bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systematic review and network meta‐analysis: efficacy of licensed drugs for abdominal bloating in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation
Authors: Nelson Alfred D. , Black Christopher J. , Houghton Lesley A. , Lugo‐Fagundo Nahyr Sofía , Lacy Brian E. , Ford Alexander C. 
Published: June 2021

SummaryBackgroundAlthough bloating is a highly prevalent and troublesome symptom in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS‐C), treatment is empirical with no specific guidelines for its management.AimTo conduct a pairwise and network meta‐analysis, using a frequentist approach, of Food and Drug Administration‐licensed drugs for IBS‐C comparing their efficacy for abdominal bloating as a specific endpoint.MethodsWe searched the medical literature through December 2020 to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in IBS‐C, with abdominal bloating reported as a dichotomous assessment. Efficacy of each drug was reported as a pooled relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to summarise effect of each comparison tested. Treatments were ranked according to their P‐score.ResultsWe identified 13 eligible RCTs, containing 10 091 patients. Linaclotide 290 µg o.d., lubiprostone 8 µg b.d., tenapanor 50 mg b.d. and tegaserod 6 mg b.d. were all superior to placebo for abdominal bloating in patients with IBS‐C, in both pairwise and the network meta‐analyses. Linaclotide demonstrated the greatest improvement in abdominal bloating in both pairwise and network meta‐analysis (RR of failure to achieve an improvement in abdominal bloating = 0.78; 95% CI 0.74‐0.83, number needed to treat = 7, P‐score 0.97). Indirect comparison revealed no significant differences between individual drugs.ConclusionsWe found all licensed drugs for IBS‐C to be superior to placebo for abdominal bloating. Linaclotide appeared to be the most efficacious at relieving abdominal bloating. Further research is needed to assess long‐term efficacy of these agents and to better understand the precise mechanism of improving bloating.
Longitudinal follow‐up study: effect of psychological co‐morbidity on the prognosis of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Fairbrass Keeley M. , Gracie David J. , Ford Alexander C. 
Published: June 2021

SummaryBackgroundPsychological co‐morbidity is more common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), compared with the general population, but little is known about the cumulative effect of increasing psychological burden on disease behaviour.AimsTo examine the effect of psychological co‐morbidity on inflammatory bowel disease in a longitudinal follow‐up study.MethodsWe collected complete demographic, symptom and psychological co‐morbidity data (anxiety, depression and somatisation scores) at baseline from adults with IBD in biochemical remission (faecal calprotectin <250 µg/g). Objective markers of disease activity, including glucocorticosteroid prescription or flare of disease activity, escalation of therapy, hospitalisation or intestinal resection, were reviewed ≥2 years of follow‐up. We performed multivariate Cox regression, controlling for patient characteristics and follow‐up duration, to examine cumulative effect of psychological co‐morbidities on subsequent IBD behaviour.ResultsAmong 218 participants, 48 (22.0%) had one, 13 (6.0%) two and nine (4.1%) three psychological co‐morbidities at baseline. Following multivariate Cox regression analysis, glucocorticosteroid prescription or flare, and escalation of medical therapy were significantly higher among those with two (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.18; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44‐7.02, and HR = 2.48; 95% CI 1.03‐5.93, respectively) or three (HR = 3.53; 95% CI 1.26‐9.92, and HR = 8.19; 95% CI 2.88‐23.23, respectively) psychological co‐morbidities. Occurrence of at least one endpoint of interest was significantly higher with increasing psychological co‐morbidity (HR = 1.74; 95% CI 1.07‐2.82 for one, HR = 2.47; 95% CI 1.12‐5.46 for two and HR = 4.93; 95% CI 1.84‐13.17 for three psychological co‐morbidities).ConclusionsIndividuals with IBD in biochemical remission experienced a worse disease course with increasing psychological co‐morbidity at baseline.
Retrospective review of patients treated for cyclic vomiting syndrome with topiramate
Authors: Mooers Harrison , Srivastava Sonali , Garacci Emma , Venkatesan Thangam 
Published: June 2021

