bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perceived barriers to research and scholarship among physicians
Authors: Lagerman Makayla , Dennis Lauren , Deaner Traci , Sigal Adam , Rabago David , Dong Huamei , Wiedemer Joseph P. , Reedy-Cooper Alexis , Parascando Jessica , Clebak Karl T. , Cassidy-Smith Tara , Lennon Robert P. , Simoyan Olapeju 
Published: September 2024

AbstractIntroductionInadequate scholarship is a common concern in graduate medical education. Many barriers to scholarship have been identified, but there are limited data on which are most important. A rank-order of barriers from learners’ perspectives would better enable programs to address perceived barriers.MethodsGiven that learners are experts in their own perceptions, we applied the Delphi method of generating consensus expert opinion to construct ranked lists of physician-perceived barriers to scholarly activity at various sites. The survey was conducted within three separate health systems. Respondents were asked to identify their perceived barriers via free text and the listed barriers were consolidated by the research team. In the second round, respondents were presented with the consolidated lists and asked to rank them. In the third and final round, each respondent was shown a comparison of their own rankings to that of their peers and given an opportunity to make changes. Ranking differences between programs were compared using Rank Biased Overlap (RBO).ResultsThe Delphi method is a straightforward method to obtain a ranked list of perceived learner barriers to scholarly activity; its primary limitation is learner engagement and, of note in our study, high dropout rates. RBO is an effective method of ranking differences between programs and specialties. Top barriers across programs included time, overwhelm with the research process, and lack of interest or energy.DiscussionSeveral of the identified barriers may be addressed with enthusiastic mentors, streamlined administrative processes, and education. This could be done within a hospital system or on a national level through specialty organizations.
Health professionals’ beliefs and attitudes towards preconception care: A systematic review
Authors: Caut Cherie , Schoenaker Danielle , McIntyre Erica , Steel Amie 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackgroundHealth professionals have previously identified various barriers and factors that would help facilitate preconception care services in healthcare settings. Clinically relevant preconception information and clinical practice guidelines have since been developed to aid health professionals in preconception care delivery. This systematic review aimed to 1) synthesise recent literature (past 8 years) describing health professionals’ beliefs and attitudes towards preconception care services or programmes and 2) determine if the experience of health professionals providing preconception care has changed compared to literature reviews conducted more than 8 years ago.MethodsFive databases were searched between 27/01/2016 and 20/11/2024. Primary quantitative and qualitative research studies were included if they examined health professionals’ beliefs and attitudes towards delivering preconception care services or programmes. Study quality was assessed using the CASP Checklist (qualitative studies) and AXIS tool (quantitative studies). Data synthesis used thematic categorisation adapted from the framework approach.ResultsTwenty-seven studies were included (n=11 qualitative, n=14 quantitative, n=2 mixed-methods studies). Methodological quality was generally good for qualitative studies but varied for quantitative studies. The results covered three categories: 1)addressing preconception care health literacy(i.e. lack of knowledge, awareness, training and resources), 2)clinical practicalities of preconception care (i.e. need for coordination of care and clarity on role responsibility), and 3)the role of the patient(i.e. need for public health education to support patient-led conversations).ConclusionsLittle has changed regarding the barriers and facilitators to providing preconception care reported by health professionals. To improve the provision of preconception care, there is a need to co-develop professional and public preconception health education, clinical resources, and a coordinated preconception healthcare service model.
