bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Escalated complement activation during hospitalization is associated with higher risk of 60‐day mortality in SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected patients
Authors: Barratt‐Due Andreas , Pettersen Kristin , Børresdatter‐Dahl Tuva , Holter Jan Cato , Grønli Renathe H. , Dyrhol‐Riise Anne Ma , Lerum Tøri Vigeland , Holten Aleksander Rygh , Tonby Kristian , Trøseid Marius , Skjønsberg Ole H. , Granerud Beathe Kiland , Heggelund Lars , Kildal Anders Benjamin , Schjalm Camilla , Aaløkken Trond Mogens , Aukrust Pål , Ueland Thor , Mollnes Tom Eirik , Halvorsen Bente ,   NOR‐Solidarity study groupThe Norwegian SARS‐CoV‐2 study group
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe complement system, an upstream recognition system of innate immunity, is activated upon SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. To gain a deeper understanding of the extent and duration of this activation, we investigated complement activation profiles during the acute phase of COVID‐19, its persistence post‐recovery and dynamic changes in relation to disease severity.MethodsSerial blood samples were obtained from two cohorts of hospitalized COVID‐19 patients (n = 457). Systemic complement activation products reflecting classical/lectin (C4d), alternative (C3bBbP), common (C3bc) and terminal pathway (TCC and C5a) were measured during hospitalization (admission, days 3–5 and days 7–10), at 3 months and after 1 year. Levels of activation and temporal profiles during hospitalization were related to disease severity defined as respiratory failure (PO2/FiO2 ratio <26.6 kPa) and/or admission to intensive care unit, 60‐day total mortality and pulmonary pathology after 3 months.FindingsDuring hospitalization, TCC, C4d, C3bc, C3bBbP and C5a were significantly elevated compared to healthy controls. Severely ill patients had significantly higher levels of TCC and C4d (p < 0.001), compared to patients with moderate COVID‐19. Escalated levels of TCC and C4d during hospitalization were associated with a higher risk of 60‐day mortality (p < 0.001), and C4d levels were additionally associated with chest CT changes at 3 months (p < 0.001). At 3 months and 1 year, we observed consistently elevated levels of most complement activation products compared to controls.ConclusionHospitalized COVID‐19 patients display prominent and long‐lasting systemic complement activation. Optimal targeting of the system may be achieved through enhanced risk stratification and closer monitoring of in‐hospital changes of complement activation products.
Assertiveness in physicians' interpersonal professional encounters: A scoping review
Authors: Gutgeld‐Dror Maayan , Laor Nathaniel , Karnieli‐Miller Orit 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPurposeGood relationships between physicians, patients, families and the healthcare team are essential for high‐quality care. Medical encounters are sometimes challenging. They may include conflicts, requiring physicians to be assertive: that is to share and protect their needs, rights and values while preserving those of others. Whereas assertiveness has been studied in patients and nursing staff (those with less power in healthcare), physicians' assertiveness, which must be mindful of these power differences, lacks a comprehensive review. Thus, this scoping review focuses on assertive communication in physicians' encounters.MethodsA literature search of four online databases: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and WoS, seeking articles on physicians' assertiveness as a communication style published until February 2022. The Joanna Briggs Institute approach and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews checklist underpinned the review protocol.ResultsWe identified 1513 articles relating to assertiveness, reviewed 153 full‐text articles and selected 22 for full review, 68% from the last decade. The articles focused mainly on assertive communication and relationships with medical staff, with 54% focusing on bottom‐up power relations. In 40% of the articles, no clear definition of assertiveness was included. Definitions included had varied focus: on self, on the other or both. Overall, assertiveness measures varied widely, precluding a methodical comparison.ConclusionsDespite the growing interest in physicians' assertiveness, a clearer definition and in‐depth exploration of assertiveness are needed alongside development of valid measures of assertiveness appropriate to physicians. Based on the review, we offer a relational definition of assertiveness as the capacity to communicate one's views, concerns, rights and needs while respecting others and preserving therapeutic, collegial and educational professional alliances. This definition may serve to expand research in the field while offering a professional alternative to problematic communication styles—passive and self‐denying or paternalistic and aggressive —that obfuscate and thus undermine physician–patient relationships.
Supplemental Material: Early Paleozoic accretionary history of the Pearya terrane: New insights from igneous and detrital zircon signatures of the Kulutingwak Formation, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada
Authors: Koch Megan M. , al. et 
Published: March 2024

