bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Survival, morbidity, and quality of life in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients: a systematic review of outcomes reported by population-based observational studies
Authors: Reinders Stefan , Didden Eva-Maria , Ong Rose 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Background
Comprehensive summaries on real-world outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)—a rare, incurable condition, are lacking.

Main body of the abstract
We conducted a systematic literature review to describe current survival, morbidity, and quality of life (QoL) outcomes in adult and pediatric PAH patients. We searched Medline and Embase electronic databases, clinicaltrials.gov, and encepp.eu entries, and grey literature to identify outcome estimates for right-heart catheterization-confirmed PAH patients from population-based observational studies (search date: 25 Nov 2021). Data were synthesized using a narrative approach and post-hoc subgroup meta-analyses were conducted to explore adult survival by region, disease severity, representativeness, and study period. The search yielded 7473 records. Following screening and full text review, 22 unique studies with 31 individual reports of outcomes were included. Studies were mostly national registries (n = 21), European (n = 13) and covering adults (n = 17); only six had systematic countrywide coverage of centers. Survival was the most frequently reported outcome (n = 22). Global adult 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival ranged from 85 to 99% (n = 15), 65 to 95% (n = 14), and 50 to 86% (n = 9), respectively. Subgroup meta-analysis showed that 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival in Europe was 90% (95% CI 86–94%; n = 8), 78% (95% CI 68–86%; n = 8), and 61% (95% CI 49–72%; n = 6), respectively; 1-year survival in North America was 88% (95% CI 83–93%; n = 3) and 3-year survival in Asia was 85% (95% CI 82–88%; n = 3). No difference in survival between regions was observed. Subgroup analysis suggested higher survival in patients with better baseline functional class; however, interpretation should be cautioned due to large subgroup heterogeneity and potential missingness of data.

Short conclusion
This review describes current disease outcomes based on well-defined and representative PAH populations. There is an overall lack of follow-up data for morbidity and QoL outcomes; survival estimates for pediatric patients are scarce and may not be generalizable to the current treatment era, although publications from large pediatric registries became available after our search date. This study demonstrated a remaining unmet need world-wide to improve long-term prognosis in PAH in the current era.
Upper airways changes associated with orthodontic molar distalization by Pendulum appliance in adolescent patients: a multicenter retrospective cephalometric study
Authors: Serafin Marco , Kinzinger Gero , Hourfar Jan , Mantellini Valentina , Fastuca Rosamaria , Caprioglio Alberto 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Objectives
The purpose of this multicenter retrospective study was to perform a two-dimensional analysis of upper airway changes in adolescent patients following molar distalization with the Pendulum appliance.

Materials and methods
The study involved the cephalometric analysis of 88 patients, retrospectively categorized into two groups: skeletal Class II with a dental Class II molar relationship (36 patients, mean age 12.6 ± 1.1 years) and skeletal Class I with a dental Class II molar relationship (54 patients, mean age 12.3 ± 1.2 years). Changes were observed using lateral radiographs before (T0) and after Pendulum appliance removal (T1); treatment time averaged 7 months. Upper airways were subsequently analyzed by tracing lateral radiographs. The Shapiro-Wilk test showed a normal distribution of the data, therefore parametric tests were used for statistical analysis. Intragroup changes between T0 and T1 were evaluated using paired t-tests, and intergroup differences were assessed using independent student t-tests; statistical significance was set at 0.05.

Results
Statistically significant differences were observed in the skeletal measurements that characterized both groups, particularly in ANB and Wits appraisal, at T0 (P < 0.001). After molar distalization, Class I and Class II groups reported no statistically significant differences with changes almost equal to zero between timepoints (P > 0.05). Additionally, intergroup comparisons of airway changes at T1 did not show statistically significant differences (P > 0.05).

