bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient acceptability of three different central venous access devices for the delivery of systemic anticancer therapy: a qualitative study
Authors: Ryan Caoimhe , Hesselgreaves Hannah , Wu Olivia , Moss Jonathan , Paul James , Dixon-Hughes Judith , Germeni Evi 
Published: May 2023

Objective
Three types of central venous access devices (CVADs) are routinely used in the delivery of intravenous systemic anticancer therapy (SACT): peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), subcutaneously tunnelled central catheters (Hickman-type devices) and totally implantable chest wall ports (Ports). This qualitative study, nested within a multicentre, randomised controlled trial, sought to explore patient acceptability and experiences of the three devices.

Design
Eight focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.

Setting
Six outpatient cancer treatment centres in the UK.

Participants
Forty-two patients (20 female, mean age 61.7 years) who had taken part or were taking part in the broader trial.

Intervention
As part of the larger, randomised controlled trial, participants had been randomly assigned one of three CVADs for the administration of SACT.

Results
Attitudes towards all three devices were positive, with patients viewing their CVAD as part of their treatment and recovery. Participants with PICCs and Hickmans tended to compare their device favourably with peripheral cannulation. By comparison, participants with Ports consistently compared their device with PICCs and Hickmans, emphasising the perceived superiority of Ports. Ports were perceived to offer unique psychological benefits, including a greater sense of freedom and less intrusion in the context of personal relationships.

Conclusions
Patient experiences and preferences have not been systematically used to inform policy and practice regarding CVAD availability and selection. Our research identified patterns of patient device preferences that favoured Ports, although this was not universal. Results of this study could improve support for patients and offer greater scope for incorporating patient perspectives into decision-making processes.

Trial registration number

NCT44504648
Testing a support programme for opioid reduction for people with chronic non-malignant pain: the I-WOTCH randomised controlled trial protocol
Authors: Sandhu Harbinder K , Abraham Charles , Alleyne Sharisse , Balasubramanian Shyam , Betteley Lauren , Booth Katie , Carnes Dawn , Furlan Andrea D , Haywood Kirstie , Iglesias Urrutia Cynthia Paola , Lall Ranjit , Manca Andrea , Mistry Dipesh , Nichols Vivien P , Noyes Jennifer , Rahman Anisur , Seers Kate , Shaw Jane , Tang Nicole K Y , Taylor Stephanie , Tysall Colin , Underwood Martin , Withers Emma J , Eldabe Sam 
Published: May 2023

Introduction
Chronic non-malignant pain has a major impact on the well-being, mood and productivity of those affected. Opioids are increasingly prescribed to manage this type of pain, but with a risk of other disabling symptoms, when their effectiveness has been questioned. This trial is designed to implement and evaluate a patient-centred intervention targeting withdrawal of strong opioids in people with chronic pain.

Methods and analysis
A pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial will assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a group-based multicomponent intervention combined with individualised clinical facilitator led support for the management of chronic non-malignant pain against the control intervention (self-help booklet and relaxation compact disc). An embedded process evaluation will examine fidelity of delivery and investigate experiences of the intervention. The two primary outcomes are activities of daily living (measured by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pain Interference Short Form (8A)) and opioid use. The secondary outcomes are pain severity, quality of life, sleep quality, self-efficacy, adverse events and National Health Service (NHS) healthcare resource use. Participants are followed up at 4, 8 and 12 months, with a primary endpoint of 12 months. Between-group differences will indicate effectiveness; we are looking for a difference of 3.5 points on our pain interference outcome (scale 40 to 77). We will undertake an NHS perspective cost-effectiveness analysis using quality adjusted life years.

