bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Female-male differences in COVID vaccine adverse events have precedence in seasonal flu shots: a potential link to sex-associated baseline gene expression patterns
Authors: Venkatakrishnan AJ , Kumar-M Praveen , Silvert Eli , Garcia-Rivera Enrique , Szenk Mariola , Suratekar Rohit , Lenehan Patrick , Lindemer Emily , O’Horo John C. , Williams Amy W. , Badley Andrew D. , Virk Abinash , Swift Melanie D. , Gores Gregory J. , Soundararajan Venky 
Published: April 2021

AbstractNearly 150 million doses of FDA-authorized COVID vaccines have been administered in the United States. Sex-based differences of adverse events remain poorly understood, mandating the need for real-world investigation from Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and broader epidemiological data sets. Based on an augmented curation of EHR clinical notes of 31,064 COVID-vaccinated individuals (19,321 females and 11,743 males) in the Mayo Clinic, we find that nausea and vomiting were documented significantly more frequently in females than males after both vaccine doses (nausea: RRDose 1= 1.67, pDose 1<0.001, RRDose 2= 2.2, pDose 1< 0.001; vomiting: RRDose 1= 1.58, pDose 1< 0.001, RRDose 2= 1.88, pDose 1= 3.4×10−2). Conversely, fever, fatigue, and lymphadenopathy were more common in males after the first dose vaccination (fever RR = 0.62; p = 8.65×10−3; fatigue RR = 0.86, p = 2.89×10−2; lymphadenopathy RR = 0.61, p = 3.45×10−3). Analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database further confirms that nausea comprises a larger fraction of total reports among females than males (RR: 1.58; p<0.001), while fever comprises a larger fraction of total reports among males than females (RR: 0.84; p<0.001). Importantly, increased reporting of nausea and fever among females and males, respectively, is also observed for prior influenza vaccines in the VAERS database, establishing that these differences are not unique to the recently developed COVID-19 vaccines. Investigating the mechanistic basis underlying these clinical findings, an analysis of bulk RNA-sequencing data from 12,158 human blood samples (8626 female, 3532 male) reveals 85 genes that are not only significantly different in their gene expression between females and males at baseline, but also have established literature-based associations to COVID-19 as well as the vaccine-related adverse events of clinical consequence. The NLRP3 inflammasome and the NR3C1 glucocorticoid receptor emerge as particularly promising baseline links to sex-associated vaccine adverse events, warranting targeted investigation of these signaling pathways and associated cell types. From a public health standpoint, our clinical findings shall aid in educating patients on the sex-associated risks they should expect for COVID-19 vaccines and also promote better clinical management of vaccine-associated adverse events.
Prospective analytical performance evaluation of the QuickNavi™-COVID19 Ag for asymptomatic individuals
Authors: Kiyasu Yoshihiko , Takeuchi Yuto , Akashi Yusaku , Kato Daisuke , Kuwahara Miwa , Muramatsu Shino , Notake Shigeyuki , Ueda Atsuo , Nakamura Koji , Ishikawa Hiroichi , Suzuki Hiromichi 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIntroductionAntigen testing may help screen for and detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in asymptomatic individuals. However, limited data regarding the diagnostic performance of antigen tests for this group are available.MethodsWe used clinical samples to prospectively evaluate the analytical and clinical performance of the antigen test QuickNavi™-COVID19 Ag. This study was conducted at a PCR center between October 7, 2020 and January 9, 2021. Two nasopharyngeal samples per patient were obtained with flocked swabs; one was used for the antigen test, and the other for real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). The diagnostic performance of the antigen test was compared between asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, and the RT-PCR results were used as a reference.ResultsAmong the 1,934 collected samples, SARS-CoV-2 was detected by real-time RT-PCR in 188 (9.7%); 76 (40.4%) of these samples were from asymptomatic individuals. Over half of the total samples (1,073; 55.5%) were obtained from asymptomatic volunteers. The sensitivity of the antigen test was significantly lower for asymptomatic group than for symptomatic patients (67.1% vs 89.3%, p < 0.001). The specificity was 100% for both groups, and no false positives were observed among all 1,934 samples. The median Ct value for the asymptomatic group was significantly higher than that of the symptomatic group (24 vs 20, p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe QuickNavi™-COVID19 Ag showed a lower sensitivity for asymptomatic group than for symptomatic patients. However, its specificity was consistently high, and no false positives were found in this study.
