bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Frailty syndrome and associated factors among patients with hypertension: A cross‐sectional study in Kumasi, Ghana
Authors: Sakyi Samuel A. , Tawiah Phyllis , Senu Ebenezer , Ampofo Ransford O. , Enimil Anthony K. , Amoani Benjamin , Anto Enoch O. , Opoku Stephen , Effah Alfred , Abban Elizabeth , Frimpong Joseph , Frimpong Emmaunel , Bannor Lydia Oppong , Kwayie Afia A. , Naturinda Emmanuel , Ansah Eugene A. , Baidoo Bright T. , Kodzo Kini E. , Ayisi‐Boateng Nana K. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackground and AimFrailty is a condition marked by accumulation of biological deficits and dysfunctions that come with aging and it is correlated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases, particularly hypertension. Hypertension continues to be a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases and premature death globally. However, there is dearth of literature in sub‐Saharan Africa on frailty syndrome among hypertensives on medication. This study evaluated frailty syndrome and its associated factors among Ghanaian hypertensives.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study recruited 303 patients with hypertension from the University Hospital, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Data on sociodemographic, lifestyle and clinical factors were collected using a well‐structured questionnaire. Medication adherence was measured using Adherence in Chronic Disease Scale, and frailty was assessed by Tilburg Frailty Indicator. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Version 26.0 and GraphPad prism 8.0. p‐value of < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval (CI) were considered statistically significant.ResultsThe prevalence of frailty was 59.7%. The proportion of high, medium and low medication adherence was 23.4%, 64.4% and 12.2%, respectively. Being ≥ 70years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 8.33, 95% CI [3.72–18.67], p < 0.0001), unmarried (aOR: 2.59, 95% CI [1.37–4.89], p = 0.0030), having confirmed hypertension complications (aOR: 3.21, 95% CI [1.36–7.53], p = 0.0080), medium (aOR: 1.99, 95% CI [1.05–3.82], p = 0.0360) and low antihypertensive drug adherence (aOR: 27.69, 95% CI [7.05–108.69], p < 0.0001) were independent predictors of increased odds of developing frailty syndrome.ConclusionApproximately 6 out of 10 Ghanaian adult patients with hypertension experience frailty syndrome. Hypertension complications, older age, being unmarried, and low antihypertensive drug adherence increased the chances of developing frailty syndrome. These should be considered in intervention programmes to prevent frailty among patients with hypertension.
Partial excisional tapering: Report of initial four cases of a novel modification of ureteroplasty for megaureter
Authors: Taguchi Motohiro , Kanematsu Akihiro , Yamamoto Shingo 
Published: October 2023

IntroductionWe report our initial experience with a novel ureteroplasty technique that combines the advantages of excisional tapering and folding.Methods and casesFollowing dissection of the megaureter, the distal ureteral end was transected at a point with an appropriate caliber to create a neo‐orifice, which was left intact. Only the proximally redundant part of the ureter was excised and closed over a 10F catheter, following which the ureter was anastomosed to the bladder with an indwelling ureteral stent. This procedure was performed in four pediatric patients. Case 1 involved a 6‐year‐old girl with continuous urinary incontinence due to ureteral ectopia in a duplex system. Cases 2 and 3 involved infants with refluxing megaureter. Case 4 involved a 9‐year‐old boy with a ureteral stone impacted in a megaureter. All four patients achieved successful outcomes without ureteral obstruction.ConclusionThis ureteroplasty technique is a promising alternative in specific patients.
QT Interval Prolongation and Torsades de Pointes Due to Erythromycin Lactobionate
Authors: Oberg Kristin C. , Bauman Jerry L. 
