bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of outcome of surgery for tubercular and nontubercular empyema: An analysis of 285 consecutive cases
Authors: Kumar Arvind , Lingaraju C Vijay , Pulle Mohan Venkatesh , Asaf Belal Bin , Puri Harsh Vardhan , Bishnoi Sukhram 
Published: October 2021

Background:
Few studies have compared the surgical outcomes between tubercular empyema (TE) and nontubercular empyema (NTE), which were limited by a small sample size. We conducted this study with the objective of comparing the surgical outcomes of patients with tuberculous and nontuberculous empyema.

Materials and Methods:
This is a retrospective analysis of 285 consecutively operated cases of TE and NTE over 5 years conducted in a tertiary care center in New Delhi, India. A comparative analysis of demography, intraoperative, and postoperative variables including mortality between the two groups was carried out.

Results:
Out of 285 patients, 166 were tubercular and 119 were nontubercular. Nontubercular group had significantly higher age (45.4 ± 17.2 vs. 31.2 ± 13.6 in years), more comorbidities. Procedure was started by thoracotomy in 25.9% of tubercular group and 41.1% of nontubercular group. In patients where procedure started by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), complete decortication could be achieved by VATS in 91.1% of TE patients, whereas it was possible in 77.2% of nontubercular group. Need for postoperative ventilation (10% vs. 1.2%, P = 0.0011) and intensive care unit (ICU) stay (25.2% vs. 3%, P = 0.001) was significantly higher in nontubercular group. Nontubercular group was found to have significantly higher number of complications (13.4% vs. 5.4%, P = 0.02) and postoperative mortality (10% vs. 0, P = 0.001).

Conclusions:
Higher percentage of TE cases were managed by VATS with reduced operative time, less blood loss, and lower conversions. Need for postoperative ventilation, ICU stay, and complications including mortality were more in NTE.
The increasing trend and the seasonal variation in attendance of diffuse parenchymal lung disease patients presenting to a pulmonary clinic in Eastern India
Authors: Bhattacharyya Parthasarathi , Jana Milan Kumar , Saha Dipanjan , Paul Mintu , Mukherjee Arindam , Saha Rahul 
Published: October 2021

Background:
Diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD) is not an uncommon problem in clinical practice. Although the exact prevalence of DPLD in India is not known, the relative etiological distribution in DPLD in India has been reported. There has been no information as regards the seasonality of the disease.

Patients and Methods:
The archive of the Institute of Pulmocare and Research, Kolkata, was searched for the number of new patients registered at the outpatient department to a single consultant (practicing in the same style on appointment only) over years from 2009 to 2019. The attendance (absolute and relative) was arranged year wise and then month wise to look for the annual and seasonal trends, if any.

Results:
A total of 2226 patients were registered from 2009 to 2019. There has been a steady increase in both the absolute number (104 in 2009 to 204 in 2019) and the relative percentage of attendance (4.36% in 2009 to 6.9% in 2019) of new registration of DPLD patients over the years. Regarding seasonal variation, two consistent peaks in attendance have been observed as December–January and April–May over the years with dips in February and September; the first being more consistent then the latter.

Conclusions:
The increase in relative attendance in the DPLD patients over the years needs further investigation to establish a rising trends in incidence and prevalence of DPLD. The unequivocal trend in seasonal variation needs attention and further research.
Researching Displaced Persons During COVID-19
Authors: Jiménez-Andrés Maria , Alemam Nourhan 
Published: October 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created additional barriers to human interactions. For those conducting research with displaced persons, the barriers posed by COVID-19 add up to the existing linguistic, cultural, geographical and ethical obstacles that this type of research involves. In most cases, researchers have resorted to technological solutions to bridge the communication gap caused by the pandemic. However, the heterogeneous profiles and disadvantaged circumstances of displaced persons require further considerations and planning. This paper examines the experiences of researchers conducting research with displaced persons during COVID. It outlines the special considerations taken and provides recommendations for those conducting research in similar contexts. The communities that engaged in this research were based in Greece, Poland, Italy, Lebanon and Spain. While the focus of the study is displaced persons, the insights presented can be of benefit to those conducting research with other vulnerable groups.

