bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The development of knee osteoarthritis and serum carotenoid levels among community-dwelling people in Japan
Authors: Takemoto Genta , Seki Taisuke , Takegami Yasuhiko , Osawa Yusuke , Makida Kazuya , Ochiai Satoshi , Ishizuka Shinya , Suzuki Koji , Hasegawa Yukiharu , Imagama Shiro 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Carotenoids are plant pigments found in many vegetables, functioning as antioxidants scavenging singlet molecular oxygen and peroxyl radicals. No longitudinal study exists on the relationship between carotenoids and knee osteoarthritis (KOA) development. We aimed to determine the incidence of KOA development for 10 years in community-dwelling people in Japan and assess its association with serum carotenoids.

Methods
Data of 440 participants (174 men, 266 women) with health-screening records for at least 10 years were analysed. We defined KOA development as advancing from K/L grade 0/1 at the initial check-up to grade ≥2 in a unilateral knee during a 10-year follow-up period. Serum carotenoid levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. We used the Cox hazard model for multivariate analysis and investigated each carotenoid’s impact on KOA development.

Results
KOA developed in 33.4% of patients; the annual KOA development rate was significantly higher among women than among men (p &lt; .01; 3.4% vs. 1.6%). Among the carotenoids measured, only retinol was associated with KOA development in women using multivariable analysis. KOA development was not associated with any carotenoids in men.

Conclusion
The annual rate of KOA development was higher in women, and retinol was associated with KOA development in women.
Generalized Toeplitz–Hankel matrices and their application to a layered electron gas
Authors: Narayan Onuttom , Shastry B Sriram 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
We extend the standard result for the eigenspectrum of the Toeplitz matrix C

ij
= e−κ|i−j| with 0 ⩽ i, j ⩽ N and

κ
∈
C

to a combination of a Toeplitz matrix and a Hankel matrix. We apply this result to find the plasma modes of a layered assembly of a two-dimensional electron gas. We find a sum rule relating the geometric mean of the frequencies of the plasma modes to the determinant of this Toeplitz matrix, for which an analytical expression is obtained. We apply the same technique to the generalized case when the layers are not evenly spaced, where the corresponding matrix is not a Toeplitz–Hankel combination. Despite this fact, it is possible to find properties of the eigenspectrum, and the eigenmodes are localized to a few layers instead of extending across the system.
Comparison of Blood Counts and Markers of Inflammation and Coagulation in Patients With and Without COVID-19 Presenting to the Emergency Department in Seattle, WA
Authors: Chandler Christopher M , Reid Molly C , Cherian Sindhu , Sabath Daniel E , Edlefsen Kerstin L 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Objectives
We compared complete blood count (CBC) with differential and markers of inflammation and coagulation in patients with and without coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presenting to emergency departments in Seattle, WA.

Methods
We reviewed laboratory values for 1 week following each COVID-19 test for adult patients who received a standard severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test before April 13, 2020. Results were compared by COVID-19 status and clinical course.

Results
In total 1,027 patients met inclusion criteria. Patients with COVID-19 (n = 155) had lower leukocytes (P &lt; .0001), lymphocytes (P &lt; .0001), platelets (P &lt; .0001), and higher hemoglobin (P = .0140) than those without, but absolute differences were small. Serum albumin was lower in patients with COVID-19 (P &lt; .0001) and serum albumin, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and red cell distribution width (RDW) were each associated with disease severity. NLR did not differ between patients with COVID-19 and those without (P = .8012).

