bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The prevalence of loneliness across 113 countries: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Surkalim Daniel L , Luo Mengyun , Eres Robert , Gebel Klaus , van Buskirk Joseph , Bauman Adrian , Ding Ding 
Published: February 2022

AbstractObjectivesTo identify data availability, gaps, and patterns for population level prevalence of loneliness globally, to summarise prevalence estimates within World Health Organization regions when feasible through meta-analysis, and to examine temporal trends of loneliness in countries where data exist.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesEmbase, Medline, PsycINFO, and Scopus for peer reviewed literature, and Google Scholar and Open Grey for grey literature, supplemented by backward reference searching (to 1 September 2021)Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesObservational studies based on nationally representative samples (n≥292), validated instruments, and prevalence data for 2000-19. Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. Random effects meta-analysis was conducted in the subset of studies with relatively homogeneous research methods by measurement instrument, age group, and WHO region.ResultsPrevalence data were available for 113 countries or territories, according to official WHO nomenclature for regions, from 57 studies. Data were available for adolescents (12-17 years) in 77 countries or territories, young adults (18-29 years) in 30 countries, middle aged adults (30-59 years) in 32 countries, and older adults (≥60 years) in 40 countries. Data for all age groups except adolescents were lacking outside of Europe. Overall, 212 estimates for 106 countries from 24 studies were included in meta-analyses. The pooled prevalence of loneliness for adolescents ranged from 9.2% (95% confidence interval 6.8% to 12.4%) in South-East Asia to 14.4% (12.2% to 17.1%) in the Eastern Mediterranean region. For adults, meta-analysis was conducted for the European region only, and a consistent geographical pattern was shown for all adult age groups. The lowest prevalence of loneliness was consistently observed in northern European countries (2.9%, 1.8% to 4.5% for young adults; 2.7%, 2.4% to 3.0% for middle aged adults; and 5.2%, 4.2% to 6.5% for older adults) and the highest in eastern European countries (7.5%, 5.9% to 9.4% for young adults; 9.6%, 7.7% to 12.0% for middle aged adults; and 21.3%, 18.7% to 24.2% for older adults).ConclusionProblematic levels of loneliness are experienced by a substantial proportion of the population in many countries. The substantial difference in data coverage between high income countries (particularly Europe) and low and middle income countries raised an important equity issue. Evidence on the temporal trends of loneliness is insufficient. The findings of this meta-analysis are limited by data scarcity and methodological heterogeneity. Loneliness should be incorporated into general health surveillance with broader geographical and age coverage, using standardised and validated measurement tools.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42019131448.
Distinct pathoclinical clusters among patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes: results from a prospective study in rural India
Authors: Aravindakshan Manoja Rajalakshmi , Maity Sujay Krishna , Paul Avishek , Chakrabarti Partha , Mandal Chittaranjan , Sarkar Jit 
Published: February 2022

IntroductionInadequate glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses an enormous challenge. Whether this uncontrolled T2DM population is a heterogenous mix of disease subtypes remains unknown. Identification of these subtypes would result in a customized T2DM management protocol thereby paving the way toward personalized therapy.Research design and methodsElectronic health records of 339 patients with uncontrolled T2DM patients followed up for a median period of 14 months were analyzed using Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection followed by density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise. Baseline clinical features and final diagnoses with drug combinations were selected in the analysis. A 30 min oral glucose tolerance test was next performed for assessing the underlying insulin resistance and β cell dysfunction.ResultsThree major clusters were identified. The first cluster characterized by recent onset T2DM had moderately preserved β cell function. The second cluster with a longer duration of T2DM and associated hypertension showed the best glycemic control with dual antidiabetic therapy. The third cluster with the longest history of T2DM and no history of hypertension had the worst glycemic control in spite of the highest percentage of patients on triple therapy (34.58%) and quadruple therapy (8.41%).ConclusionsUncontrolled T2DM comprises a heterogeneous population with respect to disease duration, presence of co-morbidities and β cell function without significant difference in insulin resistance. Stratifying them on the basis of pathoclinical features is the first step toward a personalized management in T2DM.
‘We are not going to shut down, because we cannot postpone pregnancy’: a mixed-methods study of the provision of maternal healthcare in six referral maternity wards in four sub-Saharan African countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Semaan Aline , Banke-Thomas Aduragbemi , Amongin Dinah , Babah Ochuwa , Dioubate Nafissatou , Kikula Amani , Nakubulwa Sarah , Ogein Olubunmi , Adroma Moses , Anzo Adiga William , Diallo Abdourahmane , Diallo Lamine , Cellou Diallo Mamadou , Maomou Cécé , Mtinangi Nathanael , Sy Telly , Delvaux Thérèse , Afolabi Bosede Bukola , Delamou Alexandre , Nakimuli Annettee , Pembe Andrea B , Benova Lenka 
Published: February 2022

