bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of physical manipulation pulmonary rehabilitation on lung cancer patients after thoracoscopic lobectomy
Authors: Zhou Ting , Sun Chao 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundTo introduce a new postoperative pulmonary rehabilitation program named physical manipulation pulmonary rehabilitation (PMPR) and to explore the effect of perioperative management, including PMPR, on patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after thoracoscopic lobectomy.MethodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted between April and June 2021 at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Hospital. Adult patients with NSCLC who had undergone thoracoscopic lobectomy were allocated to the treatment and control groups using a random number table. The treatment group received both conventional pulmonary rehabilitation (CVPR) and 14 days of PMPR after surgery; the control group patients received CVPR only. PMPR included relaxing and exercising the intercostal muscles, thoracic costal joint and abdominal breathing muscles. Pulmonary function tests and the 6‐min walk test were conducted preoperatively and 7, 14, 21 and 28 days postoperatively. The postoperative length of hospital stay, chest tube retention time and postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded. The baseline data, pulmonary function parameters and prognosis were compared with t‐ and chi‐square tests between the two groups.ResultsA total of 86 patients were enrolled, and 44 patients were allocated to the treatment group. There were no significant differences in the baseline data for age, sex, body mass index, basic disease, surgical plan or preoperative pulmonary function between the two groups (all p > 0.05). The peak expiratory flow of patients in the treatment group was higher than that of those in the control group 21 days after surgery (316 ± 95 vs. 272 ± 103 l/min, respectively, p = 0.043), and forced expiratory volume in the first second on day 28 after surgery was greater than that in the control group (2.1 ± 0.2 vs. 1.9 ± 0.3 L, respectively, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in forced vital capacity or 6‐min walk test scores (both p > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidences of pneumonia and atelectasis between the two groups (both p > 0.05). The postoperative length of hospital stay (3.3 ± 1.3 vs. 3.9 ± 1.5 days, p = 0.043) and chest tube retention time (66 ± 30 vs. 81 ± 35 h, p = 0.036) in the treatment group were shorter than those in the control group.ConclusionsWe determined that PMPR could improve early lung function in patients with NSCLC after thoracoscopic lobectomy, and that chest tube retention time and length of hospital stay were shortened.
Using death scene and toxicology evidence to define involvement of heroin, pharmaceutical morphine, illicitly manufactured fentanyl and pharmaceutical fentanyl in opioid overdose deaths, 38 states and the District of Columbia, January 2018–December 2019
Authors: O'Donnell Julie , Gladden R. Matt , Kariisa Mbabazi , Mattson Christine L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackground and AimsTracking specific drugs contributing to drug overdose deaths is limited when relying on death certificate (DC) data alone. This study aimed to determine whether integrating DC data with medical examiner/coroner reports, including postmortem toxicology and death investigation findings, would enhance identification of (1) heroin and pharmaceutical morphine involvement in overdose deaths and (2) fentanyl source (illicitly manufactured versus pharmaceutical).DesignRetrospective analysis of heroin, pharmaceutical morphine, illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) and pharmaceutical fentanyl involvement in fatal overdoses. DC and toxicology data were compared with enhanced definitions integrating overdose scene, witness and toxicology evidence.SettingUnited States: 38 states and the District of Columbia, participating in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)‐funded opioid overdose death surveillance.CasesOpioid overdose decedents from funded jurisdictions; deaths during 1 January 2018–31 December 2019.MeasurementsUsing medical examiner/coroner report data, deaths with 6‐acetylmorphine and/or morphine detected by postmortem toxicology were defined as confirmed, probable or suspected heroin deaths, or probable pharmaceutical morphine deaths. Fentanyl was defined as probable or suspected IMF or probable pharmaceutical fentanyl.FindingsThe enhanced definition defined 18 393 deaths as confirmed, probable, or suspected heroin deaths (including 2678 with morphine listed as cause of death on the DC) and 404 as probable pharmaceutical morphine deaths. Among deaths with fentanyl detected, 89.3% were defined as probable or suspected IMF and 1.0% as probable pharmaceutical fentanyl. Fentanyl source could not be determined for 9.7% of deaths.ConclusionsIntegrating drug overdose scene, witness and toxicology findings can improve identification of specific drugs contributing to overdose deaths and enhance overdose intervention targeting.
