bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
If we build it, will they come? Results of a quasi-experimental study assessing the impact of maternity waiting homes on facility-based childbirth and maternity care in Zambia
Authors: Scott Nancy A , Kaiser Jeanette L , Ngoma Thandiwe , McGlasson Kathleen L , Henry Elizabeth G , Munro-Kramer Michelle L , Biemba Godfrey , Bwalya Misheck , Sakanga Viviane R , Musonda Gertrude , Hamer Davidson H , Boyd Carol J , Bonawitz Rachael , Vian Taryn , Kruk Margaret E , Fong Rachel M , Chastain Parker S , Mataka Kaluba , Ahmed Mdluli Eden , Veliz Philip , Lori Jody R , Rockers Peter C 
Published: December 2021

IntroductionMaternity waiting homes (MWHs) aim to increase access to maternity and emergency obstetric care by allowing women to stay near a health centre before delivery. An improved MWH model was developed with community input and included infrastructure, policies and linkages to health centres. We hypothesised this MWH model would increase health facility delivery among remote-living women in Zambia.MethodsWe conducted a quasi-experimental study at 40 rural health centres (RHC) that offer basic emergency obstetric care and had no recent stockouts of oxytocin or magnesium sulfate, located within 2 hours of a referral hospital. Intervention clusters (n=20) received an improved MWH model. Control clusters (n=20) implemented standard of care. Clusters were assigned to study arm using a matched-pair randomisation procedure (n=20) or non-randomly with matching criteria (n=20). We interviewed repeated cross-sectional random samples of women in villages 10+ kilometres from their RHC. The primary outcome was facility delivery; secondary outcomes included postnatal care utilisation, counselling, services received and expenditures. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate ORs.ResultsWe interviewed 2381 women at baseline (March 2016) and 2330 at endline (October 2018). The improved MWH model was associated with increased odds of facility delivery (OR 1.60 (95% CI: 1.13 to 2.27); p<0.001) and MWH utilisation (OR 2.44 (1.62 to 3.67); p<0.001). The intervention was also associated with increased odds of postnatal attendance (OR 1.55 (1.10 to 2.19); p<0.001); counselling for family planning (OR 1.48 (1.15 to 1.91); p=0.002), breast feeding (OR 1.51 (1.20 to 1.90); p<0.001), and kangaroo care (OR 1.44 (1.15, 1.79); p=0.001); and caesarean section (OR 1.71 (1.16 to 2.54); p=0.007). No differences were observed in household expenditures for delivery.ConclusionMWHs near well-equipped RHCs increased access to facility delivery, encouraged use of facilities with emergency care capacity, and improved exposure to counselling. MWHs can be useful in the effort to increase delivery at advanced facilities in areas where substantial numbers of women live remotely.Trial registration numberNCT02620436.
National health governance, science and the media: drivers of COVID-19 responses in Germany, Sweden and the UK in 2020
Authors: Hanson Claudia , Luedtke Susanne , Spicer Neil , Stilhoff Sörensen Jens , Mayhew Susannah , Mounier-Jack Sandra 
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global crisis in which governments had to act in a situation of rapid change and substantial uncertainty. The governments of Germany, Sweden and the UK have taken different paths allowing learning for future pandemic preparedness. To help inform discussions on preparedness, inspired by resilience frameworks, this paper reviews governance structures, and the role of science and the media in the COVID-19 response of Germany, Sweden and the UK in 2020. We mapped legitimacy, interdependence, knowledge generation and the capacity to deal with uncertainty.Our analysis revealed stark differences which were linked to pre-existing governing structures, the traditional role of academia, experience of crisis management and the communication of uncertainty—all of which impacted on how much people trusted their government. Germany leveraged diversity and inclusiveness, a ‘patchwork quilt’, for which it was heavily criticised during the second wave. The Swedish approach avoided plurality and largely excluded academia, while in the UK’s academia played an important role in knowledge generation and in forcing the government to review its strategies. However, the vivant debate left the public with confusing and rapidly changing public health messages. Uncertainty and the lack of evidence on how best to manage the COVID-19 pandemic—the main feature during the first wave—was only communicated explicitly in Germany. All country governments lost trust of their populations during the epidemic due to a mix of communication and transparency failures, and increased questioning of government legitimacy and technical capacity by the public.
Assessments of risk of bias in systematic reviews of observational nutritional epidemiologic studies are often not appropriate or comprehensive: a methodological study
Authors: Zeraatkar Dena , Kohut Alana , Bhasin Arrti , Morassut Rita E , Churchill Isabella , Gupta Arnav , Lawson Daeria , Miroshnychenko Anna , Sirotich Emily , Aryal Komal , Azab Maria , Beyene Joseph , de Souza Russell J 
Published: December 2021

