bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Smoking and COVID-19: A Literature Review of Cohort Studies in Non-Chinese Population Settings
Authors: Rodgers Aoife , Nadkarni Manasi , Indreberg Emilie Kruke , Alfallaj Lenah , Kabir Zubair 
Published: January 2021

Background: Smoking history and its potential association with COVID-19 has attracted many researchers and the lay public alike. However, the studies published to date have several methodological limitations and are mainly from China. We set out to synthesize evidence on smoking and COVID-19 relationship drawn on cohort studies only which are published in non-Chinese population settings. Method: A systematic literature search was undertaken drawn on predefined eligibility criteria and a comprehensive search strategy following the PRISMA guideline between January 2020 and August 2020, excluding preprints and gray literature. Three specific outcomes were examined: smoking history, SARS-CoV2 infection, and COVID-19 severity. Results: Of an eligible 40 full-text studies, 7 cohort studies outside of China were finally included in this literature review through independent reviewing. Four studies were from the UK, 2 from the United States, and 1 from Turkey. The sample size ranged from 200 to more than 5000 participants. The findings broadly point to 1 direction, a higher smoking prevalence and an increased risk of smoking history on both SARS-CoV2 infection and on COVID-19 severity. Conclusion: A smoking history (either current or past) seems to negatively impact both SARS-CoV2 infection and COVID-19 severity. However, such an observation strengthens the argument to continue smoking cessation efforts both for individuals and for the general population health and well-being.
Understanding the Patient Experience: Analysis of 2-Word Assessment and Its Relationship to Likelihood to Recommend in Outpatient Hand Surgery
Authors: Shapiro Lauren M. , Thomas Kevin A. , Eppler Sara L. , Behal Raj , Yao Jeffery , Kamal Robin N. 
Published: January 2021

Background: Actionable feedback from patients after a clinic visit can help inform ways to better deliver patient-centered care. A 2-word assessment may serve as a proxy for lengthy post-visit questionnaires. We tested the use of a 2-word assessment in an outpatient hand clinic. Methods: New patients were asked to provide a 2-word assessment of the following: (1) their physician; (2) their overall experience; and (3) recommendations for improvement and their likelihood to recommend (LTR) after their clinic visit. Sentiment analysis was used to categorize results into positive, neutral, or negative sentiment. Recommendations for improvement were classified into physician issue, system issue, or neither. We evaluated the relationship between LTR status, sentiment, actionable improvement opportunities, and classification (physician issue, system issue, or neither). Recommendations for improvement were classified into themes based on prior literature. Results: Sixty-seven (97.1%) patients noted positive sentiment toward their physician; 67 (97.1%) noted positive sentiment toward their overall experience. About 31% of improvement recommendations were system-based, 5.9% were physician-based, and 62.7% were neither. Patients not LTR were more likely to leave actionable opportunities for improvement than those LTR ( P = .01). Recommendations for improvement were classified into predetermined themes relating to: (1) physician interaction; (2) check-in process; (3) facilities; (4) unnecessary visit; and (5) appointment delays. Conclusion: Patients not likely to recommend provided actionable opportunities for improvement using a simple 2-word assessment. Implementation of a 2-word assessment in a hand clinic can be used to obtain actionable, real-time patient feedback that can inform operational change and improve the patient experience.
Volume-based sizing of the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device: A preliminary assessment of a novel method for device size selection
Authors: Shah Kevin A , White Timothy G , Teron Ina , Link Thomas , Dehdashti Amir R , Katz Jeffrey M , Woo Henry H 
Published: January 2021

