bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Convalescent Plasma Versus Standard of Care for the Treatment of COVID-19 in Hospitalized Patients: study protocol for a phase 2 randomized, open-label, controlled, multicenter trial
Authors: Diago-Sempere Elena , Sancho-López Aranzazu , Bueno Jose Luis , Múñez-Rubio Elena , Torres Ferran , de Molina Rosa Malo , Fernández-Cruz Ana , de Diego Isabel Salcedo , Velasco-Iglesias Ana , Payares-Herrera Concepción , Casas-Flecha Inmaculada , Avendaño-Solá Cristina , Palomino Rafael Duarte , Ramos-Martínez Antonio , Ruiz-Antorán Belén 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and causes substantial morbidity and mortality. At the time this clinical trial was planned, there were no available vaccine or therapeutic agents with proven efficacy, but the severity of the condition prompted the use of several pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. It has long been hypothesized that the use of convalescent plasma (CP) from infected patients who have developed an effective immune response is likely to be an option for the treatment of patients with a variety of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) of viral etiology. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma in adult patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods/Design: The ConPlas-19 study is a multicenter, randomized, open-label controlled trial. The protocol has been prepared in accordance with the SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) guidelines. The study has been planned to include 278 adult patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infection not requiring mechanical ventilation (invasive or non-invasive). Subjects are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio (139 per treatment arm), stratified by center, to receive intravenously administered CP (single infusion) plus SOC or SOC alone, and are to be followed for 30 days. The primary endpoint of the study is the proportion of patients that progress to categories 5, 6 or 7 (on the 7-point ordinal scale proposed by the WHO) at day 15. Interim analyses for efficacy and/or futility will be conducted once 20%, 40%, and 60% of the planned sample size are enrolled and complete D15 assessment.Discussion: This clinical trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of passive immunotherapy with convalescent plasma for the treatment of adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The results of this study are expected to contribute to establishing the potential place of CP in the therapeutics for a new viral disease. Trial registration: Trial registration at clinicaltrials.gov; Registration Number: NCT04345523; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04345523; Registered on 30 March, 2020. First posted date: April 14, 2020.
The Radionics Features Could Be Used to Predict the Distinct Metastases in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Li Meige , Feng Ziyou , Yang Fang , Zhan ZeJiang , Ye Haiwen , Zhang Guoyi 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Objectives

For NPC patients, distant metastasis is now the main reason for treatment failure. The patients with distinct metastases need different therapeutic regimen and have distinct prognosis. Radiomics might help us predict the type of metastases effectively.
Methods

The MRI data of seventy non-metastatic NPC patients who develop distant metastasis within five years after treatment were collected and 4410 radiomics features for each patient were extracted by PyRadiomics. Every radiomics feature were compared among patients with distinct metastases and tested by the receiver operating characteristic curve.
Results

Twenty features have significant differences between the bone metastases cohort and lung metastases cohort, two features have significant differences between the bone metastases cohort and liver metastases cohort, one feature has significant differences between the bone metastases cohort and multiple metastases cohort and sixty-seven features have significant differences between the lung metastases cohort and liver metastases cohort. Six T2WI features could identified lung metastases from bone metastases and liver metastases effectively (AUC = 0.851 ~ 0.896), two T1WI features and one CE T1WI feature could respectively identified bone metastases from liver metastases and multiple metastases effectively (AUC = 0.779 ~ 0.821).
Conclusion