BackgroundAn essential component of systematic reviews is the assessment of risk of bias. To date, there has been no investigation of how reviews of non-randomised studies of nutritional exposures (called ‘nutritional epidemiologic studies’) assess risk of bias.ObjectiveTo describe methods for the assessment of risk of bias in reviews of nutritional epidemiologic studies.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Jan 2018–Aug 2019) and sampled 150 systematic reviews of nutritional epidemiologic studies.ResultsMost reviews (n=131/150; 87.3%) attempted to assess risk of bias. Commonly used tools neglected to address all important sources of bias, such as selective reporting (n=25/28; 89.3%), and frequently included constructs unrelated to risk of bias, such as reporting (n=14/28; 50.0%). Most reviews (n=66/101; 65.3%) did not incorporate risk of bias in the synthesis. While more than half of reviews considered biases due to confounding and misclassification of the exposure in their interpretation of findings, other biases, such as selective reporting, were rarely considered (n=1/150; 0.7%).ConclusionReviews of nutritional epidemiologic studies have important limitations in their assessment of risk of bias.
First report of CART treatment in AL amyloidosis and relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma
Authors: Oliver-Caldes Aina , Jiménez Raquel , Español-Rego Marta , Cibeira Maria Teresa , Ortiz-Maldonado Valentín , Quintana Luis F , Castillo Paola , Guijarro Francesca , Tovar Natalia , Montoro Mercedes , Benitez-Ribas Daniel , Bataller Alex , González-Navarro E Azucena , Cid Joan , Lozano Miquel , Perez-Amill Lorena , Martin-Antonio Beatriz , Mena Mari-Pau , Moreno David F , Rodríguez-Lobato Luis Gerardo , Campistol Josep Maria , Calvo Gonzalo , Bladé Joan , Rosiñol Laura , Juan Manel , Pascal Mariona , Urbano-Ispizua Alvaro , Fernández de Larrea Carlos 
Published: December 2021

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable despite the number of novel therapies that have become available in recent years. Occasionally, a patient with MM will develop an amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis with organ dysfunction. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART) therapy has become a promising approach in treating hematological malignancies. Our institution has developed a second-generation B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)–CART which is currently being tested in a clinical trial for relapsed/refractory MM.We present the first reported case, to our knowledge, of a patient with AL amyloidosis and renal involvement in the course of an MM, successfully treated with CART therapy targeting BCMA. The patient received a fractioned dose of 3×106/kg BCMA–CARTs after lymphodepletion. At 3 months from infusion, the patient had already obtained a deep hematological response with negative measurable residual disease by flow cytometry in the bone marrow. After 12 months, the patient remains in hematological stringent complete remission and has achieved an organ renal response with a decrease of 70% of proteinuria.This case suggests that concomitant AL amyloidosis in the setting of MM can benefit from CART therapy, even in patients in which predominant symptoms at the time of treating are caused by AL amyloidosis.
Diagnostic workup in children with arthrogryposis: description of practices from a single reference centre, comparison with literature and suggestion of recommendations
Authors: Le Tanno Pauline , Latypova Xenia , Rendu John , Fauré Julien , Bourg Véronique , Gauthier Marjolaine , Billy-Lopez Gipsy , Jouk Pierre-Simon , Dieterich Klaus 
Published: December 2021

IntroductionArthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) refers to a clinical presentation of congenital contractures involving two or more body areas. More than 400 distinct conditions may lead to AMC, making the aetiological diagnosis challenging. The objective of this work was to set up evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis of AMC by taking advantage of both data from our nation-wide cohort of children with AMC and from the literature.Material and methodsWe conducted a retrospective single-centre observational study. Patients had been evaluated at least once at a paediatric age in the AMC clinic of Grenoble University Hospital between 2007 and 2019. After gathering data about their diagnostic procedure, a literature review was performed for each paraclinical investigation to discuss their relevance.ResultsOne hundred and twenty-five patients were included, 43% had Amyoplasia, 27% had distal arthrogryposis and 30% had other forms. A definitive aetiological diagnosis was available for 66% of cases. We recommend a two-time diagnostic process: first, non-invasive investigations that aim at classifying patients into one of the three groups, and second, selected investigations targeting a subset of patients.ConclusionThe aetiological management for patients with AMC remains arduous. This process will be facilitated by the increasing use of next-generation sequencing combined with detailed phenotyping. Invasive investigations should be avoided because of their limited yield.
Association of hypertension with mortality in patients hospitalised with COVID-19
Authors: Bhatia Kunwardeep S , Sritharan Hari P , Ciofani Jonathan , Chia Justin , Allahwala Usaid K , Chui Karina , Nour Daniel , Vasanthakumar Sheran , Khandadai Dhanvee , Jayadeva Pavithra , Bhagwandeen Rohan , Brieger David , Choong Christopher , Delaney Anthony , Dwivedi Girish , Harris Benjamin , Hillis Graham , Hudson Bernard , Javorski George , Jepson Nigel , Kanagaratnam Logan , Kotsiou George , Lee Astin , Lo Sidney T , MacIsaac Andrew I , McQuillan Brendan , Ranasinghe Isuru , Walton Antony , Weaver James , Wilson William , Yong Andy S C , Zhu John , Van Gaal William , Kritharides Leonard , Chow Clara K , Bhindi Ravinay 
Published: December 2021

ObjectiveTo assess whether hypertension is an independent risk factor for mortality among patients hospitalised with COVID-19, and to evaluate the impact of ACE inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use on mortality in patients with a background of hypertension.MethodThis observational cohort study included all index hospitalisations with laboratory-proven COVID-19 aged ≥18 years across 21 Australian hospitals. Patients with suspected, but not laboratory-proven COVID-19, were excluded. Registry data were analysed for in-hospital mortality in patients with comorbidities including hypertension, and baseline treatment with ACE inhibitors or ARBs.Results546 consecutive patients (62.9±19.8 years old, 51.8% male) hospitalised with COVID-19 were enrolled. In the multivariable model, significant predictors of mortality were age (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.09, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.12, p<0.001), heart failure or cardiomyopathy (aOR 2.71, 95% CI 1.13 to 6.53, p=0.026), chronic kidney disease (aOR 2.33, 95% CI 1.02 to 5.32, p=0.044) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR 2.27, 95% CI 1.06 to 4.85, p=0.035). Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (49.5%) but was not independently associated with increased mortality (aOR 0.92, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.77, p=0.81). Among patients with hypertension, ACE inhibitor (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 0.61 to 3.08, p=0.61) and ARB (aOR 0.64, 95% CI 0.27 to 1.49, p=0.30) use was not associated with mortality.ConclusionsIn patients hospitalised with COVID-19, pre-existing hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity but was not independently associated with mortality. Similarly, the baseline use of ACE inhibitors or ARBs had no independent association with in-hospital mortality.
Effect modification of greenness on PM2.5associated all-cause mortality in a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort
Authors: Ge Erjia , Gao Jianhui , Wei Xiaolin , Ren Zhoupeng , Wei Jing , Liu Xin , Wang Xiaomeng , Zhong Jieming , Lu Jingru , Tian Xiaomei , Fei Fangrong , Chen Bin , Wang Xiaolin , Peng Ying , Luo Ming , Lei Juan 
Published: December 2021

