bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Short‐term effects of COVID‐19 on semen parameters: A multicenter study of 69 cases
Authors: Erbay Guven , Sanli Ahmet , Turel Harun , Yavuz Ufuk , Erdogan Abdullah , Karabakan Mehmet , Yaris Mehmet , Gultekin Mehmet Hamza 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObjectiveCOVID‐19, which is known to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), is a global health problem that can cause multiorgan damage because of its use of the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor in its pathophysiology. We aimed to investigate whether SARS‐CoV‐2 had a short‐term effect on spermatogenesis, which plays an important role in male reproductive health as it has abundant ACE2 expression in testicular tissue.Material and methodsThis multicenter study included 69 patients aged 20–45 years, who admitted to our hospitals between April 2020 and October 2020 with a history of a positive test result for SARS‐CoV‐2 based on the nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab samples and had recovered from the disease at least three months earlier and who had undergone a spermiogram test in the hospital database within the last year before the onset of disease. The patients were divided into two groups according to their COVID‐19 symptoms being mild or moderate, depending on whether they had received home treatment or required hospitalization for oxygen therapy. Semen samples taken before and after COVID‐19 were compared within and between the groups in terms of sperm parameters.ResultsThe mean age of the patients included in the study was 30.4±4.8 years in the mild symptomatic COVID‐19 group and 31.06±4.2 years in the moderate symptomatic group. When the spermiogram samples of the patients before and after COVID‐19 were evaluated, it was found that motility and vitality significantly decreased in the mild symptomatic group, while the decrease in all semen parameters was statistically significant in the moderate symptomatic group.ConclusionAlthough the mechanism by which COVID‐19 causes testicular involvement remains uncertain, its short‐term results on spermatogenesis reveals that COVID‐19 negatively affects sperm parameters.
Variation in Human Research Ethics Committee and governance processes throughout Australia: a need for a uniform approach
Authors: Dudi‐Venkata Nagendra N. , Cox Daniel R. A. , Marson Nicholas , Tan Lorwai , Pockney Peter , Muralidharan Vijayaragavan , Watson David I. , Richards Toby ,   Clinical Trials Network Australia New Zealand (CTANZ)
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundIn Australia, ethics committees across different states vary in application, requirement and process for the ethical review and approval for clinical research. This may lead to confusion and delays in the enablement of multicentre research projects. This study explores the effect of differing processes for Ethics and Governance in the establishment of the CovidSurg‐Cancer study during the global COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsAn anonymous, structured web‐based questionnaire was designed using the Research Electronic Data Capture application (REDCap) platform to capture consultant surgeons, fellows, and trainees experience in the ethics application process. ‘CovidSurg‐Cancer’ was an international multicentre collaborative study to assess the impact of COVID‐19 on the outcomes of patients undergoing cancer surgery. The ethics process to set up this observational study was used as to explore the differing processes applied across Australia.ResultsThe CovidSurg‐Cancer study was successfully set up in 14 hospitals. Four hospitals approved the study directly as an audit. Of the remaining sites, 10 ethics applications underwent Human Research Ethics Committee review following which two (14%) were subsequently approved as an audit activity and eight hospitals (57%) were given formal ethical approval with waiver of consent. Ethics application acceptance from another Australian Human Research Ethics Committee was provided with six applications; however, only three were reciprocated without the requirement for further agreements. A third of (30%) respondents suggested that the details of the application pathway, process and documentation were unclear.ConclusionEthics processes are varied across Australia with considerable repetition. A centralized, harmonized application process would enhance collaborative research.
