bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of Performance Status Score for Cytotoxic Chemotherapy among Surgeons in a Tertiary Hospital, Southern Nigeria
Authors: Okugbo Stanley Ukadike , Irowa Omorodion 
Published: May 2019

Introduction: Performance score evaluation is a tool for assessment of patients prior to cytotoxic chemotherapy administration. It has also been used to modify and personalize the dosage, route and types of the various chemotherapeutic agents.
Aim: The present study was aimed at evaluating the use of performance status as assessment tool for patients on cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Study Design: This study is a questionnaire survey involving all doctors in the Department of Surgery of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. The returned questionnaires were individually inspected for clarity of responses and collated. The data was entered into excel sheets. Forms which were incomplete, poorly filled or not returned were not included in the study. All the data entered into the spreadsheets were analysed using the SPSS 20 package.
Results: A total of 64 (70%) doctors where enlisted in the study. Though 73.4% had knowledge about the use of performance status in the assessment of oncology patients, only 62.1% could name any type of performance status. Most respondents agreed that they would reduce the chemotherapeutic dosage in response to a poor PS score. Routine use of PS should be emphasized as it enhances patients’ care, brings measurable objective assessment to bear on the process of both palliative and potential curative measures.
This study focused on the practice amongst doctors, however PS may be routinely measured by nurses both in the clinic or wards when these patients present.
Conclusion: The awareness of performance status score is high however its uptake in clinical practice was low requiring further development and adherence to established protocols.
Fluorescence and Growth of Eggplant under Irrigation Levels and Silicon Doses
Authors: Fatima Reynaldo Teodoro de , Nobrega Jackson Silva , Carreiro Daniel De Almeida , Guerrero Amaralina Celoto , Lima Adriana Silva , Figueiredo Francisco Romário Andrade , Andrade Ferreira Jean Telvio , Barbosa Brito Marcos Eric 
Published: May 2019

Aims: The study was conducted to evaluate the fluorescence and growth of eggplant under influence of water deficit and silicon doses.
Study Design: The design was a randomized complete block design, in a 5 x 2 factorial arrangement, with four replications and one plant per plot, totaling 40 experimental units.
Length and Place of Study: The research was implemented between September and November 2016, in a greenhouse of the Center of Science and Technology Agrifood, at the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG / CCTA), Campus of Pombal-PB, Brazil.
Methods: Doses of 0, 75, 150, 225 and 300 mg L-1 of silicon and the irrigation slides of 50 and 100% of real evapotranspiration - ETr were used, which were obtained by weighing the pots daily in order to keep the weight close to the field capacity.
Results: The use of 50% level of the ETr provides reductions of 5.58; 7.92 and 6.84% of fluorescence in the initial, maximum and quantum yield of the photosystem. The fresh and dry mass of the stem presented the maximum productivity (140.8 and 48.1 g) in the plants irrigated with 100% Etr and treated with doses of 106 and 110 mg L-1 of Si.
Conclusion: The fluorescence and biomass of the eggplant plants is reduced with the decrease in irrigation level; while the application of silicon does not result in increment in the fluorescence and dry mass of the leaf. The 100% irrigation level of the ETr associated with the application of 108 mg L-1 of silicon resulted in the best results in stem mass accumulation.
Safety climate, hearing climate and hearing protection device use among transportation road maintainers
Authors: Cavallari Jennifer M. , Burch Katrina A. , Hanrahan Jeffrey , Garza Jennifer L. , Dugan Alicia G. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundIt is important to understand workplace factors including safety climate that influence hearing protection device (HPD) use. We sought to investigate the association between HPD use, safety climate, and hearing climate, a new measure specific to hearing.MethodsA survey was developed and distributed among transportation “maintainers” who perform road maintenance and repair. A new hearing climate measure was designed by adapting a safety climate measure. HPD use was assessed by asking workers how often they wear HPD while in noise. The differences in safety climate and hearing climate were compared by the frequency of HPD use using analysis of variance.ResultsAmong 166 maintainers, 54% reported always or almost always wearing HPD while noise exposed. High‐frequency HPD users reported a statistically significant higher safety climate (P = 0.004) and hearing climate (P = 0.003).ConclusionsHearing climate predicts the frequency of HPD use and may be a useful measure when assessing and improving hearing conservation programs.
