bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Active Cerebrospinal Fluid Exchange System for Treatment of Pyogenic Ventriculitis
Authors: Rezai Jahromi Behnam , Tanskanen Päivi , Koski-Pàlken Anniina , Schwartz Christoph , Koroknay-Pal Päivi , Romo Inka , Niemelä Mika , Siironen Jari 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND
Despite recent advances in antibiotic treatment, pyogenic ventricular brain infections are still associated with adverse clinical outcome in 80% of affected patients and mortality rates approaching 60%. The limitation of antibiotic penetration into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) challenges the treatment. Intrathecal treatment remains an option for adjunctive therapy to intravenous (iv) antibiotics when the iv therapy fails to sterilize the CFS. Current treatment options do not allow for changing the CSF composition without adversely affecting intracranial pressure (ICP) and power of hydrogen (pH).

OBJECTIVE
To investigate if CSF composition exchange has impact on ventriculitis patients.

METHODS
We report 2 cases with pyogenic ventriculitis treated with a new intracranial active fluid exchange system that consists of a dual-lumen catheter to facilitate irrigation and drainage coupled with an intelligent digital pump.

RESULTS
This new technique allowed us to change the composition of CSF to an antibiotic-consisted fluid. This resulted in the ability to directly modify the concentration of the targeted antibiotics in the CSF, while simultaneously removing bacterial mass without harming brain tissue and controlling ICP and pH.

CONCLUSION
Our reported experience shows that drainage of purulent fluid caused by healthcare-associated ventriculitis or meningitis is now possible without harming brain tissue and ICP while also changing the composition of CSF to an antibiotic-consisted fluid. Actively removing pus and altering CSF in this manner had an impact on infection treatment and antibiotic penetration. Further cases are needed to confirm that our treatment algorithm is correctly tailored to assist clinicians in reliably treating this catastrophic condition.
Where Has All the Data Gone?
Authors: Farboodi Maryam , Matray Adrien , Veldkamp Laura , Venkateswaran Venky 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Since the finance industry is transforming into a data industry, measuring the quantity of data investors have about various assets is important. Informed by a structural model, we develop such a cross-sectional measure. We show how our measure differs from price informativeness and use it to document a new fact: data about large high-growth firms is becoming increasingly abundant, relative to data about other firms. Our structural model offers an explanation for this data divergence: large high-growth firms’ data became more valuable, as big firms got bigger and growth magnified the effect of these changes in size.
Impact of teleconsultation on subsequent disease activity and flares in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Au Eong Jonathan T W , Lateef Aisha , Liang Shen , Lim Sandy H H , Tay Sen Hee , Mak Anselm , Cho Jiacai 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Despite the widespread adoption of teleconsultations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, their safety in SLE patients has not been evaluated. Here, we examined subsequent disease activity and flares among SLE patients who received teleconsultation vs in-person consultation. To discern differences in physicians’ prescription behaviour during both forms of consultations, we compared corticosteroid dose adjustments.

Methods
We studied adult SLE patients who were seen between 1 February 2020 and 1 February 2021. At each patient-visit, rheumatologists utilized phone/video teleconsultation or physical consultation at their discretion. Disease activity was assessed with SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and flares were defined by the SELENA-SLEDAI Flare Index (SFI). We derived a propensity score for patients who were chosen for physical consultation. Multivariable generalized estimation equations were used to analyse SLEDAI-2k and flare at the next visit, adjusted for the propensity score.

Results
A total of 435 visits were recorded, of which 343 (78.9%) were physical visits and 92 (21.1%) were teleconsultations. The modality of consultation did not predict flare [OR for physical consultation (95% CI) 0.42 (0.04, 5.04), P =0.49] or SLEDAI-2k at the next visit [estimate of coefficient for physical consultation (95% CI) −0.19 (−0.80, 0.43), P =0.55]. Adjustments of prednisolone dosages were comparable between the two forms of visits [OR for physical consultation (95% CI) 1.34 (0.77, 2.34), P =0.30].

Conclusion
SLE disease activity and flares at the subsequent visit were similar between teleconsultations and physical consultations. Medication prescription behaviour, determined using adjustment in corticosteroid dosages, was not different between the two forms of visits.
Survival and associated comorbidities in inclusion body myositis
Authors: Naddaf Elie , Shelly Shahar , Mandrekar Jay , Chamberlain Alanna M , Hoffman E Matthew , Ernste Floranne C , Liewluck Teerin 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Objective
To evaluate survival and associated comorbidities in inclusion body myositis (IBM) in a population-based, case-control study.

