bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cellular host response sepsis test for risk stratification of patients in the emergency department: A pooled analysis
Authors: O'Neal Hollis R. , Sheybani Roya , Kraus Chadd K. , Self Wesley H. , Shah Ajay M. , Thomas Christopher B. , Tse Henry T. K. , Scoggins Robert 
Published: April 2024

AbstractObjectivesSepsis is one of the most common, costly, and misdiagnosed conditions in U.S. emergency departments (EDs). ED providers often treat on nonspecific signs, subjective suspicion, or presumption of infection, resulting in over‐ and undertreatment. An increased understanding of host response has opened a new direction for sepsis diagnostics. The IntelliSep test is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration–cleared cellular host response diagnostic that could help distinguish sepsis in ED settings. Our objective was to evaluate the potential of the cellular host response test to expedite appropriate care for patients who present with signs of infection.MethodsWe performed a pooled analysis of five adult (≥18 years) cohorts enrolled at seven geographically diverse U.S. sites in separate studies. Structured blinded adjudication was used to classify presence or absence of sepsis, and only patients with high confidence in the adjudicated label were included (n = 1002), defined as patients for whom there was consensus in the determination of sepsis per the Sepsis‐3 and severe sepsis per the Sepsis‐2 definitions between both the independent adjudication panel and the site‐level physician.ResultsAmong patients with signs or suspicion of infection, the test achieved similar or better performance compared to other indicators in identifying patients at high risk for sepsis (specificity > 83%) and significantly superior performance in identifying those at low risk (sensitivity > 92%; 0% sepsis‐associated mortality). The test also stratified severity of illness, as shown by 30‐day in‐hospital mortality (p < 0.001), hospital length of stay (p < 0.01), and use of hospital resources (p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur data suggest that the cellular host response test provides clinically actionable results for patients at both high and low risk for sepsis and provides a rapid, objective means for risk stratification of patients with signs of infection. If integrated into standard of care, the test may help improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.
Is low‐level alcohol consumption really health‐protective? A critical review of approaches to promote causal inference and recent applications
Authors: Visontay Rachel , Mewton Louise , Sunderland Matthew , Chapman Cath , Slade Tim 
Published: April 2024

AbstractHeavy and disordered alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for several health conditions and is associated with considerable disease burden. However, at low‐to‐moderate levels, evidence suggests that drinking is associated with reduced risk for certain health outcomes. Whether these findings represent genuine protective effects or mere methodological artifacts remains unclear, but has substantial consequences for policy and practice. This critical review introduces methodological advances capable of enhancing causal inference from observational research, focusing on the ‘G‐methods’ and Mendelian Randomization. We also present and evaluate recent research applying these methods and compare findings to the existing evidence base. Future directions are proposed for improving our causal understanding of the relationships between alcohol and long‐term health outcomes.
The effects of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use on subjective drug effects: A narrative review across methodologies
Authors: Bedillion Margaret F. , Claus Eric D. , Wemm Stephanie E. , Fox Helen C. , Ansell Emily B. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractOver 75% of young adults who use cannabis also report drinking alcohol, leading to increased risks that include impaired cognition, substance use disorders, and more heavy and frequent substance use. Studies suggest that subjective responses to either alcohol or cannabis can serve as a valuable indicator for identifying individuals at risk of prolonged substance use and use disorder. While laboratory studies show additive effects when alcohol and cannabis are used together, the impact of co‐using these substances, specifically with respect to cannabidiol, on an individual's subjective experience remains unclear. This narrative review explores the effects of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis (SAM) use on subjective drug effects, drawing from qualitative research, laboratory experiments, and naturalistic studies. Experimental findings are inconsistent regarding the combined effects of alcohol and cannabis, likely influenced by factors such as dosage, method of administration, and individual substance use histories. Similarly, findings from qualitative and naturalistic studies are mixed regarding subjective drug effects following SAM use. These discrepancies may be due to recall biases, variations in assessment methods, and the measurement in real‐world contexts of patterns of SAM use and related experiences. Overall, this narrative review highlights the need for more comprehensive research to understand more fully subjective drug effects of SAM use in diverse populations and settings, emphasizing the importance of frequent and nuanced assessment of SAM use and subjective responses in naturalistic settings.
Limited recovery of soil organic carbon and soil biophysical functions after old field restoration in an agricultural landscape
Authors: Parkhurst Tina , Standish Rachel J. , Prober Suzanne M. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe conversion of woodland ecosystems to agricultural landscapes has led to unprecedented losses of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning globally. Unsustainable agricultural practices have contributed to the degradation of soil's physical and biogeochemical properties. Ecological restoration of unproductive agricultural land is imperative for reversing land degradation and ameliorating the degrading effects of agriculture on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, it is unclear to what extent common restoration activities, such as tree planting, can facilitate the recovery of ecosystem condition and in particular, improve soil physical, biogeochemical and biotic components. Here, we investigated how the cessation of cropping, followed by tree planting, affected soil carbon concentrations and key biophysical soil functions. Data were collected across 10 sites a decade after the replanting of woody species on old fields in semi‐arid Western Australia. We applied a chronosequence approach and measured soil functions in fallow cropland (restoration starting point), 10‐year‐old planted old fields and intact woodland reference sites (restoration target point). We stratified sampling between open areas and patches under trees in planted old fields and reference woodlands to account for inherent biophysical differences. Soils under planted trees recovered to some extent, having reduced soil compaction and higher soil penetration depth in comparison with the fallow cropland. However, soils under trees in planted old fields did not reach woodland reference conditions for these properties. Moreover, recovery was not evident for other soil physical, biogeochemical and biotic components such as soil organic carbon, soil moisture, leaf litter and woody debris decomposition rates. Limited recovery of soil functions may be at least partly explained by time lags associated with slow growth rates of planted trees in dry ecosystems. Our study shows that the legacy of cropping can persist over long timeframes in semi‐arid regions, with modest signs of woodland recovery beginning to emerge 10 years after tree planting.
What motivates South Korean Official Development Assistance?
Authors: Atkinson Joel 
Published: April 2024

