bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing the impact of Australia’s mass vaccination campaigns over the Delta and Omicron outbreaks
Authors: Lin Lixin , Demirhan Haydar , P. Johnstone-Robertson Simon , Lal Rajiv , M. Trauer James , Stone Lewi 
Published: April 2024

Background
The Australian Government implemented a national vaccination campaign against COVID-19 beginning February 22, 2021. The roll-out was criticised for being delayed relative to many high-income countries, but high levels of vaccination coverage were belatedly achieved. The large-scale Omicron outbreak in January 2022 resulted in a massive number of cases and deaths, although mortality would have been far higher if not for vigorous efforts to rapidly vaccinate the entire population. The impact of the vaccination coverage was assessed over this extended period.

Methods
We considered NSW, as the Australian jurisdiction with the highest quality data for our purposes and which still reflected the national experience. Weekly death rates were derived among individuals aged 50+ with respect to vaccine status between August 8, 2021 and July 9, 2022. We evaluated deaths averted by the vaccination campaign by modelling alternative counterfactual scenarios based on a simple data-driven modelling methodology presented by Jia et al. (2023).

Findings
Unvaccinated individuals had a 7.7-fold greater mortality rate than those who were fully vaccinated among people aged 50+, which rose to 11.2-fold in those who had received a booster dose. If NSW had fully vaccinated its ~2.9 million 50+ residents earlier (by July 28, 2021), only 440 of the total 3,495 observed 50+ deaths would have been averted. Up to July 9, 2022, the booster campaign prevented 1,860 deaths. In the absence of a vaccination campaign, ~21,250 COVID-19 50+ deaths (conservative estimate) could have been expected in NSW i.e., some 6 times the actual total. We also find the methodology of Jia et al. (2023) can sometimes significantly underestimate that actual number.

Interpretation
The Australian vaccination campaign was successful in reducing mortality over 2022, relative to alternative hypothetical vaccination scenarios. The success was attributable to the Australian public’s high levels of engagement with vaccination in the face of new SARS-COV-2 variants, and because high levels of vaccination coverage (full and booster) were achieved in the period shortly before the major Omicron outbreak of 2022.
Assessing geographical variation in ovulatory cycle knowledge among women of reproductive age in Sierra Leone: Analysis of the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey
Authors: Ameyaw Edward Kwabena , Woytowich Daniel , Gbagbo Fred Yao , Amoah Padmore Adusei 
Published: April 2024

Background
Sierra Leone has poor indicators of reproductive health and a high prevalence of unintended pregnancies. To date, no study has explored determinants of ovulatory cycle knowledge in Sierra Leone. We investigated geographic region to determine where the needs for improved ovulatory cycle knowledge are greatest in Sierra Leone.

Methods
This is a cross-sectional study of women of reproductive age (n = 15,574) based on the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey. Geographic region and sociodemographic covariates were included in a multivariate logistic regression model predicting the odds that participants possessed accurate knowledge of when in the ovulatory cycle pregnancy initiation is most likely.

Results
In Sierra Leone, 39.8% (CI = 37.4–40.9) of 15-49-year-old women had accurate knowledge of the ovulatory cycle. Women in the Northern and Southern regions possessed the highest prevalence of correct knowledge (46.7%, CI = 43.1–50.3 and 45.1%, CI = 41.9–48.2, respectively). Women from the Northwestern (AOR = 0.29, CI = 0.22–0.38), Eastern (AOR = 0.55, CI = 0.41–0.72), and Western regions (AOR = 0.63, CI = 0.50–0.80) had significantly lower odds of accurate ovulatory cycle knowledge compared to others. Women aged 15–19, those with a primary school education, and participants with a parity of none all had the lowest odds of correct ovulatory cycle knowledge as well.