Conclusions
Patients with COVID-19 had modestly lower leukocyte, lymphocyte, and platelet counts and higher hemoglobin values than patients without COVID-19. The NLR, serum albumin, and RDW varied with disease severity, regardless of COVID-19 status.
Past Shift Work and Incident Coronary Heart Disease in Retired Workers: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Li Wending , Yu Kuai , Jia Ningning , Xu Xuedan , Yuan Yu , Peng Rong , Niu Rundong , You Xiaomin , Yang Handong , Qiu Gaokun , Guo Huan , He Meian , Zhang Xiaomin , Pan An , Tse Lap Ah. , Wu Tangchun 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Present shift work has been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) among employed workers, but it remains unclear whether shift work performed in the past is still associated with CHD in retired workers. We recruited 21,802 retired workers in Shiyan, China, in 2008–2010 and 2013 and followed them for CHD events occurring up to December 31, 2018. Retired workers with longer durations of past shift work (rounded to 0.25 years) had higher CHD risks (for those with ≤5.00, 5.25–10.00, 10.50–20.00, and &gt;20.00 years of past shift work, hazard ratios were 1.05 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94, 1.16), 1.08 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.25), 1.23 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.42), and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.51), respectively). The association was substantially higher among service or sales workers than among manufacturing or manual-labor workers (for every 5-year increase in past shift work, hazard ratio = 1.11 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.16) vs. hazard ratio = 1.02 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.06)). Moreover, the risk was lower among those who were physically active than among their inactive counterparts (P for interaction = 0.019). Longer duration of past shift work was associated with higher risk of incident CHD among these retired workers, especially those from the service or sales sectors. Physical exercise might be beneficial in reducing the excess risk.
Factors influencing likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination: A survey of Tennessee adults
Authors: Gatwood Justin , McKnight Madison , Fiscus Michelle , Hohmeier Kenneth C , Chisholm-Burns Marie 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Purpose
To examine the vaccine-related beliefs and behaviors associated with likely hesitancy toward vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among nonelderly adults.

Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in June 2020. Responses were sought from Tennessee adults 18 to 64 years of age who were not healthcare providers. The survey instrument focused on vaccine-related beliefs, prior and planned influenza and pneumococcal vaccine use, and attitudes toward receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. Inferential statistics assessed survey responses, and logistic regression determined predictors of the likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination.

Results
A total of 1,000 completed responses were analyzed (a 62.9% response rate), and respondents were mostly White (80.1%), insured (79.6%), and/or actively working (64.2%); the sample was well balanced by gender, age, income, and political leaning. Approximately one-third (34.4%) of respondents indicated some historical vaccine hesitancy, and only 21.4% indicated always getting a seasonal influenza vaccination. More than half (54.1%) indicated at least some hesitancy toward vaccination against COVID-19, with 32.1% citing lack of evidence of vaccine effectiveness as the leading reason. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was more likely among those with more moderate (odds ratio [OR], 2.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.749-3.607) or conservative (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 2.048-4.421) political leanings, Black Americans (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.182-2.742), and residents of nonmetropolitan areas (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.386-2.865).

Conclusion
Subgroups of the population may prove more challenging to vaccinate against COVID-19, requiring targeted approaches to addressing hesitancy to ensure more-vulnerable populations are adequately covered.
γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase essential for the metabolism of γ-glutamyl compounds in bacteria and its application
Authors: Suzuki Hideyuki 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACT
The enzymatic characteristics of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase were elucidated. The catalytic nucleophile of the enzymatic reaction of Escherichia coli γ-glutamyltranspeptidase was identified as the Oγ of the N-terminal Thr-residue of the small subunit. It was demonstrated that the inactive precursor of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase is processed autocatalytically and intramolecularly into the active heterodimeric mature enzyme via an ester intermediate. The catalytic nucleophile of this processing reaction was identified as the same Oγ atom of the N-terminal Thr-residue of the small subunit. These results were also supported by the three-dimensional structures of the γ-glutamyl enzyme intermediate and of the precursor-mimicked T391A nonprocessable mutant enzyme. Applications of transpeptidation and hydrolysis activities of bacterial γ-glutamyltranspeptidases were developed. Using transpeptidation activity, efficient enzymatic production of useful γ-glutamyl compounds, such as prodrug for Parkinson's disease, theanine and kokumi compound, was enabled. Hydrolysis activity was used as glutaminase and the mutant enzymes gaining glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase activity were isolated.
Efficient adjustment sets in causal graphical models with hidden variables
Authors: Smucler E , Sapienza F , Rotnitzky A 
Published: March 2021