Monitoring the opioid epidemic via social media discussions
Authors: Smith Delaney A. , Lavertu Adam , Salecha Aadesh , Hamamsy Tymor , Humphreys Keith , Kiang Mathew V. , Altman Russ B. , Eichstaedt Johannes C. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractOpioid-involved overdose deaths have risen significantly since 1999 with over 80,000 deaths annually since 2021, primarily driven by synthetic opioids, like fentanyl. Responding to the rapidly changing opioid crisis requires reliable and timely information. One possible source of such data is the social media platforms with billions of user-generated posts, a fraction of which are about drug use. We therefore assessed the utility of Reddit data for surveillance of the opioid epidemic, covering prescription, heroin, and synthetic drugs (as of September 2024, up-to-date Reddit data was still accessible on the open web). Specifically, we built a natural language processing pipeline to identify opioid-related comments and created a cohort of 1,689,039 geo-located Reddit users, each assigned to a state. We followed these users from 2010 through 2022, measured their opioid-related posting activity over time, and compared this posting activity against CDC overdose and National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) drug report rates. To simulate the real-world prediction of synthetic drug overdose rates, we added near real-time Reddit data to a model relying on CDC mortality data with a typical 6-month reporting lag and found that Reddit data significantly improved prediction accuracy. We observed drastic, largely unpredictable changes in both Reddit and overdose patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reddit discussions covered a wide variety of drug types that are currently missed by official reporting. This work suggests that social media can help identify and monitor known and emerging drug epidemics and that this data is a public health “common good” to which researchers should continue to have access.Significance statementThe opioid epidemic persists in the United States with over 80,000 deaths annually since 2021, primarily driven by synthetic opioids like fentanyl. As the geographic and demographic patterns of the opioid epidemic are rapidly changing, accurate and timely monitoring is needed. In this paper, we used social media data from Reddit to conduct public health surveillance of the opioid epidemic, following 1.5+ million geo-located users over 10+ years. We also found that near real-time Reddit data can improve our ability to predict future overdose death rates compared to models only using CDC data with typical half-year reporting delays. Our work suggests that social media can be a useful component for public health surveillance of the opioid epidemic.
Endometrium receptivity and the dose-related effects of Acupuncture therapies in infertile women: a protocol for systematic review and meta analysis
Authors: Zheng Xiaoyan , Liu Liying , Zhou Hang , Yang Hongmei , Wang Fangge , Yang Jie 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe aim of the systematic review (SR) is to evaluate the efficacy of Acupuncture in endometrium receptivity(ER) of infertile women and find out dose-related between Acupuncture and ER improving.Methods and analysisWe will search four English databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and five Chinese databases: SinoMed (formerly Chinese Biomedical Database), CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure), Wanfang Data, and China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Science Journal Database (VIP database) from inception to February 2021 in English and Chinese. Also, we will manually retrieve other resources, including reference lists of identified publications, conference articles, and grey literature. All clinical randomized controlled trials related to Acupuncture for endometrium receptivity of infertile women will be included. Two review authors will perform all research selection, data extraction, and research quality assessment. According to suggestions, data will be synthesized in a fixed-effect model, or random effect model due to the heterogeneity test. The primary outcomes include ER (endometrial thickness and endometrial hemodynamic parameters) and clinical pregnancy rate(CPR). Secondary outcomes include a dose of the interventions(the starting time of Acupuncture, the duration, and frequency of Acupuncture sessions), and adverse events will be assessed. We will use the statistical package (RevMan5.4.0) provided by The Cochrane Collaboration to analyze data. The quality of evidence will be assessed by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework.Ethics and disseminationSince this article does not contain patient personal information, ethical approval is not required. The contract is distributed by a peer-reviewSystematic review registrationPROSPERO, CRD42020206790Strengths and limitations of this studyThis study will be the first ever systematic review and meta-analysis in dose-related effects of Acupuncture therapies in treating endometrium receptivity.The quality of evidence will be assessed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment,Development, and Evaluation system.Our research approach will only focus on the dosage of acupuncture interventions. Due to the diversity of included treatment plans, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Moxibustion will increase the heterogeneity of results.We will only retrieve data from Chinese and English databases which could limit available data or result in language bias.
Modelling, Simulations and Analysis of the First and Second COVID-19 Epidemics in Beijing
Authors: Min Lequan 
Published: April 2021

AbstractTo date, over 130 million people on infected with COVID-19. It causes more 2.8 millions deaths. This paper introduces a symptomatic-asymptomatic-recoverer-dead differential equation model (SARDDE). It gives the conditions of the asymptotical stability on the disease-free equilibrium of SARDDE. It proposes the necessary conditions of disease spreading for the SARDDE. Based on the reported data of the first and the second COVID-19 epidemics in Beijing and simulations, it determines the parameters of SARDDE, respectively. Numerical simulations of SARDDE describe well the outcomes of current symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, recovered symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, and died individuals, respectively. The numerical simulations suggest that both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals cause lesser asymptomatic spread than symptomatic spread; blocking rate of about 90% cannot prevent the spread of the COVID19 epidemic in Beijing; the strict prevention and control strategies implemented by Beijing government is not only very effective but also completely necessary. The numerical simulations suggest also that using the data from the beginning to the day after about two weeks at the turning point can estimate well or approximately the following outcomes of the two COVID-19 academics, respectively. It is expected that the research can provide better understanding, explaining, and dominating for epidemic spreads, prevention and control measures.