Conclusion
Less than four in ten women in Sierra Leone had accurate knowledge of when in the ovulatory cycle pregnancy is most likely to occur. This suggests that family planning outreach programs should include education on the ovulatory cycle and the importance of understanding the implications of its timing. This can reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies throughout Sierra Leone, and can have an especially positive impact in the Northwestern, Eastern, and Western regions, where ovulatory cycle knowledge was significantly lower.
Social context of contraceptive use transition among sexually active women in Zambia (1992–2018): A decomposition analysis
Authors: Phiri Million , Odimegwu Clifford , Adewoyin Yemi 
Published: April 2024

Background
Contraception is an important public health initiative for addressing maternal health outcomes associated with unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths. Although contraceptive use has been on the rise globally, the observed increases in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are sub-optimal and vary among countries. In Zambia, drivers of contraceptive use transition are not well documented. Thus, this study examined the drivers of contraceptive use change among sexually active women in Zambia between 1992 and 2018.

Methods
Data came from the six Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1992 and 2018. A sample of 44,762 fecund sexually active women aged 15–49 years was analysed using multivariable Blinder Oaxaca decomposition regression analysis. Analysis took into account the complex survey design. Results were presented using adjusted coefficients, their 95% confidence intervals, and percentages.

Results
The prevalence of contraceptive use among sexually active women increased significantly by 30.8 percentage points from 14.2% (95% CI: 12.8, 15.6) to 45.0% (95% CI: 43.6, 46.4) during the period 1992 to 2018. The major share of the increase happened during the period 1992–1996 (10.2%) while the least increase occurred between 2013 and 2018 (0.2%). Overall, about 15% of the increase in the prevalence of contraceptive use was attributable to changes in the compositional characteristics of women. On the other hand, 85% of the increase was due to change in contraceptive behaviour of sexually active women. Changes in women’s compositional characteristics such as secondary education (5.84%), fertility preference (5.63%), number of living children (3.30%) and experience of child mortality (7.68%) were associated with the increase in contraceptive use prevalence.

Conclusion
Change in contraceptive behaviour of sexually active women contributed largely to the observed increase in contraceptive use prevalence in Zambia. Increase in the proportion of women attaining secondary education, decrease in the percentage of women who want large families and improvement in child survival were the major compositional factors driving the rise in contraceptive use. The findings imply that increasing investment in education sector and enhancing existing family planning programmes has the potential to further improve contraceptive use prevalence in Zambia.
Perioperative outcomes and causes of postpartum hemorrhage in patients undergoing cesarean delivery in Thailand: A comprehensive retrospective study
Authors: Nivatpumin Patchareya , Nithi-Uthai Jitsupa , Lertbunnaphong Tripop , Sukcharoen Nattapon , Soponsiripakdee Thanyarat , Yonphan Pawana 
Published: April 2024

Background
This study aimed to identify the characteristics, causes, perioperative anesthetic, and obstetric outcomes of patients experiencing postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) after cesarean delivery.

Methods
We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent cesarean delivery at the largest university hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, during a 5-year period (January 1, 2016–December 31, 2020). PPH was defined as an estimated blood loss (EBL) of ≥ 1000 ml within 24 hours postpartum.

Results
Of 17 187 cesarean deliveries during the study period, 649 patients were included for analysis. The mean EBL was 1774.3 ± 1564.4 ml (range: 1000–26 000 ml). Among the patients, 166 (25.6%) experienced massive PPH (blood loss > 2000 ml). Intraoperative blood transfusions were necessary for 264 patients (40.7%), while 504 individuals (77.7%) needed intraoperative vasopressors. The analysis revealed uterine atony as the leading cause of PPH in 62.7% (n = 407) of the patients, with abnormal placentation following at 29.3% (n = 190). Abnormal placentation was associated with a significantly higher mean EBL of 2345.0 ± 2303.9 ml compared to uterine atony, which had a mean EBL of 1504.0 ± 820.7 ml (P < 0.001). Abnormal placentation also significantly increased the likelihood of blood transfusions and hysterectomies (P < 0.001 for both) and led to more intensive care unit admissions (P = 0.032). The risk of EBL exceeding 2000 ml was markedly higher in patients with abnormal placentation (odds ratio [OR] 5.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.45–7.57, P < 0.001) and in cases involving trauma to the internal organs (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.16–4.71, P = 0.018) than in patients with uterine atony. The study documented three instances of perioperative cardiac arrest, one of which was fatal.

