bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparative study on the time to achieve negative nucleic acid testing and hospital stays between danoprevir and lopinavir/ritonavir in the treatment of patients with COVID‐19
Authors: Zhang Zhicheng , Wang Shumei , Tu Xianglin , Peng Xuping , Huang Yanxia , Wang Li , Ju Weihua , Rao Jianfeng , Li Xue , Zhu Donghong , Sun Huabao , Chen Hongyi 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn late December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) first broke out in Wuhan, China, and has now become a global pandemic. However, there is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID‐19. This study enrolled 33 COVID‐19 patients in the nineth hospital of Nanchang from 27th January to 24th February 2020. Clinical indexes of patients upon admission/discharge were examined. Patients were divided into two groups according to different treatment plans (danoprevir and lopinavir/ritonavir). The days to achieve negative nucleic acid testing and the days of hospital stays were counted and statistically analyzed. COVID‐19 patients treated with danoprevir or lopinavir/ritonavir were all improved and discharged. Indexes like blood routine, inflammation and immune‐related indexes were significantly recovered after treatment. Additionally, under the circumstance that there was no significant difference in patients' general information between the two groups, we found that the mean time to achieve both negative nucleic acid testing and hospital stays of patients treated with danoprevir were significantly shorter than those of patients with lopinavir/ritonavir. Collectively, applying danoprevir is a good treatment plan for COVID‐19 patients.
Application of the simple atrial fibrillation better care pathway for integrated care management in frail patients with atrial fibrillation: A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Yang Pil‐Sung , Sung Jung‐Hoon , Jang Eunsun , Yu Hee Tae , Kim Tae‐Hoon , Lip Gregory Y. H. , Joung Boyoung 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe benefit of integrated care management was unknown in frail atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. This study evaluated whether compliance with the atrial fibrillation Better Care (ABC) pathway for integrated care management would improve clinical outcomes in frail AF patients.MethodsFrom the Korea National Health Insurance Service database, 262,987 nonvalvular AF patients were enrolled between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2015. For each patient, the Hospital Frailty Risk Score and category were calculated retrospectively using all available ICD‐10 diagnostic codes. Patients were divided into three frailty‐based risk categories: low (<5 points, n = 221,542), intermediate (5‐15 points, n = 37,341), and high risk (>15 points, n = 4,104).ResultsOver a mean follow‐up of 5.9 (interquartile range 3.2, 9.4) years, in high frailty risk patients, the ABC group had lower rates of all‐cause death (6.5 vs 17.5 per 100 person‐years, P < .001; hazard ratio [HR] 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56‐0.97) but was nonsignificant for the composite outcome (10.5 vs 26.0 per 100 person‐years, P = .101; HR 0.79; 95% CI 0.59‐1.05) compared with the Non‐ABC group. When the three frailty categories were compared, the greatest benefit on mortality was seen in the high frailty group (pint < 0.001), but for the composite outcome, there was no statistical interaction for the three frailty categories (pint = 0.063).ConclusionsCompliance with the simple ABC pathway is associated with improved outcomes in AF patients with high frailty risk. Given the high healthcare burden associated with frail AF patients, integrated AF management should be implemented to improve outcomes in these patients.