Descriptive evaluation of methods for identifying work‐related emergency department injury visits
Authors: Harduar Morano Laurel , Richardson David , Proescholdbell Scott 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundUse of worker's compensation (WC) as payer underestimates work‐related (WR) injuries. We evaluated three methods to identify WR injuries: WC as payer, ICD‐9‐CM work‐status codes E000.0/E000.1, and other ICD‐9‐CM external cause codes.MethodsWe identified injury‐related emergency department visits from North Carolina's syndromic surveillance system (2010‐2013). Characteristics were compared by indicator. We manually reviewed 800 admission notes to confirm if the visit was WR or non‐WR; WR keywords from the review were applied to all visits.Results133 156 injury‐related visits (age, 16 years or older) were identified: WC = 69%, work‐status codes = 18%, other ICD‐9‐CM codes = 13%. Among manually reviewed visits: few visits identified by WC (0.3%) or work‐status codes (2%) were non‐WR, while 12% of other ICD‐9‐CM code identified visits were non‐WR; 53%, 46%, and 31% of visits identified by WC, work‐status codes, and other ICD‐9‐CM codes were WR, respectively.ConclusionsFindings support use of WC and work‐status codes to capture WR injuries; other ICD‐9‐CM codes should be used with caution or in combination with other indicators.
Work experiences of Latino building cleaners: An exploratory study
Authors: Eggerth Donald E. , Ortiz Bermang , Keller Brenna M. , Flynn Michael A. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundThere are roughly 3.8 million cleaning workers in the United States. The cleaning workforce is largely composed of women, immigrants, and ethnic minorities who receive low wages and have low education levels. They are exposed to physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial hazards.MethodsQualitative methodology was used to investigate how Latino immigrants experience work as building cleaners. A grounded theory coding approach was used to analyze focus group data from 77 participants.ResultsThree major themes were identified: economic vulnerability, psychosocial stressors, and health and safety effects. Although workers are aware of the safety hazards associated with their jobs, they believe their immigration status limits employment opportunities leading them to accept poor working conditions. They work through injuries and cope psychologically through minimizing negative health impacts and normalizing work‐related injuries and illnesses.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that interventions for these workers should recognize the hostile organizational and psychosocial contexts within which immigrants often work.
Pharmacokinetic changes and therapeutic drug monitoring of lamotrigine during pregnancy
Authors: Ding Ye , Tan Xiaoping , Zhang Shuo , Guo Yang 
Published: May 2019

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the pharmacokinetic changes in lamotrigine (LTG) from prepregnancy to postpartum and to assess the impact of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) on seizure management during pregnancy in a Chinese population.MethodsA series of women who were on LTG monotherapy before conception or during pregnancy were included in this retrospective study. The clinical characteristics of the mothers and fetuses were collected. The apparent clearance (AC) and the ratio to target concentration (RTC) were calculated for each trimester or for each month. RTCs were compared between patients with and without an increase in the frequency of seizures. A receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the RTC threshold, which predicts increased seizure frequency best, was drawn.ResultsA total of 12 patients and their 12 pregnancies were reviewed retrospectively. AC increased by 82.5% during the first trimester (p = 0.0343), 203.2% during the second trimester (p = 0.0010), and 197.0% during the third trimester (p = 0.0061) compared with the prepregnancy level. The value returned to the prepregnancy level after delivery. Seven patients who had adequate baseline information were included to examine the association between serum LTG concentration and seizure frequency. The RTC values of patients with and without an increased frequency of seizures were significantly different (p = 0.0164), and increased seizure frequency was associated with a lower RTC. An RTC < 0.64 was a predictor of deteriorating seizures.ConclusionsThe pharmacokinetic changes in LTG during pregnancy displayed marked interpatient variation. TDM can support a rational treatment plan for LTG use during pregnancy. We recommend regular monitoring of LTG serum concentrations from prepregnancy to postpartum.
