bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conservative management of acute appendicitis in the era of COVID 19: A multicenter prospective observational study at the United Arab Emirates
Authors: AL Hashmi Fatima Y. , Al Zuabi Abeer , Hachim Ibrahim Yaseen , Mannaerts Guido H.H. , Bekdache Omar 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACT

Background & Aims:
Since its emergence in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a profound impact on the health care system worldwide. We propose herein to evaluate the impact of implementing conservative management as an alternative approach to surgical appendectomy during COVID19 pandemic.

Materials and Methods:
Our study is a prospective multicenter study that includes a cohort of 158 patients admitted to the surgical departments in both Tawam Hospital and SSMC hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE, from February 2020 till July 2020.

Results:
Our results showed a significant decrease in length of hospital stay (LOS) (2.32 ± 0.83 days) among conservatively treated group compared to the surgically treated group (2.8 ± 1.47 days). Also, short term follow-up showed that 90% of those patients did not require further operative intervention or developed complications. Out of the 110 patients that were swapped for COVID19, nine (8.18%) were confirmed to be positive. Our protocol was to avoid surgical management for COVID19 positive patients unless indicated. This resulted in (8/9) of COVID19 positive patients to be treated conservatively.

Conclusions:
In conclusion, our results showed that the implementation of conservative management in treating patients with acute appendicitis who were COVID19 positive maybe essential in reducing viral transmission risks as well as avoiding operative risks on COVID19 positive patients.

Highlights
Long term follow-up of functional outcome after flexor tendon injury zone II repaired using unhas suture: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Saleh Ruksal M. , Yurianto Henry , Halim Kerwin , Fahmi Sufandi , Putra Luky Tandio 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACT

Background:
One of the most common cases seen in hand injury is the flexor tendon injury. It may affect the activity of the patient's daily living especially in Zone 2 classified by Kleinert and Verdan. Flexor tendon injury management is challenging to give a good functional outcome after the tendon repair.

Method:
This cross-sectional study took place in Wahidin Sudirohusodo General Hospital, South Sulawesi, from January 2011 to January 2020. A total of 13 subjects and a total of 20 tendons were repaired using Unhas suture. The patients were assessed using Buck-Gramcko II score, Patient Evaluation Measurement Questionnaire, and Hand Grip Strength using a hand dynamometer.

Result:
A total of 20 tendons injured were followed up from 33 to 112 months after surgery (mean: 80.3 ± 8.2 months). According to Buck-Gramcko Score, four tendons classified as excellent, four tendons classified as very good, eight tendons classified as good, and four tendons classified as fair with a range of 8–16 (mean: 13.10 ± 2.38). None are classified as poor in this study. The 13 subjects were then asked to fill the Patient Evaluation Measurement Questionnaire, and a score of 71.43–91.84% was obtained (mean: 79.59 ± 4.84). The measurement using hand dynamometer had a mean of 72.2% of handgrip strength, with a handgrip deficit of 28%.

Conclusion:
Unhas suture may provide an excellent functional outcome according to Buck-Gramcko Score and Patient Evaluation Measure Questionnaire with a low complication rate in patients with flexor tendon injury zone II.

Highlights
Spinal anesthesia for a preeclamptic patient with HELLP syndrome in the resource-limited area: A case report
Authors: Hailu Seyoum , Milkias Mesay , Girma Timsel 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACT

Introduction and importance:
Thrombocytopenia is a known clinical presentation as many studies revealed around 1% of pregnant ladies were found to have a platelet count below 100 × 109/L. The cut-off value for the administration of neuraxial anesthesia in thrombocytopenic mothers is still unclear. This case report aims to explain the anesthetic management of a case with an indication for emergency hysterotomy.

