bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Calcium and phosphate homeostasis in dogs with newly diagnosed naturally occurring hypercortisolism
Authors: Corsini Andrea , Dondi Francesco , Serio Daria G. , Zamagni Silvia , Golinelli Stefania , Fernandez Mercedes , Fracassi Federico 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackgroundHypercortisolism affects calcium and phosphate metabolism in dogs; however, the exact mechanisms are not completely understood.ObjectivesTo evaluate circulating concentrations of whole parathormone (wPTH), 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐(OH)D), calcitriol, and fibroblast growth factor‐23 (FGF‐23) in dogs with naturally occurring hypercortisolism (NOHC) and healthy dogs, and their association with calcium and phosphate homeostasis.AnimalsTwenty‐three client‐owned dogs with NOHC, and 12 client or staff‐owned healthy dogs.MethodsProspective cross‐sectional study. The circulating concentrations of total calcium, ionized calcium (iCa), phosphate, wPTH, 25‐(OH)D, calcitriol and FGF‐23, and the urinary fractional excretion of phosphate (FEP) and calcium (FECa) were compared between dogs with NOHC before treatment and healthy dogs.ResultsDogs with NOHC had higher mean serum phosphate concentrations (4.81 mg/dL, SD ± 0.71 vs 3.86 mg/dL, SD ± 0.60;P < .001), median FECa (0.43%, range, 0.03‐2.44 vs 0.15%, range, 0.06‐0.35;P= .005), and median serum wPTH concentrations (54.6 pg/mL, range, 23.7‐490 vs 24.6 pg/mL, range, 5.5‐56.4;P= .003) as compared to the controls. Circulating concentrations of total calcium, iCa, and calcitriol and the FEP did not differ between groups, whereas the serum 25‐(OH)D concentrations were lower in dogs with NOHC as compared to the controls (70.2 pg/mL, SD ± 42.3 vs 106.3 pg/mL, SD ± 35.3;P= .02). The dogs with NOHC had lower plasma FGF‐23 concentrations than controls (316.6 pg/mL, range, 120.8‐575.6 vs 448.7 pg/mL, range, 244.8‐753;P= .03).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceUrine loss of calcium and hyperphosphatemia could contribute to the adrenal secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Impact of a kidney‐specific disease‐specific care certification program on the institutional performance indicators of hospitals caring for patients with chronic kidney disease: A national data analysis
Authors: Chao Chia‐Ter , Chang Ching‐I , Wang Pa‐Chun , Chiang Ching‐Feng , Chen Chia‐Pei , Hsu Hui‐Shu , Hung Kuan‐Yu 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAimThe prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise due to population aging and multimorbidity. Taiwan is particularly afflicted by this prevailing ailment. Although multidisciplinary pre‐dialysis care has been implemented to halt CKD progression and reduce health‐care utilization in Taiwan, more is needed to reduce the local burden of CKD.MethodsThe Taiwan Joint Commission initiated a kidney‐care disease‐specific care (DSC) certification program since 2017, aiming to improve participating hospitals' quality of care for kidney disease and to synchronize the quality of kidney care across Taiwan. We analysed the trend of changes over time among the kidney DSC certification program participating institutes during the period before, during, and after DSC certification program implementation, using the Generalized Estimating Equation methods.ResultsA total of 20 institutes participated in the DSC certification program focusing on kidney diseases between January 2018 and March 2020, among which 70% were medical centres. DSC certification program was shown to significantly reduce the annual incidence of arteriovenous fistula reconstruction while increase the levels of serum albumin and haemoglobin among patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) under haemodialysis over time. For parameters related to peritoneal dialysis (PD), participating in the kidney‐care DSC certification program significantly increased serum albumin levels among these patients with ESRD over time.ConclusionIn this study, we discovered that a kidney‐care DSC certification program significantly improved multiple performance indicators of participating institutes including patients' haemoglobin, albumin, and shunt re‐creation probability among patients with end‐stage renal disease.
