bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The cost‐effectiveness of progesterone in preventing miscarriages in women with early pregnancy bleeding: an economic evaluation based on the PRISM trial
Authors: Okeke Ogwulu CB , Goranitis I , Devall AJ , Cheed V , Gallos ID , Middleton LJ , Harb HM , Williams HM , Eapen A , Daniels JP , Ahmed A , Bender‐Atik R , Bhatia K , Bottomley C , Brewin J , Choudhary M , Deb S , Duncan WC , Ewer AK , Hinshaw K , Holland T , Izzat F , Johns J , Lumsden M , Manda P , Norman JE , Nunes N , Overton CE , Kriedt K , Quenby S , Rao S , Ross J , Shahid A , Underwood M , Vaithilingham N , Watkins L , Wykes C , Horne AW , Jurkovic D , Coomarasamy A , Roberts TE 
Published: January 2020

ObjectivesTo assess the cost‐effectiveness of progesterone compared with placebo in preventing pregnancy loss in women with early pregnancy vaginal bleeding.DesignEconomic evaluation alongside a large multi‐centre randomised placebo‐controlled trial.SettingForty‐eight UK NHS early pregnancy units.PopulationFour thousand one hundred and fifty‐three women aged 16–39 years with bleeding in early pregnancy and ultrasound evidence of an intrauterine sac.MethodsAn incremental cost‐effectiveness analysis was performed from National Health Service (NHS) and NHS and Personal Social Services perspectives. Subgroup analyses were carried out on women with one or more and three or more previous miscarriages.Main outcome measuresCost per additional live birth at ≥34 weeks of gestation.ResultsProgesterone intervention led to an effect difference of 0.022 (95% CI −0.004 to 0.050) in the trial. The mean cost per woman in the progesterone group was £76 (95% CI −£559 to £711) more than the mean cost in the placebo group. The incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio for progesterone compared with placebo was £3305 per additional live birth. For women with at least one previous miscarriage, progesterone was more effective than placebo with an effect difference of 0.055 (95% CI 0.014–0.096) and this was associated with a cost saving of £322 (95% CI −£1318 to £673).ConclusionsThe results suggest that progesterone is associated with a small positive impact and a small additional cost. Both subgroup analyses were more favourable, especially for women who had one or more previous miscarriages. Given available evidence, progesterone is likely to be a cost‐effective intervention, particularly for women with previous miscarriage(s).Tweetable abstractProgesterone treatment is likely to be cost‐effective in women with early pregnancy bleeding and a history of miscarriage.
Common structuring principles of the Drosophila melanogaster microbiome on a continental scale and between host and substrate
Authors: Wang Yun , Kapun Martin , Waidele Lena , Kuenzel Sven , Bergland Alan O. , Staubach Fabian 
Published: January 2020

SummaryThe relative importance of host control, environmental effects and stochasticity in the assemblage of host‐associated microbiomes is being debated. We analysed the microbiome among fly populations that were sampled across Europe by the European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium (DrosEU). In order to better understand the structuring principles of the natural D. melanogaster microbiome, we combined environmental data on climate and food‐substrate with dense genomic data on host populations and microbiome profiling. Food‐substrate, temperature, and host population structure correlated with microbiome structure. Microbes, whose abundance was co‐structured with host populations, also differed in abundance between flies and their substrate in an independent survey. This finding suggests common, host‐related structuring principles of the microbiome on different spatial scales.
Papillary architecture in the tayra tongue
Authors: Gonçalves Thamara Cozzi , Branco Érika , Ribeiro Rodrigues Rogério Antônio , da Silva Simone Marques , Giese Elane Guerreiro , da Silva Leila Menezes , dos Santos Rosyvaldo Miranda , de Lima Ana Rita 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe tayra (Eira barbara) is a mammal belonging to the Mustelidae family that occurs in all Brazilian biomes. The present work aimed to describe the morphology of the tongue of these specimens highlighting their structures and particularities that will serve as a subsidy to elucidate the anatomy of the same and for comparative studies among other species of domestic and wild animals. Five adult male specimens of E. barbara were studied, which were fixed using 10% aqueous formaldehyde solution. The tongue was removed by opening the oral cavity and separating the maxillary/mandible bone complex. Being in possession of the material, photodocumentations and collection of the fragments were made for the proper preparation of histological slides and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The lingual papillae found in tayra were mechanical: filiform and conical; and gustative: fungiform and circumvallated. Histologically, the papillae are constituted by keratinized stratified epithelium and in the innermost region, it was composed of tissue connective dense unshaped followed by a layer of muscle bundles of skeletal striated. In the region of the root of the tongue of E. barbara, there were a set of small mixed salivary glands (serous and mucous) and the punctual presence of gustatory corpuscles at the level of epithelium. The morphological description of the E. barbara tongue revealed similarity to that described in literature for other domestic and wild mammals. However, the particularity of the absence of foliate papilla and the quantitative of four papillae circumvallate in the region of the root of the tongue of this species.
Twenty‐year time trends in use of evidence‐based heart failure drug therapy in Denmark
Authors: Vinter Nicklas , Jensen Martin , Skjøth Flemming , Larsen Torben Bjerregaard , Frost Lars , Johnsen Søren Paaske 
Published: January 2020

