bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
E-cigarettes With Varenicline Versus Varenicline for Smoking Cessation: A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Tattan-Birch Harry , Kock Loren , Brown Jamie , Beard Emma , Bauld Linda , West Robert , Shahab Lion 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBackgroundWe examined whether, in adults receiving behavioural support, offering e-cigarettes together with varenicline helps more people stop smoking cigarettes than varenicline alone.MethodsA two-group, parallel-arm, pragmatic randomised controlled trial was conducted in six English stop smoking services from 2019-2020. Adults enrolled onto a 12-week programme of in-person one-to-one behavioural smoking cessation support (N=92) were randomised to receive either (i) a nicotine e-cigarette starter-kit alongside varenicline or (ii) varenicline alone. The primary outcome was biochemically-verified abstinence from cigarette smoking between weeks nine-to-12 post quit-date, with those lost to follow-up considered not abstinent. The trial was stopped early due to COVID-19 restrictions and a varenicline recall (92/1266 participants recruited).ResultsNine-to-12-week smoking abstinence rates were 47.9% (23/48) in the e-cigarette-varenicline group compared with 31.8% (14/44) in the varenicline-only group, a 51% increase in abstinence among those offered e-cigarettes; however, the confidence interval (CI) was wide, including the possibility of no difference (risk ratio [RR]=1.51, 95%CI=0.91-2.64). The e-cigarette-varenicline group had 43% lower hazards of relapse from continuous abstinence than the varenicline-only group (hazards ratio [HR]=0.57, 95%CI=0.34-0.96). Attendance for 12 weeks was higher in the e-cigarette-varenicline than varenicline-only group (54.2% versus 36.4%; RR=1.49, 95%CI=0.95-2.47), but similar proportions of participants in both groups used varenicline daily for ≥8 weeks after quitting (22.9% versus 22.7%; RR=1.01, 95%CI=0.47-2.20). Estimates were too imprecise to determine how adverse events differed by group.ConclusionPreliminary evidence suggests offering e-cigarettes alongside varenicline to people receiving behavioural support may be more effective for smoking cessation than varenicline alone.ImplicationsOffering e-cigarettes to people quitting smoking with varenicline may help them remain abstinent from cigarettes, but the evidence is preliminary because our sample size was smaller than planned — caused by COVID-19 restrictions and a manufacturing recall. This meant our effect estimates were imprecise, and additional evidence is needed to confirm that providing e-cigarettes and varenicline together helps more people remain abstinent than varenicline alone.
The health effects of 14 weeks of physical activity in a real-life setting for adults with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Højberg Laurits Munk , Helge Eva Wulff , Pingel Jessica , Wienecke Jacob 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBackgroundIndividuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have a reduced physical health compared to the general population, and one of the main contributors is inactivity.AimTo investigate how 14 weeks of physical activity (PA) in a real-life setting affects cardiovascular fitness, body composition and bone health of adults with ID.MethodsAdults with ID were recruited into a PA-group or a control group (CON). The PA-group participated in 14 weeks of PA. Body composition, cardiovascular fitness and bone health were assessed before and after the intervention.Outcomes & resultsCardiovascular fitness and body composition improved from pre to post within the PA-group: Heart rates (HR) during the last 30 seconds of two increments of a treadmill test, were reduced (3.2 km/h: -4.4 bpm, p<0.05; 4.8 km/h: -7.5 bpm, p<0.001) and fat mass was reduced (−1.02 kg, p<0.05). Between-group differences in favour of the PA-group, were observed in whole body bone mineral density (BMD) (0.024 g/cm2, p<0.05) and in BMD of the left femur neck (0.043 g/cm2, p<0.05).Conclusions & ImplicationsFourteen weeks of PA increase cardiovascular fitness, reduced fat mass and improved BMD in the weight-bearing skeleton in the PA-group. Increased and regular PA seems to be a promising tool to promote physical health in adults with ID.What this paper addsThis paper underlines the importance of including physical activity in the everyday lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The health impact of physical activity performed outside controlled research laboratories needs further investigation, and therefore this paper sheds light on physical activity performed in a real-life setting. Our results indicate a positive impact of physical activity on the cardiovascular system and body composition, as well as bone health. The question of how of bone health of adults with intellectual disabilities responds to physical activity is largely understudied in intervention designs, and this paper includes state-of-the art investigation of development in bone mineral density after participation in varied physical activities. These results give promise and indicate a positive impact of the intervention on the bone health of the participants.