Conclusions
These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive perioperative management strategies, including the ready availability of adequate blood and blood products, particularly in scenarios predisposed to significant hemorrhage.

Trial registration
Clinical trial registration: Clinicaltrial.gov registration number NCT04833556 (April 6, 2021).
The internal and marginal adaptation of lithium disilicate endocrowns fabricated using intra and extraoral scanners: An in-vitro study
Authors: Akhlaghian Marzieh , Khaledi Amir-Alireza , Mosaddad Seyed Ali , Dabiri Sana , Giti Rashin , Kadkhodae Farhad , Gholami Shabnam 
Published: April 2024

Objectives
The impression technique highly influences the adaptation of ceramic restorations. Not enough information is available to compare the marginal (MF) and internal fit (IF) of endocrowns fabricated with various digitization techniques. Therefore, this in-vitro study aimed to compare the MF and IF of lithium disilicate (LDS) endocrowns fabricated through direct and indirect digital scanning methods.

Materials and methods
One extracted maxillary molar was used to fabricate endocrowns. The digitization of the model was performed with (G1) direct scanning (n = 10) utilizing an intraoral scanner (IOS), (G2) indirectly scanning the conventional impression taken from the model using the same IOS (n = 10), (G3) indirectly digitalizing the obtained impression using an extraoral scanner (EOS) (n = 10), and (G4) scanning the poured cast using the same EOS (n = 10). The MF and IF of the endocrowns were measured using the replica method and a digital stereomicroscope. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze data.

Results
The studied groups differed significantly (p<0.001). G2 (130.31±7.87 μm) and G3 (48.43±19.14 μm) showed the largest and smallest mean vertical marginal gap, respectively. G2 and G3 led to the highest and lowest internal gaps in all regions, respectively. With significant differences among the internal regions (p<0.001), the pulpal area demonstrated the most considerable misfit in all groups.

Conclusions
Scanning the impression using an extraoral scanner showed smaller marginal and internal gaps.
Immune response kinetics to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination among nursing home residents—Georgia, October 2020–July 2022
Authors: Chisty Zeshan A. , Li Deana D. , Haile Melia , Houston Hollis , DaSilva Juliana , Overton Rahsaan , Schuh Amy J. , Haynie Jenn , Clemente Jacob , Branch Alicia G. , Arons Melissa M. , Tsang Clarisse A. , Pellegrini Gerald J. , Bugrysheva Julia , Ilutsik Justina , Mohelsky Romy , Comer Patricia , Hundia Solomon B. , Oh Hyungseok , Stuckey Matthew J. , Bohannon Caitlin D. , Rasheed Mohammed Ata Ur , Epperson Monica , Thornburg Natalie J. , McDonald L. Clifford , Brown Allison C. , Kutty Preeta K. 
Published: April 2024

Background
Understanding the immune response kinetics to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination is important in nursing home (NH) residents, a high-risk population.

Methods
An observational longitudinal evaluation of 37 consenting vaccinated NH residents with/without SARS-CoV-2 infection from October 2020 to July 2022 was conducted to characterize the immune response to spike protein due to infection and/or mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Antibodies (IgG) to SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike, nucleocapsid, and receptor binding domain protein antigens were measured, and surrogate virus neutralization capacity was assessed using Meso Scale Discovery immunoassays. The participant’s spike exposure status varied depending on the acquisition of infection or receipt of a vaccine dose. Longitudinal linear mixed effects modeling was used to describe trajectories based on the participant’s last infection or vaccination; the primary series mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was considered two spike exposures. Mean antibody titer values from participants who developed an infection post receipt of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine were compared with those who did not. In a subset of participants (n = 15), memory B cell (MBC) S-specific IgG (%S IgG) responses were assessed using an ELISPOT assay.

