bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hospital in the home‐based management of acute diverticulitis: a safe and effective alternative to inpatient care
Authors: Hamilton Jordan , Crosthwaite Gary , Montalto Michael 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe traditional approach to management of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis involves admission to hospital, antibiotic therapy, gut rest and monitoring for the development of complications. Despite evidence to suggest this can safely be performed in an outpatient setting, inpatient care remains standard practice in Australia potentially due to a variety of factors (van Dijk et al. 2018; Cirocchi et al. 2019). Hospital in the home (HIH) allows patients requiring complex care including intravenous antibiotics, intravenous fluids and complex pain relief to be managed at home. This study examined the safety and efficacy of HIH‐based care for acute diverticulitis over a 16‐year period.MethodologyA retrospective review of cases of acute diverticulitis managed under our HIH service from the period of 1st of January 2004 to 20th of October 2020 was completed. Baseline descriptive data relating to age, co‐morbidities and severity of diverticulitis was collected. Details of medical treatment provided and subsequent complications were also collected.ResultsDuring the study period, 23 patients with acute diverticulitis were treated under the HIH unit. Among the study population, the median age was 60 (interquartile range 15) with a slight female predominance (n = 13, 56.5%). This represented the first presentation in 60.9% of patients. Average length of stay was 3.6 days (SD = 1.0) with no acute complications recorded in the study period. Two patients (8.7%) had further episodes of acute diverticulitis within 60 days.ConclusionIn this study, the lack of complications demonstrated indicates that HIH‐based management of acute diverticulitis may be a viable and safe alternative to inpatient care.
Evaluation and comparison of polysulfone TS‐UL and PMMA NF‐U dialyzers versus expanded hemodialysis and postdilution hemodiafiltration
Authors: Maduell Francisco , Broseta José Jesús , Rodríguez‐Espinosa Diana , Hermida‐Lama Evelyn , Rodas Lida María , Gómez Miquel , Arias‐Guillén Marta , Fontseré Néstor , Vera Manel , Rico Nayra 
Published: April 2021

AbstractToray has created a new generation of dialyzers, the polysulphone (TS) UL series, and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) NF‐U series, which offer enhanced efficacy over the previous TS‐S series and NF‐H series. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these dialyzer series versus contrasted expanded hemodialysis (HDx) and postdilution hemodiafiltration (HDF). We conducted a prospective study in 12 patients. Each patient underwent six dialysis sessions: FX80 Cordiax in HD, Toraysulfone TS‐1.8 UL in HD, Theranova 400 in HDx, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) NF‐2.1 U in HDF, Toraysulfone TS‐2.1 UL in HDF, and FX80 Cordiax in HDF. The removal ratios (RRs) of urea, creatinine, ß2‐microglobulin, myoglobin, prolactin, α1‐microglobulin, α1‐acid glycoprotein, and albumin were compared intraindividually. Dialysate albumin loss was also measured. The RRs for β2‐microglobulin, myoglobin, prolactin, α1‐microglobulin, and α1‐acid glycoprotein were higher with the TS‐2.1 UL and FX80 Cordiax dialyzers in HDF than those obtained with HD treatments and NF‐2.1 U in HDF. The β2‐microglobulin, myoglobin, and prolactin RRs were also higher with HDx than those obtained with HD treatments. The myoglobin and prolactin RRs were higher with TS‐1.8 UL in HD than those obtained with helixone dialyzers in HD. Dialysate albumin loss was less than 3 g in all situations except in TS‐2.1 UL in HDF. The highest global removal score values were obtained with the TS‐2.1 UL and helixone dialyzers in HDF. Significant differences were found between all study situations. In conclusion, the new generation dialyzers, Toraysulfone TS Series UL and PMMA NF‐U series, show excellent behaviour and tolerance in HD and HDF, representing an upgrade versus their predecessor series. The higher permeability of the TS UL series has been proven with higher efficiency in HD and maximum performance in HDF. The new PMMA NF‐U series allows the use of HDF with good efficiency and complete safety.
Antihypertensive medications and COVID‐19 diagnosis and mortality: Population‐based case‐control analysis in the United Kingdom
Authors: Rezel‐Potts Emma , Douiri Abdel , Chowienczyk Phil J. , Gulliford Martin C. 
