bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Changes in anterior segment optical coherence tomography following pars plana vitrectomy without tamponade
Authors: Khodabande Alireza , Mohammadi Massood , Riazi-Esfahani Hamid , Karami Shahab , Mirghorbani Massood , Modjtahedi Bobeck S. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackgroundTo evaluate changes in anterior segment morphology on anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) without tamponade.MethodsPatients who underwent PPV without tamponade for epiretinal membrane were evaluated. Eligible patients underwent intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement and AS-OCT preoperatively as well as 1 month and 6 months post-operatively. Anterior chamber width (ACW), anterior chamber depth (ACD), trabecular iris angle (TIA), angle opening distance at 500 and 750 µm (AOD), and trabecular iris space area at 500 and 750 µm (TISA) at four quadrants were recorded and analyzed. Additionally, the mean values of TIA (MTIA), AOD (MAOD), and TISA (MTISA) for each eye (mean of four quadrants) were analyzed.Results23 patients completed the study. The mean age of participants was 56.4 ± 3.6 years of age and 13/23 (56%) were female. Mean IOP of patients was 18.1 ± 1.1, 18.3 ± 1.1, and 18.1 ± 1.2 preoperatively,1 month post-operatively, and 6 months post-operatively, respectively. (p = 0.83). No difference was detected post-operatively in measurements of ACW, ACD, MTIA, MAOD500, MAOD750, MTISA500, and MTISA750.ConclusionPars plana vitrectomy without tamponade was not associated with changes in anterior chamber morphology.
Point-of-care testing for emergency assessment of coagulation in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants including edoxaban
Authors: Härtig Florian , Birschmann Ingvild , Peter Andreas , Hörber Sebastian , Ebner Matthias , Sonnleitner Matthias , Spencer Charlotte , Bombach Paula , Stefanou Maria-Ioanna , Tünnerhoff Johannes , Mengel Annerose , Kuhn Joachim , Ziemann Ulf , Poli Sven 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) including edoxaban are increasingly used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Despite treatment, annual stroke rate in these patients remains 1–2%. Rapid assessment of coagulation would be useful to guide thrombolysis or reversal therapy in this growing population of DOAC/edoxaban-treated stroke patients. Employing the Hemochron™ Signature Elite point-of-care test system (HC-POCT), clinically relevant plasma concentrations of dabigatran and rivaroxaban can be excluded in a blood sample. However, no data exists on the effect of edoxaban on HC-POCT results.
We evaluated whether edoxaban plasma concentrations above the current treatment thresholds for thrombolysis or anticoagulation reversal (i.e., 30 and 50 ng/mL) can be ruled out with the HC-POCT.

Methods
We prospectively studied patients receiving a first dose of edoxaban. Six blood samples were collected from each patient: before, 0.5, 1, 2, 8, and 24 h after drug intake. HC-POCT-based INR (HC-INR), activated clotting time (HC-ACT+ and HC-ACT-LR), activated partial thromboplastin time (HC-aPTT), and mass spectrometry for edoxaban plasma concentrations were performed at each time-point. We calculated correlations, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and test-specific cut-offs for ruling out edoxaban concentrations > 30 and > 50 ng/mL in a blood sample.

Results
One hundred twenty blood samples from 20 edoxaban-treated patients were analyzed. Edoxaban plasma concentrations ranged from 0 to 512 ng/mL. HC-INR/HC-ACT+/HC-ACT-LR/HC-aPTT ranged from 0.7–8.3/78–310 s/65–215 s/19–93 s, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients showed moderate to very strong correlations with edoxaban concentrations (r = 0.95/0.79/0.70/0.60). With areas under the ROC curve of 0.997 (95% confidence interval: 0.991–0.971) and 0.989 (0.975–1.000), HC-INR most reliably ruled out edoxaban concentrations > 30 and > 50 ng/mL, respectively, and HC-INR results ≤1.5 and ≤ 2.1 provided specificity/sensitivity of 98.6% (91.2–99.9)/98.0% (88.0–99.9) and 96.8% (88.0–99.4)/96.5% (86.8–99.4).

