bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Update on the Stock and Supply of Health Services Researchers in the United States
Authors: Frogner Bianca K. 
Published: June 2018

ObjectiveThis study examines the stock and supply including educational pipeline of health services researchers (HSRers) in the United States.Data SourcesNational Institutes of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Grants On‐Line Database, Health Services Research Projects in Progress, PubMed, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, AcademyHealth membership database, and social networks.Study DesignExploratory descriptive analysis of individuals involved in health services research (HSR) in the United States as of 2015/16.Principal FindingsThe HSRer stock grew by 25 percent to 45 percent between 2007 and 2015/16, which was slower than the previous measurement period. The growth in the number of doctoral and master's degrees conferred in core HSR fields has been slowing in recent years. Minorities are underrepresented among HSRers, but this trend may improve over time given the diversity of the educational pipeline. Hispanics, however, were generally underrepresented in the educational pipeline.ConclusionsThe average annual growth rate of HSRers appears to be within range of national recommendations. Additional work is needed to assess whether supply of HSRers is meeting demand and to ensure a competent and diverse educational pipeline that meets the needs of an evolving health system.
Private Sector Actions to Valorise Public Benefits from Agriculture and Forestry
Authors: Brouwer Floor , Mantino Francesco , Polman Nico , Short Chris , Sterly Simone , Rac Ilona 
Published: June 2018

SummaryThere is wide consensus that the agricultural and forestry sectors play an important role in the provision of public benefits. Major changes are envisaged by some in the future developments of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) regarding the provision of these benefits. However, while policy can be a powerful driver for change, it is often not sufficient to trigger action by itself; new approaches are required to increase the engagement and commitment of actors in this field. The PEGASUS project aimed to understand new ways of thinking about the way farmland and forests are managed to stimulate long‐lasting improvement in the provision of public benefits in the EU. Since the private sector is already actively involved in securing the provision of public benefits e.g. through premium price mechanisms, this article seeks to outline private sector actions for the more effective provision of public benefits arising from EU farmland and forests. The article suggests a number of approaches to be considered when developing policy that seeks to encourage the involvement of the private sector.
Comparison of Antioxidant Constituents of Agriophyllum squarrosum Seed with Conventional Crop Seeds
Authors: Xu Hai ‐Yan , Zheng Hua‐Chuan , Zhang Hui ‐Wen , Zhang Jin‐Yu , Ma Chao‐Mei 
Published: June 2018

AbstractTwelve chemical constituents were identified from the Agriophyllum squarrosum seed (ASS). ASS contained large amounts of flavonoids, which were more concentrated in the seed coat. ASS‐coat (1 g) contained 335.7 μg flavonoids of rutin equivalent, which was similar to the flavonoid content in soybean (351.2 μg/g), and greater than that in millet, wheat, rice, peanut, and corn. By LC‐MS analysis, the major constituents in ASS were 3‐O‐[α‐L‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D‐ glucopyranosyl]‐7‐ O‐(β‐D‐glucopyranosyl)‐quercetin (1), rutin (4), quercetin‐3‐O‐β‐D‐ apiosyl(1→2)‐[α‐L‐rhamnosyl(l→6)]‐β‐D‐glucoside (2), isorhamnetin‐3‐O‐rutinoside (5), and allantoin (3), compared with isoflavonoids‐genistin (16), daidzin (14), and glycitin (18) in soybean. Among constituents in ASS, compounds 1, 2, 4, protocatechuic acid (8), isoquercitrin (11), and luteolin‐6‐C‐glucoside (12) potently scavenged DPPH radicals and intracellular ROS; strongly protected against peroxyl radical‐induced DNA scission; and upregulated Nrf2, phosphorylated p38, phosphorylated JNK, and Bcl‐2 in HepG2 cells. These results indicate that ASS is rich in antioxidant constituents that can enrich the varieties of food flavonoids, with significant beneficial implications for those who suffer from oxidative stress‐related conditions.Practical ApplicationThis study found that A. squarrosum seed contains large amounts of antioxidative flavonoids and compared its chemical constituents with those of conventional foods. These results should increase the interest in planting the sand‐fixing A. squarrosum on a large scale, thus preventing desertification and providing valuable foods.