The results indicate that the radionics features could reflect some of the characteristics of distinct metastases and have potential to be used as predictor of distinct metastases.
Homebound by COVID19: The Benefits and Consequences of Non-pharmaceutical Intervention Strategies
Authors: Oruc Buse Eylul , Baxter Arden , Keskinocak Pinar , Asplund John , Serban Nicoleta 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background. Recent research has been conducted by various countries and regions on the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on reducing the spread of COVID19. This study evaluates the tradeoffs between potential benefits (e.g., reduction in infection spread and deaths) of NPIs for COVID19 and being homebound (i.e., refraining from community/workplace interactions).Methods. An agent-based simulation model to project the disease spread and estimate the number of homebound people and person-days under multiple scenarios, including combinations of shelter-in-place, voluntary quarantine, and school closure in Georgia from March 1 to September 1, 2020.Results. Compared to no intervention, under voluntary quarantine, voluntary quarantine with school closure, and shelter-in-place with school closure scenarios 3.43, 19.8, and 200+ homebound adult-days were required to prevent one infection, with the maximum number of adults homebound on a given day in the range of 121K-268K, 522K-567K, 5,377K-5,380K, respectively.Conclusions. Voluntary quarantine combined with school closure significantly reduced the number of infections and deaths with a considerably smaller number of homebound person-days compared to shelter-in-place.
Immediate impact of stay-at-home orders to control COVID-19 transmission on mental well-being in Bangladeshi adult population: Patterns, Explanations, and future directions
Authors: Ali Mohammad , Ahsan Gias U. , Khan Risliana , Khan Hasinur Rahman , Hossain Ahmed 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Objective
We aim to evaluate the immediate impacts of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders on the mental well-being of Bangladeshi adults. We recruited 1404 healthy adults following the Bangladesh government's lockdown announcement. A questionnaire comprising the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale was used to define mental health.
Results
The overall mean score for well-being was 42.4, indicating that 51.9% of adults suffered from poor mental health. And within that 48% of males and 57% of females were depressed. The mean scores for government workers, unemployed workers, and business employees were 45.1, 39.6, and 39.5, respectively. Confounding adjustments in multivariable linear regression models revealed that married women, unemployed and business communities, and individuals returning to villages were heavily depressed. Stay-at-home orders had significant repercussions on mental health and created a gender disparity in depression among adults. Suggestions include promoting mental health for women, unemployed, and business individuals. Married women need to be taken into special consideration as their mental well-being is worse. Older people (50 years of age and over) reported a high day-to-day variation in their mental health. These results should be factored in when discussing the mental health of adults and communities to cope with quarantine.
The Effect of Temperature Upon Transmission Of COVID-19 Australia And Egypt Case Study.
Authors: Anis Adly 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
BackgroundSeveral previous studies have recognized the effect of air temperature on the survival and transmission of viruses and germs. The current study investigated the effect of air temperature on the transmission of coronavirus covid-19 by monthly temperature averages maps analyzing.MethodsThe study demonstrated the relationship between temperature and transmission speed of Covid-19 virus, It confirmed that the most appropriate average temperature for virus activity and transmission ranges between 13-24 ° C, by analyzing the maps of monthly temperature averages in Egypt and Australia.ResultsThe study reached, through cartographic analysis, to confirm the relationship between temperature and increase in the number of confirmed cases of covid-19, This study confirmed that the most appropriate average temperature for virus activity and transmission ranges between 13-24 ° C, by analyzing the maps of monthly temperature averages in Egypt and Australia. But the effect of the climate does not prevent the virus from being transmitted from one person to another through close contact or use of personal tools infected with the Corona virus, or crowding in air-conditioned places.Therefore, failure of individuals to follow the instructions for social distance and wearing a mask will lead to the transmission of the virus, even in hot climates.ConclusionsResults support that the most appropriate average temperature for the survival transmission of COVID-19 ranges between 13-24 ° C. Australia and Egypt are models to confirm the relationship between temperature and COVID-19 activity and spread.
The Painful Anterior Apprehension Test – An Indication Of Occult Shoulder Instability
Authors: Ng Yau Hong , Law Gin Way , Ng Zhaowen Dennis , Tan Jun Hao , Wong Keng Lin Francis , Kumar V Prem 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background To evaluate the clinical relevance of the painful anterior apprehension test in shoulder instability. Methods We performed a retrospective study of 155 patients that underwent arthroscopic anterior Bankart repair between 2014–2016. Exclusion criteria were previous ipsilateral shoulder surgery, bony Bankart lesions, glenohumeral osteoarthritis and concomitant surgery involving rotator cuff tears, biceps tendon pathology and SLAP lesions. The study cohort was divided into 3 groups: apprehension test with apprehension only, apprehension test with pain only, and apprehension test with both apprehension and pain. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, radiological imaging, arthroscopy findings and surgical outcomes (Constant, ASES, SF-36 scores) were evaluated. Results 115 (74.2%) had apprehension only, 26 (16.8%) had pain only and 14 (9.0%) had pain and apprehension with the apprehension test. Univariate analysis showed significant differences between the groups in patients with traumatic shoulder dislocation (p=0.028), patients presenting with pain (p=0.014) and patients presenting with recurrent dislocations (p=0.046). Patients with a purely painful apprehension test were more likely to have a traumatic shoulder dislocation, more likely to present only with pain, and less likely to present with recurrent shoulder dislocations. Multivariate analysis showed that none of these factors alone were significant as single predictors for shoulder instability. All 3 groups were otherwise similar in patient profile, MRI and arthroscopic assessments, and clinical outcomes of surgery. Excellent clinical outcomes were achieved in all groups with no difference in preoperative and postoperative scores across all groups at all time points. Conclusions The painful apprehension test may suggest underlying shoulder instability.
