bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of guidelines on antibiotic prescribing approach in primary care—a 10-year study
Authors: Radošević Quadranti Nives , Vlahović-Palčevski Vera , Popović Branislava , Diminić-Lisica Ines 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
Publication and implementation of clinical guidelines is an important educational measure that considerably helps physicians in choosing appropriate antimicrobial drug.

Objectives
To evaluate long-term changes in antimicrobial prescribing habits before and after publishing the guidelines and to determine the factors that influence physician’s decision to prescribe an antimicrobial drug.

Methods
The study among general practitioners in Primorsko-Goranska County was conducted in three periods (January 2009, January 2011 and April 2019) by using a structured questionnaire that included general data about the physician, questions about their habits in antibiotic prescribing, criteria that influenced decision to prescribe antibiotics and antimicrobial agent(s) preferred in treating common infections.

Results
Concomitant chronic (non-pulmonary) disease was the most important factor influencing decision to prescribe an antimicrobial drug. Over 88% of physicians that completed the survey declared themselves as rational prescribers of antimicrobials but more than half of them (53.3%) sometimes prescribed an antibiotic even though it was not indicated compared to 75% of self-reported non-rational prescribers (P ˂ 0.05). Self-reported adherence to the guidelines increased from 34.6% in 2011 to 51.8% in 2019.

Conclusion
The research showed improvement in physicians’ knowledge in choosing the right antibiotic based on the analysis of answers but indicated the necessity for improving communication skills and empowering physicians not to prescribe antibiotics ‘just in case’ because of diagnostic uncertainty or patient demand. Further qualitative research is needed to understand physicians’ prescribing behaviour and decision-making processes in order to develop interventions that will effectively improve the use of antibiotics.
Volunteering, Self-Perceptions of Aging, and Mental Health in Later Life
Authors: Huo Meng , Miller Lisa M Soederberg , Kim Kyungmin , Liu Siwei 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Scholars argue that volunteering enhances social, physical, and cognitive activities that are increasingly valued as people age, which in turn improves older adults’ well-being via a host of psychosocial and neurobiological mechanisms. This study explicitly tested older adults’ self-perceptions of aging as a mechanism underlying the mental health benefits of volunteering.

Research Design and Methods
Using 2-wave data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008/2010 for Wave 1 and 2012/2014 for Wave 2), we analyzed reports from a pooled sample of older adults aged 65 or older (N = 9,017). Participants reported on demographic characteristics, volunteer work (did not volunteer, 1–99 h/year, 100+ h/year), self-perceptions of aging, and depressive symptoms. We estimated an autoregressive cross-lagged panel model.

Results
Volunteering for 100 h or more per year was associated with older adults’ more positive and less negative self-perceptions of aging in the subsequent wave (i.e., 4 years later), which in turn predicted fewer depressive symptoms.

Discussion and Implications
This study suggests the promising role of volunteering in shaping older adults’ self-perceptions of aging on a sustained basis and refines our understanding of the benefits volunteering brings. Findings shed light on future interventions aimed at improving older adults’ adjustment to age-related changes and lessening ageism in society.
A simultaneous calibration and data assimilation (C/DA) to improve NRLMSISE00 using thermospheric neutral density (TND) from space-borne accelerometer measurements
Authors: Forootan E , Farzaneh S , Kosary M , Schmidt M , Schumacher M 
Published: October 2020