Changes in the relationship between Indian Ocean dipole and Indian summer monsoon rainfall in early and recent multidecadal epochs during different phases of monsoon
Authors: Hrudya Palakkal Puthan Veedu Haridas , Varikoden Hamza , Vishnu Rajagopalan Nair 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn this study, we explored the changes in the Indian Ocean Dipole‐Indian summer monsoon rainfall (IOD‐ISMR) relationship from early (1951–1980) to recent (1986–2015) multidecades during onset (June), peak (July–August) and withdrawal (September) phases of Indian summer monsoon. The analyses indicate that the IOD‐ISMR relationship is strengthening (weakening) during withdrawal (onset) phases over most of the Indian regions in the recent decades. During the peak phase, the relationship changes from out‐of‐phase (negative correlation) to in‐phase (positive correlation) in most of the Indian subcontinent. During positive IOD (pIOD) events, an increase in rainfall during all the phases is observed over the Indian region in the recent decades. Conversely, a general decrease in rainfall is observed over the Indian subcontinent during negative IOD (nIOD) events, except for the onset phase. The changes in sea surface temperature (SST), low level circulation and moisture transport over the equatorial Indian Ocean are linked to the changes in rainfall during both the positive and negative IOD events in the recent decades. However, most noticeable changes are observed during the peak and withdrawal phases. In the recent decades, during all the phases, a relatively strengthened low level jet (LLJ) with respect to the early decades is observed over the equatorial Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea associated with pIOD events. It causes a zone of moisture convergence over the northeast regions of India, which is conducive for above normal rainfall conditions in the monsoon trough zone and central Indian regions. In the case of nIOD events, the relatively weakened (strengthened) LLJ with respect to the early decades suppresses (enhances) the transport of moisture to the Indian region during the peak and withdrawal (onset) phases and cause reduced (enhanced) rainfall conditions. The observed results are more robust during the peak and withdrawal phases than that during the onset phase.
Assessment of impacts of potential climate change on meteorological drought characteristics at regional scales
Authors: Samantaray Alok Kumar , Ramadas Meenu , Panda Rabindra Kumar 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDrought patterns are better understood by analysing the joint dependence among long‐term drought characteristics: severity, duration, and frequency. Changes in these drought characteristics are also likely due to potential climate change, for instance, increased drought severity and duration, increased frequency of drought events, and increased spatial extent of drought impacts. In this study, we performed a regional‐scale analysis of potential changes in meteorological drought characteristics in a tropical region in India under a warming future climate scenario. The meteorological drought characteristics were computed using the Standardized Precipitation Index. The Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment South Asia Regional Climate Model future precipitation simulation under the RCP 4.5 scenario was bias‐corrected and utilized for future drought frequency analysis. Regionalization of meteorological drought characteristics was performed using the simple k‐means clustering technique to identify the homogeneous regions for baseline and future periods. Bivariate copula was utilized to model the dependence among the drought characteristics in order to develop the S‐D‐F curves. The changes in regionalization and regional S‐D‐F curves under future potential climate change were then investigated. The results of the study suggest an increase in drought severity by 2–3% for long‐term droughts (duration more than 5 months) in the future as indicated by upward shift and changes in the slope of the regional S‐D‐F curves. There is a projected increase in the occurrence of long‐term droughts in the future when compared to short‐term (duration of 1 to 3 months) droughts. We also observed a considerable spatial shift of drought hotspots, the severe drought‐prone regions lie in the eastern part of the study region in the future. Future projections of regional S‐D‐F curves and Spatio‐temporal drought characteristics obtained from the proposed framework may be utilized for devising drought mitigation strategies.
Metastatic patterns do not provide additional prognostic information for patients with FIGO stage IV high‐grade serous ovarian cancer
Authors: Feng Zheng , Wen Hao , Ju Xingzhu , Bi Rui , Chen Xiaojun , Yang Wentao , Wu Xiaohua 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of our study was to investigate whether metastatic patterns were associated with the prognosis of patients with FIGO stage IV high‐grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC).MethodsWe retrospectively investigated 83 consecutive patients with FIGO stage IV HGSC who underwent primary surgery between April 2005 and June 2013 at our institution. Metastatic patterns were defined as pleural effusion (stage IVA), parenchymal metastases (stage IVB), and extra‐abdominal lymph node metastases (stage IVB). Correlations of clinical characteristics and prognosis with metastatic patterns were analyzed.ResultsForty‐two (50.6%) patients were stage IVA with pleural effusion. Among the remaining stage IVB patients, 19 (22.9%) patients had parenchymal metastases and 22 (26.5%) had extra‐abdominal lymph node metastases. FIGO IVA and IVB subclassification did not have a prognostic impact on progression‐free survival (PFS) (P = .361). In addition, no differences in PFS were observed among patients presenting the three metastatic patterns (P = .506). The 5‐year overall survival (OS) rates of patients with stage IVA and IVB diseases were 35.2% and 34.3%, respectively, (P = .856). In addition, metastatic patterns did not provide additional prognostic information for OS (P = .292).ConclusionNeither the subclassification into FIGO IVA and IVB stages nor metastatic patterns of FIGO stage IV provided additional prognostic information.