A prospective observational safety study on ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 corona virus vaccine (recombinant) use in healthcare workers- first results from India
Authors: Kaur Upinder , Ojha Bisweswar , Pathak Bhairav Kumar , Singh Anup , Giri Kiran R , Singh Amit , Das Agniva , Misra Anamika , Yadav Ashish Kumar , Chakrabarti Sankha Shubhra , Kansal Sangeeta 
Published: April 2021

AbstractVaccines are an important public health measure for tiding over the COVID-19 pandemic. Several vaccines have been approved in different countries for emergency use. In India, two vaccines have been currently approved-COVISHIELD (Serum Institute of India (SII)) which is a recombinant simian adenovirus-based vaccine and COVAXIN (Bharat Biotech) which is an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Our current study provides the first post approval safety data on ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 corona virus vaccine (recombinant) use in healthcare workers in northern India (n=804). Around one half of vaccine recipients developed adverse events at any time post vaccination with majority of reactions being mild to moderate in severity. AEFIs were seen in 40% participants after first dose and around 16% participants after second dose. This observed reactogenicity is much less compared to 60-88% reactogenicity rate observed with Oxford-AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1 vaccine in the UK based population. Individually, fever, injection site pain and headache were the commonly observed AEFIs. Overall, the frequency of systemic events of severity grade 3 was only 0.5% and is much less than the reported rates for other recombinant adenoviral vaccines. The rate of serious AEFIs in our study was only 0.1% (n=1). There was a possibility of this AEFI being an immunization stress related response. No deaths were reported in the vaccine recipients in our study during the study period. Reactogenicity rate was observed to decrease with age and was higher in females. On the basis of interim findings of this safety study, it may be interpreted that the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 corona virus vaccine (recombinant) (COVISHIELD, Serum Institute of India) carries a good safety profile overall.
Evidence for a moderating effect of drinking severity but not HIV status on brain age in heavy episodic drinkers
Authors: Ipser Jonathan , Joska John , Sevenoaks Tatum , Gouse Hetta , Freeman Carla , Kaufmann Tobias , Andreassen Ole A. , Shoptaw Steve , Stein Dan J. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundChronic HIV infection and alcohol use have been associated with brain changes and neurocognitive impairment. However, their combined effects are less well studied. We correlated measures of “brain age gap” (BAG) and neurocognitive impairment in participants with and without HIV/AIDS and heavy episodic drinking (HED). We predicted that BAG will be greater in PWH who engage in HED and that these effects will be particularly pronounced in frontoparietal and subcortical regions.Method69 participants were recruited from a community health centre in Cape Town: HIV-/HED-(N = 17), HIV+/HED- (N = 14), HIV-/HED+ (N = 21), and HIV+/HED+ (N = 17). Brain age gap (BAG) was derived from thickness, area and volumetric measurements from the whole brain or one of six brain regions. Linear regression models were employed to identify differences in BAG between patient groups and controls. Associations between BAG and clinical indicators of HIV and HED status were also tested using bivariate statistical methods.ResultsCompared to controls, greater whole brain BAG was observed in HIV-/HED+ (Cohen’s d = 1.61, p < 0.001), and HIV+/HED+ (d = 1.52, p = 0.005) participants. Differences in BAG between patients and controls were observed subcortically, as for the cingulate and the parietal cortex. An exploratory analysis revealed that higher relative brain ageing in HED participants with the highest drinking scores (W = 66, p = 0.036) but did not vary as a function of nadir CD4 count or current HIV viral load.ConclusionThe association between heavy episodic drinking and BAG, independent of HIV status, points to the importance of screening for and targeting alcohol use disorders in primary care. Our findings also point to the utility of assessing the contribution of brain regions to the BAG.
Evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants and mutational cascades
Authors: Halley John M. , Vokou Despoina , Pappas Georgios , Sainis Ioannis 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), in late 2020, with selective transmission advantage and partial immunity escape potential, threatens a pandemic resurgence. The timing of mutational evolution and its limits are thus of paramount importance in preparedness planning. Here, we present a model predicting the pattern of epidemic growth including the emergence of variants through mutation. It is based on the SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infected, Removed) model, but its equations are modifiable according to the transmission parameters of novel variants. Since more transmissible strains will drive a further increase in the number of cases, they will also lead to further novel mutations. As one cannot predict whether there is a viral mutational evolutionary limit, we model a cascade that could lead to hyper-exponential growth involving the emergence of even more transmissible mutants that could overwhelm systemic response. Our results are consistent with the timing, since the beginning of the pandemic, of the concurrent and independent emergence of the VOCs. We examine conditions that favor the expected appearance of similar variants, thus enabling better preparedness and relevant research.
