bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pattern and causes of temporomandibular joint ankylosis: A 6-years retrospective study
Authors: Eftekharian Hamidreza , Motazedian Gholamreza , Tavanafar Saeid , Salari Fatemeh 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Aim: This retrospective study aimed to investigate the cause and pattern of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis in patients who have been treated for this condition at a major urban teaching hospital.Methods and Materials: In this study, we reviewed all the patients treated for temporomandibular joint ankylosis for six years at an urban teaching hospital between 2015 to 2021 who had sufficient information available. Demographic information as well as etiology and pattern of ankylosis, the time lapse between injury and treatment, concomitant facial injury, fragment displacement, prior condyle treatment, mouth opening before and after treatment of ankylosis, complications, and position of the ramus stump or hemicondyle in relation to the glenoid fossa, follow up period, and physiotherapy before and after ankylosis treatment. Results: Among 32 patients with 45 involved joints, with an average age of 29.90± 17.08 years, mostly between 20-29 years old (n=10); the leading cause of temporomandibular joint ankylosis was trauma with n=25 (78%). The ratio of men to women was 23 to 9, and the ratio of bilateral involvement to unilateral ones was 13:9. The most common chief complaint of the patient was restricted mouth opening with n=24 (75%). Twenty-four patients had complete temporomandibular joint ankylosis. The mean of maximum mouth opening before surgery was 0.95 ± 0.45 cm, which increased significantly to 4.50 ± 0.50 cm (p <0.001) after treatment.Conclusions: This study showed that trauma was the most common cause of temporomandibular joint ankylosis in the studied patients. The most common chief complaint of the patient was the limitation of mouth opening. The results of this study also have shown that TMJ ankylosis is more common in men than women, and surgery is significantly effective in improving the function of TMJ in these patients.
The potential risk factors for prolonged length of stay despite an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol for elder patients undergoing short-level lumbar fusion surgery
Authors: Cui Peng , Kong Chao , Wang Peng , Wang Jialin , Liu Xu , Zhao Guoguang , Lu Shibao 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Objective
To identify the risk factors associated with prolonged length of stay (LOS) despite an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in short-level lumbar fusion surgery.
Methods
ERAS was implemented maturely at our department in January 2019. We gathered data for all patients undergoing short-level lumbar fusion surgery from May to November 2021. Given the discharge criterias, a threshold was set according to mean LOS, and two groups were spontaneously formed: LOS shorter than the threshold for discharge (Group 1, n = 114) and LOS longer or equal to the threshold for discharge (Group 2, n = 72). Preoperative metrics were compared to identify risk factors associated with prolonged LOS.
Results
A total consecutive 186 patients with complete medical records were enrolled (77 males and 109 females; mean age 71.08 ± 5.70 years). After dichotomization according to the threshold for discharge, there were 114 patients in Group 1 and 72 in Group 2. Statistical analysis demonstrated that age ≥ 75 years (p = 0.002), female sex (p < 0.001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grade ≥ 3 (p = 0.035), operation time (p < 0.001), anesthesia time (p < 0.001, ambulation time > 1 day (p = 0.027), removal of urinary catheter time > 1 day (p = 0.019), fusion levels (p < 0.001), Clavien-Dindo grade > 1 (p < 0.001) and allogenetic transfusion (p = 0.009) were significantly related to prolonged LOS. Binary logistic regression revealed that age (odds ratio (OR) 5.149; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.045–12.966, p = 0.001), sex (OR 5.185, 95% CI 2.183–12.317, p < 0.001) and Clavien-Dindo grade > 1(OR 15.936, 95% CI 5.220–48.652, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors of prolonged LOS.
Conclusions
In this retrospective study, we analysed the potential risk factors associated with delayed LOS despite implementing ERAS, further, binary logistic regression exhibited that age ≥ 75 years old, female sex and Clavien-Dindo grade > 1 were independently correlated with prolonged LOS.