Published: October 2023

Study Objectives. To discern the frequency of torsades de pointes and QT prolongation in patients receiving intravenous erythromycin lactobionate; to examine the degree of QT prolongation and QT dispersion due to intravenous erythromycin in a typical clinical setting; and to identify any concurrent factors that might predispose patients to excessive QT prolongation or torsades de pointes while receiving intravenous erythromycin.Design. Retrospective cohort trial.Setting. A university teaching hospital.Patients. All inpatients who received intravenous erythromycin lactobionate during a 1‐year period.Measurements and Main Results. The records of 278 consecutive patients were analyzed, of whom 49 had 12‐lead electrocardiograms while receiving and not receiving erythromycin. The dosages of erythromycin ranged from 18–83 (42 pL 18) mg/kg/day. Of the 49 patients, the baseline QTc was 432 ± 39 msec, compared with 483 ± 62 msec during erythromycin therapy (p<0.01). In 30 of 49 patients with heart disease, the increase in QTc due to erythromycin was 15 ± 11%, compared with 8.6 ± 10% in the 19 patients without heart disease (p<0.05). The degree of QTc dispersion was 34 ± 16 msec at baseline, compared with 80 ± 35 msec with erythromycin (p<0.01). Overall, 19 (39%) of 49 patients had a moderate to severe delay in ventricular repolarization (QTc ≥ 500 msec). Of the 278 patients prescribed intravenous erythromycin over the year, it caused torsades de pointes in just one (≤ 0.4%).Conclusion. Erythromycin lactobionate‐induced torsades de pointes is rare, although QT prolongation is common. Some patients may be at risk for suffering torsades de pointes due to this agent, particularly if heart disease or other factors that may further delay ventricular repolarization are present.
Therapeutic Equivalence of a Generic Slow‐Release Theophylline Tablet
Authors: Hendeles Leslie , Breton Amalia L. , Beaty Russell , Harman Eloise 
Published: October 2023

Study Objective. To evaluate the relative bioavailability and clinical efficacy of two slow‐release theophylline products.Design. Randomized, double‐blind, crossover trial.Setting. A university‐affiliated clinical research center.Patients. Fourteen adults with asthma.Interventions. The patients received a generic slow‐release theophylline tablet or Theo‐Dur at bedtime for 5 nights.Measurements and Main Results. Serum drug concentrations were measured after the last dose. Attenuation of exercise‐induced bronchospasm (EIB) was included as a surrogate for efficacy. There was no significant difference in extent of absorption. The mean differences between the generic product and Theo‐Dur in area under the curve was −13.9 μg/ml‐hr−1 (95% CI −41 to 12.9, p=0.3) and in peak concentration (Cmax), −0.5 μg/ml (95% CI −1.7 to 2.7, p=0.6). In contrast, the generic product was absorbed more rapidly; the mean differences in the time to peak concentration (Tmax) was −3.0 hours (95% CI −4.3 to −1.7, p=0.0003), in trough concentration (Cmin), −0.9 μg/ml (95% CI −1.9 to −0.01, p=0.05), and in fluctuation between Cmax and Cmm, +128% (95% CI 40 to 217, p=0.008). Neither product effectively attenuated EIB, since mean serum concentrations during the exercise challenges were unexpectedly below 10 μg/ml after both products.Conclusion. These two products are not bioequivalent, but the difference in absorption rates is unlikely to be clinically important in most patients (i.e., they are therapeutic equivalents).
Effect of Erythromycin on Ethanol's Pharmacokinetics and Perception of Intoxication
Authors: Min David I. , Noormohamed Saleem E. , Flanigan Michael J. 
Published: October 2023

Study Objective. To determine the effect of erythromycin on ethanol's pharmacokinetics and perception of intoxication.Design. Double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover study.Setting. A clinical research center.Participants. Ten healthy volunteers.Interventions. Erythromycin base 500 mg or identical placebo was administered 3 times/day for 7 days. On day 8, ethanol 0.8 g/kg was administered by mouth concurrently with erythromycin or placebo. A 2‐week washout period was allowed between each treatment arm.Measurements and Main Results. Twelve blood samples were obtained over a 12‐hour period to determine ethanol concentrations. Perception of intoxication was determined at each time point using a 10‐cm visual analog scale. Ethanol concentrations were determined using a gas chromatographic method. Mean ± SD ethanol pharmacokinetics for erythromycin versus placebo were time to peak ethanol plasma concentrations 1.1 ± 0.4 hours versus 1.3 ± 0.3 hours, peak ethanol concentrations 118 ± 18 mg/dl versus 114 ± 27 mg/dl, ethanol oral clearance (CL/F) 2.9 ± 0.8 ml/min/kg versus 3.4 ± 2.2 ml/min/kg, and area under the curve 481 ± 104 mg·hour/dl versus 465 ± 132 mg·hour/dl (p>0.05). The blood ethanol concentrations and perception of intoxication scores on a visual analog scale were well correlated (r2=0.78, p<0.01). Mean ± SD areas under the effect versus time curve were 35.1 ± 20.7 cm/hour and 31.5 ± 18.2 cm/hour for erythromycin and placebo, respectively (p>0.05).Conclusion. Oral erythromycin base 1500 mg/day compared with placebo does not alter ethanol's pharmacokinetics or perception of intoxication in healthy volunteers.