RationaleEvidence for the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and mortality among patients with tuberculosis (TB) is limited. Whether greenness protects air pollution-related mortality among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is completely unknown.Methods2305 patients reported in Zhejiang and Ningxia were followed up from MDR-TB diagnosis until death, loss to follow-up or end of the study (31 December 2019), with an average follow-up of 1724 days per patient. 16-day averages of contemporaneous Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the 500 m buffer of patient’s residence, annual average PM2.5and estimated oxidant capacity Oxwere assigned to patients regarding their geocoded home addresses. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate HRs per 10 μg/m3exposure to PM2.5and all-cause mortality among the cohort and individuals across the three tertiles, adjusting for potential covariates.ResultsHRs of 1.702 (95% CI 1.680 to 1.725) and 1.169 (1.162 to 1.175) were observed for PM2.5associated with mortality for the full cohort and individuals with the greatest tertile of NDVI. Exposures to PM2.5were stronger in association with mortality for younger patients (HR 2.434 (2.432 to 2.435)), female (2.209 (1.874 to 2.845)), patients in rural (1.780 (1.731 to 1.829)) and from Ningxia (1.221 (1.078 to 1.385)). Cumulative exposures increased the HRs of PM2.5-related mortality, while greater greenness flattened the risk with HRs reduced in 0.188–0.194 on average.ConclusionsIndividuals with MDR-TB could benefit from greenness by having attenuated associations between PM2.5and mortality. Improving greener space and air quality may contribute to lower the risk of mortality from TB/MDR-TB and other diseases.
Performance of QuantiFERON-TBGold Plus assays in children and adolescents at risk of tuberculosis: a cross-sectional multicentre study
Authors: Soler-Garcia Aleix , Gamell Anna , Pérez-Porcuna Tomàs , Soriano-Arandes Antonio , Santiago Begoña , Tórtola Teresa , Ruiz-Serrano María Jesús , Korta Murua José Javier , Bustillo-Alonso Matilde , Garrote-Llanos María Isabel , Rodríguez-Molino Paula , Piqueras Ana Isabel , Tagarro Alfredo , Monsonís Manuel , Tebruegge Marc , Noguera-Julian Antoni 
Published: December 2021

IntroductionThe QuantiFERON-TBGold Plus (QFT-Plus) assay, which features two antigen-stimulated tubes (TB1 and TB2) instead of a single tube used in previous-generation interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), was launched in 2016. Despite this, data regarding the assay’s performance in the paediatric setting remain scarce. This study aimed to determine the performance of QFT-Plus in a large cohort of children and adolescents at risk of tuberculosis (TB) in a low-burden setting.MethodsCross-sectional, multicentre study at healthcare institutions participating in the Spanish Paediatric TB Research Network, including patients <18 years who had a QFT-Plus performed between September 2016 and June 2020.ResultsOf 1726 patients (52.8% male, median age: 8.4 years), 260 (15.1%) underwent testing during contact tracing, 288 (16.7%) on clinical/radiological suspicion of tuberculosis disease (TBD), 649 (37.6%) during new-entrant migrant screening and 529 (30.6%) prior to initiation of immunosuppressive treatment. Overall, the sensitivity of QFT-Plus for TBD (n=189) and for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI, n=195) was 83.6% and 68.2%, respectively. The agreement between QFT-Plus TB1 and TB2 antigen tubes was excellent (98.9%, κ=0.961). Only five (2.5%) patients with TBD had discordance between TB1 and TB2 results (TB1+/TB2−, n=2; TB1−/TB2+, n=3). Indeterminate assay results (n=54, 3.1%) were associated with young age, lymphopenia and elevated C reactive protein concentrations.ConclusionsOur non-comparative study indicates that QFT-Plus does not have greater sensitivity than previous-generation IGRAs in children in both TBD and LTBI. In TBD, the addition of the second antigen tube, TB2, does not enhance the assay’s performance substantially.
Blood withdrawal acutely impairs cardiac filling, output and aerobic capacity in proportion to induced hypovolemia in middle-aged and older women
Authors: Diaz-Canestro Candela , Pentz Brandon , Sehgal Arshia , Montero David 
Published: December 2021

