bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors of students’ academic achievements in allied health professions at King Saud University: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Alhurishi Sultana A. , Aljuraiban Ghadeer S. , Alshaikh Fahdah A. , Almutairi Mona M. , Almutairi Khalid M. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
The admissions criteria for colleges of medicine and allied health professions include several cognitive predictors. Little is known of the admissions criteria for the allied health professions and their correlation with students’ academic performance. This study investigates predictors for students’ academic achievements at allied health colleges at King Saud University.

Design
Retrospective cohort study.

Settings
College of Applied Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, Saudi Arabia.

Participants
The sample comprised 1634 students.

Method
The high school grade average (HSGA), aptitude test (APT) score, achievement test (ACT) score, and current grade point average (GPA) were retrieved. The data were analysed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and regression analysis.

Results
HSGA, ACT, and APT were significantly positively associated with students’ academic performance in colleges for all allied health professions. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the most predictive variable for all allied healthcare professions was HSGA (β = 0.347), followed by ACT (β = 0.270) and APT (β = 0.053) scores. The regression model indicated that the HSGA, APT, and ACT together predicted 26.5% of the variation in students’ cumulative GPAs at the time of graduation.

Conclusion
The admissions criteria for the allied health colleges at King Saud University predicted only 26.5% of the students’ cumulative GPA at the time of graduation. Other noncognitive admission criteria should be taken into consideration to improve the prediction of students’ academic potential.
Factors influencing acceptance or decline of a hospital-sponsored scholarship by nursing students in Taiwan: a qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Tsou Chang-Ting , Chen Kuan-Ling , Tsai Yun-Fang 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Maintaining sufficient nursing personnel is critical for healthcare systems worldwide. Improving retention of nurses is one means of addressing this shortfall. To foster retention, some hospitals in Taiwan provide nursing scholarships contingent on recipients signing a 3-year employment contract. However, it is unclear what factors influence students’ decisions to accept or reject a scholarship.

Methods
The purpose of this exploratory qualitative descriptive study was to obtain an understanding of the subjective experiences of fourth-year nursing school students (N = 87) who accepted (n = 43) or declined (n = 44) a hospital-sponsored nursing school scholarship. Students were selected by purposive sampling from the department of nursing of a private university in northern Taiwan. Data were collected between 2013 and 2014 using face-to-face-in-depth interviews.

Results
The mean age of participants was 22.7 years; most (94%) were female (n = 82). Analysis of the interview data showed the choice to accept or decline the scholarship and making career decisions occurred in three stages for both groups: the considering their options, making the decision, and assessment of their decision.

Conclusions
Although the variables at each of these stages differed between groups, both sponsored and non-sponsored students felt a responsibility to continue as employees of the hospital after graduation. Financial status, the hospital environment, and future long-term career goals were important factors affecting the acceptance or rejection of the hospital scholarship. These results could provide insight into factors students consider important for making long-term commitments as a nursing professional, which could not only improve retention of nurses, but also serve as a guideline for career planning.
Building cohesion in distributed telemedicine teams: findings from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Telestroke Program
Authors: Patel Himalaya , Damush Teresa M. , Miech Edward J. , Rattray Nicholas A. , Martin Holly A. , Savoy April , Plue Laurie , Anderson Jane , Martini Sharyl , Graham Glenn D. , Williams Linda S. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
As telemedicine adoption increases, so does the importance of building cohesion among physicians in telemedicine teams. For example, in acute telestroke services, stroke specialists provide rapid remote stroke assessment and treatment to patients at hospitals without stroke specialty care. In the National Telestroke Program (NTSP) of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a virtual (distributed) hub of stroke specialists throughout the country provides 24/7 consultations nationwide. We examined how these specialists adapted to distributed teamwork, and we identified cohesion-related factors in program development and support.

Methods
We studied the virtual hub of stroke specialists employed by the NTSP. Semi-structured, confidential interviews with stroke specialists in the virtual hub were recorded and transcribed. We explored the extent to which these specialists had developed a sense of shared identity and team cohesion, and we identified factors in this development. Using a qualitative approach with constant comparison methods, two researchers coded each interview transcript independently using a shared codebook. We used matrix displays to identify themes, with special attention to team cohesion, communication, trust, and satisfaction.

