bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients show increased peripheral and intrathecal T-cell activation
Authors: Rolfes Leoni , Schulte-Mecklenbeck Andreas , Schreiber Stefanie , Vielhaber Stefan , Herty Michael , Marten Anika , Pfeuffer Steffen , Ruck Tobias , Wiendl Heinz , Gross Catharina C , Meuth Sven G , Boentert Matthias , Pawlitzki Marc 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Several studies suggest a role for the peripheral immune system in the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, comprehensive studies investigating the intrathecal immune system in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are rare. To elucidate whether compartment-specific inflammation contributes to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathophysiology, we here investigated intrathecal and peripheral immune profiles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and compared them with controls free of neurological disorders (controls) and patients with dementia or primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Routine CSF parameters were examined in 308 patients, including 132 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. In a subgroup of 41 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients, extensive flow-cytometric immune cell profiling in peripheral blood and CSF was performed and compared with data from 26 controls, 25 dementia and 21 multiple sclerosis patients. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients presented with significantly altered proportions of monocyte subsets in peripheral blood and increased frequencies of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing the activation marker HLA-DR in peripheral blood (CD8+) and CSF (CD4+ and CD8+) compared with controls. While dementia and multiple sclerosis patients exhibited a comparable increase in intrathecal CD8+ T-cell activation, CD8+ T-cell activation in the peripheral blood in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was higher than in multiple sclerosis patients. Furthermore, intrathecal CD4+ T-cell activation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis surpassed levels in dementia patients. Intrathecal T-cell activation resulted from in situ activation rather than transmigration of activated T cells from the blood. While T-cell activation did not correlate with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression, patients with rapid disease progression showed reduced intrathecal levels of immune-regulatory CD56bright natural killer cells. The integration of these parameters into a composite score facilitated the differentiation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients from patients of all other cohorts. To conclude, alterations in peripheral monocyte subsets, as well as increased peripheral and intrathecal activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells concomitant with diminished immune regulation by CD56bright natural killer cells, suggest an involvement of these immune cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathophysiology.
A penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer rapidly growing into a saccular aortic aneurysm during treatment of leukaemia: a case report
Authors: Takeuchi Shinsuke , Takayama Nobuyuki , Soejima Kyoko , Yoshino Hideaki 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
The clinical course of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers is variable and can be complicated with intramural haematomas, dissection, pseudoaneurysms, or aortic rupture. Because it can lead to life-threatening conditions, it needs to be managed carefully.

Case summary
A 68-year-old woman, who was treated for acute myeloid leukaemia (subtype: M0-FAB) approximately 1 year before presentation, visited the hospital with complaints of a headache and lumbar pain. After hospitalization, investigations revealed miliary tuberculosis. On the same day, she developed a Stanford type A acute aortic dissection (AAD) with cardiac tamponade; during the course of the previous leukaemia treatment, a small ulcerative lesion at the distal aortic arch grew into a small saccular aortic aneurysm (SAA) that expanded rapidly and finally developed into a Stanford type A AAD. However, the relationship between the SAA and aortic dissection could not be confirmed.

Discussion
The chronological changes in the atherosclerotic lesion at the distal aortic arch could be clearly observed because computed tomography scans were repeatedly obtained until just before the onset of AAD. The rapid progression of atherosclerotic lesions in the unique context of leukaemia treatment and miliary tuberculosis was considered to be a pathological characteristic, and the mechanism underlying this process was investigated. Clinicians should be aware of the aortic complications that may progress under special circumstances, such as anthracycline use or immunodeficiency. Careful observation is mandatory for patients with aortic disease.
Integration of Recently Arrived Underage Refugees: Research Potential of the Study ReGES—Refugees in the German Educational System
Authors: Will Gisela , Homuth Christoph , von Maurice Jutta , Roßbach Hans-Günther 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWith the strong immigration of refugees at the end of the last decade, many minors came to Germany. Their integration into the German educational system will be one of the central tasks of German society and is important for the medium- and long-term integration of incoming young refugees in various areas of society. Data from the ReGES panel study enable analyses of the early integration process of refugees into the German educational system. The study focuses on two cohorts: 2,405 children of preschool age who are about to start school and 2,415 adolescents in lower secondary education who were followed during the transition into vocational training or upper secondary education. Each cohort was interviewed seven times over three school years from 2018 to 2020, with sampling procedures starting in 2017. This article provides an overview of the study design, contents, and research potential of ReGES. The large number of measures of individual characteristics, including objective competence test data (German language and basic cognitive skills) and information on the learning and living contexts of refugees provided by parents, teachers, and administrative staff, allow us to address many research questions.
Association of Comedication Quality With Chemotherapy-Related Adverse Drug Reactions and Survival in Older Colorectal Cancer Patients
Authors: Chen Li-Ju , Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai , Laetsch Dana Clarissa , Chang-Claude Jenny , Hoffmeister Michael , Brenner Hermann , Schöttker Ben 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Evidence about the clinical relevance of appropriate comedication among older colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is sparse.