Case presentation:
A 35 years old woman (94 kg, 150 cm Gravida1, Para 0) 25 weeks parturient was presented with headache and epigastric pain of 03 days duration. A decision to terminate the pregnancy was reached. The patient was obese (BMI = 41.7kg/m2) and all airway parameters indicate anticipated difficult airway, in addition to this she had a history of productive cough of 04 days duration and short NPO time, so considering all these risks we proceeded with spinal anesthesia.

Clinical discussion:
Update data about the anesthetic management of a mother with HELLP syndrome who planned for a cesarean section is not clear regarding the best approach. Clinicians must be aware of signs and symptoms of subarachnoid hematoma and be ready for intervention when spinal anesthesia is to be chosen.

Conclusion:
Fine-needle spinal anesthesia for a parturient that has HELLP syndrome has less incidence of subarachnoid hematoma, considering that ongoing postoperative follow-up should be there as we did in our case.

Highlights
When the oncology prosthesis is the solution? A case series from a single tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Bobseit Abdulrahman H. , Khan Mahbub Ahmad , Alsaleh Nasser S. , Alhamdan Abdullah A. 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACT

Background and aim:
The advancement of prosthesis technology in recent years has enabled surgeons to replace entire limbs. In recent years, surgeons have implanted mega-prosthesis in non-oncological conditions such as acute trauma with severe bone loss and poor bone quality; post-traumatic implant failures; significant bone loss during prosthesis revision; and periprosthetic fractures indicating implant revision. There is a paucity of literature on the treatment of traumatic bone defects or recurrent nonunion. The literature is more focused on patient and limb survival and complications than on postoperative functional outcome. The purpose of this study is to assess the functional outcome of oncology prostheses in non-oncology patients using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system.

Materials and methods:
This is a case series study of 21 patients who had megaprosthetic surgery at a single tertiary center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 2015 and 2019. All non-oncology cases with oncology prostheses, such as post-traumatic, revision arthroplasty, and reconstructable joint, were included in the study. Oncology and arthrodesis cases were excluded from the study. 10 cases were included in the study because they met our criteria, 5 cases were lost to follow-up, 5 cases were excluded due to the criteria mentioned above, and 1 case expired. Our study used the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system to assess the functional outcome of such cases with a minimum follow-up of 1 year post-operatively and a second assessment on the 2 nd year post-operatively.

Results:
Our findings indicate that 70% of our patients are from the male group, with a mean age of 47.42 for the male group and 67.33 for the female group (P ≤ 0.05). Two years after the procedure, the use of MSTS scoring system resulted in a statistical significance (P ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion:
Our study showed that the mega-prosthesis has a legitimate role in cases where patients have remarkable functional outcomes after two years follow up.

