bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
To Compare Limb Strength, Core Strength, and Respiratory Endurance between Post-COVID-19 and Healthy Population
Authors: Pathak Pardeep , Sharma Sunita , Gupta Nitin , Shrestha Diggaj , Bala Rosy , Chinubhai Raval R 
Published: August 2023

Background:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) adversely affects the number of organs and systems of the human body. The most frequently affected organ is the lung, followed by skeletal muscles, which can lead to fatigue, weakness, and poor physical performance.

Objective:
The objective of this study was to compare the grip strength, core strength, 6-min walk test (6-MWT), and pulmonary function test (PFT) between healthy individuals and post-COVID-19 individuals.

Methodology:
A cross-sectional study was conducted for the comparison among the post-COVID-19 participants and the healthy ones. Their demographic characteristics were noted. We analyzed heart rate, oxygen saturation, and cardiac rhythm before and 10 min after the 6-MWT and also PFT, core strength, and hand grip strength. The correlations among the tests if any were noted.

Results:
Forty-six post-COVID-19 individuals and 44 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 39.18 ± 13.12 years for healthy individuals and 37.28 ± 11.68 for post-COVID individuals with 62% of the female population. The mean distance for a 6-min walk distance was 506.68 ± 64.75 m for healthy individuals and 430.30 ± 52.96 for post-COVID-19 individuals (P < 0.000). The mean value for PFT was 85.59 ± 6.78 for healthy and 72.28 ± 6.20 for post-COVID individuals. We found a positive correlation between PFT with core endurance (P = 0.036) and hand strength (P = 0.037), core endurance with 6-MWT (P = 0.006) and hand strength (P = 0.00), and 6-MWT with hand strength (P ≤ 0.001) in post-COVID participants; whereas no correlation was found in healthy participants group.

Conclusion:
The PFT correlated significantly with core endurance and hand grip strength on post-COVID-19 individuals.
Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Efficacy of Systemically Administered Commercially Available Antioxidant Formulations as an Adjunct to Scaling and Root Planing in the Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis
Authors: Banerjee Aditya , Martande Santosh , Mangal Kashish , Swathi P V , Gopalakrishnan Dharmarajan , Kulloli Anita , Shetty Sharath , Thakur Shambhavi , Suryawanshi Krishna 
Published: August 2023

Purpose:
Antioxidants are nutraceuticals that reduce the concentration of reactive oxygen species and thereby reduce the inflammatory burden. The current randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of commercially available antioxidant formulations, oxitard and lycopene tablets as adjuncts to scaling and root planning in the management of chronic periodontitis.

Materials and Methods:
Forty-five chronic periodontitis patients were randomly divided into three groups, namely Group A – only scaling and root planing (SRP), Group B – SRP with oxitard tablet, and Group C – SRP with lycopene tablet. Clinical parameters – plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, and relative attachment level were evaluated at baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months.

Results:
All groups significantly reduced clinical parameters from baseline to 6 months (P < 0.05). Intragroup analysis showed Group B and Group C to be significantly better than Group A (P < 0.05), whereas Group B showed similar results when compared to Group C (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:
Oxitard and Lycopene showed better improvements in clinical parameters when compared to SRP alone. Thus, both oxitard and lycopene can be potential adjuncts to SRP in the treatment of chronic periodontitis in the near future.
Assessing the Comparative Efficacy of Multiple Whole-blood Count-based Testing Strategies for Thalassaemia Diagnosis
Authors: Samanta Abhishek , Bhattacharyya Nandan 
Published: August 2023

Context:
Complete blood count (CBC) with confirmatory high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the gold standard for thalassemia screening. Because of the constraints of a high-pressure liquid chromatography facility, they develop alternative approaches to screening when the population to be screened is large.

Aims:
The objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of alternative approaches to thalassemia screening. This study is important, as accurate and accessible thalassemia screening can improve the quality of life for patients and reduce the burden on health-care systems.

Settings and Design:
The systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.