SummaryBackgroundPractice guidelines recommend topiramate as second‐line treatment for the prevention of moderate‐severe cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) in adults. However, data are limited to small studies in children.AimTo characterise the response to topiramate as prophylactic therapy in adults with CVS.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of patients with CVS. Clinical characteristics, number of CVS episodes, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalisations the year before and after initiating topiramate were recorded. Response was defined as a global improvement in symptoms or >50% reduction in the number of CVS episodes, ED visits or hospitalisations.ResultsSixty‐five percent (88/136) of patients responded to topiramate in an intent‐to‐treat analysis. There was a significant decrease in the annual number of CVS episodes (18.1 vs 6.2, P < 0.0001), CVS‐related ED visits (4.3 vs 1.6, P = 0.0029), and CVS‐related hospitalisations (2.0 vs 1.0, P = 0.035). Logistic regression revealed that higher doses of topiramate, longer use of topiramate (≥12 months) and topiramate as monotherapy were associated with a response to treatment. Anxiety was associated with non‐response to topiramate. Fifty‐five percent of patients experienced side effects, and 32% discontinued the medication as a result. The most common side effects were cognitive impairment (13%), fatigue (11%) and paresthesia (10%). This represented a refractory group with topiramate being initiated in patients (92%) who had failed treatment with tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs).ConclusionsTopiramate may be an effective second‐line prophylaxis for patients with moderate‐severe CVS, but its use is limited by side effects. Efforts to develop better‐tolerated therapies for CVS are warranted.
Assessment of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction for measuring BCR‐ABL1 in chronic myeloid leukaemia in an international interlaboratory study
Authors: Scott Stuart , Cartwright Ashley , Francis Sebastian , Whitby Liam , Sanzone A. Pia , Mulder André , Galimberti Sara , Dulucq Stephanie , Mauté Carole , Lauricella Calogero , Salmon Matthew , Rose Susan , Willoughby Josh , Boeckx Nancy , Pallisgaard Niels , Maier Jacqueline , Leibundgut Elisabeth O. , Zizkova Hana , Ling Goh Liuh , Duong Chinh , Tang Wing F. , Ma Edmond , Shivakumar Yogesh , Beppu Lan , Bhagavatula Prasanthi , Chantry Andrew 
Published: June 2021

SummaryMeasurement of BCR activator of RhoGEF and GTPase ‐ABL proto‐oncogene 1, non‐receptor tyrosine kinase (BCR‐ABL1) mRNA levels by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR) has been critical to treatment protocols and clinical trials in chronic myeloid leukaemia; however, interlaboratory variation remains a significant issue. Reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR (RTddPCR) has shown potential to improve testing but a large‐scale interlaboratory study is required to definitively establish this. In the present study, 10 BCR‐ABL1‐positive samples with levels ranging from molecular response (MR)1·0–MR5·0 were tested by 23 laboratories using RTddPCR with the QXDX BCR‐ABL %IS kit. A subset of participants tested the samples using RTqPCR. All 23 participants using RTddPCR detected BCR‐ABL1 in all samples to MR4·0. Detection rates for deep‐response samples were 95·7% at MR4·5, 78·3% at MR4·7 and 87·0% at MR5·0. Interlaboratory coefficient of variation was indirectly proportional to BCR‐ABL1 level ranging from 29·3% to 69·0%. Linearity ranged from 0·9330 to 1·000 (average 0·9936). When results were compared for the 11 participants who performed both RTddPCR and RTqPCR, RTddPCR showed a similar limit of detection to RTqPCR with reduced interlaboratory variation and better assay linearity. The ability to detect deep responses with RTddPCR, matched with an improved linearity and reduced interlaboratory variation will allow improved patient management, and is of particular importance for future clinical trials focussed on achieving and maintaining treatment‐free remission.
COVID‐19 and immunothrombosis: emerging understanding and clinical management
Authors: Shaw Rebecca J. , Bradbury Charlotte , Abrams Simon T. , Wang Guozheng , Toh Cheng‐Hock 
Published: June 2021