Methods
A cohort study was conducted with 3239 CRC patients aged 65 years and older. To assess comedication quality, we calculated the total Fit fOR The Aged (FORTA) score and its subscores for medication overuse, underuse, and potentially inappropriate medication use. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards or logistic regression models were performed to evaluate the association of comedication quality with up to 5-year overall survival, CRC-specific survival, and chemotherapy-related adverse drug reactions.

Results
Overall, 3239 and 1209 participants were included in analyses on survival and adverse drug reactions, respectively. The hazard ratios [95% confidence intervals] for the total FORTA score ≥ 7 versus 0–1 points were 1.83 [1.40–2.40] and 1.76 [1.22–2.52] for up to 5-year overall and CRC-specific survival, respectively. Worse up to 5-year overall survival and CRC-specific survival was also evident for FORTA subscores for potentially inappropriate medication use and overuse, whereas no association was observed for underuse. Although results for the total FORTA and potentially inappropriate medication score were much stronger among patients receiving chemotherapy, no significant associations with chemotherapy-related adverse drug reactions were observed. Moreover, associations were particularly strong among men and rectal cancer patients as compared to women and colon cancer patients.

Conclusions
Poor total comedication quality was significantly associated with worse up to 5-year overall and CRC-specific survival. Randomized controlled trials are needed to test whether improved cancer comedication management in older CRC patients prolongs survival.
Cardiometabolic Risk Trajectory Among Older Americans: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study
Authors: Wu Qiao , Ailshire Jennifer A , Kim Jung Ki , Crimmins Eileen M 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Cardiometabolic risk (CMR) is a key indicator of physiological decline with age, but age-related declines in a nationally representative older US population have not been previously examined.

Methods
We examined the trajectory of CMR over 8 years of aging, from 2006/2008 to 2014/2016, among 3528 people older than age 50 in the Health and Retirement Study. We used growth curve models to examine change in total CMR as well as in individual cardiometabolic biomarkers to understand how baseline differences and rates of change vary across sociodemographic characteristics, by smoking status, and medication use.

Results
Total CMR did not change among respondents who survived over 8 years. Despite significant differences in CMR across demographic and education groups at baseline, the pace of change with age did not differ by these characteristics. Among individual biomarkers, risk levels of diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, and total cholesterol decreased over 8 years while glycosylated hemoglobin, waist circumference, and pulse pressure increased over that time. Both the statistical significance levels and the magnitudes of the reduction over time with age in diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, and total cholesterol in models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, gender, smoking, and education were reduced after controlling for blood pressure and cholesterol medication.

Conclusions
The relatively constant total CMR level over 8 years occurred because some indicators improved with age while some deteriorated in this period. Medication use contributed to the improvement in blood pressure, resting heart rate, and total cholesterol.
Catastrophic Health Expenditure and Mental Health in the Older Chinese Population: The Moderating Role of Social Health Insurance
Authors: Yang Wei , Hu Bo 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) has considerable effects on household living standards, but little is known regarding the relationships between CHE and people’s mental health. Using China as an example, this study examines the association between CHE and mental health and investigates whether the association differs between those with and without social health insurance (SHI).

Methods
The data came from 3 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011, 2013, and 2015, N = 13,166). We focused on older people aged 60 and older. We built panel data regression and quantile regression models to analyze the data.

Results
Incurring CHE is significantly associated with poor mental health. The association is weakened among older people receiving SHI, which indicates that SHI has a protective effect. Moreover, the association between CHE and mental health and the protective effect of SHI are stronger among those with mild or moderate mental health problems.

Discussion
Our findings provide empirical evidence that encourages the integration of psychologically informed approaches in health services. We also urge governments in low- and middle-income countries to consider more generous health financing mechanisms for older people with greater health care needs.
Contribution of faculties of pharmacy in Arab countries to pharmacy practice research: a bibliometric analysis (1990–2020)
Authors: Sweileh Waleed M 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Objective
To provide an overview of pharmacy practice research by faculties of pharmacy in the Arab region using a bibliometric methodology.