A bioinformatic pipeline for identifying informative SNP panels for parentage assignment from RADseq data
Authors: Andrews Kimberly R. , Adams Jennifer R. , Cassirer E. Frances , Plowright Raina K. , Gardner Colby , Dwire Maggie , Hohenlohe Paul A. , Waits Lisette P. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe development of high‐throughput sequencing technologies is dramatically increasing the use of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the field of genetics, but most parentage studies of wild populations still rely on microsatellites. We developed a bioinformatic pipeline for identifying SNP panels that are informative for parentage analysis from restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) data. This pipeline includes options for analysis with or without a reference genome, and provides methods to maximize genotyping accuracy and select sets of unlinked loci that have high statistical power. We test this pipeline on small populations of Mexican gray wolf and bighorn sheep, for which parentage analyses are expected to be challenging due to low genetic diversity and the presence of many closely related individuals. We compare the results of parentage analysis across SNP panels generated with or without the use of a reference genome, and between SNPs and microsatellites. For Mexican gray wolf, we conducted parentage analyses for 30 pups from a single cohort where samples were available from 64% of possible mothers and 53% of possible fathers, and the accuracy of parentage assignments could be estimated because true identities of parents were known a priori based on field data. For bighorn sheep, we conducted maternity analyses for 39 lambs from five cohorts where 77% of possible mothers were sampled, but true identities of parents were unknown. Analyses with and without a reference genome produced SNP panels with ≥95% parentage assignment accuracy for Mexican gray wolf, outperforming microsatellites at 78% accuracy. Maternity assignments were completely consistent across all SNP panels for the bighorn sheep, and were 74.4% consistent with assignments from microsatellites. Accuracy and consistency of parentage analysis were not reduced when using as few as 284 SNPs for Mexican gray wolf and 142 SNPs for bighorn sheep, indicating our pipeline can be used to develop SNP genotyping assays for parentage analysis with relatively small numbers of loci.
Predictors of Oral Antibiotic Treatment Failure for Nonpurulent Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in the Emergency Department
Authors: Yadav Krishan , Suh Kathryn N. , Eagles Debra , MacIsaac John , Ritchie Darmyn , Bernick Jordan , Thiruganasambandamoorthy Venkatesh , Wells George , Stiell Ian G. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundCurrent guideline recommendations for optimal management of nonpurulent skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are based on expert consensus. There is a lack of evidence to guide emergency physicians regarding selection of patients for oral versus intravenous antibiotic therapy. The primary objective was to identify predictors associated with oral antibiotic treatment failure.MethodsWe performed a health records review of adults (age ≥ 18 years) with nonpurulent SSTIs treated at two tertiary care emergency departments (EDs). Oral antibiotic treatment failure was defined as any of the following after a minimum of 48 hours of oral therapy due to worsening infection: 1) hospitalization, 2) change in class of oral antibiotic, or 3) switch to intravenous therapy. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors independently associated with oral antibiotic treatment failure.ResultsWe identified 500 patients (mean ± SD age = 64 ± 19 years, 279 male [55.8%], and 126 [25.2%] with diabetes). Of 288 patients who had received a minimum of 48 hours of oral antibiotics, there were 85 oral antibiotic treatment failures (29.5%). Tachypnea at triage (odds ratio [OR] = 6.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.80 to 22.08), chronic ulcers (OR = 4.90, 95% CI = 1.68–14.27), history of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization or infection (OR = 4.83, 95% CI = 1.51 to 15.44), and cellulitis in the past 12 months (OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.01 to 4.96) were independently associated with oral antibiotic treatment failureConclusionThis is the first study to evaluate predictors of oral antibiotic treatment failure for nonpurulent SSTIs treated in the ED. Tachypnea at triage, chronic ulcers, history of MRSA colonization or infection, and cellulitis within the past year were independently associated with oral antibiotic treatment failure. Emergency physicians should consider these risk factors when deciding on oral versus intravenous antimicrobial therapy for outpatient management of nonpurulent SSTIs.