Ethics and dissemination
Full approval was given by Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee on 13 September, 2016 (16/YH/0325). Appropriate local approvals were sought for each area in which recruitment was undertaken. The current protocol version is 1.6 date 19 December 2018. Publication of results in peer- reviewed journals will inform the scientific and clinical community. We will disseminate results to patient participants and study facilitators in a study newsletter as well as a lay summary of results on the study website.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN49470934
; Pre-results.
Clinical and economic impact of a community-based, hybrid model of in-person and virtual care in a Canadian rural setting: a cross-sectional population-based comparative study
Authors: Fitzsimon Jonathan P , Belanger Christopher , Glazier Richard H , Green Michael , Peixoto Cayden , Mahdavi Roshanak , Plumptre Lesley , Bjerre Lise M 
Published: May 2023

ObjectivesTo determine the clinical and economic impact of a community-based, hybrid model of in-person and virtual care by comparing health-system performance of the rural jurisdiction where this model was implemented with neighbouring jurisdictions without such a model and the broader regional health system.DesignA cross-sectional comparative study.SettingOntario, Canada, with a focus on three largely rural public health units from 1 April 2018 until 31 March 2021.ParticipantsAll residents of Ontario, Canada under the age of 105 eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan during the study period.InterventionsAn innovative, community-based, hybrid model of in-person and virtual care, the Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (VTAC), was implemented in Renfrew County, Ontario on 27 March 2020.Main outcome measuresPrimary outcome was a change in emergency department (ED) visits anywhere in Ontario, secondary outcomes included changes in hospitalisations and health-system costs, using per cent changes in mean monthly values of linked health-system administrative data for 2 years preimplementation and 1 year postimplementation.ResultsRenfrew County saw larger declines in ED visits (−34.4%, 95% CI −41.9% to −26.0%) and hospitalisations (−11.1%, 95% CI −19.7% to −1.5%) and slower growth in health-system costs than other rural regions studied. VTAC patients’ low-acuity ED visits decreased by −32.9%, high-acuity visits increased by 8.2%, and hospitalisations increased by 30.0%.ConclusionAfter implementing VTAC, Renfrew County saw reduced ED visits and hospitalisations and slower health-system cost growth compared with neighbouring rural jurisdictions. VTAC patients experienced reduced unnecessary ED visits and increased appropriate care. Community-based, hybrid models of in-person and virtual care may reduce the burden on emergency and hospital services in rural, remote and underserved regions. Further study is required to evaluate potential for scale and spread.
Protocol for developing a personalised prediction model for viral suppression among under-represented populations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Zhang Jiajia , Yang Xueying , Weissman Sharon , Li Xiaoming , Olatosi Bankole 
Published: May 2023

IntroductionSustained viral suppression, an indicator of long-term treatment success and mortality reduction, is one of four strategic areas of the ‘Ending the HIV Epidemic’ federal campaign launched in 2019. Under-represented populations, like racial or ethnic minority populations, sexual and gender minority groups, and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, are disproportionately affected by HIV and experience a more striking virological failure. The COVID-19 pandemic might magnify the risk of incomplete viral suppression among under-represented people living with HIV (PLWH) due to interruptions in healthcare access and other worsened socioeconomic and environmental conditions. However, biomedical research rarely includes under-represented populations, resulting in biased algorithms. This proposal targets a broadly defined under-represented HIV population. It aims to develop a personalised viral suppression prediction model using machine learning (ML) techniques by incorporating multilevel factors using All of Us (AoU) data.Methods and analysisThis cohort study will use data from the AoU research programme, which aims to recruit a broad, diverse group of US populations historically under-represented in biomedical research. The programme harmonises data from multiple sources on an ongoing basis. It has recruited ~4800 PLWH with a series of self-reported survey data (eg, Lifestyle, Healthcare Access, COVID-19 Participant Experience) and relevant longitudinal electronic health records data. We will examine the change in viral suppression and develop personalised viral suppression prediction due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic using ML techniques, such as tree-based classifiers (classification and regression trees, random forest, decision tree and eXtreme Gradient Boosting), support vector machine, naïve Bayes and long short-term memory.Ethics and disseminationThe institutional review board approved the study at the University of South Carolina (Pro00124806) as a Non-Human Subject study. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at national and international conferences and through social media.
Effect of multicomponent interventions on tuberculosis notification in mining and pastoralist districts of Oromia region in Ethiopia: a longitudinal quasi-experimental study
Authors: de Groot Liza Marlette , Dememew Zewdu Gashu , Hiruy Nebiyu , Datiko Daniel Gemechu , Gebreyes Solomon Negash , Suarez Pedro G , Jerene Degu 
Published: May 2023