IntroductionReferral hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa are located in crowded urban areas, which were often epicentres of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper prospectively assesses how maternal healthcare was provided in six referral hospitals in Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsMixed-methods design using three data sources: (1) qualitative data from repeated rounds of semi-structured interviews conducted between July 2020 and February 2021 with 22 maternity skilled heath personnel (SHP) on perceptions of care provision; (2) quantitative monthly routine data on caesarean section and labour induction from March 2019 to February 2021; and (3) timeline data of COVID-19 epidemiology, national and hospital-level events. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed separately, framed based on timeline analysis, and triangulated during reporting.ResultsWe identified three periods: first wave, slow period and second wave. The first wave was challenging for SHP given little knowledge about COVID-19, lack of infection prevention and control training, and difficulties reaching workplace. Challenges that persisted beyond the first wave were shortage of personal protective equipment and no rapid testing for women suspected with COVID-19. We noted no change in the proportion of caesarean sections during the pandemic, and a small increase in the proportion of labour inductions. All hospitals arranged isolation areas for women suspected/confirmed with COVID-19 and three hospitals provided care to women with suspected/confirmed COVID-19. Breastfeeding was not discouraged and newborns were not separated from mothers confirmed with COVID-19. Care provision was maintained through dedication of SHP, support from hospital management and remote communication between SHP.ConclusionRoutine maternal care provision was maintained in referral hospitals, despite first wave challenges. Referral hospitals and SHP contributed to guideline development for pregnant women suspected/confirmed with COVID-19. Maternity SHP, women and pregnancy must always be included in priority setting when responding to health system shocks, including outbreaks.
Nurse-led home-visitation programme for first-time mothers in reducing maltreatment and improving child health and development (BB:2-6): longer-term outcomes from a randomised cohort using data linkage
Authors: Robling Michael , Lugg-Widger Fiona V , Cannings-John Rebecca , Angel Lianna , Channon Sue , Fitzsimmons Deborah , Hood Kerenza , Kenkre Joyce , Moody Gwenllian , Owen-Jones Eleri , Pockett Rhys D , Sanders Julia , Segrott Jeremy , Slater Thomas 
Published: February 2022

ObjectivesMeasure effectiveness of family nurse partnership (FNP) home-visiting programme in reducing maltreatment and improving maternal health and child health, developmental and educational outcomes; explore effect moderators, mediators; describe costs.DesignFollow-up of BB:0–2 trial cohort (ISRCTN:23019866) up to age 7 years in England using record linkage.Participants1618 mothers aged 19 years or younger and their firstborn child(ren) recruited to BB:0–2 trial at less than 25 weeks gestation and not mandatorily withdrawn from trial or opted out. Intervention families were offered up to a maximum of 64 home visits by specially trained nurses from pregnancy until firstborn child was 2 years old, plus usually provided health and social care support. Comparator was usual care alone.Outcome measuresPrimary outcome: state-verified child-in-need status recorded at any time during follow-up. Secondary outcomes: referral to social services, child protection registration (plan), child-in-need categorisation, looked-after status, recorded injuries and ingestions any time during follow-up, early childcare and educational attendance, school readiness and attainment at key stage 1 (KS1), healthcare costs.ResultsMatch rates for 1547 eligible children (1517 singletons, 15 sets of twins) were 98.3% (NHS Digital) and 97.4% (National Pupil Database). There was no difference between study arms in the proportion of children being registered as in need (adjusted OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.31), or for any other measure of maltreatment. Children in the FNP arm were more likely to achieve a good level of development at reception age (school readiness) (adjusted OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.52). After adjusting for birth month, children in FNP arm were more likely to reach the expected standard in reading at KS1 (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.57). We found no trial arm differences for resource use and costs.ConclusionsFNP did not improve maltreatment or maternal outcomes. There was evidence of small advantages in school readiness and attainment at KS1.Trial registration numberISRCTN23019866.
Improving Asthma Care Together (IMPACT) mobile health intervention for school-age children with asthma and their parents: a pilot randomised controlled trial study protocol
Authors: Sonney Jennifer , Ward Teresa , Thompson Hilaire J , Kientz Julie A , Segrin Chris 
Published: February 2022