SummaryThe COVID‐19 pandemic has been the most significant health crisis in recent global history. Early studies from Wuhan highlighted COVID‐19‐associated coagulopathy and a significant association with mortality was soon recognised. As research continues across the world, more evidence is emerging of the cross‐talk between the innate immune system, coagulation activation and inflammation. Immunothrombosis has been demonstrated to play a key role in the pathophysiology of severe COVID‐19, with extracellular histones and neutrophil extracellular traps detected in the plasma and cardiopulmonary tissues of critically ill patients. Targeting the components of immunothrombosis is becoming an important factor in the treatment of patients with COVID‐19 infection. Recent studies report outcomes of intermediate and therapeutic anticoagulation in hospitalised patients with varying severities of COVID‐19 disease, including optimal dosing and associated bleeding risks. Immunomodulatory therapies, including corticosteroids and IL‐6 receptor antagonists, have been demonstrated to significantly reduce mortality in COVID‐19 patients. As the pandemic continues, more studies are required to understand the driving factors and upstream mechanisms for coagulopathy and immunothrombosis in COVID‐19, and thus potentially develop more targeted therapies for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, both in the acute phase and in those who develop longer‐term symptom burden.
Researching belonging with people with learning disabilities: Self‐building active community lives in the context of personalisation
Authors: Kaley Alexandra , Donnelly John Paul , Donnelly Lisa , Humphrey Sally , Reilly Steven , Macpherson Hannah , Hall Ed , Power Andy 
Published: June 2021

Accessible Summary

We wanted to understand more about how people with learning disabilities are building active community lives to help belonging.

We spoke to 39 people from 29 different support organisations, 7 local authority representatives and 43 people with learning disabilities.

They said belonging was about having the time to connect with other people in “everyday” places, being part of a supportive network and having the right choice and information.

Belonging is like a cake. It needs the right ingredients. These ingredients include the right combination of people, places and times.

Because of cuts to funding, many people with learning disabilities lack the right support, choice and information to access their communities. This is not belonging.

AbstractBackgroundThis journal article draws on findings from a research project that examined how people with learning disabilities and their allies were seeking to build a sense of belonging. We wanted to focus on the concept of “belonging” in the context of personalisation and reduced government social care funding. Specifically, we sought to understand how people with learning disabilities and their supporters were coming together to “self‐build” networks of support including friendship clubs and self‐advocacy groups to enable a greater sense of belonging in their local communities.MethodsQualitative interviews were conducted with seven local authority representatives across four case study areas in the UK, as well as 39 staff across 29 organisations providing a range of day and evening support and activities. We also talked to 43 people with learning disabilities across the four areas about their experiences.FindingsOur findings demonstrate how belonging involves a complex configuration of actors, places, times, relationships and institutional roles (much like the ingredients in a cake). The ways in which belonging intersects with agency and choice was also identified as an important and novel finding of our study.ConclusionWhile belonging is often presented to people as a desirable and realisable outcome of social inclusion policies, cuts in funding and a lack of appropriate support frustrate people's desires to meaningfully belong with other people in their local community. This demonstrates the importance of supporting social environments that meet people's needs for social connectedness and belonging.
Combining MGMT promoter pyrosequencing and protein expression to optimize prognosis stratification in glioblastoma
Authors: Li Mingxiao , Dong Gehong , Zhang Weiwei , Ren Xiaohui , Jiang Haihui , Yang Chuanwei , Zhao Xuzhe , Zhu Qinghui , Li Ming , Chen Hongyan , Yu Kefu , Cui Yong , Song Lin 
Published: June 2021