Pre-referral intranasal artesunate for malaria: a proof-of-concept study
Authors: Kouakou Yobouet Ines , Millet Aurelien , Fromentin Elodie , Hauchard Nathalie , Farias Gonçalo , Fieux Maxime , Coudert Aurelie , Omorou Roukayatou , Said Ibrahim Bin , Lavoignat Adeline , Bonnot Guillaume , Bienvenu Anne-Lise , Picot Stephane 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Background: Malaria still kills young children in rural endemic areas because early treatment is not available. Thus, the World Health Organization recommends the administration of artesunate suppositories as pre-referral treatment before transportation to the hospital in case of severe symptoms with an unavailable parenteral and oral treatment. However, negative cultural perception of the rectal route, and limited access to artesunate suppositories, could limit the use of artesunate suppositories. There is therefore a need for an alternative route for malaria pre-referral treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of intranasal route for malaria pre-referral treatment.Methods: The permeability of artesunate through human nasal mucosa was tested in vitro. The Transepithelial Electrical Resistance (TEER) of the nasal mucosa was followed during the permeation tests. Beside, regional deposition of artesunate powder was assessed with a unidose drug delivery device in each nostril of a nasal cast. Artesunate quantification was performed using Liquid Chromatography coupled to tandem Mass Spectrometry. Results: The experimental model of human nasal mucosa was successfully implemented. Using this model, artesunate powder showed a much better passage rate through human nasal mucosa than solution (26.8 ± 6.6% versus 2.1 ± 0.3%). More than half (62.3%) of the artesunate dose sprayed in the nostrils of the nasal cast was recovered in the olfactory areas (44.7 ± 8.6%) and turbinates (17.6 ± 3.3%) allowing nose-to-brain and systemic drug diffusion, respectively.Conclusion: Artesunate powder showed a good permeation efficiency on human nasal mucosa. Moreover it can be efficiently sprayed in the nostrils using unidose device to reach the olfactory area leading to a fast nose-to-brain delivery as well as a systemic effect. Taken together, those results are part of the proof-of-concept for the use of intranasal artesunate as a malaria pre-referral treatment.
Materialistic characterization, thermal properties, and cytocompatibility investigations on acrylic acid-functionalized nSiO2 reinforced PEEK polymeric nanocomposite
Authors: Thanigachalam Mugilan , Vallavi Muthusamy Subramanian Aezhisai , Sugumar Durai 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) is a biocompatible alternative to metallic biomaterials because of its unique properties such as relatively low elastic modulus, high mechanical strength, and biocompatibility. A significant issue is that its bioinert feature might lead to implant failure due to poor osseointegration. Therefore, this research aims to develop the nSiO2 ceramic particles reinforced PEEK (nSiO2@PEEK) polymer nanocomposite. The particle size of nanoparticles was measured as 43.6 nm using particle size analyzer (PSA). The fabrication was done by the vertical injection moulding process. The morphology of fabricated composite was analyzed using FESEM. The EDAX and elemental mapping revealed the presence of Si, C, and O elements in nSiO2@PEEK. The structural characteristic of nSiO2@PEEK nanocomposite was investigated using XRD and FTIR. Thermal stability and melting behavior were examined using TGA thermograms and DSC curves. Minimum toxic level (Grade: slight, 1–20%) was observed by in-vitro cytotoxicity assessment using direct and indirect methods. The excellent cell viability was found as 83.6% through MTT assay. The MG-63 cell-adhesion study was conducted subsequently excellent cell growth and cell-morphology were monitored using SEM analysis. Thereby, the developed nanocomposite was found to be good biocompatible properties through this research. Thus it can be suitable as promising biomaterial for medical implant applications.