First-in-human evaluation of memory-like NK cells with an IL-15 super-agonist and CTLA-4 blockade in advanced head and neck cancer
Authors: Shapiro Roman M. , Sheffer Michal , Booker Matthew A. , Tolstorukov Michael Y. , Birch Grace C. , Sade-Feldman Moshe , Fang Jacy , Li Shuqiang , Lu Wesley , Ansuinelli Michela , Dulery Remy , Tarannum Mubin , Baginska Joanna , Dwivedi Nishant , Kothari Ashish , Penter Livius , Abdulhamid Yasmin Z. , Kaplan Isabel E. , Khanhlinh Dinh , Uppaluri Ravindra , Redd Robert A. , Nikiforow Sarah , Koreth John , Ritz Jerome , Wu Catherine J. , Soiffer Robert J. , Hanna Glenn J. , Romee Rizwan 
Published: September 2024

AbstractCytokineinducedmemory-like natural killer (CIML NK) cells combined with an IL-15 super-agonist (N-803) are a novel modality to treat relapsed/refractory head and neck cancer. We report data from a phase I trial of haploidentical CIML NK cells combined with N-803 with or without ipilimumab (IPI) in relapsed/refractory head and neck cancer patients after a median of 6 prior lines of therapy. The primary endpoint was safety, which was established, with dose-limiting toxicity in 1/10 patients. A promising though transient disease control rate of 70% correlated with donor NK cell expansion, the latter occurring irrespective of IPI. High-resolution immunophenotypic and transcriptional profiling characterized the NK cells and their interacting partnersin vivo. IPI was associated with contraction of Treg:Tcon, rapid recovery of recipient CD8+T cells, and accelerated rejection of donor NK cells. These results inform evaluation of CIML NK therapy for advanced malignancies, with considerations for combination with IPI.SignificanceCIML NK cells combined with N-803 and ipilimumab to treat head and neck cancer is safe, and associated with a more proliferative NK cell phenotype. However, the combination leads to reduced HLA mismatched NK cell persistence, resulting in an important limitation informing future NK cell combination therapies in clinical trials.Trial RegistrationNCT04290546FundingGateway for Cancer Research, Ted and Eileen Pasquarello Research Fund, Goldfarb and Rudkin Family Fellowship, Dr. Antin’s Research Fund, Massey Family Fund. MS is funded by the Sidney Farber Scholar Program, Dana Farber, and RR is a recipient of the Career Development Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is a member of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
WITHDRAWN: EpiSemoLLM: A Fine-tuned Large Language Model for Epileptogenic Zone
Authors: Yang Shihao , Luo Yaxi , Jiao Meng , Fotedar Neel , Rao Vikram R. , Ju Xinglong , Wu Shasha , Xian Xiaochen , Sun Hai , Karakis Ioannis , Bernardo Danilo , Laing Josh , Kwan Patrick , Rosenow Felix , Liu Feng 
Published: September 2024

Withdrawal statementmedRxiv has withdrawn this manuscript due to a duplicate posting of manuscript number MEDRXIV/2024/307955. Therefore, this work should not be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author. The correct preprint can be found at doi: 10.1101/2024.05.26.24307955
Prenatal Exposure of Pesticide Mixtures and the Placental Transcriptome: Insights from Trimester-specific, Sex-Specific and Metabolite-Scaled Analyses in the SAWASDEE Cohort
Authors: Wang Yewei , Hermetz Karen , Burt Amber , Lesseur Corina , Panuwet Parinya , Fiedler Nancy , Prapamontol Tippawan , Suttiwan Panrapee , Nimmapirat Pimjuta , Sittiwang Supattra , Naksen Warangkana , Yakimavets Volha , Barr Dana Boyd , Hao Ke , Chen Jia , Marsit Carmen J. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractWe investigated the effect of exposure to pesticide mixtures during pregnancy on the placental transcriptome, to link these exposures and placental functions. The Study of Asian Women and their Offspring’s Development and Environmental Exposures (SAWASDEE) enrolled pregnant farmworkers from Thailand (n=248), who were primarily exposed to organophosphate (OP) and pyrethroid pesticides. We measured maternal urinary levels of six non-specific OP metabolites expressed as three summary measures (dimethylalkylphosphates (DMAP), diethylalkylphosphates (DEAP), and dialkylphosphates (DAP) and three pyrethroid metabolites (3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA),cis- andtrans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (Cis-DCCA, Trans-DCCA) during early, middle, and late pregnancy, and adjusted for urine dilution using creatinine. RNA-sequencing was used to profile the placental transcriptome from which 21 co-expression network modules were identified by Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis. Quantile g-computation analysis identified an average pregnancy positive mixture exposure effect on the E2f Target Module (β = 0.013, p = 0.012) and a negative mixture exposure effect (β = −0.016, p = 0.008) on the Myogenesis Module. The pesticide metabolites driving the associations differed for each module, highlighting differential susceptibilities within the placental transcriptome to various pesticides. When stratifying by infant sex, the average pregnancy mixture exhibited a significant negative effect (β= −0.018, P=0.016) on the Myogenesis Module only in females; other modules, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, though not demonstrating an overall mixture effect, did demonstrate differential impacts of the mixture by sex. Pesticide mixtures in both the second trimester (β = −0.013, p = 0.015) and the third trimester (β = −0.012, p = 0.028) exhibited consistently significant negative associations with the Myogenesis module. These findings underscore the importance of considering the prenatal environment more holistically, understanding the placenta’s susceptibility to contaminants, and incorporating sex-specific analyses to understand differential impacts.