Analytical performance of rapid antigen tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 during widespread circulation of the Omicron variant
Authors: Suzuki Hiromichi , Akashi Yusaku , Kato Daisuke , Takeuchi Yuto , Kiyasu Yoshihiko , Terada Norihiko , Kurihara Yoko , Kuwahara Miwa , Muramatsu Shino , Ueda Atsuo , Notake Shigeyuki , Nakamura Koji 
Published: May 2022

AbstractIntroductionAntigen testing is essential in the clinical management of COVID-19. However, most evaluations of antigen tests have been performed before the emergence of the Omicron variant. Thus, an assessment of the diagnostic performance of antigen tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 during the circulation of Omicron variant is required.MethodsThis prospective observational study evaluated QuickNavi-COVID19 Ag, a rapid antigen detection test between December 2021 and February 2022 in Japan, using real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR as a reference. Two nasopharyngeal samples were simultaneously collected for antigen testing and for RT-PCR. Variant analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing was also performed.ResultsIn total, nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 1,073 participants (417 positive; 919 symptomatic; 154 asymptomatic) for analysis. Compared with those of RT-PCR, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 94.2% (95% CI: 91.6%–96.3%), 99.5% (95% CI: 98.7%–99.9%), 99.2% (95% CI: 97.8%–99.8%), and 96.5% (95% CI: 94.8%–97.7%), respectively. The sensitivity among symptomatic individuals was 94.3% (95% CI: 91.5%–96.4%). Overall, 85.9% of sequences were classified as Omicron sublineage BA.1, 12.4% were Omicron sublineage BA.2, and 1.6% were Delta B.1.617.2. (Delta variant). Most of the samples (87.1%) had Ct values <25.ConclusionsThe QuickNavi-COVID19 Ag test showed high diagnostic performance for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages BA.1 and BA.2 from nasopharyngeal samples.
Cannabinoids For Fibromyalgia: An Updated Systematic Review
Authors: Scicluna Jean Claude , Di Giovanni Giuseppe 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACTFibromyalgia is an increasingly prevalent condition resulting in high morbidity and economic burden for sufferers. Minimal to modest benefit has been achieved by pharmacotherapies, creating a strong rationale for novel therapies. Substantial evidence has implicated the endocannabinoid system in the modulation of fibromyalgia symptoms. However, the therapeutic potential and potential adverse effects of cannabis-based therapy in fibromyalgia are still under-reported, leading to clinicians’ hesitation to opt for such therapy. This systematic review examined the literature and provided a critical review of the safety and efficacy of cannabis-based therapy in fibromyalgia. It resulted that medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment option for fibromyalgia, whilst further research in this area is needed.
LEGAL AGE OF CONSENT FOR HIV TESTING AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA, A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Authors: Mollel Getrud Joseph , Katende Andrew , Shahmanesh Maryam 
Published: May 2022

AbstractSub Saharan Africa (SSA) harbours more than 80% of adolescents living with HIV. High age of consent for HIV testing has been identified as one of the key barriers to adolescents’ access to HIV testing. We conducted a systematic literature review to demonstrate the status of age of consent policies in SSA and evidence of relationship between age of consent policies and adolescent’s uptake of HIV testing. We obtained peer reviewed literature from Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science databases and policy review from national HIV testing guidelines and UNAIDS data reports. Age of consent for HIV testing in the region ranged between 12 and 18 years. Among 33 included countries, 14 (42.4%) had age of consent between 12 – 14 years, 9 (27.3%) had age of consent between 15 – 17 years and 10 countries (30.3%) still have the highest age of consent at 18 years as of 2019. Lowering age of consent has been associated with increased access to HIV testing among adolescents.