<p>File S1: Discussion of unit nomenclature in the Kulutingwak Fiord region. File S2: Sample locations, units, and extended descriptions. File S3: Representative CL images of zircon analyzed. File S4: Table of U-Pb isotopic data from the Arizona LaserChron Center. File S5: Table of SIMS U-Pb zircon geochronology. File S6: Table of Lu-Hf zircon geochemistry. File S7: Additional outcrop photographs of samples. File S8: Additional outcrop photographs of samples. </p>
Developing a reporting item checklist for studies of HIV drug resistance prevalence or incidence: a mixed methods study
Authors: Garcia Cristian , Holbrook Anne , Djiadeu Pascal , Alvarez Elizabeth , Matos Silva Jéssyca , Mbuagbaw Lawrence 
Published: March 2024

BackgroundAdequate surveillance of HIV drug resistance prevalence is challenged by heterogenous and inadequate data reporting. To address this issue, we recently published reporting guidance documentation for studies of HIV drug resistance prevalence and incidence.ObjectivesIn this study, we describe the methods used to develop this reporting guidance.DesignWe used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design involving authors and users of studies of HIV drug resistance prevalence. In the quantitative phase, we conducted a cross-sectional electronic survey (n=51). Survey participants rated various reporting items on whether they are essential to report. Validity ratios were computed to determine the items to discuss in the qualitative phase. In the qualitative phase, two focus group discussions (n=9 in total) discussed this draft item checklist, providing a justification and examples for each item. We conducted a descriptive qualitative analysis of the group discussions to identify emergent themes regarding the qualities of an essential reporting item.ResultsWe identified 38 potential reporting items that better characterise the study participants, improve the interpretability of study results and clarify the methods used for HIV resistance testing. These items were synthesised to create the reporting item checklist. Qualitative insights formed the basis of the explanation, elaboration, and rationale components of the guidance document.ConclusionsWe generated a list of reporting items for studies on the incidence or prevalence of HIV drug resistance along with an explanation of why researchers believe these items are important. Mixed methods allowed for the simultaneous generation and integration of the item list and qualitative insights. The integrated findings were then further developed to become the subsequently published reporting guidance.
Suicide and self-harm by burns in Pakistan: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Noorullah Aisha , Pirani Shahina , Bebbington Emily , Khan Murad 
Published: March 2024

IntroductionSuicide is a global public health problem. Self-inflicted burns are one of the most severe methods of suicide, with high morbidity and mortality. Low-income and middle-income countries contribute 40% of all suicidal burns. Pakistan lacks comprehensive burns surveillance data, which prevents an understanding of the magnitude of the problem. This scoping review aims to understand the scope of the problem of suicide and self-harm burns in Pakistan and to identify knowledge gaps within the existing literature related to this specific phenomenon.Methods and analysisThis scoping review will follow the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. We will search electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar and Pakmedinet), grey literature and a reference list of relevant articles to identify studies for inclusion. We will look for studies on self-inflicted burns as a method of suicide and self-harm in Pakistan, published from the beginning until December 2023, in the English language. Two independent reviewers will screen all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. The data will be collected on a data extraction form developed through an iterative process by the research team and it will be analysed using descriptive statistics.Ethics and disseminationEthical exemption for this study has been obtained from the Institutional Review Board Committee of Aga Khan University Karachi, Pakistan. The findings of the study will be disseminated by conducting workshops for stakeholders, including psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, general and public health physicians and policymakers. The findings will be published in national and international peer-reviewed journals.
Efficacy of acupuncture (Jin’s three-needle) on motor symptoms and anxiety in patients with Parkinson’s disease: protocol for a multicentre, randomised, assessor-blinded clinical trial
Authors: Liu Xin , Fan Jingqi , Leong Ian I , Lu Weijing , Zhang Yifan , Gong Mengjiao , Zhuang Lixing 
Published: March 2024

IntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD) has a significant impact on a substantial number of individuals in China. Notably, 31% of patients with PD also grapple with the additional burden of anxiety. This dual challenge of managing both PD and anxiety underscores the complexity of the condition and the diverse range of symptoms patients may experience. Considering the circumstances, the cost and potential drawbacks associated with traditional antiparkinsonian drugs become increasingly relevant. Acupuncture emerges as a significant non-pharmacological adjunct therapy. Offering a potentially safer and more cost-effective option, acupuncture addresses the pressing need for holistic and complementary treatments that may alleviate both the motor symptoms of PD and the accompanying anxiety.Methods and analysisThis is a multicentre, randomised controlled and assessor-blind trial. A total of 210 eligible patients with PD will be randomly assigned (1:1) to Jin’s three-needle (JTN) acupuncture group or waitlist (WL) group. Patients in the JTN group will receive acupuncture therapy three times per week for 4 weeks. Patients in the WL group will maintain their original dosage of antiparkinsonian drugs and receive acupuncture therapy after the observation period. The primary outcome measure will be the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale score. The secondary outcome measures will be the scores of the Hoehn-Yahr Rating Scale, Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale, Non-Motor Symptoms Scale, 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire, Parkinson Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Zarit burden interview and the level of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone. The evaluation will be executed at baseline, the end of the treatment and a follow-up period.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (K[2023]014). All patients have to provide written, informed consent. The study will be disseminated through presentations in peer-reviewed international journals and at national and international conferences.Trial registration numberChinese Clinical Trial Registry; ChiCTR2300074675.
Evaluating offspring Genomic and Epigenomic alterations after prenatal exposure to Cancer treatment In Pregnancy (GE-CIP): a multicentric observational study
Authors: Struys Ilana , Velázquez Carolina , Devriendt Koenraad , Godderis Lode , Segers Heidi , Thienpont Bernard , van Boxtel Ruben , Van Calsteren Kristel , Voet Thierry , Wolters Vera , Lenaerts Liesbeth , Amant Frederic 
Published: March 2024

IntroductionAround 1 in 1000–2000 pregnancies are affected by a cancer diagnosis. Previous studies have shown that chemotherapy during pregnancy has reassuring cognitive and cardiac neonatal outcomes, and hence has been proposed as standard of care. However, although these children perform within normal ranges for their age, subtle differences have been identified. Given that chemotherapeutic compounds can cross the placenta, the possibility that prenatal chemotherapy exposure mutates the offspring’s genome and/or epigenome, with potential deleterious effects later in life, urges to be investigated.Methods and analysesThis multicentric observational study aims to collect cord blood, meconium and neonatal buccal cells at birth, as well as peripheral blood, buccal cells and urine from infants when 6, 18 and/or 36 months of age. Using bulk and single-cell approaches, we will compare samples from chemotherapy-treated pregnant patients with cancer, pregnant patients with cancer not treated with chemotherapy and healthy pregnant women. Potential chemotherapy-related newborn genomic and/or epigenomic alterations, such as single nucleotide variants, copy number variants and DNA-methylation alterations, will be identified in mononuclear and epithelial cells, isolated from blood, buccal swabs and urine. DNA from maternal peripheral blood and paternal buccal cells will be used to determine de novo somatic mutations in the neonatal blood and epithelial cells. Additionally, the accumulated exposure of the fetus, and biological effective dose of alkylating agents, will be assessed in meconium and cord blood via mass spectrometry approaches.Ethics and disseminationThe Ethics Committee Research of UZ/KU Leuven (EC Research) and the Medical Ethical Review Committee of University Medical Center Amsterdam have approved the study. Results of this study will be disseminated via presentations at (inter)national conferences, through peer-reviewed, open-access publications, via social media platforms aimed to inform patients and healthcare workers, and through the website of the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (www.cancerinpregnancy.org).
Longitudinal observational cohort study: Speech for Intelligent cognition change tracking and DEtection of Alzheimer’s Disease (SIDE-AD)
Authors: Saunders Stina , Haider Fasih , Ritchie Craig W , Muniz Terrera Graciela , Luz Saturnino 
Published: March 2024

