bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scabies Infestation in the Pediatric Population
Authors: Vassantachart Janna M. , Florentino Abigail , Admani Shehla 
Published: November 2021

ABSTRACT
Scabies infestation is a pruritic condition that is commonly seen in the pediatric population. Children are affected more than adults in certain geographic regions and can have variable clinical presentations. To avoid delays in diagnosis, healthcare providers should be aware of these differences. This article provides an overview of epidemiology and pathophysiology, clinical presentation and diagnosis, and management of scabies infestation, with a particular focus on infants and children.
Emotional Intelligence: Changes Over the First Year of Physician Assistant Education
Authors: Cleveland Tracy , Canales Roberto , Carr W. David 
Published: November 2021

Purpose
To investigate emotional intelligence (EI) development in physician assistant (PA) students as they progress through their didactic education.

Methods
Data were gathered through an online survey of EI distributed to a purposeful sample of 5 institutions with similar curriculum length and start dates. Program directors forwarded the survey to students at the start of their didactic education (pretest). Follow-up surveys were distributed via email to the students at the end of their didactic education (posttest). The survey consisted of 33 items related to 4 subscales of EI. Participants' age, gender, and previous healthcare experience were gathered. Five repeated measures ANOVAs were calculated for each EI summary score. Independent sample t-tests were conducted between pretest scores and a previously established EI mean.

Results
A total of 192 first-year students were solicited. A sample of 68 (16 males; 52 females) served as participants. No results were attained for gender or age due to unbalanced sample sizes. Significant results were realized for total EI and the Managing Others' Emotions subscale.

Conclusion
Participants with more than one healthcare experience demonstrated significantly high emotional intelligence on the pretest. Participants with one healthcare experience demonstrated a significant increase in total EI and the Managing Others' Emotions subscale. The main limitation of the study was the attrition of participants between measures. Future research is needed to assess EI at the end of the clinical year, after a period of clinical experience, and to determine which educational activities are most likely to enhance EI.
Responsiveness of 2 Different Ability Outcome Measures in Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Authors: Stojanov Aleksandar , Basta Ivana , Berisavac Ivana , Stojiljkovic-Tamas Olivera , Bozovic Ivo , Arsenijevic Mirjana , Palibrk Aleksa , Peric Stojan 
Published: November 2021

Background:
The most frequently used ability outcome measure in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is the GBS disability scale (GDS). Recently developed inflammatory Rasch-built overall disability (I-RODS) scale has been suggested to be used in inflammatory polyneuropathies. In the present study, we wanted to assess the comparative responsiveness of I-RODS and GDS in subjects who were diagnosed with GBS during a follow-up period of 6 months.

Methods:
Our prospective, multicentric study included 72 subjects. Patients were tested, using GDS and I-RODS, on day 14, day 28, month 3, and month 6 from the start of the symptoms. We defined improvement as a reduction for 1 or more points on GDS or improvement on I-RODS as defined by Draak (2014).

Results:
Between days 14 and 28 there was an improvement in 28% of patients as measured with GDS and only in 10% patients as measured with I-RODS. At month 3 compared with day 14, we noticed an improvement in GDS score in 90% of GBS patients and I-RODS score in 65%. At month 6 improvements were noticed in 94% of patients measured by GDS and 78% according to I-RODS.

Conclusion:
Our findings support the use of GDS in an acute phase of GBS. I-RODS have their role mostly during a longer follow-up period when the majority of patients are ambulant and their other abilities besides walking are also of great importance.
COVID-19 Exposure During Neurology Practice
Authors: Qureshi Adnan I. , Rheaume Carol , Huang Wei , Lobanova Iryna , Govindarajan Raghav , French Brandi R. , Siddiq Farhan , Gomez Camilo R. , Sahota Pradeep K. 
Published: November 2021

Background:
To determine the exposure risk for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) during neurology practice. Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 are increasingly being recognized mandating high level of participation by neurologists.

Methods:
An American Academy of Neurology survey inquiring about various aspects of COVID-19 exposure was sent to a random sample of 800 active American Academy of Neurology members who work in the United States. Use of second tier protection (1 or more including sterile gloves, surgical gown, protective goggles/face shield but not N95 mask) or maximum protection (N95 mask in addition to second tier protection) during clinical encounter with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 patients was inquired.

Results:
Of the 81 respondents, 38% indicated exposure to COVID-19 at work, 1% at home, and none outside of work/home. Of the 28 respondents who did experience at least 1 symptom of COVID-19, tiredness (32%) or diarrhea (8%) were reported. One respondent tested positive out of 12 (17%) of respondents who were tested for COVID-19 within the last 2 weeks. One respondent received health care at an emergency department/urgent care or was hospitalized related to COVID-19. When seeing patients, maximum protection personal protective equipment was used either always or most of the times by 16% of respondents in outpatient setting and 56% of respondents in inpatient settings, respectively.