Subjects and Methods:
The present systematic review comprises 74,284 thalassemia-positive patients, identified using CBC and conventional HPLC methods was published between 2012 and 2022. After further screening, 23 studies were included in the present study.

Statistical Analysis Used:
The Moses-Littenberg Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic (SROC) model, the bivariate model, and the SROC reporting model are the examples of models that also consider sensitivity and specificity.

Results:
The total diagnostic odds ratio was 88.981 (95% confidence interval 37.645–210.321). Subgroup analysis was determined by a mixed-effects model, with I
2 (residual heterogeneity/unaccounted variability) at 90% and Partial Area under ROC curve (restricted to observed False Positive Rates and normalized) was 0.951.

Conclusions:
This systematic review investigated the efficacy of using CBC parameters to distinguish between iron deficiency anemia and the thalassemia trait. This can help reduce health-care costs and improve the accuracy of the results.
Efficacy of Single-shot Epidural with Bupivacaine and Dexamethasone as an Adjuvant for Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgeries
Authors: Dash Umesh Kumar , Mateen Mohammad Abdul , Mondal Prasanta , Dwivedi Deepak , Taneja Sameer , Haldar Arnab 
Published: August 2023

Background:
Apart from being distressful, postoperative pain produces a range of harmful effects, including morbidity and mortality. Epidural analgesia is a safe and effective method for the control of postoperative pain.

Aim:
This study compared the analgesic efficacy of single-shot epidural bupivacaine plus dexamethasone versus single-shot epidural bupivacaine and intravenous (IV) dexamethasone after major elective abdominal surgery.

Methodology:
A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted on 30 adult patients undergoing major elective abdominal surgery. Fifteen minutes before the reversal of neuromuscular blockade, study Group “A” received an epidural of 0.125% bupivacaine at the dose of 1.0 mL/segment and dexamethasone 8 mg and Group “B” included data of 30 adult patients which was drawn from the well-matched historic cohort, from past anesthesia records, where patients received an epidural of 0.125% bupivacaine at the dose of 1.0 mL/segment, but an injection of dexamethasone 8 mg was administered intravenously.

Results:
The primary outcome was a significantly longer duration of analgesia (905.97 ± 110.89 min) in Group “A” patients in comparison to Group “B” patients (731.0 ± 112.59 min) (P < 0.0001). The secondary outcome included the requirement of total rescue analgesic dose of injection tramadol, which was significantly lower in Group “A” compared to Group “B” patients (163.90 ± 15.93 mg vs. 182.27 ± 30.61 mg, respectively), (P < 0.005). Postoperative nausea and vomiting incidence was lower in patients of Group “B” due to the antiemetic effect of IV dexamethasone.

Conclusion:
Single-shot bupivacaine with dexamethasone gives longer postoperative analgesia and lesser rescue analgesic requirement compared to epidural bupivacaine with IV dexamethasone.
In vitro-in vivo Correlation of Oral Biodegradable Curcumin Nanoparticles for Sustained Treatment Regimen of Diabetics
Authors: Shailaja K. , Senthilkumaran K. , Uthumansha Ubaidulla 
Published: August 2023

Background:
Curcumin (CUR) has the potential to treat diabetes, but its low oral bioavailability makes it challenging to use in the treatment of chronic conditions.

Objectives:
To investigate in vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC) of oral biodegradable CUR nanoparticles (NPs) for sustained treatment regimen of diabetics.

Materials and Methods:
In this study, CUR biodegradable NPs were prepared using Box–Behnken design to optimize the concentration of polymer and process parameters.

Results:
The optimized formulation was prepared using the values obtained from the Box-Behenken method, 2.5 %w/v of polymer, 3 % w/v of TPP, and 2534 rpm of stirring speed and the actual response was observed 192.31±6.82 nm particle size, 84.26±2.87 % of entrapment efficiency, and 95.22±1.81 % of drug release (Q24 h) with the desirability function of 0.910 which indicated that the model is valid. In vitro release of curcumin from nanoparticles showed prolonged drug release up to 24 h. CUR-NPs administered orally were found to have longer Tmax, higher Cmax, larger AUC, and larger MRT compared to plain CUR. IVIVC model linear regression plots (R2= 0.9949) were obtained by plotting the graph with percent absorbed versus percent dissolved for CUR-NPs. IVIVCs were established for demonstrating the relationship between in vivo absorption and in vitro release.