IntroductionThere is emerging evidence that speech may be a potential indicator and manifestation of early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Therefore, the University of Edinburgh and Sony Research have partnered to create the Speech for Intelligent cognition change tracking and DEtection of Alzheimer’s Disease (SIDE-AD) study, which aims to develop digital speech-based biomarkers for use in neurodegenerative disease.Methods and analysisSIDE-AD is an observational longitudinal study, collecting samples of spontaneous speech. Participants are recruited from existing cohort studies as well as from the National Health Service (NHS)memory clinics in Scotland. Using an online platform, participants record a voice sample talking about their brain health and rate their mood, anxiety and apathy. The speech biomarkers will be analysed longitudinally, and we will use machine learning and natural language processing technology to automate the assessment of the respondents’ speech patterns.Ethics and disseminationThe SIDE-AD study has been approved by the NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC reference: 23/WM/0153, protocol number AC23046, IRAS Project ID 323311) and received NHS management approvals from Lothian, Fife and Forth Valley NHS boards. Our main ethical considerations pertain to the remote administration of the study, such as taking remote consent. To address this, we implemented a consent process, whereby the first step of the consent is done entirely remotely but a member of the research team contacts the participant over the phone to consent participants to the optional, most sensitive, elements of the study. Results will be presented at conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals and communicated to study participants.
Assessing awareness and utilisation of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention among women who inject drugs in Lagos, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Onigbogi Olanrewaju , Eghaghe Osadebamwen N , Onigbogi Modupe , Ojo Omobola Y , Babalola Oluwatoyin Funmilola 
Published: March 2024

IntroductionWomen who inject drugs (WWID) in Nigeria are more likely to be living with HIV than their male counterparts and could benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Our study therefore sought to determine the awareness and use of PrEP among WWID in Lagos, Nigeria.MethodsThe study was descriptive cross-sectional in design and involved 422 participants recruited by using the snowballing technique. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data which were analysed using Epi Info software and presented as frequency tables. χ2test was used to analyse the categorical data and investigate relationships, associations, and independence between categorical variables with the level of significance set at p<0.05.ResultsThere were 422 respondents with 60.2% of them between 18 and 30 years of age with the majority (90.1%) identifying as females while 6.9% identified as transgender. Half of the respondents (50.2%) were unemployed, 56.6% were single while 7.8% were aware of PrEP with only 1.9% reporting that they had ever used it. Factors significantly associated with awareness of PrEP were age (p<0.038), period of residence (p<0.001) and the level of education (p<0.001). Increased awareness of PrEP was associated with residence within the local government area for 1 year or more (adjusted OR (AOR) 0.20, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.49) and completion of at least secondary school education (AOR 7.63, 95% CI 2.59 to 22.45).ConclusionsThis study sheds light on the crucial issue of awareness and utilisation of PrEP for HIV prevention among WWID in Lagos, Nigeria. The findings highlight the need for tailored interventions bearing in mind the determinants of PrEP use within this specific demographic group. Addressing these correlates of PrEP use will be pivotal in developing effective strategies to reduce HIV transmission and improve the overall health outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Community credit scores and community socioeconomic deprivation in association with type 2 diabetes across an urban to rural spectrum in Pennsylvania: a case–control study
Authors: Poulsen Melissa N , Hirsch Annemarie G , Dean Lorraine , Pollak Jonathan , DeWalle Joseph , Moon Katherine , Reeder Meghann , Bandeen-Roche Karen , Schwartz Brian S 
Published: March 2024