Blood donation entails acute reductions of cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy men. Whether these effects can be extrapolated to blood donor populations comprising women remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively assess the acute impact of blood withdrawal on cardiac function, central hemodynamics and aerobic capacity in women throughout the mature adult lifespan. Transthoracic echocardiography and O2 uptake were assessed at rest and throughout incremental exercise (cycle ergometry) in healthy women (n = 30, age: 47–77 yr). Left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (Q̇) and peak O2 uptake (V̇O2peak), and blood volume (BV) were determined with established methods. Measurements were repeated following a 10% reduction of BV within a week period. Individuals were non-smokers, non-obese and moderately fit (V̇O2peak = 31.4 ± 7.3 mL·min–1·kg–1). Hematocrit and BV ranged from 38.0 to 44.8% and from 3.8 to 6.6 L, respectively. The standard 10% reduction in BV resulted in 0.5 ± 0.1 L withdrawal of blood, which did not alter hematocrit (P = 0.953). Blood withdrawal substantially reduced cardiac LVEDV and SV at rest as well as during incremental exercise (≥10% decrements, P ≤ 0.009). Peak Q̇ was proportionally decreased after blood withdrawal (P < 0.001). Blood withdrawal induced a 10% decrement in V̇O2peak (P < 0.001). In conclusion, blood withdrawal impairs cardiac filling, Q̇ and aerobic capacity in proportion to the magnitude of hypovolemia in healthy mature women. Novelty: The filling of the heart and therefore cardiac output are impaired by blood withdrawal in women. Oxygen delivery and aerobic capacity are reduced in proportion to blood withdrawal.
Locally-iterative Distributed (Δ + 1)-coloring and Applications
Authors: Barenboim Leonid , Elkin Michael , Goldenberg Uri 
Published: December 2021

We consider graph coloring and related problems in the distributed message-passing model.Locally-iterative algorithmsare especially important in this setting. These are algorithms in which each vertex decides about its next color only as a function of the current colors in its1-hop-neighborhood. In STOC’93 Szegedy and Vishwanathan showed that any locally-iterative Δ + 1-coloring algorithm requires Ω (Δ log Δ + log*n) rounds, unless there exists “a very special type of coloring that can be very efficiently reduced” [44]. No such special coloring has been found since then. This led researchers to believe that Szegedy-Vishwanathan barrier is an inherent limitation for locally-iterative algorithms and to explore other approaches to the coloring problem [2,3,19,32]. The latter gave rise to faster algorithms, but their heavy machinery that is of non-locally-iterative nature made them far less suitable to various settings. In this article, we obtain the aforementioned special type of coloring. Specifically, we devise a locally-iterative Δ + 1-coloring algorithm with running timeO(Δ + log*n), i.e.,belowSzegedy-Vishwanathan barrier. This demonstrates that this barrier is not an inherent limitation for locally-iterative algorithms. As a result, we also achieve significant improvements for dynamic, self-stabilizing, and bandwidth-restricted settings. This includes the following results:We obtain self-stabilizing distributed algorithms for Δ + 1-vertex-coloring, (2Δ - 1)-edge-coloring, maximal independent set, and maximal matching withO(Δ + log*n) time. This significantly improves previously known results that haveO(n)or larger running times [23].We devise a (2Δ - 1)-edge-coloring algorithm in the CONGEST model withO(Δ + log*n) time andO(Δ)-edge-coloring in the Bit-Round model withO(Δ + logn) time. The factors of log*nand lognare unavoidable in the CONGEST and Bit-Round models, respectively. Previously known algorithms had superlinear dependency on Δ for (2Δ - 1)-edge-coloring in these models.We obtain an arbdefective coloring algorithm with running timeO(√ Δ + log*n). Such a coloring is not necessarily proper, but has certain helpful properties. We employ it to compute a proper (1 + ε)Δ-coloring withinO(√ Δ + log*n) time and Δ + 1-coloring withinO(√ Δ log Δ log*Δ + log*n) time. This improves the recent state-of-the-art bounds of Barenboim from PODC’15 [2] and Fraigniaud et al. from FOCS’16 [19] by polylogarithmic factors.Our algorithms are applicable to the SET-LOCAL model [25] (also known as the weak LOCAL model). In this model a relatively strong lower bound of Ω (Δ1/3) is known for Δ + 1-coloring. However, most of the coloring algorithms do not work in this model. (In Reference [25] only Linial’sO(Δ2)-time algorithm and Kuhn-WattenhoferO(Δ log Δ)-time algorithms are shown to work in it.) We obtain the first linear-in-Δ Δ + 1-coloring algorithms that work also in this model.