Results
Of 13 specialists with at least 8 months of NTSP practice, 12 completed interviews; 7 had previously practiced in telestroke programs in other healthcare systems. Interviewees reported high levels of trust and team cohesion, sometimes even more with their virtual colleagues than with co-located colleagues. Factors facilitating perceived team cohesion included a weekly case conference call, a sense of transparency in discussing challenges, engagement in NTSP development tasks, and support from the NTSP leadership. Although lack of in-person contact was associated with lower cohesion, annual in-person NTSP meetings helped mitigate this issue. Despite technical challenges in establishing a new telehealth system within existing national infrastructure, providers reported high levels of satisfaction with the NTSP.

Conclusion
A virtual telestroke hub can provide a sense of team cohesion among stroke specialists at a level comparable with a standard co-located practice. Engaging in transparent discussion of challenging cases, reviewing new clinical evidence, and contributing to program improvements may promote cohesion in distributed telemedicine teams.
Use of budget savings from patent expiration of cancer drugs to improve affordability and accessibility
Authors: Lee Seung Mi , Kim Heui Jae , Suh David , Joung Kyung-In , Kim Eun Suk , Back Hee Jung , Kwon Jun Young , Park Man-Jae , Suh Dong Churl 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe introduction of generics after the loss of patent exclusivity plays a major role in budget savings by significantly decreasing drug prices. The aims of this study were to estimate the budget savings from off-patent cancer drugs in 2020–2024 and to inform decision makers on how these savings could be used to improve the affordability of innovative cancer treatments in South Korea.MethodsA model was developed to calculate budget savings from off-patent cancer drug use in Korea over 5 years (2020–2024). Cancer drugs with one or more valid patents that expire between 2020 and 2024 in Korea were selected. Key input parameters in the model included market share of generics, market growth, and prices of originators and generics. To reflect market dynamics after patent expiration, the trends of the off-patent market were estimated using historical sales volume data of IQVIA from 2012 to 2018. The study assumed that the prices of off-patent drugs decreased according to the price regulations set by the Korean government and that the off-patent market sales volume did not grow. Sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the uncertainty in model input parameters.ResultsA total of 24 cancer drugs which met selection criteria were identified. In the base case analysis, patent expiration of cancer drugs between 2020 and 2024 could lead to a spending reduction of ₩234,429 million ($203 million), which was 20% of the cancer drug expenditure in the 5-year period. The savings ranged from ₩157,633 million ($136 million) to ₩434,523 million ($376 million) depending on the scenarios in sensitivity analyses.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that patent loss of cancer drugs could lead to a 20% reduction in spending on cancer drugs over the next 5 years in South Korea. The savings could be used to improve the affordability of innovative, advanced cancer drugs for 94,000 cancer patients by reallocating the budget savings from patent expiration.
The impact of public performance reporting on cancer elective surgery waiting times: a data linkage study
Authors: Prang Khic-Houy , Canaway Rachel , Bismark Marie , Dunt David , Miller Julie A. , Kelaher Margaret 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Excessive waiting times for cancer elective surgery are a concern in publicly funded healthcare systems. Several countries including Australia have introduced healthcare reforms involving time-based targets and public performance reporting (PPR) of hospital data. However, there is mixed evidence of their benefits. We sought to examine the impact of targets and PPR of cancer elective surgery waiting times on access to breast, bowel and lung cancer elective surgery.

Methods
We analysed routinely-collected linked data on admissions and waiting times for patients aged 15 years or over (n = 199,885) who underwent cancer surgery in a public hospital in Victoria, Australia over a 10-year period. We conducted difference-in-differences analyses to compare waiting times before (2006–07 to 2011–12) and after (2012–13 to 2015–16) the introduction of PPR in meeting these targets.

Results
Across all cancer types, urgent patients were all treated within 30 days before and after PPR. Following PPR, there was a slight increase in the mean waiting times across all cancer types and urgency categories. Patients with lung cancer waited on average two and half days longer for treatment and patients with breast cancer waited on average half-a-day less. There was no effect of PPR on waiting times for patients with bowel cancer across urgency categories.

Conclusions
Our findings suggest that time-based targets and PPR had minimal impact on surgical waiting times. This may be due to reasonable waiting times prior to PPR, improved efficiency being masked by 20% growth in the population, lack of public knowledge that waiting times are publicly reported, or lack of real-time reporting to drive behavioural change. The use of generic elective surgery recommended waiting time measures for cancer is discussed.
Course of frailty stratified by physical and mental multimorbidity patterns: a 5-year follow-up of 92,640 participants of the LifeLines cohort study
Authors: Oude Voshaar R. C. , Jeuring H. W. , Borges M. K. , van den Brink R. H. S. , Marijnissen R. M. , Hoogendijk E. O. , van Munster B. , Aprahamian I. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
The frailty index (FI) is a well-recognized measurement for risk stratification in older people. Among middle-aged and older people, we examined the prospective association between the FI and mortality as well as its course over time in relation to multimorbidity and specific disease clusters.

