bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver agreement of demarcation line depth measurements following corneal cross linking
Authors: Tzamalis Argyrios , Vinciguerra Riccardo , Romano Vito , Arbabi Esmaeil , Batterbury Mark , Kaye Stephen B 
Published: March 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraobserver reproducibility of demarcation line depth measurement in keratoconic patients after epithelium-off corneal collagen cross linking and assess the interobserver variability/agreement among examiners of various experience levels. Methods: 56 eyes of 56 patients undergoing corneal collagen cross linking for progressive keratoconus were enrolled. After 4 weeks, all patients underwent an anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT; CASIA SS-1000; Tomey, Nagoya, Japan) in the cross-linked eye by four masked examiners (two medical students (S1 and S2) and two corneal fellows (F1 and F2)) in order to identify and measure the demarcation line depth in experienced and non-experienced users. The intraclass correlation coefficient and the coefficient of variation were calculated. Agreement between raters was evaluated using Bland–Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficient and weighted-kappa statistics comparing raters in pairs. Results: The average demarcation line depth of all measurements was 254.34 ± 72.3 μm, varying from 84 to 459 μm. The intraclass correlation coefficient evaluating the reproducibility of measurements for F1 was 0.9379 (95% confidence interval (CI) =0.9035–0.9619), for the second (F2), it was 0.9837 (95% confidence interval = 0.9743–0.9901), while intraclass correlation coefficient between medical students was calculated 0.844. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient among all four observers was 0.8706 (95% confidence interval = 0.8061–0.9185). The coefficient of variation for repeated measurements was 5.981 μm (95% confidence interval = 3.966–7.471) and 3.312 μm (95% confidence interval = 2.468–3.981) for F1 and F2 raters, respectively. The percentage of demarcation line detection was 90.32%. Conclusion: The reproducibility of demarcation line measures although very good (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.9), yielded a difference between the two experienced raters. Furthermore, the novice raters did not reach an excellent level of agreement with the expert ones showing greater variability in their recordings.
Efficacy of acupuncture in treating scars following tissue trauma
Authors: Tuckey Cathy , Kohut Susan , Edgar Dale W 
Published: March 2019

Introduction: Anecdotally, acupuncture is used in the treatment of scar tissue in order to improve scar quality and reduce symptoms of pain and pruritus. Unlike conditions such as lower back pain, knee osteoarthritis and migraines, there are no systematic reviews to confirm treatment efficacy. This systematic literature review aims to assess the current level of evidence for the use of acupuncture for treating abnormal scars such as hypertrophic or other symptomatic scars. Methods: A comprehensive database search was performed followed by reviewing reference lists, grey literature databases and Google Scholar. Study quality was assessed using the Oregon CONSORT STRICTA instrument (OCSI) for clinical trials and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist for case reports. Results: The search strategy discovered five case studies, one retrospective cohort study, one cohort study and three clinical trials that investigated the use of acupuncture for scars. Studies rated as low to moderate quality (26–50%) on the OCSI checklist due to lack of detailed reporting, use of non-validated outcome measures and heterogeneity of participant cohorts. Three case studies rated as moderate quality (5–6/8) and two as low quality (<2/8) on the JBI checklist. Discussion: All studies reported positive outcomes for the use of acupuncture for scar symptoms; however, treatment frequency, duration, number of treatments and points used varied between studies. Conclusion: Acupuncture for the treatment of abnormal scars has a low level of evidence thus requiring further well-designed, controlled trials to be performed. Recommended treatment protocols for future studies have been provided.
Lessons Learned and New Challenges: Re-evaluation of End-User Assessment of a Skills-Based Training Program for Urology Trainees
Authors: Flanders Damian , Pirpiris Athina , Corcoran Niall , Forsyth Robert , Grills Richard 
Published: March 2019