Impact of land management practices on water use strategy for a dryland tree plantation and subsequent responses to drought
Authors: Gao Xiaodong , Li Hongchen , Zhao Xining 
Published: June 2020

AbstractExtreme droughts, of increased frequency due to climate change, are threatening the sustainability of dryland plantations worldwide by exacerbating water scarcity. Here we aim to disentangle the impacts of combinations of terracing and mulching on water use strategy and their response to extreme droughts in a rainfed jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) plantation on the semiarid Loess Plateau of China, using 3‐year in situ field observations. Pruned jujube branches and maize straw were mulched on half‐moon terraces to form two combined treatments, referred to as JBT and MST, respectively. The efficacy of these two combinations on the water use strategy of jujube trees was compared with terracing alone (SHT) and control (no terrace). We found that under extreme drought there was clearly reduced soil water storage (SWS) for different treatments. However, the combined treatments showed significantly (p < .05) higher SWS than the SHT and control. Furthermore, the combined treatments enhanced soil water use in deep layers during both normal and drought years, thus helping jujube trees to resist droughts. Moreover, under extreme drought there was greatly reduced transpiration whereas for moderate drought increased transpiration at both seasonal and annual scales. Nonetheless, the combined treatments were associated with enhanced transpiration compared to the SHT and control during drought periods. Finally, jujube trees exhibited isohydric behavior which also helped them to cope with prolonged droughts. Overall, the findings here may provide insights into land management of dryland plantations worldwide under climate change.
Germline whole genome sequencing in pediatric oncology in Denmark—Practitioner perspectives
Authors: Byrjalsen Anna , Stoltze Ulrik K. , Castor Anders , Wahlberg Ayo 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundWith the implementation of a research project providing whole genome sequencing (WGS) to all pediatric cancer patients in Denmark (2016–2019), we sought to investigate healthcare professionals' views on WGS as it was actively being implemented in pediatric oncology.MethodsSemistructured interviews were carried out with pediatric oncologists, clinical geneticists, and research coordinating nurses (N = 17), followed by content analysis of transcribed interviews. Interviews were supplemented by ethnographic observations on Danish pediatric oncology wards. Additionally, questionnaires were distributed to healthcare professionals concerning when they found it appropriate to approach families regarding WGS. The response rate was 74%.ResultsHealthcare professionals see imbalances in doctor–patient relationship, especially the double role doctors have as clinicians and researchers. Some were concerned that it might not be possible to obtain meaningful informed consent from all families following diagnosis. Still, 94% of respondents found it acceptable to approach families during the first 4 weeks from the child's diagnosis. Views on the utility of WGS, treatment adaptation, and surveillance differed among interviewees.ConclusionOverall, healthcare professionals see dilemmas arising from WGS in the pediatric oncology clinic, and some advocate for further educational sessions with families and healthcare professionals. Despite concerns, healthcare professionals overwhelmingly supported early approach of families regarding WGS. Interviewees disagree on the benefits of surveillance based on genetic findings.
Health orientation and individual tendencies of a sample of Italian genetic testing consumers
Authors: Oliveri Serena , Durosini Ilaria , Cutica Ilaria , Cincidda Clizia , Spinella Francesca , Baldi Marina , Gorini Alessandra , Pravettoni Gabriella 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundOver the last decade, genetic testing (GT) had markedly spread in European countries and struggled the debate concerning the psychological effects on the population. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual tendencies of GT consumers in a sample of Italian citizens.MethodsA total of 152 Italian clients from GenomaLab, a private genetic company, were enrolled from February 2016 to September 2018 and completed an ad hoc survey.ResultsResults showed that GT consumers were motivated to preserve their well‐being, they felt responsible for their health, they were neither pessimistic nor optimistic toward negative occurrences, and poorly inclined to take high risks in their lives. Participants who had suffered from a disease in the past appear to be less tolerant to the uncertainty for future negative events.ConclusionOur results depict Italian GT consumers as health‐oriented, focused on prevention, who do not have a pessimistic perception of their condition but do not like to “bet” on their health, and probably their intention (and belief) is to acquire genetic information in order to reduce uncertainty and increase their decision‐making “power” related to their health. Taken together, all these results contribute to describe the population of GT users in European countries, to regulate the provision of GT results and to entail the communication of genetic risk information based on a consumers’ personal profile.
