bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differentiation between myopericarditis and acute myocardial infarction on presentation in the emergency department using the admission C-reactive protein to troponin ratio
Authors: Meisel Simcha R. , Nashed Hamuda , Natour Randa , Abu Fanne Rami , Saada Majdi , Amsalem Naama , Levin Carmel , Kobo Ofer , Frimerman Aaron , Levi Yaniv , Mohsen Jameel , Shotan Avraham , Roguin Ariel , Kleiner-Shochat Michael 
Published: April 2021

BackgroundThe treatment of myopericarditis is different than that of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, since their clinical presentation is frequently similar it may be difficult to distinguish between these entities despite a disparate underlying pathogenesis. Myopericarditis is primarily an inflammatory disease associated with high C-reactive protein (CRP) and relatively low elevated troponin concentrations, while AMI is characterized by the opposite. We hypothesized that evaluation of the CRP/troponin ratio on presentation to the emergency department could improve the differentiation between these two related clinical entities whose therapy is different. Such differentiation should facilitate triage to appropriate and expeditious therapy.MethodsWe evaluated the CRP/troponin ratio on presentation among patients consecutively included in a large single center registry that included 1898 consecutive patients comprising 1025 ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, 518 Non-STEMI (NSTEMI) patients, and 355 patients diagnosed on discharge as myopericarditis. CRP and troponin were sampled on admission in all patients and their ratio was assessed against discharge diagnosis. ROC analysis of the CRP/troponin ratios evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of myopericarditis against all AMI, STEMI, and NSTEMI patients.ResultsMedian admission CRP/troponin ratios were 84, 65, and 436 mg×ml/liter×ng in STEMI, NSTEMI and myopericarditis groups, respectively (p<0.001) demonstrating good differentiating capability. The Receiver-operator-curve of admission CRP/troponin ratio for diagnosis of myopericarditis against all AMI, STEMI, and NSTEMI patients yielded an area-under-the curve of 0.74, 0.73, and 0.765, respectively. CRP/troponin ratio>500 resulted in specificity exceeding 85%, and for a ratio>1000, specificity>92%.ConclusionThe CRP/troponin ratio can serve as an effective tool to differentiate between myopericarditis and AMI. In the appropriate clinical context, the CRP/troponin ratio may preclude further evaluation.
Disparities in smokeless tobacco use in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan: Findings from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2014-2017
Authors: Zhao Luhua , Mbulo Lazarous , Twentyman Evelyn , Palipudi Krishna , King Brian A. 
Published: April 2021

BackgroundSmokeless tobacco (SLT) use is associated with multiple adverse health effects. It is prominent in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, but disparities in use within and across these countries are not well documented or understood. This study assessed the prevalence, patterns, and correlates of SLT use in these three countries.MethodData came from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, a household survey of adults aged ≥15 years. Data were collected in 2014 (Pakistan), 2017 (Bangladesh), and India (2016–2017). Current SLT use (nasal or oral use) was defined as reported SLT use daily or less than daily at the time of the survey. Prevalence of both overall and specific SLT types were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess correlates of SLT use.ResultsOverall, SLT use among adults ≥15 years of age was 20.6% in Bangladesh, 21.4% in India, and 7.7% in Pakistan, corresponding to 22.0 million SLT users in Bangladesh, 199.4 million in India, and 9.6 million in Pakistan. Among current tobacco users overall, the percentage of those who used SLT was 58.4% (CI: 56.0–60.7) in Bangladesh, 74.7% (CI: 73.4–76.0) in India, and 40.3% (CI: 36.2–44.5) in Pakistan. The most commonly used oral SLT product was Zarda (14.5%) in Bangladesh, Khaini (11.2%) in India, and Naswar (5.1%) in Pakistan. Females had greater odds of SLT use than males in Bangladesh, but lower odds of SLT use than males in India and Pakistan. In all three countries, the odds of SLT use was higher among those 25 years and older, lower education, lower wealth index, and greater exposure to SLT marketing.ConclusionAn estimated 231 million adults aged 15 years or older currently use SLT in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, comprising 40.3%-74.7% of overall tobacco product use in these countries. Moreover, marked variations in SLT use exist by population groups. Furthermore, exposure to pro-SLT marketing was found to be associated with higher SLT use compared to non-exposed. It is important that tobacco control strategies address all forms of tobacco product use, including SLT.
Clinical utility of hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCVcAg) assay to identify active HCV infection in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients
Authors: Ponnuvel Suresh , Fletcher Gnanadurai John , Anantharam Raghavendran , Varughese Santosh , David Vinoy George , Abraham Priya 
Published: April 2021

Background
The prevalence of HCV infection is high and it is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients. Diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection requires both HCV antibody screening and confirmatory nucleic acid testing (NAT). Hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCVcAg) is a reliable direct viral marker to identify active HCV infection.