Conclusions
Our study represents the first systematic evaluation of the HC-POCT in edoxaban-treated patients. Applying sufficiently low assay-specific cut-offs, the HC-POCT may not only be used to reliably rule out dabigatran and rivaroxaban, but also very low edoxaban concentrations in a blood sample. Because the assay-specific cut-offs were retrospectively defined, further investigation is warranted.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov, registration number: NCT02825394, registered on: 07/07/2016, URL
Modified U-Net for liver cancer segmentation from computed tomography images with a new class balancing method
Authors: Ayalew Yodit Abebe , Fante Kinde Anlay , Mohammed Mohammed Aliy 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It is mostly diagnosed with a computed tomography scan. Nowadays deep learning methods have been used for the segmentation of the liver and its tumor from the computed tomography (CT) scan images. This research mainly focused on segmenting liver and tumor from the abdominal CT scan images using a deep learning method and minimizing the effort and time used for a liver cancer diagnosis. The algorithm is based on the original UNet architecture. But, here in this paper, the numbers of filters on each convolutional block were reduced and new batch normalization and a dropout layer were added after each convolutional block of the contracting path.

Results
Using this algorithm a dice score of 0.96, 0.74, and 0.63 were obtained for liver segmentation, segmentation of tumors from the liver, and the segmentation of tumor from abdominal CT scan images respectively. The segmentation results of liver and tumor from the liver showed an improvement of 0.01 and 0.11 respectively from other works.

Conclusion
This work proposed a liver and a tumor segmentation method using a UNet architecture as a baseline. Modification regarding the number of filters and network layers were done on the original UNet model to reduce the network complexity and improve segmentation performance. A new class balancing method is also introduced to minimize the class imbalance problem. Through these, the algorithm attained better segmentation results and showed good improvement. However, it faced difficulty in segmenting small and irregular tumors.
Differences in preoperative planning for high-tibial osteotomy between the standing and supine positions
Authors: Matsushita Takehiko , Watanabe Shu , Araki Daisuke , Nagai Kanto , Hoshino Yuichi , Kanzaki Noriyuki , Matsumoto Tomoyuki , Niikura Takahiro , Kuroda Ryosuke 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIntroductionPrevious studies have reported that alignment changes depend on the patient’s position in orthopedic surgery. However, it has not yet been well examined how the patient’s position affects the preoperative planning in high-tibial osteotomy (HTO). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the patient’s position on preoperative planning in HTO.Materials and methodsA total of 60 knees in 55 patients who underwent HTO were retrospectively examined. Virtual preoperative planning for medial open-wedge HTO (OWHTO), lateral closed-wedge HTO (CWHTO), and hybrid CWHTO were performed by setting the percentage of the weight-bearing line (%WBL) at 62% as an optimal alignment. The correction angle differences between the supine and standing radiographs were measured. The virtual %WBL (v%WBL) was determined by applying the correction angle obtained from the standing radiograph to the supine radiograph. The %WBL discrepancy (%WBLd) was calculated as v%WBL − 62 (%) to predict the possible correction errors during surgeries. A single regression analysis was performed to examine the correlation between the correction angle difference and %WBLd.ResultsThe mean correction angle was significantly higher when the preoperative planning was based on standing radiographs than when based on supine radiographs (P < 0.001), and the mean difference was 2.2 ± 1.5°. The difference between the two conditions in the medial opening gaps for OWHTO, lateral wedge sizes (mm) for CWHTO, and hybrid CWHTO were 2.6 ± 2.0, 2.3 ± 1.6, and 1.9 ± 1.4, respectively. The mean v%WBL was 71.2% ± 7.3%, and the mean %WBLd was 10.1% ± 7.4%. A single regression analysis revealed a linear correlation between the correction angle difference and %WBLd (%WBLd = 4.72 × correction angle difference + 0.08). No statistically significant difference in the parameters was found between the supine and standing radiographs postoperatively.ConclusionsWe found significant differences in the estimated correction angles between the supine and standing radiographs in the planning for HTO. Therefore, surgeons should carefully consider the difference between supine and standing radiographs and estimate the possible correction error during surgery when planning a HTO.
Sepsis profile and outcome of preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit of Cairo University Hospital
Authors: Salama Khaled , Gad Amira , El Tatawy Sarah 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
This study demonstrates the experience of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary referral center in Egypt in management of prematures with neonatal sepsis. This retrospective study included preterm neonates admitted to NICU with clinical and/or laboratory diagnosis of sepsis. Blood culture was done followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing for positive cases. Neonates with sepsis were classified into early onset sepsis (EOS) and late onset sepsis (LOS). Hematological scoring system (HSS) for detection of sepsis was calculated.

