bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient and public priorities for breast cancer research: a qualitative study in the UK
Authors: Boundouki George , Wilson Rebecca , Duxbury Paula , Henderson Julia , Ballance Laura , Wray Julie , Appanah Vivienne , Ibrahim Ibrahim , Harvey James , Kirwan Cliona Clare 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveInternationally recognised specialist breast cancer scientists, clinicians and healthcare professionals have published breast cancer research gaps that are informing research funding priorities in the UK and worldwide. We aimed to determine the breast cancer research priorities of the public to compare with those identified by clinicians and scientists.DesignWe conducted a qualitative study and thematic analysis using ‘listening events’ where patients with breast cancer and public representatives used a patient’s breast cancer journey to identify research themes.Participants and settingFemale participants were recruited from attendees at participating hospitals and support groups in the northwest of England, including patients, their family and friends as well as staff at a local retail centre.InterventionA framework approach was used to analyse transcribed discussions until thematic saturation was reached.Main outcome measuresBreast cancer research priorities were identified from participant discussions and compared with the published gaps identified by scientists and healthcare professionals.ResultsThematic saturation was reached after 27 female participants participated in listening events. Our participants consistently focused on improved methods of dissemination of information and improving education on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. This was not highlighted by scientists or healthcare professionals. There was strong emphasis on quality of life-related issues such as side effects of treatment. There was some agreement between the priorities deduced by our study and those of the professionals in the areas of screening, prevention and breast reconstruction.ConclusionOur study identified some research themes that were not identified by scientists and healthcare professionals in two earlier landmark studies. This highlights the importance of including patients and public representatives when setting research priorities. The results should be used to guide investigators when planning future studies and for funding bodies in allocating resources for future projects.
Randomised controlled trial protocol for the PROTECT-CS Study: PROTein to Enhance outComes of (pre)frail paTients undergoing Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Rose Alexandra V , Duhamel Todd , Hyde Chris , Kent Dave E , Afilalo Jonathan , Schultz Annette S H , Chudyk Anna , Kehler Dustin S , Dave Mudra , Arora Rakesh C 
Published: January 2021

IntroductionIn the past 20 years, the increasing burden of heart disease in an ageing population has resulted in cardiac surgery (CS) being offered to more frail and older patients with multiple comorbidities. Frailty and malnutrition are key geriatric syndromes that impact postoperative outcomes, including morbidity, mortality and prolonged hospital length of stay. Enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs), such as prehabilitation, have been associated with a reduction in complications after CS in vulnerable patients. The use of nutritional ERPs may enhance short-term and long-term recovery and mitigate frailty progression while improving patient-reported outcomes.Methods and analysisThis trial is a two-centre, double-blinded, placebo, randomised controlled trial with blinded endpoint assessment and intention-to-treat analysis. One-hundred and fifty CS patients will be randomised to receive either a leucine-rich protein supplement or a placebo with no supplemented protein. Patients will consume their assigned supplement two times per day for approximately 2 weeks pre-procedure, during in-hospital postoperative recovery and for 8 weeks following discharge. The primary outcome will be the Short Physical Performance Battery score. Data collection will occur at four time points including baseline, in-hospital (pre-discharge), 2-month and 6-month time points post-surgery.Ethics and disseminationThe University of Manitoba Biomedical Research Ethics Board (20 March 2018) and the St Boniface Hospital Research Review Committee (28 June 2019) approved the trial protocol for the primary site in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The second site’s (Montreal, Quebec) ethics has been submitted and pending approval from the Research Ethics and New Technology Development Committee for the Montreal Heart Institute (December 2020). Recruitment for the primary site started February 2020 and the second site will begin January 2021. Data gathered from the PROTein to Enhance outComes of (pre)frail paTients undergoing Cardiac Surgery Study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Knowledge translation strategies will be created to share findings with stakeholders who are positioned to implement evidence-informed change.Potential study impactMalnutrition and frailty play a crucial role in post-CS recovery. Nutritional ERPs are increasingly being recognised as a clinically relevant aspect of perioperative care. As such, this trial is to determine if leucine-rich protein supplementation at key intervals can mitigate frailty progression and facilitate enhanced postoperative recovery.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04038294).
Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in COVID-19: study protocol for a global registry of women with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and their neonates, understanding natural history to guide treatment and prevention
Authors: Banerjee Jayanta , Mullins Edward , Townson Julia , Playle Rebecca , Shaw Caroline , Kirby Nigel , Munnery Kim , Bourne Tom , Teoh TG , Dhanjal Mandish , Poon Liona , Wright Alison , Lees Christoph 
Published: January 2021