Methods
A frailty index (FI) was constructed based on either 64 (baseline only) or 35 health deficits (baseline and follow-up) among people aged ≥ 40 years who participated in LifeLines, a prospective population-based cohort living in the Northern Netherlands. Among 92,640 participants, multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were fitted to study the hazard ratio (HR) of the FI at baseline, as well as for 10 chronic disease clusters for all-cause mortality over a 10-year follow-up. Among 55,426 participants, linear regression analyses were applied to study the impact of multimorbidity and of specific chronic disease clusters (independent variables) on the change of frailty over a 5-year follow-up, adjusted for demographic and lifestyle characteristics.

Results
The FI predicted mortality independent of multimorbidity and specific disease clusters, with the highest impact in people with either endocrine, lung, or heart diseases. Adjusted for demographic and lifestyle characteristics, all chronic disease clusters remained independently associated with an accelerated increase of frailty over time.

Conclusions
Frailty may be seen as a final common pathway for premature death due to chronic diseases. Our results suggest that initiating frailty prevention at middle age, when the first chronic diseases emerge, might be relevant from a public health perspective.
The role of cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary vascular endothelial cell apoptosis in COPD
Authors: Song Qing , Chen Ping , Liu Xiang-Ming 
Published: February 2021

AbstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases with high morbidity and mortality. It has become the fifth most burdened and the third most deadly disease in the global economy and increases year by year. The prevention and treatment of COPD are urgent. Smoking is the main and most common risk factor for COPD. Cigarette smoke (CS) contains a large number of toxic substances, can cause a series of changes in the trachea, lung tissue, pulmonary blood vessels, and promotes the occurrence and development of COPD. In recent years, the development of epigenetics and molecular biology have provided new guidance for revealing the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. The latest research indicates that pulmonary vascular endothelial cell apoptosis initiates and participates in the pathogenesis of COPD. In this review, we summarize the current research on the epigenetic mechanisms and molecular biology of CS-induced pulmonary vascular endothelial cell apoptosis in COPD, providing a new research direction for pathogenesis of COPD and a new target for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of COPD.
LncRNA SNHG16 promotes pulmonary fibrosis by targeting miR-455-3p to regulate the Notch2 pathway
Authors: Liu Panpan , Zhao Lei , Gu Yuxia , Zhang Meilan , Gao Hongchang , Meng Yingxia 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common interstitial lung diseases with a poor prognosis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in IPF in several studies. However, the role of lncRNA SNHG16 in IPF is largely unknown.

Methods
Firstly, experimental pulmonary fibrosis model was established by using bleomycin (BML). Histology and Western blotting assays were used to determine the different stages of fibrosis and expression of several fibrosis biomarkers. The expression of SNHG16 was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). EdU staining and wound-healing assay were utilized to analyze proliferation and migration of lung fibroblast cells. Molecular mechanism of SNHG16 was explored by bioinformatics, dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation assay (RIP), and qRT-PCR.

Results
The expression of SNHG16 was significantly up-regulated in bleomycin-(BLM) induced lung fibrosis and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-induced fibroblast. Knockdown of SNHG16 could attenuate fibrogenesis. Mechanistically, SNHG16 was able to bind and regulate the expression of miR-455-3p. Moreover, SNHG16 also regulated the expression of Notch2 by targeting miR-455-3p. Finally, SNHG16 could promote fibrogenesis by regulating the expression of Notch2.

Conclusion
Taken together, our study demonstrated that SNHG16 promoted pulmonary fibrosis by targeting miR-455-3p to regulate the Notch2 pathway. These findings might provide a novel insight into pathologic process of lung fibrosis and may provide prevention strategies in the future.
A comparative study of chest CT findings regarding the effects of regional dust exposure on patients with COPD living in urban areas and rural areas near cement plants
Authors: Kim Junghyun , Kim Bom , Bak So Hyeon , Oh Yeon-Mok , Kim Woo Jin 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
The clinical and radiological presentation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is heterogenous depending on the characterized sources of inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate COPD phenotypes associated with specific dust exposure.

