bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How Registered Nurses balance limited resources in order to maintain competence: A Grounded theory study
Authors: Rees Sharon , Farley Helen , Moloney Clint 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
BackgroundNurses have limited time outside of work for continuing professional development. Consequently, strategies need to be explored to enable them to better maintain their competence. This article describes recent research to ascertain how nurses used mobile technologies to determine if these behaviours could be leveraged for mobile learning. It addresses a gap in the existing literature around how nurses resource their own professional development in the absence of appropriate resourcing in the workplace.MethodsThe research employed a classic grounded theory methodology which was conducted with 27 registered nurses from Public and Private Hospitals in Queensland and external postgraduate nursing students from Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory enrolled at the University of Southern Queensland.ResultsThe Theory of Economising Learning describes how nurses maintain competence with limited resources. Unfavourable staffing levels and a fast-paced workplace mean that nurses rarely prioritise their professional learning while at work. Instead, it requires the nurse to contribute personal resources including time and money.Though the research revealed that nurses were unconcerned about using mobile technologies, they were concerned about maintaining competence with limited resources. To counter this, nurses economised their learning by balancing personal resources against their motivation to maintain competence. The process of economising learning begins and ends with the development of the nurse’s personal curriculum in response to what they identify as being the most significant knowledge deficits at work that jeopardise their competence. A learning opportunity that addresses the knowledge deficit is sought. Nurses balance the opportunity to address the deficit against the cost of personal resources, to decide if they will engage with the opportunity and update their personal curriculum accordingly.ConclusionsIt is suggested that workplaces need to create reasonable expectations within nurses to address knowledge deficits and provide the resources, including time, to allow them to do so without personal cost. It is also necessary for workplaces to moderate the flow of learning opportunities so as not to overwhelm and demotivate the nurses. Currently, nurses use several strategies to optimise their learning using mobile technologies which could be leveraged in the workplace.
Genetic diversity analysis of Chinese Leishmania isolates and development of L. donovani complex specific markers by RAPD
Authors: Yuan Dongmei , Qin Hanxiao , Chen Dali , Chen Jianping 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected tropical diseases in the world and is still endemic in some underdeveloped regions including western of China. The phylogeny and classification of Chinese Leishmania has not yet been clarified, especially within Leishmania (L.) donovani complex, although phylogenetic analyses based on a series of gene markers were carried out. More different analytic method and data still be needed. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technology could identify slight intraspecific differences sensitively, and it always be a powerful tool to seek the species-specific markers. This work aimed to identify Chinese Leishmania isolates from diverse geographic regions at genomic level. Meanwhile, the specific markers of L. donovani complex were also developed by RAPD.Methods: The RAPD was applied on 14 Chinese Leishmania isolates from diverse geographic regions and 3 WHO reference strains. The polymorphic sites of amplification were transformed into data matrix, based on which genetic similarity were calculated and UPGMA dendrogram were constructed to analyze genetic diversity of these Leishmania isolates. Meanwhile, the specific amplification loci of L. donovani complex were TA-cloned, sequenced and converted into sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) markers, which were validated preliminarily in available 17 Leishmania strains in this study and analyzed by bioinformatics.Results: The cluster analyses showed that the three Leishmania sp. isolates SC10H2, SD and GL clustered together and apart from others, and the strains of L. donovani complex clearly divided into two clades and the three isolates Cy, WenChuan and 801 formed a subclade. Three specific SCAR markers of L. donovani complex, i.e. 1-AD17, 2-A816 and 3-O13, were successfully obtained and validated on available 17 Leishmania strains in this study. Through bioinformatics analyses, Marker 1-AD17 may have more specificity on PCR detection of VL and Marker 3-O13 has the potential of encoding protein.Conclusions: The RAPD result verified that the undescribed Leishmania species causing visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in China was a unique clade distinguished from L. donovani, and revealed that there was genetic differentiation among Chinese L. donovani. The development of L. donovani specific markers may provide the foundation for developing new specific diagnostic markers of VL and the research of specific gene function.