Introduction Accurate sizing of the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device is of critical importance as it determines procedural safety and successful occlusion of wide neck bifurcation aneurysms. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of aneurysm volume to assist in accurate WEB size selection. Methods All patients with an intracranial aneurysm treated with the WEB SL or WEB SLS device between March 2019 and October 2019 were identified for this retrospective study. Aneurysm volumes were calculated with auto-segmentation using a three-dimensional volume rendering program on an independent Syngo workstation (Siemens Healthineers AG). Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for aneurysm auto-segmented volumes and WEB volumes, as well as for aneurysm height × width and WEB height × width. Follow-up angiographic outcomes were collected at 6–9 months post-procedure. Results Twenty-nine aneurysms were evaluated by 3D rotational angiography. The correlation coefficient with WEB size was larger for auto-segmented aneurysm volumes (r = 0.979) compared to height × width measurements (r = 0.867). Using Fisher r-to-z transformations, we found the difference between the two correlations to be statistically significant (p = 0.0007). Follow-up angiography available in 13 subjects demonstrated an 85% complete aneurysm occlusion rate. Conclusion Aneurysm volumes are highly correlated with WEB volumes, with auto-segmentation volumes displaying statistically significant difference against conventional height by width measurements. These results suggest that volumetric measurements of aneurysm size provide a useful adjuvant measure to assist in appropriate size selection of the WEB device.
Extended thoracic endovascular aortic repair for residual aortic dissection after type A aortic dissection repair
Authors: Iida Yasunori , Hachiya Takashi , Asano Ryota , Inoue Shinya , Fujii Susumu , Sawa Shigeharu , Shimizu Hideyuki 
Published: January 2021

Objective We investigated the outcomes of extended coverage of the descending thoracic aorta by thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for residual chronic type B aortic dissection after type A aortic dissection (TAAD) repair. Methods From November 2015 to August 2020, 36 patients underwent extended TEVAR for residual intimal tear after TAAD repair. We specifically investigated the methods and outcomes of this procedure. Results TEVAR consisted of isolated TEVARs ( n = 29), single-vessel debranching TEVAR (6), and two-vessel debranching TEVAR (1). The mean time from TAAD repair to TEVAR was 27 ± 33 months (2–86 months). The TEVAR devices used were Valiant (28 cases), GORETAG (4), Relay plus (2), and TX2 (2). Technical success of TEVAR was 100%. The distal ends of the stent grafts were T 8 (1 case), T 9 (5), T 10 (6), T 11 (9), and T 12 (15), with an average of T 11 ± 1. The average length of hospital stay after TEVAR was 9 ± 3 days (5–17 days). There were no surgical/hospital deaths or complications. The average postoperative follow-up period was 21 ± 15 months without death or reintervention. Conclusions The short-term outcomes of extended TEVAR for residual chronic type B aortic dissection after TAAD repair were acceptable without perioperative SCI. Aggressive descending thoracic aorta coverage may prevent aortic events, and extended TEVAR may be a preemptive treatment for the downstream aorta. Mid- to long-term results should be clarified.
Cortical superficial siderosis in the general population: The Framingham Heart and Rotterdam studies
Authors: Shoamanesh Ashkan , Akoudad Saloua , Himali Jayandra J. , Beiser Alexa S. , DeCarli Charles , Seshadri Sudha , Arfan Ikram M , Romero Jose R , Vernooij Meike W 
Published: January 2021