Results
The study included 153 cases of neonatal sepsis; 63 (41.2%) EOS and 90 (58.8%) LOS. The majority of the neonates had very low or moderately low birth weight (90.9%). All neonates received first-line antibiotics in the form of ampicillin-sulbactam, and gentamicin. Second-line antibiotics were administered to 133 neonates (86.9%) as vancomycin and imipenem-cilastatin. Mortalities were more common among EOS group (p < 0.017). Positive blood cultures were detected in 61 neonates (39.8%) with a total number of 66 cultures. The most commonly encountered organisms were Klebsiella MDR and CoNS (31.8% each). Klebsiella MDR was the most predominant organism in EOS (28.9%), while CoNS was the most predominant in LOS (39.2%) The detected organisms were divided into 3 families; Enterobacteriaceae, non-fermenters, and Gram-positive family. There 3 families were 100% resistant to ampicillin. The highest sensitivity in Enterobacteriaceae and Non-fermenters was for colistin and polymyxin-B. An HSS of 3–8 had a sensitivity and specificity of 62.3% and 57.6%, respectively for diagnosis of culture-proven sepsis.

Conclusion
Neonatal sepsis was encountered in 21.5% of admitted preterm neonates; LOS was more common (58.8%). Mortality was 51.6%. Klebsiella MDR and CoNS were the most commonly encountered organisms in both EOS and LOS. The isolated families were 100% resistant to ampicillin. The hematological scoring system (HSS) showed limited sensitivity for detection of sepsis.
Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: a new framework for holistic understanding and non-pharmacological management
Authors: James Ian Andrew , Gray Kristina , Moniz-Cook Esme , Lee Katy , Reichelt Katharina , Richardson Jonathan 
Published: March 2021

SUMMARYThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) informs us that the first-line treatments for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are non-pharmacological. Although psychotropics used to be the main strategy in the management of behaviours that challenge, there has been an increase in the use of biopsychosocial formulations since 2010, and there are now over a dozen to choose from. However, many are overly focused on obtaining information about the agitation, and less specific about providing details of the actions required to manage the behaviours. The NICE guidelines too fail to provide specific guidance on which non-pharmacological approaches to use. This article argues for giving equal weight to both the collection of meaningful information and the development of ‘informed actions’, because it is the actions that lead to change. The article outlines a management programme providing a framework for the assessment, formulation and treatment of agitation in dementia. The work draws on theory, evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence to provide a model with sufficient structure and flexibility to be useful for clinicians across a range of settings and professional groups.
Liqui-Tablet: the Innovative Oral Dosage Form Using the Newly Developed Liqui-Mass Technology
Authors: Lam Matthew , Asare-Addo Kofi , Nokhodchi Ali 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn this study, an attempt was made to produce Liqui-Tablets for the first time. This was carried out through the compaction of naproxen Liqui-Pellets. The incentive to convert the novel Liqui-Pellet into Liqui-Tablet was due to the array of inherent advantages of the popular and preferred tablet dosage form. The study showed that naproxen Liqui-Tablet could be successfully produced and the rapid drug release rate (100% drug release ~ 20 min) could be achieved under pH 1.2, where naproxen is insoluble. It was observed that the different pH of the dissolution medium affected the trend of drug release from formulations with varying amounts of liquid vehicle. The order of the fastest drug-releasing formulations was different depending on the pH used. The presence of Neusilin US2 showed considerable enhancement in the drug release rate as well as improving Liqui-Tablet robustness and hardness. Furthermore, images from X-ray micro-tomography displayed a uniform distribution of components in the Liqui-Tablet. The accelerated stability studies showed acceptable stability in terms of dissolution profile.
Electric quadrupole moment of a neutral non-relativistic particle in the presence of screw dislocation
Authors: Hassanabadi H. , Zare S. , Kříž J. , Lütfüoğlu B. C. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
In this contribution, we investigate the interaction between electric and magnetic fields with an electric quadrupole moment of a spinless particle moving in an elastic medium which has a topological defect (screw dislocation). By considering this interaction, the Schrödinger equation is exactly solved by using the analytical method. Thus, the eigenfunction and energy eigenvalues for two configurations are found. Meanwhile, by observing a shift in the angular momentum quantum number, the energy eigenvalues and the wave function of the system are modified, due to the screw dislocation in the medium.
Revisiting the minimal universal extra dimensions with mass-dimension-five operators
Authors: Dias M. , Duarte Laura , de Campos F. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
We examine a minimally modified version of the minimal universal extra dimension, using electric and magnetic dipole moments and Higgs portals operators to describe new interactions between fermionic dark matter and Standard Model particles. We assume the dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP). This suggests that the four-dimensional

