden, ausgehend von einem internationalen Katalog, Kriterien für guten Medizinjournalismus analysiert, auf Basis theoretischer Konzepte und praktischer Anwendbarkeit neu klassifiziert und ergänzt. Parallel wurde ein Kriterienkatalog für guten Ernährungsjournalismus abgeleitet.ErgebnisseEs konnte ein Konsens über einen Kriterienkatalog erzielt werden, der in allgemeinjournalistische, allgemeinwissenschaftsjournalistische und spezifisch medizinjournalistische Aspekte modularisiert ist. Dieser wird hier erstmals in einem Fachbeitrag vorgestellt. Medizinjournalistische Qualitätskriterien ließen sich mit wenigen Ausnahmen gut auf Ernährungsthemen anpassen. Auf Basis der beiden Kataloge werden seitdem regelmäßig weitere Medienbeiträge bewertet.DiskussionDie stärkere Modularisierung der Kriterienkataloge erleichtert deren Anwendbarkeit und eventuell auch Ausweitung auf weitere Fachdisziplinen sowie die Nutzung durch Ärzte ebenso wie Laien. Während sich der Medizinjournalismus stark an wissenschaftlichen Evidenzkriterien orientiert, sollte für den Ernährungsjournalismus weiter untersucht werden, welche Rolle Studien und Experten im Vergleich zu anekdotischer Evidenz spielen.