Increased risk of pelvic fracture after radiotherapy in rectal cancer survivors: A propensity matched study
Authors: Kang Yu‐Mei , Chao Tze‐Fan , Wang Ti‐Hao , Hu Yu‐Wen 
Published: May 2019

AbstractTo determine whether radiotherapy (RT) can increase pelvic fracture risk in rectal cancer survivors. Rectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery between 1996 and 2011 in Taiwan were retrospectively studied using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. ICD‐9 Codes 808, 805.4‐805.7, 806.4‐806.7, and 820 (including pelvic, sacrum, lumbar, and femoral neck fracture) were defined as pelvic fracture. Propensity scores for RT, age, and sex were used to perform one‐to‐one matches between the RT and non‐RT group. Risks of pelvic and arm fractures were compared by multivariable Cox regression. Of the 32 689 patients, 7807 (23.9%) received RT, and 1616 suffered from a pelvic fracture (incidence rate: 1.17/100 person‐years). The median time to pelvic fracture was 2.47 years. After matching, 6952 patients each in the RT and non‐RT groups were analyzed. RT was associated with an increased risk of pelvic fractures in the multivariable Cox model (hazard ratio (HR): 1.246, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.037‐1.495, P = 0.019) but not with arm fractures (HR: 1.013, 95% CI: 0.814‐1.259, P = 0.911). Subgroup analyses revealed that RT was associated with a higher pelvic fracture rate in women (HR: 1.431, 95% CI: 1.117‐1.834) but not in men, and the interaction between sex and RT was significant (P = 0.03). The HR of pelvic fracture increased 2‐4 years after RT (HR: 1.707, 95% CI: 1.150‐2.534, P = 0.008). An increased risk of pelvic fracture is noted in rectal cancer survivors, especially women, who receive RT.
SCAI clinical expert consensus statement on the classification of cardiogenic shock
Authors: Baran David A. , Grines Cindy L. , Bailey Steven , Burkhoff Daniel , Hall Shelley A. , Henry Timothy D. , Hollenberg Steven M. , Kapur Navin K. , O'Neill William , Ornato Joseph P. , Stelling Kelly , Thiele Holger , van Diepen Sean , Naidu Srihari S. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe outcome of cardiogenic shock complicating myocardial infarction has not appreciably changed in the last 30 years despite the development of various percutaneous mechanical circulatory support options. It is clear that there are varying degrees of cardiogenic shock but there is no robust classification scheme to categorize this disease state.MethodsA multidisciplinary group of experts convened by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions was assembled to derive a proposed classification schema for cardiogenic shock. Representatives from cardiology (interventional, advanced heart failure, noninvasive), emergency medicine, critical care, and cardiac nursing all collaborated to develop the proposed schema.ResultsA system describing stages of cardiogenic shock from A to E was developed. Stage A is “at risk” for cardiogenic shock, stage B is “beginning” shock, stage C is “classic” cardiogenic shock, stage D is “deteriorating”, and E is “extremis”. The difference between stages B and C is the presence of hypoperfusion which is present in stages C and higher. Stage D implies that the initial set of interventions chosen have not restored stability and adequate perfusion despite at least 30 minutes of observation and stage E is the patient in extremis, highly unstable, often with cardiovascular collapse.ConclusionThis proposed classification system is simple, clinically applicable across the care spectrum from pre‐hospital providers to intensive care staff but will require future validation studies to assess its utility and potential prognostic implications.