Results
The median age of the 37 participants at enrollment was 70.5 years; 30 (81%) had prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 76% received Pfizer-BioNTech and 24% Moderna homologous vaccines. After an observed augmented effect with each spike exposure, a decline in the immune response, including %S IgG MBCs, was observed over time; the percent decline decreased with increasing spike exposures. Participants who developed an infection at least two weeks post-receipt of a vaccine were observed to have lower humoral antibody levels than those who did not develop an infection post-receipt.

Conclusions
These findings suggest that understanding the durability of immune responses in this vulnerable NH population can help inform public health policy regarding the timing of booster vaccinations as new variants display immune escape.
Guided self-help treatment for children and young people with threshold and subthreshold eating disorders: A pilot study protocol
Authors: Davey Emily , Bryant-Waugh Rachel , Bennett Sophie , Micali Nadia , Baudinet Julian , Clark-Stone Sam , Shafran Roz 
Published: April 2024

Background
Prompt access to evidence-based treatment for children and young people with eating disorders is important for outcomes, yet the gap in service provision remains pervasive. Record levels of young people are waiting for eating disorder treatment and access to care is limited. Guided self-help interventions that are brief and require minimal clinician support have the potential to meet the unprecedented demand for treatment quickly and effectively.

Objective
To examine the feasibility, acceptability and proof of concept of a novel, CBT guided self-help intervention for children and young people with threshold and subthreshold eating disorders.

Methods
A single-arm, proof-of-concept pilot study of the CBT guided self-help intervention will be conducted. Children and young people (aged 11–19) with threshold and subthreshold eating disorders will receive a self-help intervention covering the core components of CBT, supported by 8 weekly guidance sessions delivered remotely. Clinical outcomes (eating-related psychopathology and associated impairment, changes in weight, depression, anxiety, and behavioural difficulties) will be assessed at baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks). Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be measured using various outcomes, including adherence to, and engagement with the intervention, rates of recruitment and retention, measure completion and treatment satisfaction. Qualitative data will also be collected for future intervention refinement.

Discussion
If the intervention is shown to produce clinical benefits in this pilot study, a fully powered randomised pilot study will be warranted with the ultimate goal of increasing access to psychological treatment for children and young people threshold and subthreshold eating disorders.

Administrative information
This study protocol (S1 File) adheres to the guidelines outlined in the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist for trial protocols [1, 2] which can be found in S1 Checklist. The numbers in parentheses in this protocol correspond to the item numbers in the SPIRIT checklist. The order of items has been modified to group similar items.
SLC2A3 promotes tumor progression through lactic acid-promoted TGF-β signaling pathway in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Jiang Wei , Xu Sheng , Li Ping 
Published: April 2024

Backgrounds
Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant tumor of the head and neck, and its molecular mechanism remains to be explored.

Methods
By analyzing the OSCC data from the TCGA database, we found that SLC2A3 is highly expressed in OSCC patients. The expression level of SLC2A3 was verified by RT-PCR and western blotting in OSCC cell lines. The function of SLC2A3 in OSCC cell lines and Lactic acid in SLC2A3-knockdown OSCC cells were detected by colony formation, CCK8, transwell, and wound healing assays. The effect of SLC2A3 on tumor growth and metastasis was tested in vivo. GSEA and Western blot were used to analyze and validate tumor phenotypes and signaling pathway molecules.

Results
We analyzed OSCC datasets in the TCGA database and found that SLC2A3 had abnormally high expression and was associated with poor prognosis. We also found that oral squamous cell carcinoma cells had increased proliferation, migration, invasion, EMT phenotype, and glycolysis due to SLC2A3 overexpression. Conversely, SLC2A3 knockdown had the opposite effect. Our in vivo experiments confirmed that SLC2A3 overexpression promoted tumor growth and metastasis while knockdown inhibited it. We also observed that high SLC2A3 expression led to EMT and the activation of the TGF-β signaling pathway, while knockdown inhibited it. Interestingly, exogenous lactic acid restored the EMT, proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of oral cancer cells inhibited by knocking down SLC2A3.