Aim
To assess the clinical utility of HCV core antigen to identify active HCV infection in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients.

Methods
A representative total of 231 plasma samples with a predominance of low viral load were included for HCVcAg testing and its performance characteristics were compared with the gold standard HCV RNA.

Results
Comparison of HCVcAg with HCV RNA showed an excellent specificity of 99% (95% CI: 94.7 to 100%) and sensitivity of 80.62% (95% CI: 73.59 to 87.7%). Likewise, the PPV and NPV of HCVcAg were 99.1% (95% CI: 93.7% to 99.9%) and 80.2% (95% CI: 74% to 85.2%) respectively. The correlation between HCVcAg and HCV RNA was found to be good (R2 = 0.86, p<0.0001). Among common Indian HCV genotypes (1, 3 & 4), good correlation was observed between HCV RNA and HCVcAg (R2 = 0.81, p <0.0001).

Conclusions
It is the first Indian study to show that HCVcAg is a reliable, cost-effective direct marker to identify active HCV infection in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients. Implementation of HCVcAg testing could improve the accessibility to efficacious and affordable disease management in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients. In HCVcAg negative cases, sequential testing with anti-HCV antibody followed by HCV RNA could be a reliable and cost-effective approach.
Association of prescription opioid use on mortality and hospital length of stay in the intensive care unit
Authors: Hardy Nicole , Zeba Fatima , Ovalle Anaelia , Yanac Alicia , Nzugang-Noutonsi Christelle , Abadier Mike , Ovalle Anais , Chahin Abdullah 
Published: April 2021

Objective
Several studies show that chronic opioid dependence leads to higher in-hospital mortality, increased risk of hospital readmissions, and worse outcomes in trauma cases. However, the association of outpatient prescription opioid use on morbidity and mortality has not been adequately evaluated in a critical care setting. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an association between chronic opioid use and mortality after an ICU admission.

Design
A single-center, longitudinal retrospective cohort study of all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients admitted to a tertiary-care academic medical center from 2001 to 2012 using the MIMIC-III database.

Setting
Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database based in the United States.

Patients
Adult patients 18 years and older were included. Exclusion criteria comprised of patients who expired during their hospital stay or presented with overdose; patients with cancer, anoxic brain injury, non-prescription opioid use; or if an accurate medication reconciliation was unable to be obtained. Patients prescribed chronic opioids were compared with those who had not been prescribed opioids in the outpatient setting.

Interventions
None.

Measurements and main results
The final sample included a total of 22,385 patients, with 2,621 (11.7%) in the opioid group and 19,764 (88.3%) in the control group. After proceeding with bivariate analyses, statistically significant and clinically relevant differences were identified between opioid and non-opioid users in sex, length of hospital stay, and comorbidities. Opioid use was associated with increased mortality in both the 30-day and 1-year windows with a respective odds ratios of 1.81 (95% CI, 1.63–2.01; p<0.001) and 1.88 (95% CI, 1.77–1.99; p<0.001), respectively.

Conclusions
Chronic opioid usage was associated with increased hospital length of stay and increased mortality at both 30 days and 1 year after ICU admission. Knowledge of this will help providers make better choices in patient care and have a more informed risk-benefits discussion when prescribing opioids for chronic usage.
Nucleic acid amplification techniques for rapid diagnosis of nontuberculous mycobacteria: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yu Guocan , Shen Yanqin , Xu Xudong , Lin Lihua 
Published: April 2021

Background
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection is similar to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. Early clinical identification and differentiation of NTM and MTB infections continues to be a major challenge. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) have the ability to efficiently and rapidly detect pathogens and are widely used in mycobacterial infections. The objective of this study is to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of NAATs for NTM.

Methods
We will search candidate studies that assessing the accuracy of NAATs for diagnosis of NTM through PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library until May 2021. Studies with full text that meet the inclusion criteria will be included. Following a revised tool for Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2), two researchers will independently evaluate the study quality. The STATA software (version 15.0) will be used to carry out meta-analyses. When heterogeneity is observed, subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses will be used to explore sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analyses will be used to check the robustness of analyses.

