bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a core outcome set for evaluative research into paediatric cerebral visual impairment (CVI), in the UK and Eire
Authors: Pease Anna , Goodenough Trudy , Borwick Cath , Watanabe Rose , Morris Christopher , Williams Cathy 
Published: September 2021

ObjectivesCerebral visual impairment (CVI) comprises a heterogeneous group of brain-related vision problems. A core outcome set (COS) represents the most important condition-specific outcomes according to patients, carers, professionals and researchers. We aimed to produce a COS for studies evaluating interventions for children with CVI, to increase the relevance of research for families and professionals and thereby to improve outcomes for affected children.DesignWe used methods recommended by the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials Initiative. These included a proportionate literature review of outcomes used in previous studies; qualitative interviews with children and families; a two-round Delphi survey involving parents, children and professionals and a consensus meeting to ratify the most important outcomes.SettingTelephone interviews and online Delphi surveys of participants who all lived in UK or Eire.ParticipantsEighteen parents and six young people were interviewed. Delphi participants (n=80 did both rounds) included professionals working with children who have CVI (teachers, orthoptists, ophthalmologists, optometrists, qualified teachers for visually impaired, family members (parents and siblings) and affected children.ResultsThe literature review included 13 studies yielding 37 outcomes. Qualitative interviews provided 22 outcomes. After combining and refining similar items, the first round contained 23 outcomes and the second 46. At the consensus meeting, 5 attendees recommended 27 outcomes for inclusion in the CVI COS, of which 15 were ratified as most important, including 4 related to vision; 1 to family well-being; 1 to adults around the child being informed about CVI and the rest to the child’s abilities to engage with people and surroundings.ConclusionsGood engagement from participants led to the development of a COS. Future research will be useful to identify the best ways to measure COS items and potentially to update this COS as more interventions for CVI are developed.Trial registration numberISRCTN13762177.
Knowledge, attitudes and preferences of palliative and end-of-life care among patients with cancer in mainland China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Cheng Qinqin , Duan Yinglong , Zheng Hongling , Xu Xianghua , Khan Khalid , Xie Jianfei , Chen Yongyi 
Published: September 2021

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of patients with cancer of palliative care and their preferences regarding end-of-life care in mainland China.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingThis study was conducted in a tertiary cancer hospital.ParticipantsTwo hundred forty-seven patients with cancer were recruited and consented to fill out the questionnaires.Outcome measuresThe participants’ knowledge and attitudes of palliative care and their preferences of end-of-life care involving place of care, place of death, truth disclosure and treatments during end-of-life were measured.ResultsIn total, 239 questionnaires were valid. The vast majority of patients with cancer (81.2%) had never heard about palliative care or related policies, and only a few of them (5.8%) had somewhat or totally understanding of palliative care. Most participants (75.3%) had supportive attitudes towards palliative care. In terms of preferences for end-of-life care, most patients with cancer preferred to be cared for at home at the end of their life and to die at home. The majority of patients with cancer (65.7%) wanted to know their diagnosis or prognosis of the disease, regardless of the type of disease. More than half of the participants (54%) wished to improve their quality of life rather than prolong their life expectancy. More than a third of the patients with cancer preferred to entrust a family member or agent to sign medical decision agreements for them.ConclusionsIt is essential for healthcare providers to improve the understanding of patients with cancer of palliative care and be aware of the end-of-life care preferences of patients with cancer, in order to provide support that enables patients with cancer to receive end-of-life care that is accordant with their wishes.
Cross-sectional survey to describe medicine use among Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in a German federal state: looking beyond infectious diseases
Authors: Aljadeeah Saleh , Wirtz Veronika J , Nagel Eckhard 
Published: September 2021

ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to describe medicine use and document self-reported diseases or conditions for which medicines were used among Syrian asylum seekers and refugees (AS&Rs) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). We examined in this study differences in the use of medicines among different age and sex groups of the study participants.SettingFifteen different refugee shared accommodation centres in the greater Cologne area, a community centre with a language school and consultation office, and other places frequented by the Syrian community.ParticipantsSyrian AS&Rs registered in NRW and residing in the city of Cologne or surrounding areas.Primary outcome measuresThe prevalence of using at least one medicine in the 7 days preceding data collection, and the use of prescribed medicines and self-medication.ResultsOf the 1641 Syrian AS&Rs who took part in our study, the overall 7-day prevalence of medicine use was 34.9%. Among adults, headache and hypertension were the most common indications that led to medicine use. By dose, hypertension (954 doses) and diabetes (595 doses) were the first and second most frequent indication. Among children, fever and cough were the most common indication; ibuprofen and hederae helicis folium preparations were the most used medicines. Low prevalence was found of medicine use for the treatment of either infectious diseases or mental disorders.ConclusionAmong the Syrian AS&Rs in NRW who participated in the study, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were common presumed causes of use of medication among adults. We encourage future studies to pay more attention to NCDs medicine use among AS&Rs. Researchers should also consider reaching AS&Rs who live in private housing and not limit studies only to newly arrived AS&Rs who live in shared accommodation centres.
Trends, variations and prediction of staff sickness absence rates among NHS ambulance services in England: a time series study
Authors: Asghar Zahid B , Wankhade Paresh , Bell Fiona , Sanderson Kristy , Hird Kelly , Phung Viet-Hai , Siriwardena Aloysius Niroshan 
Published: September 2021