Summary
We study the selection of adjustment sets for estimating the interventional mean under a point exposure dynamic treatment regime, that is, a treatment rule that depends on the subject’s covariates. We assume a nonparametric causal graphical model with, possibly, hidden variables and at least one adjustment set comprised of observable variables. We provide the definition of a valid adjustment set for a point exposure dynamic treatment regime, which generalizes the existing definition for a static intervention. We show that there exists an adjustment set, referred to as optimal minimal, that yields the nonparametric estimator of the interventional mean with the smallest asymptotic variance among those that are based on observable minimal adjustment sets. An observable minimal adjustment set is a valid adjustment set such that all its variables are observable and the removal of any of its variables destroys its validity. We provide similar optimality results for the class of observable minimum adjustment sets, that is, valid observable adjustment sets of minimum cardinality among the observable adjustment sets. Moreover, we show that if either no variables are hidden or if all the observable variables are ancestors of either treatment, outcome or the variables that are used to decide treatment, a globally optimal adjustment set exists. We provide polynomial-time algorithms to compute the globally optimal, optimal minimal and optimal minimum adjustment sets. Because static interventions can be viewed as a special case of dynamic regimes, all our results also apply for static interventions.
‘Get to know me, not the inmate’: Women’s Management of the Stigma of Criminal Records
Authors: Grace Anita 
Published: March 2021

AbstractCriminologists have explored the experience of re-entry and the identified employment as productive of prosocial, post-carceral identities. They have also recognized that the stigma of a criminal record creates barriers to employment, and former prisons must find ways to manage this stigma if they are to be successful in the labour market. Yet existing studies on stigma management in the context of post-carceral employment have not addressed women’s unique needs and strategies. The current study uses interviews with 21 formerly incarcerated women to assess their accounts of how the stigma of criminalization can be managed with potential employers. Results highlight the utility of considering and supporting the role of employment in women’s post-carceral identities.
Physicians, Assisted Suicide, and Christian Virtues
Authors: Reed Philip A 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe debate about physician-assisted suicide has long been entwined with the nature of the doctor–patient relationship. Opponents of physician-assisted suicide insist that the traditional goals of medicine do not and should not include intentionally bringing about or hastening a patient’s death, whereas proponents of physician-assisted suicide argue that this practice is an appropriate tool for doctors to relieve a patient’s suffering. In this article, I discuss these issues in light of the relevance of a Christian account of the doctor–patient relationship. I argue that Christians typically object to assist suicide independently of the doctor–patient relationship. I argue that a focus on the Christian virtues of charity, compassion, and humility helps to explain why doctors should not assist their patients in suicide.
The role of kidney registries in expediting large-scale collection of patient-reported outcome measures for people with chronic kidney disease
Authors: van der Veer Sabine N , Couchoud Cecile , Morton Rachael L 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACT
In this issue of Clinical Kidney Journal, Van der Willik et al. report findings from a pilot study where they introduced collection of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) into routine kidney care in Dutch dialysis centres. It is comparable to a registry-led PROMs initiative in Sweden, published in Clinical Kidney Journal in 2020. Both studies reported low average PROMs response rates with substantial between-centre variation, and both identified suboptimal patient and staff engagement as a key barrier to implementing PROMs in routine care for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This suggests that national kidney registries could be well placed to facilitate large-scale collection of PROMs data, but that they may require additional guidance on how to do this successfully. In this editorial, we discuss the current state-of-play of PROMs collection by kidney registries and provide an overview of what is (un)known about the feasibility and effectiveness of PROMs in CKD and other conditions. We anticipate that the fast-growing evidence base on whether, and how, PROMs can be of value in CKD settings will expedite registry-based PROMs collection, which will ultimately lead to more valuable and person-centred services and to enhanced health and well-being of people with CKD.
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in IBD: Past Lessons, Current Evidence, and Future Challenges
Authors: Wellens Judith , Colombel Jean-Frédéric , Satsangi Jack J , Wong Serre-Yu 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSince the beginning of the pandemic, patients with inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] have been considered at high risk for infection and complications of COVID-19. IBD patients and patients taking immunosuppressive therapy were excluded from clinical phase III vaccine trials, complicating the assessment of effectiveness of these new vaccines. From past experience we know that adapted vaccination strategies may be appropriate in some IBD patients to optimise immunogenicity. We review current evidence on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination relevant to IBD patients, including immune responses from humoral to cellular, emerging data on new variants, and off-label vaccination schemes. We also identify clinical and scientific knowledge gaps that can be translated into both large-scale population-based studies and targeted vaccine studies to describe the precise immune responses induced by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in IBD patients. We strongly endorse the recommendation of vaccinating IBD patients to ensure maximal protection from COVID-19 both for the individual and the community.
Ethnic Differences in the Smoking-related Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Piovani Daniele , Pansieri Claudia , Kotha Soumya R R , Piazza Amanda C , Comberg Celia-Louise , Peyrin-Biroulet Laurent , Danese Silvio , Bonovas Stefanos 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background and Aims
The association between smoking and inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] relies on old meta-analyses including exclusively non-Jewish White populations. Uncertainty persists regarding the role of smoking in other ethnicities.