Objectives: To re-assess the perceived benefit and relevance of simulation sessions to Victorian urology trainees and to identify areas for potential improvement. Subjects and methods: All trainees attending skills training sessions between 2011 and 2016 were asked to complete a structured questionnaire at the completion of the session. The questionnaire included 11 topic areas ranging from the year of surgical training to degree of usefulness of the session, including several sections for free-text response to offer more detailed feedback. Sessions were examined both individually and collectively to assess end-user satisfaction with the structure and content of the program. Results: In total, 24 individual skills sessions were held over the 6-year period, with a total of 355 attendees. Of these, 331 attendees completed the majority of the questionnaire, a response rate of over 93%. Overall 88% of the surveyed attendees stated that they had both the support of their supervising consultant and the flexibility of workload to attend the session; 90% of trainees felt that there was adequate reading material provided prior to the skills session, an improvement from 76% in the previous study period; and 97% of those surveyed felt that the existing session structure was appropriate and the same proportion found the sessions both useful and interesting, compared with just 63% in the previous study period. Analysis of individual topics demonstrates some variability in outcome measures, but for nearly every assessed parameter, greater than 90% of participants agreed that the session fulfilled the expected criteria. New topics developed since the 2011 analysis, including renal transplant and vascular repair, also had high levels of satisfaction. The practical models used have been refined and achieved higher scores than those in the previous assessment period. Conclusion: The urology skills-based training program has been well received by the surveyed trainees and is now embedded and accepted as part of the Victorian training program. The format of the sessions has matured and the overall rating, both individually and collectively, was high. There has been a clear increase in satisfaction across most areas assessed when compared with previous feedback. Despite this, there remain areas that can be improved, such as the amount and quality of available equipment and the inclusion of video demonstrations of operative techniques.
Therapy-Related Cardiac Risk in Childhood Cancer Survivors: An Analysis of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
Authors: Bates James E. , Howell Rebecca M. , Liu Qi , Yasui Yutaka , Mulrooney Daniel A. , Dhakal Sughosh , Smith Susan A. , Leisenring Wendy M. , Indelicato Daniel J. , Gibson Todd M. , Armstrong Gregory T. , Oeffinger Kevin C. , Constine Louis S. 
Published: March 2019

PURPOSE The impacts of radiotherapy dose and exposed cardiac volume, select chemotherapeutic agents, and age at exposure on risk for late-onset cardiac disease in survivors of childhood cancer remain unresolved. PATIENTS AND METHODS We determined the rates of severe to fatal cardiac disease in 24,214 5-year survivors in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study diagnosed between 1970 and 1999 at a median age of 7.0 years (range, 0 to 20.9 years), with a median attained age of 27.5 years (range, 5.6 to 58.9 years). Using piecewise exponential models, we evaluated the association between cardiac disease rates and demographic and treatment characteristics. RESULTS The cumulative incidence of cardiac disease 30 years from diagnosis was 4.8% (95% CI, 4.3 to 5.2). Low to moderate radiotherapy doses (5.0 to 19.9 Gy) to large cardiac volumes (≥ 50% of heart) were associated with an increased rate of cardiac disease (relative rate, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.3) compared with survivors without cardiac radiotherapy exposure. Similarly, high doses (≥ 20 Gy) to small cardiac volumes (0.1% to 29.9%) were associated with an elevated rate (relative rate, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4 to 4.2). A dose-response relationship was observed between anthracycline chemotherapy and heart failure with younger children (age ≤ 13 years) at the greatest risk for heart failure after comparable dosing. CONCLUSION These observations support advances in radiation field design and delivery technology to reduce cardiac dose/volume and should guide future treatment protocols. They also inform clinical practice guidelines for post-therapy surveillance and risk-reducing strategies.
Socioeconomic Differences in Referral to Phase I Cancer Clinical Trials: A Danish Matched Cancer Case-Control Study
Authors: Gad Katrine Toubro , Johansen Christoffer , Duun-Henriksen Anne Katrine , Krøyer Anja , Olsen Maja Halgren , Lassen Ulrik , Mau-Sørensen Morten , Oksberg Dalton Susanne 
Published: March 2019

