bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysis of cardiovascular risk factors for the viability of cornea donors: a case–control study
Authors: Montero-Salinas Alejandro , Martínez-Isasi Santiago , Fieira-Costa Eva , Suanzes-Hernández Jorge , Fernández-García Daniel , Gómez-Salgado Juan , Rendal-Vazquez Esther 
Published: December 2023

ObjectiveThe main objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of arterial hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking, alcoholism and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) on the viability of the extracted tissue as well as the donor.DesignObservational case–control study.SettingRegional hospital in Northern Spain.Participants1517 corneas were registered.InterventionsPatients’ medical history was reviewed after corneal donation and evaluation. Previous medical information (age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs)) and data related to the donor (type of donor), the corneal tissue and its evaluation, and the viability of the implant were collected.ResultsA total of 1517 corneas were registered and 81.5% of the donors presented at least one CVRF. In relation to the viability of the donor, it was observed that having suffered from COPD reduced the viability of the donor (no COPD: 93.8% vs COPD: 88%; OR=0.49; 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.84) while alcohol consumption increased it (drinker or ex-drinker: 95.8% vs non-drinker: 92.5%; OR=1.84; 95% CI: 1.01 to 3.33). Regarding tissue viability, decreased viability was observed in the presence of COPD (no COPD: 72.5% vs COPD: 64; OR=0.67; 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.96) and diabetes mellitus (no diabetes: 72.9% vs diabetes: 67.2%; OR=0.76; 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.99). As regards the viability of the implant, a total of 1039 corneas (68.9%) were suitable, observing decreased viability when suffering from COPD (no COPD: 69.8% vs COPD: 60.7%; OR=0.67; 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.94) and increased when having an active smoking habit (no habit: 65.3% vs habit: 74.1%; OR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.21 to 1.91).ConclusionsThrough this study, it can be concluded that in the absence of absolute exclusion criteria for donors, the assessment of how CVRF, alcoholism and COPD may affect the donor provides details about the quality of the tissue to be obtained.
Hypertension, socioeconomic status and depressive and anxiety disorders: a cross-sectional study of middle-aged and older Chinese women
Authors: Wang Xueyin , Gao Di , Wang Xu , Zhang Xiaosong , Song Bo 
Published: December 2023

ObjectivesTo investigate the association of hypertension with depressive and anxiety disorders in middle-aged and older Chinese women, and to further assess whether the association was influenced by socioeconomic status (SES).DesignNationwide cross-sectional study.SettingSix provinces of the eastern, central and western regions of China.ParticipantsWomen aged 40–70 years were included by a multistage stratified random cluster sampling in 2018 (N=9900).Primary outcome measuresDepressive and anxiety disorders were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, respectively. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the OR and 95% CI for hypertension and the odds of depressive and anxiety disorders.Results18.5% of participants reported having hypertension; 20.9% and 15.3% of women experienced depressive and anxiety disorders, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, women diagnosed with hypertension were more likely to have depressive (OR=1.27, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.45) and anxiety disorders (OR=1.48, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.71) than those without hypertension. Stratified analyses demonstrated that hypertension was significantly associated with higher odds of depressive disorders in women living in rural areas (OR=1.34, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.59), with lower levels of education (OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.46) and with average monthly household income <¥3000 (OR=1.33, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.59), while hypertension was significantly correlated with increased odds of anxiety disorders in women living in urban (OR=1.41, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.79) and rural areas (OR=1.53, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.84), with lower levels of education (OR=1.47, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.70), and with average monthly household income <¥3000 (OR=1.45, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.75) and ≥¥3000 (OR=1.49, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.86).ConclusionsHypertension was associated with increased odds of depressive and anxiety disorders among middle-aged and older women, especially in those with low SES. Effective strategies and actions for identification and management of hypertension and depressive and anxiety disorders are needed.
Delivering maternal and child health interventions through the private sector in LMIC: a scoping review of strategies and effective approaches
Authors: Awor Phyllis , Kinengyere Alison Annet 
Published: December 2023

Despite growing evidence on the role of private health providers, the global public health response to date has primarily focused on the provision of public sector health services for women and children in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Limitations of this approach are well documented and include shortage of human resources, inefficient institutional frameworks and inadequate quality especially in rural areas. In order to achieve universal health coverage, it is important to strengthen both the public and private sectors. The objective was to determine effective strategies for engagement with private health providers for maternal and child health in LMIC.A scoping review of both published and grey literature from 2000 to 2023 was undertaken, including papers reporting on either population-level data on the extent of utilisation of the private sector for maternal and child health services in more than one country; or interventions for service provision in the private sector using population-level results in one or more country; or both of the above. PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched, 362 full-text articles were reviewed and 43 studies were included in the synthesis. Aggregate results were extracted, and content analysis was used to identify engagement strategies/themes.The results confirm that the private sector is the dominant provider of outpatient care for women and children in LMIC, and a significant provider of reproductive and maternal health services including for inpatient care. Effective strategies and recommendations for engagement with private health providers are presented across challenges of private health provider engagement.
Supportive care and healthcare service utilisation in older adults with a new cancer diagnosis: a population-based review
Authors: Mariano Caroline , Willemsma Kaylie , Sattar Schroder , Haase Kristen , Bates Alan , Nunez John Jose 
Published: December 2023