Conclusions:
From the results, it can be concluded that this novel CUR-loaded NPs have potential to improve its therapeutic efficacy.
Knowledge and Compliance for Current Guidelines of Biomedical Waste Management among Dental Health Professionals of National Capital Region during COVID 19 Pandemic
Authors: Rohatgi Lavanya , Gupta Ritu , Arora Vikram , Sharma Anubhav , Varshney Shivangi , Bashir Sana 
Published: August 2023

Introduction:
The highly contagious nature of the coronavirus and improper management of biomedical waste (BMW) may have severe ill effects on the ecosystem. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate dental health professional knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding biomedical waste management (BWM) during COVID-19 in the National Capital Region of India.

Materials and Methods:
A structured, self-administered questionnaire was developed regarding BMW management during COVID-19 and distributed among dental health professionals in dental teaching institution. The collected data was analyzed using Chi-square test along with the one-way analysis of variance, and P < 0.05 were considered significant.

Results:
More than half of the participants were unaware of the correct disposal of pharmaceutical waste and did not change their masks according to the guidelines given by the Central Pollution Control Board during pandemic. The mean knowledge score of faculty was found to be significantly higher when compared to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Conclusions:
This study revealed that the level of knowledge regarding BMW management was inadequate among all the participants in the survey. Hence, dental health professionals should be educated regarding the hazards associated with improper waste disposal at all levels and trained in proper BMW management.
COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Ouranos Konstantinos , Tsakiri Kalliopi , Massa Eleni , Dourliou Vassiliki , Mouratidou Christina , Soundoulounaki Stella , Mouloudi Eleni 
Published: August 2023

INTRODUCTION:
COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is a serious complication affecting patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, and is associated with increased mortality.

OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this study was to investigate potential risk factors, and to estimate the incidence and mortality in patients diagnosed with CAPA.

METHODS:
A single-center retrospective observational study was conducted on patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe COVID-19 from October 2020 to May 2022. Patients with deterioration of their clinical status were evaluated with serum galactomannan (GM) for probable CAPA. Baseline demographic patient characteristics, vaccination status, and time period during which each patient was infected with SARS-CoV-2 were obtained, and risk stratification according to underlying comorbidities was performed in an effort to assess various risk factors for CAPA. The incidence of CAPA in the entire cohort was measured, and mortality rates in the CAPA and non-CAPA groups were calculated and compared.

RESULTS:
Of 488 patients admitted to the ICU, 95 (19.4%) had deterioration of their clinical status, which prompted testing with serum GM. Positive serum testing was observed in 39/95 patients, with an overall CAPA incidence in the entire study cohort reaching 7.9% (39/488). The mortality rate was 75% (42/56) in the non-CAPA group that was tested for serum GM, and 87.2% (34/39) in the CAPA group (P = 0.041). Multivariable Cox regression hazard models were tested for 28- and 90-day survival from ICU admission. An invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) risk-stratified cox regression model corrected for the SARS-CoV-2 variant of the patient identified the diagnosis of probable CAPA and elevated procalcitonin (PCT) levels measured at least 10 days after ICU admission, as significantly associated with death in the IPA-risk subgroup only, with hazard ratio (HR): 3.687 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.030–13.199, P = 0.045) for the diagnosis of probable CAPA, and HR: 1.022 (95% CI, 1.003–1.042, P = 0.026) for every 1 ng/mL rise in PCT.

CONCLUSIONS:
Patients in the IPA-risk subgroup that were diagnosed with CAPA had a lower 90-day survival when compared to patients in the same group without a CAPA diagnosis.
The impact of pulmonary cachexia on inpatient outcomes
Authors: Alahmad Mohamad Alhoda Mohamad , Gibson Cheryl A. 
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:
Cachexia has been associated with chronic lung disease (pulmonary cachexia syndrome), which is associated with increased mortality. However, studies that looked into this association was relatively small, and national level data are lacking. Herein, we aim to study the association between chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and cachexia.