PURPOSE In this nationwide registry study, we investigated socioeconomic and structural patterns in referral to phase I cancer trials in a case-control study design. METHODS Personal identification numbers on all Danish patients referred to the Danish Phase I Unit at Rigshospitalet from 2005 to 2016, and a control group matched on age, sex, type of cancer, year of diagnosis, and time from diagnosis to referral ensured individual-level linkage between several registries. We examined the association between nonclinical factors—indicators of socioeconomic position and distance to the Phase I Unit—and referral using a conditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for several clinical factors. Association between nonclinical factors and enrollment once referred was examined with a Cox proportional hazards regression analysis in an historical cohort study design. RESULTS Complete data were available for 1,026 (84%) of 1,220 referred patients. Significantly decreased odds for referral were identified for patients with long distance to the Phase I Unit compared with short distance (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.41), for less education (less than 9 years) compared with more (more than 12 years; OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.91), and for belonging to the lowest income quintile compared with the highest (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.97). Medium education (9 to 12 years) compared with more, being outside the workforce compared with being within, and living alone compared with living with a partner were also negatively associated with referral. Among patients referred, 252 enrolled in a trial. Nonclinical factors were not associated with enrollment. CONCLUSION On the basis of individual long-term registry data from an unselected cohort, novel anticancer therapies seem to be tested on a socially selected group of patients with cancer.
Temporal Changes in Head and Neck Cancer Incidence in Thailand Suggest Changing Oropharyngeal Epidemiology in the Region
Authors: Argirion Ilona , Zarins Katie R. , Defever Kali , Suwanrungruang Krittika , Chang Joanne T. , Pongnikorn Donsuk , Chitapanarux Imjai , Sriplung Hutcha , Vatanasapt Patravoot , Rozek Laura S. 
Published: March 2019

PURPOSE Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world, and the largest burden occurs in developing countries. Although the primary risk factors have been well characterized, little is known about temporal trends in head and neck cancer across Thailand. METHODS Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) occurrences diagnosed between 1990 and 2014 were selected by International Classification of Diseases (10th revision; ICD10) code from the Songkhla, Lampang, Chiang Mai, and Khon Kaen cancer registries and the US SEER program for oral cavity (ICD10 codes 00, 03-06), tongue (ICD10 codes 01-02), pharynx (ICD10 codes 09-10, 12-14), and larynx (ICD10 code 32). The data were analyzed using R and Joinpoint regression software to determine age-standardized incidence rates and trends of annual percent change (APC). Incidence rates were standardized using the Segi (1960) population. Stratified linear regression models were conducted to assess temporal trends in early-onset HNSCC across 20-year age groups. RESULTS Although overall HNSCC rates are decreasing across all registries, subsite analyses demonstrate consistent decreases in both larynx and oral cavity cancers but suggest increases in tongue cancers among both sexes in the United States (APCmen, 2.36; APCwomen, 0.77) and in pharyngeal cancer in Khon Kaen and US men (APC, 2.1 and 2.23, respectively). Age-stratified APC analyses to assess young-onset (< 60 years old) trends demonstrated increased incidence in tongue cancer in Thailand and the United States as well as in pharyngeal cancers in Khon Kaen men age 40 to 59 years and US men age 50 to 59 years. CONCLUSION Although overall trends in HNSCC are decreasing across both Thailand and the United States, there is reason to believe that the etiologic shift to oropharyngeal cancers in the United States may be occurring in Thailand.
2018 Hematology/Oncology Pharmacist Association Best Practices for the Management of Oral Oncolytic Therapy: Pharmacy Practice Standard
Authors: Mackler Emily , Segal Eve M. , Muluneh Benyam , Jeffers Kate , Carmichael Jenna 
Published: March 2019