Conclusion
We hope that this study will provide meaningful evidence for the early and rapid diagnosis of NAATs for NTM, which will help to guide the treatment of NTM and improve the prognosis of patients.
Meibomian glands dropout in patients with inactive thyroid related orbitopathy
Authors: Satitpitakul Vannarut , Rattanaphong Tanavadee , Pruksakorn Vannakorn 
Published: April 2021

Purpose
To evaluate the structure and function of meibomian glands in patients with thyroid related orbitopathy (TRO) compared with age- and sex-matched controls without TRO.

Methods
This cross-sectional study included 106 eyes of 53 patients with TRO and 106 eyes of 53 age- and sex-matched controls without TRO. Patients with TRO were assessed for thyroid hormone status, activity and severity of TRO. All participants completed OSDI questionnaires. Their meibomian glands’ structure and function were assessed, including the area of meibomian gland dropout, lipid layer thickness (LLT), meibum expressibility and quality scores, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal and conjunctival staining scores. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to compare between the two groups. The correlations between the area of meibomian gland dropout with symptoms and signs of TRO were evaluated using GEE and Spearman correlation.

Results
All patients with TRO had inactive status. The mean area of meibomian gland dropout was higher in the TRO group (34.5±11.2%) compared with that of controls (30.1±10.7%, P = 0.03). Both mean meibum quality (TRO, 1.6±0.7; Controls, 2.0 ±0.5) and expressibility (TRO, 1.5 ±0.7; Controls, 1.7 ±0.6) scores were slightly better in the TRO group compared with those of controls (P = 0.01). There was no significant difference in OSDI, corneal and conjunctival staining, TBUT and LLT. The area of meibomian gland dropout in patients with TRO was correlated with euthyroid status (P<0.05) and lagophthalmos (P = 0.03).

Conclusions
Patients with inactive TRO showed significantly higher meibomian gland dropout compared with that of age- and sex-matched controls without TRO.
The effects of salinity on changes in characteristics of soils collected in a saline region of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Authors: Van Tan Lam , Thanh Tran 
Published: April 2021

AbstractDue to the impacts of climate change and the reduction in the flow of the Mekong River, saline intrusion into the inland has been an emergent and pressing issue. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of various saline conditions (0–25‰) on changes in some soil properties under laboratory conditions. Ten topsoil samples were collected from a depth of 0–20 cm in the dry seasons in the rice–corn rotation fields with low salinity, in Thanh Phu district, Ben Tre province, Vietnam. The examined criteria consisted of soil pH, soil electrical conductivity of the saturated paste extract (ECe), exchangeable Na, percentage of exchangeable Na, and content (%) of nitrogen and phosphorus. The results revealed that the pH range of soil decreased from 5.14–5.72 to 4.08–5.14 when the soil salinity increased from 0 to 25‰. At the salinity of 10‰ and higher, the available nitrogen began to decline. Meanwhile, the available phosphorus tended to decrease as the salinity increased past 12‰. Some measures are also discussed, with the aim of ensuring sustainable rice farming in the circumstances of increased salinity.
Error Analysis of an Unconditionally Energy Stable Local Discontinuous Galerkin Scheme for the Cahn–Hilliard Equation with Concentration-Dependent Mobility
Authors: Yan Fengna , Xu Yan 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this paper, we mainly study the error analysis of an unconditionally energy stable local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) scheme for the Cahn–Hilliard equation with concentration-dependent mobility.
The time discretization is based on the invariant energy quadratization (IEQ) method.
The fully discrete scheme leads to a linear algebraic system to solve at each time step.
The main difficulty in the error estimates is the lack of control on some jump terms at cell boundaries in the LDG discretization.
Special treatments are needed for the initial condition and the non-constant mobility term of the Cahn–Hilliard equation.
For the analysis of the non-constant mobility term, we take full advantage of the semi-implicit time-discrete method and bound some numerical variables in