SUMMARY
Improving thermospheric neutral density (TND) estimates is important for computing drag forces acting on low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites and debris. Empirical thermospheric models are often used to compute TNDs for the precise orbit determination experiments. However, it is known that simulating TNDs are of limited accuracy due to simplification of model structure, coarse sampling of model inputs and dependencies to the calibration period. Here, we apply TND estimates from accelerometer measurements of the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) missions as observations to improve the NRLMSISE-00 model, which belongs to the mass spectrometer and incoherent scatter family of models. For this, a novel simultaneous calibration and data assimilation (C/DA) technique is implemented that uses the ensemble Kalman filter and the ensemble square-root Kalman filter as merger. The application of C/DA is unique because it modifies both model-derived TNDs, as well as the selected model parameters. The calibrated parameters derived from C/DA are then used to predict TNDs in locations that are not covered by CHAMP and GRACE orbits, and forecasting TNDs of the next day. The C/DA is implemented using daily CHAMP- and/or GRACE-TNDs, for which compared to the original model, we find 27 per cent and 62 per cent reduction of misfit between model and observations in terms of root mean square error and Nash coefficient, respectively. These validations are performed using the observations along the orbital track of the other satellite that is not used in the C/DA during 2003 with various solar activity. Comparisons with another empirical model, that is, Jacchia-Bowman, indicate that the C/DA results improve these quality measurements on an average range of 50 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.
NMIHBA results from hypomorphic PRUNE1 variants that lack short-chain exopolyphosphatase activity
Authors: Nistala Harikiran , Dronzek John , Gonzaga-Jauregui Claudia , Chim Shek Man , Rajamani Saathyaki , Nuwayhid Samer , Delgado Dennis , Burke Elizabeth , Karaca Ender , Franklin Matthew C , Sarangapani Prasad , Podgorski Michael , Tang Yajun , Dominguez Melissa G , Withers Marjorie , Deckelbaum Ron A , Scheonherr Christopher J , Gahl William A , Malicdan May C , Zambrowicz Brian , Gale Nicholas W , Gibbs Richard A , Chung Wendy K , Lupski James R , Economides Aris N 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorder with microcephaly, hypotonia and variable brain anomalies (NMIHBA) is an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder characterized by global developmental delay and severe intellectual disability. Microcephaly, progressive cortical atrophy, cerebellar hypoplasia and delayed myelination are neurological hallmarks in affected individuals. NMIHBA is caused by biallelic variants in PRUNE1 encoding prune exopolyphosphatase 1. We provide in-depth clinical description of two affected siblings harboring compound heterozygous variant alleles, c.383G &gt; A (p.Arg128Gln), c.520G &gt; T (p.Gly174*) in PRUNE1. To gain insights into disease biology, we biochemically characterized missense variants within the conserved N-terminal aspartic acid-histidine-histidine (DHH) motif and provide evidence that they result in the destabilization of protein structure and/or loss of exopolyphosphatase activity. Genetic ablation of Prune1 results in midgestational lethality in mice, associated with perturbations to embryonic growth and vascular development. Our findings suggest that NMIHBA results from hypomorphic variant alleles in humans and underscore the potential key role of PRUNE1 exopolyphoshatase activity in neurodevelopment.
The Elusive History of the Pan-African Congress, 1919–27
Authors: Hodder Jake 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
This paper considers the meetings of the interwar Pan-African Congress movement. It examines the Congress in the context of how conferencing became a dominant mode of international politics in the 1920s and the opportunities this offered to non-state actors. The Congress exemplified the hope which race reformers placed in the new international system established after the First World War, and in the League of Nations specifically. The paper considers three key conferencing elements in turn: delegates, venues, and resolutions. In each case, organizers mobilized the framework of conferencing to validate their political demands within this international system whilst, also in each case, their constrained circumstances required them to be strategically ambiguous with the facts of their meetings. As such, the paper encourages a broader methodological reflection on how historians approach seemingly unreliable historical sources. I argue that inconsistencies in reports of the Congress are themselves important historical artefacts of the political manoeuvres undertaken by race reformers. Foregrounding these strategies allows us to consider how political authority was circumscribed in the past, the resourcefulness of those on the political margins, and the promise and failure of international governance on the race question in the 1920s.
A Unified Proof of Conjectures on Cycle Lengths in Graphs
Authors: Gao Jun , Huo Qingyi , Liu Chun-Hung , Ma Jie 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
In this paper, we prove a tight minimum degree condition in general graphs for the existence of paths between two given endpoints whose lengths form a long arithmetic progression with common difference one or two. This allows us to obtain a number of exact and optimal results on cycle lengths in graphs of given minimum degree, connectivity or chromatic number.
More precisely, we prove the following statements by a unified approach: 1. Every graph $G$ with minimum degree at least $k+1$ contains cycles of all even lengths modulo $k$; in addition, if $G$ is $2$-connected and non-bipartite, then it contains cycles of all lengths modulo $k$. 2. For all $k\geq 3$, every $k$-connected graph contains a cycle of length zero modulo $k$. 3. Every $3$-connected non-bipartite graph with minimum degree at least $k+1$ contains $k$ cycles of consecutive lengths. 4. Every graph with chromatic number at least $k+2$ contains $k$ cycles of consecutive lengths. The 1st statement is a conjecture of Thomassen, the 2nd is a conjecture of Dean, the 3rd is a tight answer to a question of Bondy and Vince, and the 4th is a conjecture of Sudakov and Verstraëte. All of the above results are best possible.
Clinical and Immunologic Predictors of Mycobacterium avium Complex Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in a Contemporary Cohort of Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: Breglio Kimberly F , Vinhaes Caian L , Arriaga María B , Nason Martha , Roby Gregg , Adelsberger Joseph , Andrade Bruno B , Sheikh Virginia , Sereti Irini 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can present with new or worsening symptoms associated with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection shortly after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation as MAC immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (MAC-IRIS). In this study, we assessed the utility of several laboratory tests as predictors of MAC-IRIS.