IntroductionPrevious novel COVID-19 pandemics, SARS and middle east respiratory syndrome observed an association of infection in pregnancy with preterm delivery, stillbirth and increased maternal mortality. COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, is the largest pandemic in living memory.Rapid accrual of robust case data on women in pregnancy and their babies affected by suspected COVID-19 or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection will inform clinical management and preventative strategies in the current pandemic and future outbreaks.Methods and analysisThe pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in COVID-19 (PAN-COVID) registry are an observational study collecting focused data on outcomes of pregnant mothers who have had suspected COVID-19 in pregnancy or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and their neonates via a web-portal. Among the women recruited to the PAN-COVID registry, the study will evaluate the incidence of: (1) miscarriage and pregnancy loss, (2) fetal growth restriction and stillbirth, (3) preterm delivery, (4) vertical transmission (suspected or confirmed) and early onset neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection.Data will be centre based and collected on individual women and their babies. Verbal consent will be obtained, to reduce face-to-face contact in the pandemic while allowing identifiable data collection for linkage. Statistical analysis of the data will be carried out on a pseudonymised data set by the study statistician. Regular reports will be distributed to collaborators on the study research questions.Ethics and disseminationThis study has received research ethics approval in the UK. For international centres, evidence of appropriate local approval will be required to participate, prior to entry of data to the database. The reports will be published regularly. The outputs of the study will be regularly disseminated to participants and collaborators on the study website (https://pan-covid.org) and social media channels as well as dissemination to scientific meetings and journals.Study registration numberISRCTN68026880.
Identifying co-occurrence and clustering of chronic diseases using latent class analysis: cross-sectional findings from SAGE South Africa Wave 2
Authors: Chidumwa Glory , Maposa Innocent , Corso Barbara , Minicuci Nadia , Kowal Paul , Micklesfield Lisa K , Ware Lisa Jayne 
Published: January 2021

ObjectivesTo classify South African adults with chronic health conditions for multimorbidity (MM) risk, and to determine sociodemographic, anthropometric and behavioural factors associated with identified patterns of MM, using data from the WHO’s Study on global AGEing and adult health South Africa Wave 2.DesignNationally representative (for ≥50-year-old adults) cross-sectional study.SettingAdults in South Africa between 2014 and 2015.Participants1967 individuals (men: 623 and women: 1344) aged ≥45 years for whom data on all seven health conditions and socioeconomic, demographic, behavioural, and anthropological information were available.MeasuresMM latent classes.ResultsThe prevalence of MM (coexistence of two or more non-communicable diseases (NCDs)) was 21%. The latent class analysis identified three groups namely: minimal MM risk (83%), concordant (hypertension and diabetes) MM (11%) and discordant (angina, asthma, chronic lung disease, arthritis and depression) MM (6%). Using the minimal MM risk group as the reference, female (relative risk ratio (RRR)=4.57; 95% CI (1.64 to 12.75); p =0.004) and older (RRR=1.08; 95% CI (1.04 to 1.12); p<0.001) participants were more likely to belong to the concordant MM group, while tobacco users (RRR=8.41; 95% CI (1.93 to 36.69); p=0.005) and older (RRR=1.09; 95% CI (1.03 to 1.15); p=0.002) participants had a high likelihood of belonging to the discordant MM group.ConclusionNCDs with similar pathophysiological risk profiles tend to cluster together in older people. Risk factors for MM in South African adults include sex, age and tobacco use.
Public knowledge of stroke and heart attack symptoms in China: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Luan Shenghua , Yang Yujia , Huang Yuqi , McDowell Michelle 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveStroke and ischaemic heart disease have become the leading causes of death in China. We evaluated recognition of stroke and heart attack symptoms and stroke treatment-seeking behaviour in a large representative sample of the Chinese adult population and explored characteristics associated with recognition rates.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingHousehold interviews.Participant3051 Chinese adults aged between 18 and 69 (50.7% female) were interviewed between January and March 2019.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrimary measures include recognitions of stroke and heart attack symptoms and stroke treatment-seeking behaviour. Secondary measures include numeracy level, sociodemographics and prior history of cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure.ResultsParticipants on average recognised 5.2 out of 14 stroke symptoms and 2.6 out of 6 heart attack symptoms. In the presence of stroke symptoms, three quarters of participants would take immediate action and call an ambulance, yet the second most common action was to advise the person to see a doctor (59%) rather than to consult a doctor immediately (34%). Recognition of atypical heartattack symptoms, such as nausea and feeling of anxiety, was poor. Symptom recognition rates were higher in females, people with a personal or family/friend history of cardiovascular events, those with higher numeracy scores, and for stroke symptoms, participants with high (versus low) education level. Furthermore, symptom recognition rate was negatively correlated with burden of cardiovascular diseases across the four economic regions of China.ConclusionRecognition of stroke and heart-attack symptoms was moderate and there remains a gap between recognising symptoms and taking immediate action. Interventions focusing on simple symptom detection tools and on building numerical competencies may help reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases in China.
Comparison of Hospital-at-Home models: a systematic review of reviews
Authors: Leong Man Qing , Lim Cher Wee , Lai Yi Feng 
Published: January 2021