AbstractEuropean guidelines for heart failure (HF) have continuously incorporated new evidence since the first publication in 1995. We aimed to explore time trends in utilisation of pharmacological treatment for HF and dispensing of recommended dosages among patients with a first‐time diagnosis of HF. We performed a historical cohort study of patients with a first‐time HF diagnosis from 1997 to 2015, identified in the Danish National Patient Registry. Dispensed pharmacological treatment included angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta‐blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor blockers (MRAs), digoxin and diuretics. Furthermore, we estimated the proportion of patients receiving the recommended target dosages 1 year after the diagnosis. The utilisation increased and correlated with publication of landmark studies, and among patients diagnosed in 2015, approximately two of three received ACEI/ARB and beta‐blocker, respectively. Less than half of the patients redeeming prescriptions for ACEIs, ARBs, beta‐blockers or MRAs received the recommended target dosages. The utilisation of pharmacological therapy for HF appears to be correlated with the publications of landmark Phase III clinical trials. However, a high proportion of patients do not receive the recommended target dosages. Despite improvements over time, a substantial gap appears to remain between guideline recommendations and pharmacological therapy in routine care.
Estimating individualized treatment rules with risk constraint
Authors: Huang Xinyang , Xu Jin 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIndividualized treatment rules (ITRs) recommend treatments based on patient‐specific characteristics in order to maximize the expected clinical outcome. At the same time, the risks caused by various adverse events cannot be ignored. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate an optimal ITR that maximizes clinical benefit while having the overall risk controlled at a desired level. Our method works for a general setting of multi‐category treatment. The proposed procedure employs two shifted ramp losses to approximate the 0‐1 loss in the objective function and constraint, respectively, and transforms the estimation problem into a difference of convex functions (DC) programming problem. A relaxed DC algorithm is used to solve the nonconvex constrained optimization problem. Simulations and a real data example are used to demonstrate the finite sample performance of the proposed method.
Clinical diagnostic value of contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography in the diagnosis of cardiac masses: A pilot study
Authors: Wang Xin , Li Ying , Ren Weidong , Yu Xiaona , Tan Xueying 
Published: January 2020