ObjectivesOur aim was to measure ambulance sickness absence rates over time, comparing ambulance services and investigate the predictability of rates for future forecasting.SettingAll English ambulance services, UK.DesignWe used a time series design analysing published monthly National Health Service staff sickness rates by gender, age, job role and region, comparing the 10 regional ambulance services in England between 2009 and 2018. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and Seasonal ARIMA (SARIMA) models were developed using Stata V.14.2 and trends displayed graphically.ParticipantsIndividual participant data were not available. The total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) days lost due to sickness absence (including non-working days) and total number of days available for work for each staff group and level were available. In line with The Data Protection Act, if the organisation had less than 330 FTE days available during the study period it was censored for analysis.ResultsA total of 1117 months of sickness absence rate data for all English ambulance services were included in the analysis. We found considerable variation in annual sickness absence rates between ambulance services and over the 10-year duration of the study in England. Across all the ambulance services the median days available were 1 336 888 with IQR of 548 796 and 73 346 median days lost due to sickness absence, with IQR of 30 551 days. Among clinical staff sickness absence varied seasonally with peaks in winter and falls over summer. The winter increases in sickness absence were largely predictable using seasonally adjusted (SARIMA) time series models.ConclusionSickness rates for clinical staff were found to vary considerably over time and by ambulance trust. Statistical models had sufficient predictive capability to help forecast sickness absence, enabling services to plan human resources more effectively at times of increased demand.
Elucidating the association between regional variation in diagnostic frequency with risk-adjusted mortality through analysis of claims data of medicare inpatients: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Li Linyan , Chamoun George F , Chamoun Nassib G , Sessler Daniel , Gopinath Valérie , Saini Vikas 
Published: September 2021

ObjectiveThe validity of risk-adjustment methods based on administrative data has been questioned because hospital referral regions with higher diagnosis frequencies report lower case-fatality rates, implying that diagnoses do not track the underlying health risk. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that regional variation of diagnostic frequency in inpatient records is not associated with different coding practices but a reflection of the underlying health risks.DesignWe applied two stratification methods to Medicare Analysis and Provider Review data from 2009 through 2014: (1) the number of chronic conditions; and, (2) quartiles of Risk Stratification Index (RSI)-defined risk. After sorting hospital referral regions into quintiles of diagnostic frequency, we examined all-cause mortality.SettingMedicare Analysis and Provider Review administrative database.Participants18 126 301 hospitalised Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 or older who had at least one hospital-based procedure between 2009 and 2014.ExposureCoding frequency and baseline regional population risk factors by hospital referral region.Primary and secondary outcome(s) and measure(s)One year all-cause mortality in patients having the same number of chronic conditions or within the same RSI score quartile across US health referral regions, grouped by diagnostic frequency.ResultsNo consistent relationship between diagnostic frequency and mortality in the risk stratum defined by number of chronic conditions was detected. In the strata defined by RSI quartile, there was no decrease in mortality as a function of diagnostic frequency. Instead, adjusted mortality was positively correlated with socioeconomic risk factors.ConclusionsUsing present-on-admission codes only, diagnostic frequency among inpatients with at least one hospital-based procedure appears to be consequent to differences in baseline population health status, rather than diagnostic coding practices. In this population, claims-based risk-adjustment using RSI appears to be useful for assessing hospital outcomes and performance.
Effects of a physiotherapist-led approach based on a biopsychosocial model for spinal disorders: protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Miki Takahiro , Kondo Yu , Kurakata Hiroshi , Takebayashi Tsuneo , Samukawa Mina 
Published: September 2021