Measuring quality for human service improvement: How nonprofits meet the quality requirements of public authorities
Authors: Pfiffner Roger 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe growing pressure for service quality has led to an increase in the dissemination of quality models in nonprofit human service organizations. In spite of this, little is known about their implementation. The present study therefore examines how quality management directives imposed by public authorities affect the adoption and use of quality measurement systems under different sets of conditions. Key findings, based on survey data from 536 human service nonprofits in Switzerland, suggest that external quality requirements foster the adoption of measurement systems to the greatest degree, but simultaneously reduce their actual utilization for service improvement. The strength of these effects is contingent on the organizations' resources and the quality of indicators. Managers' commitment to quality measurement shows the strongest effect on the use of quality measurement systems. These findings and the implications for future research and practice will be discussed.
Can overnight portable pulse oximetry be used to stratify obstructive sleep apnea risk in infants? A correlation analysis
Authors: Ehsan Zarmina , He Shan , Huang Guixia , Hossain Md M. , Simakajornboon Narong 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIntroductionThere is limited evidence on the accuracy of oximetry in the evaluation of infant obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We aimed to determine the utility of overnight oximetry to stratify infants at risk for OSA, to determine urgency for definitive screening with an overnight in‐laboratory polysomnogram (PSG).MethodsRetrospective single‐institution cohort study of infants undergoing PSG and a separate overnight oximetry over an 8‐year period. Correlations, using oximetry in both in‐hospital (attended) or at‐home (unattended) settings, for ODI410 (decrease in oxygen saturation ≥ 4% from baseline, duration ≥ 10 seconds) and ODI40 (duration > 0 second) with the obstructive apnea‐hypopnea index (AHIo) were obtained. The area under the curve was calculated, and sensitivity and specificity values have been presented as receiver operating characteristic curves.ResultsThirty‐eight infants were included. The mean (SD) age (months) was 5.7 (3.9) at diagnostic PSG and 5.5 (3.7) at the time of oximetry. The mean AHIo for the entire cohort was 6.7 (6.2). The mean (SD) ODI40 was 8.6 (9.0) and the mean (SD) ODI410 was 5.4 (5.1).The correlation between ODI and AHIo was statistically significant for the cohort (ODI40 vs. AHIo [r = .59, P < .001] and ODI410 vs AHIo [r = .55, P = .0003]). Using an ODI40 cutoff of 3, the sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value for diagnosing OSA was: 86%, 40%, 50%, and 80% respectively for an AHIo greater than 2, and 100%, 35%, 100%, and 58% respectively for an AHIo greater than or equal to 5.ConclusionThere is a significant positive correlation between the ODI4 obtained from oximetry and the AHIo obtained from PSG in infants at risk for OSA. An ODI40 greater than 3 may be useful to stratify infants at risk for moderate to severe OSA when used in attended (in‐hospital) or unattended (in‐home) settings.