BackgroundArea-level credit scores (the mean of credit scores for persons in a community) may be a unique indicator of community-level socioeconomic conditions associated with health outcomes. We analysed community credit scores (CCS) in association with new onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) across a geographically heterogeneous region of Pennsylvania and evaluated whether associations were independent of community socioeconomic deprivation (CSD), which is known to be related to T2D risk.MethodsIn a nested case–control study, we used medical records to identify 15 888 T2D cases from diabetes diagnoses, medication orders and laboratory test results and 79 435 diabetes-free controls frequency matched on age, sex and encounter year. CCS was derived from Equifax VantageScore V.1.0 data and categorised as ‘good’, ‘high fair’, ‘low fair’ and ‘poor’. Individuals were geocoded and assigned the CCS of their residential community. Logistic regression models adjusted for confounding variables and stratified by community type (townships (rural/suburban), boroughs (small towns) and city census tracts). Independent associations of CSD were assessed through models stratified by high/low CSD and high/low CCS.ResultsCompared with individuals in communities with ‘high fair’ CCS, those with ‘good’ CCS had lower T2D odds (42%, 24% and 12% lower odds in cities, boroughs and townships, respectively). Stratified models assessing independent effects of CCS and CSD showed mainly consistent associations, indicating each community-level measure was independently associated with T2D.ConclusionCCS may capture novel, health-salient aspects of community socioeconomic conditions, though questions remain regarding the mechanisms by which it influences T2D and how these differ from CSD.
Sensitivity prospects for lepton-trijet signals in the $$\nu $$SMEFT at the LHeC
Authors: Zapata Gabriel , Urruzola Tomás , Sampayo Oscar A. , Duarte Lucía 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe observation of neutrino oscillations and masses motivates the extension of the standard model with right-handed neutrinos, leading to heavy neutrino states possibly in the electroweak scale, which could be impacted by new high-scale weakly coupled physics. A systematic tool for studying these interactions is the neutrino-extended standard model effective field theory $$\nu $$
ν
SMEFT. In this work we study the prospects of the future LHeC electron-proton collider to discover or constrain the $$\nu $$
ν
SMEFT interactions, performing the first dedicated and realistic analysis of the well known lepton-trijet signals, for both the lepton flavor violating $$p ~ e^{-} \rightarrow \mu ^{-} + 3 \textrm{j}$$

p

e
-

→

μ
-

+
3
j

(LFV) and the lepton number violating $$p ~ e^{-} \rightarrow \mu ^{+} + 3 \textrm{j}$$

p

e
-

→

μ
+

+
3
j

(LNV) channels, for HNLs masses in the electroweak scale range: $$100 ~{\textrm{GeV}} \le m_N \le 500 ~{\textrm{GeV}}$$

100

GeV
≤

m
N

≤
500

GeV

. The obtained sensitivity prospects show that the LHeC with $$100 ~{\textrm{fb}}^{-1}$$

100

fb

-
1

luminosity could be able to probe the scenario of a heavy N and constrain the effective couplings to a region of the parameter space as tight as the bounds that are currently considered for the $$\mathcal {O}(10)$$

O
(
10
)

GeV scale masses, with effective couplings of $$\mathcal {O}(10^{-1})$$

O
(

10

-
1

)

for NP scale $$\Lambda =1 \,{\textrm{TeV}}$$

Λ
=
1

TeV

.
Solution for cosmological observables in the Starobinsky model of inflation
Authors: Germán Gabriel , Hidalgo Juan Carlos , Padilla Luis E. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis paper focuses on the Starobinsky model of inflation in the Einstein frame. We derive solutions for various cosmological observables, such as the scalar spectral index $$n_s$$

n
s

, the tensor-to-scalar ratio r and their runnings, as well as the number of e-folds of inflation, reheating, and radiation, with minimal assumptions. The impact of reheating on inflation is explored by constraining the equation of state parameter $$\omega _{re}$$

ω

re

at the end of reheating. An equation linking inflation with reheating is established, which is solved for the spectral index $$n_s$$

n
s

. Using consistency relations of the model, we determine the other observables while the number of e-folds during inflation $$N_k$$

N
k

, and the number of e-folds during reheating $$N_{re}$$

N

re

are determined by their respective formulas involving $$n_s$$

n
s

. We find remarkable agreement between the Starobinsky model and current measurements of the power spectrum of primordial curvature perturbations and the present bounds on the spectrum of primordial gravitational waves.