AbstractOfficial Development Assistance (ODA) is defined by a motive: the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries. This review article considers the motives of one donor, South Korea, with a close reading and comparison of three authoritative texts. It argues that Korean ODA is primarily motivated by increasing status and influence, and supporting the overseas expansion of Korean companies. There is also a contribution from secondary motivations more clearly related to the definition of ODA: humanitarianism and being a good global citizen.
Stewardship according to context: Justifications for coercive antimicrobial stewardship policies in agriculture and their limitations
Authors: Johnson Tess 
Published: April 2024

AbstractAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent, global threat to public health. The development and implementation of effective measures to address AMR is vitally important but presents important ethical questions. This is a policy area requiring further sustained attention to ensure that policies proposed in National Action Plans on AMR are ethically acceptable and preferable to alternatives that might be fairer or more effective, for instance. By ethically analysing case studies of coercive actions to address AMR across countries, we can better inform policy in a context‐specific manner. In this article, I consider an example of coercive antimicrobial stewardship policy in Canada, namely restrictions on livestock farmers' access to certain antibiotics for animal use without a vet's prescription. I introduce and analyse two ethical arguments that might plausibly justify coercive action in this case: the harm principle and a duty of collective easy rescue. In addition, I consider the factors that might generally limit the application of those ethical concepts, such as challenges in establishing causation or evidencing the scale of the harm to be averted. I also consider specifics of the Canadian context in contrast to the UK and Botswana as example settings, to demonstrate how context‐specific factors might mean a coercive policy that is ethically justified in one country is not so in another.
Senescence and senolysis in cancer: The latest findings
Authors: Imawari Yoshimi , Nakanishi Makoto 
Published: April 2024