Non‐controlling Large Shareholders and Firm Performance in China
Authors: Yan Caiyu , He Hongqu 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis paper examines the determination of non‐controlling large shareholders (NCLSs) on firm performance and investigates the impacts of NCLSs on tunneling and investment efficiency. We use three attributes of NCLSs (ownership, identity, and relational board/management representation) to fully capture the governance effects of NCLSs. We find robust evidence that NCLSs are associated with higher firm performance. Furthermore, we also document that NCLSs promote investment efficiency. However, except for individual investors, the other items in NCLSs deteriorate tunneling. Additionally, except for mutual funds, we find that the other governance effects of NCLSs are stable under different circumstances.
Encouraging Political Voices of Underrepresented Citizens through Coproduction: Evidence from a Randomized Field Trial
Authors: Hjortskov Morten , Andersen Simon Calmar , Jakobsen Morten 
Published: June 2018

AbstractNot all citizens’ voices are heard with equal strength in the political chorus. Based on studies of policy feedback, we suggest that engaging underrepresented citizens in the production of public services (i.e., making them “coproducers”) increases their political voice. We use a field experiment to test the effect of involving ethnic minorities in the education of their children on their propensity to directly voice their preferences with the education policy through government citizen surveys and their tendency to vote in elections. Among these normally underrepresented citizens, coproduction increased their propensity to voice their preferences to politicians through citizen surveys but not their tendency to vote. The effect on voicing in government citizen surveys tends to be larger among nonvoters. The results indicate how policies involving underrepresented citizens can raise the voices of people who would not otherwise be heard.
Probiotics for the airways: Potential to improve epithelial and immune homeostasis
Authors: Martens K. , Pugin B. , De Boeck I. , Spacova I. , Steelant B. , Seys S. F. , Lebeer S. , Hellings P. W. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractProbiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefit on the host. The therapeutic effects of probiotics have been mostly studied in the gastrointestinal tract, but recent evidence points toward the potential of these bacteria to prevent and/or treat chronic airway diseases. In this review, possible mechanisms of action of probiotics in the airways are described, with a particular focus on their capacity to modulate the epithelial barrier function and their mode of interaction with the immune system. Indeed, probiotic bacteria, mostly lactobacilli, can promote the expression and regulation of tight junctions and adherence junctions, resulting in the restoration of a defective epithelial barrier. These bacteria interact with the epithelial barrier and immune cells through pattern recognition receptors, such as Toll‐like receptors, which upon activation can stimulate or suppress various immune responses. Finally, the clinical potential of probiotics to treat inflammatory diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, and the difference between their mode of application (eg, oral or nasal) are discussed here.
The volume of unilaterally undescended testis afterhCGtherapy compared to orchidopexy and combined methods
Authors: Niedzielski J. , Kucharski P. , Slowikowska‐Hilczer J. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryThe aim of the study was to compare the effects of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) therapy with those of surgical or combined therapy on testicular volume (TV) in boys at different ages with unilateral canalicular undescended testis (UDT). In total, 155 boys aged 1 to 12 years were treated: either surgically (ST), or by 50IU/kg body weighthCGadministration every three days for five weeks (HT), or by a combination of the two. The patients underwent ultrasound examination ofTVbefore the treatment, 9–12 (median 10) and 24–39 months (median 32) after therapy. The testicular atrophy index (TAI) of the affected testicle was calculated. The success rate was 94.7% forST, 39.2% forHTand 98% forHSTpatients. The atrophy rate was 5.3% forST, 0% forHTand 2% forHST. Neither treatment type nor patient age significantly influenced gonadal atrophy. No significant differences inTVof the affected testis were observed after treatment between the groups. TheTAIvalues were significantly the lowest inHTgroup (p = 0.0006). BothTVandTAIchanges from the baseline values did not differ between the treatment groups. At the 24‐ to 39‐month follow‐up, no significant differences were observed in the change in baselineTVand baselineTAIbetween age groups.TVof the affected testis increased significantly (p = 0.0000), andTAIdecreased significantly over time (p = 0.01), with no significant differences depending on the age group, treatment type or the interaction of the two factors. ThehCGtherapy did not impair the development of affected and healthy testes, neither as single nor as neoadjuvant therapy, both during early assessment and after 2–3 years. Patients’ age at the initiation of treatment seems irrelevant.