Association Between Life’s Essential 8 and Atherogenic Index of Plasma in Adults: Insights from NHANES 2007-2018
Authors: Xu Long-hui , Ding Kai-wen , Yang Guo-dong , Han Xiao-xuan , Cong Xiao , Wang Rong-hui , Liu Xin-ru , Li Na , Xu Cui-ping 
Published: September 2024

AbstractObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) and the Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP).MethodsWe conducted an analysis of data from 8,215 U.S. adults aged 20 years and older, utilizing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2007 to 2018. Based on LE8 scores, Cardiovascular Health (CVH) was stratified into three levels—low, moderate, and high—while AIP was categorized into four risk levels: extremely low (AIP<-0.3), low (−0.3≤AIP<0.1), medium (0.1≤AIP<0.24), and high (AIP≥0.24). Weighted ordinal logistic regression analysis was utilized to examine the association between CVH scores and AIP risk levels, adjusting for potential confounding variables.ResultsA significant inverse correlation exists between CVH scores and AIP risk levels (OR=0.51,95%CI: 0.49-0.54,P<0.001). Higher CVH scores were associated with lower AIP risk levels, while lower CVH scores corresponded to elevated AIP risk levels. Notably, improvements in specific CVH components—such as Body Mass Index and Blood Lipids—exhibited a strong relationship with reductions in AIP risk levels.ConclusionsEnhancing CVH is vital for effectively reducing AIP risk levels, thus underscoring the critical importance of health management strategies in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Effect of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems on the Performance of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Yumbe Regional referral hospital; A Pre-post quasi-experimental study design
Authors: Ssemanda Innocent , Odong Patrick E. , Nasur Mubaraka , Ejalu David , Mwengwe Karen , Tukei JMO 
Published: September 2024

AbstractPurposeThis study explored the effect of implementing monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems on the performance of the Neonatal Intensive care Unit at Yumbe regional referral hospital.MethodsA pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed involving 236 neonates, with 103 in the pretest group (Before the implementation monitoring and evaluation systems) and 130 in the posttest group (after the implementation of monitoring and evaluation). The intervention lasted 105 days. Key performance indicators (KPIs) such as; neonatal mortality rates, length of stay, neonatal intensive care’s effectiveness, morbidity rate, survival rates, and infection control were measured. Patient satisfaction as a secondary outcome was also explored through questionnaire surveys. Data collected was entered directly in Micro software, and exported to the STATA version 18 for analysisResultsNeonatal mortality rates significantly decreased from 19.4% in the pretest group to 7.7% in the posttest group (P<0.01). The survival rates improved from 80.6% in the pretest group to 92.3% in the posttest group. The average length of stay was reduced from 10 days (SD=4) to 8 days (SD=3) (P<0.05). Neonatal intensive care effectiveness scores improved from a mean of 2.8 to 3.5 (P<0.01). Compliance with Neonatal intensive care unit protocols increased from 70% to 80% (P<0.01). The reliability of monitoring and evaluation components was high, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.754 to 0.915ConclusionImplementation of monitoring and evaluation systems significantly enhanced NICU’s performance, reduced mortality rate, improved survival rates and improved patient satisfaction. These findings underline the importance of M&E frameworks in optimizing neonatal care.