Two Constructions for Optimal Z-Complementary Sequence Sets
Authors: Cui Li , Xu Chengqian , Li Yubo , Chen Xiaoyu 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Z-complementary sequence sets (ZCSSs) can be applied to multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) systems as user address codes to eliminate multi-path interference and multi-access interference. In this paper, two constructions of ZCSSs are investigated. First of all, flexible and diverse seed sequence sets and orthogonal matrices are employed to generate a large number of optimal ZCSSs, which can enrich the existing results. In fact, most ZCSSs lengths obtained by existing orthogonal-matrix-based constructions are required to be divisible by ZCZ widths. Obviously, it cannot be achieved if the desired sequence length is a prime number or a non-integer multiple of the ZCZ width. Toward the challenge of designing ZCSSs of various lengths, direct construction is presented in this paper using orthogonal matrices. Thus, it could provide a variety of quality of service (QoS) in quasi-synchronous multiuser multi-rate communication systems. Meanwhile, the flock sizes can be chosen flexibly, which means that the MC-CDMA systems are no longer limited by sub-carriers. To the best of our knowledge, the construction of ZCSSs have not been reported in the literature. In this paper, the proposed two constructions are direct without the aid of any special sequence, which is suitable for rapid hardware generation.
Testing and Quarantine Strategies for Travelers – An Evidence Based Analytic Model Using Bayesʼ Theorem
Authors: Lee Fu-Shiuan Whitney , Wang Jamie , Wang C. Jason 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Background: Policies such as border closures and quarantines have been widely used to minimize the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, such policies curbed international trade, travel, and tourism, leading to economic loss. Methods: We calculated the risks of individual travelers based on their expected transmission, defined as the expected number of subsequent infections resulting from an individual. It is calculated by multiplying the probability of travelers having COVID-19 after negative test(s), with the effective reproduction number (Rt) of the viral strain/variant. The expected transmission varies based on the incidence rate among unvaccinated or the breakthrough infection rates (BIRs) of the vaccinated; waning vaccine efficacy; transmissibility of the dominant variants; properties of various diagnostic tests used; and restriction policies in the arrival countries. For a traveler to be released, the expected transmission was benchmarked against that of an unvaccinated traveler quarantined for 14 days without testing, previously calculated to be 0.005. Results: We found that all individuals with a negative preboarding test can be released with a negative post-arrival test, with both tests achieving sensitivity ≥ 90% and specificity ≥ 97%, which could be accomplished by rapid antigen tests. This is valid for an incidence rate up to 0.1 (prior to testing) and Rt up to 4 in the arrival country. In a sensitivity analysis scenario where the incidence rate is 0.4 and Rt is 16, a negative preboarding test and a negative post-arrival test, both with sensitivity ≥ 98% and specificity ≥ 97% (usually accomplished by a Polymerase Chain Reaction test or other Nucleic Acid Amplification tests) can ensure that a traveler has a lower expected transmission than an unvaccinated person who is quarantined for 14 days. Conclusions: As vaccines become more available around the world, this study provides the scientific basis for setting policies of testing with or without quarantine for international travelers. In many cases, travelers with full vaccination (with or without booster) and a negative preboarding test can be released with a negative rapid antigen test upon arrival, which will allow the travelers to depart the airport within 30 minutes.
Quantifying the Financial Impact of Overuse in Primary Care in China
Authors: Si Yafei , Bateman Hazel , Chen Shu , Hanewald Katja , Li Bingqin , Su Min , Zhou Zhongliang 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Objective
Healthcare expenditures have increased very fast in many countries. Overuse of health care is a potential factor explaining the rapid increase. However, overuse, defined as ‘the provision of health care service when its likely risk of harm exceeds its potential benefit’ is difficult to measure 1. This study employs a novel method using unannounced standardised patients (SPs) to identify overuse, document its patterns, and quantify its financial impact on patients in primary care in China.
Methods
We conducted an SP study in a capital city of western China in 2017 and 2018. We trained 18 SPs to present consistent cases of two common chronic diseases, unstable angina and asthma. The SPs recorded 492 physician-patient interactions in 63 public and private primary hospitals. Overuse, defined as the provision of unnecessary medical tests and drugs, was identified by a judging panel based on national clinical guidelines. We estimated linear regression models to quantify the financial impact of overuse after controlling for hospital, physician and patient characteristics and a series of fixed effects.