A literature review of systemic to pulmonary collaterals in preterm infants to emphasise their existence and clinical importance
Authors: Goel Dimple , Gupta Pankaj , Cooper Stephen , Klimek Jan 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimCardiorespiratory physiology plays an important role in neonatal care with increasing utility of point‐of‐care ultrasound. This review is to bring to light the importance of systemic to pulmonary collaterals (SPCs) in the preterm population without congenital heart disease (CHD) and provide a useful diagnostic tool to the neonatologist performing a cardiac ultrasound.MethodsMedline, PubMed, EMBASE and the Internet were searched up to November 2017 for articles in English which included SPCs in preterm infants without CHD. This comprised title, abstract and full‐text screening of relevant data.ResultsA total of 10 studies which included case reports, retrospective observational studies and one small prospective cohort study were identified and analysed in detail. The studies had varying focus such as variable incidence, clinical presentation, association with chronic lung disease, pathophysiology and clinical importance of SPCs. SPCs were overall thought to be prevalent, underdiagnosed and of clinical significance in preterm infants.ConclusionSystemic to pulmonary collaterals are a potential left‐to‐right shunt in preterm infants and may contribute to worsening chronic lung disease (CLD) or heart failure. They should be carefully looked for when performing bedside cardiac ultrasound as the findings can mimic those seen in patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
Incidence of psoriasiform diseases secondary to tumour necrosis factor antagonists in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a nationwide population‐based cohort study
Authors: Bae J. M. , Lee H. H. , Lee B.‐I. , Lee K.‐M. , Eun S. H. , Cho M.‐L. , Kim J. S. , Park J. M. , Cho Y.‐S. , Lee I. S. , Kim S. W. , Choi H. , Choi M.‐G. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryBackgroundThere are increasing reports of paradoxical psoriasiform diseases secondary to anti‐tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agents.AimsTo determine the risks of paradoxical psoriasiform diseases secondary to anti‐TNF agents in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).MethodsA nationwide population study was performed using the Korea National Health Insurance Claim Data. A total of 50 502 patients with IBD were identified between 2007 and 2016. We compared 5428 patients who were treated with any anti‐TNF agent for more than 6 months (anti‐TNF group) and 10 856 matched controls who had never taken anti‐TNF agents (control group).ResultsIncidence of psoriasis was significantly higher in the anti‐TNF group (36.8 per 10 000 person‐years) compared to the control group (14.5 per 10 000 person‐years) (hazard ratio [HR] 2.357, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.668‐3.331). Palmoplantar pustulosis (HR 9.355, 95% CI 2.754‐31.780) and psoriatic arthritis (HR 2.926, 95% CI 1.640‐5.218) also showed higher risks in the anti‐TNF group. In subgroup analyses, HRs for psoriasis by IBD subtype were 2.549 (95% CI 1.658‐3.920) in Crohn's disease and 2.105 (95% CI 1.155‐3.836) in ulcerative colitis. Interestingly, men and younger (10‐39 years) patients have significantly higher risks of palmoplantar pustulosis (HR 19.682 [95% CI 3.867‐100.169] and HR 14.318 [95% CI 2.915‐70.315], respectively), whereas women and older (≥40 years) patients showed similar rates between the two groups.ConclusionsThe risks of psoriasiform diseases are increased by anti‐TNF agents in patients with IBD. Among psoriasiform diseases, the risk of palmoplantar pustulosis shows the biggest increase particularly in male and younger patients.