ObjectiveTo demonstrate the impact of interventions on tuberculosis (TB) case detection in mining and pastoralist districts in southeastern Ethiopia over a 10-year period.DesignLongitudinal quasi-experimental study.SettingHealth centres and hospitals in six mining districts implemented interventions and seven nearby districts functioned as controls.ParticipantsData from the national District Health Information System (DHIS-2) were used for this study; therefore, people did not participate in this study.InterventionsDirected at training, active case finding and improving treatment outcomes.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrimarily, trends in TB case notification and percentage of bacteriologically confirmed TB—as collected by DHIS-2—between pre-intervention (2012–2015) and post-intervention (2016–2021) were analysed. Secondarily, post-intervention was split into early post-intervention (2016–2018) and late post-intervention (2019–2021) to also study the long-term effects of the intervention.ResultsFor all forms of TB, case notification significantly increased between pre-intervention and early post-intervention (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.21, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.31; p<0.001) and significantly decreased between pre-intervention/early post-intervention and late post-intervention (IRR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.89; p<0.001 and IRR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.62, 0.73; p<0.001). For bacteriologically confirmed cases, we found a significant decrease between pre-intervention/early post-intervention and late post-intervention (IRR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81, 0.97; p<0.001 and IRR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.89; p<0.001). The percentage of bacteriologically confirmed cases was significantly lower in the intervention districts during pre-intervention (B: −14.24 percentage points, 95% CI: –19.27, –9.21) and early post-intervention (B: −7.78, 95% CI: –15.46, –0.010; p=0.047). From early post-intervention to late post-intervention, we found a significant increase (B: 9.12, 95% CI: 0.92 to 17.33; p=0.032).ConclusionsThe decrease in TB notifications in intervention districts during late post-intervention is possibly due to a decline in actual TB burden as a result of the interventions. The unabated increase in case notification in control districts may be due to continued TB transmission in the community.
Trends in psychological distress in Great Britain, 1991–2019: evidence from three representative surveys
Authors: Zhang Anwen , Gagné Thierry , Walsh David , Ciancio Alberto , Proto Eugenio , McCartney Gerry 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundPreviously improving UK mortality trends stalled around 2012, with evidence implicating economic policy as the cause. This paper examines whether trends in psychological distress across three population surveys show similar trends.MethodsWe report the percentages reporting psychological distress (4+ in the 12-item General Health Questionnaire) from Understanding Society (Great Britain, 1991–2019), Scottish Health Survey (SHeS, 1995–2019) and Health Survey for England (HSE, 2003–2018) for the population overall, and stratified by sex, age and area deprivation. Summary inequality indices were calculated and segmented regressions fitted to identify breakpoints after 2010.ResultsPsychological distress was higher in Understanding Society than in SHeS or HSE. There was slight improvement between 1992 and 2015 in Understanding Society (with prevalence declining from 20.6% to 18.6%) with some fluctuations. After 2015 there is some evidence of a worsening in psychological distress across surveys. Prevalence worsened notably among those aged 16–34 years after 2010 (all three surveys), and aged 35–64 years in Understanding Society and SHeS after 2015. In contrast, the prevalence declined in those aged 65+ years in Understanding Society after around 2008, with less clear trends in the other surveys. The prevalence was around twice as high in the most deprived compared with the least deprived areas, and higher in women, with trends by deprivation and sex similar to the populations overall.ConclusionPsychological distress worsened among working-age adults after around 2015 across British population surveys, mirroring the mortality trends. This indicates a widespread mental health crisis that predates the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dark matter and neutrino masses in a Portalino-like model
Authors: Hepburn Dugald , West Stephen M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe explore a Portalino-like model of dark matter and neutrino masses in which right-handed neutrino fields connect gauge neutral operators from the Standard Model and Hidden Sector. Neutrino masses are generated via a seesaw-like mechanism that can explain the light active neutrino masses. The model includes a “Portalino” state that connects the two sectors via the neutrino portal. Dark Matter in this model consists of a hidden sector Dirac fermion that dominantly freezes-out via resonant annihilations into other hidden sector states, which ultimately results in a population of Portalinos. Due to small mixing in the extended neutrino sector these Portalinos tend to be cosmologically long lived, decaying into Standard Model particles leading to constraints on the model from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. Combining these limits with direct constraints on the size of the Portalino–neutrino mixing and the assumptions of the model the viable mass ranges for the Portalino states are found to be $${0.02}~\hbox {eV}\lesssim m_n \lesssim {6.4}~\hbox {eV}$$