AbstractObjectivesTo assess the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of suspected cardiac masses by contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and to evaluate its usefulness.MethodsTwenty‐eight adult patients with suspected cardiac masses were selected for this study. All of them were examined by conventional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and CEUS. The location, attachment point, basement, morphology, size, boundary, internal echo, shape change, range of motion, length, area, effect on hemodynamics, and peak enhancement of the masses (A1), and adjacent normal myocardium (A2) were measured. Then, the A1 to A2 ratio was calculated and the above parameters were analyzed.ResultsThe benign lesions showed regular morphology and clear‐boundary uniform enhancement of the contrast agent. Malignant lesions showed an irregular shape, unclear boundary with surrounding tissue, and uneven enhancement of the contrast agent. The normal myocardial perfusion intensity was the same; there was no enhancement inside a simple thrombus, and the A1 of the benign lesion was lower than that of the normal myocardium (mean value [dB] ± SD, 0.63 ± 0.42); the A2 of the malignant lesion was higher than that of the normal myocardium (mean value [dB] ± SD, 1.49 ± 0.09). The difference in the ratio of A1 to A2 between groups was statistically significant (P < .05).ConclusionsContrast‐enhanced ultrasonography can assess the basic biological characteristics and properties of cardiac masses and has a high diagnostic accuracy for differentiation of a thrombus from a tumor or a benign tumor from a malignant tumor.
Determinants of left intra‐atrial electromechanical delay as evaluated by tissue Doppler imaging in candidates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Authors: Etemad Taimoor , Hosseinsabet Ali 
Published: January 2020

AbstractObjectivesInhomogeneity in the atrial conduction time is a predisposing factor for atrial fibrillation. The aim of our study was to determine the independent determinants of the left intra‐atrial electromechanical delay (LIAEMD) as a marker of left atrial (LA) dyssynchrony in candidates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS).MethodsThis prospective cross‐sectional study recruited 516 consecutive candidates for CABGS. Via the pulsed‐wave tissue Doppler imaging modality in echocardiography, the times between the P wave and the peak of the a′ wave at the septal and lateral mitral annuli were measured and the difference between these times was considered to be LIAEMD. Additionally, clinical and laboratory data on each patient were gathered. The odds ratio for an increased LIAEMD was calculated in patients with and without diabetes in univariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsThe multivariable analysis revealed that in the patients without diabetes, obesity, calcium‐channel blocker usage, an increased maximal LA volume, and a decreased lateral e′/a′ ratio and in the diabetic patients, diuretic usage and a decreased lateral e′/a′ ratio were independently correlated with an increased likelihood of LIAEMD occurrence (P < .05).ConclusionsIn our study on CABGS candidates, in the patients without diabetes, obesity, an increased maximal LA volume, calcium‐channel blocker usage, and a decreased lateral e′/a′ ratio and in the diabetic patients, diuretic usage and a decreased lateral e′/a′ ratio independently determined increased LIAEMD. The prevention or treatment of factors that are detrimental to the LA electromechanical function may be helpful for the preservation of the LA electromechanical integrity.
Ivermectin residues in cattle dung impair insect‐mediated dung removal but not organic matter decomposition
Authors: Kavanaugh Bernadette , Manning Paul 
Published: January 2020

1. Veterinary parasiticide residues in livestock dung have been repeatedly shown to negatively affect the abundance and diversity of dung‐associated insects. While these losses are concerning from a conservation perspective, they can also translate to impairment of ecosystem functions in agricultural landscapes (e.g. nutrient cycling, primary productivity and greenhouse gas mitigation).2. Most research focusing on decomposition‐related ecosystem functioning has focused on dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) while other insects, particularly flies, have received comparatively less attention.3. Using mesocosms, this study manipulated the insect groups colonising cow dung (beetles only, flies only, beetles and flies together, and an insect‐free control). Half of the insects were exposed to 1 mg kg−1 ivermectin in dung, while the other half were exposed to ivermectin‐free dung. Dung decomposition (mass of organic matter lost) and dung removal (change in the dry mass of the dung pat attributed to both dung decomposition and burial) were measured.4. Comparison of beetles and flies in ivermectin‐free dung showed that beetles removed nearly twice as much dung as did flies. Comparison of dung removal across all treatments showed that ivermectin residues significantly reduced dung removal provided by beetles by 47% and dung removal provided by beetles and flies together by 32%.5. Organic matter decomposition was not significantly affected by insect colonists or by the presence of ivermectin, indicating that organic matter decomposition can occur independently of insect activity and chemical perturbations.
Discovering the virtue of hope
Authors: Milona Michael 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper asks whether there is a moral virtue of hope, and if so, what it is. The enterprise is motivated by a historical asymmetry, namely, that while Christian thinkers have long classed hope as a theological virtue, it has not traditionally been classed as a moral one. But this is puzzling, for hoping well is not confined to the sphere of religion; and consequently, we might expect that if the theological virtue is structurally sound, there will be a secular, moral analogue. This paper proposes that there is such an analogue and that it is closely linked to the everyday notion of “having your priorities straight,” a phenomenon which is naturally understood in terms of the attitude of hope. It turns out that the priorities model provides an abstract way of characterizing a central but underexplored virtue, one which can be developed in secular or theological ways.
A pathogen‐derived metabolite induces microglial activation via odorant receptors
Authors: Lee NaHye , Jae YoonGyu , Kim Minhyung , Cho TaeHo , Lee ChaeEun , Hong Yu Ri , Hyeon Do Young , Ahn Sanghyun , Kwon Hongmok , Kim Kyul , Jung Jae Hoon , Chae Sehyun , Shin Jeong‐Oh , Bok Jinwoong , Byun Youngjoo , Hwang Daehee , Koo JaeHyung 
Published: January 2020

