bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immunosuppressive therapy in virus-negative inflammatory cardiomyopathy: 20-year follow-up of the TIMIC trial
Authors: Chimenti Cristina , Russo Matteo Antonio , Frustaci Andrea 
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Aims
Long-term results of the Tailored IMmunosuppression in virus-negative Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy (TIMIC) trial protocol have been evaluated.

Methods and results
Eighty-five patients with endomyocardial biopsy-proven virus-negative chronic inflammatory cardiomyopathy were enrolled in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled TIMIC trial and received prednisone and azathioprine (n = 43) vs. placebo (n = 42) for 6 months. Immunosuppressive treatment promoted an improvement in cardiac function in 88% of the cases compared with none of the patients in the placebo group, which were switched to a 6-month immunosuppressive therapy at the end of the 6-month study period. Long-term (up to 20 years) clinical outcomes of the whole cohort of 85 patients originally enrolled in the TIMIC trial (Group A) were compared with those of a 1:2 propensity score-matched control cohort of patients untreated with the TIMIC protocol (Group B) and followed for a comparable period of time. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death and heart transplantation. At long-term follow-up, the risk of cardiovascular death [hazard ratio (HR) 6.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.36–19.45] and heart transplantation (HR 7.92; 95% CI 1.80–34.88) was significantly higher in Group B patients. Group A showed a persistent improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction compared with Group B (HR 7.24; 95% CI 3.05–17.18). A higher number of Group B patients underwent implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation. The incidence of recurrent myocarditis was similar between groups, and patients with evidence of a recurrent cardiac inflammatory process promptly responded to a TIMIC protocol application.

Conclusion
Virus-negative inflammatory cardiomyopathy benefits from immunosuppressive therapy even after long-term follow-up. Recurrence appears to respond to a new TIMIC protocol application.
Behaviourally informed, patient-led interventions to reduce missed appointments in general practice: a 12-month implementation study
Authors: Bull Shirley L , Frost Nicki , Bull Eleanor R 
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Background
Scalable, positive, behaviourally informed interventions may help people remember to attend their primary care appointment or cancel in good time, but have not yet been implemented long term.

Aim
To examine effects of social norms and making active commitments on missed and cancelled appointments in primary care over 12 months and explore implementation factors.

Design and setting
A mixed-methods design evaluation and implementation study led by a Patient Participation Group (PPG) member in a large GP practice in the West Midlands.

Methods
Following a 6-month baseline, waiting room notices were redesigned to emphasise positive social norms for desired behaviours. When booking appointments, receptionists were trained to invite patients to (i) verbally actively commit to cancelling if needed; (ii) write down their own appointment details. Monthly missed appointments (MAs) and cancellations were statistically compared with baseline averages and seasonally equivalent months. To explore implementation, reception staff completed a knowledge, attitude, and behaviour questionnaire at 9 months, analysed descriptively. Study team field notes were thematically analysed.

Results
Across 12 intervention months there was a mean of 37.67 fewer MAs per month (20% reduction) and 102.66 more cancellations (21.07% increase) compared with 6-month baseline means [MAs t(11) = −6.15, P &lt; 0.001; cancellations t(11) = 3.637, P = 0.004] with statistically significant differences in seasonally equivalent months [MAs t(5) = −4.65, P = 0.006; cancellations t(5) = 3.263, P = 0.022]. Receptionists (n = 12) reported implementing the strategies except when facing pressures; knowledge and attitudes varied.