Method
Relevant articles were retrieved from SciVerse Scopus. The search strategy was developed to retrieve all articles published in pharmacy practice journals and those with specific keywords such as ‘clinical pharmacy’, ‘community pharmacy’, ‘hospital pharmacy’, ‘pharmacy education’ and ‘pharmacy practice’. The country affiliation function was used to limit the results to the Arab region.

Key findings
The search strategy found 1496 articles authored by 8210 researchers and disseminated through 337 journals. Research on pharmacy practice produced by faculties of pharmacy in the Arab region (1) has experienced a steep growth over the last decade; (2) is mainly published by scholars in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates; (3) has benefited from non-Arab scholars affiliated with faculties of pharmacy in the Arab Gulf; (4) has benefited from international collaborations, specifically with researchers in the UK and Malaysia; (5) has mainly addressed seven research topics: adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance, medication adherence, self-medication, patient counselling, pharmacy education, perception of physicians towards pharmacists; (6) has shown a relationship between institutional funding and research output and (7) has shown the highest number of readers for topics related to polypharmacy, over-the-counter medications, self-medications, medication adherence and pharmacist intervention in disease management.

Conclusion
Pharmacy practice research in Arab countries has witnessed a steep rise in the last decade, partially due to international research collaboration.
Cross-Sectional Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load by Symptom Status in Massachusetts Congregate Living Facilities
Authors: Lennon Niall J , Bhattacharyya Roby P , Mina Michael J , Rehm Heidi L , Hung Deborah T , Smole Sandra , Woolley Ann , Lander Eric S , Gabriel Stacey B 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from people without symptoms confounds societal mitigation strategies. From April to June 2020, we tested nasopharyngeal swabs by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) from 15 514 staff and 16 966 residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Massachusetts. Cycle threshold (Ct) distributions were very similar between populations with (n = 739) and without (n = 2179) symptoms at the time of sampling (mean Ct, 25.7 vs 26.4; ranges 12–38). However, as local cases waned, those without symptoms shifted towards higher Ct. With such similar viral load distributions, existing testing modalities should perform comparably regardless of symptoms, contingent upon time since infection.
Multifaceted roles of centrosomes in development, health, and disease
Authors: Qi Feifei , Zhou Jun 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe centrosome is a membrane-less organelle consisting of a pair of barrel-shaped centrioles and pericentriolar material and functions as the major microtubule-organizing center and signaling hub in animal cells. The past decades have witnessed the functional complexity and importance of centrosomes in various cellular processes such as cell shaping, division, and migration. In addition, centrosome abnormalities are linked to a wide range of human diseases and pathological states, such as cancer, reproductive disorder, brain disease, and ciliopathies. Herein, we discuss various functions of centrosomes in development and health, with an emphasis on their roles in germ cells, stem cells, and immune responses. We also discuss how centrosome dysfunctions are involved in diseases. A better understanding of the mechanisms regulating centrosome functions may lead the way to potential therapeutic targeting of this organelle in disease treatment.
Longitudinal Changes in Cognitive Function in a Nationwide Cohort Study of Patients With Lymphoma Treated With Chemotherapy
Authors: Janelsins Michelle C , Mohamed Mostafa , Peppone Luke J , Magnuson Allison , Belcher Elizabeth K , Melnik Marianne , Dakhil Shaker , Geer Jodi , Kamen Charles , Minasian Lori , Reagan Patrick M , Mohile Supriya G , Morrow Gary R , Ahles Tim A , Heckler Charles E 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundCancer-related cognitive decline (CRCD) is an important clinical problem, but limited research exists on assessment of cognitive function in patients with lymphoma.MethodsThe overall objective of this nationwide, prospective, observational study conducted in the National Cancer Institute Community Clinical Oncology Research Program (NCORP) was to assess changes in memory, attention, and executive function in patients with lymphoma from pre- (A1) to postchemotherapy (A2) and to 6 months postchemotherapy (A3). Individuals without cancer served as noncancer controls, paired to patients by age and sex, and assessed at the same time-equivalent points. Longitudinal linear mixed models (LMM) including A1, A2, and A3 and adjusting for age, education, race, sex, cognitive reserve score, baseline anxiety, and depressive symptoms were fit. We assessed changes in patients compared with control participants without cancer and assessed differences in cognitive function in those patients with Hodgkin vs non-Hodgkin disease and by disease subtype. All statistical tests were 2-sided.ResultsPatients with lymphoma (n = 248) and participants without cancer serving as controls (n = 212) were recruited from 19 NCORP sites. From pre- to postchemotherapy and from prechemotherapy to 6 months follow-up, patients reported more cognitive problems over time compared with controls (Functional Assessment of Cancer-Therapy-Cognitive Function [FACT-Cog] perceived cognitive impairment effect size (ES) = 0.83 and 0.84 for A1 to A2 and A1 to A3, respectively; P &lt; .001; single-item cognitive symptoms ES range = 0.55 to 0.70 inclusive of A1 to A2 and A1 to A3; P &lt; .001); the complaints were more pronounced in women with lymphoma compared with men with lymphoma (FACT-Cog Perceived Cognitive Impairment (PCI) score group-by-time-by-sex interaction, P = .007). Patients with lymphoma also performed statistically significantly less well on tests of verbal memory and delayed recall, attention and executive function, and telephone-based category fluency.ConclusionPatients with lymphoma experience worse patient-reported and objectively assessed cognitive function from prechemotherapy to 6-month follow-up compared with age- and sex-paired controls without cancer assessed at similar time intervals.
Consequentialism and the Responsibility of Children: A Forward-Looking Distinction between the Responsibility of Children and Adults
Authors: Brandenburg Daphne 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn this paper I provide a forward-looking account of the difference between the responsibility of children and the responsibility of adults. I do so by means of criticizing agency-cultivation accounts of responsibility. According to these accounts, the justification for holding a person to a norm is the cultivation of their moral agency, and children are, just like adults, considered responsible to the extent that they can have their moral agency cultivated in this manner. Like many forward-looking accounts, these accounts claim that the purpose of holding adults to norms is similar to the purpose of holding children to norms. I argue that the justifications for holding adults to norms are different because of the particular ways in which adults can be in moral disagreement with one another, and the consequences that this has. Moral disagreement is relevant to consequentialist accounts because it impacts on whether and how we can secure beneficial outcomes via holding someone to a norm. One of the upshots of this analysis is that the forward-looking justification for holding adults to norms is qualitatively different from how and why we should hold children to norms.
Predictors of Readmission Following Discharge of Patients With Gram-Negative Bacteremia: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Porat Yanay , Nashashibi Jeries , Poran Itamar , Paul Mical 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Short-term readmission is an important outcome reflecting the poor trajectory of sepsis survivors. The aim of this study was to identify the major risk factors for 30-day readmission among patients with gram-negative bacteremia.

Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study including all consecutive adults hospitalized in the medical departments in a referral hospital in Israel with gram-negative bacteremia between 2011 and 2020, who were discharged alive. Predictors for 30-day readmission were investigated, considering death after discharge as a competing event. Cephalosporin resistance was our predictor of interest. Subdistribution hazard ratios (HRs) of the cumulative incidence function were investigated using the Fine and Gray multivariable competing-risk regression model. The prediction models were cross-validated using the k-fold method.

Results
Among 2196 patients surviving hospitalization with gram-negative bacteremia, the mean age was 70 ± 16 years and 432 (19.6%) were readmitted within 30 days. Variables associated with readmission hazards were Arab ethnicity, active malignancy, conditions requiring immunosuppression, anxiolytics or hypnotics, anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy, discharge with a nasogastric tube, higher predischarge heart rate, duration of antibiotic therapy during hospitalization, and bacteremia caused by cephalosporin-resistant bacteria (HR, 1.23 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .99–1.52]). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for this model was 75.5% (95% CI, 71.3%–79.1%). In secondary models, cephalosporin resistance, inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment, and lower predischarge albumin were significantly associated with readmission.

Conclusions
Thirty-day readmissions among patients with gram-negative bacteremia surviving the index admission were high. Readmission was related to comorbidities and infections caused by multidrug-resistant infections.
Main point: Among 2196 adults surviving hospitalization with gram-negative bacteremia, 432 (19.6%) were rehospitalized within 30 days. Comorbidities, inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment, bacteremia caused by cephalosporin-resistant bacteria, predischarge heart rate, and albumin were associated with readmissions.
Can Shorts Predict Returns? A Global Perspective
Authors: Boehmer Ekkehart , Huszár Zsuzsa R , Wang Yanchu , Zhang Xiaoyan , Zhang Xinran 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Using multiple short-sale measures, we examine the predictive power of short sales for future stock returns in 38 countries from July 2006 to December 2014. We find that the days-to-cover ratio and the utilization ratio measures have the most robust predictive power for future stock returns in the global capital market. Our results display significant cross-country and cross-firm differences in the predictive power of alternative short-sale measures. The predictive power of shorts is stronger in countries with nonprohibitive short sale regulations and for stocks with relatively low liquidity, high shorting fees, and low price efficiency.