Findings
We found overuse in 72.15% (95% CI: 68.18–76.13%) of the SP visits, including overuse of medical tests (54.67%, 95% CI: 50.26–59.09%) and overuse of drugs (28.05%, 95% CI: 24.07–32.03%). The high prevalence of overuse was similar among public and private hospitals, low-competence and high-competence physicians, male and female physicians, junior and senior physicians, and male and female patients but varied across patients presenting different diseases. Compared to the non-overuse group, the overuse had significantly increased the total cost by 118.8% (95% CI: 75.5–162.2%), the test cost by 60.0% (95% CI: 22.2–97.9%) and the drug cost by 100.2% (95% CI: 56.8–143.7%). The financial impact of overuse did not vary substantially across high-competence and low-competence physicians, male and female physicians, junior and senior physicians, and patients presenting different diseases. However, the financial impact of overuse was driven by physician-patient interactions in public hospitals rather than private hospitals, and it was driven by female patients rather than male patients.
Interpretation
Overuse of health care is pervasive in the primary care of China and leads to a significant increase in healthcare expenditure. The overuse in this study seems unlikely to be attributable to physician incompetence. We use a consultation-treatment transaction model to understand physician behaviour and show that overuse of medical tests and overuse of drugs are partial substitutes. These findings shed light on the cost escalation of primary care in China, which is a form of medical inefficiency and low quality of care that should be urgently addressed.
Regional Employment resilience during Australia’s early COVID-19 public health response: An analysis of the Payroll Jobs Index data series
Authors: Baum Scott , Mitchell William 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on regional economies and in particular has been reflected in the ability of some regions to perform better in the face of an economic downturn than others. Set in the context of regional economic resilience, this paper presents an exploratory analysis of the impact of a national COVID related shut-down in Australia on employment resilience across regions. Using data on the changes in payroll jobs, the paper identifies clusters of regions that can be differentiated according to their resilience during this period. The paper explores a range of possible determinants of regional resilience differences and suggests an agenda for a larger research endeavour.
Human TMPRSS2 non-catalytic ectodomain and SARS-CoV-2 S2’ subunit interaction mediated SARS-CoV-2 endocytosis: A model proposal with virtual screening for potential drug molecules to inhibit this interaction
Authors: Konduru Guruprasad Varma , Nagarajaram Hampapathalu Adimurthy 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
This study proposes a novel model for SARS-CoV-2 viral integration into the host cell via endocytosis pathway and hence a target for preventive treatment of COVID-19 infection. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein undergoes proteolytic cleavage at S1-S2 cleavage site and the cleaved out S2 domain is further cleaved by the activated serine protease domain of humanTMPRSS2 to become S2'. The activated serine protease domain of TMPRSS2 is formed after it undergoes autocatalysis by which the catalytic domain is cleaved from the membrane bound non-catalytic ectodomain (hNECD) comprising of LDLRA CLASS-I repeat and a SRCR domain. It is known that the SRCR domains as well as LDLRA repeat harboring proteins mediate endocytosis of viruses and certain ligands. Based on this, we put forward a hypothesis that the exposed hNECD binds to the S2' as both are at an interaction proximity soon after S2’ is processed by the serine protease domain and this interaction may lead to the endocytosis of virus as an alternate mechanism to the direct fusion model. Based on this hypothesis we have modelled the hNECD structure, followed by protein-protein docking studies with the known 3D structure of S2'. The interaction interface of hNECD discerned from the modelled complex structure was used for virtual screening of known FDA-approved drug molecules and also some of the Indian medicinal plant-based compounds. We also mapped the known mutations of concern and mutations of interest on interaction interface of S2’ and found that none of the known mutations map onto the interaction interface. This indicates that targeting the probable interaction between the hNECD of TMPRSS2 and S2’ may serve as an attractive potential therapeutic target which is variant independent.