Performance Evaluation of Fifth-Generation Ultra-High-Resolution SPECT System with Two Stationary Detectors and Multi-Pinhole Imaging
Authors: Hoffmann Jan V , Janssen Jan P , Kanno Takayuki , Shibutani Takayuki , Onoguchi Masahisa , Lapa Constantin , Grunz Jan Peter , Buck Andreas , Higuchi Takahiro 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Small-animal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems with multi-pinhole collimation and large stationary detectors have advantages compared to systems with moving small detectors. These systems benefit from less labour-intensive maintenance and quality control as fewer prone parts are moving, higher accuracy for focused scans and maintaining high resolution with increased sensitivity due to focused pinholes on the field of view. This study aims to investigate the performance of a novel ultra-high-resolution scanner with two-detector-configuration (U-SPECT5-E) and to compare its image quality to a conventional micro-SPECT system with three stationary detectors (U-SPECT+).Methods: The new U-SPECT5-E with two stationary detectors was used for acquiring data with 99mTc-filled point source, hot-rod and uniformity phantoms to analyse sensitivity, spatial resolution, uniformity and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Three dedicated multi-pinhole mouse collimators with 75 pinholes each and 0.25-, 0.60- and 1.00-mm pinholes for extra ultra-high resolution (XUHR-M), general-purpose (GP-M) and ultra-high sensitivity (UHS-M) imaging were examined. For CNR analysis, four different activity ranges representing low- and high-count settings were investigated for all three collimators. The experiments for the performance assessment were repeated with the same GP-M collimator in the three-detector U-SPECT+ for comparison. Results: Peak sensitivity was 237 cps/MBq (XUHR-M), 847 cps/MBq (GP-M), 2054 cps/MBq (UHS-M) for U-SPECT5-E and 1710 cps/MBq (GP-M) for U-SPECT+. In the visually analysed sections of the reconstructed mini Derenzo phantom, rods as small as 0.35 mm (XUHR-M), 0.50 mm (GP-M) for the two-detector as well as the three-detector SPECT and 0.75 mm (UHS-M) were resolved. Uniformity for maximum resolution recorded 40.7% (XUHR-M), 29.1% (GP-M, U-SPECT5-E), 16.3% (GP-M, U-SPECT+) and 23.0% (UHS-M), respectively. UHS-M reached highest CNR values for low-count images; for rods smaller than 0.45 mm, acceptable CNR was only achieved by XUHR-M. GP-M was superior for imaging rods sized from 0.60-1.50 mm for intermediate activity concentrations. U-SPECT5-E and U-SPECT+ both provided comparable CNR.Conclusions: While uniformity and sensitivity are negatively affected by the absence of a third detector, the investigated U-SPECT5-E system with two stationary detectors delivers excellent spatial resolution and CNR comparable to the performance of an established three-detector-setup.
Lacrimal Sac Bacteriology and Susceptibility Pattern in Infants with Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction in the 1st Year of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study&nbsp;
Authors: Zheng Xiaoyu , Choy Bonnie Nga Kwan , Zhou Mingming , Shi Caiping , Zhao Zhengyan 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) is one of the main causes of epiphora in infants, and antibiotics are usually used as a conservative therapy in the first year. Yet, little is known about the bacteriology of the occluded lacrimal drainage system in this group of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiology of lacrimal sac (LS) in Chinese children with CNLDO in their first year of life.Methods: Patients with CNLDO between May 1, 2017 and August 31, 2018 at a tertiary care children’s hospital were enrolled. The study recruited infants who received lacrimal probing under 1 year old, and refluxed discharge from LS was collected. Samples were cultured and susceptibility test was performed for positive culture.Results: Thirty-two patients with CNLDO were included. The ratio of male to female was 23:9. The mean age was 6.7 ± 2.4 (1.7-12) months. Positive cultures was identified in 87.5% of the sample, and presented 38 strains of bacteria. Mixed infection was identified in 10 (31.3%) children. Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 60.5% of all the strains, with Streptococcus (50%) being the most frequent species, whereas Haemophilus (21.1%) and Neisseriae (13.2%) were most common isolates for Gram-negative organisms. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was detected in 2 infants whose symptoms resolved by a routine probing. No difference of bacteriology pattern was detected between patients under 6 months old and those beyond. The pathogens were highly sensitive to chloramphenicol (88%) and levofloxacin (84%), but resistant to erythromycin (40%) and sulfamethoxazole (32%).Conclusions: Infants with CNLDO under 1 year of age presented predominance of Streptococcus as Gram-positive organism, and Haemophilus as Gram-negative organism. Levofloxacin was an active topical antibiotic agent with few chance of resistance especially for Chinese children. These findings could help clinicians choose optimal medicine for CNLDO as the conservative treatments.