Methods
People with HIV with clinical and histologic and/or microbiologic evidence of MAC-IRIS were identified and followed up to 96 weeks post–ART initiation within a prospective study of 206 ART-naive patients with CD4 &lt;100 cells/µL.

Results
Fifteen (7.3%) patients presented with MAC-IRIS within a median interval of 26 days after ART initiation. Patients who developed MAC-IRIS had lower body mass index, lower hemoglobin levels, higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and increased CD38 frequency and mean fluorescence intensity on CD8+ T cells at the time of ART initiation compared with non-MAC IRIS patients. A decision tree inference model revealed that stratifying patients based on levels of ALP and D-dimer could predict the likelihood of MAC-IRIS. A binary logistic regression demonstrated that higher levels of ALP at baseline were associated with increased risk of MAC-IRIS development.

Conclusions
High ALP levels and increased CD8+ T-cell activation with low CD4 counts at ART initiation should warrant suspicion for subsequent development of MAC-IRIS.
Neutralizing Antibody Responses in COVID-19 Convalescent Sera
Authors: Lee William T , Girardin Roxanne C , Dupuis Alan P , Kulas Karen E , Payne Anne F , Wong Susan J , Arinsburg Suzanne , Nguyen Freddy T , Mendu Damodara Rao , Firpo-Betancourt Adolfo , Jhang Jeffrey , Wajnberg Ania , Krammer Florian , Cordon-Cardo Carlos , Amler Sherlita , Montecalvo Marisa , Hutton Brad , Taylor Jill , McDonough Kathleen A 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPassive transfer of antibodies from COVID-19 convalescent patients is being used as an experimental treatment for eligible patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections. The United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines for convalescent plasma initially recommended target antibody titers of 160. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in sera from recovered COVID-19 patients using plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT) at moderate (PRNT50) and high (PRNT90) stringency thresholds. We found that neutralizing activity significantly increased with time post symptom onset (PSO), reaching a peak at 31–35 days PSO. At this point, the number of sera having neutralizing titers of at least 160 was approximately 93% (PRNT50) and approximately 54% (PRNT90). Sera with high SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels (&gt;960 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titers) showed maximal activity, but not all high-titer sera contained neutralizing antibody at FDA recommended levels, particularly at high stringency. These results underscore the value of serum characterization for neutralization activity.
Provider–patient communication and hospital ratings: perceived gaps and forward thinking about the effects of COVID-19
Authors: Belasen Alan T , Oppenlander Jane , Belasen Ariel R , Hertelendy Attila J 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Objectives
To highlight clinical and operational issues, identify factors that shape patient responses in Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) and test the correlations between composite measures and overall hospital ratings.