ObjectivesOlder adults have unique needs and may benefit from additional supportive services through their cancer journey. It can be challenging for older adults to navigate the siloed systems within cancer centres and the community. We aimed to document the use of supportive care services in older adults with a new cancer diagnosis in a public healthcare system.MethodsWe used population-based databases in British Columbia to document referrals to supportive care services. Patients aged 70 years and above with a new diagnosis of solid tumour in the year 2015 were included. Supportive care services captured were social work, psychiatry, palliative care, nutrition and home care. Chart review was used to assess visits to the emergency room and extra calls to the cancer centre help line.Results2014 patients were included with a median age of 77, 30% had advanced cancer. 459 (22.8%) of patients accessed one or more services through the cancer centre. The most common service used was patient and family counselling (13%). 309 (15.3%) of patients used community home care services. Patients aged 80 years and above were less likely to access supportive care resources (OR 0.57) compared with those 70–79 years. Patients with advanced cancer, those treated at smaller cancer centres, and patients with colorectal, gynaecological and lung cancer were more likely to have received a supportive care referral.ConclusionsOlder adults, particularly those above 80 years, have low rates of supportive care service utilisation. Barriers to access must be explored, in addition to novel ways of holistic care delivery.
Dominantly Truthful Peer Prediction Mechanisms with a Finite Number of Tasks
Authors: Kong Yuqing 
Published: December 2023

1

In the setting where participants are asked multiple similar possibly subjective multi-choice questions (e.g., Do you like Panda Express? Y/N; Do you like Chick-fil-A? Y/N), a series of peer prediction mechanisms have been designed to incentivize honest reports and some of them achieve dominantly truthfulness: Truth-telling is a dominant strategy and strictly dominates other “non-permutation strategy” with some mild conditions. However, those mechanisms require the participants to perform an infinite number of tasks. When the participants perform a finite number of tasks, these mechanisms only achieve approximated dominant truthfulness. The existence of a dominantly truthful multi-task peer prediction mechanism that only requires a finite number of tasks remains to be an open question that may have a negative result, even with full prior knowledge.

This article answers this open question by proposing a family of mechanisms, VMI-Mechanisms, that are dominantly truthful with a finite number of tasks. A special case of this family, DMI-Mechanism, only requires ≥ 2
C
tasks where
C
is the number of choices for each question (
C
=2 for binary-choice questions). The implementation of these mechanisms does not require any prior knowledge (detail-free) and only requires ≥ 2 participants. To the best of our knowledge, any mechanism of the family is the first dominantly truthful peer prediction mechanism that works for a finite number of tasks.

The core of these new mechanisms is a new family of information-monotone information measures: volume mutual information (VMI). VMI is based on a simple geometric information measure design method, the volume method. The volume method measures the informativeness of an object by “counting” the number of objects that are less informative than it. In other words, the more objects that the object of interest dominates, the more informative it is considered to be.
Finally, in the setting where agents need to invest efforts to obtain their private signals, we show how to select the mechanism to optimally incentivize efforts among a proper set of VMI-Mechanisms.
A Systematic Literature Review on Hardware Reliability Assessment Methods for Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Ahmadilivani Mohammad Hasan , Taheri Mahdi , Raik Jaan , Daneshtalab Masoud , Jenihhin Maksim 
Published: December 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and, in particular, Machine Learning (ML), have emerged to be utilized in various applications due to their capability to learn how to solve complex problems. Over the past decade, rapid advances in ML have presented Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) consisting of a large number of neurons and layers. DNN Hardware Accelerators (DHAs) are leveraged to deploy DNNs in the target applications. Safety-critical applications, where hardware faults/errors would result in catastrophic consequences, also benefit from DHAs. Therefore, the reliability of DNNs is an essential subject of research.
In recent years, several studies have been published accordingly to assess the reliability of DNNs. In this regard, various reliability assessment methods have been proposed on a variety of platforms and applications. Hence, there is a need to summarize the state-of-the-art to identify the gaps in the study of the reliability of DNNs. In this work, we conduct a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the reliability assessment methods of DNNs to collect relevant research works as much as possible, present a categorization of them, and address the open challenges.
Through this SLR, three kinds of methods for reliability assessment of DNNs are identified, including Fault Injection (FI), Analytical, and Hybrid methods. Since the majority of works assess the DNN reliability by FI, we characterize different approaches and platforms of the FI method comprehensively. Moreover, Analytical and Hybrid methods are propounded. Thus, different reliability assessment methods for DNNs have been elaborated on their conducted DNN platforms and reliability evaluation metrics. Finally, we highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the identified methods and address the open challenges in the research area. We have concluded that Analytical and Hybrid methods are light-weight yet sufficiently accurate and have the potential to be extended in future research and to be utilized in establishing novel DNN reliability assessment frameworks.
Impact of Transjugular Intracardiac Echocardiography-Guided Self-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation on Reduction of Conduction Disturbances
Authors: Ishizu Kenichi , Shirai Shinichi , Miyawaki Norihisa , Nakano Kenji , Fukushima Tadatomo , Ko Euihong , Tsuru Yasuo , Tashiro Hiroaki , Tabata Hiroyuki , Nakamura Miho , Morofuji Toru , Morinaga Takashi , Hayashi Masaomi , Isotani Akihiro , Ohno Nobuhisa , Kakumoto Shinichi , Ando Kenji 
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND:
A high permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) risk remains a concern of self-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation, despite the continued improvements in implantation methodology. We aimed to assess the impact of real-time direct visualization of the membranous septum using transjugular intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) during transcatheter aortic valve implantation on reducing the rates of conduction disturbances including the need for PPI.