Published: April 2021

AimsAntihypertensive drugs have been implicated in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) susceptibility and severity, but estimated associations may be susceptible to bias. We aimed to evaluate antihypertensive medications and COVID‐19 diagnosis and mortality, accounting for healthcare‐seeking behaviour.MethodsA population‐based case‐control study was conducted including 16 866 COVID‐19 cases and 70 137 matched controls from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. We evaluated all‐cause mortality among COVID‐19 cases. Exposures were angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta‐blockers (B), calcium‐channel blockers (C), thiazide diuretics (D) and other antihypertensive drugs (O). Analyses were adjusted for covariates and consultation frequency.ResultsACEIs were associated with lower odds of COVID‐19 diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77‐0.88) as were ARBs (AOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80‐0.95) with little attenuation from adjustment for consultation frequency. C and D were also associated with lower odds of COVID‐19 diagnosis. Increased odds of COVID‐19 for B (AOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.12‐1.26) were attenuated after adjustment for consultation frequency (AOR 1.01, 95% CI 0.95‐1.08). Patients treated with ACEIs or ARBs had similar odds of mortality (AOR 1.00, 95% CI 0.83‐1.20) to patients treated with classes B, C, D or O or patients receiving no antihypertensive therapy (AOR 0.99, 95% CI 0.83‐1.18).ConclusionsThere was no evidence that antihypertensive therapy is associated with increased risk of COVID‐19 diagnosis or mortality; most classes of antihypertensive therapy showed negative associations with COVID‐19 diagnosis.
Work–family conflicts, cognitive appraisal, and burnout: Testing the mediation effect with structural equation modelling
Authors: Simães Clara , Rodrigues Jéssica , Gonçalves Arminda Manuela , Faria Susana , Gomes António Rui 
Published: April 2021

Work–family conflict constitutes an important source of occupational stress predicting teachers’ burnout, and cognitive variables have shown to be core structures in explaining human adaptation to stress. Nevertheless, the role of cognitive appraisal needs to be fully analysed to comprehend how it can mediate the relationship between stress and burnout. In order to understand the potential mediation of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between stress and burnout, we adopted conceptual models of stress that highlighted the value of cognitive appraisal on positive and negative reactions to work demands. Also, we analysed the potential moderation of sex and age in the relationship between work–family conflict, cognitive appraisal, and burnout due to inconsistent findings on how these personal variables can interfere on these relations. In this study, we used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the mediating of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between work–family conflicts and burnout. A survey with measures of work–family conflicts, cognitive appraisal, and burnout was administered to the participants consisting of 438 Portuguese teachers from kindergarten through high school, aged between 28 and 67 years (M = 46.85;SD = 7.88), 304 of whom were females (69.41%). The results confirmed that cognitive appraisal partially mediated the relationship between work–family conflict and burnout. The mediation effect of cognitive appraisal on the relationship between work–family conflict and burnout was invariant regardless of teachers’ sex or age. In sum, cognitive appraisal should be considered in order to understand teachers’ adaptation to work.
Pubertal Timing and Adolescent Alcohol Use: The Mediating Role of Parental and Peer Influences
Authors: Bucci Rebecca , Staff Jeremy , Maggs Jennifer L. , Dorn Lorah D. 
Published: April 2021

Using intergenerational, prospective data at ages 9 months, 7, 11, and 14 years from the nationally representative United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study, this interdisciplinary study unpacks why 14‐year‐old adolescents with early perceived pubertal timing (PT) were more likely to drink alcohol (ever, frequent, and binge drinking) compared to those whose PT was on‐time or late (5,757 girls, 5,799 boys; 80% White, 10% Asian, 3% Black, and 7% Other British). Parents allowed drinking among 22% (18%) of early PT girls (boys) compared to 11% of late PT adolescents; formal mediation models showed differences by PT in parent permissiveness and gains in alcohol‐using friends primarily explained age 14 PT‐drinking associations. Parental alcohol permissiveness should be a key prevention target for early PT adolescents.
Coblation intracapsular tonsillectomy in children: A prospective study of 1257 consecutive cases with long‐term follow‐up
Authors: Amin Nikul , Bhargava Eishaan , Prentice James George , Shamil Eamon , Walsh Maia , Tweedie Daniel John 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObjectivesIntracapsular tonsillectomy (ICT) is increasingly adopted by paediatric centres worldwide due to its association with reduced pain, fast recovery and low risks of post‐operative complications. Questions still surround its role in patients with recurrent tonsillitis, as well as tonsillar regrowth requiring revision surgery.DesignProspective consecutive case series from March 2013 to April 2020.SettingTertiary paediatric ENT referral centre.ParticipantsPaediatric patients undergoing Coblation ICT, with or without adenoidectomy, for obstructive and/or infective indications.Main outcome measuresHealth‐Related Quality of Life (HRQL), analgesia requirement, post‐operative haemorrhage rates, time to return to normal diet and activity or school/nursery, and parental satisfaction. We report revision surgery rates and identify predictive factors for revision surgery.ResultsA total of 1257 patients (median age 4.2 years) underwent Coblation ICT, with a median direct and implied follow‐up of 101.5 and 1419 days, respectively. We noted significantly improved HRQL scores across all domains. Median analgesia requirement was six days, and no patients required a return to theatre for post‐operative haemorrhage. The majority of patients were eating a normal diet within 24 hours and returned to normal activity/school within a week post‐operatively. Revision surgery was required in 2.6% of cases, mainly due to recurrent obstructive symptoms from tonsillar regrowth.Being under two years old at initial surgery (OR 5.10), having severe OSA (OR 4.43) or severe comorbidities (OR 2.98) increased the risk of needing revision surgery.ConclusionsLong‐term data demonstrate the efficacy and safety of Coblation ICT in paediatric patients across a range of indications.