Enhanced flavour profiles through radicicol induced genomic variation in S. pastorianus lager yeast
Authors: de la Cerda Garcia-Caro Roberto , Thompson Georgia , Zhang Penghan , Hokamp Karsten , Roche Fiona , Carlin Silvia , Vrhovsek Urska , Bond Ursula 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe yeasts, Saccharomyces pastorianus, are hybrids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces eubayanus and have acquired traits from the combined parental genomes such as ability to ferment a range of sugars at low temperatures and to produce aromatic flavour compounds, allowing for the production of lager beers with crisp, clean flavours. The polyploid strains are sterile and have reached an evolutionary bottleneck for genetic variation. Here we describe an accelerated evolution approach to obtain lager yeasts with enhanced flavour profiles. As the relative expression of orthologous alleles is a significant contributor to the transcriptome during fermentation, we aimed to induce genetic variation by altering the S. cerevisiae to S. eubayanus chromosome ratio. Aneuploidy was induced through the temporary inhibition of the cell’s stress response and strains with increased production of aromatic amino acids via the Shikimate pathway were selected by resistance to amino acid analogues. Genomic changes such as gross chromosomal rearrangements, chromosome loss and chromosome gain were detected in the characterised mutants, as were Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in ARO4, encoding for DAHP synthase, the catalytic enzyme in the first step of the Shikimate pathway. Transcriptome analysis confirmed the upregulation of genes encoding enzymes in the Ehrlich pathway and the concomitant increase in the production of higher alcohols and esters such as 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenylethyl acetate, tryptophol, and tyrosol. We propose that the plasticity of polyploid S. pastorianus genomes is an advantageous trait supporting opportunities for genetic diversity in otherwise sterile strains.Significance StatementLager beer is the product of fermentations conducted with Saccharomyces pastorianus, which are hybrids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces eubayanus. A quintessential property of lager beers is the distinctive flavours produced during fermentation. Hybrids are sterile and have reached an evolutionary bottleneck. Finding ways to introduce genetic variation as a means of enhancing the flavour profiles is a challenge. Here, we describe an approach to introduce genetic variation by inducing aneuploidy through the temporary inhibition of the cell’s stress response. Strains with an enhanced flavour production were selected by resistance to amino acid analogues. We identified genomic changes and transcriptome analysis confirmed the upregulation of genes in the Ehrlich pathway which is responsible for the production of flavour compounds.
Zidovudine multi-combos with last-line fosfomycin, ceftazidime-avibactam, colistin and tigecycline against Multi-Drug Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae
Authors: Gómara-Lomero Marta , López-Calleja Ana Isabel , Rezusta Antonio , Aínsa José Antonio , Ramón-García Santiago 
Published: May 2022

AbstractDrug repurposing is a novel strategy for the development of new therapies against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Zidovudine, an antiviral largely used in the HIV-therapy, exerts antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Zidovudine was identified in a previous drug repurposing synergy screening as fosfomycin enhancer against Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883. Our aim was to evaluate the antibacterial in vitro activity of zidovudine-based combinations with last-line antibiotics against MDR/XDR K. pneumoniae isolates. We validated the zidovudine/fosfomycin combination against a collection of 12 MDR K. pneumoniae isolates by the checkerboard assay (CBA). In addition, we performed time-kill assays (TKA) to analyze synergistic and bactericidal activities of zidovudine paired combinations with fosfomycin, ceftazidime-avibactam, colistin and tigecycline. These were compared with frequent clinical combinations in the treatment of MDR Enterobacteriaceae. The potential of the triple zidovudine/fosfomycin/colistin was also assessed by TKA. CBA synergy confirmation rate between zidovudine/fosfomycin was 83.33%. TKA yielded synergy confirmation rates of 83.3% for zidovudine/ceftazidime-avibactam, 75% for zidovudine/fosfomycin, 75% for zidovudine/colistin and 66.6% for zidovudine/tigecycline with potent killing activities. Frequent clinical combinations displayed synergy rates of 41.6% for meropenem/ertapenem, 33.33% for meropenem/colistin, 75% for fosfomycin/colistin and 66.6% for fosfomycin/tigecycline with lower bactericidal efficacy than zidovudine-based combinations. The triple zidovudine/fosfomycin/colistin combination exhibited activities similar to fosfomycin/colistin and fosfomycin/zidovudine. As conclusion, zidovudine is an effective partner in in vitro combinations with existing antibiotics against MDR K. pneumoniae, especially with ceftazidime-avibactam, fosfomycin or colistin. Further studies are needed to elucidate the clinical potential of zidovudine as a repurposed drug in the antibacterial therapy.