Objective We aimed to characterize cortical superficial siderosis, its determinants and sequel, in community-dwelling older adults. Methods The sample consisted of Framingham ( n = 1724; 2000–2009) and Rotterdam ( n = 4325; 2005–2013) study participants who underwent brain MRI. In pooled individual-level analysis, we compared baseline characteristics in patients with cortical superficial siderosis to two reference groups: (i) persons without hemorrhagic MRI markers of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (no cortical superficial siderosis and no microbleeds) and (ii) those with presumed cerebral amyloid angiopathy based on the presence of strictly lobar microbleeds but without cortical superficial siderosis. Results Among a total of 6049 participants, 4846 did not have any microbleeds or cortical superficial siderosis (80%), 401 had deep/mixed microbleeds (6.6%), 776 had strictly lobar microbleeds without cortical superficial siderosis (12.8%) and 26 had cortical superficial siderosis with/without microbleeds (0.43%). In comparison to participants without microbleeds or cortical superficial siderosis and to those with strictly lobar microbleeds but without cortical superficial siderosis, participants with cortical superficial siderosis were older (OR 1.09 per year, 95% CI 1.05, 1.14; p < 0.001 and 1.04, 95% CI 1.00, 1.09; p = 0.058, respectively), had overrepresentation of the APOE ɛ4 allele (5.19, 2.04, 13.25; p = 0.001 and 3.47, 1.35, 8.92; p = 0.01), and greater prevalence of intracerebral hemorrhage (72.57, 9.12, 577.49; p < 0.001 and 81.49, 3.40, >999.99; p = 0.006). During a mean follow-up of 5.6 years, 42.4% participants with cortical superficial siderosis had a stroke (five intracerebral hemorrhage, two ischemic strokes and four undetermined strokes), 19.2% had transient neurological deficits and 3.8% developed incident dementia. Conclusion Our study adds supporting evidence to the association between cortical superficial siderosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy within the general population. Community-dwelling persons with cortical superficial siderosis may be at high risk for intracerebral hemorrhage and future neurological events.
Methotrexate enhances antigen presentation and maturation of tumour antigen-loaded dendritic cells through NLRP3 inflammasome activation: a strategy for dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine
Authors: Shi Gao-Na , Hu Min , Chen Chengjuan , Fu Junmin , Shao Shuai , Zhou Yu , Wu Lei , Zhang Tiantai 
Published: January 2021

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that play a pivotal role in adaptive cell-mediated immunity by priming and activating T cells against specific tumour and pathogenic antigens. Methotrexate (MTX), a folate derivative, functions as an immunoregulatory agent. However, the possible effect of MTX on tumour antigen-loaded DCs has not yet been investigated. Methods: We analysed the effect of MTX on the maturation and function of DCs along with tumour cell lysates (TCLs). Using bone marrow-derived DCs, we investigated the effect of MTX combined TCL-loaded DCs on T cells priming and proliferation. We also tested the anti-tumour immune effect on DCs when treated with MTX and/or TCL in vivo. Results: MTX combined with TCL not only enhanced DC maturation and stimulated cytokine release but also promoted CD8+ T cell activation and proliferation. The latter was associated with increased tumour antigen uptake and cross-presentation to T cells. Mechanistically, DC maturation and antigen presentation were partly modulated by NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Furthermore, immunisation of mice with MTX and TCL-pulsed DCs before a tumour challenge significantly delayed tumour onset and retarded its growth. This protective effect was due to priming of IFN-γ releasing CD8+ T cells and enhanced killing of tumour cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes isolated from these immunised mice. Conclusion: MTX can function as a potent adjuvant in DC vaccines by increasing antigen presentation and T cell priming. Our findings provide a new strategy for the application of DC-based anti-tumour immunotherapy.
Attitudes and perceptions of traditional health practitioners towards documentation of patient health information in their practice in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, Natal Province, South Africa
Authors: Zhandire Tracy , Gqaleni Nceba , Ngcobo Mlungisi , Gomo Exnevia 
Published: January 2021