A systematic review of psychological factors influencing attitudes and intentions toward, and uptake of, Covid-19 vaccines in adolescents
Authors: Pitt Angie , Amlôt Richard , Heffernan Catherine , Rubin G. James , Smith Louise E. 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTVaccination was a key measure to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, however adolescents were less likely than adults to accept the vaccine. Low vaccine uptake reduces the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns and threatens global public health. Understanding why adolescents are hesitant to accept new vaccines is therefore crucial to support the development of novel vaccine uptake interventions. Prior reviews have included far fewer citations, excluded qualitative data, studies after 2022 and have not mapped adolescent Covid-19 vaccine behaviour onto psychological models. This systematic review investigated psychological factors influencing attitudes and intentions toward and uptake of Covid-19 vaccines in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years globally. It mapped results onto the COM-B framework to inform future interventions. Our search identified 25,354 citations, and included 77 in this review. The quality of studies was mixed, predominantly cross-sectional in design. According to our review, key influences on adolescent Covid-19 vaccine behaviour were: i) Reflective motivation (safety concerns, perceived susceptibility to/severity of Covid-19, perceived vaccine effectiveness, ii) Social opportunity (social norms, autonomy and prosocial attitudes), iii) Psychological capability (attitude and knowledge about vaccines). Our review provides new insights into psychological factors influencing adolescent Covid-19 vaccine behaviour, and maps factors to the COM-B model of behaviour change. To improve vaccine uptake, future vaccine interventions should support adolescents to think critically about the pros and cons of vaccines and consider external influences on their decisions.
Reliable Online Auditory Cognitive Testing: An observational study
Authors: Lad Meher , Taylor John-Paul , Griffiths Tim D 
Published: September 2024

AbstractTechnological advances have allowed researchers to conduct research remotely. Online auditory testing has received interest since the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of web-based developments have improved the range of auditory tasks during remote participation. Most of these studies have been conducted in young, motivated individuals who are comfortable with technology. Such studies have also used stimuli testing auditory perceptual abilities. Research on auditory cognitive abilities in real-world older adults is lacking.In this study, we assess the reproducibility of a range of auditory cognitive abilities in older adults, with a range of hearing abilities, who took part in in-person and online experiments. Participants performed a questionnaire-based assessment and were asked to complete two verbal speech-in-noise perception tasks, for digits and sentences, and two auditory memory tasks, for different sound features. In the first part of the study, 58 Participants performed these tests in-person and online in order to test the reproducibility of the tasks. In the second part, 147 participants conducted all the tasks online in order to test if previously published findings from in-person research were reproducible.We found that older adults under the age of 70 and those with a better hearing were more likely to take part in online testing. The questionnaire-based test had significantly better reproducibility than the behavioural auditory tests but there were no differences in reproducibility between in-person and online auditory cognitive metrics. Relationships between relationships with age and hearing thresholds in an in-person or online setting were not significantly different.Furthermore, important relationships between auditory metrics, evidenced in literature previously, were reproducible online.This study suggests that auditory cognitive testing may be reliably conducted online.