Conclusions
The Pendulum appliance does not significantly change the upper airway dimensions in Class I and Class II malocclusion patients, thereby minimizing potential respiratory risks.
Theta-gamma-coupling as predictor of working memory performance in young and elderly healthy people
Authors: Abubaker Mohammed , Al Qasem Wiam , Pilátová Kateřina , Ježdík Petr , Kvašňák Eugen 
Published: October 2024

AbstractThe relationship between working memory (WM) and neuronal oscillations can be studied in detail using brain stimulation techniques, which provide a method for modulating these oscillations and thus influencing WM. The endogenous coupling between the amplitude of gamma oscillations and the phase of theta oscillations is crucial for cognitive control. Theta/gamma peak-coupled transcranial alternating current stimulation (TGCp-tACS) can modulate this coupling and thus influence WM performance. This study investigated the effects of TGCp-tACS on WM in older adults and compared their responses with those of younger participants from our previous work who underwent the same experimental design. Twenty-eight older subjects underwent both TGCp-tACS and sham stimulation sessions at least 72 h apart. Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded before and after the interventions, and a WM task battery with five different WM tasks was performed during the interventions to assess various WM components. Outcomes measured included WM task performance (e.g., accuracy, reaction time (RT)) and changes in power spectral density (PSD) in different frequency bands. TGCp-tACS significantly decreased accuracy and RT on the 10- and 14-point Sternberg tasks and increased RT on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test in older adults. In contrast, younger participants showed a significant increase in accuracy only on the 14-item Sternberg task. Electrophysiological analysis revealed a decrease in delta and theta PSD and an increase in high gamma PSD in both younger and older participants after verum stimulation. In conclusion, theta-gamma coupling is essential for WM and modulation of this coupling affects WM performance. The effects of TGCp-tACS on WM vary with age due to natural brain changes. To better support older adults, the study suggests several strategies to improve cognitive function, including: Adjusting stimulation parameters, applying stimulation to two sites, conducting multiple sessions, and using brain imaging techniques for precise targeting.
Are the self-stigma and perceived stigma of patients treated with methadone or buprenorphine still a problem fifty years after the marketing authorization for opioid agonist treatment? The observational STIGMA study
Authors: Pinhal Mélanie , Schreck Benoit , Leboucher Juliette ,   STIGMA-group, Abesdris Julie , Barrangou-Pouyes-Darlas Malcolm , Eyzop Emeline , Galantai Valentine , Kunze- Lucie Robert , Lambert Sylvain , Prétagut Stéphane , Verholleman Audrey , Victorri-Vigneau Caroline , Laforgue Edouard-Jules , Grall-Bronnec Marie 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Background
In the context of the opioid overdose crisis, understanding the barriers to seeking, attaining and remaining in treatment for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) is a public health issue. To date, very few studies have assessed the “self-stigma” (i.e., the internalization of negative societal attitudes and stereotypes about oneself, leading to self-judgment) and “perceived stigma” (i.e., the belief that others hold negative attitudes towards oneself due to a particular condition) experienced by patients with OUD receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT), and none have done so in France. Our study aimed to quantify self-stigma, explore some aspects of perceived stigma, determine the factors associated with greater self-stigma and examine whether the level of self-stigma was related to a delay in seeking care.

Methods
The STIGMA study was a monocentric, cross-sectional study. The data were collected in a French hospital addiction medicine department. Participants were outpatients with current or past OUD who were still receiving or had received OAT. A questionnaire assessing sociodemographics; OUD characteristics; perceived stigma; and quantification of self-stigma by the Self-Stigma Scale-Short, was administered.

Results
A total of 73 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Nearly two-thirds of the patients had a “moderate to high” level of self-stigma. These patients were significantly younger at OUD onset and were significantly more likely to have at least one dependent child than patients reporting a “very low to low” level of self-stigma. Nearly half of the participants experienced perceived stigma from a healthcare professional regarding their OUD or OAT, and nearly one-third of the participants were refused care from a healthcare professional because of their OUD or OAT. Moreover, a quarter of the sample reported delaying care due to fear of being stigmatized. We did not find a relationship between self-stigma levels and a delay in seeking care.