Methods
We utilized the expanded Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records-linkage system, including 27 counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin, to identify patients with IBM, other inflammatory myopathies (IIM), and age/sex-matched population-controls. We compared the frequency of various comorbidities and survival among groups.

Results
We identified 50 IBM patients, 65 IIM controls and 294 population controls. Dysphagia was most common in IBM (64%) patients. The frequency of neurodegenerative disorders (dementia/parkinsonism) and solid cancers was not different between groups. Rheumatoid arthritis was the most common rheumatic disease in all groups. A total of 36% of IBM patients had a peripheral neuropathy, 6% had Sjögren’s syndrome and 10% had a haematologic malignancy. T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukaemia was only observed in the IBM group. None of the IBM patients had hepatitis B or C, or HIV. IBM patients were 2.7 times more likely to have peripheral neuropathy, 6.2 times more likely to have Sjögren’s syndrome and 3.9 times more likely to have a haematologic malignancy than population controls. IBM was associated with increased mortality, with a 10-year survival of 36% from index, compared with 67% in IIM and 59% in population controls. Respiratory failure or pneumonia (44%) was the most common cause of death.

Conclusions
IBM is associated with lower survival, and higher frequency of peripheral neuropathy, Sjögren’s syndrome and haematologic malignancies than the general population. Close monitoring of IBM-related complications is warranted.
The Dynamics of Immigration and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in Japan: How and Why Changes in Immigrant Share Affect Attitudes toward Immigration in a Newly Diversifying Society
Authors: Laurence James , Igarashi Akira , Ishida Kenji 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Extensive research investigates how immigration shapes natives’ anti-immigrant sentiment. However, several areas require further scrutiny. This paper explores how processes of immigration affect anti-immigrant sentiment in a new immigration destination country—Japan—drawing on longitudinal data to examine these processes over time and explicitly testing the mechanisms of perceived threat and intergroup contact posited to underpin this relationship. Through this analysis, the paper aims to: examine how generalizable the immigrant share/immigration attitudes theoretical framework is to non-Western societies; refine our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning this relationship; and more robustly test its causal assumptions. To pursue these aims, the study draws on two sets of nationally representative Japanese data, designed to generate complementary insights, including: four waves of longitudinal panel data (2008–2014) and a unique cross-sectional dataset containing measures of perceived threat and contact. Applying multilevel and fixed-effects panel data approaches, the findings demonstrate that as immigration increases in Japanese prefectures and municipalities, residents become increasingly averse toward immigration (although there is some evidence of non-linearity at the municipality level, with sentiment improving again in high immigrant share environments). This overall relationship appears largely driven by two competing processes. In higher immigrant share environments, perceived threat is higher, increasing anti-immigrant sentiment. However, concurrently, intergroup contact also increases in these environments, reducing anti-immigrant sentiment. Therefore, despite the overall negative relationship (driven primarily by perceived threat), rising contact exerts a countervailing positive effect as immigration increases. Taken together, this research demonstrates that theories of attitudinal-change with higher immigration, developed within Western-contexts, also appear salient for newer destination, non-Western societies.
Unfolding Trade Effect in Two Margins of Informality. The Peruvian Case
Authors: Cisneros-Acevedo Camila 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
This paper studies the effect of an increase in import competition on informality along two margins. It considers the extensive margin, where workers are hired by unregistered employers, and the intensive margin, where even though jobs are carried out by registered firms, employees are off the books. Peru’s relentless informal employment and its unprecedented trade-driven growth provides an ideal case study. Using a rich household survey, this study finds that exposure to trade impacts on informality through two competing and contrasting mechanisms. On the one hand, extensive-informal employment declines as unregistered employers shrink or exit due to their low productivity. On the other hand, intensive-informal employment rises as registered employers reduce costs by hiring informal workers. Furthermore, results suggest that the intensive margin drives the overall effect. Hence, trade liberalization increases informality.
The Past and Future of the Right to Petition the European Parliament
Authors: Vogiatzis Nikos 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
This article critically evaluates the right to petition the European Parliament, a right which has not managed, to date, to constitute a credible alternative for citizens’ participation in the EU. It argues that there are two main reasons for the shortcomings of this right. First, before Maastricht, the Petitions’ Committee suffered the consequences of a broader decline of parliamentary petitions within and beyond Europe. Second, after Maastricht and Lisbon, the petition right was affected by the (partly complementary and partly divergent) rights to complain to the European Ombudsman and to sign or support a European citizens’ initiative. In addition, and possibly as a consequence of the above reasons, throughout its life, the petition right and the Committee on Petitions more generally have not benefited from significant resources, while their visibility has been very limited. A comparative examination of the three rights (petitions, European Ombudsman, citizens’ initiative) in terms of access, scope, user-friendliness and outcome is undertaken. Looking at the future of the petition right, in an era marked by the resurgence of online petitions, the article argues that the Petitions’ Committee should strategically focus on areas which are not covered by the two aforementioned rights, namely the national level and broader policy choices in the EU, in order to maximize its input and relevancy within the EU’s decision-making world.
Recovery Plan for Scots Pine Blister Rust Caused by Cronartium pini
Authors: Kim Mee-Sook , Hantula Jarkko , Kaitera Juha , Zambino Paul J. , Woodward Stephen , Richardson Bryce A. , Stewart Jane E. , Spaine Pauline , Shaw David C. , Takeuchi Yu , Klopfenstein Ned B. 
Published: September 2021