IntroductionLow back pain and neck pain are among the most common musculoskeletal disorders, and their related medical costs are rising every year. Many interventions are based on the biopsychosocial (BPS) model since the cause of pain is more multifaceted. Physiotherapists have increased opportunities to perform multidisciplinary interventions alone in clinical practice due to a lack of understanding of the model and its cost. Therefore, physiotherapist-led interventions using the BPS model are important and require an updated report summarising their effectiveness. Thus, the purpose of this study will be to summarise and synthesise the effects of physiotherapist-led interventions using the BPS model for spinal disorders.Methods and analysisWe will search the Web of Science, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and PEDro electronic databases, using a date range from inception to September 2021. We will include only randomised controlled trials for patients diagnosed with spinal disorders who received physiotherapist-led interventions based on the BPS model. The search will be limited to English-language publications. Pain intensity and disability are the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes are any psychological factors. We will examine the short-term, medium-term and long-term effects, and a subgroup analysis will be conducted, if possible, to investigate the role of additional physiotherapist training.Ethics and disseminationThis study is exempt from ethical approval because it involves publicly available documents. The findings will be submitted for publication in a relevant peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021258071.
What role for PCI in stable ischaemic heart disease?
Authors: Kimpton James , Khong Teck K 
Published: September 2021

AbstractCommentary on:Maron DJ, Hochman JS, Reynolds HR,et al. Initial Invasive or Conservative Strategy for Stable Coronary Disease.N Engl J Med. 2020;382:1395–1407.Series co-ordinator:Dr Teck Khong, DTB Associate Editor Clinical Pharmacology, St George's, University of London, UK
Prevalence of Sarcopenia and Its Effect on Postoperative Complications in Patients with Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Zhang Chen , Yu Dingye , Hong Liwen , Zhang Tianyu , Liu Hua , Fan Rong , Wang Lei , Zhong Jie , Wang Zhengting 
Published: September 2021

Background and Aims. Sarcopenia is a prognostic factor of outcomes for various diseases, but reports on sarcopenia in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) are few. We aim to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia and assess the role of sarcopenia in postoperative complications in patients with CD at a tertiary referral center. Methods. Patients who underwent intestinal surgery for CD from January 2013 to October 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. The L3 skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was used to identify sarcopenia. Demographic data, preoperative laboratory data, surgical details, and hospital outcomes were recorded. The factors associated with postoperative complications were evaluated through univariate and multivariate analyses. Results. One hundred and twenty-four patients were enrolled. Thirty-four of them (27.4%), including 11 males, were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Compared with patients without sarcopenia, sarcopenic patients had a significantly lower BMI (

P
<
0.001

); lower preoperative serum albumin (

P
=
0.006

), prealbumin (

P
=
0.030

), and hemoglobin levels (

P
<
0.001

); longer hospital stay (

34.4
±
26.8

days vs.

22.8
±
15.6

days,

P
=
0.003

); and more occurrences of complications (41.2% vs. 23.3%,

P
=
0.049

). The overall incidence of postoperative complications was 28.2%. Infection (51.4%) and intestinal fistula (22.9%) were the most common among such complications. Through the multivariate analysis, sarcopenia was identified as an independent risk factor for major postoperative complications (

odds

ratio
=
3.974

,

95
%
CI
=
1.171

–13.489,

P
=
0.027

). Conclusion. Sarcopenia is common in patients with CD requiring bowel resection, and it significantly increases the risk of major postoperative complications.
The diel activity pattern of small carnivores of Western Ghats, India: a case study at Nelliampathies in Kerala, India
Authors: Sanghamithra Devika , P.O. Nameer  
Published: September 2021

The diel activity pattern of small carnivores was studied using the camera trap technique at Nelliampathy Reserve Forest, Kerala, India. Six species of small carnivores were recorded during the study. These include Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni, Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica, Stripe-necked Mongoose Herpestes vitticollis, Brown Mongoose Herpestes fuscus, Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii, and Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis. The maximum diel activity overlap was detected between the Brown Palm Civet and Small Indian Civet, while the activity overlap was minimal between the Stripe-necked Mongoose and Small Indian Civet.
First record of the Eastern Cat Snake Boiga gocool (Gray, 1835) (Squamata: Colubridae) from Tripura, India
Authors: Nath Sumit , Singh Biswajit , Debnath Chiranjib , Majumder Joydeb 
Published: September 2021