“Ich-Mupong”,a swollen stomach: An ethnographic study of the daily lived experiences of schoolchildren in schistosomiasis high transmission areas along Lake Albert, Hoima District
Authors: Paskari Odoi , Neema Stella , Bateganya Fred , Vennervald Birgitte J. , Wilson Shona 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackgroundOur primary focus wasSchistosoma mansoniinfection and schoolchildren. Within communities the social environment may promote individual risk of infection for the school-aged children. There will also be demographic groups who are not targeted or reached by preventive chemotherapy campaigns. The behaviours of these other groups will interact with those of school-aged children, resulting in further infection risk through exposure-related behaviours. Furthermore, perception of the disease may significantly influence the schoolchildren’s lived experience of the infection and associated disease. It is therefore crucial to document the daily experiences of schoolchildren living in schistosomiasis high transmission areas along Lake Albert, Hoima District.MethodsAn ethnographic study explored schoolchildren’s perspectives and daily life organisations that shape their risk of schistosomiaisis and their perceptions of the disease. The study was conducted between November 2022 and August 2023. It involved in-depth interviews with schoolchildren and their parents, key informant interviews, focus group discussions with schoolchildren, and participant observations. Data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Code reports were generated inductively using ATLAS.ti (Version 7).ResultsThe study revealed a significant level of knowledge and awareness about schistosomiasis among schoolchildren. They had understanding of the risk factors, continued exposure, and experiences of illness, though they had little autonomy to address these through their own behaviour as they were influenced by the behaviour of others and macro-factors such as WASH provision and economic need. Study participants experienced individual-level effects of schistosomiasis such as educational impacts and isolation as a significant form of stigma.ConclusionsThere is a need for continued community sensitisation and awareness campaigns to address social stigma, educational impact, and contamination and exposure-related behaviours. National and regional policies and programmes on WASH, livelihood and poverty eradication programmes need to be revisited in schistosomiasis high transmission areas to help provide alternatives and improve schoolchildren’s lived experiences.
Exceptional points in perturbed dielectric spheres: A resonant-state expansion study
Authors: Netherwood K. S. , Riley H. K. , Muljarov E. A. 
Published: September 2024

Exceptional points (EPs) in open optical systems are rigorously studied using the resonant-state expansion (RSE). A spherical resonator, specifically a homogeneous dielectric sphere in a vacuum, perturbed by two pointlike defects which break the spherical symmetry and bring the optical modes to EPs, is used as a worked example. The RSE is a nonperturbative approach encoding the information about an open optical system in matrix form in a rigorous way, and thus offering a suitable tool for studying its EPs. These are simultaneous degeneracies of the eigenvalues and corresponding eigenfunctions of the system, which are rigorously described by the RSE and illustrated for perturbed whispering-gallery modes (WGMs). An exceptional arc, which is a line of adjacent EPs, is obtained analytically for perturbed dipolar WGMs. Perturbation of high-quality WGMs with large angular momentum and their EPs are found by reducing the RSE equation to a two-state problem by means of an orthogonal transformation of a large RSE matrix. WGM pairs have opposite chirality in spherically symmetric systems and equal chirality at EPs. This chirality at EPs can be observed in circular dichroism measurements, as it manifested itself in a squared-Lorentzian part of the optical spectra, which we demonstrate here analytically and numerically in the Purcell enhancement factor for the perturbed dipolar WGMs.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Fiscal policy in the face of the health crisis: A simulation using a hybrid DSGE‐SIR model
Authors: Ouakil Hicham , Moustabchir Abdelhamid , Lechheb Houda , EL Ouazzani Hicham 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThis study employs a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, integrated with a Susceptible‐Infected‐Recovered (SIR) epidemiological framework, to assess the macroeconomic impacts of fiscal policy during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Morocco. Calibrated with Moroccan COVID‐19 data, the model links epidemiological dynamics to macroeconomic variables, offering a detailed analysis of fiscal interventions. The primary objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of various fiscal measures, including government spending shocks, consumption tax cuts, and labor tax reductions, in stimulating economic activity and supporting households and businesses impacted by the pandemic. The results indicate that government spending shocks significantly stimulated economic activity and employment, but also led to increased public debt and inflationary pressures, thereby illustrating the inherent trade‐offs. Consumption tax cuts, intended to boost demand, had mixed effects on inflation; while prices for some goods declined, higher demand caused price increases in others. Labor tax reductions, aimed at enhancing employment, generated varied effects on labor supply and contributed to rising public debt due to lower tax revenues. The study underscores the necessity of balanced fiscal strategies to achieve both immediate economic recovery and long‐term fiscal sustainability, highlighting the critical role of well‐calibrated fiscal policies in mitigating the economic consequences of pandemics.