Conclusions:
The data could enhance our knowledge of the factors that contribute to COVID-19 exposure during neurology practice in United States, and inform education and advocacy efforts to neurology providers, trainees, and patients in this unprecedented pandemic.
A Call for a Stroke Referral Network Between Primary Care and Stroke-Ready Hospitals in the Philippines
Authors: Espiritu Adrian I. , San Jose Maria Cristina Z. 
Published: November 2021

Background:
The increasing stroke burden, inequity in the distribution of local neurologists, and the recent signing of the Universal Health Care Law in the Philippines provide compelling reasons for policy-makers to devise strategies to establish networks between primary care and stroke-ready hospitals. In this review, we explored the current literature and evidence that emphasized the roles of primary care providers (PCPs) and specialists, care transition, and telemedicine/teleneurology in various stages of stroke management.

Review Summary:
Clear delegation of stroke care responsibilities among PCPs and specialists is needed. Due to the limited number of specialists/neurologists, PCPs may contribute to addressing the insufficiency of community knowledge of acute stroke symptoms/risk factors, coordination with specialists and stroke-ready hospitals during acute stroke, and continuity of care during the poststroke stage. At present, the Philippines has only 49 stroke-ready hospitals; thus, an efficient and functional referral system for the care transition between the PCPs and specialists must be organized in our country. To provide remote access to expert stroke care for underserved areas and to increase thrombolysis utilization, the establishment of an effective telestroke system is indispensable. The empowerment of PCPs in teleneurology may assist in strengthening communication and networking with specialists with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.

Conclusions:
In the era of Universal Health Care in the Philippines, the roles of PCP and specialists must be delineated. Increased access to stroke care through the establishment of networks among PCPs and stroke-ready hospitals (ie, via effective transition of care/teleneurology) must be prioritized especially in resource-constrained settings.
Recurrence of COVID-19 in a Patient With NMO Spectrum Disorder While Treating With Rituximab
Authors: Paybast Sepideh , Shahrab Fereshteh , Hejazi Seyed A. 
Published: November 2021

Introduction:
In the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are vulnerable to develop COVID-19 due to the immunosuppressive therapy. The objective of this study is to describe a known case of NMOSD on rituximab who experienced 2 episodes of COVID-19.

Case Report:
A 25-year-old woman, a known case of NMOSD on rituximab was diagnosed with asymptomatic COVID-19. Eight months later, following her last infusion of rituximab, she developed moderate COVID-19. After a partial recovery, she exhibited exacerbation of respiratory symptoms leading to readmission and invasive oxygenation. She was eventually discharged home after 31 days. Her monthly neurological evaluation did not reveal evidence of disease activity. She later received intravenous immunoglobulin and the decision was made to start rituximab again.

Conclusions:
Our case raises the possibility of persistent virus shedding and reactivation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 in a patient with NMOSD and rituximab therapy. We aimed to emphasize a precise consideration of management of patients with NMOSD during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sex significantly impacts the function of major depression-linked variantsin vivo
Authors: Mulvey Bernard , Selmanovic Din , Dougherty Joseph D. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractGenome-wide association studies have discovered blocks of common variants—likely transcriptional-regulatory—associated with major depressive disorder (MDD), though the functional subset and their biological impacts remain unknown. Likewise, why depression occurs in females more frequently than males is unclear. We therefore tested the hypothesis that risk-associated functional variants interact with sex and produce greater impact in female brains. We developed methods to directly measure regulatory variant activity and sex interactions using massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) in the mouse brainin vivo, in a cell type-specific manner. We measured activity of >1,000 variants from >30 MDD loci, identifying extensive sex-by-allele effects in mature hippocampal neurons and suggesting sex-differentiated impacts of genetic risk may underlie sex bias in disease. Unbiased informatics approaches indicated that functional MDD variants recurrently disrupt sex hormone receptor binding sequences. We confirmed this with MPRAs in neonatal brains, comparing brains undergoing the masculinizing hormone surge to hormonally-quiescent juveniles. Our study provides novel insights into the influence of age, biological sex, and cell type on regulatory-variant function, and provides a framework forin vivoparallel assays to functionally define interactions between organismal variables like sex and regulatory variation.One-Sentence SummaryMassively parallel assaysin vivoidentified extensive functional and sex-interacting common variants in depression risk loci.
Black and Native Overdose Mortality Overtook that of White Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Friedman Joseph , Hansen Helena 
Published: November 2021