Methods
This study was designed to compare the characteristics, clinical outcomes and radiological findings between two prospective COPD cohorts representing two distinguishing regions in the Republic of Korea; COPD in Dusty Area (CODA) and the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) cohort. A total of 733 participants (n = 186 for CODA, and n = 547 for KOLD) were included finally. A multivariate analysis to compare lung function and computed tomography (CT) measurements of both cohort studies after adjusting for age, sex, education, body mass index, smoking status, and pack-year, Charlson comorbidity index, and frequency of exacerbation were performed by entering the level of FEV1(%), biomass exposure and COPD medication into the model in stepwise.

Results
The mean wall area (MWA, %) became significantly lower in COPD patients in KOLD from urban and metropolitan area than those in CODA cohort from cement dust area (mean ± standard deviation [SD]; 70.2 ± 1.21% in CODA vs. 66.8 ± 0.88% in KOLD, p = 0.028) after including FEV1 in the model. COPD subjects in KOLD cohort had higher CT-emphysema index (EI, 6.07 ± 3.06 in CODA vs. 20.0 ± 2.21 in KOLD, p < 0.001, respectively). The difference in the EI (%) was consistently significant even after further adjustment of FEV1 (6.12 ± 2.88% in CODA vs. 17.3 ± 2.10% in KOLD, p = 0.002, respectively). However, there was no difference in the ratio of mean lung density (MLD) between the two cohorts (p = 0.077). Additional adjustment for biomass parameters and medication for COPD did not alter the statistical significance after entering into the analysis with COPD medication.

Conclusions
Higher MWA and lower EI were observed in COPD patients from the region with dust exposure. These results suggest that the imaging phenotype of COPD is influenced by specific environmental exposure.
Identification of a two-gene prognostic model associated with cytolytic activity for colon cancer
Authors: Jiang Xiaoye , Jiang Zhongxiang , Xiang Lichun , Chen Xuenuo , Wu Jiao , Jiang Zheng 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Increasing evidence has shown that cytolytic activity (CYT) is a new immunotherapy biomarker that characterises the antitumour immune activity of cytotoxic T cells and macrophages. In this study, we established a prognostic model associated with CYT.

Methods
A prognostic model based on CYT-related genes was developed. Furthermore, aberrant expression of genes of the model in colon cancer (CC) was identified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. Next, the correlation between the model and T-cell infiltration in the CC microenvironment was analysed. The Tumour Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm and subclass mapping were used to predict clinical responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Results
In total, 280 of the 1418 genes were differentially expressed based on CYT. A prognostic model (including HOXC8 and MS4A2) was developed based on CYT-related genes. The model was validated using the testing set, the whole set and a Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohort (GSE41258). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and other analyses showed that the levels of immune infiltration and antitumour immune activation in low-risk-score tumours were greater than those in high-risk-score tumours. CC patients with a low-risk-score showed more promise in the response to anti-immune checkpoint therapy.

Conclusions
Overall, our model may precisely predict the overall survival of CC and reflect the strength of antitumour immune activity in the CC microenvironment. Furthermore, the model may be a predictive factor for the response to immunotherapy.
The technology of tongue and hard palate contact detection: a review
Authors: Mat Zin Syatirah , Md Rasib S. Z. , Suhaimi Fatanah M. , Mariatti M. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe tongue and hard palate play an essential role in the production of sound during continuous speech. Appropriate tongue and hard palate contacts will ensure proper sound production. Electropalatography, also known as EPG, is a device that can be used to identify the location of the tongue and hard palate contact. It can also be used by a speech therapist to help patients who have a speech disorder. Among the group with the disease are cleft palate, Down syndrome, glossectomy, and autism patients. Besides identifying the contact location, EPG is a useful medical device that has been continuously developed based on the patient’s needs and treatment advancement. This article reviews the technology of electropalatography since the early introduction of the device. It also discusses the development process and the drawbacks of the previous EPG systems, resulting in the EPG’s upgraded system and technology. This review suggests additional features that can be useful for the future development of the EPG. The latest technology can be incorporated into the EPG system to provide a more convenient method. There are some elements to be considered in the development of EPG’s new technology that were discussed in this study. The elements are essential to provide more convenience for the patient during speech therapy. New technology can accelerate the growth of medical devices, particularly on the development of speech therapy equipment that should be based on the latest technological advancements available. Thus, the advanced EPG system suggested in this article may expand the usage of the EPG and serve as a tool to provide speech therapy treatment services and not limited to monitoring only.