Small Fiber Neuropathy in Pulmonary Sarcoidosis and Tuberculosis: Clinical and Histological Correlates
Authors: Starshinova Anna , Basantsova Natalia , Zinchenko Yulia , Shapkina Valeria , Malkova Anna , Belyaeva Ekaterina , Pavlova Maria , Yablonskiy Piotr , Shoenfeld Yehuda 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Sarcoidosis (SC) is the granulomatous disease of an unknown origin, where the differential diagnosis with tuberculosis (TB) is challenging and vital for patients’ prognosis. The common neurological complication in SC is a small fiber neuropathy (SFN), that is considered to be the result of the chronic inflammation, and remains significantly understudied. There is no reliable data, whether such complication is observed in TB patients, where the systemic inflammation is also described. Aim: To identify the clinical and histological correlates of the small fiber neuropathy in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis patients.Materials and methods. A study was performed in 2018 – 2019 years and included 71 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis (n=25), pulmonary tuberculosis (n=21), and healthy subjects (n=25). For the clinical verification of the SFN, the “Small fiber neuropathy screening list” (SFN-SL) was used. A punch biopsy of the skin was performed followed by the enzyme immunoassay analysis with PGP 9.5 antibodies.Results of the study: Up to 60% of sarcoidosis patients and 19% tuberculosis patients report the presence of at least one complaint, which may be associated with SFN. The most frequent complaints included dysfunctions of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal system and gastrointestinal tract. A negative, statistically significant correlation between the intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IEND) and SFN-SL score was revealed in both groups (Spearman coefficient, r = -0.3508, p = 0.0102, and r = -0.7382, p = 0.0064, respectively). Wherein, the density of small nerve fibers in the patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis was lower, compared to the patients with tuberculosis (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.0047). Conclusion: In patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, small fiber neuropathy may develop as a result of systemic immune-mediated inflammation. The most common symptoms of this complication were dysautonomia and mild sensory dysfunction. Wherein, in tuberculosis patients clinical and histological symptoms of the small fiber neuropathy were subsequently less prominent, which may represent the difference between the autoimmune and bacterial inflammation. The validated questionnaires and histologic verification of the diagnosis help to establish the severity of neuropathy of small fibers, to determine the prognosis, to plan the treatment strategн, and also may allude the possibility for the additional criteria of differential diagnosis between two diseases.
Respiratory Microbiome Profiles Differ by Recent Hospitalization and Nursing Home Residence in Patients on Mechanical Ventilation
Authors: Baek Min-gyung , Woo Seongji , Kim Nam-Eun , Baek Chaeyun , Won Sungho , Kim Youngmi , Lee Jae Jun , Yi Hana , Hong Ji Young 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is a heterogeneous disease. Previous studies reported that identifying risk factors for HCAP may lead to more accurate predictions of drug-resistant pathogens. We examined new nursing-home- and hospital-associated infections (NHAI) by revising existing HCAP risk factors. Our aim was to determine whether respiratory microbiota profiles are related to newly defined risk factors for NHAI in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation.Methods: The NHAI group comprised nursing home residents with a poor functional status, or recent (past 90 days) hospitalization or recent (past 180 days) antibiotic therapy. Endotracheal aspirates were prospectively collected from patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital. The 180 endotracheal aspirates from 60 mechanically ventilated ICU patients (NHAI group, n = 24; non-NHAI group, n = 36) were obtained on days 1, 3 and 7. The bacterial community profiles of the endotracheal tube aspirates (ETAs) were explored by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A phylogenetic-tree-based microbiome association test (TMAT), generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), the Wilcoxon test and the reference frame method were used to analyze the association between microbiome abundance (number of operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) and disease phenotype.Results: The microbiome analysis revealed significantly lower α-diversity in the NHAI group than in the non-NHAI group. In the analysis of β-diversity, the structure of the microbiome also differed significantly between the two groups (weighted UniFrac distance, Adonis, P <0.001). The abundance of Corynebacterium was significantly higher, and the relative abundances of Granulicatella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Veillonella were significantly lower, in the NHAI than in the non-NHAI group. Conclusions: The microbiota signature of the ETAs distinguished between patients with and without risk factors for NHAI. Thus, the lung microbiome may serve as a biomarker and therapeutic target for intubated patients exposed to nursing home and hospital environments.
High expression of ABCG2 is associated with doxorubicin resistance of osteosarcoma
Authors: Shu Hao , Yuan Bin , Huang Yao , Wang Lei , He Bing , Sun Qi , Sun Luning 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Objectives