ObjectivesTo provide an overview of the safety and effectiveness of Hospital-at-Home (HaH) according to programme type (early-supported discharge (ESD) vs admission avoidance (AA)), and identify the model with higher evidence for addressing clinical, length of stay (LOS) and cost outcomes.MethodsA systematic review of reviews was conducted by performing a search on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science and Scopus (January 2005 to June 2020) for English-language systematic reviews evaluating HaH. Data on primary outcomes (mortality, readmissions, costs, LOS), secondary outcomes (patient/caregiver outcomes) and process indicators were extracted. Quality of the reviews was assessed using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2. There was no registered protocol.ResultsTen systematic reviews were identified (four high quality, five moderate quality and one low quality). The reviews were classified according to three use cases. ESD reviews generally revealed comparable mortality (RR 0.92–1.03) and readmissions (RR 1.09–1.25) to inpatient care, shorter hospital LOS (MD −6.76 to −4.44 days) and unclear findings for costs. AA reviews observed a trend towards lower mortality (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.09) and costs, and comparable or lower readmissions (RR 0.68–0.98). Among reviews including both programme types (ESD/AA), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease reviews revealed lower mortality (RR 0.65–0.68) and post-HaH readmissions (RR 0.74–0.76) but unclear findings for resource use.ConclusionFor suitable patients, HaH generally results in similar or improved clinical outcomes compared with inpatient treatment, and warrants greater attention in health systems facing capacity constraints and rising costs. Preliminary comparisons suggest prioritisation of AA models over ESD due to potential benefits in costs and clinical outcomes. Nonetheless, future research should clarify costs of HaH programmes given the current low-quality evidence, as well as address evidence gaps pertaining to caregiver outcomes and adverse events under HaH care.
Electrically charged localized structures
Authors: Bazeia D. , Marques M. A. , Menezes R. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThis work deals with an Abelian gauge field in the presence of an electric charge immersed in a medium controlled by neutral scalar fields, which interact with the gauge field through a generalized dielectric function. We develop an interesting procedure to solve the equations of motion, which is based on the minimization of the energy, leading us to a first order framework where minimum energy solutions of first order differential equations solve the equations of motion. We investigate two distinct models in two and three spatial dimensions and illustrate the general results with some examples of current interest, implementing a simple way to solve the problem with analytical solutions that engender internal structure.
The gravitino problem in extended gravity cosmologies
Authors: Capozziello Salvatore , Lambiase Gaetano 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe gravitino problem is investigated in the framework of extended gravity cosmologies. In particular, we consider f(R) gravity, the most natural extension of the Hilbert–Einstein action, and $$f({\mathcal{T}})$$

f
(
T
)

gravity, the extension of teleparallel equivalent gravity. Since in these theories, the expansion laws of the Universe are modified, as compared to the standard $$\Lambda $$
Λ
CDM cosmology, it follows that also the thermal history of particles gets modified. We show that f(R) models allow to avoid the late abundance of gravitinos. In particular, we found that for an appropriate choice of the parameters characterizing the f(R) model, the gravitino abundance turns out to be independent of the reheating temperature. A similar behavior is achieved also in the context of $$f({\mathcal{T}})$$

f
(
T
)

gravity. In this perspective, we can conclude that geometric corrections to standard General Relativity (and to Teleparallel Equivalent of General Relativity) can improve shortcomings both in cosmology and in unified theories beyond the standard model of particles.
Noncommutative scalar field in de Sitter space–time and pair creation process
Authors: Mehdaoui Nabil , Khodja Lamine , Haouat Salah 
Published: January 2021

In this work, we address the process of pair creation of scalar particles in [Formula: see text] de Sitter space–time in presence of a constant electromagnetic field by applying the noncommutativity on the scalar field up to first-order in [Formula: see text]. We calculate the density of particles created in the vacuum by the mean of the Bogoliubov transformations. In contrast to a previous result, we show that noncommutativity contributes to the pair creation process. We find that the noncommutativity plays the same role of chemical potential and gives an important interest for studies at high energies.
Development and Quality Evaluation of Freeze-Dried Instant Green Smoothie Powder
Authors: Dilrukshi S. H. B. , Senarath H. P. S. 
Published: January 2021