Auricular vagal nerve stimulation enhances gastrointestinal motility and improves interstitial cells of Cajal in rats treated with loperamide
Authors: Zhang Yiling , Lu Tao , Dong Yan , Chen Yan , Chen Jiande D. Z. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackgroundGastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders affect a large proportion of the population with limited treatment options. The aims of this study were to investigate the potential of a non‐invasive method of auricular vagal nerve stimulation (aVNS) for treating GI dysmotility and to explore possible mechanisms involving slow waves and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC).MethodsNormal rats were treated daily with loperamide for 1 week and then treated, while still on daily loperamide, with aVNS/Sham‐aVNS for another 1 week. Gastric emptying (GE), small intestine transit (SIT), and GI slow waves were measured. The plasma level of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and noradrenaline (NE) was assessed by ELISA. ICC in the gastric antrum were detected by immunohistochemistry.Key results(a) aVNS significantly increased the percentage of normal GI slow waves (p < 0.05 for both fasting and postprandial states, vs. Sham‐aVNS) and accelerated GE (p < 0.05, vs. Sham‐aVNS) and SIT (p < 0.05, vs. Sham‐aVNS) impaired by loperamide. (b) aVNS increased plasma PP (p < 0.01) and decreased plasma NE (p < 0.01), compared with Sham‐aVNS. (c) Gastric ICC was decreased by loperamide (p < 0.01) but increased after aVNS (p < 0.01, vs. Sham aVNS).Conclusions & InferencesLoperamide induces upper GI dysmotility. aVNS accelerates upper GI transit and improving pace‐making activity mediated via the ICC. Non‐invasive aVNS may have a therapeutic potential for upper GI dysmotility.
Management of laryngeal chondroradionecrosis with pentoxifylline and vitamin E: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Grossman Sanford , Simo Ricard , Patel Vinod 
Published: May 2021

AbstractLaryngeal chondroradionecrosis (LCRN) is a rare complication characterised by radiation‐induced fibro‐atrophy and necrosis of the laryngeal cartilage. There is a mixed consensus on treatment strategy with limited cases reported in the literature. A 60‐year‐old female patient with a history of a poorly differentiated T3N0M0 glottic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated via chemo‐radiotherapy presented 18 months following treatment with discomfort of her throat and difficulty swallowing. Imaging showed fracture of the right lamina of the thyroid cartilage with accompanying soft tissue swelling representative of LCRN. A combination of pentoxifylline and tocopherol (vitamin E) (PENTO) was prescribed on the principle of managing radiation induced fibrosis. At the 1‐month review, the patient's throat pain had resolved and her swallowing had improved. A further 2 months later a nasoendoscopy showed no evidence of LCRN. The PENTO protocol has been a successful management strategy in this case in the medium term.
Debunking the “Big Lie”: Election Administration in the 2020 Presidential Election
Authors: Canon David T. , Sherman Owen 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe democratic process in the United States was sorely tested in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Our electoral institutions survived that test, but the fragility of our democracy was exposed by a concerted effort to overturn the results of the presidential election, first in the courts and then with an insurrection at the nation's Capitol on January 6, 2021. We examine how this happened. Specifically, we will attempt to answer the following questions: How did the big lie evolve and what were its claims? How did the COVID pandemic and foreign interference complicate the voting process and contribute to the claims of fraud? How did the courts adjudicate the claims of fraud? Finally, how do we restore trust in the voting process?
Virtual reality expands the toolkit for conducting health psychology research
Authors: Martingano Alison Jane , Persky Susan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractVirtual reality (VR) has become a readily available consumer technology, strengthening its promise as a research tool for health psychology. We identify five key strengths of VR‐based research: data collection, realism, experimental control, adaptability, and mobility (DREAM). We review how these advantages allow researchers to investigate behavioral, psychological, and social processes related to health and well‐being in novel ways, by using VR as both a stimulus and a measurement tool. We also describe challenges facing VR research and potential strategies researchers can use to mitigate them. In addition to reviewing existing research, we hope to inspire researchers to consider ways in which VR might be used in future to augment their own research programs or answer currently impracticable research questions in health psychology.