Design
Responses to HCAHPS surveys were used in a partial correlation analysis to ascertain those HCAHPS composite measures that most relate to overall hospital ratings. The linear mean scores for the composite measures and individual and global items were analyzed with descriptive analysis and correlation analysis via JMP and SPSS statistical software.

Setting
HCAHPS is a patient satisfaction survey required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for hospitals in the USA. The survey is for adult inpatients, excluding psychiatric patients.

Participants
3382 US hospitals.

Intervention
None.

Main Outcome Measure
Pearson correlation coefficients for the six composite measures and overall hospital rating.

Results
The partial correlations for overall hospital rating and three composite measures are positive and moderately strong for care transition (0.445) and nurse communication (0.369) and weak for doctor communication (0.066).

Conclusions
From a health policy standpoint, it is imperative that hospital administrators stress open and clear communication between providers and patients to avoid problems ranging from misdiagnosis to incorrect treatment. Additional research is needed to determine how the coronavirus of 2019 pandemic influences patients’ perceptions of quality and willingness to recommend hospitals at a time when nurses and physicians show symptoms of burnout due to heavy workloads and inadequate personal protective equipment.
Drug Positivity Findings from a Universal Umbilical Cord Tissue Drug Analysis Program in Appalachia
Authors: Yossuck Panitan , Tacker Danyel H 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundWest Virginia has high rates of opioid-related health crises and deaths that extend to pregnant women and newborns. Our institutional screening approach has included universal umbilical cord tissue drug analysis (UCTDA) since 2013. The objective of this study was to retrospectively report incidence of in utero drug exposure using UCTDA data.MethodsTwo sequential UCTDA data sets (October 2013 to September 2015, and October 2016 to September 2018) represent interrupted epochs given changes in interfaced data availability. UCTDA positivity (by drug class and parent drug) and numbers of drugs detected in each specimen were retrospectively analyzed. THC was removed from the analysis because of discontinuous testing, and 4 opioids were separated from the data set given the potential for both therapeutic and illicit use.ResultsUCTDA specimens that were positive for drugs (22% overall) decreased between Epochs 1 and 2, from 25% to 20%. Increased positivity was noted for hydrocodone (+407%), oxycodone (+240%), amphetamines (+506%), and cocaine (+417%). Fentanyl and morphine positivity decreased by 75% and 18%, respectively, whereas buprenorphine detection increased 195%. Most positive specimens (80% overall) had 1 drug present, but specimens positive for 2 to 6 discrete drugs were found.ConclusionUniversal UCTDA allows for unbiased assessment of drug exposure in infants. With the additional knowledge of therapeutic indications for drug use, UCTDA may allow for analysis of trends in illicit drug use and the impact of interventions to curb neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Rotigotine: A Review of Analytical Methods for the Raw Material, Pharmaceutical Formulations, and Its Impurities
Authors: Mendes Thamara de Carvalho , Pinto Eduardo Costa , Cabral Lucio Mendes , de Sousa Valeria Pereira 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
Rotigotine is a dopaminergic agonist developed for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome. The pure levorotatory enantiomer is marketed in several countries as a transdermal patch. Reports of oxidation and instability in a previous formulation indicate the need to evaluate impurities in both the raw material and pharmaceutical dosage forms of rotigotine to ensure product quality.

Objective
This review examines the main analytical methods for analyzing rotigotine in raw material and its transdermal patches with the aim of assisting the development of new pharmaceutical formulations and stability studies.