Relevance of physicochemical properties and functional pharmacology data to predict the clinical safety profile of direct oral anticoagulants
Authors: Ferro Charles J. , Solkhon Fay , Jalal Zahraa , Al‐Hamid Abdullah M. , Jones Alan M. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDirect oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have rapidly become the drug class of choice for anticoagulation therapy in secondary care. It is known that gastrointestinal hemorrhage are potential side effects of the DOAC drug class. In this study we have investigated the relevance of molecular structure and on/off‐target pharmacology as a predictor of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for the DOAC drug class. Use of the Reaxys MedChem module allowed for data mining of all possible reported off‐target effects of the DOAC class members. For the first time, the MHRA Yellow card database in combination with prescribing rates in the United Kingdom (data for n = 30 566 936 DOAC Rx (up to 2017) and ADR data n = 22 275 (up to 2018)) were used for our data comparison of DOACs. From the underlying reported data, we were able to rank the DOACs in terms of the likely adverse events we would expect to observe. We identified potential risks of ADRs based on the DOACs pharmacology including the expected GI hemorrhage, but also the unexpected risk of stroke, pulmonary embolism and kidney injury. Statistically significant (P < .001) differences were found between all DOACs and their total number of ADRs. Although the risks are small, strong statistical correlation between observed pharmacology and national ADR data is observed in three out of the five areas of concern.
Estimation of Equipotent Doses for Anti‐Inflammatory Effects of Prednisolone and AZD9567, an Oral Selective Nonsteroidal Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulator
Authors: Almquist Joachim , Sadiq Muhammad Waqas , Eriksson Ulf G. , Hegelund Myrbäck Tove , Prothon Susanne , Leander Jacob 
Published: June 2020

AZD9567 is a potent and selective nonsteroidal oral glucocorticoid receptor modulator. It is developed as an anti‐inflammatory drug with improved safety profile compared with steroids like prednisolone. Throughout the clinical development of AZD9567, dose selection and data interpretation require a method for determining doses with the same anti‐inflammatory effect as prednisolone. Equipotent doses of AZD9567 and prednisolone were defined by the same average inhibition of TNFα release, a biomarker of anti‐inflammatory effect, measured in a lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated whole bloodex vivoassay. Based on pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic models, TNFα dose‐response relationships for AZD9567 and prednisolone were established. A comparison of the dose‐response curves enabled estimation of an equipotency relationship. Specifically, 20 mg prednisolone was estimated to be equipotent to 40 mg AZD9567 (95% confidence interval: 29–54 mg). Static concentration‐response analyses showed that the relative potencies for inhibition of TNFα release of AZD9567 and prednisolone were well aligned with several other pro‐inflammatory cytokines.
Recent upgrades to the Met Office convective‐scale ensemble: An hourly time‐lagged 5‐day ensemble
Authors: Porson Aurore N. , Carr Joanne M. , Hagelin Susanna , Darvell Rob , North Rachel , Walters David , Mylne Kenneth R. , Mittermaier Marion P. , Willington Steve , Macpherson Bruce 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn this article, we introduce a new configuration of the Met Office convective‐scale ensemble for numerical weather prediction, for the Met Office Global and Regional Ensemble Prediction System over the United Kingdom (MOGREPS‐UK). The new version, which became operational in March 2019, uses an hourly time‐lagged configuration to take advantage of the hourly 4D‐Var data assimilation run in the deterministic UK model with variable horizontal resolution, the UKV. An 18‐member ensemble is created by running three members every hour and time‐lagging these over a 6 hr window. This configuration is compared against the previous operational configuration, a 6‐hourly convective‐scale ensemble running 12 members. The main benefits of the time‐lagged ensemble are to increase the ensemble size, to add small‐scale uncertainties in the initial conditions and to generate more timely forecasts. The time‐lagged configuration is shown to objectively improve the forecast at all lead times, with larger improvements in the first few hours. The improvement is seen in the ranked probability scores and is mainly associated with the improvements in the spread of the ensemble with an increase of about 5 to 10% in both summer and winter seasons. A larger ensemble size is necessary in the time‐lagged configuration for it to outperform or maintain as good a performance against the previous 6‐hourly configuration for all lead times. Alongside the update to an hourly configuration, the forecast length is more than doubled to 120 hr. Objective verification shows that the time‐lagged configuration performs better than the high‐resolution deterministic, UKV, and the global ensemble, MOGREPS‐G, up to T + 120 hr. Increasing the size of the time‐lagged ensemble through lagging over additional cycles leads to small but significant improvements, larger in most cases than those that can be obtained through neighbourhood processing.