bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A public health approach for preventing neural tube defects: folic acid fortification and beyond
Authors: Garrett Greg S. , Bailey Lynn B. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIn this paper we review the evidence basis for prevention of folic acid–sensitive neural tube defects (NTDs) through public health interventions in women of reproductive age (WRA), the proven vehicles for delivery of folic acid, and what is needed to effectively scale these, and provide a snapshot of potential innovations that require future research. Our primary focus is on the global situation affecting large‐scale food fortification (LSFF) with folic acid, in particular the fortification of wheat flour and maize meal. Our overarching conclusion is that folic acid fortification is an evidence‐based intervention that reduces the prevalence of NTDs, and that LSFF with folic acid is underutilized. Thus, food fortification with folic acid should be a component of most national public health strategies, in particular where folate status is insufficient and a fortifiable food vehicle, processed by a centralized industry, is consumed regularly by WRA. The evidence shows that there is still much work needed (1) to build the enabling environment and expand programs where there is currently no legislation, (2) to improve the low quality of delivery of existing programs, and (3) to measure and sustain programs by generating new coverage data and demonstrating evidence of impact in low‐ and middle‐income countries.
Loser! On the combined impact of emotional and person‐descriptive word meanings in communicative situations
Authors: Rohr Lana , Abdel Rahman Rasha 
Published: February 2018

AbstractHumans have a unique capacity to induce intense emotional states in others by simple acts of verbal communication, and simple messages such asbadcan elicit strong emotions in the addressee. However, up to now, research has mainly focused on general emotional meaning aspects and paradigms of low personal relevance (e.g., word reading), thereby possibly underestimating the impact of verbal emotion. In the present study, we recorded ERPs while presenting emotional words differing in word‐inherent person descriptiveness (in that they may or may not refer to or describe a person; e.g., winner vs. sunflower). We predicted stronger emotional responses to person‐descriptive words. Additionally, we enhanced the relevance of the words by embedding them in social‐communicative contexts. We observed strong parallels in the characteristics of emotion and descriptiveness effects, suggesting a common underlying motivational basis. Furthermore, word‐inherent person descriptiveness affected emotion processing at late elaborate stages reflected in the late positive potential, with emotion effects found only for descriptive words. The present findings underline the importance of factors determining the personal relevance of emotional words.
Using Artificial Censoring to Improve Extreme Tail Quantile Estimates
Authors: Liu Yang , Salibián-Barrera Matías , Zamar Ruben H. , Zidek James V. 
Published: February 2018