Host and pathogen drivers of infection-induced changes in social aggregation behavior
Authors: Romano Valéria , Lussiana Amy , Monteith Katy M. , MacIntosh Andrew J.J. , Vale Pedro F. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractIdentifying how infection modifies host behaviours that determine social contact networks is important for understanding heterogeneity in infectious disease dynamics. Here, we investigate whether group social behaviour is modified during bacterial infection in Drosophila melanogaster, an established system for behavioural genetics, according to pathogen species, infectious dose, host genetic background and sex. We find that systemic infection with four different bacterial species results in a reduction in the mean pairwise distance within infected flies, and that the extent of this change depends on the infectious dose in a pathogen-specific way. In the presence of infected conspecifics, susceptible flies also tended to aggregate throughout time, but did not show any evidence of avoiding infected flies. We also observed genetic- and sex-based variation in social aggregation, with infected female flies aggregating more closely than infected males. In general, our results confirm that bacterial infection induces changes in fruit fly behaviour across a range of pathogen species, but also highlight that these effects vary between fly genetic backgrounds and can be sex-specific. We discuss possible explanations for sex differences in social aggregation and their consequences for individual variation in pathogen transmission.
A Systematic review of ‘Fair’ AI model development for image classification and prediction
Authors: Correa Ramon , Shaan Mahtab , Trivedi Hari , Patel Bhavik , Celi Leo Anthony G. , Gichoya Judy W. , Banerjee Imon 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBackgroundArtificial Intelligence (AI) models have demonstrated expert-level performance in image-based recognition and diagnostic tasks, resulting in increased adoption and FDA approvals for clinical applications. The new challenge in AI is to understand the limitations of models to reduce potential harm. Particularly, unknown disparities based on demographic factors could encrypt currently existing inequalities worsening patient care for some groups.MethodFollowing PRISMA guidelines, we present a systematic review of ‘fair’ deep learning modeling techniques for natural and medical image applications which were published between year 2011 to 2021. Our search used Covidence review management software and incorporates articles from PubMed, IEEE, and ACM search engines and three reviewers independently review the manuscripts.ResultsInter-rater agreement was 0.89 and conflicts were resolved by obtaining consensus between three reviewers. Our search initially retrieved 692 studies but after careful screening, our review included 22 manuscripts that carried four prevailing themes; ‘fair’ training dataset generation (4/22), representation learning (10/22), model disparity across institutions (5/22) and model fairness with respect to patient demographics (3/22). However, we observe that often discussion regarding fairness are also limited to analyzing existing bias without further establishing methodologies to overcome model disparities. Particularly for medical imaging, most papers lack the use of a standardized set of metrics to measure fairness/bias in algorithms.DiscussionWe benchmark the current literature regarding fairness in AI-based image analysis and highlighted the existing challenges. Based on the current research trends, exploration of adversarial learning for demographic/camera/institution agnostic models is an important direction to minimize disparity gaps for imaging. Privacy preserving approaches also present encouraging performance for both natural and medical image domain.