Scots pine blister rust caused by Cronartium pini, which includes the fungal rust pathogen with either a heteroecious life cycle (previously known as Cronartium flaccidum) or an autoecious life cycle (formerly known as Peridermium pini or Endocronartium pini), is capable of infecting many Eurasian pines including Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine). The heteroecious form of C. pini completes its life cycle alternating between pines and various species of flowering plants (Angiospermae); the related autoecious form spreads directly from pine to pine. If the Scots pine blister rust pathogen possesses or gains the capacity to infect North American pines, the economic and ecological impacts could be significant. Scots pine is one of the most widely distributed conifers in the world, and it has become naturalized in the northeastern and midwestern United States. Scots pine blister rust is also called resin-top disease and top-dieback of pine. Symptoms in pine include stem swelling, branch flagging, excessive pitch flow, and top-kill, and, in the alternate hosts, leaf spotting. The rust pathogen is spread in nature by wind-borne spores, which require live hosts for infection. However, the rust pathogen can also be transported on infected plant materials that can be nonsymptomatic. Early infections of host plant infections by C. pini are difficult to detect and diagnose, but molecular techniques offer a potential approach for early detection and diagnosis. This recovery plan is intended to provide a brief summary of the disease, assess the status of critical recovery components, and identify disease management research, extension, and education needs.
Assessing Loss to Follow-up After Newborn Hearing Screening in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Sociodemographic Factors That Affect Completion of Initial Audiological Evaluation
Authors: Cheung Anthony , Chen Tammy , Rivero Rachel , Hartman-Joshi Kristin , Cohen Michael B. , Levi Jessica R. 
Published: September 2021

Objectives:
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients are at high risk for congenital hearing loss. Previous studies have found sociodemographic factors associated with loss to follow-up for newborn hearing screening, but none have specifically studied the NICU population. Our objective is to determine if demographics and socioeconomic status is associated with loss to follow-up in a newborn population with extended NICU stay.

Design:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 443 NICU infants with extended NICU stay utilizing data extracted from infant and maternal medical records at an urban safety-net hospital.

Results:
Younger maternal age (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.95, confidence interval [CI] 0.91 to 0.99), higher gravidity (adjusted OR 1.39, CI 1.12 to 1.72), and former smoking status (adjusted OR 2.57, CI 1.07–6.18) were identified as independent predictors of loss to follow-up for NHS after conducting a multivariable logistic regression. Demographic and socioeconomic variables, such as sex, parity, birth weight, mode of birth, highest level of maternal education, maternal race/ethnicity, zip code metrics, and maternal language were not found to be associated with loss to follow-up.

Conclusions:
Maternal age, gravidity, and smoking status are risk factors for loss to follow-up for NHS in newborns with extended NICU stay, a group at high risk for hearing loss. Our findings demonstrate that socioeconomic and demographic factors for loss to follow-up in the extended-stay NICU population are distinct from the well-baby population. Further investigation of these patients will allow prioritization of limited resources to subgroups within the extended-stay NICU population at risk for loss to follow-up for newborn hearing screening.
Extracorporeal Life Support for Respiratory Failure in Patients With Electronic Cigarette or Vaping Product Use–Associated Lung Injury
Authors: Gupta Vikas S. , Hayes Don , Hsu Stephanie C. , Tonna Joseph E. , Rycus Peter T. , Bridges Brian C. , Diaban Fatima , Bosma Karen J. , Bhatt Jayesh M. , Sakla Nicole M. , Han Jason J. , Bermudez Christian A. , Manetta Frank , Garcia Elisa I. , Harting Matthew T. 
Published: September 2021

OBJECTIVES:
Electronic cigarette or vaping product use–associated lung injury is a clinical entity that can lead to respiratory failure and death. Despite the severity of electronic cigarette or vaping product use–associated lung injury, the role of extracorporeal life support in its management remains unclear. Our objective was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with electronic cigarette or vaping product use–associated lung injury who received extracorporeal life support.