AbstractPyrosequencing (PSQ) represents the golden standard for MGMT promoter status determination. Binary interpretation of results based on the threshold from the average of several CpGs tested would neglect the existence of the “gray zone”. How to define the gray zone and reclassify patients in this subgroup remains to be elucidated. A consecutive cohort of 312 primary glioblastoma patients were enrolled. CpGs 74‐81 in the promoter region of MGMT were tested by PSQ and the protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to calculate the area under the curves (AUC). Kaplan‐Meier plots were used to estimate the survival rate of patients compared by the log‐rank test. The optimal threshold of each individual CpG differed from 5% to 11%. Patients could be separated into the hypomethylated subgroup (all CpGs tested below the corresponding optimal thresholds, n = 126, 40.4%), hypermethylated subgroup (all CpGs tested above the corresponding optimal thresholds, n = 108, 34.6%), and the gray zone subgroup (remaining patients, n = 78, 25.0%). Patients in the gray zone harbored an intermediate prognosis. The IHC score instead of the average methylation levels could successfully predict the prognosis for the gray zone (AUC for overall survival, 0.653 and 0.519, respectively). Combining PSQ and IHC significantly improved the efficiency of survival prediction (AUC: 0.662, 0.648, and 0.720 for PSQ, IHC, and combined, respectively). Immunohistochemistry is a robust method to predict prognosis for patients in the gray zone defined by PSQ. Combining PSQ and IHC could significantly improve the predictive ability for clinical outcomes.
Megalocornea, anterior megalophthalmos, keratoglobus and associated anterior segment disorders: A review
Authors: Ong Aaron P. C. , Zhang Jie , Vincent Andrea L. , McGhee Charles N. J. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractMegalocornea and anterior megalophthalmos (megalocornea spectrum) disorders are typically defined by corneal diameter > 12.5 mm in the absence of elevated intraocular pressure. Clinical features overlap with keratoglobus but are distinct from buphthalmos and severe (globus) keratoconus. Megalocornea spectrum disorders and keratoglobus are primarily congenital disorders, often with syndromic associations; both can present with large and thin corneas, creating difficulty in diagnosis, however, only keratoglobus is typically progressive. Molecular genetics provide significant insight into underlying aetiologies. Nonetheless, careful clinical assessment remains intrinsic to diagnosis. Surgical management can be challenging due to the enlarged ciliary ring and weakened zonules in megalocornea spectrum disorders and the extreme corneal thinning of keratoglobus. In this review, the established literature on measurement of corneal diameter, diagnosis of megalocornea, anterior megalophthalmos and keratoglobus, differentiation from severe keratoconus, recent molecular genetics research and key surgical modalities in the management of these rare disorders are outlined and discussed.
Inverse Dynamics Filtering for Sampling‐based Motion Control
Authors: Xie Kaixiang , Kry Paul G. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe improve the sampling‐based motion control method proposed by Liu et al. using inverse dynamics. To deal with noise in the motion capture we filter the motion data using a Butterworth filter where we choose the cutoff frequency such that the zero‐moment point falls within the support polygon for the greatest number of frames. We discuss how to detect foot contact for foot and ground optimization and inverse dynamics, and we optimize to increase the area of supporting polygon. Sample simulations receive filtered inverse dynamics torques at frames where the ZMP is sufficiently close to the support polygon, which simplifies the problem of finding the PD targets that produce physically valid control matching the target motion. We test our method on different motions and we demonstrate that our method has lower error, higher success rates, and generally produces smoother results.
Prioritizing forest management actions to benefit marine habitats in data‐poor regions
Authors: Delevaux Jade M. S. , Stamoulis Kostantinos A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractLand‐use change is considered one of the greatest human threats to marine ecosystems globally. Given limited resources for conservation, we adapted and scaled up a spatially explicit, linked land–sea decision support tool using open access global geospatial data sets and software to inform the prioritization of future forest management interventions that can have the greatest benefit on marine conservation in Vanuatu. We leveraged and compared outputs from two global marine habitat maps to prioritize land areas for forest conservation and restoration that can maximize sediment retention, water quality, and healthy coastal/marine ecosystems. By combining the outputs obtained from both marine habitat maps, we incorporated elements unique to each and provided higher confidence in our prioritization results. Regardless of marine habitat data source, prioritized areas were mostly located in watersheds on the windward side of the large high islands, exposed to higher tropical rainfall, upstream from large sections of coral reef and seagrass habitats, and thus vulnerable to human‐driven land use change. Forest protection and restoration in these areas will serve to maintain clean water and healthy, productive habitats through sediment retention, supporting the wellbeing of neighboring communities. The nationwide application of this linked land–sea tool can help managers prioritize watershed‐based management actions based on quantitative synergies and trade‐offs across terrestrial and marine ecosystems in data‐poor regions. The framework developed here will guide the implementation of ridge‐to‐reef management across the Pacific region and beyond.
Prediction of underwater residual lung volume in healthy men and women
Authors: Cicone Zackary S. , Nickerson Brett S. , Esco Michael R. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractRegression equations are commonly used to predict residual lung volume (RV) during underwater weighing when measurement is not practical. However, the equations currently available were derived from on‐land measures of RV and may account for changes in lung capacity during submersion, thus leading to inaccuracies in assessment of percent body fat (%BF). The purpose of this study was to (1) develop a new equation (RVNEW) for the prediction of underwater RV, (2) cross‐validate RVNEW and compare it to existing RV equations, and (3) compare the effects of RVNEW and existing equations on underwater %BF. One‐hundred seventy‐five healthy adults were recruited to complete simultaneous hydrostatic weighing and RV measurements. The sample was randomly divided into development (n = 131) and cross‐validation (n = 44) cohorts. Regression analysis in the development cohort resulted in the following equation: underwater RV = −3·419 + 0·026 × height (cm) + 0·019 × age (y) (p < 0·001; R2 = 0·53; SEE = 0·26). In the cross‐validation cohort, Bland‐Altman analysis revealed that the new equation provided the best overall agreement with underwater RV (bias ± 1·96 SD, 0·07 ± 0·5 L), while existing equations produced significantly different values from measured RV and wider limits of agreement. When used to calculate %BF, the new RV equation produced the strongest agreement with underwater %BF (−0·5% ± 3·8%), although all equations produced strong correlations (all r > 0·95) and limits of agreement ≤4·7%. The results of this study suggest that RVNEW may be more appropriate for RV estimation during hydrostatic weighing than existing equations. However, its applicability to populations outside the current study needs to be examined.
Supplier selection in the aftermath of a supply disruption and guilt: Once bitten, twice (not so) shy
Authors: Polyviou Mikaella , Rungtusanatham M. Johnny , Kull Thomas J. 
Published: June 2021