Time‐oriented attention improves accuracy in a paced finger‐tapping task
Authors: Versaci Leonardo , Laje Rodrigo 
Published: April 2021

AbstractFinger tapping is a task widely used in a variety of experimental paradigms, in particular to understand sensorimotor synchronization and time processing in the range of hundreds of milliseconds (millisecond timing). Normally, subjects do not receive any instruction about what to attend to and the results are seldom interpreted taking into account the possible effects of attention. In this work we show that attention can be oriented to the purely temporal aspects of a paced finger‐tapping task and that it affects performance. Specifically, time‐oriented attention improves the accuracy in paced finger tapping and it also increases the resynchronization efficiency after a period perturbation. We use two markers of the attention level: auditory ERPs and subjective report of the mental workload. In addition, we propose a novel algorithm to separate the auditory, stimulus‐related components from the somatosensory, response‐related ones, which are naturally overlapped in the recorded EEG.
The Blue Card revision is stuck: How might legal philosophy help?
Authors: Rochel Johan 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSince 2009, the “Blue Card Directive” has become one of the most important elements of the EU's legal immigration scheme for attracting the best immigrants to Europe. Taking advantage of its current revision, this contribution takes a legal theoretical look at the Directive. Drawing upon the republican conception of freedom defined as the absence of arbitrary interferences, this paper sheds light on some positive steps as well the margin of progression still left in order to fully operationalise the EU's commitment to respecting equal freedom. The article also adds to the limited doctrinal contributions on the Blue Card Directive and illustrates the added value of a republican approach to EU migration law.
A new narrative for European migration policy: Sustainability and the Blue Card recast
Authors: de Lange Tesseltje 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe Blue Card Directive 2009/50 has failed. It sets conditions for entry and residence in the EU for third‐country nationals in highly qualified and well‐paid employment. Recently, negotiations over its recast have come to life, and gives reason to discuss the way forward. This comment reflects on the European Blue Card Directive 2009/50 and its recast and the thoughts presented in this special issue by two legal practitioners, Jo Antoons and Andreia Ghimis, and a philosopher, Johan Rochel. I argue in favour of a new narrative focusing on sustainable labour migration, instead of the current narrative which is based on solving old problems. More particularly, drawing from intersecting policy fields (environment, foreign investment, integration and migration policy), this contribution revisits three themes at the core of the Blue Card and its reform: the economic needs test, privatisation through the concept of a trusted sponsor, and intra‐EU mobility rights for migrant workers.
Gendered skills and unemployed men’s resistance to “women’s work”
Authors: Yavorsky Jill E. , Ruggs Enrica N. , Dill Janette S. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn recent decades, many male‐dominated jobs have contracted, while many female‐dominated jobs have increased. Scholars have tied these changes to men’s declining employment rates; yet, little attention has been paid to unemployed men’s consideration of work associated with women. Based on a sample of 441 unemployed men, we used an experimental survey design to examine the likelihood that unemployed men pass up applying to a job based on the job’s gender composition, masculine/feminine‐typed skills, and pay. We also examined their perceptions about how other unemployed men would respond to such jobs. We supplement these findings with content analyses of qualitative responses for why unemployed men would or would not work in a female‐dominated job. Our findings suggest that unemployed men were willing to work in jobs with a higher proportion of women, but resisted jobs requiring them to perform feminine‐typed skills, even if it meant being unemployed longer. Notably, respondents believed other men would be more likely to pass applying to both female‐dominated jobs and jobs that required feminine‐typed skills. Broadly, this study sheds important light on how unemployed men perceive non‐traditional work and identifies key factors that contribute to men’s persistent low representation in jobs associated with women.
Theories of industrialization in Africa: Africana industrialization discourse
Authors: Agozino Biko 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis papyrus seeks to solve the puzzle that a rich continent such as Africa where human life and human civilization originated is today relegated to exclusion and marginalization from the industrial revolutions transforming life worldwide. The papyrus surveys existing knowledge to reveal why Africa today is deindustrialized and what is to be done to revive the industrialization of the continent and decolonize the relative exclusion of people of African descent from the worldwide participation in the industrial revolution. The methodology is to review the chronology of the dialectical negation of theses and antithesis, their synthesis or negation of the negation, and the hegemonic debates around industrialization in Africa while identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the most well‐known theories for understanding and changing the conditions of deindustrialization in Africa and among people of African descent globally. Although policy preferences will be mentioned, other writers are expected to focus on the examination of specific industrialization policies the way that UNECA researchers do (UN Economic Commission on Africa, 2020).