Methods
Analytical methods based on high-performance liquid chromatography for rotigotine from pharmacopoeias and literature were evaluated. A comparison was made between the methods found in the literature and official rotigotine monographs described by the United States, European, and British Pharmacopoeias, including a discussion of their acceptance limits for impurities related to the drug. The different impurities from the synthesis processes and degradation studies of rotigotine were also evaluated, as well as the main articles that describe methods for assessing their chiral purity.

Results
Qualified and unofficial official impurities found in forced degradation studies were verified. The methods presented show adequate specificity and selectivity in determining the drug in the presence of its impurities.

Conclusions
The approached methods are promising, but more detailed studies on the stability of rotigotine are still lacking, mainly in the pharmacokinetic and toxicological characterization of its impurities.
Cross-Sectional Assessment of Burn Center and Nonburn Center Patient Care: A Multi-Database Comparison
Authors: Prindeze Nicholas J , Marano Michael A , Shupp Jeffrey W , Johnson Laura S 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
The practice of burn care is complex and continues to be a rapidly evolving field. To assess how differences in management affect hospital stay characteristics and outcomes, the authors sought to compare outcomes data from two sources, such as burn center and nonburn center data. The National Burn Repository (NBR, version 8) and the 2014 Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) were compared based on ICD-9 948-series burn-related diagnosis codes, generating a total of 83,068 and 14,131 burn patients from the NBR and NRD, respectively. Patients were stratified by burn size and compared based on demographic factors and hospital stay characteristics. t-Test and chi-squared statistics were performed with SAS, version 9.4. Burn patient populations from the NBR and NRD databases, when stratified by patient demographic factors, were found to have similar sex distributions, 68% and 64% male, respectively. The average age was significantly higher in the NRD data at 39.5 ± 23.6 compared with 30.9 ± 22.3 years. Hospital stay characteristics, including length of stay and mortality, were not found to differ significantly. Differences were identified in the number of trips to the OR, which was significantly greater in the NBR population as well as the total cost of care, which was significantly less in the NBR population at $92k compared with $125k. This study has shown through the interpretation of multiple databases that not only do demographics differ between burn and nonburn center populations, but also do management strategies, particularly in operative intervention and cost.
Bargain Hunting for Buffered Lidocaine: A Collaborative Discovery of Cost-saving Strategies That Can Improve Patient Care
Authors: Simmons Curtis L , Harper Laura K , Holst Kathryn J , Brinkman Nathan J , Lee Christine U 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Buffered lidocaine is a local anesthetic option during percutaneous needle-directed procedures in the breast. At our institution, sodium bicarbonate (the buffer) is dispensed in volumes that frequently lead to medical waste and shortages. In this study, we describe how moving the buffering of lidocaine from the procedure room to our clinical hospital pharmacy results in a reduction in costs and improves satisfaction across the breast radiology department. While cost savings are difficult to tease out in practices that opt for bundled payments, we were able to access pricing and supply data and coordinate with our pharmacy to change our practice. Making these changes saves our practice $26 000 a year and allows us to continue to offer buffered lidocaine even during sodium bicarbonate shortages. This manuscript describes how these changes came about and their economic impact.
Two new species of the freshwater-crab genusDemaniettaBott, 1966 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamidae) from southern Myanmar
Authors: Shi Bo-Yang , Chen Xiao-Yong , Sun Hong-Ying 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWe describe two new species of the freshwater-crab genus Demanietta Bott, 1966 from Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) division, southern Myanmar (Burma), Demanietta liui sp. nov. and Demanietta lenya sp. nov. Demanietta liui sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to D. thagatensis Rathbun, 1904 and D. khirikhan Yeo, Naiyanetr & Ng, 1999; D. lenya sp. nov. appears close to D. manii Rathbun, 1904, D. merguensis Bott, 1966, and D. nakhonsi Yeo, Naiyanetr & Ng, 1999. The two new species are easily distinguished from their most similar congeners in the shape of the external orbital tooth, epibranchial tooth, and male first gonopod. Molecular analysis based on partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA also supports the systematic position of the new taxa.