D theory is naturally suppressed by the size of the extra dimension R, without adding new free parameters to the model. We show the LHC potential to discover the fermionic WIMP considering the mono-jet +

channel, highlighting the existence of a viable mass range and compactification scale,

, in this new scenario. Using ATLAS data for this channel, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of

in the

analysis, we found a lower bound for

. We identify that for a compactification scale of

, our fermionic particle is a viable candidate to a dark matter constituent which has been shown to be compatible with relic abundance measurements from the Planck Collaboration.
Association Between Ionized Calcium Concentrations During Hemostatic Transfusion and Calcium Treatment With Mortality in Major Trauma
Authors: Chanthima Phuriphong , Yuwapattanawong Kornkamon , Thamjamrassri Thanyalak , Nathwani Rajen , Stansbury Lynn G. , Vavilala Monica S. , Arbabi Saman , Hess John R. 
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND:
Transfusion of citrated blood products may worsen resuscitation-induced hypocalcemia and trauma outcomes, suggesting the need for protocolized early calcium replacement in major trauma. However, the dynamics of ionized calcium during hemostatic resuscitation of severe injury are not well studied. We determined the frequency of hypocalcemia and quantified the association between the first measured ionized calcium concentration [iCa] and calcium administration early during hemostatic resuscitation and in-hospital mortality.

METHODS:
We performed a retrospective cohort study of all admissions to our regional level 1 trauma center who (1) were ≥15 years old; (2) presented from scene of injury; (3) were admitted between October 2016 and September 2018; and (4) had a Massive Transfusion Protocol activation. They also (1) received blood products during transport or during the first 3 hours of in-hospital care (1st3h) of trauma center care and (2) had at least one [iCa] recorded in that time. Demographic, injury severity, admission shock and laboratory data, blood product use and timing, and in-hospital mortality were extracted from Trauma Registry and Transfusion Service databases and electronic medical records. Citrate load was calculated on a unit-by-unit basis and used to calculate an administered calcium/citrate molar ratio. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses for the binary outcome of in-hospital death were performed.

RESULTS:
A total of 11,474 trauma patients were admitted to the emergency department over the study period, of whom 346 (3%; average age: 44 ± 18 years; 75% men) met all study criteria. In total, 288 (83.2%) had hypocalcemia at first [iCa] determination; 296 (85.6%) had hypocalcemia in the last determination in the 1st3h; and 177 (51.2%) received at least 1 calcium replacement dose during that time. Crude risk factors for in-hospital death included age, injury severity score (ISS), new ISS (NISS), Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) head, admission systolic blood pressure (SBP), pH, and lactate; all P < .001. Higher in-hospital mortality was significantly associated with older age, higher NISS, AIS head, and admission lactate, and lower admission SBP and pH. There was no relationship between mortality and first [iCa] or calcium dose corrected for citrate load.