Lay summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected human interaction. Research often involves face-to-face contact with participants and other agents, which COVID-19 prevented. The mobility restrictions and safety regulations have difficulted data collection. Many processes have been moved online, but not everybody can interact successfully with technology i.e., some people do not have access to devices or internet, others do not have the skills required. Other barriers can be linguistic or cultural. Researchers must ensure that the research is safe and accessible to participants.
This study presents how researchers working with migrants in the field of Media Accessibility have adapted their studies during COVID-19. The study reports on the results of a questionnaire distributed among researchers working on three projects conducted in European countries and Lebanon. The results show that more time was invested in data collection, and that flexibility and innovation were key to the success of the projects. The paper explains how researchers made data collection tools accessible to participants to ensure that participants could take part in the study. The considerations taken could be applied beyond the pandemic as it is adaptable to other research contexts, testing environments, diverse audiences, and disciplines.
POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS E SOCIEDADE
Authors: Silva Roberta Morais da , Coutinho Diógenes José Gusmão 
Published: October 2021

Esse estudo é referente às políticas públicas e a sua implementação para a sociedade, sejam elas políticas econômicas, sociais, financeiras etc. O modelo a seguir busca estabelecer uma correspondência entre o momento da implementação da política até sua concretização. São analisados diversos conceitos básicos de políticas públicas e seus impactos na sociedade, destacando sua importância para a realização da democracia no Brasil. Seu objetivo principal é investigar a importância da promoção de políticas públicas e seus benefícios para que possamos ter uma sociedade mais igualitária no que diz respeito a direitos sociais, de acordo com o artigo 3º da constituição federal de 1988. É necessário que ações sejam planejadas e executadas com o objetivo de solucionar uma situação que seja vista como um problema para a população. A gestão pública moderna traz um questionamento no que diz respeito aos paradigmas do Direito Administrativo, com o intuito de que as ações sejam descentralizadas. Foi desenvolvido um estudo do tipo pesquisa bibliográfica, onde o material estudado foi baseado em escritos de outros pesquisadores. Mostra-se no presente trabalho que a promoção de políticas públicas reflete numa melhor qualidade de vida para os seres, partindo do pressuposto de que é função do Estado promover o bem-estar da sociedade.
O ENSINO REMOTO COMO METODOLOGIA ATIVA PARA O EMPREENDEDORISMO E A INOVAÇÃO NA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA
Authors: Paula Elias Vieira de , Bispo Everton Rangel , Avelar Kátia Eliane Santos 
Published: October 2021

A escola contemporânea tem procurado novas formas e modelos que venham dinamizar a aprendizagem em todos os seus segmentos. Dentre os novos modelos surge a metodologia ativa da educação que é a estratégia de dar ao aluno a autonomia e o protagonismo para a aprendizagem. Diante do grande índice de desemprego entre os jovens, caracterizado por diversos fatores da economia, este estudo teve por objetivo desenvolver uma ferramenta tecnológica destinada ao ensino do empreendedorismo e da inovação. O aplicativo denominado “PROCOMECE” contém orientações, informações e conteúdos básicos necessários para a criação de um negócio. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um workshop presencial com perguntas acerca da relevância do App para estudantes da educação básica. Os resultados da pesquisa demonstraram que a utilização do aplicativo foi útil, não só como ferramenta com orientações, mas também, como instrumento de conhecimento, pois eles desconheciam as informações básicas para serem agentes de transformação local. A partir do uso do aplicativo perceberam a possibilidade de criação de um negócio com objetivo de solucionar problemas. Assim, concluiu-se que o desenvolvimento do aplicativo móvel atendeu as expectativas, pois serviu como ferramenta de orientação e informação para atuação dos estudantes da educação básica sendo protagonistas da aprendizagem.
ELETROQUÍMICA
Authors: Araujo Maria Eloisa da Silva , Dias Alanna Kerlen Costa , Santos Helica Magalhães , Simões Rodrigo Kennedy , Cirilo Mara Patricia , Spinola Thais Pirâmides , Anício Laíza Duarte , Andrade Taís Késsia Paulo de , Oliveira Thiago Marcel 
Published: October 2021