Conclusions
Behaviourally informed interventions reduced primary care MAs longer term; PPGs and practice teams can work together on quality improvement projects with support from leaders to prioritise and embed new practices.
Preconception vitamin D and miscarriage in a prospective cohort study
Authors: Subramanian A , Steiner A Z , Weinberg C R , Doss G L , Jukic A M Z 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONIs preconception vitamin D level associated with the risk of miscarriage?SUMMARY ANSWERPreconception vitamin D levels are not associated with the risk of miscarriage in a population of women conceiving naturally.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYIn humans, low vitamin D has been associated with prolonged menstrual cycles, delayed ovulation and a lower probability of conception. Animal and in vitro data indicate that vitamin D may affect implantation.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis prospective time-to-pregnancy study included 362 women who were trying to conceive naturally between 2008 and 2015.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSThis study included participants who had been trying to conceive naturally for 3 months or less at enrollment and aged 30–44 years. A preconception blood sample was collected and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured. Women who conceived (N = 362) were at risk of a miscarriage from the day of a reported positive pregnancy test until either a participant-reported pregnancy loss or 20 weeks post day of last menstrual period, whichever came first. Gestational age was defined by ovulation. Time to miscarriage (days) or censoring was modeled using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Multiple imputation was performed for missing covariates and missing day of ovulation.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEThe mean age was 33 years (SD: 3.0 years). Mean 25(OH)D was lower among those who reported their race as African-American and those with a higher BMI. After adjustment for age, race, BMI, education, exercise, alcohol and caffeine intake, compared to the referent group (30–&lt;40 ng/ml), the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI for those with a low 25(OH)D level (&lt;30 ng/ml) was 1.10 (CI: 0.62, 1.91). Among participants with a higher 25(OH)D level (≥40 ng/ml), the HR was 1.07 (CI: 0.62, 1.84).LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONThis study was limited by a 25(OH)D measurement at only a single time point. A large percentage of women in this study had sufficient vitamin D levels, which may have limited our power to detect an effect of deficiency. Women in this study were older (30–44 years), and predominantly reported their race as White which may limit generalizability.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSThe findings of this study do not suggest an association between preconception vitamin D and miscarriage. Future research should focus on women at greater risk for miscarriage or in populations at risk for vitamin D deficiency or on supplementation.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Z01ES103333). This research was also supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award numbers R00HD079659 and R01HD067683. The authors have no conflicts of interest.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERN/A.
Reptilian Innate Immunology and Ecoimmunology: What Do We Know and Where Are We Going?
Authors: Field Emily K , Hartzheim Alyssa , Terry Jennifer , Dawson Grant , Haydt Natalie , Neuman-Lee Lorin A 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Reptiles, the only ectothermic amniotes, employ a wide variety of physiological adaptations to adjust to their environments but remain vastly understudied in the field of immunology and ecoimmunology in comparison to other vertebrate taxa. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed the current state of research on reptilian innate immunology by conducting an extensive literature search of peer-reviewed articles published across the four orders of Reptilia (Crocodilia, Testudines, Squamata, and Rhynchocephalia). Using our compiled dataset, we investigated common techniques, characterization of immune components, differences in findings and type of research among the four orders, and immune responses to ecological and life-history variables. We found that there are differences in the types of questions asked and approaches used for each of these reptilian orders. The different conceptual frameworks applied to each group has led to a lack of unified understanding of reptilian immunological strategies, which, in turn, have resulted in large conceptual gaps in the field of ecoimmunology as a whole. To apply ecoimmunological concepts and techniques most effectively to reptiles, we must combine traditional immunological studies with ecoimmunological studies to continue to identify, characterize, and describe the reptilian immune components and responses. This review highlights the advances and gaps that remain to help identify targeted and cohesive approaches for future research in reptilian ecoimmunological studies.
Interrogating the Debates Around Lawfare and Legal Mobilization: A Literature Review
Authors: Matthews Thandiwe 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Liberal democracies throughout the world have been confronted with the instrumentalization of the rule of law by private and public actors to achieve undemocratic aims, thereby challenging the widely held idea that the law is concrete, normative and objective in a manner that political ideologies are not. At the same time, law-based advocacy remains an effective mechanism to counter the rise of state and non-state actors who seek to impede the advancement of progressive structural transformation toward the realization of human rights. In attempting to explain these contradictions, the terms ‘lawfare’ and ‘legal mobilization’ have gained prominence in scholarly discussions, largely in reference to the social and political ramifications of a particular application of the rule of law and whose interests it seeks to advance. This paper explores the implications of the rule of law as an institution of power that has the potential to both positively and negatively impact progressive social change in the pursuit of expanding human rights. The literature broadly unpacks the functional use of legal mechanisms, strategies associated therewith and the conditions under which these combined factors achieve or undermine the intended objectives of various state and non-state actors. The paper presents three specific strands in the literature that explore: (1) how social movements use law-based advocacy to counter (il)legitimate forms of legal instrumentalism that sustain hegemony and subsequent marginalization; (2) the judicialization of politics at the domestic and international levels; and (3) the legal culture and practices that govern litigation strategies. The paper addresses the debate across a number of themes, including economic and social rights protection, international criminal justice and environmental protection.
Climatic comparison of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) subspecies in North America using niche-based distribution models and its implications for conservation programs
Authors: González-Bernal Alejandro , Rojas-Soto Octavio , Martínez-Meyer Enrique 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
The gray wolf, Canis lupus, once inhabited much of the northern hemisphere worldwide; however, persecution drove its populations almost to extinction. In North America, diverse conservation programs have been implemented in the last decades to recover its populations in the wild, many of them guided by the historical distribution of the gray wolf subspecies. Over time, several authors have proposed different subspecies classifications. Nevertheless, most of them are mutually inconsistent regarding the number and distribution of subspecies, creating controversy when implementing conservation programs. This study used niche-based distribution models and cluster analysis to explore the bioclimatic profiles of C. lupus across North America and compare them with different subspecies classifications to identify environmental correlatives that support the proposed designations. Our cluster analysis results indicate that the optimal number of climatic groups was five, designated as Northern, Eastern, Western, Coastal, and Southern groups, with transitional overlap boundaries located at their peripheries, indicating climatic gradients between them and supporting the idea of intergrading zones. The geographic ranges of these groups mismatched to a different extent with all subspecies delimitations. In general, the boundaries of putative subspecies did not match the climatic patterns of North America. Our results may contribute to the recovery programs underway for this carnivore by identifying suitable areas for the release of individuals from specific lineages. New approaches to characterizing the intraspecific variation of the gray wolf should include all evidence available, including genetic, morphological, and ecological information.
Characterization of acetonitrile ice irradiated by X-rays employing the procoda code – I. Effective rate constants and abundances at chemical equilibrium
Authors: Carvalho Geanderson A , Pilling Sérgio , Galvão Breno R L 
Published: July 2022