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: COVID‐19 outcomes in patients receiving anti‐TNF treatments
Authors: Kokkotis Georgios , Kitsou Konstantina , Xynogalas Ioannis , Spoulou Vana , Magiorkinis Gkikas , Trontzas Ioannis , Trontzas Panagiotis , Poulakou Garyphallia , Syrigos Konstantinos , Bamias Giorgos 
Published: December 2021

SummaryBackgroundAccumulating evidence suggests a beneficial effective of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) inhibitors on the outcomes of COVID‐19 disease, which, however is not validated by all studies.AimsTo perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis of existing reports to investigate the impact of anti‐TNF treatments on the clinical outcomes of COVID‐19 patients.MethodsA systematic search at PubMed and SCOPUS databases using specific keywords was performed. All reports of COVID‐19 outcomes for patients receiving anti‐TNF therapy by September 2021 were included. Pooled effect measures were calculated using a random‐effects model. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale for observational studies was used to assess bias. Studies that were not eligible for meta‐analysis were described qualitatively.ResultsIn total, 84 studies were included in the systematic review, and 35 were included in the meta‐analysis. Patients receiving anti‐TNF treatment, compared to non‐anti‐TNF, among COVID‐19 cases had a lower probability of hospitalisation (eight studies, 2555 patients, pooled OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.42‐0.67, I2 = 0) and severe disease defined as intensive care unit admission or death (two studies, 1823 patients, pooled OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41‐0.96, I2 = 0), after adjustment for validated predictors of adverse disease outcomes. No difference was found for the risk for hospitalisation due to COVID‐19 in populations without COVID‐19 for patients receiving anti‐TNF treatment compared to non‐anti‐TNF (three studies, 5 994 958 participants, pooled risk ratio = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.68‐1.39, I2 = 20) adjusted for age, sex and comorbidities.ConclusionsTNF‐α inhibitors are associated with a lower probability of hospitalisation and severe COVID‐19 when compared to any other treatment for an underlying inflammatory disease.
The bronze cup from Dohnsen in the light of old and new evidence
Authors: Suchowska‐Ducke Paulina , Stos‐Gale Zofia Anna , Pernicka Ernst , Nørgaard Heide W. , Ducke Benjamin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe bronze cup found in Dohnsen (Lower Saxony, Northern Germany) in the 1950s is an enigmatic artefact that bears striking similarities with the metalwork of the Late Aegean Bronze Age. We provide an accurate review of the primary sources of information on the cup's find history and context, and present the results of previously unpublished chemical and Pb isotope analyses. The latter suggest that the vessel might have been produced from Central European ores, but it represents the metalworking skills of a travelling smith with knowledge of foreign shapes and styles.
Development of chimeric receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B with glutathione S‐transferase in the extracellular domain: Artificial switch in a membrane receptor
Authors: Kawashima Kanako , Hirota‐Tsukimachi Mayuko , Toma Tsugumasa , Koga Ryoko , Iwamaru Kana , Kanemaru Yosuke , Yanae Misato , Ahagon Ami , Nakamura Yurine , Anraku Kensaku , Tateishi Hiroshi , Gohda Jin , Inoue Jun‐ichiro , Otsuka Masami , Fujita Mikako 
Published: December 2021

AbstractVarious chimeric receptors have been developed and used for biological experiments. In the present study, we constructed three types of chimeric receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B (RANK) with the glutathione S‐transferase (GST) protein in the extracellular domain, and stimulated them using newly synthesized chemical trimerizers with three glutathiones. Although this stimulation did not activate these proteins, we unexpectedly found that the chimera named RANK‐GST‐SC, in which GST replaced a major part of the RANK extracellular domain, activated nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling approximately sixfold more strongly than wild‐type RANK without the ligand. The dimerization of extracellular GST is considered to function as a switch outside the cell, and signal transduction then occurs. GST has been widely employed as a tag for protein purification; GST‐fusion protein can be conveniently captured by glutathione‐conjugated beads and easily purified from impurity. The present study is a pioneering example of the novel utility of GST and provides information for the development of new chemical biology systems.
How much does it take to be old? Modelling the time since the last harvesting to infer the distribution of overmature forests in France
Authors: Thompson Lucie , Cateau Eugénie , Debaive Nicolas , Bray Frédéric , Torre André , Vallet Patrick , Paillet Yoan 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAimThe distribution of overmature forests in metropolitan France is poorly known, with only a few well‐studied prominent sites, and has never been evaluated countrywide. Here, we modelled French forest reserves' time since the last harvesting operation—a proxy for forest maturity—then inferred the current statistical distribution of overmature forests (i.e., forests over 50 years without harvesting) in France.LocationMetropolitan France.MethodsWe used inventories from forest reserves and managed forests to calibrate a generalised linear mixed model explaining the time since the last harvesting with selected structural attributes and environmental variables. We then projected this model on the independent National Forest Inventory dataset. We thus obtained an updated estimation of the proportion and a rough distribution of overmature forest stands in metropolitan France.ResultsWe found that high basal area of very large trees, high volumes of standing and downed deadwood, high diversity of tree‐related microhabitats and more marginally diversity of decay stages best characterised the time since the last harvesting. Volumes of stumps and high density of coppices translating legacy of past forest management also distinguished more overmature plots. Our projection yielded an estimated 3% of French forests over 50 years without harvesting mostly located in more inaccessible areas (i.e., mountainous areas).Main conclusionsOur study showed that the time since the last harvesting could be derived from a combination of key structural attributes characterising overmature temperate forests. It gives the first robust statistical estimate of the proportion of overmature forests in France and may serve to report on their status. Our method could be extended in countries with accessible National Forest Inventory and calibration data, thus producing indicators at an international level.