SummaryUnder certain regularity conditions, maximum-likelihood-based inference enjoys several optimality properties, including high asymptotic efficiency. However, if the distribution of the data deviates slightly from the model proposed, the statistical properties of inference methods based on maximum likelihood can quickly deteriorate. We focus on the situation when the interest lies in one of the tails of the distribution, e.g. when we are estimating a high or low quantile. In this case, it may be natural, if slightly unorthodox, to consider models that fit well the corresponding tail of the sample, rather than its whole range. For example, if we are interested in estimating the fifth percentile, we can pretend that all observations above the 10th percentile have been censored and fit a parametric censored model to the lower tail of the sample. Such an approach, which we call ‘artificial censoring’, has been studied in the engineering literature. We study a data-dependent method to select the amount of artificial censoring and show that it compares favourably with the optimally chosen (‘oracle’) method, which is generally unavailable in practice. We also show that the artificial censoring approach can be applied to estimate tail dependence parameters in copula models, and that it performs well both in simulation and in real data studies.
Antibodies to human neutrophil antigen HNA‐3b implicated in cases of neonatal alloimmune neutropenia
Authors: Lopes Larissa Barbosa , Abbas Samira Ali , Moritz Elyse , Martins Juliana Oliveira , Chiba Akemi Kuroda , Langhi Dante Mário , Bordin José O. 
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUNDNeonatal alloimmune neutropenia results from maternal alloimmunization to human neutrophil antigens. The alloantibodies involved in neonatal alloimmune neutropenia are against human neutrophil antigens HNA‐1a, HNA‐1b, HNA‐1c, HNA‐1d, HNA‐2, HNA‐3a, HNA‐4a, HNA‐4b, and HNA‐5a; however, to date, antibodies specific to HNA‐3b have not been reported.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSBlood samples from 10,000 unselected neonates were analyzed, resulting in the selection of 88 neutropenic newborns (neutrophil count <1.5 × 109/L) from 83 mothers (three pairs of twins and one triplet). HNA‐3 genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism to identify the cases of maternal‐fetal HNA‐3 incompatibility. Serologic studies for detecting maternal HNA‐3 alloantibodies were performed with the granulocyte agglutination test, the white blood cell immunofluorescence test, and a LABScreen Multi‐HNA Kit.RESULTSGenotyping studies identified 13 of 88 (14.8%) instances of maternal‐fetal HNA‐3 incompatibility, with all mothers typed as HNA‐3a/a and neonates typed as HNA‐3a/b. Serologic studies revealed that five of 13 (38.5%) mothers carried anti‐HNA‐3b plus human leukocyte antigen antibodies and that three of 13 (23.1%) mothers had anti‐HNA‐3b without human leukocyte antigen antibodies.CONCLUSIONHere, we report the first three cases of neonatal alloimmune neutropenia associated with HNA‐3b antibodies resulting in a neonatal alloimmune neutropenia incidence of one in 3333 live births.
Molecular Tools To Study Preharvest Food Safety Challenges
Authors: Kumar Deepak , Thakur Siddhartha 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACTPreharvest food safety research and activities have advanced over time with the recognition of the importance and complicated nature of the preharvest phase of food production. In developed nations, implementation of preharvest food safety procedures along with strict monitoring and containment at various postharvest stages such as slaughter, processing, storage, and distribution have remarkably reduced the burden of foodborne pathogens in humans. Early detection and adequate surveillance of pathogens at the preharvest stage is of the utmost importance to ensure a safe meat supply. There is an urgent need to develop rapid, cost-effective, and point-of-care diagnostics which could be used at the preharvest stage and would complement postmortem and other quality checks performed at the postharvest stage. With newer methods and technologies, more efforts need to be directed toward developing rapid, sensitive, and specific methods for detection or screening of foodborne pathogens at the preharvest stage. In this review, we will discuss the molecular methods available for detection and molecular typing of bacterial foodborne pathogens at the farm. Such methods include conventional techniques such as endpoint PCR, real-time PCR, DNA microarray, and more advanced techniques such as matrix-assisted layer desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry and whole-genome sequencing.
Community health workers improve disease control and medication adherence among patients with diabetes and/or hypertension in Chiapas, Mexico: an observational stepped-wedge study
Authors: Newman Patrick M , Franke Molly F , Arrieta Jafet , Carrasco Hector , Elliott Patrick , Flores Hugo , Friedman Alexandra , Graham Sophia , Martinez Luis , Palazuelos Lindsay , Savage Kevin , Tymeson Hayley , Palazuelos Daniel 
Published: February 2018

BackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) contribute greatly to morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Community health workers (CHWs) may improve disease control and medication adherence among patients with NCDs in LMICs, but data are lacking. We assessed the impact of a CHW-led intervention on disease control and adherence among patients with diabetes and/or hypertension in Chiapas, Mexico.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational study among adult patients with diabetes and/or hypertension, in the context of a stepped-wedge roll-out of a CHW-led intervention. We measured self-reported adherence to medications, blood pressure and haemoglobin A1c at baseline and every 3 months, timed just prior to expansion of the intervention to a new community. We conducted individual-level mixed effects analyses of study data, adjusting for time and clustering by patient and community.FindingsWe analysed 108 patients. The CHW-led intervention was associated with a twofold increase in the odds of disease control (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.62). It was also associated with optimal adherence assessed by 30-day recall (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.15 to 3.02) and a positive self-assessment of adherence behaviour (OR 2.29; 95% CI 1.26 to 4.15), but not by 5-day recall.InterpretationA CHW-led adherence intervention was associated with disease control and adherence among adults with diabetes and/or hypertension. This study supports a role of CHWs in supplementing comprehensive primary care for patients with NCDs in LMICs.Trial registration numberNCT02549495.
Public preferences for interventions to prevent emerging infectious disease threats: a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Cook Alex R , Zhao Xiahong , Chen Mark I C , Finkelstein Eric A 
Published: February 2018

ObjectiveWhen faced with an emergent epidemic with high mortality and morbidity potential, policy makers must decide what public health interventions to deploy at different stages of the outbreak. However, almost nothing is known about how the public view these interventions or how they trade off risks (of disease) with inconvenience (of interventions). In this paper, we aim to understand public perceptions on pandemic interventions, as well as to identify if there are any distinct respondent preference classes.DesignA discrete choice experiment.SettingThis study was fielded in Singapore between November 2012 and February 2013.ParticipantsA random sample of 500 Singapore residents aged 21 and over, including 271 women and 229 men, was analysed.Outcome measuresDemographic information was collected from each participant. Participants were also shown a series of pairs of alternatives, each combining interventions and morbidity, mortality and cost outcomes and declared a preference for one combination. A random utility model was developed to determine the individual’s preference for interventions and a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to identify distinct respondent preference classes.ResultsOn average, participants preferred more intense interventions, and preferred scenarios with fewer deaths and lower tax. The number of infections did not significantly influence respondents’ responses. We identified two broad classes of respondents: those who were mortality averse and those who were expenditure averse. Education was found to be a predictor of group membership.ConclusionOverall, there was considerable support for government interventions to prevent or mitigate outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, including those that greatly restricted individual liberties, as long as the restrictions showed a reasonable chance of reducing the adverse health effects of the outbreak.
Primary care management of headaches and how direct-access MRI fits: a qualitative study of UK general practitioners’ views
Authors: Underwood Raphael , Kilner Rachael , Ridsdale Leone 
Published: February 2018