Conclusions
Our study highlights the need to detect stigma and to improve training in addiction medicine.
New high-resolution prototype versus standard spectralis optical coherence tomography in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy
Authors: Ferro Desideri Lorenzo , Hennebert Luc , Subhi Yousif , Zinkernagel Martin , Anguita Rodrigo 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Purpose
To assess the accuracy of High-Resolution OCT in detecting biomarkers associated with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) compared to standard OCT.

Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study involving CSC patients who underwent High-Resolution and standard OCT during the same visit. Using the SPECTRALIS High-Res OCT device (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), macular B-scans were obtained and compared with those acquired using a SPECTRALIS HRA + OCT device (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). Qualitative assessments were performed, and statistical analyses compared the performance of both OCT modalities.

Results
Thirty-one patients diagnosed with CSC were included with a mean age of 56.3 years (± 10.2). Among them, 29% (n = 9) were classified as acute CSC (aCSC), while 71% (n = 22) had chronic CSC (cCSC). High-Resolution OCT outperformed standard OCT in detecting microstructural changes in the outer retinal layers, including a higher prevalence of disrupted interdigitation zone (IZ) (29% vs. 6%, p = 0.003) and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) disruption (12% vs. 2%, p = 0.0024). Intergrader agreement was high (Cohen’s Kappa = 0.85).

Conclusion
High-Resolution OCT demonstrates promise in identifying critical biomarkers associated with CSC, particularly disruptions in the IZ and RPE. Further validation in larger cohorts is required to confirm their clinical relevance in patients with CSC.
Correlations among quality of life, spinal mobility, and disease activity in early-treated axial spondyloarthritis: a single-center cross-sectional study
Authors: Khampaen Tinh , Kafaksom Thanuchporn , Dechapaphapitak Nichapa , Tongdee Nattakirana , Chevaisrakul Parawee 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Background
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) significantly impacts patients’ lives. The ASAS-OMERACT guideline was formulated for the multidimensional evaluation of axSpA patients, employing a specific set of tools. Given the pivotal role of patient perception, comprehensive correlation among these tools, especially concerning quality of life, may provide a clinically relevant perspective and enhance treatment efficacy in the early stages of the disease. This study aims to investigate the correlation among disease activity, functional ability, and quality of life in early-treated axSpA patients. In addition, the association between high disease activity and clinical characteristics was explored.

Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Thailand. Patients diagnosed with axSpA according to ASAS classification criteria and receiving treatment from rheumatologists within three years of onset of symptoms were included. Clinical and laboratory data were retrieved from a hospital database. Disease activity was assessed using the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with ESR or CRP (ASDAS-ESR/CRP) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). Spinal mobility was measured using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), while quality of life and function were evaluated using the ASAS Health Index (ASAS-HI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), respectively. The correlation between these measurements was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Additionally, factors associated with high disease activity (ASDAS/CRP > 2.1) were explored using multivariate regression analysis.

Results
Sixty-six patients (41 males; mean age 49.3 ± 13.3 years) were enrolled between April to December 2022. Disease activity (ASDAS-CRP) was significantly inversely correlated with spinal mobility (BASMI), function (BASFI), and quality of life (ASAS-HI). High disease activity was associated with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m^2) and a longer duration of symptoms before treatment (≥ 2 years).

Conclusion
In early-treated axSpA patients, ASDAS-CRP showed significant correlations with functional ability, quality of life, and spinal mobility. High disease activity was associated with obesity and a longer pre-treatment symptom duration in our study. Early treatment may enhance patients’ function, mobility, and quality of life, with weight reduction being possibly beneficial for obese axSpA patients.