PURPOSE:The aim of the current work was to present a pharmacy practice standard from the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) on the management of oral oncolytic therapy.METHODS:The HOPA Standards Committee organized a work group of oncology pharmacist specialists to create a pharmacy practice standard for the management of oral oncolytic therapy that describes the pharmacist’s role on the cancer care team, provides examples of practice tools and resources, summarizes current data related to outcomes, and discusses opportunities to enhance the care of patients with cancer who receive oral oncolytic therapy. We reviewed primary literature, including currently published oral oncolytic guidelines and HOPA’s Scope of Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Practice.RESULTS:Management of oral oncolytic therapy was divided into the following primary areas: prescribing, education, dispensing and distribution, and monitoring and follow-up. Pharmacists’ roles were summarized in each area with a focus on interprofessional collaboration, communication, patient safety, and quality of patient care. Standards describe the best practices in each area ( Table 1 ).CONCLUSION:Multiple opportunities exist for pharmacists to enhance the care of patients with cancer who receive oral oncolytics through collaboration with oncology care team members. The role of the oncology pharmacist in the care of this patient population is critical given the complexities related to cost, tolerability, and safety of oral oncolytic medications; issues of access; and the monitoring and follow-up of patients receiving this therapy.
Long-Term Efficacy of a Single Session of RFA for Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Longitudinal 5-Year Observational Study
Authors: Deandrea Maurilio , Trimboli Pierpaolo , Garino Francesca , Mormile Alberto , Magliona Gabriella , Ramunni Maria Josefina , Giovanella Luca , Limone Piero Paolo 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Context
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of benign thyroid nodules has been gaining consensus. However, no solid information on its long-term efficacy is available.

Objective
To analyze the long-term results of single-session RFA.

Design
Retrospective longitudinal observational study.

Setting
Primary care center.

Patients or Other Participants
Adult outpatients who underwent a single-session RFA and posttreatment follow-up of least 3 years.

Intervention
Ultrasound-guided RFA was performed after local anesthesia by “moving-shot” technique. RFA was performed with a median power of 55W and a median time of 14 minutes with an internally cooled 18-gauge electrode with an active 10-mm tip.

Main Outcome Measures
Objective (trend of nodule volume) and subjective (compressive and cosmetic concerns) response to RFA were evaluated. Continuous variables were analyzed by the Wilcoxon and ANOVA test and their correlations by using the Spearman test. Categorical variables were compared by Pearson χ2 test.

Results
Two hundred and fifteen patients were included. An early significant reduction of nodule volume was found at 1 year, lasting up to 5 years. A 67% nodule shrinkage was observed at the end of the observation period. The best response was recorded in nodules below 10 mL (79% reduction early and 81% at 5 years). Patients’ symptoms were significantly reduced.

Conclusions
This study, by demonstrating a durable shrinkage of benign thyroid nodules treated by RFA with an improvement of subjective symptoms, establishes the reliability of RFA as alternative to surgery in the management of thyroid nodules, thus representing a remarkable novelty for clinical practice.
Transoral Vestibular Thyroidectomy: Current State of Affairs and Considerations for the Future
Authors: Russell Jonathon O , Razavi Christopher R , Shaear Mohammad , Chen Lena W , Lee Andrew H , Ranganath Rohit , Tufano Ralph P 
Published: March 2019