Methods
We systematically searched Medline/PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for studies examining tobacco smoking and the risk of developing IBD, ie, Crohn’s disease [CD] or ulcerative colitis [UC]. Two authors independently extracted study data and assessed each study’s risk of bias. We examined heterogeneity and small-study effect, and calculated summary estimates using random-effects models. Stratified analyses and meta-regression were employed to study the association between study-level characteristics and effect estimates. The strength of epidemiological evidence was assessed through prespecified criteria.

Results
We synthesised 57 studies examining the smoking-related risk of developing CD and UC. Non-Jewish White smokers were at increased risk of CD (29 studies; relative risk [RR]: 1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.69‒2.24; moderate evidence). No association was observed in Asian, Jewish. and Latin-American populations [11 studies; RR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.83–1.13], with no evidence of heterogeneity across these ethnicities. Smokers were at reduced risk of UC [51 studies; RR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.48–0.64; weak evidence] irrespectively of ethnicity; however, cohort studies, large studies, and those recently published showed attenuated associations.

Conclusions
This meta-analysis did not identify any increased risk of CD in smokers in ethnicities other than non-Jewish Whites, and confirmed the protective effect of smoking on UC occurrence. Future research should characterise the genetic background of CD patients across different ethnicities to improve our understanding of the role of smoking in CD pathogenesis.
Progression of cardiac disease in patients with lamin A/C mutations
Authors: Skjølsvik Eystein T , Haugen Lie Øyvind , Chivulescu Monica , Ribe Margareth , Castrini Anna Isotta , Broch Kaspar , Pripp Are Hugo , Edvardsen Thor , Haugaa Kristina H 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Aims
We aimed to study the progression of cardiac dysfunction in patients with lamin A/C mutations and explore markers of adverse cardiac outcome.

Methods and results
We followed consecutive lamin A/C genotype-positive patients divided into tertiles according to age. Patients underwent repeated clinical examinations, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and echocardiograms. We followed left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) size and function, and the severity atrioventricular-valve regurgitations. Outcome was death, LVAD implant, or cardiac transplantation. We included 101 patients [age 44 (29–54) years, 39% probands, 50% female]. We analysed 576 echocardiograms and 258 ECGs during a follow-up of 4.9 (interquartile range 2.5–8.2) years. The PR-interval increased at young age from 204 ± 73 to 212 ± 69 ms (P &lt; 0.001), LV ejection fraction (LVEF) declined from middle age from 50 ± 12% to 47 ± 13% (P &lt; 0.001), while LV volumes remained unchanged. RV function and tricuspid regurgitation worsened from middle age with accelerating rates. Progression of RV dysfunction [odds ratio (OR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.03–1.65), P = 0.03] and tricuspid regurgitation [OR 4.9, 95% CI (1.64–14.9), P = 0.004] were associated with outcome when adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, LVEF, and New York Heart Association functional class.