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o estudo da eletroquímica através da descrição de sua importância na físico-química. Para isso, foi necessária a abordagem dos seguintes temas: A oxirredução, pilhas e eletrólise, visando mostrar a diferença de cada um e também frisar que a eletroquímica tem grande relevância na vida do ser humano.
A-12 The term “Elite/ Chieftain” between the Qur’an concept and the purposes of advocacy
Authors: Al-Bazi Abdur Rehman , Kharroub Abdelhamid 
Published: October 2021

The elite , in the past and present, faced the same call, and exceeded the limits on the prophets and preachers, and attacked their followers and callers, and on the other hand we see the keenness of the prophets and preachers to guide the elite and their entourage, because they have a great impact on people and their words and calling were considered more, with the soft wording and by clarifying the evidence and the evil in Clarification and dismissal of suspicions and defending the challenges and obstacles facing the call to God Almighty and Islamic culture. It is not possible to reach the goal and the purposes of the call to an accurate understanding of the term elite, so the research was divided into the introduction and three sections: the first topic is the concept of pluralism, and the second topic: close words and words related to (plea) in the Noble Qur’an the third topic, the advocacy objectives of “al-Malaa” In the Holy Qur’an and in the conclusion the most important recommendations and results are mentioned.
Design and construction of a customizable phantom for the characterization of the three‐dimensional magnetic resonance imaging geometric distortion
Authors: Torfeh Tarraf , Hammoud Rabih , Paloor Satheesh , Arunachalam Yoganathan , Aouadi Souha , Al‐Hammadi Noora 
Published: October 2021