Glacier influence on bird assemblages in habitat islands of the high Bolivian Andes
Authors: Cardenas Tatiana , Naoki Kazuya , Landivar Carlos Miguel , Struelens Quentin , Gómez Maria Isabel , Meneses Rosa Isela , Cauvy‐Fraunié Sophie , Anthelme Fabien , Dangles Olivier 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAimClimate projections for the upcoming decades predict a significant loss of ice mass particularly critical for glaciers in tropical mountains. In the dry landscapes of the southern Andes (from Southern Peru to Chile), this global trend has strong ecological impacts on high‐altitude wetlands that support a unique avifauna for feeding, roosting and nesting. As glacier runoffs are expected to affect the area and the quality of wetland habitats, these changes may potentially affect bird communities. To address this issue, we studied the structural and functional diversity of bird assemblages in glacier‐fed high‐altitude wetlands (>4500 m).LocationFive valleys of the Cordillera Real, Bolivia.MethodsWe surveyed bird communities during dry, wet and intermediate seasons in 40 wetlands (total of 27,720 observations of birds and habitats from 540 transects) showing different degrees of dependence on glacial meltwater. We examined the potential effect of glacier retreat on bird communities through changes in wetland area and environmental quality and heterogeneity.ResultsWe found strong relationship between wetland area and taxonomic and functional diversity, but not on phylogenetic diversity. Generalized additive models revealed that avian diversity was influenced by wetland's productivity and elevation and maximized at intermediate levels of glacier influence. Multivariate analysis further showed that habitat productivity and humidity, both potentially influenced by future glacial retreat trends, are the main drivers of bird community composition, with the wettest habitats being crucial for aquatic birds and uncommon species.Main conclusionsGlacier retreat may significantly affect bird community diversity and composition through changes in both area and quality of high‐altitude wetlands, with a particular concern for aquatic birds.
Rural mechanization for equitable development: Disarray, disjuncture, and disruption
Authors: Lewis David , Biggs Stephen , Justice Scott E. 
Published: December 2021

SummaryMotivationAgricultural mechanization was once a mainstream issue. From the 1990s onwards it received less priority, as public policy concern for equitable economic development in rural areas faded. Despite recent signs of renewed interest, questions of rural mechanization require more systematic attention. After a long period of neglect, our knowledge is in disarray.PurposeThis article traces the evolution of thinking about rural mechanization. It examines how three increasingly important factors affect or potentially affect mechanization: (1) expansion of capital goods markets; (2) evolving urban–rural linkages; and (3) climate crisis.Methods and approachThe article reviews the literature that documents long‐standing debates, and that which records changes in the rural areas of the global south in the 2010s.FindingsPublic policy for rural mechanization was often seen in the 1960s as central to rural development. When neoliberal economics rose in the 1980s, it was thought issues of mechanization could be left to the suppliers and customers in the market. In the meantime, and especially in Asia, many rural operations have been mechanized, but these changes have attracted relatively little attention from either researchers or policy‐makers.In the 2010s, the pattern of mechanization has been influenced by changes in the production of machinery and the way that suppliers try to sway policy‐makers towards favouring their products; by changes in the relations between urban and rural areas, including the emergence of rural labour shortage and the availability of remittances for capital investment; and by the challenges posed to farmers by global heating and the climate crisis.Each of these trends is potentially disruptive, risking disjuncture between our understandings of the changing realities of “real world" rural livelihoods and wider political economy on the one hand, and the need to ensure the relevance of research agendas to policy priorities on the other.Policy implicationsPolicy‐makers need to embrace a more holistic view of mechanization based on evidence from multi‐disciplinary research. Policy needs rebalancing to enable a more integrated view of national economies; a greater recognition of the realities of mechanization for smaller farmers and small to medium entrepreneurs; and improved data collection, including experimenting with public–private partnerships for data collection.