The impact of gestational diabetes on the development of fetal frontal lobe: A case–control study from a tertiary center
Authors: Sahin Refaettin , Tanacan Atakan , Serbetci Hakki , Agaoglu Zahid , Haksever Murat , Ozkavak Osman Onur , Karagoz Busra , Kara Ozgur , Sahin Dilek 
Published: October 2023

AbstractPurposeTo determine the effects of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on fetal frontal lobe development.MethodsThis study was conducted prospectively between May 2023 and August 2023 in Ankara City Hospital perinatology clinic. Maternal age, maternal body mass index (BMI), gestational week (GW), biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), estimated fetal weight (EFW), frontal antero‐posterior diameter (FAPD), occipito‐frontal diameter (OFD), FAPD/OFD ratio, and FAPD/HC ratio, were compared between GDM (n = 40) and low risk controls (n = 56).ResultsThe mean maternal age was found higher in the GDM group compared to control group (p = 0.002). Maternal BMI was significantly higher in the GDM group than the control group (p = 0.01). Abdominal circumference (AC) was significantly higher in the GDM group compared to control group (p = 0.04). EFW was significantly higher in the GDM group compared to control group (p = 0.04). FAPD/OFD ratio was found to be higher in the GDM group than in the control group (p = 0.001). Among GDM patients, no statistically significant difference was found in the ultrasound measurements between the groups receiving insulin treatment and those without treatment. According to the correlation analysis results a moderate, positive, and statistically significant correlation was present between FAPD/OFD and GDM. In perinatal outcomes, the rate of neonatal intensive care unit admission was significantly higher in the GDM group.DiscussionFetal frontal lobe development seems to be affected by GDM.
Understanding type and quality of relationships between individuals with chromosome 18 syndromes and their siblings
Authors: Larson Catherine Cody , O'Donnell Louise , Soileau Bridgette , Van Riper Marcia , Stark Debra , Hale Daniel E. , Cody Jannine D. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractSiblings of individuals with disabilities hold a pivotal and sometimes unappreciated position in the lives of their brother or sister. We sought to understand the unique challenges and opportunities in relationships between children with chromosome 18 conditions and their siblings and to identify the ways to support this relationship. Participants were recruited through the lay advocacy organization, the Chromosome 18 Registry & Research Society. Fifty‐seven siblings from 36 families participated, using an investigator designed instrument, were asked to agree or disagreed with statements from four content areas (information and knowledge about the syndrome, feelings about the sibling relationship, involvement with and caregiving for their sibling, and support and advocacy). Siblings reported that they know their sibling with a disability very well and reported a wide range of emotions regarding their sibling. There was a strong sense of pride in their brother/sister's abilities, and many participants reported attempts to help others understand their brother/sister. Many siblings reported a dislike for the common assumption that their affected sibling is a burden on the family. Most participants reported feeling some degree of responsibility for their affected sibling, but many also reported that they enjoy this role. Sixty‐three parents from 36 families responded to the survey. Most parents felt their typically developing children enjoyed teaching new things to their affected child as well as being a good role model for them. Most parents also felt their typically developing child was comfortable telling others about their sibling's condition. Recommendations for interventions and future research are discussed.
Elusive properties of infinite graphs
Authors: Csernák Tamás , Soukup Lajos 
Published: October 2023

AbstractA graph property is said to be elusive (or evasive) if every algorithm testing this property by asking questions of the form “is there an edge between vertices and ?” requires, in the worst case, to ask about all pairs of vertices. The unsettled Aanderaa–Karp–Rosenberg conjecture is that every nontrivial monotone graph property is elusive for any finite vertex set. We show that the situation is completely different for infinite vertex sets: the monotone graph properties “every vertex has degree at least ” and “every connected component has size at least ,” where and are natural numbers, are not elusive for infinite vertex sets, but the monotone graph property “the graph contains a cycle” is elusive for arbitrary vertex set. On the other hand, we also prove that every algorithm testing some natural monotone graph properties, for example, “every vertex has degree at least ” or “connected” on the vertex set should check “lots of edges,” more precisely, all the edges of an infinite complete subgraph.