RESEARCH QUESTION:
Do patients with COPD and cachexia has worse inpatient outcomes in comparison to those with no cachexia?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:
We used the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2016 to 2019, extracting adult patients with a primary diagnosis of COPD who were admitted between January and November of each year studied. We excluded patients with missing data on event time or length of stay. Furthermore, we excluded all cases with cormobidities associated with cachexia. We used SAS 9.4 for data exploration and analysis.

RESULTS:
We included 1,446,431 COPD-related weighted hospitalizations for which 115,276 cases (7.9%) had a concurrent diagnosis of cachexia (or cachexia-related diagnoses). Overall, patients with cachexia (COPD-C), compared to patients with COPD and no cachexia (COPD-NC), were older (mean age 69 vs. 66 years, respectively, P < 0.001) with similar gender distribution (58%). COPD-C patients had more inpatient complications including cardiac arrest, and use of mechanical ventilation (P < 0.001). Furthermore, they had longer mean lengths of stay (5.2 days vs. 3.8 days, P < 0.001). In-hospital mortality during index, admission was significantly higher in these patients at 2.2% compared to 0.5% for COPD-NC (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION:
COPD-related cachexia is associated with increased inpatient mortality, resource utilization, and prolonged hospitalization.
The most common pulmonary diseases length of stay, and characteristics of patients admitted to pulmonary service
Authors: AL-Jahdali Hamdan , Ahmed Anwar , AL-Harbi Abdullah , Khan Ayaz , ALGamedi Majed , Alyami Sami , Hayyan Hajar , Al-Moamary Mohamed , Almuttari Ahmed 
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:
Although chronic respiratory diseases are prevalent in Saudi Arabia, there are limited data on the patient burden and associated factors. The aim of this study is to identify the chronic respiratory diseases frequently admitted to pulmonary services and to determine the patient’s characteristics, associated comorbidities readmission rate, and reason for a more extended stay in hospital.

METHODS:
A prospective study was conducted over a 5-year period at King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Pulmonary Division, between March 2015 and December 2019. Data on demographics, comorbidities, and chronic respiratory diseases were collected.

RESULTS:
Total patients admitted were 1315 patients, female 54.2%, the mean age was 62.4 (SD±17.6), and the ages ranged from 14 to 98 years. Overall, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was the most common respiratory disease requiring admission (17.9%), followed by interstitial lung disease (15.8%), bronchiectasis (11.9%), and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (10.8%). The most common comorbidities were obesity (42.5%), diabetes 49.1%, and hypertension 54.9%. Only 135 (10.3%) were readmitted within 30 days posthospital discharge. Among the patients who were readmitted, 103 (76.3%) were readmitted due to issues related to previous admission diagnosis, noncompliance 75 (55.5%), social reasons, and premature discharges in 51 (37.8%) and 29 (21.5%) of the cases, respectively. The respiratory disease varied significantly by gender, age, obesity status, comorbidities, length of stay (LOS), and admissions.

CONCLUSION:
Chronic respiratory diseases are prevalent in our population and are mainly influenced by gender, age, obesity status, comorbidities, LOS, and admissions. Policymakers and health professionals need to recognize the burden of chronic respiratory diseases on patients and health systems and implement effective prevention programs.
Increased expiratory flows identify early interstitial lung disease
Authors: Alyami Sami Mohammed , Moran-Mendoza Onofre 
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:
Most interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) manifest with a restrictive ventilatory defect as the common physiologic abnormality. Low carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (Dlco) is considered to be the earliest abnormality on pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with ILD. However, its measurement requires complex and expensive equipment. Our study aimed to assess if high expiratory flows are the earliest PFT abnormality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and ILD.