Prodromal manifestations of Parkinson’s disease in adults with 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome
Authors: Juri Carlos , Chaná-Cuevas Pedro , Kramer Vasko , Fritsch Rosemarie , Ornstein Claudia , Cuiza Analía , Hernández Carlos , Villanueva Katiuska , Cordova Teresa , Mauro Jorge , Ocampo Adrian , Rebolledo-Jaramillo Boris , Encina Gonzalo , Calleja Andrea , Dinator Javiera , Alcayaga Juan Pablo , Crossley Nicolas A. , Repetto Gabriela M. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (22qDS) was recently identified as a risk factor for development of early-onset Parkinson’s disease (PD). The classical motor manifestations of this disease are preceded by early signs and symptoms of neurodegeneration. The progression of 22qDS-associated PD is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the presence of prodromal PD in a group of adults with 22qDS using the Movement Disorders Society (MDS) Criteria for Prodromal PD. Thirty-eight persons with 22qDS and 13 age-matched controls participated in the study, and their results were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Persons with 22qDS had lower scores on olfaction testing (p=7.42E×10−5), higher scores on the COMPASS 31 scale for dysautonomia (p=2.28×10−3) and on the motor evaluation using Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-sponsored revision of Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor subscore (UPDRS-III) (p=1.84×10−4), compared with healthy controls. Home polysomnogram did not find participants with REM-sleep behavior disorder. Integrity of nigrostriatal dopaminergic system was evaluated by PET-CT imaging of presynaptic dopamine with 18F-PR04.MZ. Patients showed significantly higher specific binding ratios in the striatum, compared to controls (p=9.57×10−3 at the caudate nuclei). Two patients with 22qDS (5.2%) had decreased uptake in the posterior putamen (less than 60% of controls) and one fulfilled MDS criteria for prodromal PD. These results show that patients with 22qDS manifest some signs and symptoms of prodromal PD such as hyposmia, dysautonomia and mild movement alterations. In the majority, this was associated with elevated dopaminergic signaling, suggesting that loss of dopaminergic neurons may not be the cause. A smaller subgroup did show evidence of a decrease in nigrostriatal dopaminergic signaling, as seen in classical prodromal PD. Longitudinal studies are necessary to understand the progression to and risk of PD in persons with 22qDS.
PRIMEtime: an epidemiological model for informing diet and obesity policy
Authors: Cobiac Linda J , Law Cherry , Scarborough Peter 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBackgroundMathematical modelling can play a vital role in guiding public health action. In this paper, we provide an overview of the revised and updated PRIMEtime model, a tool for evaluating health and economic impacts of policies impacting on diet and obesity. We provide guidance on populating PRIMEtime with country-specific data; and illustrate its validation and implementation in evaluating a combination of interventions in the UK: a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax; a ban on television advertising of unhealthy foods; and a weight loss program.MethodsPRIMEtime uses routinely available epidemiological data to simulate the effects of changes in diet and obesity on 19 non-communicable diseases, in open- or closed-population cohorts, over time horizons from 1 year to a lifetime. From these simulations, the model can estimate impact of a policy on population health (obesity prevalence, cases of disease averted, quality-adjusted life years), health and social care costs, and economic measures (net monetary benefit, cost-effectiveness ratios). We populated PRIMEtime with UK data and validated epidemiological predictions against two published data collections. We then evaluated three current obesity intervention policies based on estimates of effectiveness from published evaluation studies.ResultsThere was considerable variation in the modelled impact of interventions on prevalence of obesity and subsequent changes in health and the need for health care: restrictions on TV advertising of unhealthy foods to children led to the largest reductions in obesity prevalence; but the SSB tax, which also targeted adults, had the biggest benefits in reducing obesity-related disease; and the weight loss program, while having very small impact on obesity prevalence at the population scale, had large and immediate benefits in improving health and reducing health sector spending. From a health sector perspective, the combination of interventions produced a favourable net monetary benefit of £31,400 (12,200 to 50,700) million. But the combined effect in reducing prevalence of overweight and obesity, was not estimated to reach more than 0.81 percentage points (95% uncertainty interval: 0.21 to 1.4) for males and 0.95 percentage points (0.24 to 1.7) for females by 2050.ConclusionsDiet and obesity interventions have the potential to improve population health and reduce health sector spending both immediately and in the long-term. Models such as PRIMEtime can be used to evaluate the economic merits of intervention strategies and determine how best to combine interventions to achieve maximum population benefit. But with almost a third of children and two-thirds of adults currently overweight or obese, we need to broaden the application of public health models to evaluating the structural and systemic changes that are needed in our society to address the underlying drivers of the obesity epidemic.