Reappraisal of surgical and survival outcomes of 500 consecutive cases of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Shyr Bor‐Shiuan , Shyr Yi‐Ming , Chen Shih‐Chin , Wang Shin‐E , Shyr Bor‐Uei 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe role of the robotic approach for pancreaticoduodenectomy has not been well established with robust data. This study aimed to reappraise feasibility and justification of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) over time.MethodsA total of 500 patients undergoing RPD were enrolled and divided into early (first 250 patients) and late (last 250 patients) groups for a comparative study.ResultsThe conversion rate was 8.8% overall and was significantly lower in the late group (5.6% vs. 12.0%; p = .012). The overall median intraoperative blood loss was 130 mL. Radicality of resection was similar between early and late groups. The overall surgical mortality after RPD was 1.3%. The overall surgical morbidity and major complication was 44.1% and 13.2%, respectively, and similar between early and late groups. Chyle leakage was the most common complication after RPD (25.0%), followed by postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). The POPF rate was 8.6% overall, with 5.9% in the early group and 11.0% in the late group, p = .051. The overall delayed gastric emptying rate was 3.5%. The late group had better survival outcomes than those of the early group after RPD for ampullary adenocarcinoma (p = .027) but not for pancreatic head adenocarcinoma.ConclusionsReappraisal of this study has confirmed that RPD is not only technically feasible without increasing surgical risks but also oncologically justified without compromising survival outcomes for both pancreatic head and other periampullary cancers over time. Moreover, RPD is associated with the benefits of low surgical mortality, blood loss, and delayed gastric emptying.
Seasonal and interannual characteristics of atmospheric cloud radiative effect over South China and neighbouring ocean regions
Authors: Li Jiandong , Guo Zhun , Chen Guoxing , Zi Peng 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAtmospheric cloud radiative effect (ACRE) is a critical heat source in the atmosphere, with pronounced regional distributions. Here, we investigate seasonal and interannual characteristics of ACRE over South China (SC) and neighbouring ocean regions using 2001–2020 satellite and reanalysis data. Annual mean net ACRE shows a warming role over most of SC, its eastern ocean (ESCO), and the South China Sea and western North Pacific (SWNP), with domain‐mean values of 6.0, 14.9, and 32.8 W m−2, respectively. Over SC, the shortwave ACRE warming dominates annual mean net ACRE, and considerable low‐middle clouds with small particle size and large water content reflect shortwave radiation and enhance shortwave absorption, especially in spring. Notably, winter longwave ACRE over SC, with a cooling role, strongly offsets its summer counterpart's warming role. In contrast, longwave ACRE mainly accounts for net ACRE over ESCO and SWNP, especially the latter where high clouds prevail. The Asian summer monsoon enhances summer high clouds and longwave (net) ACRE. Cloud types and complex vertical distribution associated with continental environments and the Tibetan Plateau's topography forcing enable seasonal behaviours of ACRE over SC to be different from the other two regions. Longwave ACRE dominates the interannual variation of net ACRE, with a larger interannual variability over SWNP, while a larger annual variability of shortwave ACRE occurs over SC. There are no significant interannual trends of ACRE except for annual and spring mean longwave (net) ACRE over SC. Moreover, the interannual variation of longwave (net) ACRE relates well to 500‐hPa vertical velocity, indicating the strong influence of large‐scale circulation on regional ACRE.