The future of EU Foreign, Security and Defence Policy: Assessing legal options for improvement
Authors: Wessel Ramses A. , Anttila Elias , Obenheimer Helena , Ursu Alexandru 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe EU's Common Foreign, Security and Defence Policy found its way into the Treaty 30 years ago, but it is still confronted with ‘specific rules and procedures’ that seem to stand in the way of its effectiveness. Against the background of the Conference on the Future of Europe, this contribution aims to identify ways to improve the CFSP's functionality, on the basis of both existing scholarly work and an empirical assessment of the last 10 years of the Union's foreign policy. By focusing on legal rather than political solutions, it aims to contribute to ongoing debates on the effectiveness of CFSP. Making use of the gradually accepted “normalisation” of CFSP, we have identified a number of legal tools that could be used to improve CFSP and to allow it to meet its Treaty brief to ‘cover all areas of foreign policy and all questions relating to the Union's security’.
Sexual orientation, gender identity, and foster care: What can social science offer in a case like Fulton v. City of Philadelphia?
Authors: Patterson Charlotte J. , Farr Rachel H. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAre empirical data and results of research by social scientists relevant to court decisions in foster care cases, and if so, how? How should they be brought to the court's attention? These questions arose in the context of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (2021), a recent U.S. Supreme Court case that posed the question of whether a religiously based foster care agency could refuse to provide service to LGBTQ+ prospective foster parents on the grounds of religious beliefs, and still accept public funds. Empirical evidence is relevant to the evaluation of at least three propositions related to foster care that were raised in Fulton: (1) There is a need for qualified prospective foster parents; (2) LGBTQ+ adults are at least as likely as others to be interested in becoming foster parents and they are likely to become competent foster parents; and (3) If sufficient numbers of qualified prospective foster parents cannot be found, children are likely to suffer. Consideration of the evidence reveals that each of these three propositions is supported by factual evidence. In the United States today, there is a definite need for competent foster parents, and competence as a foster or adoptive parent is not associated with parental sexual orientation. Moreover, LGBTQ+ adults may be more likely to show interest in becoming foster parents, on average, than their heterosexual peers. If LGBTQ+ adults are not permitted to become foster parents, some children are very likely to remain without homes, and in this way, will suffer. If the best interests of children are to prevail, then child welfare agencies should search out, welcome, and support LGBTQ+ prospective foster parents, rather than turning them away. Ways of bringing the findings from research to the attention of the court are also discussed.
The effects of Mediterranean diet on hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation in adolescents with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Yurtdaş Gamze , Akbulut Gamze , Baran Maşallah , Yılmaz Canan 
Published: December 2021

SummaryBackgroundNon‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease in children and adolescents. The optimal dietary strategy to improve hepatic stetatosis and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in adolescents is unknown.ObjectiveThis study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Mediterranean diet (MD) versus low‐fat diet (LFD) on hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in adolescents with obesity and NAFLD.MethodsAdolescents diagnosed with NAFLD between the ages of 11–18 years were randomized to either a MD or conventional LFD (control diet) for 12 weeks. Dietary status, anthropometry, body composition, and biochemical parameters were evaluated. Hepatic steatosis was determined by ultrasonography.ResultsA total of 44 participants completed the study. At the end of the study, severity of hepatic steatosis, serum transaminase levels, and insulin resistance decreased significantly in both groups with no significant differences between groups except for aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The amount of decrease in AST levels in the MD group was greater than the LFD group (p < 0.05). In the MD group, serum total antioxidant capacity, paraoxanase‐1, and glutathione peroxidase levels increased (p < 0.05); it did not change in the LFD group compared to baseline (p > 0.05). C‐Reactive Protein (CRP) levels decreased only in the MD group (p = 0.008), interleukine‐6 decreased only in the LFD group (p = 0.031).ConclusionConsumption of MD and LFD for 12 weeks in adolescents with obesity and NAFLD reduced BMI, fat mass, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance, improved high transaminase levels, and had positive effects on inflammation and oxidative stress.Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no. NCT04845373.
Growth, inequality and poverty in Vietnam: How did trade liberalisation help the poor, 2002–2008
Authors: Le Nga Van T. , Hoang Trung Xuan , Tran Tuyen Quang 
Published: December 2021

AbstractUsing the Vietnamese Living Standards Surveys for 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008, we explore how provinces with differential access to trade liberalisation reforms differ in their pro‐poor growth performance in Vietnam. Using both non‐parametric and parametric estimation, we find strong, robust evidence of pro‐poor growth in provinces with greater exposure to trade liberalisation. Using censored and uncensored regressions, the study also shows that increased wages play a critical role in this outcome. Our analysis enables identification of the core mechanisms through which the poor materialise their gains from trade‐driven growth in a transition economy.