The Eastern cat snake Boiga gocool (Gray, 1835) was recorded for the first time in the state of Tripura. The mildly venomous snake was documented by the authors in an opportunistic survey on 12 July 2020 near the Khowai river bridge, Khowai district, Tripura (24.064N & 91.596E; 129m). This new record will help in updating the status of the herpetofauna of Tripura, India.
Resource availability influences global social network properties in Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni)
Authors: Jordán Ferenc , Kovács Bálint , Verdolin Jennifer L. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Increasingly we are discovering that the interactions between individuals within social groups can be quite complex and flexible. Social network analysis offers a toolkit to describe and quantify social structure, the patterns we observe, and evaluate the social and environmental factors that shape group dynamics. Here, we used 14 Gunnison’s prairie dogs networks to evaluate how resource availability and network size influenced four global properties of the networks (centralization, clustering, average path length, small word index). Our results suggest a positive correlation between overall network cohesion and resource availability, such that networks became less centralized and cliquish as biomass/m2 availability decreased. We also discovered that network size modulates the link between social interactions and resource availability and is consistent with a more ‘decentralized’ group. This study highlights the importance of how individuals modify social cohesions and network connectedness as a way to reduce intragroup competition under different ecological conditions.
Brucella prostatic abscess: a retrospective study of eight cases and a literature review
Authors: Lan Siqin , Guo Zhaoxing , He Yuanlin , Liu Wenya , Guo Hui 
Published: September 2021

Objective To present the clinical characteristics, diagnostics, and treatments for Brucella prostatic abscess (BPA). Methods We retrospectively analyzed eight BPA patients according to their vocations, age, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and treatments. Results The median age was 59 years. The most common clinical symptom was fever, followed by dysuria, erectile dysfunction, frequent urination, and urodynia. C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were significantly elevated in all patients, and in all by one patient, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was high. Prostate enlargement occurred in 87.5% of the patients. Lesions were located in the prostate peripheral (87.5%) and central zones (100%), with homogenous signals on T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) and a hyperintense signal on short tau inversion recovery (STIR). Patients had a small nodule or multiple nodules, with slight hyperintense to hyperintense signals on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Three patients had pelvic effusion, and seminal vesicle (37.5%), epididymis (12.5%), and bladder (12.5%) infections occurred. All patients received rifampicin and doxycycline with levofloxacin; all lesions had resolved at follow-up ultrasonography. Conclusion Even in epidemic areas, the incidence of BPA is relatively rare. Our findings may increase the understanding of BPA and reduce misdiagnosis and mistreatment.
Mothers’ experience of being involved with the transfer of the CO-OP approach: A qualitative study
Authors: Gharebaghy Soraya , Rassafiani Mehdi , Vameghi Roshanak , Akbarfahimi Malahat , Cameron Debra , Polatajko Helene J , Shafaroodi Narges 
Published: September 2021

Introduction Since mothers are the best persons to facilitate transfer in their children, it is important to understand their experience with implementing the cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance approach at home. Therefore, this study aims to explore mothers’ experiences in facilitating transfer during implementing cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance approach at the home in children with specific learning disorder. Method A semi-structured interview was applied for mothers of children receiving cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and the data were analyzed using a continuous comparison technique and inductive content analysis. Results Five themes emerged which described the mothers’ experiences of being involved with the transfer of cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance approach at home including (1) mothers’ feelings toward themselves; (2) supportive therapist; (3) supportive social settings; (4) multidimensional educational content; and (5) educational methods. Conclusion Mothers expressed that cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance approach was simple, but they needed deeper information and skills. They provided suggestions for increasing the involvement during cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance intervention to increase transfer.
Expression of caveolin family proteins in serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Li Ming , Zhang Yi-Jing , Liu Dong-Xia , Liu Zhi , Fu Min , Yang Qing-Rui , Sun Hong-Sheng 
Published: September 2021

Objectives Caveolin family proteins, including caveolin-1 (Cav-1), caveolin-2 (Cav-2), and caveolin-3 (Cav-3), are identified as the principal protein components of caveolae in mammalian cells. Circulating form of caveolin family proteins can be used as a good potential biomarker for predicting disease. Methods To investigate the clinical significance of the serological levels of caveolin family proteins in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we evaluated the soluble serum levels of caveolin family proteins in patients with SLE by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and assessed their associations with various known clinical variables. Results The major findings of our study are as follows: Cav-2 was not detected in serum of SLE patients and normal controls (NCs). Serum Cav-1 and Cav-3 levels were higher in SLE patients compared with NCs. There were no significant correlations between serum Cav-1 and Cav-3 levels and SLE disease activity. Further analysis showed that serum Cav-3 may be more valuable as a marker than serum Cav-1 in SLE patients. Conclusion Serum levels of Cav-1 and Cav-3 might have a diagnostic role in patients with SLE. However, their predictive and prognostic value was not determined. Further studies are necessary to determine the potential clinical significance of these assays in SLE.