IntroductionAsthma is an incurable, lifelong condition that places children at increased risk for exacerbation, hospitalisation and school absences. Most paediatric asthma interventions target parents alone and are overly prescriptive. Improving Asthma Care Together (IMPACT) is a novel shared management system comprised of a mobile health (mHealth) application, symptom watch and tailored health intervention that pairs parent and child together as an asthma management team. IMPACT helps families monitor asthma status, tailor asthma management strategies and facilitate intentional transition of asthma management to the child. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the IMPACT intervention.Methods and analysisThis pilot randomised controlled trial will recruit 60 children with asthma (7–11 years) and one parent. All parent–child dyads will complete data collection sessions at baseline, postintervention and follow-up. Dyads randomised to the intervention group (IMPACT) will complete the 8-week intervention comprised of weekly activities including symptom monitoring, goal setting and progress monitoring. Dyads randomised to the control group will receive usual care but then be provided access to IMPACT at the end of the study. Feasibility will be measured by the proportion of eligible dyads enrolled and retained. Acceptability of IMPACT will be assessed using the Acceptability of Intervention Measure, the System Usability Scale and a semistructured interview. Preliminary efficacy is determined based on change in primary outcomes, parent-reported and child-reported asthma responsibility and asthma self-efficacy scores, from baseline.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the University of Washington Institutional Review Board; study ID: STUDY00010461. Participants gave informed consent to participate in the study before taking part. Study results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. A lay summary will be provided to study participants.Trial registration numberNCT04908384 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).
First report of male–male combat in free-ranging Amazonian Common Lanceheads (Bothrops atrox)
Authors: da Fonseca Wirven Lima , Correa Radraque Rodrigues , de Souza Oliveira Andesson , Braz Henrique Bartolomeu , de Almeida-Santos Selma Maria , Bernarde Paulo Sérgio 
Published: February 2022

In many snakes, males engage in agonistic interactions (male–male combat) apparently to establish dominant–subordinate relationships to gain priority access to reproductive females. In the Neotropical genus Bothrops Wagler, 1824 (∼45 species), male–male combat has been recorded only in three species of the monophyletic Bothrops atrox group. However, most male combats recorded in this clade occurred in captivity, an environment that facilitates the emergence of agonistic interactions. Here, we provide the first record of male–male combat in free-ranging Amazonian Common Lanceheads (Bothrops atrox (Linnaeus, 1758)) and discuss the implications of this observation for the species mating system. During fieldwork, we found one immature female and five active adult males, two of them fighting. These observations suggest that reproductive male B. atrox actively search and compete for widely dispersed and scarce receptive females.
A case study of variational quantum algorithms for a job shop scheduling problem
Authors: Amaro David , Rosenkranz Matthias , Fitzpatrick Nathan , Hirano Koji , Fiorentini Mattia 
Published: February 2022

AbstractCombinatorial optimization models a vast range of industrial processes aiming at improving their efficiency. In general, solving this type of problem exactly is computationally intractable. Therefore, practitioners rely on heuristic solution approaches. Variational quantum algorithms are optimization heuristics that can be demonstrated with available quantum hardware. In this case study, we apply four variational quantum heuristics running on IBM’s superconducting quantum processors to the job shop scheduling problem. Our problem optimizes a steel manufacturing process. A comparison on 5 qubits shows that the recent filtering variational quantum eigensolver (F-VQE) converges faster and samples the global optimum more frequently than the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA), the standard variational quantum eigensolver (VQE), and variational quantum imaginary time evolution (VarQITE). Furthermore, F-VQE readily solves problem sizes of up to 23 qubits on hardware without error mitigation post processing.
Experimenting quantum phenomena on NISQ computers using high level quantum programming
Authors: Tran Duc M. , Nguyen Duy V. , Le Bin Ho , Nguyen Hung Q. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractWe execute the quantum eraser, the Elitzur–Vaidman bomb, and the Hardy’s paradox experiment using high-level programming language on a generic, gate-based superconducting quantum processor made publicly available by IBM. The quantum circuits for these experiments use a mixture of one-qubit and multi-qubit gates and require high entanglement gate accuracy. The results aligned with theoretical predictions of quantum mechanics to high confidence on circuits using up to 3 qubits. The power of quantum computers and high-level language as a platform for experimenting and studying quantum phenomena is henceforth demonstrated.
Pericyte Progenitor Coupling to the Emerging Endothelium During Vasculogenesis via Connexin 43
Authors: Payne Laura Beth , Tewari Bhanu P. , Dunkenberger Logan , Bond Samantha , Savelli Alyssa , Darden Jordan , Zhao Huaning , Willi Caroline , Kanodia Ronak , Gude Rosalie , Powell Michael D. , Oestreich Kenneth J. , Sontheimer Harald , Dal-Pra Sophie , Chappell John C. 
Published: February 2022

Background:
Vascular pericytes stabilize blood vessels and contribute to their maturation, while playing other key roles in microvascular function. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about involvement of their precursors in the earliest stages of vascular development, specifically during vasculogenesis.