Ratings, rankings and managing numbers: Professionals' perspectives on user surveys in Swedish nursing home care
Authors: Carlstedt Elisabeth 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPublic sector services are audited, measured and ranked in order to improve quality and transparency and to prompt organizations to conform to normative definitions of quality. In Swedish eldercare, a nationwide user survey distributed by the public authorities to all eldercare users, designed to gauge user satisfaction, is a prominent example of this form of soft governance. The aim of the present study is to investigate nursing home representatives' meaning making of the user survey and its function. The findings from 24 qualitative interviews suggest that despite professional scepticism about flawed measurement procedures and tools and thus the validity of the survey results, organizations adjust the care they offer in order to improve low scores. External pressure and the risk of shame and a bad reputation may explain their willingness to let survey results guide their organizational improvements. The article concludes that practitioners may rely on their professional knowledge to dismiss the validity of normative external demands on one level but still manage such demands by making organizational changes on another level for the sake of good reviews. Moving between these levels makes it possible for respondents to be simultaneously critical and compliant. As an organization will need to appeal to external assessors of quality if it is to manage its reputation by achieving high scores, the audience's perceptions risk overriding care users' voices—the very voices the survey is intended to listen to.
Popular Attitudes Toward the Distribution of Vaccines Against COVID‐19: The Swiss Case
Authors: Knotz Carlo M. , Gandenberger Mia K. , Fossati Flavia , Bonoli Giuliano 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWith the arrival of vaccines against the novel coronavirus in late 2020, the issue of how vaccines should be distributed and which groups should be prioritized has become salient. We study popular attitudes toward the distribution of COVID‐19 vaccines and how these have changed over the course of the pandemic in Switzerland, drawing on data from two rounds of an original public opinion survey conducted in the spring and winter of 2020. We find that the public supports prioritizing vulnerable groups such as health care workers or the elderly. We also find a notable degree of cross‐generational solidarity: younger age cohorts prioritize the elderly, while older groups prioritize (typically younger) health care workers. We then examine whether this finding is not in fact driven by vaccine hesitancy. This is not the case for older age groups, whose solidarity thus seems to be genuine. Vaccine hesitancy is an issue among younger groups, however.
A national level estimation of population need for blood in India
Authors: Mammen Joy John , Asirvatham Edwin Sam , Lakshmanan Jeyaseelan , Sarman Charishma Jones , Mani Thenmozhi , Charles Bimal , Upadhyaya Sunita , Rajan Shobini 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe population need for blood is the total volume required to transfuse all the individuals who need transfusion in a defined population over a defined period. The clinical demand will arise when people with a disease or condition who require transfusion, access healthcare services, and subsequently the clinicians request blood. Essentially, the conversion of need to demand must be maximum to avoid preventable mortality and morbidity. The study estimated the population need for blood in India.MethodsThe methodology included a comprehensive literature review to determine the diseases and conditions requiring transfusion, the population at risk, and prevalence or incidence; and Delphi method to estimate the percentage of people requiring transfusion, and the quantum.ResultsThe estimated annual population need was 26.2 million units (95% CI; 17.9–38.0) of whole blood to address the need for red cells and other components after the separation process. The need for medical conditions was 11.0 million units (95% CI:8.7–14.7), followed by surgery 6.6 million (95% CI:3.8–10.0), pediatrics 5.0 million (95% CI:3.5–7.0), and obstetrics and gynecology 3.6 million units (95% CI:1.9–6.2). The gap between need and demand which depends upon the access and efficiency of healthcare service provision was estimated at 13 million units.ConclusionThe study brings evidence to highlight the gap between need and demand and the importance of addressing it. It cannot be just the responsibility of blood transfusion or health systems, it requires a multi‐sectoral approach to address the barriers affecting the conversion of need to clinical demand for blood.