Background: Documentation of patient health information in the form of patient medical records (PMRs) is an essential, ethical and regulatory requirement in any healthcare system. African traditional medicine (ATM) exists parallel to biomedicine and continues to play a significant role in primary healthcare of the majority of South Africans. The World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted the integration of ATM into the national health system of South Africa. Patient health information documentation can facilitate this integration, and PMRs promote communication between the two health systems through referrals. Documentation in biomedicine is a clear, compulsory, routine activity, but does not occur regularly or routinely in ATM. Objective: To examine the attitudes and perceptions of traditional health practitioners (THPs) towards documentation of patient health information in their practice. Methods: This quantitative cross-sectional survey involved snowball sampling to recruit THPs in Umlazi Township and rural parts surrounding the township, in Durban, South Africa. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS 25 and the Relative Importance Index (RII) and qualitative data were analysed using Excel for themes. Results: Sampling resulted in 248 THPs of whom 178 (72%) were females. The RII ranked the factors that negatively influenced the participants’ attitudes towards documentation of patient health information. Of the 178 females who participated in the study, 129 (72.5%) showed their willingness to introduce documentation in their practice. Of the 127 participants with less than 10 years of practice experience, 126 (99.2%) agreed to the importance of introducing PMRs in their practice. The majority of participants perceived documentation of patient health information as vital to improve their practice. A prominent theme was that the THPs regarded documenting patient health information as important and effective in their practice. Conclusion: More than half of participants showed positive attitudes and perceptions towards documenting of patient health information in ATM. The majority of the participants in this study acknowledged the importance of introducing documentation of patient health information in their practice even though they lacked experience and more knowledge. This reflects a need for essential intervention in developing specialised tools to begin promoting documentation of patient health information in ATM.
The Impact of Tai Chi Exercise on Health Care Utilization and Imputed Cost in Residents of Low-Income Senior Housing
Authors: Perloff Jennifer , Thomas Cindy Parks , Macklin Eric , Gagnon Peggy , Tsai Timothy , Isaza Ilean , Wayne Peter M , Lipsitz Lewis 
Published: January 2021

Background/Objectives This study was designed to test the impact of Tai Chi (TC) on healthcare utilization and cost in older adults living in low-income senior housing. We hypothesized that TC would improve overall health enough to reduce the use of emergency department (ED) and inpatient services. Design Cluster randomized controlled trial with randomization at the housing site level. Setting Greater Boston, Massachusetts. Participants The study includes 6 sites with 75 individuals in the TC treatment condition and 6 sites with 67 individuals in the health education control condition. Intervention Members of the treatment group received up to a year-long intervention with twice weekly, in-person TC exercise sessions along with video-directed exercises that could be done independently at home. The comparison group received monthly, in-person healthy aging education classes (HE). Study recruitment took place between August, 2015 and October, 2017. Key outcomes included acute care utilization (inpatient stays, observation stays and emergency department visits). In addition, the cost of utilization was estimated using the age, sex and race adjusted allowed amount from Medicare claims for a geographically similar population aged ≥ 65. Results The results suggested a possible reduction in the rate of ED visits in the TC group vs. controls (rate ratio = 0.476, p-value = 0.06), but no findings achieved statistical significance. Adjusted estimates of imputed costs of ED and hospital care were similar between TC and HE, averaging approximately $3,000 in each group. Conclusion ED utilization tended to be lower over 6 to 12 months of TC exercises compared to HE in older adults living in low-income housing, although estimated costs of care were similar.
SNF-NN: computational method to predict drug-disease interactions using similarity network fusion and neural networks
Authors: Jarada Tamer N. , Rokne Jon G. , Alhajj Reda 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundDrug repositioning is an emerging approach in pharmaceutical research for identifying novel therapeutic potentials for approved drugs and discover therapies for untreated diseases. Due to its time and cost efficiency, drug repositioning plays an instrumental role in optimizing the drug development process compared to the traditional de novo drug discovery process. Advances in the genomics, together with the enormous growth of large-scale publicly available data and the availability of high-performance computing capabilities, have further motivated the development of computational drug repositioning approaches. More recently, the rise of machine learning techniques, together with the availability of powerful computers, has made the area of computational drug repositioning an area of intense activities.ResultsIn this study, a novel framework SNF-NN based on deep learning is presented, where novel drug-disease interactions are predicted using drug-related similarity information, disease-related similarity information, and known drug-disease interactions. Heterogeneous similarity information related to drugs and disease is fed to the proposed framework in order to predict novel drug-disease interactions. SNF-NN uses similarity selection, similarity network fusion, and a highly tuned novel neural network model to predict new drug-disease interactions. The robustness of SNF-NN is evaluated by comparing its performance with nine baseline machine learning methods. The proposed framework outperforms all baseline methods ($$AUC-ROC$$AUC-ROC= 0.867, and$$AUC-PR$$AUC-PR=0.876) using stratified 10-fold cross-validation. To further demonstrate the reliability and robustness of SNF-NN, two datasets are used to fairly validate the proposed framework’s performance against seven recent state-of-the-art methods for drug-disease interaction prediction. SNF-NN achieves remarkable performance in stratified 10-fold cross-validation with$$AUC-ROC$$AUC-ROCranging from 0.879 to 0.931 and$$AUC-PR$$AUC-PRfrom 0.856 to 0.903. Moreover, the efficiency of SNF-NN is verified by validating predicted unknown drug-disease interactions against clinical trials and published studies.ConclusionIn conclusion, computational drug repositioning research can significantly benefit from integrating similarity measures in heterogeneous networks and deep learning models for predicting novel drug-disease interactions. The data and implementation of SNF-NN are available athttp://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/ tnjarada/snf-nn.php.
Neurologists’ current practice and perspectives on communicating the diagnosis of a motor neurodegenerative condition: a UK survey
Authors: Anestis Eleftherios , Eccles Fiona J. R. , Fletcher Ian , Simpson Jane 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background
The communication of a life-changing diagnosis can be a difficult task for doctors with potential long-term effects on patient outcomes. Although several studies have addressed the experiences of individuals with motor neurodegenerative diseases in receiving this diagnosis, a significant research gap exists regarding professionals’ perspectives, especially in the UK. This study aimed to assess UK neurologists’ current practice and perspectives on delivering the diagnosis of a motor neurodegenerative disease, explore different aspects of the process and detail the potential challenges professionals might face.