Microglia (MG), the principal neuroimmune sentinels in the brain, continuously sense changes in their environment and respond to invading pathogens, toxins, and cellular debris, thereby affecting neuroinflammation. Microbial pathogens produce small metabolites that influence neuroinflammation, but the molecular mechanisms that determine whether pathogen‐derived small metabolites affect microglial activation of neuroinflammation remain to be elucidated. We hypothesized that odorant receptors (ORs), the largest subfamily of G protein‐coupled receptors, are involved in microglial activation by pathogen‐derived small metabolites. We found that MG express high levels of two mouse ORs, Olfr110 and Olfr111, which recognize a pathogenic metabolite, 2‐pentylfuran, secreted by Streptococcus pneumoniae. These interactions activate MG to engage in chemotaxis, cytokine production, phagocytosis, and reactive oxygen species generation. These effects were mediated through the Gαs–cyclic adenosine monophosphate–protein kinase A–extracellular signal‐regulated kinase and Gβγ–phospholipase C–Ca2+ pathways. Taken together, our results reveal a novel interplay between the pathogen‐derived metabolite and ORs, which has major implications for our understanding of microglial activation by pathogen recognition.DatabaseModel data are available in the PMDB database under the accession number PM0082389.
Benchmarking within a DEA framework: setting the closest targets and identifying peer groups with the most similar performances
Authors: Ruiz José L. , Sirvent Inmaculada 
Published: January 2020