Clinical trial number
Not applicable.
Outcomes of acetaminophen infusion on visual analogue scale with varying pain intensity during labour, A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Najeeb Wajeha , Komal Naima , Noor Mudassar , Khan Muhammad Alamgir , Abeera Chaudry  
Published: October 2024

Objective: Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) is the most widely used analgesic. We aimed to determine its efficacy in labour with varying pain intensity, to make labour less painful for women.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on primigravida’s in their active phase of first stage of labour at Pharmacology department of Army Medical College, National University of Medical Sciences in collaboration with Gynecology department of Pak Emirates Military hospital, Rawalpindi. It was a registered trial with trial number of IRCT20220308054220N1. Duration of study was from May 2022 to October 2022. Patients were divided into two groups, Group-I received two doses of I/V 100 ml normal saline whereas Group-II received I/V two doses of 1000 mg acetaminophen in 100 ml normal saline. Calculated sample size was 130, 65 in each group. Visual analogue scale was used as a tool for data measurement. Data was analysed using split plot anova test.
Results: Mean VAS in acetaminophen infusion group was found to be less than placebo for 1st dose, but this effect was apparent only one hour after 2nd dose intervention. The difference in means between groups was statistically significant only for 1st dose with p-value of 0.003 (for second dose p-value 0.21). In acetaminophen infusion group, for both doses mean VAS decreased as an immediate effect of drug, but then it increased with time. The difference in VAS between intervals had p-value of <0.001 for 1st dose and 0.005 for 2nd dose.
Conclusion: Acetaminophen is an effective non opioid labour analgesic in active phase of first stage of labour.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.8425
How to cite this: Najeeb W, Komal N, Noor M, Khan MA, Chaudry A. Outcomes of acetaminophen infusion on visual analogue scale with varying pain intensity during labour, A randomized controlled trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(10):2163-2169. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.8425
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.
Working Paper 53: Good governance and the just transition
Authors: Robinson Mark , De Vibe Maja 
Published: October 2024

There is broad agreement that ensuring a just energy transition is key for achieving the trust and support from citizens needed to succeed with the green transition and the COP28 goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.
This paper discusses the concept of a just transition, with a particular focus on the importance of achieving a transition that benefits both local communities and society at large. It examines the governance and corruption challenges that could jeopardise this goal and discusses how industry associations and companies in the renewable energy sector could step up its efforts to address these challenges to realise the ambition of a just transition.
The paper draws on lessons from the experience of tackling governance and corruption risks in the extractive sector and sets out proposals on how to accelerate collective action in the renewable energy sector.
About this report
This is a guest Working Paper of the Basel Institute on Governance, ISSN: 2624-9650. You may share or republish the report under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Basel Institute on Governance, University of Basel or funding organisations.
Suggested citation: de Vibe, Maja, and Mark Robinson. 2024. ‘Good governance and the just transition: Implications for renewable energy companies.’ Working Paper 53, Basel Institute on Governance. Available at: baselgovernance.org/publications/wp-53.
A Structural Topic and Sentiment-Discourse Model for Text Analysis
Authors: Chen Li , Mankad Shawn 
Published: October 2024

We consider the common setting where one observes a large number of opinionated text documents and related covariates, such as the text of online reviews along with the date of the review and the author demographic information. In this setting it can be of interest to understand how the covariates determine the text composition, as well as the prevalence, sentiment, and/or discourse of various discussion themes. Yet, most topic modeling methods in the machine learning literature are designed to summarize the text for the purpose of exploratory analysis and not to perform this type of formal statistical inference. Further, topic modeling methods generally do not try to estimate the sentiment or discourse of discussion along separate topics that can be critical in business applications (e.g., for summarizing service or product quality). We develop a topic model called the structural topic and sentiment-discourse (STS) model that introduces a new document-level latent variable that captures the sentiment and/or discourse (termed as “sentiment-discourse”) for each topic, which modulates the word frequency within a topic. These latent topic sentiment-discourse variables are controlled by document-level covariates to allow for experimental control and regression analysis. We also introduce new computational methods to resolve scalability issues that have forced previous models to restrict to a small number of categorical covariates. We benchmark the STS model on three real-world data sets from surveys, blogs, and Yelp restaurant reviews around the COVID-19 pandemic. Our model recovers meaningful results including rich insights about how COVID-19 affects online reviews, demonstrating that the STS model can be useful for regression analysis with text data in addition to topic modeling’s traditional use of descriptive analysis. This paper was accepted by Anindya Ghose, information systems. Supplemental Material: The online appendices and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.00261 . An updated version of the R package implementing the STS model is available at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=sts .
Fast Convex Optimization via Time Scale and Averaging of the Steepest Descent
Authors: Attouch Hedy , Ioan Boţ Radu , Nguyen Dang-Khoa 
Published: October 2024