AbstractOne of the main challenges to using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiotherapy is the existence of system‐related geometric inaccuracies caused mainly by the inhomogeneity in the main magnetic field and the nonlinearities of the gradient coils.Several physical phantoms, with fixed configuration, have been developed and commercialized for the assessment of the MRI geometric distortion. In this study, we propose a new design of a customizable phantom that can fit any type of radio frequency (RF) coil. It is composed of 3D printed plastic blocks containing holes that can hold glass tubes which can be filled with any liquid. The blocks can be assembled to construct phantoms with any dimension.The feasibility of this design has been demonstrated by assembling four phantoms with high robustness allowing the assessment of the geometric distortion for the GE split head coil, the head and neck array coil, the anterior array coil, and the body coil. Phantom reproducibility was evaluated by analyzing the geometric distortion on CT acquisition of five independent assemblages of the phantom.This solution meets all expectations in terms of having a robust, lightweight, modular, and practical tool for measuring distortion in three dimensions. Mean error in the position of the tubes was less than 0.2 mm. For the geometric distortion, our results showed that for all typical MRI sequences used for radiotherapy, the mean geometric distortion was less than 1 mm and less than 2.5 mm over radial distances of 150 mm and 250 mm, respectively.These tools will be part of a quality assurance program aimed at monitoring the image quality of MRI scanners used to guide radiation therapy.
Effectiveness of screen‐to‐screen and face‐to‐face learning modalities in dental anatomy module during Covid‐19 pandemic
Authors: Kurtulmus‐Yilmaz Sevcan , Önöral Özay 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThe Covid‐19 pandemic has forced all dentistry faculties to quickly shift to the online supplementation or replacement of traditional modules to pursue education. However, there is limited research evaluating the effectiveness of this education modality on student performance in dental anatomy and manipulation module. Accordingly, it was aimed to compare the influence of different education modalities on the performances of the students enrolled in this module. The students were requested to perform 11 practical assignments throughout the fall term. A total of 220 face‐to‐face‐educated (F2F) and 138 screen‐to‐screen‐educated (S2S) students were included. To evaluate the influence of education modality on the performances of the students, cumulative success scores were calculated and compared using an independent t‐test. The grades of the first (maxillary central), sixth (maxillary premolar), and eleventh assignments (mandibular first molar) were also analyzed to understand the manipulation‐skill progress of each student within the same year. The grades of above‐mentioned three assignments were converted into nominal data (excellent, very good, good, acceptable, and fail) based on certain thresholds, and a chi‐square test was conducted. The cumulative success scores in F2F group were significantly lower than those in S2S group (P = 0.02). Differences between the first and eleventh tasks in both education modalities were significant (P < 0.05). The S2S‐educated students achieved significantly higher achievement points in the sixth and eleventh assignments (P < 0.001). The S2S education can be suggested as an applicable modality for teaching dental anatomy and manipulation module. However, further work is needed to ascertain whether this result is replicable throughout dental anatomy education.
Knockdown of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) splicing variant S3 promotes autophagic cell death from nitrosative stress in SW480 human colon cancer cells
Authors: Castro Eloisa D. , Mathias Pedro Paulo M. , Batista Wagner L. , Sato Alex Yuri S. , Toledo Maytê S. , de Almeida Victor T. , Curcio Marli F. , da Costa Paulo E. , Stern Arnold , Monteiro Hugo P. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractLow levels of nitric oxide (NO) produced by constitutively expressed inducible NO synthase (NOS2) in tumor cells may be an important factor in their development. NOS2 expression is associated with high mortality rates for various cancers. Alternative splicing of NOS2 down‐regulates its enzymatic activity, resulting in decreased intracellular NO concentrations. Specific probes to detect alternative splicing of NOS2 were used in two isogenic human colon cancer cell lines derived either from the primary tumor (SW480) or from a lymph node metastasis (SW620). Splicing variant of NOS2 S3, lacking exons 9, 10, and 11, was overexpressed in SW480 cells. NOS2 S3 was silenced in SW480 cells. Flow‐cytometry analysis was used to estimate the intracellular NO levels and to analyze the cell cycle of the studied cell lines. Western blot analysis and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) were used to determine apoptosis and autophagy markers. SW480 and SW620 cells expressed NOS2 S3. Overexpression of the NOS2 S3 in SW480 cells downregulated intracellular NO levels. SW480 cells with knocked down NOS2 S3 (referred to as S3C9 cells) had higher intracellular levels of NO compared to the wild‐type SW480 cells under serum restriction. Higher NO levels resulted in the loss of viability of S3C9 cells, which was associated with autophagy. Induction of autophagy by elevated intracellular NO levels in S3C9 cells under serum restriction, suggests that autophagy operates as a cytotoxic response to nitrosative stress. The expression of NOS2 S3 plays an important role in regulating intracellular NO production and maintaining viability in SW480 cells under serum restriction. These findings may prove significant in the design of NOS2/NO‐based therapies for colon cancer.
Blocking connexin43 hemichannels prevents TGF‐β2 upregulation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition in retinal pigment epithelial cells
Authors: Lyon Heather , Yin Naibo , Rupenthal Ilva D. , Green Colin R. , Mugisho Odunayo O. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractEpithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurs when polarised epithelial cells change to a mesenchymal phenotype. EMT plays a role in several chronic conditions, including ocular diseases with retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) EMT associated with retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (DR). Here, EMT results in breakdown of the blood‐retinal barrier (BRB) leading to sub‐retinal fluid deposition and retinal detachment. Previous studies have shown that blocking connexin43 (Cx43) hemichannels can protect against RPE BRB breakdown, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. To determine whether open Cx43 hemichannels may enable EMT of RPE cells and thus result in BRB breakdown, ARPE‐19 cells were either challenged with high glucose plus the inflammatory cytokines IL‐1β and TNF‐α (HG + Cyt) to simulate DR or treated with the Cx43 hemichannel blocker tonabersat alongside the HG + Cyt challenge. HG + Cyt induced a morphological change in RPE cells to a fibroblastic phenotype with a corresponding decrease in epithelial zonular occludens‐1 and an increase in the fibroblastic marker α‐SMA. The HG + Cyt challenge also induced loss of transepithelial electrical resistance while increasing dye passage between RPE cells. All of these changes were significantly reduced with tonabersat treatment, which also prevented HG + Cyt‐induced transforming growth factor‐β2 (TGF‐β2) release. In conclusion, Cx43 hemichannel block with tonabersat attenuated both TGF‐β2 release and RPE EMT under disease‐mimicking conditions, offering the potential to ameliorate the progression of EMT‐associated retinal diseases.
The Impact of Urate‐Lowering Therapy in Post‐Myocardial Infarction Patients: Insights From a Population‐Based, Propensity Score‐Matched Analysis
Authors: Tai Chi‐Jung , Wu Chin‐Chung , Lee Kun‐Tai , Tseng Tzyy‐Guey , Wang Hui‐Chun , Chang Fang‐Rong , Yang Yi‐Hsin 
Published: October 2021