METHODS:
Consecutive patients treated with Evolut R and Evolut PRO/PRO+ from February 2017 to September 2022 were included in this study. We compared outcomes between the conventional implantation method using the 3-cusps view (3 cusps without ICE group), the recent method using cusp-overlap view (cusp overlap without ICE group), and our novel method using ICE (cusp overlap with ICE group).

RESULTS:

Of the 446 patients eligible for analysis, 211 (47.3%) were categorized as the 3 cusps without ICE group, 129 (28.9%) were in the cusp overlap without ICE group, and 106 (23.8%) comprised the cusp overlap with ICE group. Compared with the 3 cusps without ICE group, the cusp overlap without ICE group had a smaller implantation depth (2.2 [interquartile range, 1.0–3.5] mm versus 4.3 [interquartile range, 3.3–5.4] mm;
P
<0.001) and lower 30-day PPI rates (7.0% versus 14.2%;
P
=0.035). Compared with the cusp overlap without ICE group, the cusp overlap with ICE group had lower 30-day PPI rates (0.9%;
P
=0.014), albeit with comparable implantation depths (1.9 [interquartile range, 0.9–2.9] mm;
P
=0.150). Multivariable analysis showed that our novel method using ICE with the cusp-overlap view was independently associated with a 30-day PPI rate reduction. There were no group differences in 30-day all-cause mortality (1.4% versus 1.6% versus 0%;
P
=0.608).

CONCLUSIONS:
Our novel implantation method using transjugular ICE, which enable real-time direct visualization of the membranous septum, achieved a predictably high position of prostheses, resulting in a substantial reduction of conduction disturbances requiring PPI after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
Sex-Specific Risk Factors of Nonstenotic Carotid Plaque in Embolic Stroke of Unknown Source: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Jochmann Svenja L. , Sievering Esther M.W. , Ernst Johanna , Ringlstetter Rieke , Grosshennig Anika , Weissenborn Karin , Grosse Gerrit M. 
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND:
Many ischemic strokes are diagnosed as embolic strokes of undetermined source (ESUS). Recent evidence suggests that nonstenotic carotid plaque (nsCP) may be a substantial contributor to the risk for ESUS. We aimed to investigate the risk factor profile associated with nsCP in ESUS and defined stroke etiologies.

METHODS:
In this retrospective case-control study, we investigated consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke due to ESUS, small-vessel disease, or cardioembolism proven by magnetic resonance imaging. The association of vascular risk factors age, arterial hypertension, diabetes, dyslipoproteinemia, body mass index, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, kidney failure, and history of stroke with the presence of nsCP was investigated using binary logistic regression analysis and further stratified by stroke etiology and sex.

RESULTS:
In total, 609 patients (median age, 76 years; 46% women) who were treated from 2018 to 2020 were considered. In patients with ESUS, sex played a more important role for the prevalence of nsCP than in defined etiologies. Female patients with ESUS had lower odds of exhibiting nsCP compared with male patients with ESUS (adjusted odds ratio, 0.36 [95% CI, 0.15–0.86]). In male patients with ESUS, we observed that age (adjusted odds ratio per 10-year increase, 2.55 [95% CI, 1.26–5.17]) and hypertension (adjusted odds ratio, 2.49 [95% CI, 0.56–11.1]) were the main risk factors for nsCP, whereas in female patients with ESUS also tobacco use was particularly relevant (adjusted odds ratio, 3.71 [95% CI, 0.61–22.5]). These results were in line with a sensitivity analysis in nsCP located ipsilateral to the infarct.