Highlights
Challenges of Hospital Disaster Risk Management: A Systematic Review Study
Authors: Azarmi Somayeh , Pishgooie Amir Hosein , Sharififar Simintaj , Khankeh Hamid Reza , Hejrypour Seyyed Ziya 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjective:This study aimed to investigate the challenges of hospital disaster risk management so that it can take a step to provide strategies and interventions to remove these barriers and improve the hospital disaster risk management (HDRM) through identifying and introducing them to disaster experts.Methods:This is a systematic qualitative review study. Data sources included Persian and international databases, which were searched using the keywords of hospital, disaster, risk management, risk reduction, disaster and challenge, and the combination of them. The search period ranged from January 2010 to January 2020. Data were extracted by 2 independent examiners for qualitative thematic analysis.Results:A total of 762 articles and documents were recovered. Finally, 12 articles entered the study, including 7 studies from Asia, 2 articles from Europe, 2 articles from the United States, and 1 article about Africa. After thematic analysis, 17 sub-themes were achieved and were classified into 4 subjects of technical-physical barriers, organizational-managerial barriers, financial barriers, and human barriers. All articles have not discussed on all categories.Conclusions:The results of evaluating the challenges of hospital disaster risk management gained from this study can be beneficial in developing a roadmap to improve the status of HDRM.
From employee creativity to leader empowering behaviors: the roles of supervisor–subordinate guanxi and supervisor–subordinate similarity
Authors: Cai Wenjun , Song Jun , He Changqing , Wang Dongdong , Yang Xuanjin 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAlthough employee creativity has been identified to promote organizational competitiveness, its effect on leader empowering behaviors remains underexplored. This study investigated the underlying mechanism and boundary condition under which employee creativity influences leader empowering behaviors. Drawn on social exchange theory and similarity-attraction theory, this study developed a moderated-mediation model in which supervisor–subordinate guanxi serves as the intervening mechanism and supervisor–subordinate similarity serves as a boundary condition influencing this relationship. Using three-wave, time-lagged survey data collected from 309 supervisor–subordinate dyads, this study found that supervisor–subordinate guanxi mediates the relationship between employee creativity and leader empowering behaviors, and that this relationship is stronger when supervisor–subordinate similarity is high rather than low. Finally, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
WIGGLE-MATCH DATING OF A FLOATING OAK CHRONOLOGY FROM AN EARLY IRON AGE GRAVE CONSTRUCTION (ERESZTVÉNYI FOREST, FEHÉRVÁRCSURGÓ, HUNGARY)
Authors: Kern Z , Jungbert B , Morgós A , Molnár M , Horváth E 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACTArchaeological excavations unearthed three burial mounds between 1983 and 1986 at Fehérvárcsurgó (Hungary). Based on the archaeological determination the site was dated to the Early Iron Age. A complex wooden architecture was observed in the largest tumulus containing inner and outer beam constructions separated by stone blocks. Dendrochronological and radiocarbon (14C) analyses were performed on conserved logs (n=5) to constrain the felling date of the timber, identified as oak, and the construction period of the tumuli. The four longest ringwidth series were synchronized providing a 153-yr-long floating chronology. Five blocks were removed from the cross sections and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C analysis was performed on the separated α-cellulose. A wiggle-matching procedure was employed as the 14C ages were in agreement with their relative position in the tree-ring sequence and concurred with the expected archaeological period. The calibrated age range of the last extant ring is 747–707 cal BC (95.4%). The earliest possible felling date of the trees used in the construction was between 735 and 695 BC considering the missing sapwood. This is the first 14C dated tree-ring width chronology from the Early Iron Age in Hungary providing a valuable reference for dendroarchaeological studies along the eastern border of the Hallstatt Culture.
Biological responses of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) to sub-lethal concentrations of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana
Authors: Kheradmand Katayoon , Heidari Mahmoud , Sedaratian-Jahromi Amin , Talaei-Hassanloui Reza , Havasi Mohammadreza 
Published: August 2021

AbstractTetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) is one of the most important pests of agricultural crops with worldwide distribution causing considerable damage to different products. Application of chemical acaricides is one of the most important strategies used for the control of this pest. Entomopathogenic fungi, however, have been proposed as alternative control agents. In this study, sub-lethal effects (LC10 = 6.76 × 102, LC20 = 8.74 × 103, and LC30 = 55.38 × 103 conidia ml−1) of Beauveria bassiana strain TV on the life table parameters of T. urticae were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The results demonstrated that by increasing the concentration, a significant decline was observed in adult longevity of both male and female individuals. Total fecundity of T. urticae was calculated as 45.16, 36.28, 23.98, and 18.21 eggs in control, LC10, LC20, and LC30 treatments, respectively. Sub-lethal concentrations drastically affected the population parameters of this mite pest. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) ranged from 0.1983 to 0.1688 day−1 for the mites treated with distilled water and LC20 treatments, respectively. The net reproductive rate (R0) was affected by the sub-lethal concentrations (lower value at LC30 concentration: 11.19 offspring/individual). Considering the detrimental effects of B. bassiana on some biological parameters of T. urticae, it can be concluded that this product can be used to develop targeted interventions aimed at integrated pest management of this pest.
Bioefficacy, environmental safety and synergistic impacts of biorational formulations against whitefly, leafhopper and blister beetle in organic okra ecosystem
Authors: Singh Satyapriya , Yadav Gulab Singh , Das Anup , Das Biswajit , Devi Hidangmayum Lembisana , Raghuraman Mahadevan , Kumar Amit 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWhitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida) and large yellow-banded blister beetle (Mylabris phalerata) cause considerable damage to okra, especially under organic farming. Thus, the present study was carried out to test the bioefficacy and environmental safety of six naturally derived components [indigenous water plant extracts, i.e. chilli (Capsicum annum), garlic (Allium sativum L.) and neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) along with cow urine in three different combinations, one commercial botanical (azadirachtin 0.15%), and two formulated entomopathogenic fungi (Verticillium lecanii and Beauveria bassiana)] on aforesaid pests for two consecutive years at field scale. In addition to this, the eco-toxicological effect of naturally derived components was also studied on natural enemies’ populations, viz. spiders and coccinellids. Quaternary mixture application of chilli, garlic, neem leaf and cow urine (CGNC) at 10% w/v was found effective in reducing leafhoppers (94.6%), whiteflies (95.2%) and blister beetle (94.6%) over control. Okra treated with CGNC produced a higher marketable fruit yield (18.44 mg/ha) than those of other treatments. It was also observed that the application of CGNC had no phytotoxic symptoms on okra plants. Application of CGNC was found safer to the natural enemy's population (spiders and coccinellids). Thus, the study suggests that CGNC can be considered as a potential source for managing the population of whitefly, leafhopper and blister beetle without affecting the ecology of natural enemies and it could be a viable eco-friendly option in organic okra production for ensuring food safety and healthy environment.
Epidemiology of Taenia solium infection in the Russian Federation in the last 20 years: a systematic review
Authors: Bobić B. , Ćirković V. , Klun I. , Štajner T. , Srbljanović J. , Bauman N. , Djurković-Djaković O. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Taenia solium is a zoonotic parasite that causes taeniasis and cysticercosis in humans (as final hosts) and cysticercosis in pigs (as intermediate hosts). The Russian Federation (RF) is traditionally considered as endemic for this zoonosis. However, the epidemiological data on T. solium infection have not been reviewed for the past 20 years, in which time dynamic economical and societal changes have occurred in the RF. The aim of this systematic review was to analyse the status of T. solium infection in RF in the 2000–2019 period. A literature search was conducted, which collected published articles, grey literature and official data on the epidemiology of T. solium taeniasis and cysticercosis in the RF published from 2000. From a total of 2021 articles and 24 official reports originally returned by the search, data were extracted from 12 full text articles and 11 official reports. Taenia solium taeniasis was continuously reported in the RF between 2000 and 2019, with a tenfold decrease in the incidence, from 0.2 per 100,000 population in 2000 to 0.023/100,000 in 2019. Also, the number of administrative units where taeniasis was detected continuously decreased. Cysticercosis in pigs had a declining trend after 2006. In conclusion, although decreasing, T. solium infection is still endemic in several regions and suspected to be endemic in most of the RF.
Treatment strategies for inverted papillomas with intracranial or intraorbital involvement