SCAI/ACVP expert consensus statement on cardiovascular catheterization laboratory economics: If the cath lab is your home you should understand its finances
Authors: Blankenship James C. , Choi James W. , Das Tony S. , McElgunn Peggy M. , Mukherjee Debabrata , Paxton Linda L. , Piana Robert , Sauer Joel R. , White Christopher J. , Duffy Peter L. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThis article is intended for any physician, administrator, or cardiovascular catheterization laboratory (CCL) staff member who desires a fundamental understanding of finances and economics of CCLs in the United States. The authors' goal is to illuminate general economic principles of CCL operations and provide details that can be used immediately by CCL leaders. Any article on economics in medicine should start by acknowledging the primacy of the principles of medical ethics. While physicians have been trained to act in the best interests of their patients and avoid actions that would harm patients it is vitally important that all professionals in the CCL focus on patients' needs. Caregivers both at the bedside and in the office must consider how their actions will affect not only the patient they are treating at the time, but others as well. If the best interests of a patient were to conflict with any recommendation in this article, the former should prevail.Key Points

To be successful and financially viable under current payment systems, CCL physicians, and managers must optimize the outcomes and efficiency of care by aligning CCL leadership, strategy, organization, processes, personnel, and culture.
Optimizing a CCL's operating margin (profitability) requires maximizing revenues and minimizing expenses. CCL managers often focus on expense reduction; they should also pay attention to revenue generation.
Expense reduction depends on efficiency (on‐time starts, short turn‐over time, smooth day‐to‐day schedules), identifying cost‐effective materials, and negotiating their price downward.
Revenue optimization requires accurate documentation and coding of procedures, comorbidities, and complications. In fee‐for‐service and bundled payment reimbursement systems, higher volumes of procedures yield higher revenues.
New procedures that improve patient care but are expensive can usually be justified by negotiating with vendors for lower prices and including the “halo effect” of collateral services that accompany the new procedure.
Fiscal considerations should never eclipse quality concerns. High quality CCL care that prevents complications, increases efficiency, reduces waste, and eliminates unnecessary procedures represents a win for patients, physicians, and CCL administrators.
Accurate 3D Characterization of Catalytic Bodies Surface by Scanning Electron Microscopy
Authors: Gontard Lionel C. , Cauqui Miguel Ángel , Yeste María Pilar , Ozkaya Dogan , Calvino José Juan 
Published: May 2019

AbstractCatalytic bodies of millimetric dimensions are frequently used in industrial catalysis. The engineering process applied on the raw nanocatalyst during the fabrication and the working conditions affect the spatial and chemical relations of the exposed surface of the catalytic device. Hence, for improving their synthesis and for monitoring the evolution during its life cycle it is important understanding the actual heterogeneities of their surfaces. In this work scanning electron microscopy, photogrammetry and X‐Ray spectroscopy are combined to perform physico‐chemical characterization in three‐dimensions and with high resolution of the surface of commercial water gas shift catalyst bodies. By analyzing a phase of carbon present on their surface we show that the method provides measurements that are at the same time reliable, accurate and precise.
Female reproduction bears no survival cost in captivity for gray mouse lemurs
Authors: Landes Julie , Henry Pierre‐Yves , Hardy Isabelle , Perret Martine , Pavard Samuel 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe survival cost of reproduction has been revealed in many free‐ranging vertebrates. However, recent studies on captive populations failed to detect this cost. Theoretically, this lack of survival/reproduction trade‐off is expected when resources are not limiting, but these studies may have failed to detect the cost, as they may not have fully accounted for potential confounding effects, in particular interindividual heterogeneity. Here, we investigated the effects of current and past reproductive effort on later survival in captive females of a small primate, the gray mouse lemur. Survival analyses showed no cost of reproduction in females; and the pattern was even in the opposite direction: the higher the reproductive effort, the higher the chances of survival until the next reproductive event. These conclusions hold even while accounting for interindividual heterogeneity. In agreement with aforementioned studies on captive vertebrates, these results remind us that reproduction is expected to be traded against body maintenance and the survival prospect only when resources are so limiting that they induce an allocation trade‐off. Thus, the cost of reproduction has a major extrinsic component driven by environmental conditions.