The influence of memory on visual perception in infants, children, and adults
Authors: Jaffe-Dax Sagi , Potter Christine , Leung Tiffany , Emberson Lauren , Lew-Williams Casey 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Perception is not an independent, in-the-moment event. Instead, perceiving involves integrating prior expectations with current observations. How does this ability develop from infancy through adulthood? We examined how prior visual experience shapes visual perception in infants, children, and adults. Using an identical task across age groups, we exposed participants to pairs of colorful stimuli and measured their ability to discriminate relative saturation levels. Results showed that adult participants were biased by previously-experienced exemplars, but exhibited weakened in-the-moment discrimination between different levels of saturation. In contrast, infants and children showed less influence of memory in their perception, and they actually outperformed adults in discriminating between current levels of saturation. Our findings suggest that as humans develop, their perception relies more on prior experience and less on current observation.
Coupling of Thiols and Aryl Halides Mediated by Dicyclohexano-18- crown-6 and Potassium Carbonate
Authors: Deng Ning , Xu Hua-Jian , Liu Zhong-Lin , Xu Jing-Xiu , Dong Zheng , Shen Xiao , Xu Jun 
Published: April 2022

Aims:A simple, transition-metal-free C-S coupling protocol for the synthesis of aryl thioethers is reported.Background:Sulfur-containing moieties are ubiquitous in pharmaceutical drugs and materials and therefore methods for their construction are of great importance. One approach entails the catalytic coupling of an aryl halohydrocarbon with a thiol, but the transition metal catalysts usu-ally used are prone to poisoning by participating sulfur species and efficient catalysis is usually only achieved after complex ligand optimization.Objective:New transition-metal-free approaches to the synthesis of C-S bonds are urgently need.Method:We screened the reaction conditions such as alkali, crown ether, solvent, temperature, etc., tested the compatibility of the reaction substrate, and analyzed the mechanism process.Result:The optimized reaction conditions were determined to be 1.0 equiv of aryl halides and 1.2 equiv of thiols at 110 ℃ in toluene with K2CO3 (1.5 equiv) as a base, promoted by 10 mol% dicyclohexano-18-crown-6. Up to 33 examples of thioethers were synthesized under transition-metal-free conditions in good to excellent yields.Conclusion:We have developed a simple and efficient method for the C-S cross-coupling of a wide variety of (hetero)aryl halides and thiols mediated by dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 and with-out the need for transition-metal catalyst. In addition, the preparation and gram-scale experi-ments of a variety of drug molecules further verify the practicability of our developed method.
A Privacy-Preserving Audit and Feedback System for the Antibiotic Prescribing of General Practitioners: Survey Study
Authors: Yigzaw Kassaye Yitbarek , Chomutare Taridzo , Wynn Rolf , Berntsen Gro Karine Rosvold , Bellika Johan Gustav 
Published: April 2022

Background
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide public health problem that is accelerated by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. Studies have shown that audits and feedback enable clinicians to compare their personal clinical performance with that of their peers and are effective in reducing the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics. However, privacy concerns make audits and feedback hard to implement in clinical settings. To solve this problem, we developed a privacy-preserving audit and feedback (A&F) system.

Objective
This study aims to evaluate a privacy-preserving A&F system in clinical settings.

Methods
A privacy-preserving A&F system was deployed at three primary care practices in Norway to generate feedback for 20 general practitioners (GPs) on their prescribing of antibiotics for selected respiratory tract infections. The GPs were asked to participate in a survey shortly after using the system.

Results
A total of 14 GPs responded to the questionnaire, representing a 70% (14/20) response rate. The participants were generally satisfied with the usefulness of the feedback and the comparisons with peers, as well as the protection of privacy. The majority of the GPs (9/14, 64%) valued the protection of their own privacy as well as that of their patients.

Conclusions
The system overcomes important privacy and scaling challenges that are commonly associated with the secondary use of electronic health record data and has the potential to improve antibiotic prescribing behavior; however, further study is required to assess its actual effect.