DESIGN:
We performed a retrospective review of records of electronic cigarette or vaping product use–associated lung injury patients who received extracorporeal life support. Standardized data were collected via direct contact with extracorporeal life support centers. Data regarding presentation, ventilatory management, extracorporeal life support details, and outcome were analyzed.

SETTING:
This was a multi-institutional, international case series with patients from 10 different institutions in three different countries.

PATIENTS:
Patients who met criteria for confirmed electronic cigarette or vaping product use–associated lung injury (based on previously reported diagnostic criteria) and were placed on extracorporeal life support were included. Patients were identified via literature review and by direct contact with extracorporeal life support centers.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
Data were collected for 14 patients ranging from 16 to 45 years old. All had confirmed vape use within 3 months of presentation. Nicotine was the most commonly used vaping product. All patients had respiratory symptoms and radiographic evidence of bilateral pulmonary opacities. IV antibiotics and corticosteroids were universally initiated. Patients were intubated for 1.9 days (range, 0–6) prior to extracorporeal life support initiation. Poor oxygenation and ventilation were the most common indications for extracorporeal life support. Five patients showed evidence of ventricular dysfunction on echocardiography. Thirteen patients (93%) were placed on venovenous extracorporeal life support, and one patient required multiple rounds of extracorporeal life support. Total extracorporeal life support duration ranged from 2 to 37 days. Thirteen patients survived to hospital discharge; one patient died of septic shock.

CONCLUSIONS:
Electronic cigarette or vaping product use–associated lung injury can cause refractory respiratory failure and hypoxemia. These data suggest that venovenous extracorporeal life support can be an effective treatment option for profound, refractory respiratory failure secondary to electronic cigarette or vaping product use–associated lung injury.
Impact of Reverberation on Speech Perception and Sound Localization Accuracy in Cochlear Implant Users With Single-Sided Deafness
Authors: Körtje Monika , Eichenauer Anja , Stöver Timo , Baumann Uwe , Weissgerber Tobias 
Published: September 2021

Objectives:
The aim of this study was to compare the impact of reverberation on sound localization accuracy and speech perception in noise between subjects with single-sided deafness using a cochlear implant (SSD-CI) and a normal-hearing control group.

Methods:
Nine SSD-CI subjects and 21 normal-hearing subjects participated in the study. In Experiment 1, the sound localization accuracy was measured with and without reverberation. In Experiment 2, speech reception thresholds were determined with four asymmetrically arranged noise sources in free-field and in reverberation. For the realization of reverberation, a room simulation system comprising of 128 loudspeakers was used.

Results:
No significant impact of reverberation was found on the sound localization accuracy of the SSD-CI subjects (free-field: 12.6°, reverberation: 11.9°), whereas the normal-hearing subjects performed significantly worse in reverberation (free-field: 1.8°, reverberation: 3.3°).
Both subject groups experienced significantly deteriorated speech reception thresholds due to reverberation (p
SSD-CI = 0.008, p
NH < 0.001). Mean speech reception thresholds in the SSD-CI subjects were −9.7 dB SNR (free-field) and −4.2 dB SNR (reverberation) and a median individual decrease of 5.7 dB SNR in reverberation. Mean speech reception thresholds in the normal-hearing group were −14.0 dB SNR (free-field) and −10.3 dB SNR (reverberation).

Conclusion:
A strong deterioration of sound localization accuracy due to reverberation did not occur. However, although partial restoration of binaural hearing is assumed in SSD-CI users, the impact of reverberation on speech perception in noise is much stronger compared to normal-hearing.
Extracorporeal measurement of femoral nail length in the treatment of trochanteric hip fractures: the “box” technique
Authors: Garg Kartik , Herring Matthew J. , Marmor Meir 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Intramedullary nails, long and short, are widely used for fixation of trochanteric femur fractures. In theory, long nails may be able to protect the entire length of the femur from a future periprosthetic fracture, providing that the nail spans the length of the entire femoral canal. The described technique for long nail insertion calls for the use of an intramedullary guidewire and depth gauge for premeasurement of the length of the canal, as well as the use of a reamer. However, compared with short nails, this technique may add cost, operating time, and blood loss. We describe a safe technique for long nail measurement that reliably spans the length of the femur while potentially reducing surgical cost, time, and blood loss. We also describe 21 cases in which the technique was applied.