The role of urate‐lowering therapy (ULT) for the primary prevention of cardiovascular (CV) events has been widely discussed, but its evidence for the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI) is limited. Therefore, we conduct a population‐based, propensity score‐matched cohort study to investigate the CV outcomes among patients with post‐MI with and without ULT. A total of 19,042 newly diagnosed in‐hospital patients with MI were selected using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2016. After 1:1 propensity score matching with covariates, patients with MI with (n = 963) and without (n = 963) ULT were selected for further analysis. The primary outcome was the all‐cause mortality and the secondary outcomes were composite CV outcomes, including hospitalization for recurrent MI, stroke, heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias. ULT users were associated with lower all‐cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio (adjHR), 0.67; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.51–0.87) compared to the ULT nonusers. In addition, ULT users had a significantly lower risk of recurrent MI, which needed revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting (adjHR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.53–0.86) than the ULT nonusers. The primary and secondary outcomes were not different between patients with post‐MI who received uricosuric agents and xanthine oxidase inhibitors. The anti‐inflammatory effect of ULT plays an essential role in MI management. From a real‐world setting, this study shows that ULT is associated with the lower risk of all‐cause mortality in patients with post‐MI. In addition, the result shows the possible lower incidence of repeat revascularization procedures in the ULT users.
Palliative Care Always: Hepatology—Virtual Primary Palliative Care Training for Hepatologists
Authors: DeNofrio Jan C. , Verma Manisha , Kosinski Andrzej S. , Navarro Victor , Taddei Tamar H. , Volk Michael L. , Bakitas Marie , Ramchandran Kavitha 
Published: October 2021

Palliative care (PC) benefits patients with serious illness including end‐stage liver disease (ESLD). As part of a cluster randomized trial, hepatologists were trained to deliver primary palliative care to patients with ESLD using an online course, Palliative Care Always: Hepatology (PCA:Hep). Here we present a multimethod formative evaluation (feasibility, knowledge acquisition, self‐efficacy, and practice patterns) of PCA:Hep. Feasibility was measured by completion of coursework and achieving a course grade of >80%. Knowledge acquisition was measured through assessments before and throughout the course. Pre/post‐course surveys were conducted to determine self‐efficacy and practice patterns. The hepatologists (n = 39) enrolled in a 12‐week online course and spent 1‐3 hours on the course weekly. The course was determined to be feasible as 97% successfully completed the course and 100% passed. The course was acceptable to participants; 91.7 % reported a positive course experience and satisfaction with knowledge gained (91.6%). The pre/post knowledge assessment showed an improvement of 6.0% (pre 85.9% to post 91.9%, 95% CI [2.8, 9.2], P = 0.001). Self‐efficacy increased significantly (P < 0.001) in psychological symptom management, hospice, and psychosocial support. A year after training, over 80% of the hepatologists reported integrating a variety of PC skills into routine patient care. Conclusion: PCA:Hep is feasible, acceptable, and improves learner knowledge and confidence in palliative care skills. This is a viable method to teach primary PC skills to specialists caring for patients with ESLD.