Methods
We conducted an anonymised online survey with 44 questions, grouped into four sections; basic demographic information, current practice, the experience of breaking bad news and education and training needs.

Results
Forty-nine professionals completed the survey. Overall, participants seemed to meet the setting-related standards of good practice; however, they also acknowledged the difficulty of this aspect of their clinical work, with about half of participants (46.5%) reporting moderate levels of stress while breaking bad news. Patients’ relatives were not always included in diagnostic consultations and participants were more reluctant to promote a sense of optimism to patients with poorer prognosis. Although professionals reported spending a mean of around 30–40 min for the communication of these diagnoses, a significant proportion of participants (21–39%) reported significantly shorter consultation times, highlighting organisational issues related to lack of capacity. Finally, the majority of participants (75.5%) reported not following any specific guidelines or protocols but indicated their interest in receiving further training in breaking bad news (78.5%).

Conclusions
This was the first UK survey to address neurologists’ practice and experiences in communicating these diagnoses. Although meeting basic standards of good practice was reported by most professionals, we identified several areas of improvement. These included spending enough time to deliver the diagnosis appropriately, including patients’ relatives as a standard, promoting a sense of hope and responding to professionals’ training needs regarding breaking bad news.
Impact of surgeon work duration prior to distal pancreatectomy on perioperative outcomes: a propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Wan Zhen , Wang Xuzhen , Li Yong , Wan Renhua 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background
Surgeons are likely to get progressively fatigued during the course of a normal workday. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of surgeon work duration prior to performing distal pancreatectomy (DP) on the perioperative outcome, especially frequency of grade II or higher grade postoperative complications.

Methods
Patients undergoing DP for all causes were divided into two groups according to surgeon work hours prior to performing DP: group A (less than 5 h) and group B (5–10 h). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis (1:1) were performed to balance the baseline characteristics between the two groups. Intraoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Postoperative complications and their severity were followed up for 60 days and mortality for 90 days. The study was powdered to identify a 15% difference in the incidence of grade II or higher grade complications.

Results
By using PSM analysis, the patients in group A (N = 202) and group B (N = 202) were well matched regarding demographics, comorbidities, operative technique, pancreatic texture and pathology. There was no significant difference in the incidence of grade II or higher grade complications between the two groups. There was no difference in clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula, percutaneous drainage, readmission, reoperation, or morality. Group B was associated with a higher incidence of intraoperative organ injury, which could be managed successfully during the operation.

Conclusion
The retrospective study demonstrated that the surgeon work duration did not significantly affect the clinical outcome of DP.