Impact of using sinogram domain data in the super‐resolution of CT images on diagnostic information
Authors: Yu Minwoo , Han Minah , Baek Jongduk 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackgroundIn recent times, deep‐learning‐based super‐resolution (DL‐SR) techniques for computed tomography (CT) images have shown outstanding results in terms of full‐reference image quality (FR‐IQ) metrics (e.g., root mean square error and structural similarity index metric), which assesses IQ by measuring its similarity to the high‐resolution (HR) image. In addition, IQ can be evaluated via task‐based IQ (Task‐IQ) metrics that evaluate the ability to perform specific tasks. Ironically, most proposed image domain‐based SR techniques are not possible to improve a Task‐IQ metric, which assesses the amount of information related to diagnosis.PurposeIn the case of CT imaging systems, sinogram domain data can be utilized for SR techniques. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of utilizing sinogram domain data on diagnostic information restoration ability.MethodsWe evaluated three DL‐SR techniques: using image domain data (Image‐SR), using sinogram domain data (Sinogram‐SR), and using sinogram as well as image domain data (Dual‐SR). For Task‐IQ evaluation, the Rayleigh discrimination task was used to evaluate diagnostic ability by focusing on the resolving power aspect, and an ideal observer (IO) can be used to perform the task. In this study, we used a convolutional neural network (CNN)‐based IO that approximates the IO performance. We compared the IO performances of the SR techniques according to the data domain to evaluate the discriminative information restoration ability.ResultsOverall, the low‐resolution (LR) and SR exhibit lower IO performances compared with that of HR owing to their degraded discriminative information when detector binning is used. Next, between the SR techniques, Image‐SR does not show superior IO performances compared to the LR image, but Sinogram‐SR and Dual‐SR show superior IO performances than the LR image. Furthermore, in Sinogram‐SR, we confirm that FR‐IQ and IO performance are positively correlated. These observations demonstrate that sinogram domain upsampling improves the representation ability for discriminative information in the image domain compared to the LR and Image‐SR.ConclusionsUnlike Image‐SR, Sinogram‐SR can improve the amount of discriminative information present in the image domain. This demonstrates that to improve the amount of discriminative information on the resolving power aspect, it is necessary to employ sinogram domain processing.
Numerical study on seepage properties of rock mass with non‐penetrating fracture using discrete element method
Authors: Chen Xiao , Shi Chong , Jia Yun , Zhang Yi‐Ping , Ruan Huai‐Ning 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis paper aims to investigate the seepage process of fractured rock mass at a mesoscopic level, using the discrete element method. To this end, an improved pipe flow algorithm is proposed within the framework of particle flow code, including the heterogeneity of initial micro‐cracks and the deformation of solid skeleton. A series of numerical samples with a single non‐penetrating fracture are then studied. The relationships between the rock permeability and different properties of fracture (i.e., the aperture, dip angle and length) are investigated. The influence of fracture properties on the distribution of pore pressure in the rock mass is also analyzed. The obtained numerical results exhibit that the seepage properties of rock mass with non‐penetrating fracture depend strongly on the dip angle and length of fracture and are slightly disturbed by the fracture aperture. Moreover, its permeability is almost of the same order as that of non‐fractured rock. The numerical results and mesoscale analysis can help us understand the influence of fracture properties on the permeability of host rock and provide practical guidance for the prevention of hydraulic disasters and the development of mineral resources.
Validation of an algorithm for identifying incident cancer cases based on long‐term illness and diagnosis related group program data from the French National Health Insurance Information System (SNDS)
Authors: Goulard Hélène , Homère Julie , Maurisset Sylvain , Coureau Gaëlle , Defossez Gautier , d’Almeida Tania , Lapôtre‐Ledoux Bénédicte , Guizard Anne‐Valérie , Bouvier Véronique , Bara Simona , Plouvier Sandrine , Monnereau Alain 
Published: October 2023

AbstractPurposeThree generic claims‐based algorithms based on the Illness Classification of Diseases (10th revision‐ ICD‐10) codes, French Long‐Term Illness (LTI) data, and the Diagnosis Related Group program (DRG) were developed to identify retirees with cancer using data from the French national health insurance information system (Système national des données de santé or SNDS) which covers the entire French population. The present study aimed to calculate the algorithms' performances and to describe false positives and negatives in detail.MethodsBetween 2011 and 2016, data from 7544 participants of the French retired self‐employed craftsperson cohort (ESPrI) were first matched to the SNDS data, and then toFrench population‐based cancer registries data, used as the gold standard. Performance indicators, such as sensitivity and positive predictive values, were estimated for the three algorithms in a subcohort of ESPrI.ResultsThe third algorithm, which combined the LTI and DRG program data, presented the best sensitivities (90.9%–100%) and positive predictive values (58.1%–95.2%) according to cancer sites. The majority of false positives were in fact nearby organ sites (e.g., stomach for esophagus) and carcinoma in situ. Most false negatives were probably due to under declaration of LTI.ConclusionValidated algorithms using data from the SNDS can be used for passive epidemiological follow‐up for some cancer sites in the ESPrI cohort.