Fruits and vegetables are healthy food sources which contain nutrients and phytochemicals with health-promoting properties. The production of healthy and more convenient products can be contributed to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. In this study, a novel, instant food product which is more nutritive was developed using locally available fruits and green leafy vegetables and the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory qualities of the product were studied. The most acceptable formula for the fresh green smoothie was 28.6% green content with 71.4% fruit content. The developed green smoothie was freeze dried to obtain an instant green smoothie powder. The instant green smoothie powder was analyzed for proximate composition: protein (

2.67
±
0.00

), fat (

1.96
±
0.001

), moisture (

4.82
±
0.003

), ash (

1.22
±
0.000

), and fiber (

28.57
±
0.008

). This instant powder contained 129.5 ppm vitamin C content and higher amount of minerals such as K (

0.98
±
0.12

mg
/
g

), Ca (

1.74
±
0.03

mg
/
g

), and Fe (

0.04
±
0.004

mg
/
g

). The powder properties revealed that the powder has very good flowability (

6.665
±
2.354

) according to the Carr Index and it has low cohesiveness (

1.0713
±
0.0264

) according to the Hausner ratio. The solubility (

94.71
±
2.4253

) of the powder complied with the SLS (668: 1984). The microbiological analysis revealed that this powder only contains 1 log CFU/ml of total plate count. This instant powder can be introduced as a more convenient and healthy choice for the consumers which has acceptable sensory properties, better microbiological stability, and very good powder properties.
Real-Time Decoding of Attentional States Using Closed-Loop EEG Neurofeedback
Authors: Tuckute Greta , Hansen Sofie Therese , Kjaer Troels Wesenberg , Hansen Lars Kai 
Published: January 2021

Sustained attention is a cognitive ability to maintain task focus over extended periods of time (Mackworth, 1948; Chun, Golomb, & Turk-Browne, 2011). In this study, scalp electroencephalography (EEG) signals were processed in real time using a 32 dry-electrode system during a sustained visual attention task. An attention training paradigm was implemented, as designed in DeBettencourt, Cohen, Lee, Norman, and Turk-Browne (2015) in which the composition of a sequence of blended images is updated based on the participant's decoded attentional level to a primed image category. It was hypothesized that a single neurofeedback training session would improve sustained attention abilities. Twenty-two participants were trained on a single neurofeedback session with behavioral pretraining and posttraining sessions within three consecutive days. Half of the participants functioned as controls in a double-blinded design and received sham neurofeedback.
During the neurofeedback session, attentional states to primed categories were decoded in real time and used to provide a continuous feedback signal customized to each participant in a closed-loop approach. We report a mean classifier decoding error rate of 34.3% (chance = 50%). Within the neurofeedback group, there was a greater level of task-relevant attentional information decoded in the participant's brain before making a correct behavioral response than before an incorrect response. This effect was not visible in the control group (interaction p=7.23e-4), which strongly indicates that we were able to achieve a meaningful measure of subjective attentional state in real time and control participants' behavior during the neurofeedback session. We do not provide conclusive evidence whether the single neurofeedback session per se provided lasting effects in sustained attention abilities.
We developed a portable EEG neurofeedback system capable of decoding attentional states and predicting behavioral choices in the attention task at hand. The neurofeedback code framework is Python based and open source, and it allows users to actively engage in the development of neurofeedback tools for scientific and translational use.
The striking endemism pattern of the species-richest snake genus Atractus (Dipsadidae: Serpentes) highlights the hidden diversity in the Andes
Authors: Pomar-Gómez Andrés D. , Cordeiro Paulo , Guedes Thaís B. , Passos Paulo 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The distribution of the highly diversified and species-rich snake genus Atractus was assessed in search for endemism areas. The dataset of 6000 museum specimens was used to run an Endemicity Analyses in order to identify areas of biogeographic relevance for the genus Atractus. By using distinct methodological approaches and modifying the size and shape of grid cells we obtained a better adjustment to each species range, taking into account species distributed along the Andean and Atlantic Forest mountain ranges or certain vegetation constraints. Three scales of endemism were observed: micro endemic areas, represented by three different regions; intermediate sized endemic areas, represented by nine different regions; and macro-endemic areas, represented by four different provinces. Although most assessed regions corroborate well-defined biogeographic units according to the scientific literature, some, mainly located in the Colombian Andes, are not regularly considered in biogeographic syntheses carried out for vertebrates. Methodological approaches, along with a well curated database and taxonomic accuracy, may significantly influence the recovery of endemism areas, mainly considering mountain topography and local niche structure. The results present herein highlight the relevance of three Colombian Cordilleras, in order to completely understand Neotropical biota patterns of distribution. It is important to note that a well-resolved taxonomy represents both the framework and the first step toward a comprehensive biographical synthesis reducing Wallacean shortfalls in biodiversity.