He Wānanga Whakarite: preparing Māori for surgical selection interviews
Authors: Nicholls Lincoln , Parore Nora , Buckthought Lance 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundMāori are significantly under‐represented in the surgical workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand. There needs to be more effort and initiative action to address this lack of diversity in order to ultimately achieve proportionality so that more Māori surgeons are available to help treat and care for their communities.MethodsAn independent kaupapa Māori wānanga (course) initiative, using a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ approach, and adhering to tīkanga Māori (Māori lore and protocols) was developed to support and prepare Māori Non‐Training Surgical Registrars for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Surgical Education and Training (SET) interviews. This paper reviews the inception of the wānanga, its content, and shares experiences had by attendees.ResultsThose who attended this wānanga agreed unanimously that this initiative dramatically improved their preparation for SET interviews. In 2020, the wānanga produced a significant success rate amongst attendees with 80% of wānanga attendees selected for SET training positions.ConclusionThis kaupapa Māori initiative illustrates a successful active measure that can be taken to support Māori doctors seeking selection in surgical training programmes. The initiative seeks to address inequity in the surgical workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Clinical guidance for diagnosis and management of suspected Pediatric Acute‐onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome in the Nordic countries
Authors: Pfeiffer Helle Cecilie Viekilde , Wickstrom Ronny , Skov Liselotte , Sørensen Camilla Birgitte , Sandvig Inger , Gjone Inger Helene , Ygberg Sofia , de Visscher Caroline , Idring Nordstrom Selma , Herner Linn Breen , Hesselmark Eva , Hedderly Tammy , Lim Ming , Debes Nanette Marinette 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPediatric acute‐onset neuropsychiatric syndrome is a clinical concept used to describe a subgroup of children with sudden onset of psychiatric and somatic symptoms. The diagnostic term and especially management of children differs depending on the clinical setting to which they present, and the diagnosis and management is controversial. The aim of this paper is to propose a clinical guidance including homogenous diagnostic work‐up and management of paediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome within the Nordic countries. The guidance is authored by a Nordic‐UK working group consisting of paediatric neurologist, child psychiatrists and psychologists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Great Britain, and is the result of broad consensus.ConclusionConsensus was achieved in the collaboration on work‐up and treatment of patients with paediatric acute‐onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, which we hope will improve and homogenise patient care and enable future collaborative research in the field.
Equity Versus Liabilities Debate, in the Context of Accounting for Employee Share Options
Authors: Wallington Craig , Marques Gary , Maroun Warren 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis paper's finding's will be useful for both practitioners and academics grappling with the difficulty of defining ‘equity’ and ‘liabilities’. In addition, the research makes a valuable contribution by addressing the need for interpretive‐inspired financial reporting research.This paper explores the distinction between ‘equity’ and ‘liabilities’ in financial reporting to assess the merits of the current system of accounting for share‐based payment transactions. It applies an interpretive methodology. Data were collected from a series of interviews with purposefully selected experts. Criticisms of, and support for, the current accounting regime are interpretively analysed and used to identify key themes or principles for evaluating the merits of three models proposed in the academic literature: the strict liability, narrow equity, and ownership‐settlement models. The study finds that the strict liability approach remains supported on the grounds that it provides decision‐useful information with which users are familiar. The other models are rejected as they are perceived as diminishing the usefulness of financial reporting. The study also identifies support for an obligation‐centric approach, not fully developed in the literature, which may require detailed consideration by standard‐setters.
Ruminal pH and its relationship with dry matter intake, growth rate, and feed conversion ratio in commercial Australian feedlot cattle fed for 148 days
Authors: Cusack PMV , Dell'Osa D , Wilkes G , Grandini D , Tedeschi LO 
Published: April 2021

ObjectivesMeasurement of ruminal pH throughout a 148‐day feeding period in cattle fed commercial diets and to relate this to feed intake, growth rate and feed conversion ratio. Factors contributing to variation in rumen pH, including meal frequency, duration and weight, and, total daily intake, were also evaluated.MethodsForty‐eight cattle were randomly allocated to two pens and 12 randomly selected from each pen had rumen pH monitoring boli inserted. Ruminal pH was measured every 10 min and feed intake was measured continually. The cattle were fed a commercial feedlot diet for 148 days and weighed into and out of the feedlot to measure growth rate and to calculate feed conversion ratio. Cattle from both pens were registered to collect individual feed intake data using the GrowSafe® feed management system.ResultsMean ruminal pH decreased with days on feed. Mean daily dry matter intake was the major contributor to greater average daily gain and lower ruminal pH. Lower mean ruminal pH was associated with greater average daily gain and lower feed conversion ratio, where it remained above the threshold of 5.6. There was no association between ruminal pH and average daily gain or feed conversion ratio for mean ruminal pH below 5.6.ConclusionsRuminal acidosis can occur at any time during the feeding period, and the risk could be greater as days on feed increase. Feedlot production outcomes are not improved by ruminal pH depression below the threshold of 5.6.