Psychological Distress in Nepalese Residents during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community Level Survey&nbsp;
Authors: Shrestha Dhan Bahadur , Thapa Bikash Bikram , Katuwal Nagendra , Shrestha Bikal , Pant Chiranjibi , Basnet Bina , Mandal Pankaj , Gurung Amol , Agrawal Ankita , Rouniyar Ramhari 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented health and economic impact. Psychological stress, anxiety and depression are affecting not only COVID-19 patients but also health professionals, and general population. Fear of contracting COVID-19, forced restrictive social measures, and economic hardship are causing mental trauma. Nepal is a developing country from South Asia where the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving. This online survey has been carried out to understand impact of COVID- 19 on mental health of Nepalese community dwellers.MethodsThe COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) questionnaire adapted from the Shanghai Mental Health Centre was used for online data collection from 11 April-17 May 2020. Collected data were extracted to Microsoft excel-13 and imported and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version-22. An initial univariate analysis was conducted for all variables to assess the distribution. Logistic regression analyses were done to estimate the odds ratios of relevant predicting variables.ResultsA total of 410 participants completed the self-rated questionnaires. Mean age of study participants was 34.8 ±11.7 years with male preponderance. 88.5% of the respondents were not in distress (score less than 28) while, 11% had mild to moderate distress and 0.5% had severe distress. The prevalence of distress is higher among age group >45 years, female gender, and post-secondary education group. Health professional were more likely to get distressed. Respondents with post-secondary education had higher odds (OR= 3.32; p=0.020) of developing distress as compared to respondents with secondary education or lower.ConclusionThere is lower rate of psychological distress in city dwellers and people with low education. Adequate intervention and evaluation into mental health awareness, and psychosocial support focused primarily on health care workers, female and elderly individuals is necessary.
The relationship between health-related quality of life, acceptance of illness and characteristics of pregnant women with hyperglycemia
Authors: Iwanowicz-Palus Grażyna , Zarajczyk Marta , Bień Agnieszka 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: The study was performed to evaluate the association between socio-demographic factors on the one hand, and quality of life and illness acceptance on the other, in pregnant women with hyperglycemia.Methods: The study was performed in the years 2016–2017 in south-eastern Poland. The study included 676 women: 339 pregnant women with hyperglycemia in the case group, and 337 healthy pregnant women in the control group. The research instruments applied included the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life questionnaire, the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and a general questionnaire.Results: Factors associated with quality of life in women with hyperglycemia include: relationship status, residence, professional activity, living conditions, number of pregnancies, self-reported knowledge of diabetes treatment and lifestyle and also of the potential pregnancy complications and fetal health impact associated with the disease, as well as the type of diabetes treatment (p < 0.05).The mean illness acceptance score among the patients is near the lower boundary of “moderate”, 31.37 points. Factors associated with illness acceptance in women with hyperglycemia include: professional activity, living conditions, and self-reported knowledge of diabetes treatment and lifestyle and of the potential pregnancy complications and fetal health impact associated with the disease (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Better overall quality of life, general perceived health, and quality of life in all specific domains was found among healthy pregnant women compared to those with hyperglycemia. A higher level of illness acceptance has a positive effect on overall quality of life, general perceived health, and quality of life in all specific domains. General Quality of Life is positively correlated with reported living conditions and self-reported knowledge on glucose tolerance disorder treatment and lifestyle recommendations. AIS is positively correlated with living conditions, self-reported knowledge on glucose tolerance disorder treatment and lifestyle recommendations, and self-reported knowledge on possible pregnancy complications and infant health impact associated with glucose tolerance disorders.
Auxin, abscisic acid and jasmonate are the central players in rice sheath rot caused by Sarocladium oryzae and Pseudomonas fuscovaginae
Authors: Peeters Kaat , Ameye Maarten , Demeestere Kristof , Audenaert Kris , Hofte Monica 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Sheath rot is an emerging rice disease that causes severe yield losses worldwide. The main causal agents are the toxin producers Sarocladium oryzae and Pseudomonas fuscovaginae. The fungus S. oryzae produces helvolic acid and cerulenin and the bacterium P. fuscovaginae produces cyclic lipopeptides. Helvolic acid and the lipopeptide, fuscopeptin, inhibit membrane-bound H+-ATPase pumps in the rice plant. To manage rice sheath rot, a better understanding of the host response and virulence strategies of the pathogens is required. This study investigated the interaction of the sheath rot pathogens with their host and the role of their toxins herein. Japonica rice was inoculated with high- and low-helvolic acid-producing S. oryzae isolates or with P. fuscovaginae wild type and fuscopeptin mutant strains. During infection, cerulenin, helvolic acid and the phytohormones abscisic acid, jasmonate, auxin and salicylic acid were quantified in the sheath. In addition, disease severity and grain yield parameters were assessed. Rice plants responded to high-toxin-producing S. oryzae and P. fuscovaginae strains with an increase in abscisic acid, jasmonate and auxin levels. We conclude that, for both pathogens, toxins play a core role during sheath rot infection. S. oryzae and P. fuscovaginae interact with their host in a similar way. This may explain why both sheath rot pathogens cause very similar symptoms despite their different nature.