L
∞

L^{\infty}

-norm by the mathematical induction method.
The optimal error results are obtained for the fully discrete scheme.
A review of thermal spray coatings for protection of steels from degradation in coal fired power plants
Authors: Dhand Deepak , Kumar Parlad , Grewal Jasmaninder Singh 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In coal fired power plants, the metallic surfaces such as boiler tubes, walls of combustion chambers and other parts degrade by corrosion, erosion and abrasion. It happens due to the hot gaseous environment, steam oxidation and presence of hard minerals and impurities in the coal. It is very important to protect these surfaces from material loss, otherwise it would lead to increased repair and maintenance cost along with decreased plant efficiency. In this paper, the role of thermal spray coatings has been studied for the protection of different steel grades exposed to such degrading conditions at high temperatures, in coal-based power plants. A comprehensive study has been done by analysing and comparing the work done by various researchers. Some recent advancements related to coating materials and modification in coating techniques have also been studied. This paper would be helpful for the researchers to get an idea for selecting an appropriate substrate material and coating material for industrial applications.
To study or not to study abroad? students’ decision in perspective of motivations, barriers and attachment
Authors: Sulejmanov Filip , Seitlová Klára , Seitl Martin , Kasalová Barbora 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the antecedents of studying abroad. First, we explore motivations for and barriers against studying abroad in two groups of students (who had studied abroad, and who had not studied abroad). Second, differences in attachment dimensions and styles are examined in both groups. A deductive thematic analysis supported the thematic structure identified by Krzaklewska (2008) in regard to motivations. Furthermore, five barriers were identified using inductive thematic analysis. Although the same motivational and barrier themes were found in both groups, there were some notable qualitative differences in meaning attached to them. A one-way MANOVA showed non-significant differences between the two groups of students and attachment dimensions. Finnaly, Fisher’s exact test was conducted, and the post hoc comparison showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of students who had studied abroad and had a secure attachment style compared to students who had not studied abroad.
‘Baby factories’ versus the objectification of surrogacy cum child adoption in Nigeria
Authors: Okoli Al Chukwuma , Eze Chika 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
This paper examines the phenomenon of ‘baby factories’ as an abusive pattern of surrogacy and child adoption practices in Nigeria. Relying on a mixed qualitative approach that draws on extant literature and field-based personal insights, the paper posits that the economic, socio-cultural and psycho-emotional value of bearing and having a child, as well as the tacit disapproval of adoptive parenting by some cultures in Nigeria, have driven childless couples and adults into seeking child adoption through illicit and unconventional paths, such as ‘baby factories’. The paper contends that the commercialization and non-regulation of surrogacy in Nigeria has created pretexts for the proliferation of ‘baby factories’, where babies are bought and sold, with pregnant girls and infants objectified as ‘stocks-in-trade’. To mitigate the phenomenon, it is expedient to regulate the bourgeoning illicit baby market in the country through proper legislation that is capable of moderating the excesses of surrogate and adoptive practices.
Decolorization and mineralization of diazo dye under artificial and solar light assisted Fenton and photo-Fenton conditions
Authors: Bousnoubra Ibtissem , Fassi Soumia , Djebbar Kamel E. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The aim of this study is to verify the ability of some photochemical processes in the absence of light (Fenton) and in its presence (photolysis/UV, photo-Fenton/UV and photo-Fenton/Solar) to obtain total decolorization and mineralization of an diazo dye in aqueous solution: the Evans Blue (abbreviated as EB). Batch experiments were carried out to evaluate, on the first stage, the influence of different processes on EB decolorization and mineralization. During the second stage the optimal operational conditions like: H2O2 dosage, EB concentration and source of light were investigated. The reaction efficiencies have been compared for the same system in the dark or under the assistance of an artificial or solar light source. The obtained results showed that color removal followed the increasing order: photolysis/UV (18.2%) < Fe(II)/H2O2 (64.12%) < Fe(II)/H2O2/UV365 nm (83.4%) < Fe(II)/H2O2/solar light (86.3%) < Fe(II)/H2O2/UV254 nm (99.9%) with a reaction time of 60 min This improvement could be related to a better production of radicals OH•. In another hand, The efficiency of substrate mineralization in each process has been comparatively discussed by total organic carbon (TOC) and total chemical oxygen demand content of EB solutions.
Formation of boride layers on a commercially pure Ti surface produced via powder metallurgy
Authors: Kaplan Yavuz , Gülsün Mehmet , Aksöz Sinan 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this study, powder metallurgy was applied in a furnace atmosphere to form titanium boride layers on a commercially pure Ti surface. Experiments were carried out using the solid-state boriding method at 900 °C and 1000°C for 12 h and 24 h. Samples were produced by pressing the commercially pure Ti powders under 870 MPa. The sintering process required by the powder metallurgy method was carried out simultaneously with the boriding process. Thus, the sintering and boriding were performed in one stage. The formation of the boride layer was investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, optical-light microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and elemental dispersion spectrometry analyses. In addition, microhardness measurements were performed to examine the effect of the boriding process on hardness. The Vickers microhardness of the boronized surface reached 1773 HV, which was much higher than the 150 HV hardness of the commercially pure Ti substrate. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the boriding process had enabled the formation of TiB and TiB2 on the powder metallurgy Ti substrate surface. Consequently, the production of Ti via powder metallurgy is a potentially cost-effective alternative to the conventional method, and the boriding process supplies TiB and TiB2 that provide super-high hardness and excellent wear and corrosion resistance.