Evolution of eligibility criteria for diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma randomised controlled trials over 30 years
Authors: Loh Zoe , Salvaris Ross , Chong Geoffrey , Churilov Leonid , Manos Kate , Barraclough Allison , Hawkes Eliza A. 
Published: April 2021

SummaryEligibility criteria for randomised control trials (RCT) in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may be becoming increasingly strict. In this analysis, 42 first‐line phase III RCTs enrolling DLBCL patients since 1990 were identified from PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov. Changes in 31 individual eligibility criteria were assessed using three pre‐defined eras [(1) 1993–2005; (2) 2006–2013; and (3) 2014–2020]. The presence of 15/31 criteria increased significantly over time, and the total number of criteria per study also increased over time [median Era 1: 14·5, interquartile range (IQR) 12·6–16·4; Era 2: 21, 18·8–23·3; Era 3: 23, 21–25; P < 0·001]. When each trial's eligibility criteria were applied to 215 consecutive patients from an institutional database treated between 2010 and 2020, a median of 57% (IQR 47–70) of patients were hypothetically eligible for trial enrolment. The median percentage of patients eligible was 68% (56–91), 54% (37–81) and 47% (38–82) for Era 1, 2 and 3 respectively (P = 0·004). Phase III front‐line DLBCL trial criteria have become increasingly restrictive over the last three decades, resulting in a diminishing proportion of trial‐eligible patients, with less than 50% of our patients eligible for modern‐era studies. This potentially impacts generalisability of recent trial results and will likely limit recruitment to ongoing studies.
Peripheral blood molecular measurable residual disease is sufficient to identify patients with acute myeloid leukaemia with imminent clinical relapse
Authors: Skou Anne‐Sofie , Juul‐Dam Kristian Løvvik , Ommen Hans B. , Hasle Henrik 
Published: April 2021

SummaryLongitudinal molecular measurable residual disease (MRD) sampling after completion of therapy serves as a refined tool for identification of imminent relapse of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) among patients in long‐term haematological complete remission. Tracking of increasing quantitative polymerase chain reaction MRD before cytomorphological reappearance of blasts may instigate individual management decisions and has paved the way for development of pre‐emptive treatment strategies to substantially delay or perhaps even revert leukaemic regrowth. Traditionally, MRD monitoring is performed using repeated bone marrow aspirations, albeit the current European LeukemiaNet MRD recommendations acknowledge the use of peripheral blood as an alternative source for MRD assessment. Persistent MRD positivity in the bone marrow despite continuous morphological remission is frequent in both core binding factor leukaemias and nucleophosmin 1‐mutated AML. In contrast, monthly assessment of MRD in peripheral blood superiorly separates patients with imminent haematological relapse from long‐term remitters and may allow pre‐emptive therapy of AML relapse.