An empowerment‐psycho‐behavioral program on neuropsychiatric symptoms in persons with mild cognitive impairment: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Lin Rose S. Y. , Yu Doris S. F. , Pui Hing Chau Patsy , Li Polly W. C. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAimsNeuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are highly prevalent among persons with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI). However, the mainstay of treatments only focuses on cognitive training. This study develops an empowerment‐psycho‐behavioural programme to improve the NPS and other health outcomes of this preclinical cohort. The empirical effects and the participants’ perception and experience of the programme will be explored.DesignThis sequential mixed‐method study comprises a single‐blind randomized controlled trial and a qualitative study.MethodsThis study will recruit 250 PwMCI from the community and randomize them to either the intervention group to receive a 13‐week empowerment‐psycho‐behavioural programme which focuses on promoting cognitive coping and stress adaptation, or the control group to receive a health education programme which serves as an attention placebo with content unrelated to dementia. The primary outcome is NPS, and the secondary outcomes include cognitive function, subjective memory complaints and health‐related quality of life. These outcomes will be measured at baseline, upon completing the programme and 4 weeks thereafter. A purposive sample of 30 participants from the intervention group will be interviewed for their engagement experience in the programme. This study received funding support in July 2020.DiscussionGiven the high prevalence and detrimental effects of NPS on disease progression, effective management is yet to be determined. Underpinned by the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold (PLST) Model, the empowerment‐psycho‐behavioural programme is designed. Results on the outcome‐based evaluation and the patients’ experience can advance the science in this under‐addressed area.ImpactThis study enhances our understanding of the PLST Model in explaining the manifestations of NPS by the stress‐coping disequilibrium at the early disease stage. It will shed important insight into the care management of MCI to attend both cognition function and psychological well‐being in research and clinical context.Trial registrationThis study is registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04723667) and the HKU Clinical Trials Registry (HKUCTR‐2915).
Neuron‐intrinsic origin of hyperexcitability during early pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Lee‐Liu Dasfne , Gonzalez‐Billault Christian 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn Alzheimer's disease (AD), hippocampal hyperactivation is already present at early stages of the disorder, in some cases, even when the individual is still asymptomatic. Neuronal hyperexcitability has been described to occur before the deposition of amyloid beta plaques in mouse models of AD and has been attributed to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory activity. In this Editorial Highlight, we discuss the article by Sosulina et al., published in this issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry, which offers novel insights into the possible origins of this neuronal excitability observed during the early pathogenesis of AD.
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Unraveling plant strategies in tidal marshes by investigating plant traits and environmental conditions
Authors: Schulte Ostermann Tilla , Heuner Maike , Fuchs Elmar , Temmerman Stijn , Schoutens Ken , Bouma Tjeerd J. , Minden Vanessa 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAimsTidal marsh vegetation along estuaries is exposed to strong environmental gradients that determine which species — enabled through specific traits — can establish and persist. With these ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure, in‐depth knowledge on the conservation of remaining tidal wetlands and restoration potentials is needed. In this study we elaborate the habitat conditions in the natural vegetation of the Elbe estuary and analyze: (a) which abiotic factors drive species composition; and (b) which species traits are key to the plants’ strategies in this specific ecotone.LocationThree sites in the Elbe estuary (river kilometer 671–703).MethodsWe collected data on soil nutrients, inundation period and wave height and sampled traits of the 17 most abundant plant species, which we analyzed by RLQ (three‐table analysis, including environment variables [R], species abundance [L] and a species traits table [Q]).ResultsWe detected a strong ˈwave–disturbance–inundation gradientˈ, which separated sparsely vegetated low‐lying plots receiving high wave impact and exposed to long inundation periods, from high‐lying plots showing dense vegetation and aerated soils. Close to the shore, plants showed low organ density and high investment into rhizomes, with a correlation of 0.72 between mass fraction of rhizome and phosphorus content of rhizome tissue. On higher elevations, plants strongly expressed traits relating to competition, like high allocation to stem biomass. Further, we found species with high leaf chlorophyll content showing low specific leaf area values and a negative correlation with the nutrient gradient.ConclusionThe results of our study are particularly relevant for restoration measures in order to re‐establish healthy marsh vegetation. However, changes in the environmental conditions, for instance stronger wave energies by a higher shipping frequency in the river channel and sea level rise may trigger changes in species composition through plant trait adaptations, for example by demanding a stem flexibility beyond what would be structurally feasible.