ABSTRACTThe supply management literature assumes that supplier selection is devoid of emotions and unaffected by the history and experience associated with a previously‐selected supplier. In this paper, we relax these assumptions. Specifically, we consider the following sourcing opportunity: a sourcing professional had (alternatively, had not) recommended a critical‐component supplier that originated an avoidable (alternatively, unavoidable) supply disruption (aka, the “disrupted supplier”). In the aftermath of this supply disruption, the sourcing professional is asked to recommend a supplier for a new‐to‐beoutsourced critical component (i.e., one unrelated to the component whose flow was interrupted), taking into consideration the influence of guilt as an emotional reaction to the supply disruption. Analyses of data from 286 sourcing professionals participating in a scenario‐based, roleplaying experiment reveal that sourcing professionals experience higher levels of guilt when (a) they (versus their predecessor) had been responsible for selecting a disrupted supplier and (b) they deem the supply disruption to be controllable (versus uncontrollable) by the disrupted supplier. Guilt‐laden sourcing professionals are then more likely to recommend a riskier albeit more advantageous supplier for a new‐to‐be‐outsourced critical component. Our results provide the first evidence that prior supplier selection decisions gone awry influence future supplier selection decisions through the emotion of guilt. Moreover, they demonstrate that supply disruptions in one context have carryover effects on future sourcing decisions in unrelated contexts—an insight that is absent from the literature on supply disruptions.