Conclusions
Our study reveals that SLC2A3 expression was up-regulated in OSCC. SLC2A3 activates the TGF-β signaling pathway through lactic acid generated from glycolysis, thus regulating the biological behavior of OSCC.
Nursing Staff Presenteeism Scale: Development and psychometric test
Authors: Hung Shiao-Pei , Ming Jin-Lain , Chang Mei-Yu , Wang Chi , Jeng Chii 
Published: April 2024

Background and objectives
Nurses tend to exhibit higher rates of presenteeism compared to other professions. Presenteeism can cause the work performance of nurses to suffer, jeopardizing their own and their patients’ safety and leading to decreased quality of care and increased risks of errors. However, there is a lack of a validated assessment tool for presenteeism in Taiwan. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a Nursing Staff Presenteeism Scale (NSPS).

Methods
To develop questionnaire items, participants from three medical centers in Taiwan were recruited. Through convenience sampling, 500 nurses who met the selection criteria were recruited from November 1, 2022 to January 18, 2023. The scale was developed based on a systematic literature review, a previous study, and expert consultation, and 50 items were initially generated. After removing three items that lacked discriminative power, the reliability and validity of the remaining 47 items were evaluated. An exploratory factor analysis was used to establish the construct validity. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling for cross-validation were used to assess relationships of factors with items and the overall NSPS.

Results
The final scale consisted of 44 items assessed on a five-point Likert scale that loaded onto three different factors of physical or mental discomfort (18 items), work performance (15 items), and predisposing factors (11 items). These three factors were found to explain 63.14% of the cumulative variance. Cronbach’s alpha for the overall final scale was 0.953. The item-to-total correlation coefficients ranged 0.443 to 0.795.

Conclusions
The NSPS exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity. It can be applied to assess the level of presenteeism among clinical nurses and provide medical institutions with information regarding the causes of presenteeism, predisposing factors, and the impacts of presenteeism on their work performance to enhance the safety and quality of clinical care.
Analyzing lumbar vertebral shape and alignment in female patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis: Comparisons with spinal stenosis and risk factor exploration
Authors: Yoshihara Tomohito , Morimoto Tadatsugu , Tsukamoto Masatsugu , Toda Yu , Hirata Hirohito , Kobayashi Takaomi , Takashima Satoshi , Mawatari Masaaki 
Published: April 2024

Purpose
This study aimed to examine the vertebral body shape characteristics and spondylopelvic alignment in L4 degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) as well as the risk factors for the development of DS.

Methods
This cross-sectional study compared vertebral morphology and sagittal spinopelvic alignment in female patients with lumbar DS and lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). The degree of lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence (PI), cross-sectional area (CSA), and vertebral body height ratio (ha/hp) of the lumbar spine were compared using full-length spine radiographs and computed tomography in 60 females with DS and in 60 women with LSS.

Results
No significant differences in age or body mass index were observed between the two groups; however, the DS and LSS groups significantly differed in PI (mean, 58.9±10.8 vs. 47.2±11.6, P < 0.001), L4 CSA (mean, 1,166.2 m2 vs. 1,242.0 m2, P = 0.002) and ha/hp (mean, 1.134 vs. 1.007, P < 0.001). The L4 ha/hp was significantly higher in the DS group than in the LSS group. Additionally, LL values were negatively correlated with vertebral L5 CSA in the DS group (r = −0.28, P < 0.05). The LSS and DS groups demonstrated positive correlations between LL and L2, L3, and L4 ha/hp (r = 0.331, 0.267, and 0.317; P < 0.01, < 0.05, and < 0.05, respectively) and between LL and L4 and L5 ha/hp (r = 0.333, 0.331; P < 0.01, respectively). Multivariate regression analyses revealed that PI and ha/hp ratio may be independent predictors of DS development.

Conclusion
The DS group had significantly larger LL, PI, and L4 ha/hp and smaller L4 CSA than the LSS group. The lumbar vertebral body shape and sagittal spinopelvic alignment in females might be independent predictors of DS development.