Previous studies showed overexpression of ABCG2 in a variety of tumor tissues, which could potentially indicate the probability of chemotherapy resistance. This study aimed to reveal the role of ABCG2 in the development of doxorubicin (DOX) resistance and the prognosis of OS.
Methods

68 OS patients were included in this study. Tumor tissues were collected for each patient during surgery. DOX-resistant OS cell lines were induced by consecutive exposure of gradually increasing concentration of DOX to the parental cell lines. Lentivirus was used for the knockdown of ABCG2 in OS cells. Cells were treated with the gradient concentration of DOX and the viability was assessed by CCK8 assay. Total RNA was isolated from the tumor tissues or tumor cells, and the expression of ABCG2 was analyzed by qPCR. The relationship between ABCG2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of the patients was analyzed using the Student’s t-test or the Chi-square test. Cumulative survival time was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and analyzed by the log-rank test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results

DOX-resistant OS cells were successfully established through continuous exposure to DOX. 48 h after DOX exposure, the IC 50 value of DOX-resistant HOS cells and DOX-resistant U2OS were 3.5 µM and 3.25 µM, respectively. By contrast, those of the untreated HOS and U2OS cells were 1.15 µM and 0.93 µM, respectively (p < 0.01). The mRNA expression level of ABCG2 was significantly increased in DOX-resistant cell lines. The CCK-8 assay showed that the DOX-resistant HOS cells and DOX-resistant U2OS cells transfected with ShABCG2 were more sensitive to the DOX treatment than those transfected with ShCtrl. Analysis of gene expression in OS tissues showed remarkably higher expression of ABCG2 as compared with adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.01). The disease-free survival time of patients with high expression level of ABCG2 had obviously decreased survival time than the patients with low expression (p < 0.01).
Conclusions

ABCG2 expression level was significantly associated with the resistance to DOX and the overall survival of OS patients. ABCG2 may become a promising therapeutic target for OS patients.
A novel indicator weight tuning method based on fuzzy theory in mobile social networks
Authors: Gao Min , xu li , Wang Xiaoding , Zhang Xinxin 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Mobile social network supports mobile communication and asynchronous social networking. How to measure the importance of nodes is critical and this problem remains to be answered. Most of the existing methods are subjective, so how to determine the weights of the centrality indicators is the key to solve the problem. In this paper, 9 common centrality indicators are viewed as our research object. We introduce fuzzy theory to partition the indicator weights, and to be more specific, we define a membership degree function to get the initial weight interval. With relative entropy, the weights of each centrality indicator can be obtained. By calculating the random data generated by simulation, genetic algorithm with single point crossover is used to optimize the weight of each indicator. Experiments show that the optimized weights are more effective and differentiable.
Solidarity and Suffering: Patients and their Caregiver's Experiences Enrolled in the Community-Based Palliative Care Program in an Urban Slum of Bangladesh
Authors: Akter Sayema , Sarker Malabika , Hossain Puspita , Ahmad Nezamuddin , Zaman Shahaduz 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Palliative care has been recognized as a global health challenge. Although access has increased, there is very low recognition of the importance of palliative care in low and middle-income countries. In Bangladesh, institutional palliative care is not accessible due to a lack of awareness, financial constraints, and fewer facilities. Hence, there needs to be a better understanding of how to provide and improve existing community-based palliative care. This study aimed to explore the experiences of palliative patients and their primary caregivers enrolled in the palliative care project “Momotamoy Korail” run by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in an urban slum of Dhaka.Methods: A focused ethnography was conducted where observation and nineteen in-depth interviews were carried out using semi-structured guidelines with the palliative care patients and their primary caregivers. Results: In a family, mostly wives and daughters-in-law are the primary caregivers. Therefore, male patients are more likely to receive family care compared to female patients. Both male and female patients expressed the desire for death free of suffering. All patients shared their feelings of loneliness and social abandonment, accentuated by the guilt of being a burden to their families, created a feeling of social death. Despite the sense of duty, sympathy and empathy, presence of the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual suffering, both patients and caregivers felt cared and hopeful.Conclusion: There is a need for innovative approaches for an integrated palliative care service within the main stream health system. Gaps in research, workforce shortages, and lack in public and professional knowledge need to be addressed if care for people with a terminal illness and their silent savior is to be further improved.
Factors Associated with Health Checkups and Cancer Screening Participation Among Family Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia
Authors: Kim Bomgyeol , Lee Yejin , Noh Jin-Won , Kim Tae Hyun 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Providing care for dementia can negatively influence the physical health and health behaviors of family caregivers. A better understanding of the factors associated with health checkups and cancer screening is vital to better develop effective interventions. Thus, this study aimed to identify factors associated with participation in health checkups and cancer screening among family caregivers of individuals with dementia. Methods: This study analyzed a total of 2,414 family caregivers of individuals with dementia, using the Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS) data in 2017. A binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to identify demographic, socioeconomic, and health status factors associated with health checkups and cancer screening participation among family caregivers of individuals with dementia. Results: The health checkups and cancer screening rates among family caregivers of individuals with dementia patients were 68.7% and 61.4%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those who do not provide care. Those with lower education level had lower odds ratios for both health checkups(OR: 0.60) and cancer screening(OR: 0.59). In addition, symptoms of depression were associated with lower participation(Health checkups OR: 0.67; Cancer screening OR: 0.65). Conclusions: It is needed to develop more targeted disease prevention and management strategies for family caregivers of individuals with dementia, particularly those with lower education level and symptoms of depression.