0.02

eV
≲

m
n

≲

6.4

eV

or $${489}~{\hbox {MeV}} \lesssim m_n \lesssim $$

489

MeV
≲

m
n

≲

TeV. Indirect dark matter signals in the form of highly boosted, mono-energetic Portalinos produced in Dark Matter annihilations provide a target for neutrino telescopes.
Dirty black hole supported by a uniform electric field in Einstein-nonlinear electrodynamics-Dilaton theory
Authors: Mazharimousavi S. Habib 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIn this study, we present an exact dirty/hairy black hole solution in the context of gravity coupled minimally to a nonlinear electrodynamic (NED) and a Dilaton field. The NED model is known in the literature as the square-root (SR) model i.e.,$${\mathcal {L}}\sim \sqrt{-{\mathcal {F}}}.$$L∼-F.The black hole solution which is supported by a uniform radial electric field and a singular Dilaton scalar field is non-asymptotically flat and singular with the singularity located at its center. An appropriate transformation results in an interesting line element$$ds^{2}=-\left( 1-\frac{2\,M}{\rho ^{\eta ^{2}}} \right) \rho ^{2\left( \eta ^{2}-1\right) }d\tau ^{2}+\left( 1-\frac{2\,M}{ \rho ^{\eta ^{2}}}\right) ^{-1}d\rho ^{2}+\varkappa ^{2}\rho ^{2}d\Omega ^{2} $$ds2=-1-2Mρη2ρ2η2-1dτ2+1-2Mρη2-1dρ2+ϰ2ρ2dΩ2with two parameters – namely the massMand the Dilaton parameter$$\eta ^{2}>1$$η2>1($$\varkappa ^{2}=\frac{1}{\eta ^{2}}$$ϰ2=1η2) – which may be simply considered as the dirty Schwarzschild black hole. This is because with$$\eta ^{2}\rightarrow 1$$η2→1the spacetime reduces to the Schwarzschild black hole. We show that although the causal structure of the above spacetime is similar to the Schwarzschild black hole, it is thermally stable for$$\eta ^{2}>2$$η2>2. Furthermore, the tidal force of this black hole behaves the same as a Schwarzschild black hole, however, its magnitude depends on$$\eta ^{2}$$η2such that its minimum is not corresponding to$$\eta ^{2}=1$$η2=1(Schwarzschild limit).
Thermal fluctuations, quasi-normal modes and phase transition of the charged AdS black hole with perfect fluid dark matter
Authors: Abbas G. , Ali R. H. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIn this paper, we study thermodynamics, thermal fluctuations, phase transitions and the charged anti-de Sitter black hole surrounded by perfect fluid dark matter. Large black holes are shown to be stable when subject to thermal fluctuations, and we begin by exploring how these fluctuations affect the uncorrected thermodynamic quantities of entropy, Helmholtz free energy, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy specific heat, and phase transition stability. We also discuss null geodesics and the radius of the photon sphere for the charged AdS BH and use the radius of a photon sphere to calculate the Lyapunov exponent and angular velocity. Exceptionally, we test the effects of various parameters of a black hole graphically by observing the existence of the correction parameter and the coupling parameter, which reveal the behavior of corrected thermodynamic quantities. Lastly, we see how the system is stable (under the effects of the dark matter parameter) by figuring out the specific heat and Hawking temperature, which are both related to entropy.
Open string pair production from the interacting dressed-angled D-strings
Authors: Daniali Hamidreza , Kamani Davoud 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe calculate the rate of the open string pair production from the interaction of two non-intersecting D-strings at angle. The D-strings have been equipped with the U(1) gauge potentials in the presence of the Kalb–Ramond field. This rate will be discussed when the D-strings intersect each other. Our computations is in the framework of the bosonic string theory.
Digital traces of brain drain: developers during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Authors: Wachs Johannes 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused large scale destruction, significant loss of life, and the displacement of millions of people. Besides those fleeing direct conflict in Ukraine, many individuals in Russia are also thought to have moved to third countries. In particular the exodus of skilled human capital, sometimes called brain drain, out of Russia may have a significant effect on the course of the war and the Russian economy in the long run. Yet quantifying brain drain, especially during crisis situations is generally difficult. This hinders our ability to understand its drivers and to anticipate its consequences. To address this gap, I draw on and extend a large scale dataset of the locations of highly active software developers collected in February 2021, one year before the invasion. Revisiting those developers that had been located in Russia in 2021, I confirm an ongoing exodus of developers from Russia in snapshots taken in June and November 2022. By November 11.1% of Russian developers list a new country, compared with 2.8% of developers from comparable countries in the region but not directly involved in the conflict. 13.2% of Russian developers have obscured their location (vs. 2.4% in the comparison set). Developers leaving Russia were significantly more active and central in the collaboration network than those who remain. This suggests that many of the most important developers have already left Russia. In some receiving countries the number of arrivals is significant: I estimate an increase in the number of local software developers of 42% in Armenia, 60% in Cyprus and 94% in Georgia.
FIGURE 5 from Development of an Anti-canine PD-L1 Antibody and Caninized PD-L1 Mouse Model as Translational Research Tools for the Study of Immunotherapy in Humans
Authors: Oh Wonkyung , Kim Alyssa Min Jung , Dhawan Deepika , Kirkham Perry M. , Ostafe Raluca , Franco Jackeline , Aryal Uma K. , Carnahan Robert H. , Patsekin Valery , Robinson J. Paul , Knapp Deborah W. , Lim Seung-Oe 
Published: May 2023