The Effects of Nickel on the Structure and Functioning of a Freshwater Plankton Community Under High Dissolved Organic Carbon Conditions: A Microcosm Experiment
Authors: Nys Charlotte , Van Regenmortel Tina , De Schamphelaere Karel 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
In the present study, we aimed to test the protectiveness of the bioavailability-normalization procedure, with its associated hazardous concentrations for x% of the species (HCx), that is currently implemented to derive environmental threshold concentrations for nickel (Ni) in European environmental legislative frameworks. We exposed a natural plankton-dominated community to 3 constant Ni concentrations, that is, a control with no Ni added (background Ni of 1.2–4 µg/L) and the bioavailability-normalized HC5 and HC50 of 24 and 97 µg dissolved Ni/L, respectively, during a 56-d microcosm experiment under high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) conditions (DOC of 14 mg/L at test initiation). The effects of the bioavailability-normalized HC5 and HC50 values were evaluated at the levels of community structure (community composition and plankton group abundances), community functioning (measured as indirect physicochemical proxies for overnight respiration and carbon fluxes), and individual species abundances. The bioavailability-normalized HC50 treatment had clear effects (defined as effects occurring on at least 2 consecutive sampling days) on both the structure and functioning of the investigated aquatic community. Through its effect on community functioning (i.e., reduced pH and DOC), Ni also influenced its own bioavailability. Clear direct effects of Ni were observed for only 3 species (the Cyanobacteria Oscillatoria sp. 1 and the rotifers Asplanchna/Testidunela sp. and Trichocerca group similis). Most other effects occurring in the plankton community in the HC50 treatment were indirect and likely driven by the direct effect of Ni on the Cyanobacteria Oscillatoria sp. 1, which was the dominant phytoplankton species in the control microcosms. In contrast, the bioavailability-normalized HC5 did not induce clear effects on community structure and functioning endpoints: these were only affected on individual sampling days. Clear (direct) effects were observed for only 2 plankton species (the rotifer Trichocerca group similis and the Cyanobacteria Oscillatoria sp. 1), but their abundances recovered to control levels at the end of the study. In addition, a few species (1 phytoplankton and 3 zooplankton species) were affected in the HC5 treatment only on the last sampling day. It is uncertain whether these species would have shown clear effects over a longer exposure duration. Thus, our study shows that the bioavailability-normalized HC5 of Ni at high DOC induced clear effects on a few individual species. However, the overall conclusion is that the bioavailability-normalized HC5 of Ni as derived through the procedure that is currently implemented in European legislative frameworks protects against clear effects on community structure and function. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1923–1939. © 2019 SETAC.
Narrow‐wide‐row planting pattern increases the radiation use efficiency and seed yield of intercrop species in relay‐intercropping system
Authors: Raza Muhammad Ali , Feng Ling Yang , van der Werf Wopke , Cai Gao Ren , Khalid Muhammad Hayder Bin , Iqbal Nasir , Hassan Muhammad Jawad , Meraj Tehseen Ahmad , Naeem Muhammd , Khan Imran , Rehman Sana ur , Ansar Muhammad , Ahmed Mukhtar , Yang Feng , Yang Wenyu 
Published: May 2019

AbstractPlanting arrangements affect radiation use efficiency (RUE) and competitiveness of intercrop species in intercropping systems. Here, we reveal that narrow‐wide‐row planting arrangement in maize‐soybean relay‐intercropping system increases the dry matter and competitiveness of soybean, increased the RUE of maize and soybean, and compensates the yield loss of maize by substantially increasing the yield of soybean. In this field study, maize was planted with soybean in different planting arrangements (P1, 20:180, P2, 40:160; P3, 60:140, and P4, 80:120) of relay intercropping, all the relay‐intercropping treatments were compared with sole crops of maize (SM) and soybean (SS). Results showed that P1 improved the total RUE 3.26 g/MJ (maize RUE + soybean RUE) of maize and soybean in relay‐intercropping system. Compared to P4, treatment P1 increased the soybean competition ratio (CR) values (by 55%) but reduced the maize CR values (by 29%), which in turn significantly improved the yield of soybean by maintaining the maize yield. Generally, in P1, soybean produced 82% of SS yield, and maize produced 88% of SM yield, and it achieved the land equivalent ratio of 1.7. These results suggest that by maintaining the appropriate planting distances between maize and soybean we can improve the competitiveness and yield of intercrop species in relay‐intercropping system.