AbstractAging is a life phenomenon that occurs in most living organisms and is a major risk factor for many diseases, including cancer. Cellular senescence is a cellular trait induced by various genomic and epigenetic stresses. Senescent cells are characterized by irreversible cell growth arrest and excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines (senescence‐associated secretory phenotypes, SASP). Chronic tissue microinflammation induced by SASP contributes to the pathogenesis of a variety of age‐related diseases, including cancer. Senolysis is a promising new strategy to selectively eliminate senescent cells in order to suppress chronic inflammation, suggesting its potential use as an anticancer therapy. This review summarizes recent findings on the molecular basis of senescence in cancer cells and senolysis.
Indicator‐based natural capital reporting to inform decision‐making in the Brazilian Pantanal
Authors: Fairbrass Alison J. , Moretti Victor , Quaresma Elvander , Ribeiro Celma , de Oliveira Roque Fabio , Oller Claudio , Tomei Julia 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe natural capital indicator framework (NCIF) offers an entry‐level approach to natural capital reporting using existing data sources and indicators. Here, we test the NCIF for the first time in the megadiverse Pantanal biome in Brazil. We compile publicly available indicators on the cattle, soy, fishing, and nature‐based tourism industries alongside indicators on the state of the biome and its ecosystem services. We show that the NCIF is quick to implement using existing environmental and socioeconomic indicators produced by public and NGO statistics communities. However, we identify significant gaps in indicators on the condition and economic value of the biome, the human investment required to derive benefits from the biome, emissions produced by the industries that exploit the biome, and the ecosystem services that maintain the functioning of the biome, such as nutrient cycling and biodiversity. Existing initiatives in Brazil could fill natural capital reporting gaps, including Brazil's experimental natural capital accounts. The NCIF provides a structured approach to highlight gaps in natural capital reporting and guide decision‐makers to prioritize investment in filling data and reporting gaps. Systematic, transnational monitoring must fill gaps in natural capital data to inform decision‐making in the megadiverse Pantanal biome.
Fiscal policy volatility and capital flight
Authors: Apeti Ablam Estel 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn this paper, we analyse the effect of fiscal policy volatility on capital flight. Based on a sample of 27 African countries over the period 1970–2018 and using System generalised method (GMM) of moments, we show that fiscal policy volatility increases capital flight. Specif‐ically, our baseline results indicate that an increase in fiscal policy volatility by 1% increases capital flight by 1.4%. In other words, an increase in fiscal policy volatility by 100% increases capital flight by 140% or by 40% above the increase in the cause, that is, fiscal policy volatility. These results are robust to additional control variables, alternative methods, samples, and specifications, and may vary with the initial level of capital flight.
Spatial inequality in prices and wages within a late‐developing economy: Serbia, 1863–1910
Authors: Nikolić Stefan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractSerbia emerged as a small independent nation‐state in the economic periphery of nineteenth‐century Europe. This article leverages uniquely abundant town‐level data to examine spatial inequality in prices and wages within this late‐developing economy. I first build a new dataset on prices of traded and household goods, and wages of skilled and unskilled workers for a panel of 42 urban settlements in Serbia in the period from 1863 to 1910. I apply the welfare ratio approach to calculate real wages of day labourers and masons. Second, I find strong spatial convergence in grain prices and costs of living, but divergence in wages, both nominal and real. Lastly, I investigate the determinants of price convergence and wage divergence with panel‐data models. The results suggest that falling transport costs decreased price gaps between locations, whereas rising population differences increased inter‐urban wage gaps.
Clinical effectiveness of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis stratified by disease‐modifying treatment
Authors: De Troyer Marijke , Van Remoortel Ann , Van Schependom Jeroen , Faille Laetitia Della , D'hooghe Marie B. , Peeters Gertjan , Nagels Guy , D'haeseleer Miguel 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackground and purposeCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccination has been associated with a dampened humoral and/or cellular immune response in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were concurrently on disease‐modifying treatment (DMT) with B‐cell depleting agents or sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor modulators (S1PRMs). Our main goal was to investigate the impact of these DMT classes on the clinical effectiveness of COVID‐19 vaccination.MethodsSince March 2020, demographics and clinical data of patients with MS who developed COVID‐19 have been collected at the Belgian National MS Centre in Melsbroek. Patients were considered to be ‘protected by vaccination’ if they were (i) fully vaccinated and (ii) tested positive for COVID‐19 in the period ranging from 14 days to 6 months after the last administered vaccine.ResultsOn 19 December 2022, 418 COVID‐19 cases were retrospectively identified in 389 individual patients. Hospitalization and mortality rates resulting from the infection were 10.8% and 2.4%, respectively. Being ‘unprotected by vaccination’ was significantly associated with a worse COVID‐19 outcome (i.e., hospitalization and/or death) in the total cohort (N = 418, odds ratio [OR] 3.96), in patients on ongoing DMT other than anti‐CD20 agents or S1PRMs (N = 123, OR 31.75) and in patients without DMT (N = 182, OR 5.60), but not in those receiving anti‐CD20 agents (N = 91, OR 0.39); the S1PRMs subgroup was considered too small (22 infections) for any meaningful analysis.ConclusionsCoronavirus disease 2019 vaccination protects against severe infection in patients with MS but it was not possible to confirm this effect in those on DMT with B‐cell depleting agents.
Identifying the service and social policy needs, gaps, barriers and enablers for grandparent carers
Authors: Blundell Barbara , Fernandes Christina , Moran Rebecca J 
Published: April 2024