CONCLUSIONS:
Sex differences play an important role in nsCP prevalence in patients with ESUS. These findings may have important implications for the management in targeted secondary prevention following ESUS.
Safety and Efficacy of Reteplase Versus Alteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Phase 2 Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Li Shuya , Wang Xuechun , Jin Aoming , Liu Gaifen , Gu Hongqiu , Li Hao , Campbell Bruce C.V. , Fisher Marc , Yang Yi , Wei Yan , Wang Junhai , Wang Yilong , Zhao Xingquan , Liu Liping , Li Zixiao , Meng Xia , Wang Yongjun 
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND:
Reteplase is a more affordable new-generation thrombolytic with a prolonged half-life. We aimed to determine the safety dose range of reteplase for patients with acute ischemic stroke within 4.5 hours of onset.

METHODS:
This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled, open-label, blinded-end point phase 2 clinical trial. Patients with acute ischemic stroke aged between 18 and 80 years who were eligible for standard intravenous thrombolysis were enrolled from 17 centers in China and randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive intravenous reteplase 12+12 mg, intravenous reteplase 18+18 mg, or intravenous alteplase 0.9 mg/kg. The primary safety outcome was symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SITS definition) within 36 hours. The primary efficacy outcome was the proportion of patients with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of no more than 1 or a decrease of at least 4 points from the baseline at 14 days after thrombolysis.

RESULTS:

Between August 2019 and May 2021, 180 patients were randomly assigned to reteplase 12+12 mg (n=61), reteplase 18+18 mg (n=67), or alteplase (n=52). Four patients did not receive the study agent. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 3 of 60 (5.0%) in the reteplase 12+12 mg group, 1 of 66 (1.5%) in the reteplase 18+18 mg group, and 1 of 50 (2.0%) in the alteplase group (
P
=0.53). The primary efficacy outcome in the modified intention-to-treat population occurred in 45 of 60 (75.0%) in the reteplase 12+12 mg group (odds ratio, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.35–2.06]), 48 of 66 (72.7%) in the reteplase 18+18 mg group (odds ratio, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.32–1.78]), and 39 of 50 (78.0%) in alteplase group.

CONCLUSIONS:
Reteplase was well tolerated in patients with acute ischemic stroke within 4.5 hours of onset in China with a similar efficacy profile to alteplase. The efficacy and appropriate dosage of reteplase for patients with acute ischemic stroke need prospective validation.

REGISTRATION:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT04028518.
Trading Behaviour Exhibited by Institutional Investors During Calm and Volatile Periods in the Indian Scenario
Authors: Singh Amit Kumar , Shrivastav Rohit Kumar , Jain Srishti 
Published: December 2023

The stock market is the reflection of the trading pattern of various investors. The present study attempts to examine the trading behaviour followed by foreign institutional investors, domestic institutional investors and mutual funds during 2010–2020 in the Indian stock market. The whole time period is divided into two subperiods using the chow breakpoint test. Two vector autoregression framework models accompanied with impulse response function and variance decomposition analysis are employed in both the subperiods, namely calm period and volatile period. It is found that the institutional investors do not pay heed to the market returns in the calm period, while the interdependency among the institutional investors increases in the volatile period. The structural break enhances the forecasting accuracy of the model significantly. This study will help the government to understand the impact of calm period and volatile period on the trading behaviours of the institutional investors and thereby their sentiments in the Indian stock market. JEL Codes: G1, G23
Imagining Contagion: Epidemic, Prisons, and Franco Spain's Politics of Space, 1936–1945
Authors: Richards Michael 
Published: December 2023

Recent accounting for disease in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War has been contained within study of hunger in the early 1940s. Historians have cited the typhus epidemic which hit Spain between 1939 and 1945 as demonstrating a causal link between widespread semi-starvation and disease. Though important, the focus on hunger risks losing sight of other vital elements in the onset and transmission of typhus, however, as well as the way the epidemic's progress sheds light on population movement as central to the broader social history of the war and its aftermath. By paying close attention to epidemiological records, this article argues that the direct causes of typhus and its vertiginous spread were primarily ideological and spatial. It shows first how the war's victors used the language of political and bacterial contagion to claim spuriously that the wartime Republic was responsible for the epidemic. It then demonstrates how the intense confinement on a huge scale of those linked to the Republic was at the root of the disease. Transmission depended on this mass imprisonment and on the increased circulation of families to support those in captivity. Finally, typhus influenced the social imagination of the Franco regime and its anxiety about hygiene, prisons, and control of the movement of the urban poor.