ObjectivesTo develop a better understanding of general practitioners’ (GPs) views and experiences of the management of patients with headaches and use of direct-access MRI scans, and observe outcomes of an educational session offered by a GP with a special interest (GPwSI) to GPs.DesignA qualitative study using semistructured interviews, analysed using thematic analysis. A GPwSI in headaches visited practices delivering a talk on headache medication, diagnosis and management.SettingSixteen (16) primary care family practices in South London, UK.ParticipantsTwenty (20) GPs.ResultsNot all GPs were aware of the availability of direct-access MRI, but all acknowledged having used referral or direct scans to manage patients’ concern about their headaches. A normal scan result helped resolve uncertainty for patient and GP and helped management towards discussion of preventative treatment. However, patients with psychological and/or severe headache symptoms could not necessarily be reassured. GPs reported difficulty interpreting radiology reports, particularly incidental abnormalities. Those who received the educational talk gained knowledge in diagnosis and medication, improving their confidence in management.ConclusionsIncreased access to imaging, training in headache management, addressing physical and psychological symptoms and standardised reporting of scans may improve GPs’ use of direct-access MRI in the future.
Effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids in real life on clinical outcomes, sputum cells and systemic inflammation in asthmatics: a retrospective cohort study in a secondary care centre
Authors: Demarche Sophie F , Schleich Florence N , Henket Monique A , Paulus Virginie A , Van Hees Thierry J , Louis Renaud E 
Published: February 2018

ObjectivesThe impact of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on eosinophilic inflammation in asthma is well established, but their effect in a real-life setting has not been extensively studied. Our purpose was to investigate the effect of ICS on airway and systemic inflammation as well as on clinical outcomes in patients with asthma from clinical practice.Design, setting and participantsWe conducted a retrospective analysis on asthmatics from a secondary care centre in whom ICS were initiated/increased (n=101), stopped/decreased (n=60) or remained stable (n=63, used as a control group) between two visits with available sputum and blood cell counts.ResultsThe median time between both visits ranged from 1 to 2 years. Initiating or increasing ICS (median variation (IQR): 800 (400–1200) µg beclomethasone equivalent dose per day) reduced sputum eosinophils and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (P<0.0001) and to a lesser extent blood eosinophils (P<0.0001), while withdrawing or decreasing ICS (median variation (IQR): 900 (500–1200) µg beclomethasone equivalentdose per day) resulted in increased sputum eosinophils (P=0.008). No change was found in patients with a stable dose. The effectiveness of ICS in improving asthma control, quality of life, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), bronchial hyper-responsiveness and exacerbation rate was only observed in the eosinophilic phenotype (sputum eosinophils ≥3%, n=79). In non-eosinophilic asthmatics, stepping-down ICS resulted in an improvement in asthma control and quality of life, without any significant change in FEV1(n=38).ConclusionsOur results confirm the effectiveness of ICS on eosinophilic inflammation in real life and demonstrate that their clinical benefit seems to be restricted to eosinophilic asthmatics. Our data also support a try for stepping-down ICS in non-eosinophilic asthmatics.
Paediatric hospital admission processes and outcomes: a qualitative study of parents’ experiences and priorities
Authors: Leyenaar JoAnna K , Rizzo Paul A , O’Brien Emily R , Lindenauer Peter K 
Published: February 2018