AbstractData envelopment analysis (DEA) is widely used as a benchmarking tool for improving performance of organizations. For that purpose, DEA analyses provide information on both target setting and peer identification. However, the identification of peers is actually a by‐product of DEA. DEA models seek a projection point of the unit under evaluation on the efficient frontier of the production possibility set, which is used to set targets, while peers are identified simply as the members of the so‐called reference sets, which consist of the efficient units that determine the projection point as a combination of them. In practice, the selection of peers is crucial for benchmarking, because organizations need to identify a peer group in their sector or industry that represents actual performances from which to learn. In this paper, we argue that DEA benchmarking models should incorporate into their objectives criteria for the selection of suitable benchmarks among peers, in addition to considering the setting of appropriate targets (as usual). Specifically, we develop models having two objectives: setting the closest targets and selecting the most similar reference sets. Thus, we seek to establish targets that require the least effort from organizations for their achievement in addition to identifying peer groups with the most similar performances, which are potential benchmarks to emulate and improve.
Performance of pedigree and various forms of marker‐derived relationship coefficients in genomic prediction and their correlations
Authors: Solaymani Samaneh , Ayatollahi Mehrgardi Ahmad , Esmailizadeh Ali , Tusell Llibertat , Momen Mehdi 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn recent years, with development and validation of different genotyping panels, several methods have been proposed to build efficient similarity matrices among individuals to be used for genomic selection. Consequently, the estimated genetic parameters from such information may deviate from their counterpart using traditional family information. In this study, we used a pedigree‐based numerator relationship matrix (A) and three types of marker‐based relationship matrices () including two identical by descent, that is and and one identical by state, as well as four Gaussian kernel () similarity kernels with different smoothing parameters to predict yet to be observed phenotypes. Also, we used different kinship matrices that are a linear combination of marker‐derived IBD or IBS matrices with A, constructed as , where the weight () assigned to each source of information varied over a grid of values. A Bayesian multiple‐trait Gaussian model was fitted to estimate the genetic parameters and compare the prediction accuracy in terms of predictive correlation, mean square error and unbiasedness. Results show that the estimated genetic parameters (heritability and correlations) are affected by the source of the information used to create kinship or the weight placed on the sources of genomic and pedigree information. The superiority of GK‐based model depends on the smoothing parameters (θ) so that with an optimum θ value, the GK‐based model statistically yielded better performance (higher predictive correlation, lowest MSE and unbiased estimates) and more stable correlations and heritability than the model with IBD, IBS or kinship matrices or any of the linear combinations.
Cutaneous melanoma in vicenarians: Patients in their twenties and older patients show similar clinical behaviors and survival rates
Authors: Tas Faruk , Erturk Kayhan 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBackgroundAdolescent and young adult melanomas show different histopathological characteristics and clinical behaviors from adult melanomas.ObjectiveTo describe the histopathological and clinical features pertinent to vicenarian skin melanomas and compare them with adult melanomas using a large cohort from a single institution.MethodsA total of 146 melanomas in their twenties and 1139 older melanoma patients were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsThe median age of vicenarian patients was 27 years (ranging from 20 to 29, inclusive). The females predominated over the males (55.5%) and slightly more than half of the tumors were thick (≥2 mm) (58.6%) and ulcerated (51.6%). Majority of the lesions were associated with favorable prognostic indicators such as non‐nodular histotype (68%), lower mitotic rate (≤3 per mm2) (58.1%), low lymphovascular invasion (87.5%), node negativity (70.1%), and nonmetastatic disease (91.8%). Compared to adult melanomas, vicenarians were mostly females (P = .009), and their lesions were significantly BRAF‐mutant (P = .04). Nevertheless, vicenarian melanomas were not associated with other major prognostic parameters, such as thickness, ulceration, mitotic rate, nodal involvement, or metastasis. The recurrence and death rates between age groups were found similar (P = .5 and P = .1, respectively). The 5‐year disease‐free survival rates for vicenarians v adult melanomas were 62.6% and 57.4%, respectively (P = .4). Likewise, 5‐year overall survival rates in vicenarians and older group were 68.1% v 60%, respectively, (P = .1).ConclusionSince both the vicenarian and adult melanomas are associated with same clinicopathological indicators they share similar survival rates.
The correlation of gagging threshold with intra‐oral tactile and psychometric profiles in healthy subjects: A pilot study
Authors: Park Mi‐Ju , Byun Jin‐Seok , Jung Jae‐Kwang , Choi Jae‐Kap 
Published: January 2020

AbstractExcessive gag reflex could be problematic for adequate dental care. Although various factors may increase the susceptibility to gagging, its contributing factors have not been fully determined. This study aimed to determine whether gag reflex was associated with tactile sensitivity and psychological characteristics. Fifteen volunteers of healthy males and females each were recruited for this study. After completing a questionnaire describing the self‐perceived gag reflex activity, a disposable saliva ejector was inserted along the palate into the mouth until gagging was evoked. The ratio of the insertion depth to the palatal length was used as an index for the gagging threshold. The two‐point discrimination (TPD) and Semmes‐Weinstein monofilament (SWM) tests were performed to assess the tactile sensitivity of the palatal regions (hard palate, anterior and posterior soft palate). The Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised was used to investigate the relationship between the gagging threshold and the psychological status. Our findings showed that the gagging threshold had a significant positive correlation with the TPD and SWM thresholds on the hard palate. The psychological profiles of psychoticism and hostility score were also significantly correlated with the gagging threshold. However, there were no significant differences in the tactile and gagging thresholds, as well as the psychological profiles, between males and females. Our results suggested that the tactile sensitivity of the anterior palate is a determining factor for the gagging threshold and implied that the initial response of the oral entry site to stimulation may lead to the development of gag reflex.