Catastrophic expenditure rates and barriers for treatment adherence in patients with colorectal cancer in India: The CROCODILE study protocol
Authors:   CROCODILE study group
Published: April 2021

AbstractAimLittle is known about the delivery of colorectal cancer treatment in India and its associated costs. The aim of this study is to identify financial and nonfinancial barriers to adherence to colorectal cancer treatment in India.MethodCROCODILE is a mixed‐methods study with a quantitative and a qualitative workstream. The quantitative workstream will be a prospective cohort study to assess treatment adherence and catastrophic expenditure rates among patients with colorectal cancer in India. Consecutive newly diagnosed patients with histopathologically proven colorectal cancer from five tertiary hospitals in India will be included. Catastrophic expenditure will be defined as a treatment cost higher than 40% of nonsubsistence annual household income. Treatment costs will include medical, nonmedical and indirect expenses. Income assessment will be compared between three methods: patient‐reported income, the International Wealth Index and the Gapminder tool. The qualitative workstream will explore the views and experiences of colorectal cancer patients and professionals about barriers to and facilitators for treatment adherence. Individual semistructured interviews with three to five patients and cancer care professionals in each centre will be performed. An analytical framework will be developed to perform the analysis, through a combined approach (deductive and inductive). The results will be triangulated with the quantitative workstream for mutual knowledge enrichment.ConclusionThe CROCODILE study will identify barriers to and facilitators for colorectal cancer delivery in India, influencing research and policy decisions. It will explore the feasibility of collecting data on patient‐level costs and income to inform future economic evaluations in cancer and surgical care.
Diagnostic utility of rapid on‐site evaluation of endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration samples: A study in a region of high tuberculosis burden
Authors: Bharati Purnima , Deepak Desh , Kaushal Manju , Gupta Prajwala 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIntroductionEndobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) has emerged as a very useful tool for precise diagnosis of thoracic lesions. However, the procedure sometimes has a poor yield. Rapid on‐site evaluation (ROSE) in EBUS‐TBNA has been shown to be helpful to improve its diagnostic yield and minimise the need for repeat procedures. Most of the studies that have evaluated the utility of ROSE have focused on malignant lesions; however, it is important to understand its utility in benign lesions, particularly in a country with a high tuberculosis burden.ObjectiveThis study was undertaken to evaluate the utility of ROSE in EBUS‐TBNA for the diagnosis of patients presenting with mediastinal lymphadenopathy and/or thoracic mass for benign and malignant pathologies.MethodsThis was a prospective study including 47 patients who underwent EBUS‐TBNA for thoracic lesions (lung masses and hilar/mediastinal lymphadenopathy) over a 10‐month period at a single tertiary care centre. In addition to ROSE and definitive cytology, the aspirated material was also sent for cell block and microbiological studies. Endobronchial/transthoracic biopsy was conducted for histopathological evaluation (HPE) where required, at the discretion of the clinician. ROSE diagnosis was then compared with the final diagnosis.ResultsOf the 47 patients examined using ROSE, granulomas were observed in 33 cases, non‐specific inflammation in six cases, and malignancy in five cases; one case was inconclusive and the sample was found to be inadequate in two cases. The ROSE assessment matched the final diagnosis in 84.45% patients.ConclusionROSE is a simple procedure that is able to provide an immediate and accurate assessment of adequacy and has a significant yield, enabling a preliminary diagnosis to be made in both benign and malignant samples.
Digging and burying of hosts by a pupal parasitoid
Authors: Chung Hao‐Cheng , Okuyama Toshinori 
Published: April 2021

1. This study describes the host‐handling behaviour of the parasitoid Dirhinus giffardii (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae). Dirhinus giffardii sometimes excavates underground hosts, parasitises them, and buries them in the soil. Considering that the parasitoid can parasitise underground hosts without excavating them, we hypothesised that the parasitoid excavates hosts to evaluate the host quality. We also hypothesised that the parasitoid buries them to reduce the risk of superparasitism because superparasitism is common in D. giffardii.2. Pupae of the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) were buried in or placed on peat moss as an experimental treatment, and the behavioural responses of the parasitoid towards the hosts were examined. Small and large hosts, and empty puparia were simultaneously presented to a parasitoid.3. The probability of excavation was greater for larger hosts than for smaller hosts or empty puparia. However, while it appeared that parasitoids could evaluate the size of the hosts, they did not preferentially parasitise large hosts in the soil. In addition, unusable empty hosts were readily excavated. Parasitism risk was higher for hosts located on a peat moss surface than for the buried hosts, which is consistent with the hypothesis that the hiding hosts reduces the risk of superparasitism. Alternative hypotheses for the mixed results have been discussed in the paper.