Comparing between survived and deceased patients with Diabetes Mellitus and COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A cross sectional study from a COVID-19 dedicated hospital
Authors: Morshed Md. Shahed , Al Mosabbir Abdullah , Hossain Mohammad Sorowar 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was reported to cause significantly higher mortality and morbidity among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Although Bangladesh is amongst the top 10 countries with diabetic people, data on these patients with COVID-19 is scarce from this region. This study aimed to illustrate the clinical features and outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and DM in Bangladesh while comparing survivors and deceased.This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients with pre-existing Diabetes Mellitus in a specialized COVID-19 hospital in Bangladesh. Data from hospital records were analyzed.Among 921 RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 admitted during the study period, 231 (∼25%) patients with pre-existing DM (median age 60 years) were included in the analysis. The death rate among all hospitalized patients (with and without DM) was 2.8% compared to 11.3% among diabetic patients. The median hospital stay was 13 days (IQR 10.5, 17.0) for survivors and five days (IQR 2.0-8.3) for the deceased. The clinical features were not significantly different between survivors and the deceased. However, deceased patients had significantly lower blood oxygen level (85% vs 93%, p <0.001), and higher neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (7.9 vs 4.5, p 0.003) and serum ferritin (946.0 vs 425.0 ng/ml, p 0.03). Glycemic status was poor in both groups.This study would help identify a subgroup of diabetic patients with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of in-hospital death and improve clinical decision making.
A study of clinical outcomes and prognostic factors associated with invasive mechanical ventilation of patients in non-ICU settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Agarwal Shubham , Ray Animesh , Anand Abhishek , Chopra Neha , Narayan Ananthu , Keri Vishakh , Rastogi Neha , Roy Debarchan , Jadon Ranveer Singh , Vikram Naval K 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThere is paucity of evidence related to mechanical ventilation in the general ward setting. We aimed to study the clinico-etiological profile, outcomes and prognostic factors of patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation in non-ICU (ward) setting, and compare these parameters with that of patients in the ICU, wherever it was reported. A systematic review and meta-analysis was done on articles published till June 2020. Two authors independently extracted the data. The study population included patients who received mechanical ventilation in ward setting. Fourteen studies reporting on 20833 patients were included (20252 exclusively ventilated in ward), with most of the studies being from Israel, USA, Japan and Taiwan. Risk of bias was estimated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies, and was found to be low. Most common reason for intubation was respiratory illness. Most common variables predicting mortality were prognostic scores like APACHE-II and Acute Physiology Score (APS). Pooled mortality rate in ward across 6 studies was 0.72 (95% CI 0.69-0.74) with no heterogeneity among these 6 studies (I2=0.0). Mortality rate varied significantly with study population characteristics, and was lower among patients being weaned in ward. A major limitation of our study was the paucity of studies and significant heterogeneity among existing studies, with respect to outcomes like duration of ventilation, hospital stay, rates of complications, and prognostic factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis found that mortality among patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation in ward settings remains high. Data regarding other outcomes and prognostic factors predicting mortality was very heterogeneous highlighting the need for future studies concentrating specifically on these aspects.Systematic review registration: PROSPERO 2020 (CRD42020166775)
Outcomes of COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts in Florida from December 14, 2020 to March 15, 2021 on Older Individuals
Authors: Rivkees Scott. A. , Roberson Shamarial , Blackmore Carina 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPer-capita, Florida ranks second in those 65 years of age and older (20.5%) with more than 4,500,000 individuals in this category. COVID-19 vaccine was allocated in a phased roll-out beginning December 14, 2020. Phase 1A included health care personnel with direct patient contact, and residents and staff of nursing homes (NHs) and assisted living facilities (ALFs). Following this initial phase, individuals 65 years of age and older became eligible for vaccination, along with individuals determined by hospital providers to be extremely medically vulnerable to COVID-19. This strategy was based on the desire to most immediately reduce morbidity and mortality, as COVID-19 morbidity and mortality is age-related. Through March 15, 2021, 4,338,099 individuals received COVID-19 vaccine, including 2,431,540 individuals who completed their vaccination series. Of all those vaccinated, 70% were 65 years of age and older, and 63% of those 65 years of age and older. Beginning February 1, 2021, the decline in the number of new cases per week became greater in those 65 years of age and older than those younger. By March 15, 2021, the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths per day for those 65 years of age and older relative to mid-January, were 82%, 80%, and 92% lower respectively. In comparison, the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths per day for those younger than 65 years of age were 70%, 60%, and 87% lower respectively. Reductions in rates in those 65 year of age and older, were thus greater than in those who were younger (p <0.01; Wilcoxon test). These data show that vaccination efforts directed at those 65 years of age and older results in accelerated rates of overall declines in COVID-19 hospitalizations and mortality.