Methods:

We combined high-power, time-lapse imaging with transcriptional profiling of emerging pericytes and endothelial cells in reporter mouse and cell lines. We also analyzed conditional transgenic animals deficient in
Cx43/Gja1
(connexin 43/gap junction alpha-1) expression within Ng2+ cells.

Results:

A subset of
Ng2-DsRed+
cells, likely pericyte/mural cell precursors, arose alongside endothelial cell differentiation and organization and physically engaged vasculogenic endothelium in vivo and in vitro. We found no overlap between this population of differentiating pericyte/mural progenitors and other lineages including hemangiogenic and neuronal/glial cell types. We also observed cell-cell coupling and identified Cx43-based gap junctions contributing to pericyte–endothelial cell precursor communication during vascular assembly. Genetic loss of
Cx43/Gja1
in
Ng2+
pericyte progenitors compromised embryonic blood vessel formation in a subset of animals, while surviving mutants displayed little-to-no vessel abnormalities, suggesting a resilience to
Cx43/Gja1
loss in Ng2+ cells or potential compensation by additional connexin isoforms.

Conclusions:

Together, our data suggest that a distinct pericyte lineage emerges alongside vasculogenesis and directly communicates with the nascent endothelium via Cx43 during early vessel formation.
Cx43/Gja1
loss in pericyte/mural cell progenitors can induce embryonic vessel dysmorphogenesis, but alternate connexin isoforms may be able to compensate. These data provide insight that may reshape the current framework of vascular development and may also inform tissue revascularization/vascularization strategies.
Characteristics of injuries resulting from falls from height in the construction industry
Authors: Anantharaman Venkataraman , Zuhary Thajudeen Mohammed , Ying Hao , Krishnamurthy Natarajan 
Published: February 2022

Introduction:
Falls from heights contribute to 34% of fatal accidents in Singapore. Of these, 51% of the accidents occur in the construction industry. This retrospective review, of all persons falling from heights in the construction industry from 2006 to 2012 and attending a major hospital, analysed injury patterns and related them to mechanisms and contributory factors.

Methods:
Information collected included injury and casualty characteristics, safety measures, pre-existing medical conditions and clinical outcomes.

Results:
Of 1,085 patients, 951 were male with a mean age of 39.8 years, mean height of 165.9 cm and mean weight of 69.7 kg. Most of the casualties fell between 0800 and 2000 hours. Among the severely injured patients, 2.4% had head injuries, 54.9% had chest injuries and 39.2% had abdominal and pelvic injuries. For these casualties, the mortality rate was 60.8%. For patients with less than major trauma, the commonest injuries were in the lower limbs (41.8%), upper limbs (40.8%) and spine (22.2%). All the casualties survived. Falls from scaffolding, formwork and platforms were the most common causes of severe injuries (41.1%). Safety helmets and harnesses were reported to be used in 1.8% and 4.1% of instances of falls, respectively.

Conclusion:
Studying the patterns of injuries following falls at construction sites has the potential for injury prevention through safe practices, use of safety equipment and targeted training.
The Associations Between Maternal Socioeconomic Factors and Adequacy of Energy and Macronutrient Intakes in Pregnant Women From Yucatan, Mexico
Authors: Romero-Villanueva Dulce , Dickinson Federico , Batún José Luis , Castillo-Burguete María Teresa , Azcorra Hugo 
Published: February 2022

Background: Socioeconomic factors influence diet quality during pregnancy. However, a dearth of evidence about the influence on energy and macronutrients adequacy calls for research. Objective: To analyze the association between socioeconomic factors and adequacy rates of energy and macronutrient intakes in pregnant women from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Methods: During September to December 2019, we applied a socioeconomic questionnaire and three 24-hour dietary recalls to 83 pregnant females resident in Merida, Yucatan. Energy and macronutrient intakes were compared with the estimated trimester-specific energy and macronutrient requirements to calculate adequacies (%). Outcome variables were average adequacy of energy, carbohydrates, total fat, and protein intakes and the main predictors were maternal education, monthly family income, working status, and marital status. Descriptive statistics of adequacy were calculated for each category of predictors. The association between socioeconomic factors and outcome variables was analyzed through simple and multiple linear regression models. Results: Adequacy rates of energy and macronutrients decreased as education and familial income levels increased, as well as among unemployed women. Consistently with these results, simple linear regressions showed that years of education, family income, and working status (i.e., women working to earn money), were negatively associated with adequacy rates of energy and macronutrients intakes. When all predictors and covariates were included in a multiple linear regression model, only having a job was significantly associated with adequacy rates. Marital status was not associated with outcomes. Conclusions: Women in disadvantaged socioeconomic conditions (unemployed and low levels of education and familial income) show greater energy and macronutrient intakes.