AbstractContextThe transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) is a recently described procedure for surgical management of select thyroid pathology that avoids a cutaneous scar. TOETVA is far from the first described remote-access approach to the thyroid. In fact, numerous such techniques have been described over the past 20 years, although none has gained widespread implementation in North America or Europe. However, with its rapid growth worldwide and excellent outcomes to date, TOETVA may succeed where these prior techniques have failed.Evidence AcquisitionThe English literature was reviewed using the following keywords: transoral thyroidectomy, remote-access thyroidectomy, minimally invasive thyroidectomy, and TOETVA. Because three systematic reviews of this technique were recently conducted, this manuscript does not seek to provide a fourth. Rather, we summarize salient findings from these reviews and focus on candidates for the procedure, technique-specific characteristics that have led to early success with TOETVA, and prospects for the future.Evidence SynthesisTOETVA is the only thyroidectomy approach obviating the need for a cutaneous incision, and it offers several advantages over previously described remote-access thyroidectomy techniques. These include a favorable anatomic surgical perspective, a comparatively short learning curve, no requirement for expensive instrumentation, and a broad inclusion criterion. These characteristics have facilitated the excellent surgical outcomes to date.ConclusionsTOETVA is a suitable surgical option with proven safety and feasibility for a carefully selected patient population. The potential value of the procedure outside enhanced cosmesis continues to be defined.
Palladium-Catalyzed Arylation of Open-Cage Silsesquioxanes toward Thermally Stable and Highly Dispersible Nanofillers
Authors: Wada Satoshi , Imoto Hiroaki , Naka Kensuke 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Incompletely condensed polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (IC-POSS) are promising building blocks for the development of organic-inorganic hybrid materials. Pd-catalyzed arylation of heptaphenyl IC-POSS has been developed to introduce various substituents on to the open moieties without using highly moisture-sensitive chlorosilane derivatives. The substituents drastically affected the thermal behavior of the corresponding IC-POSSs. The obtained IC-POSSs were well dispersed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrices to tune the thermal and optical properties of their composite films.
Predictive validity of a Uniform Entrance Test for the health professionals
Authors: Ali Rahila , Ali Syeda Kausar , Afzal Azam 
Published: March 2019

Objective: To investigate the predictive validity of Uniform Entrance Test for academic performance in the first two years in various health science degree programs.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of admissions data and academic performance of students admitted in under-graduate programs of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy of three cohorts was taken. The independent and dependent variables were entry test scores and semester scores respectively. Spearman’s Correlation co-efficient was computed to determine the association between entrance test scores and semester scores for three groups.
Results: Majority of the students were from the MBBS degree program (61%) with majority of female students (65%) in all three programs. In MBBS the highest correlation coefficient between entry test and semester scores was observed for semester one rs = 0.334 and lowest in semester four rs= 0.208. In BDS degree program both highest and lowest correlations were in semester one. In the Pharm-D degree program, a significant correlation was only seen in cohort 1 but not in the subsequent cohorts.
Conclusion: The uniform entrance test has an incremental predictive validity for the MBBS and BDS programs as compared to Pharm-D. Better performance in the entrance test predicts higher semester scores and more likelihood of achieving higher scores in the first year as compared to the second year.
How to cite this:Ali R, Ali SK, Afzal A. Predictive validity of a Uniform Entrance Test for the health professionals. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(2):330-336. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.334
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
scClustViz – Single-cell RNAseq cluster assessment and visualization
Authors: Innes Brendan T. , Bader Gary D. 
Published: March 2019

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) represents a new kind of microscope that can measure the transcriptome profiles of thousands of individual cells from complex cellular mixtures, such as in a tissue, in a single experiment. This technology is particularly valuable for characterization of tissue heterogeneity because it can be used to identify and classify all cell types in a tissue. This is generally done by clustering the data, based on the assumption that cells of a particular type share similar transcriptomes, distinct from other cell types in the tissue. However, nearly all clustering algorithms have tunable parameters which affect the number of clusters they will identify in data. The R Shiny software tool described here, scClustViz, provides a simple interactive graphical user interface for exploring scRNAseq data and assessing the biological relevance of clustering results. Given that cell types are expected to have distinct gene expression patterns, scClustViz uses differential gene expression between clusters as a metric for assessing the fit of a clustering result to the data at multiple cluster resolution levels. This helps select a clustering parameter for further analysis. scClustViz also provides interactive visualisation of: cluster-specific distributions of technical factors, such as predicted cell cycle stage and other metadata; cluster-wise gene expression statistics to simplify annotation of cell types and identification of cell type specific marker genes; and gene expression distributions over all cells and cell types. scClustViz provides an interactive interface for visualisation, assessment, and biological interpretation of cell-type classifications in scRNAseq experiments that can be easily added to existing analysis pipelines, enabling customization by bioinformaticians while enabling biologists to explore their results without the need for computational expertise. It is available at https://baderlab.github.io/scClustViz/.