Examining interindividual differences in select muscle and whole‐body adaptations to continuous endurance training
Authors: Bonafiglia Jacob T. , Islam Hashim , Preobrazenski Nicholas , Ma Andrew , Deschenes Madeleine , Erlich Avigail T. , Quadrilatero Joe , Hood David A. , Gurd Brendon J. 
Published: May 2021

New Findings

What is the central question of the study?
Do interindividual differences in trainability exist for morphological and molecular skeletal muscle responses to aerobic exercise training?

What is the main finding and its importance?
Interindividual differences in trainability were present for some, but not all, morphological and molecular outcomes included in our study.
Our findings suggest that it is inappropriate, and perhaps erroneous, to assume that variability in observed responses reflects interindividual differences in trainability in skeletal muscle responses to aerobic exercise training.

AbstractStudies have interpreted a wide range of morphological and molecular changes in human skeletal muscle as evidence of interindividual differences in trainability. However, these interpretations fail to account for the influence of random measurement error and within‐subject variability. The purpose of the present study was to use the standard deviation of individual response (SDIR) statistic to test the hypothesis that interindividual differences in trainability are present for some but not all skeletal muscle outcomes. Twenty‐nine recreationally active males (age: 21 ± 2 years; BMI: 24 ± 3 kg/m2; ; 45 ± 7 ml/kg/min) completed 4 weeks of continuous training (REL; n = 14) or control (n = 15). Maximal enzyme activities (citrate synthase and β‐hydroxyacyl‐CoA dehydrogenase), capillary density, fibre type composition, fibre‐specific succinate dehydrogenase activity and substrate storage (intramuscular triglycerides and glycogen), and markers of mitophagy (BCL2‐interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), BNIP3‐like protein, parkin and PTEN‐induced kinase 1) were measured in vastus lateralis samples collected before and after the intervention. We also calculated SDIR values for , peak work rate and the onset of blood lactate accumulation for the REL group and a separate group that exercised at the negative talk test stage. Although positive SDIR values – indicating interindividual differences in trainability – were obtained for aerobic capacity outcomes, maximal enzyme activities, capillary density, all fibre‐specific outcomes and BNIP3 protein content, the remaining outcomes produced negative SDIR values indicating a large degree of random measurement error and/or within‐subject variability. Our findings question the interpretation of heterogeneity in observed responses as evidence of interindividual differences in trainability and highlight the importance of including control groups when analysing individual skeletal muscle response to exercise training.
A Multiscale Method for Coupled Steady-State Heat Conduction and Radiative Transfer Equations in Composite Materials
Authors: Tong Zi-Xiang , Li Ming-Jia , Yu Yi-Si , Guo Jing-Yu 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPredictions of coupled conduction-radiation heat transfer processes in periodic composite materials are important for applications of the materials in high-temperature environments. The homogenization method is widely used for the heat conduction equation, but the coupled radiative transfer equation is seldom studied. In this work, the homogenization method is extended to the coupled conduction-radiation heat transfer in composite materials with periodic microscopic structures, in which both the heat conduction equation and the radiative transfer equation are analyzed. Homogenized equations are obtained for the macroscopic heat transfer. Unit cell problems are also derived, which provide the effective coefficients for the homogenized equations and the local temperature and radiation corrections. A second-order asymptotic expansion of the temperature field and a first-order asymptotic expansion of the radiative intensity field are established. A multiscale numerical algorithm is proposed to simulate the coupled conduction-radiation heat transfer in composite materials. According to the numerical examples in this work, compared with the fully resolved simulations, the relative errors of the multiscale model are less than 13% for the temperature and less than 8% for the radiation. The computational time can be reduced from more than 300 h to less than 30 min. Therefore, the proposed multiscale method maintains the accuracy of the simulation and significantly improves the computational efficiency. It can provide both the average temperature and radiation fields for engineering applications and the local information in microstructures of composite materials.