CONCLUSIONS:
In our study, though most patients had hypocalcemia during the 1st3h of trauma center care, neither first [iCa] nor administered calcium dose corrected for citrate load were significantly associated with in-patient mortality. Clinically, hypocalcemia during early hemostatic resuscitation after severe injury is important, but specific treatment protocols must await better understanding of calcium physiology in acute injury.
A Love Letter to the Future (from the Surgical Team of the Trans Sciences Collective)
Authors: Weaver Harlan 
Published: March 2021

Abstract“A Love Letter to the Future” speculatively fabulates a future that has undergone a (the?) surgery at the hands of a team of trans scientists. Explicating the how and why of decisions to remove organs of oppression, systems that engender violence, and individual nodules of violence, the letter details the scientists' work in remaking the future into a space and place where trans thrives. The letter also delineates how the trans sciences that unite the collective—experiments in building and reworking the self/body through (re-)mappings of community, ways of being in the world, and networks of care that challenge larger social orders—involve unique temporal and geographical expertise. The letter details how this unique expertise, which emerges through ongoing labors challenging the construction of trans - “modern,” identifying the work of quick and slow systemic violences, and mapping community and connectivity well outside understandings that join family with blood with the domestic, led to the collective's nomination for the surgery in the first place. Finally, the letter details processes necessary to the future's recovery and also extends love to this future, the multitudes it contains, and its emergent connectivities between trans and justice.
Is Early Partnership Formation Instrumental for Fertility in Germany?
Authors: Zimmermann Okka 
Published: March 2021

Using panel data from childless respondents of the German Family Panel (pairfam, n=3,802 respondents), this paper investigates whether fertility orientations (biographical orientations with respect to fertility) influence the risk of different partnership transitions among German men and women over the age of 18 (for n=14,572 observation periods between two panel waves). Significant influences are found for both gender and partnership transition types, and are generally stronger among men than women and for the transition to a coresidential as opposed to a romantic partnership. Uncertainty about anticipated fertility has a stronger negative impact on transition risks among men than among women.
Results strongly suggest that the early stages of the partnership formation process are instrumental in terms of future fertility in Germany, at least to some degree. This indicates that a more comprehensive conceptualisation and analysis of fertility within the life course paradigm (as suggested by Huinink/Kohli 2014) should consider the impacts of fertility orientations on life course events in other dimensions, especially among men. Viewed more broadly, the results also underline two factors: the role of agency in coordinating life course dimensions in time and space in order to maximise individual welfare; and the importance of considering the impacts that anticipation of future life course events will have, as suggested by different theoretical approaches.
The Effect of Unsuccessful Past Repurchases on Future Repurchasing Decisions
Authors: Friesen Geoffrey C. , Jeutang Noel Pavel , Unlu Emre 
Published: March 2021

We find that managers are less likely to repurchase stocks when they lose money on past stock repurchases but find no robust evidence that past gains on repurchases influence future repurchasing activity. This asymmetric sensitivity is strongest for young CEOs and those with the shortest tenure. Also, future repurchases are more sensitive to past repurchase losses for CEOs whose previous lifetime experience with the stock market is unfavorable. The sensitivity of future repurchases to past losses costs firms, on average, about 3.7% per year. When this cost is decomposed into systematic and idiosyncratic components, we find that nearly half (1.8%) comes from mistiming idiosyncratic shocks. Past losses on repurchases have a significant and negative impact on the CEO’s future bonus and increase the likelihood that future CEO termination is involuntary. We also find that negative outcomes from past repurchases encourage the subsequent use of dividends. Our findings suggest that outcomes of past repurchases have economically significant consequences through both nonbehavioral (career concerns) and behavioral (snakebite effect) factors. This paper was accepted by Tyler Shumway, finance.