Evaluation of a genetic risk score for severity of COVID-19 using human chromosomal-scale length variation.&nbsp;
Authors: Toh Chris , Brody James 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Introduction.The course of COVID-19 varies from asymptomatic to severe in patients. The basis for this range in symptoms is unknown. One possibility is that genetic variation is partly responsible for the highly variable response. We evaluated how well a genetic risk score based on chromosomal-scale length variation and machine learning classification algorithms could predict severity of response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods.We compared 981 patients from the UK Biobank dataset who had a severe reaction to SARS-CoV-2 infection before 27 April 2020 to a similar number of age matched patients drawn for the general UK Biobank population. For each patient, we built a profile of 88 numbers characterizing the chromosomal-scale length variability of their germ line DNA. Each number represented one quarter of the 22 autosomes. We used the machine learning algorithm XGBoost to build a classifier that could predict whether a person would have a severe reaction to COVID-19 based only on their 88-number classification.Results. We found that the XGBoost classifier could differentiate between the two classes at a significant level (I as measured against a randomized control and (n as measured against the expected value of a random guessing algorithm (AUC=0.5). However, we found that the AUC of the classifier was only 0.51, too low for a clinically useful test.Conclusion.Genetics play a role in the severity of COVID-19, but we cannot yet develop a useful genetic test to predict severity.
Tobacco Smoking is Positively Associated with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Due to the p53 Mutation at Serine 249
Authors: Wang Huai , Chen Lu , Zhou Tong , Zhang Zhongwei , Zeng Canwei 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background The major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are known to be hepatitis b virus (HBV) infection and aflatoxin B1(AFB1) exposure. However, there is still controversy about whether smoking is related to HCC.Methods A binary unconditional logistic regression was used for the data about a total of 300 cases and 612 controls. The approach of functional analysis of separated alleles in yeast (FASAY) was applied to analyze p53 status in HCC group. The relationship between p53 mutation at Serine 249 (p53-RS) and smoking was assessed. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed for the evaluation to transcriptional activity of p53 and p53-RS. Results Smoking was linked to the risk of HCC with an increased dose-response effect. Moreover, among subjects without alcohol drinker, the risks of HCC were significantly increased for smokers between HCC and controls. Besides, there was an increase in the number of HCC in smokers compared to non-smokers after exclusion of HBV and/or HCV infection. Also, a significant difference was observed about p53-RS between smokers and nonsmokers. Furthermore, the p53-RS transcriptional activity was significantly increased in tumor tissues.Conclusions It demonstrated that tobacco smoking is positively and independently associated with HCC, which may be attributed to p53-RS and its gain of function.
Long-term Outcomes of Intervention between Open Repair and Endovascular Aortic Repair for Descending Aortic pathologies: A Propensity-Matched Analysis
Authors: Son Shin-Ah , Jung Hanna , Cho Joon Yong 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background The long-term complication rates of open repair and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) have not yet been determined. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the long-term outcomes and aortic reintervention rates between open repair and TEVAR in patients with descending thoracic aortic pathologies. Methods Between January 2002 and December 2017, 230 patients with descending thoracic aortic pathologies underwent surgery. Of these, 136 patients were included in this retrospective study: 45 patients (10, 2, and 33 with dissection, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer, and pseudoaneurysm, respectively) underwent open repair and 91 patients (27, 1, and 63 with dissection, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer, and pseudoaneurysm, respectively) underwent TEVAR. The primary end points were in-hospital mortality, and short-term complications. The secondary end points were long-term mortality and reintervention rates. Based on the propensity score matching (PSM), 35 patients who underwent open repair were matched to 35 patients who underwent TEVAR (ratio= 1:1). Results The mean follow-up period was 70.2 ± 51.9 months. Shorter intensive care unit and hospital stay were seen in the TEVAR group than in the open repair group before and after PSM (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, in-hospital mortality, and spinal cord ischemia were not significantly different among the two groups (before PSM: p = 0.068 and p = 0.211, respectively; after PSM: p = 0.303 and p = 0.314, respectively). The cumulative all-cause death and aorta-related death showed no significant differences between the two groups (before PSM: p = 0.709 and p = 0.734; after PSM: p = 0.888 and p = 0.731, respectively). However, aortic reintervention rates were higher in the TEVAR group than in the open repair group before and after PSM (p = 0.006 and p = 0.013, respectively). Conclusion The TEVAR group was superior in short-term recovery outcomes but had higher reintervention rates compared to the open repair group. However, there were no significant differences in long-term survival between the two groups.