AbstractDrug overdose mortality rates have increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, overdose death rates were rising most rapidly among racial/ethnic minority communities. The pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color in a wide swath of health, social, and economic outcomes. Careful attention is therefore warranted to trends in overdose mortality by race/ethnicity during COVID-19. We calculated total drug overdose death rates per 100,000 population by race/ethnicity for the 1999-2020 time period. We find that Black overdose mortality overtook that of White individuals in 2020 for the first time since 1999. Between 2019 and 2020 Black individuals had the largest percent increase in overdose mortality, of 48.8%, compared to 26.3% among White individuals. In 2020, Black overdose death rates rose to 36.8 per 100,000, representing 16.3% higher than the rate for White individuals for the same period. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals experienced the highest rate of overdose mortality in 2020, of 41.4 per 100,000, representing 30.8% higher than the rate among White individuals. Our findings suggest that drug overdose mortality is increasingly becoming a racial justice issue in the United States and appears to have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing individuals with a safer supply of drugs, closing gaps in access to MOUD and harm reductions services, and ending routine incarceration of individuals with substance use disorders represent urgently needed, evidence-based strategies that can be employed to reduce rising inequalities in overdose.
Determinants of pre-vaccination antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2: a population-based longitudinal study (COVIDENCE UK)
Authors: Talaei Mohammad , Faustini Sian , Holt Hayley , Jolliffe David A. , Vivaldi Giulia , Greenig Matthew , Perdek Natalia , Maltby Sheena , Bigogno Carola M , Symons Jane , Davies Gwyneth A , Lyons Ronan A , Griffiths Christopher J , Kee Frank , Sheikh Aziz , Richter Alex G , Shaheen Seif O , Martineau Adrian R 
Published: November 2021

AbstractBackgroundProspective population-based studies investigating multiple determinants of pre-vaccination antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 are lacking.MethodsWe did a prospective population-based study in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-naive UK adults recruited between May 1 and November 2, 2020, without a positive swab test result for SARS-CoV-2 prior to enrolment. Information on 88 potential sociodemographic, behavioural, nutritional, clinical and pharmacological risk factors was obtained through online questionnaires, and combined IgG/IgA/IgM responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein were determined in dried blood spots obtained between November 6, 2020 and April 18, 2021. We used logistic and linear regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and adjusted geometric mean ratios (aGMRs) for potential determinants of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity (all participants) and antibody titres (seropositive participants only), respectively.Results1696 (15.2%) of 11,130 participants were seropositive. Factors independently associated with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity included frontline health/care occupation (aOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.48–2.33), international travel (1.20, 1.07–1.35), number of visits to shops and other indoor public places (≥5 vs. 0/week: 1.29, 1.06-1.57, P-trend=0.01), body mass index (BMI) ≥25 vs <25 kg/m2 (1.24, 1.11–1.39), Asian/Asian British vs White ethnicity (1.65, 1.10–2.49), and alcohol consumption ≥15 vs 0 units/week (1.23, 1.04–1.46). Light physical exercise associated with decreased risk (0.80, 0.70–0.93, for ≥10 vs 0–4 h/week). Among seropositive participants, higher titres of anti-Spike antibodies associated with factors including BMI ≥30 vs <25 kg/m2 (aGMR 1.10, 1.02–1.19), Asian/Asian British vs White ethnicity (1.22, 1.04–1.44), frontline health/care occupation (1.24, 95% CI 1.11–1.39), international travel (1.11, 1.05–1.16), and number of visits to shops and other indoor public places (≥5 vs. 0/week: 1.12, 1.02-1.23, P-trend=0.01); these associations were not substantially attenuated by adjustment for COVID-19 disease severity.ConclusionsHigher alcohol consumption and reduced light physical exercise represent new modifiable risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recognised associations between Asian/Asian British ethnic origin and obesity and increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity were independent of other sociodemographic, behavioural, nutritional, clinical and pharmacological factors investigated. Among seropositive participants, higher titres of anti-Spike antibodies in people of Asian ancestry and in obese people were not explained by greater COVID-19 disease severity in these groups.FundingBarts Charity, Health Data Research UK.
Autism in gifted youth is associated with low processing speed and high verbal ability
Authors: Michaelson Jacob J. , Doobay Alissa , Casten Lucas , Schabilion Katherine , Foley-Nicpon Megan , Nickl-Jockschat Thomas , Abel Ted , Assouline Susan 
Published: November 2021