ABSTRACT
In this work, the chemical evolution of pure acetonitrile ice at 13 K irradiated with broad-band soft X-rays (from 6 eV to 2 keV) is determined by using a computational methodology (procoda code) to best fit the experimental data. To simulate the chemical evolution of the acetonitrile ice under an astrophysical analogous situation, the code employs 273 reaction rates involving 33 molecular species (5 species observed in the experiment and 28 non-observed or unknown). The considered reaction network describes 240 chemical reactions (including dissociation, bimolecular, and termolecular rates) and 33 individual desorption rates. The summed desorption yield was determined to be 0.23 molecules per photon, in agreement with previous estimates. Average values for dissociation, bimolecular, and termolecular effective rate constants were determined as 2.3 × 10−3 s−1, 9.7 × 10−26 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, and 3.2 × 10−47 cm6 molecule−2 s−1, respectively. Some branching ratios within reaction groups were also determined. Molecular abundances at chemical equilibrium were obtained, such as CH3CN (67.5 per cent), H (10.6 per cent), CN (6.7 per cent), CH2 (6.4 per cent), CH (2.5 per cent), CH3 (1.2 per cent), CH4 (1.1 per cent), C2N2 (0.8 per cent), HCN (0.8 per cent), and CH3NC (0.6 per cent). The results of this work can be employed in future astrochemical models to map chemical evolution embedded species in astrophysical regions in the presence of an ionizing radiation field.
Statistical capacity development and the production of epistemic infrastructures
Authors: Tichenor Marlee 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Designating statistical capacity development as a target for measurement in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created a dilemma for statistical decision-makers in the United Nations system, as some saw the inclusion of statistical capacity in SDG17 as a “conflict of interest,” making their work both a goal of the SDGs and a means to achieve them. In 2022, there are five indicators for measuring both the statistical capacity of individual countries and the support provided to strengthen it, including one indicator for measuring a country’s ability to monitor the SDGs themselves. In this article, I argue that the epistemic infrastructuring of statistical capacity into the SDG framework is a privileged case. By parsing the interconnections between the data, actors, networks, and processes that constitute statistical capacity on national and global levels, we can understand how central these materialities and processes are in constituting the larger policy agenda of the SDGs as well as debates over the problems that statistical capacity is meant to solve. Like all indicators in the SDG framework, statistical capacity indicators are performative – defined and delineated by the global statistics community that also helps define and delineate the SDG framework’s development problems. Unlike other indicators, however, statistical capacity indicators have the added weight of also producing the conditions of possibility for the “SDG framework itself.” In this way, debates over what constitutes statistical capacity and its strengthening are also debates about ownership of policy agendas and where tensions between the local and global erupt.
ED-based COVID-19 vaccination campaign finds higher vaccination rates for individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups compared with clinic setting
Authors: Wendel Sarah K , Jackson Conner L , Resnick-Ault Daniel , Jacknin Gabrielle , Zane Richard D , Michael Sean S , Bookman Kelly J , Ginde Adit A 
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Background
Emergency department visits associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue to indicate racial and ethnic inequities. We describe the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals receiving COVID-19 vaccination in the emergency department and compare with an outpatient clinic population and emergency department (ED) patients who were eligible but not vaccinated.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective analysis of electronic health record data at an urban academic ED from May to July 2021. The primary aim was to characterize the ED-vaccinated population, compared with ED patients who were eligible but unvaccinated and the physically adjacent outpatient vaccination clinic population.

Results
A total of 627 COVID-19 vaccinations were administered in the ED. Overall, 49% of ED patients during that time had already received at least one vaccine dose prior to ED arrival. Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black patients, and patients on non-commercial insurance had higher odds of being vaccinated in the ED as compared with outpatient clinic setting. Among eligible ED patients, men and patients who were uninsured/self-pay were more likely to accept ED vaccination.