Time-Dynamic Profiling with Application to Hospital Readmission Among Patients on Dialysis
Authors: Estes Jason P. , Nguyen Danh V. , Chen Yanjun , Dalrymple Lorien S. , Rhee Connie M. , Kalantar-Zadeh Kamyar , Şentürk Damla 
Published: June 2018

SummaryStandard profiling analysis aims to evaluate medical providers, such as hospitals, nursing homes, or dialysis facilities, with respect to a patient outcome. The outcome, for instance, may be mortality, medical complications, or 30-day (unplanned) hospital readmission. Profiling analysis involves regression modeling of a patient outcome, adjusting for patient health status at baseline, and comparing each provider's outcome rate (e.g., 30-day readmission rate) to a normative standard (e.g., national “average”). Profiling methods exist mostly for non time-varying patient outcomes. However, for patients on dialysis, a unique population which requires continuous medical care, methodologies to monitor patient outcomes continuously over time are particularly relevant. Thus, we introduce a novel time-dynamic profiling (TDP) approach to assess the time-varying 30-day readmission rate. TDP is used to estimate, for the first time, the risk-standardized time-dynamic 30-day hospital readmission rate, throughout the time period that patients are on dialysis. We develop the framework for TDP by introducing the standardized dynamic readmission ratio as a function of time and a multilevel varying coefficient model with facility-specific time-varying effects. We propose estimation and inference procedures tailored to the problem of TDP and to overcome the challenge of high-dimensional parameters when examining thousands of dialysis facilities.
An experiential, adaptive, inexpensive, and opportunistic approach to research capacity building in the tropics
Authors: Putz Francis E. , Ruslandi  , Roopsind Anand 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBased on intensive field courses on tropical forest management and conservation in Belize, Guyana, Indonesia, and Mexico, we recommend a pedagogical approach designed to help fill scientific mentor gaps where they impede publication by relatively inexperienced scientists. Participants in these 8–12 day field sessions were provided what instructors judged to be novel research topics but then were tasked with refining hypotheses, developing and implementing field studies, analyzing data, rehearsing formal oral presentations, and preparing complete manuscript drafts. Over the subsequent months, the manuscripts were revised for submission to peer‐reviewed journals; to date, six were published, one is in review, and two others are close to submission. These were the first publications of most of the participants, some of whom are evaluated by their home institutions partially on the basis of their publication records. These low cost workshops were fun and benefited participants and instructors alike.
Contemporary evidence on the effectiveness of water fluoridation in the prevention of childhood caries
Authors: Spencer A. John , Do Loc G. , Ha Diep H. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundWater fluoridation's effectiveness has been reaffirmed by systematic reviews. However, most of the included nonrandomised controlled before and after studies were conducted pre‐1975. Opportunity for such studies is limited in a steady state of community fluoridation programmes. As an alternative for evidence to support or refute the effectiveness of water fluoridation, this study used data from a recent national child oral health study to examine associations between lifetime exposure to fluoridated water (%LEFW) and childhood caries.MethodsA population‐based study of child oral health in Australia was conducted in 2012‐2014, using complex sampling and weighting procedures. Parents provided detailed household information and children underwent oral epidemiological examination by trained examiners. Residential history from birth was used to calculate %LEFW. Caries prevalence (dmfs/DMFS>0) and experience (dmfs/DMFS) in both primary (age 5‐8) and permanent dentitions (age 9‐14) were estimated. Socioeconomic factors that were significantly different by %LEFW were then used as covariates in multivariable log‐Poisson regression models for each caries outcome by %LEFW.ResultsA total of 24 664 children had complete data. Caries prevalence and experience were higher among 5‐8‐year‐old children with lower %LEFW (46.9%; 4.27 surfaces) than those with 100%LEFW (31.5%; 1.98 surfaces) and for the 9‐14‐year‐old children with lower %LEFW (37.0%; 1.34 surfaces) than those with 100%LEFW (25.0%; 0.67 surfaces). In the multivariable models, the prevalence ratios for primary and permanent caries were significant for the two lower exposure groups against the 100%LEFW group. Similarly, the mean ratios for primary dmfs were significant for all three lower exposure groups and for permanent DMFS were significant for the two lower exposure groups against the 100%LEFW group. Mean ratios for the 0%LEFW compared to the 100%LEFW group were 2.10 (1.83‐2.40) for dmfs and 1.82 (1.57‐2.10) for DMFS.ConclusionAnalysis of contemporary data representative of the Australian child population found consistent associations between %LEFW and childhood caries, which persisted when socioeconomic differences were adjusted across exposure groups, supporting the continued effectiveness of water fluoridation.