<p>Evaluation of the caninized cPD-L1 chimeric antibody. <b>A,</b> 12C antibody binding on the BT549<sup>cPD-L1</sup> cells. <b>B,</b> Flow cytometric analysis of the 12C chimeric antibody on the BT549<sup>cPD-L1</sup> cells. cIgG serves as a negative control. <b>C,</b> 12C chimeric antibody binding to cPD-L1 and cPD-L2. <b>D,</b> Binding affinity (K<sub>D</sub>) analysis of 12C chimeric antibody by Octet. <b>E,</b> EC<sub>50</sub> of 12C chimeric antibody, 12C10E4. EC<sub>50</sub> = 0.419 μg/mL. The bound cPD-1 protein was quantified by measuring green fluorescence at the IncuCyte S3. <b>F</b> and <b>G,</b> Canine IO Panel (NanoString) analyses were used to query changes in gene expression upon activation of cPBMCs from three healthy pet dogs. The RNA from the resting and activated PBMCs was used for NanoString work. The Canine IO panel was used to query the changes in approximately 700 genes. Groupwise analyses were conducted using “Rosalind.” There were 65 genes that were differentially expressed when comparing control PBMCs with activated PBMCs (<i>P</i> < 0.05, FC > 1.5) including 30 upregulated and 35 downregulated genes. In the heatmap, each column consists of data from one sample. IFNγ (<b>H</b>) and TNFα (<b>I</b>) concentrations were analyzed in the activated canine PBMCs. <b>J</b> and <b>K,</b> Flow cytometric analysis of cPD-L1 protein expression on the K9TCC or the nuclear-restricted RFP-expressing K9TCC (K9TCC<sup>nRFP</sup>) cells using the 12C chimeric antibody. The endogenous PD-L1 expression was stimulated by 50 ng/mL canine IFNγ for 12 hours. cIgG served as a negative control. <b>L,</b> The quantitative RT-PCR analysis of cPD-L1 (<i>CD274</i>) mRNA expression in the K9TCC or K9TCC<sup>nRFP</sup> cells. <b>M,</b> The 12C chimeric antibody enhances the tumor cell killing. Canine bladder cancer, K9TCC cells were cocultured with cPBMCs that were activated with CD3 antibody (100 ng/mL) and IL2 (10 ng/mL) at a ratio of 1 tumor cell: 15 cPBMCs. The live tumor cell count at 72 hours is shown in the bar graph. <b>N,</b> IFNγ concentrations were analyzed in the medium from the coculture of the K9TCC cells and activated cPBMCs with/without the 12C chimeric antibody treatment.</p>