Conclusions
This ED COVID-19 vaccination campaign demonstrated a higher likelihood to vaccinate individuals from racial/ethnic minority groups, those with high social vulnerability, and non-commercial insurance, when compared with a co-located outpatient vaccination clinic.
Talk the talk and walk the walk? European insurance capital regulation and the financial vocabulary of motive
Authors: van der Heide Arjen W 
Published: July 2022

Abstract‘Financialization’ refers to a variety of processes characterized by the increased prevalence of financial actors and logics in contemporary capitalist societies. Borrowing from Mills, I suggest that financialization may fruitfully be understood as the institutionalization of a financial vocabulary of motive. Mills argues that the type of reasons we give and the type of reasons we accept as legitimate varies, dependent on the social setting. The financial vocabulary of motive requires actors to motivate their actions by analogical extension of key concepts, ideas and paradigmatic problem solutions from modern finance theory. Analysing documents and 44 oral history interviews, I study the implementation of Solvency II—a European regulatory framework for insurance capital that transforms how insurers evaluate their assets and liabilities. To prevent the immediate failure of insurers’ traditional business models, insurers had to re-articulate past practices in the language of financial risk management.
An Alternative Fixation Option for Subtrochanteric Femur Fractures in Children: Adult Proximal Humerus Plate
Authors: Danişman Murat , Özdemir Erdi , Dursun Gökay , Ayvaz Mehmet , Yilmaz Güney 
Published: July 2022

Background:
Subtrochanteric femur fractures are unstable injuries due to strong muscle forces on the proximal femur. The ideal fixation device is controversial in the treatment of subtrochanteric femur fractures in children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of subtrochanteric femur fractures in children treated with an adult proximal humerus plate.

Methods:
A total of 9 patients [mean age at surgery, 8.3 years (range: 7 to 12); mean follow-up period, 28.1 months (range: 12 to 56)] who underwent surgery due to a subtrochanteric femur fracture and treated with an adult proximal humerus between January 2017 and December 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Four of the patients had a pathological fracture associated with a benign bone tumor while 5 patients had a nonpathological fracture. The clinical and radiological outcomes were assessed using the Flynn scoring system at the latest follow-up. Time to union and complications were recorded.

Results:
All patients demonstrated a solid fusion of the fracture site and were able to bear full weight at the latest follow-up. The mean time to union was 8.2 weeks (range: 6 to 10). Based on the Flynn scoring system at the latest follow-up, seven patients had excellent clinical outcomes and two patients had satisfactory outcomes. Two patients had limb length discrepancy, and one patient had coxa valga and a limb length discrepancy of 16 mm. There were no patients with nonunion, infection, implant failure, osteonecrosis of the femoral head, and heterotopic bone formation.

Conclusion:
This study suggests that the adult proximal humerus plate may be an effective alternative fixation option in the treatment of subtrochanteric femur fractures in children, including pathological fractures.

Level of Evidence:
Level IV, Case series
Risk Factors for Upper Extremity Refractures in Children
Authors: Gottschalk Hilton P. , Hughes Garza Holly , Barczyk Amanda N. , Duzinski Sarah V. , Lawson Karla A. 
Published: July 2022

Background:
Multiple descriptive studies have been published on refracture patterns, particularly for forearm fractures. However, few large cohorts have been analyzed quantitatively including the odds of refracture, and with a comprehensive assessment of the possible predictive factors associated with refracture. This study aimed to assess the frequency and timing of upper extremity refracture in a large pediatric orthopaedics practice, and to evaluate the strength of association of various patient-level and fracture-related factors with refracture.

Methods:
Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for patients 1 to 18 years of age with at least 1 upper extremity fracture (ICD-9 codes 810 to 819) between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. Characteristics of patients and fractures were assessed for the association with refracture using bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression.

Results:
Among 2793 patients with a total of 2902 upper extremity fractures, 2% were treated for refracture within 2 years, at a median of 6 months (188 d) after the initial injury. Midshaft location, and characterization of the fracture as angulated or buckle, were associated with being more likely to refracture. Eighty percent of refractures were the result of a fall, with almost 25% involving a high-energy mechanism and about 15% from monkey bars or other playground equipment. The adjusted odds of refracture were 4 times higher if noncompliance with treatment recommendations was documented, when controlling for insurance type and number of days before orthopaedic evaluation. Forearm fractures were almost 4 times more likely to refracture compared with other bones, controlling for midshaft location, days immobilized, and buckle or torus characterization of the fracture.

Conclusions:
Our practice saw a refracture occurrence in 2% of patients, with median time to refracture of ~6 months. The factors most strongly associated with refracture were midshaft fracture location, forearm fracture as opposed to clavicle or humerus, and noncompliance as defined in the study. Falls and high energy activities, such as use of wheeled devices, skis, or trampolines, were important mechanisms of refracture.

Level of Evidence:
This study is a Level II prognostic study. It is a retrospective study that evaluates the effect of patient and fracture characteristics on the outcome of upper extremity refracture.