ABSTRACTBackgroundHigh cognitive ability is an almost universally positive prognostic indicator in the context of neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative conditions. However, “twice-exceptional” individuals, those who demonstrate exceptionally high cognitive ability (gifted) and exhibit profound behavioral and mental health challenges, are a striking exception to this rule.MethodsWe digitized the clinical records of N=1,074 clients from a US-based specialty clinic serving gifted students. This included a broad array of diagnostic, cognitive, achievement, and behavioral data, including self, teacher, and parent reported items. We conducted both hypothesis-driven and unsupervised learning analyses to 1) identify characteristics whose association with full-scale IQ (FSIQ) was dependent on autism diagnosis and 2) identify cognitive archetypes associated with autism diagnosis and related behaviors. We tested the generalization of our findings using data from the SPARK (N=17,634) and ABCD studies (N=10,602).ResultsAutistic individuals with IQ >= 120 were nearly 15 times more likely to enter adulthood undiagnosed compared to lower-IQ (IQ < 70) counterparts. Self-reported sense of inadequacy was most strongly associated with increasing FSIQ specifically among autistic clients (beta=0.3, 95% CI:[0.15,0.45], p=7.1×10−5). Similarly, self, parent, and teacher reports of anxiety increased with FSIQ (all p<0.05) in autistic individuals, in striking opposition to the ameliorating effect of FSIQ seen in non-autistic individuals. We uncovered a pattern of decreased processing speed (PS) coupled with very high verbal comprehension (VC), a PS/VC discrepancy, that was associated with autism, inattention, and internalizing problems. Similar cognitive-behavioral links were also observed in the ABCD study. Finally, we found a significant association between the PS/VC discrepancy and polygenic risk for autism in the ABCD sample (t=2.9, p=0.004).ConclusionsOur results suggest that autistic individuals with exceptional ability are underserved and suffer disproportionately from high anxiety and low self-worth. In addition, elevated IQ with a significant PS/VC discrepancy appears to be a clinically and genetically meaningful biotype linked to autism.
Locus Coeruleus Integrity in Older Adults with and without Chronic Pain
Authors: Bell Tyler R. , Franz Carol E. , Eyler Lisa T. , Fennema-Notestine Christine , Puckett Olivia K. , Dorros Stephen M. , Panizzon Matthew S. , Pearce Rahul C. , Hagler Donald J. , Lyons Michael J. , Beck Asad , Elman Jeremy A. , Kremen William S. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe locus coeruleus (LC) is a brainstem region involved in regulating pain. Chronic pain is common in older adulthood, but no studies have examined its association with the LC in humans. We used neuromelanin-sensitive imaging to study differences in LC integrity in older adults with and without chronic pain. Chronic pain was assessed in community-dwelling men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) in 3 study waves covering an average of 12 years. Pain was self-reported on the SF-36 Bodily Pain Scale. Chronic pain was defined as moderate to severe pain severity at the current and at least one prior wave; 17% had chronic pain (n=80). At the third wave, 481 participants (mean age=67.57) underwent neuromelanin-sensitive MRI scans from which we calculated an LC contrast-to-noise ratio (LCCNR) – an index of LC integrity. We examined associations between chronic pain and LCCNR (in the rostral LC and caudal regions) with generalized estimating equations after adjusting for age, race, education, depressive symptoms, medical comorbidities, and opioid medication use. Individuals with chronic pain had .35 standard deviation lower rostral LCCNR (95% CI: -.62 to -.05) compared to those without chronic pain. No differences in the caudal LCCNR were detected. Chronic pain was associated with decreased rostral LC integrity in older adults. Differences in the rostral LC, rather than caudal LC, suggest the association between lower LC integrity and chronic pain may be related to pain processing in cortical regions where rostral LC projections typically connect.
Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation in dystonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Morrison-Ham Jordan , Clark Gillian M. , Ellis Elizabeth G. , Cerins Andris , Joutsa Juho , Enticott Peter G. , Corp Daniel T. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractBackgroundDeep brain stimulation is a highly effective treatment of dystonia, but is invasive and associated with risks, such as intraoperative bleeding and infections. Previous research has used non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in an attempt to alleviate symptoms of dystonia. The results of these studies, however, have been variable, leaving efficacy unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of NIBS on symptoms of dystonia and determine whether methodological characteristics are associated with variability in effect size.MethodsEmbase and MEDLINE Complete databases were searched for articles using any type of NIBS as an intervention in dystonia patients, with changes in dystonia symptoms the primary outcome of interest.ResultsMeta-analysis of 26 studies demonstrated a small effect size for NIBS in reducing symptoms of dystonia (random-effects Hedges’ g = 0.21, p = .002). Differences in the type of NIBS, type of dystonia, and brain region stimulated had a significant effect on dystonia symptoms. Meta-regression revealed that 10 sessions of active stimulation, and the application of concurrent motor training programs resulted in significantly larger mean effect sizes.ConclusionNIBS has yielded small improvements to dystonic symptoms, but effect sizes depended on methodological characteristics, with more sessions of stimulation producing a larger response. Future research should further investigate the application of NIBS parallel to motor training, in addition to providing a greater quantity of sessions, to help define optimal parameters for NIBS protocols in dystonia.RegistrationPROSPERO 2020, CRD42020175944.