Conclusion
In patients with lamin A/C genotype, electrical disease started at young age. From middle age, LV function deteriorated progressively, while LV size remained unchanged. Worsening of RV function and tricuspid regurgitation accelerated in older age and were associated with outcome. Our systematic map on cardiac deterioration may help optimal monitoring and prognostication in lamin A/C disease.
Cardiac sarcoidosis masquerading as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: a case report
Authors: Pendela Venkata Satish , Kudaravalli Pujitha , Feitell Scott , Parikh Vishal 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) are rare causes of ventricular arrhythmias and are associated with sudden cardiac death. Differentiation between both is important for proper management.

Case summary
We present a 56-year-old man with sudden cardiac arrest and was diagnosed to have ARVC based on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He developed gradually worsening shortness of breath over the next 1 year. CS was unmasked after a cardiac positron emission tomography (PET). Patient was treated with methotrexate. A repeat cardiac PET scan showed improvement.

Discussion
The distinction between ARVC and CS is challenging. Both these entities have a patchy involvement and can have similar presentations. ARVC has a predominant right heart involvement. It is diagnosed with the help of an MRI, which shows regional right ventricular wall motion abnormality. These findings can have an overlap with CS. It is important to note that, even though sarcoidosis is a pathologic diagnosis, cardiac biopsy is rarely done owing to its patchy involvement. Cardiac PET scan has a high sensitivity and specificity to diagnose this entity. Once diagnosis is made, patients should be treated with immunosuppressants and should be closely followed. Repeat imaging should be considered at intervals to monitor disease progression. This case highlights the importance of multimodality imaging and tissue diagnosis to unmask the diagnosis of CS, a treatable infiltrative disorder which shares features with a potentially untreatable ARVC.
Uncertainty, Wages and the Business Cycle
Authors: Cacciatore Matteo , Ravenna Federico 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWe show that limited wage flexibility in economic downturns generates strong and state-dependent amplification of uncertainty shocks. It also explains the cyclical behaviour of empirical measures of uncertainty. In the presence of matching frictions, an occasionally binding constraint on downward wage adjustment enhances the concavity of firms’ hiring rule, resulting in an endogenous profit risk-premium. In turn, higher uncertainty increases the profit risk-premium when the economy operates close to the wage constraint, deepening a recession. Non-linear local projections and vector autoregression estimates support the model predictions. In addition, we show that measured uncertainty rises in a recession even without uncertainty shocks.
Phylogeographic distribution of rhizobia nodulating common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Ethiopia
Authors: Hailu Gunnabo Ashenafi , Geurts Rene , Wolde-meskel Endalkachew , Degefu Tulu , E. Giller Ken , van Heerwaarden Joost 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACT
Rhizobia are soilborne bacteria that form symbiotic relations with legumes and fix atmospheric nitrogen. The nitrogen fixation potential depends on several factors such as the type of host and symbionts and on environmental factors that affect the distribution of rhizobia. We isolated bacteria nodulating common bean in Southern Ethiopia to evaluate their genetic diversity and phylogeography at nucleotide, locus (gene/haplotype) and species levels of genetic hierarchy. Phylogenetically, eight rhizobial genospecies (including previous collections) were determined that had less genetic diversity than found among reference strains. The limited genetic diversity of the Ethiopian collections was due to absence of many of the Rhizobium lineages known to nodulate beans. Rhizobium etli and Rhizobiumphaseoli were predominant strains of bean-nodulating rhizobia in Ethiopia. We found no evidence for a phylogeographic pattern in strain distribution. However, joint analysis of the current and previous collections revealed differences between the two collections at nucleotide level of genetic hierarchy. The differences were due to genospecies Rhizobium aethiopicum that was only isolated in the earlier collection.