Perceptions of plague in eighteenth‐century Europe†
Authors: Slack Paul 
Published: April 2021

AbstractMajor epidemics of plague in Germany and France in the early eighteenth century and in Moscow in the 1770s brought an end to a series of epidemic disasters in Europe which had started with the Black Death. The article examines what they had in common, and seeks to understand why they should have ended when they did. It shows that European governors were unanimous in insisting on rigid quarantine and other measures for containing the disease developed over previous centuries, despite their ignorance of plague's precise causes. It shows also that physicians across Europe were more deeply divided than they had ever been on the issue of contagion, and now engaged in an international dispute about whether the acknowledged cruelties inflicted by compulsory quarantines were wholly counterproductive, or a price worth paying for the prevention of still worse disasters. The article concludes by drawing on recent work on plague in the Ottoman Empire, and on research into the ancient DNA of the second pandemic, in order to set the epidemic history of western Europe in a wider comparative context.
Extrapolation of the dynamic stress spectrum of train bogie frame based on kernel density estimation method
Authors: Wang Qiushi , Zhou Jinsong , Wang Tengfei , Gong Dao , Sun Yu , Chen Jiangxue , You Taiwen 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe sufficiency and integrity of dynamic stress spectrum will affect the accuracy of the analysis result. It is necessary to extrapolate them from the short term to the long term while retaining the probability distribution characteristics. The stress spectrum extrapolation and fatigue life assessment of the bogie frame were studied, and a test point was taken as a case study. First, the optimal bandwidth determination in two‐dimensional KDE (kernel density estimation) was studied. Second, the gray incidence degree analysis method was proposed to evaluate the proximity‐incidence degree and similarity‐incidence degree of the rain‐flow matrices extrapolated before and after. Finally, a fatigue life assessment method, with a multi‐sample dynamic stress spectrum extrapolated based on KDE, was proposed. Compared with the linear extrapolation, the relative error of fatigue life assessment result based on KDE extrapolation is −4.17%, which meets the accuracy requirements of engineering. It is more beneficial to ensure the vehicles' safe operation.
21st‐century transnational real estate development: What, where, who, how and why?
Authors: Koelemaij Jorn , Derudder Ben 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we review the emerging geographical literature dealing with large‐scale transnational real estate development projects (TREDs). Predominantly geared towards (often imagined) upper middle classes through eye‐catching and mixed‐use projects, the distinctive feature of TREDs is that they are facilitated by a formative transnational investor/developer. Based on a literature review and an analysis of fDi Markets data, we discuss the nature of TREDs, where they can be found, which actors and companies are mainly responsible for them, how they emerge and materialize (or not), and why they are so relevant in contemporary economic geography. It is argued that TREDs are both characteristic of and contribute to the rise of authoritarian urban development practices. We furthermore show that both fictitious and symbolic capital play a role and that real estate and geopolitical strategies are inextricably linked with one another. Given that interscalar dynamics between the main facilitators of TREDs are still relatively understudied within economic geography, we end with a call to develop more in‐depth perspectives on these matters.
UV‐induced activation of ATR is mediated by UHRF2
Authors: Hanaki Shunsuke , Habara Makoto , Shimada Midori 
Published: April 2021

AbstractUHRF1 (Ubiquitin‐like with PHD and ring finger domains 1) regulates DNA methylation and histone modifications and plays a key role in cell proliferation and the DNA damage response. However, the function of UHRF2, a paralog of UHRF1, in the DNA damage response remains largely unknown. Here, we show that UHRF2 is essential for maintaining cell viability after UV irradiation, as well as for the proliferation of cancer cells. UHRF2 was found to physically interact with ATR in a DNA damage‐dependent manner through UHRF2’s TTD domain. In addition, phosphorylation of threonine at position 1989, which is required for UV‐induced activation of ATR, was impaired in cells depleted of UHRF2, suggesting that UHRF2 is essential in ATR activation. In conclusion, these results suggest a new regulatory mechanism of ATR activation mediated by UHRF2.