BackgroundHospital admission, like hospital discharge, represents a transition of care associated with changes in setting, healthcare providers and clinical management. While considerable efforts have focused on improving the quality and safety of hospital-to-home transitions, there has been little focus on transitions into hospital.ObjectivesAmong children hospitalised with ambulatory care sensitive conditions, we aimed to characterise families’ experiences as they transitioned from outpatient to inpatient care, identify hospital admission processes and outcomes most important to families and determine how parental perspectives differed between children admitted directly and through emergency departments (ED).MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with parents of hospitalised children at four structurally diverse hospitals. We inquired about preadmission healthcare encounters, how hospital admission decisions were made and parents’ preferences regarding hospital admission processes and outcomes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a general inductive approach.ResultsWe conducted 48 interviews. Participants were predominantly mothers (74%); 45% had children with chronic illnesses and 52% were admitted directly. Children had a median of two (IQR 1–3) healthcare encounters in the week preceding hospital admission, with 44% seeking care in multiple settings. Patterns of healthcare utilisation were influenced by (1) disease acuity and healthcare access; (2) past experiences; and (3) varied perspectives about primary care and ED roles as hospital gatekeepers. Participants’ hospital admission priorities included: (1) effective clinical care; (2) efficient admission processes; (3) safety and security; (4) timeliness; and (5) patient and family-centred processes of care.ConclusionsFamilies received preadmission care in several settings and described varying degrees of care coordination during their admission processes. This research can guide improvements in hospitals’ admission systems, necessary to achieve health system integration and continuity of care.
Blue sky ideas in artificial intelligence education from the EAAI 2017 new and future AI educator program
Authors: Eaton Eric , Koenig Sven , Schulz Claudia , Maurelli Francesco , Lee John , Eckroth Joshua , Crowley Mark , Freedman Richard G. , Cardona-Rivera Rogelio E. , Machado Tiago , Williams Tom 
Published: February 2018

The 7th Symposium on Educational Advances in Artificial Intelligence (EAAI'17, co-chaired by Sven Koenig and Eric Eaton) launched the EAAI New and Future AI Educator Program to support the training of early-career university faculty, secondary school faculty, and future educators (PhD candidates or postdocs who intend a career in academia). As part of the program, awardees were asked to address one of the following "blue sky" questions:
1. How could/should Artificial Intelligence (AI) courses incorporate ethics into the curriculum?
2. How could we teach AI topics at an early undergraduate or a secondary school level?
3. AI has the potential for broad impact to numerous disciplines. How could we make AI education more interdisciplinary, specifically to benefit non-engineering fields?
This paper is a collection of their responses, intended to help motivate discussion around these issues in AI education.
Effects of teriparatide on morphology of aortic calcification in aged hyperlipidemic mice
Authors: Hsu Jeffrey J. , Lu Jinxiu , Umar Soban , Lee Jason T. , Kulkarni Rajan P. , Ding Yichen , Chang Chih-Chiang , Hsiai Tzung K. , Hokugo Akishige , Gkouveris Ioannis , Tetradis Sotirios , Nishimura Ichiro , Demer Linda L. , Tintut Yin 
Published: February 2018

Calcific aortic vasculopathy correlates with bone loss in osteoporosis in an age-independent manner. Prior work suggests that teriparatide, the bone anabolic treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis, may inhibit the onset of aortic calcification. Whether teriparatide affects the progression of preexisting aortic calcification, widespread among this patient population, is unknown. Female apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were aged for over 1 yr to induce aortic calcification, treated for 4.5 wk with daily injections of control vehicle (PBS), 40 µg/kg teriparatide (PTH40), or 400 µg/kg teriparatide (PTH400), and assayed for aortic calcification by microcomputed tomography (microCT) before and after treatment. In a followup cohort, aged female apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were treated with PBS or PTH400 and assayed for aortic calcification by serial microCT and micropositron emission tomography. In both cohorts, aortic calcification detected by microCT progressed similarly in all groups. Mean aortic 18F-NaF incorporation, detected by serial micropositron emission tomography, increased in the PBS-treated group (+14 ± 5%). In contrast, 18F-NaF incorporation decreased in the PTH400-treated group (−33 ± 20%, P = 0.03). Quantitative histochemical analysis by Alizarin red staining revealed a lower mineral surface area index in the PTH400-treated group compared with the PBS-treated group ( P = 0.04). Furthermore, Masson trichrome staining showed a significant increase in collagen deposition in the left ventricular myocardium of mice that received PTH400 [2.1 ± 0.6% vs. control mice (0.5 ± 0.1%), P = 0.02]. In summary, although teriparatide may not affect the calcium mineral content of aortic calcification, it reduces 18F-NaF uptake in calcified lesions, suggesting the possibility that it may reduce mineral surface area with potential impact on plaque stability. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Parathyroid hormone regulates bone mineralization and may also affect vascular calcification, which is an important issue, given that its active fragment, teriparatide, is widely used for the treatment of osteoporosis. To determine whether teriparatide alters vascular calcification, we imaged aortic calcification in mice treated with teriparatide and control mice. Although teriparatide did not affect the calcium content of cardiovascular deposits, it reduced their fluoride tracer uptake.