AbstractObjectiveThe goal of this research was to map and identify service and social policy needs, gaps, barriers, and enablers for Western Australian custodial grandparent carers.BackgroundGrandparents are increasingly providing custodial kinship care for their grandchildren, yet there is substantial inconsistency in policy frameworks, systems, and services that offer support to grandfamilies across Australia.MethodThis mixed‐methods research project synthesized micro‐ to macro‐level data, including grandparent carer respondents to an online survey, qualitative interviews with stakeholder organization representatives, focus groups with key agency frontline staff, and service, social policy, and legislative mapping.FindingsCurrent focused and generic services do not meet the complex needs of many grandparent carers and their families, particularly informal grandparent carers and those with diverse, intersectional needs.ConclusionGrandparent carers are an often hidden and marginalized population, with many struggling within a complex policy and service delivery framework that may encompass multiple sectors. There are service, policy, and legislative gaps, particularly for informal grandparent carers and those who may already be experiencing intersectional disadvantage.ImplicationsHolistic, culturally competent, individualized, and flexible service and social policy responses need to be developed to support grandfamilies, as well as further funding, support and legislative recognition for informal grandparent carers.
Resource acquisition strategies of joint‐venture universities in China: Two cases in the Greater Bay Area
Authors: Liu Xu , Pan Pengfei 
Published: April 2024

AbstractAs cross‐border education continues to evolve, a comprehensive understanding of the latest trends requires an awareness of the behaviours of partner universities and host governments. This case study examines two joint‐venture universities in China and compares their institutional approaches to resource acquisition. It compares their strategies in four dimensions: initial launch, choice of name, capacity building, and strategy in leveraging resources from the local government. The divergent strategies show that both universities use their particular advantages to obtain different resources to sustain their development. This study presents a portrait of a dynamic organisational environment for cross‐border in China. While the government plays a key role in the establishment of the universities, their resource acquisition effectiveness depends on how successfully they integrate their agendas with local needs.
Bailed out: Defendants’ and stakeholders’ experiences of a bail support programme
Authors: Peterson Scott , Lambie Ian , Cartwright Claire 
Published: April 2024

AbstractDespite dropping crime rates and prison muster, pretrial population rates in New Zealand are growing faster than in other OECD nations, risking negative impacts on defendants and communities. Fourteen defendants and 18 stakeholders were interviewed about a bail support service's strengths and weaknesses. Officer‐training quality, communication between stakeholders and access to practical and cultural resources were crucial to success. Defendants reported that professional staff support and having access to services were the most helpful aspects. Changes were positive overall, but the programme's implementation, resources (especially lack of housing suitable for bail), and structure (within changing pretrial legislation) were of concern.
Healthcare delivery in the shadow of war: The experiences of Turkish nurses providing care to Syrian asylum‐seekers
Authors: Çiçek Korkmaz Ayşe , Baykal Ülkü 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe Syrian civil war caused humanitarian tragedy, resulting in significant losses and massive migration movement, significantly impacting nursing services. The purpose of this study was to identify the problems and experiences of nurses who provided care for Syrian asylum seekers in Turkish border hospitals during the war. This phenomenological and qualitative research selected participants with maximum diversity sampling. Interviews were conducted with 68 nurses who provided care and treatment to asylum seekers during the peak of the war. Data analysis identified two main themes and nine sub‐themes: language differences, interpreting services, intercultural differences, complex patients, non‐compliance with hospital rules, treatment programmes and discharge issues. The nurses experienced both positive and negative emotions during the process. During the Syrian war, patient care issues were identified as being primarily caused by language and cultural differences among asylum seekers and nurses. During this process, nurses who cared for severe injuries and asylum‐seekers experienced both positive and negative emotions simultaneously.
Relationship between structural empowerment and job satisfaction among nurses: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Yesilbas Hande , Kantek Filiz 
Published: April 2024

AbstractAimTo investigate the relationship between structural empowerment and job satisfaction among nurses.BackgroundJob satisfaction is considered to be a global concern. It is also essential to improve the quality of patient care and promote nurse retention. Structural empowerment of nurses can be an important factor in ensuring nurses' job satisfaction.MethodsThis meta‐analysis was conducted ensuring compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis guidelines. Using seven databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library, the relevant articles were identified. Two independent reviewers screened articles and extracted data. The meta‐analysis was performed using Jamovi statistical software.ResultsIn total, 29 studies involving 30 cohorts (N = 11,078) were identified as eligible for the meta‐analysis. A significant positive relationship between nurse structural empowerment and job satisfaction was identified, with the summary effect size of r = 0.559 (95% CI: 0.494–0.618).ConclusionThere was a strong positive relationship between structural empowerment and job satisfaction in nurses. Exploring the relationship between structural empowerment and job satisfaction can provide strategies to promote nurse retention and prevent nursing shortage.Implications for nursing and health policyThe results of this study confirmed a strong positive relationship between nurses' job satisfaction and structural empowerment. Implementing interventions that enhance the structural empowerment of nurses will contribute to increasing their job satisfaction, thereby assisting in both nurse retention and optimizing their potential to provide quality patient care. Healthcare organizations and nurse managers should create work environments that provide nurses with access to information, resources, support, and opportunities to empower them and to enhance their job satisfaction.