In a Hilbert setting, we develop a gradient-based dynamic approach for fast solving convex optimization problems. By applying time scaling, averaging, and perturbation techniques to the continuous steepest descent (SD), we obtain high-resolution ordinary differential equations of the Nesterov and Ravine methods. These dynamics involve asymptotically vanishing viscous damping and Hessian-driven damping (either in explicit or implicit form). Mathematical analysis does not require developing a Lyapunov analysis for inertial systems. We simply exploit classical convergence results for SD and its external perturbation version, then use tools of differential and integral calculus, including Jensen’s inequality. The method is flexible, and by way of illustration, we show how it applies starting from other important dynamics in optimization. We consider the case in which the initial dynamic is the regularized Newton method, then the case in which the starting dynamic is the differential inclusion associated with a convex lower semicontinuous potential, and finally we show that the technique can be naturally extended to the case of a monotone cocoercive operator. Our approach leads to parallel algorithmic results, which we study in the case of fast gradient and proximal algorithms. Our averaging technique shows new links between the Nesterov and Ravine methods. Funding: The research of R.I. Boţ and D.-K. Nguyen was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), projects W 1260 and P 34922-N.
Assessment of Glucose and HbA1c Monitoring in a Pancreatic Cancer Surveillance Program for High-Risk Individuals
Authors: Meziani Jihane , de Jong Jedidja G.Y. , Fuhler Gwenny M. , Koopmann Brechtje D.M. , Levink Iris J.M. , Fockens Paul , Vleggaar Frank P. , Bruno Marco J. , Cahen Djuna L. 
Published: October 2024

INTRODUCTION:
Several studies suggest that new-onset diabetes mellitus is an early manifestation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Therefore, the International Cancer of the Pancreas Screening Consortium recommends glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) monitoring in high-risk individuals (HRIs) undergoing surveillance. However, evidence that such monitoring improves PDAC detection is lacking. Our aim was to investigate the association between serum glucose and HbA1c values and the development of PDAC in HRIs undergoing surveillance.

METHODS:
Participants were recruited from the familial pancreatic cancer surveillance cohort, which follows hereditary predisposed HRIs yearly by magnetic resonance imaging and/or endoscopic ultrasound and blood sampling. Those who underwent fasting glucose and/or HbA1c monitoring at least once were eligible candidates.

RESULTS:
Four hundred four HRIs met the inclusion criteria. During a median follow-up of 41 months (range 14–120), 9 individuals developed PDAC and 4 (without PDAC) were diagnosed with new-onset diabetes mellitus. Glucose levels ranged from 3.4 to 10.7 mmol/L (mean 5.6 ± 0.7) and HbA1c levels from 25 to 68 mmol/mol (mean 37.7 ± 4.1). The mean values did not differ significantly between PDAC cases and controls. The percentage of individuals with at least one elevated value were comparable between PDAC cases and controls for glucose (33% and 27%, P = 0.707) and HbA1c (22% and 14%, P = 0.623). No consistent glucose or HbA1c trends over time suggested a correlation with PDAC development.

DISCUSSION:
In this HRI surveillance cohort, measuring glucose and HbA1c values did not contribute to PDAC detection. Larger and longer-term studies are needed to determine the final role of glucose and HbA1c monitoring in PDAC surveillance.