Resilience Assessment and Importance Measure for Interdependent Critical Infrastructures
Authors: Liu Xing , Fang Yi-Ping , Ferrario Elisa , Zio Enrico 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Based upon a novel control-based dynamic modeling framework, this paper proposes two new indicators, i.e., resilience by mitigation and resilience by recovery, for the resilience analysis of interdependent critical infrastructures (ICIs) under disruptions. The former is built from the protection activities before and during the mitigation phase of a disruptive event, and the latter is the result of the restoration efforts, which take place at the recovery phase. The total resilience of ICIs combines both of these two aspects by taking into account the preferences of the decision makers. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed modeling framework and metrics in a case study involving ICIs made of a power grid and a gas distribution system. Owing to the new resilience indicators, the priorities of subsystems and links within ICIs at different phases can be ranked; therefore, different resilience strategies at different phases of disruptive events are compared. The results show that proposed metrics can be used by stakeholders of ICIs on improving the effectiveness of system protection measurements.
Neutron Star Mergers and Gamma-Ray Bursts: Stripping Model
Authors: Blinnikov S. I. , Nadyozhin D. K. , Kramarev N. I. , Yudin A. V. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the current state of the stripping model for short gamma-ray bursts. After the historical joint detection of the gravitational wave event GW170817 and the accompanying gamma-ray burst GRB170817A, the relation between short gamma-ray bursts and neutron star mergers has been reliably confirmed. We show that many properties of GRB170817A, which turned out to be peculiar in comparison with other short gamma-ray bursts, are naturally explained in the context of the stripping model, specifically, the time (1.7 s) between the peak of the gravitational wave signal and the detection of the gamma-ray burst, its total isotropic energy, and the parameters of the red and blue components of the accompanying kilonova.
Intravitreal conbercept for diabetic macular oedema: 2-year results from a randomised controlled trial and open-label extension study
Authors: Liu Kun , Wang Hanying , He Wei , Ye Jian , Song Yanping , Wang Yusheng , Liu Xiaoling , Wu Zhifeng , Chen Shaojun , Fan Ke , Liu Yuling , Zhang Feng , Li Zhiqing , Liu Lin , Zhang Junjun , Zhang Xuedong , Ye Junjie , Liang Xiaoling , Li Xiaoxin , Ke Xiao , Wu Quan , Li Jie , Tao Shanshan , Wang Xinguo , Rosenfeld Philip , Heier Jeffrey S , Kaiser Peter , Xu Xun 
Published: May 2021

BackgroundTo demonstrate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal injections of conbercept versus laser photocoagulation in the treatment of diabetic macular oedema (DME).MethodsA 12-month multicentre, randomised, double-masked, double-sham, parallel controlled, phase III trial (Sailing Study), followed by a 12-month open-label extension study. Patients with centre-involved DME were randomly assigned to receive either laser photocoagulation followed by pro re nata (PRN) sham intravitreal injections (laser/sham) or sham laser photocoagulation followed by PRN 0.5 mg conbercept intravitreal injections (sham/conbercept). Patients who entered the extension study received PRN conbercept treatment. The primary endpoint was the changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline.ResultsA total of 248 eyes were included in the full analysis set and 157 eyes continued in the extension study. Significant improvement in mean change in BCVA from baseline to month 12 was observed in the sham/conbercept group (8.2±9.5 letters), whereas no improvement was observed in the laser/sham group (0.3±12.0 letters). Patients in the laser/sham group showed a marked improvement in BCVA after the switch to conbercept in the extension study, and there was no difference in BCVA between the two groups at the end of the extension study.ConclusionThe use of a conbercept PRN intravitreal injection regimen improved the BCVA of patients with DME, and its efficacy was better than that of laser photocoagulations, and the same efficacy was observed when the eyes treated with laser alone were switched to conbercept.Trial registration numberNCT02194634.