Authors: Spinos D , Kalamatianos T , Terzakis D , Piagkou M , Georgalas C 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjectiveSinonasal inverted papillomas are challenging benign tumours of the nasal cavity because of their high recurrence rates and the lifetime malignant transformation risk of 10 per cent as well as their locally aggressive behaviour. This study aimed to describe treatment strategies for inverted papillomas with intracranial or intraorbital involvement.MethodThis was a prospective case series study of 18 patients with inverted papilloma with intracranial or intraorbital involvement. Patient demographic data, imaging, pathology, surgical technique and recurrences were recorded prospectively over a period of seven years.ResultsA total of 83 per cent of the patients in this study had been previously operated on, consisting of 8 cases with intracranial involvement, 1 case with intraorbital involvement and 9 with both. During follow up with a medium of 37 months (range, 13–115 months) there were two recurrences.ConclusionIt was postulated that intracranial or intraorbital involvement observed in this series was the result of multiple revisions. However, using accurate imaging protocols and the pedicle-oriented approach for tumour excision, complete tumour removal was achieved in most cases with minimal post-operative complications.
LeopardPanthera pardusdensity and survival in an ecosystem with depressed abundance of prey and dominant competitors
Authors: Vinks Milan A. , Creel Scott , Rosenblatt Elias , Becker Matthew S. , Schuette Paul , Goodheart Ben , Sanguinetti Carolyn , Banda Kambwiri , Chifunte Clive , Simukonda Chuma 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe leopardPanthera pardusis in range-wide decline, and many populations are highly threatened. Prey depletion is a major cause of global carnivore declines, but the response of leopard survival and density to this threat is unclear: by reducing the density of a dominant competitor (the lionPanthera leo) prey depletion could create both costs and benefits for subordinate competitors. We used capture–recapture models fitted to data from a 7-year camera-trap study in Kafue National Park, Zambia, to obtain baseline estimates of leopard population density and sex-specific apparent survival rates. Kafue is affected by prey depletion, and densities of large herbivores preferred by lions have declined more than the densities of smaller herbivores preferred by leopards. Lion density is consequently low. Estimates of leopard density were comparable to ecosystems with more intensive protection and favourable prey densities. However, our study site is located in an area with good ecological conditions and high levels of protection relative to other portions of the ecosystem, so extrapolating our estimates across the Park or into adjacent Game Management Areas would not be valid. Our results show that leopard density and survival within north-central Kafue remain good despite prey depletion, perhaps because (1) prey depletion has had weaker effects on preferred leopard prey compared to larger prey preferred by lions, and (2) the density of dominant competitors is consequently low. Our results show that the effects of prey depletion can be more complex than uniform decline of all large carnivore species, and warrant further investigation.
Invalid Polar Cap Indices: Erroneous Scaling Parameters
Authors: Stauning Peter 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn the publication Troshichev et al. (2006) (https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JA011402) on the polar cap (PC) indices, PCN and PCS, an error was made by using components of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) in their geocentric solar ecliptic (GSE) representation instead of the prescribed geocentric solar magnetospheric (GSM) representation for calculations of index scaling parameters. The mistake has caused a trail of incorrect relations and wrong conclusions extending since 2006 up to now (2020) which should be discontinued, for instance, by issuing a corrigendum note from the authors. The present contribution explains the error and discusses in an extended example its consequences for one of the publications that have referred to the invalid scaling parameter set. Further investigations reported here of the PC index versions recommended by the International Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) indicate occurrences of similar problems in the present derivation of index scaling parameters.
Influence of Atmospheric Blocking on Storm Track Activity Over the North Pacific During Boreal Winter
Authors: Yang Minghao , Luo Dehai , Li Chongyin , Yao Yao , Li Xin , Chen Xiong 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe observed interannual impact of the North Pacific atmospheric blocking (PB) on the North Pacific storm track (PST) during boreal winter is investigated. There is a significant out‐of‐phase relationship between the intensities of PB and PST. The strong PB is accompanied by prominent geopotential height anomalies exhibiting a meridional dipole. PB‐related anomalous easterlies south of the anticyclonic anomaly reduce the low‐level atmospheric baroclinicity by weakening the upper‐level zonal wind, which may be responsible for the attenuated PST. The situations are opposite when PB is weak but with relatively weak magnitudes. However, the intensified PST associated with weak PB may not be determined by the strengthened baroclinicity. Additionally, by diagnosing the energy budget, the contribution of energy conversion from background available potential energy to the altered eddy available potential energy (EAPE) can be elucidated. PB‐related anomalous baroclinic energy conversion from EAPE to eddy kinetic energy (EKE) largely explains the altered EKE.