METHODS:
In a real-world cohort of incident cases with ILD, we identified the initial PFTs on all patients newly diagnosed with ILD at Kingston Health Sciences Center (in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) between 2013 and 2017. The diagnosis of ILD, including IPF, was established as per current guidelines. Among patients with normal forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity (TLC), and Dlco, we assessed the frequency of high expiratory flows defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC, FEF25, FEF25-75, FEF75, and peak expiratory flow > 95% confidence limit of normal. We adjusted for emphysema, increased airway resistance, and obesity.

RESULTS:
We assessed PFTs of 289 patients with ILD; 88 (30%) of them had normal FVC, TLC, and Dlco. Among these, high FEV1/FVC was the most common abnormality in 37% of patients, in 43% of nonobese patients, and in 58% of those with no emphysema and normal airway resistance. Results were similar in the 88 patients with IPF.

CONCLUSIONS:
High FEV1/FVC could allow identifying patients with ILD/IPF in the earliest stages of their disease with simple spirometry, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Prevalence of acute infection in adults with asthma exacerbation
Authors: Chen Xi , Zhang Pingan , Ma Yanliang 
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:
Acute respiratory infections are a major trigger of asthma exacerbations. This study sought to estimate the overall proportion of viruses, atypical pathogens, and bacteria detected in adults with asthma exacerbations.

METHODS:
PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases and all related studies from the reviews and references were searched from inception to February 13, 2020. Two authors independently performed study selection, data extraction, as well as quality evaluation. Subsequently, meta-analysis, between-study heterogeneity, and publication bias assessment were conducted on RStudio.

RESULTS:
Forty-three eligible studies comprising 3511 adults were included, of which 21 publications mentioned multiple infections during acute asthma attacks. Meta-analysis showed an acute infection prevalence of 40.19% (95% confidence interval [CI] 34.53%–45.99%). Viruses, atypical pathogens, and bacteria were detected in 38.76% (95% CI 32.02%–45.71%), 8.29% (95% CI 2.64%–16.27%), and 7.05% (95% CI 3.34%–11.81%) of asthmatics during exacerbations, respectively. Rhinovirus infections are always the dominant trigger for exacerbations with a proportion of 20.02% (95% CI 14.84%–25.73%). Substantial heterogeneity across studies (Cochran Q test: 479.43, P < 0.0001, I
2 = 91.2%) was explained by subgroup analysis, indicating that year, region, population, respiratory secretion, detection method, pathogen, and study quality were all influencing factors.

CONCLUSION:
This meta-analysis provided the first quantitative epidemiological data for adults, and in the future, more research and health-care supports are necessary in this area.
Antioxidant content and activity of stem and leaf extracts of Gouania longipetala Hemsl. (Rhamnaceae)
Authors: Soh Desire , Choumessi Aphrodite Tchewonpi , Tsague Manfo Faustin Pascal , Ngum Miriam Niba N. , Mbouh Mariama , Nantia Edouard Akono 
Published: August 2023

Background:

Gouania longipetala Hemsl. is a scandent shrub used in traditional medicine for the management of different ailments such as gout, female infertility, heart diseases, diabetes, and malaria. Pathophysiology of the diseases is generally associated with oxidative stress. Antioxidant properties of G. longipetala have not yet been well elucidated.

Aims:
This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant content and antioxidant activity of methanol extracts from the plant's stems and leaves.

Materials and methods:
Methanol extracts from the plant stems and leaves were screened for phytochemical components with antioxidant properties (Vitamin C, total phenolics, and flavonoids). The antioxidant reducing power of the extracts as well as its effects on lipid peroxidation and catalase were also evaluated in vitro using biochemical assays.

Results:
Leaf extract was richer than stem extract in different antioxidants such as Vitamin C, phenolics, and flavonoids. Both leaf and stem extracts showed similar inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation and stimulatory effect on catalase activity, while leaf extract had higher ferric antioxidant effect than stem extract.

Conclusion:
Both extracts from G. Longipetala possessed antioxidant content, though activities with leaf extract displayed higher antioxidant properties than stem extract.