bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Two years after lockdown: longitudinal trajectories of sleep disturbances and mental health over the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of age, gender, and chronotype
Authors: Salfi Federico , Amicucci Giulia , Corigliano Domenico , Viselli Lorenzo , D’Atri Aurora , Tempesta Daniela , Gorgoni Maurizio , Scarpelli Serena , Alfonsi Valentina , Ferrara Michele 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSince the first lockdown of Spring 2020, the COVID-19 contagion waves pervasively disrupted the sleep and mental health of the worldwide population. Notwithstanding the largest vaccination campaign in human history, the pandemic has continued to impact the everyday life of the general population for two years now. The present study provides the first evidence of the longitudinal trajectories of sleep disturbances and mental health throughout the pandemic in Italy, also describing the differential time course of age groups, genders, and chronotypes.A total of 1062 Italians participated in a three-time points longitudinal study covering two critical stages of the emergency [the first lockdown (April 2020) and the second lockdown (December 2020)] and providing a long-term overview two years after the pandemic outbreak (April 2022). We administered validated questionnaires to evaluate sleep quality/habits, insomnia, depression, stress, and anxiety symptoms.Analyses showed a gradual improvement in sleep disturbances, depression, and anxiety. Conversely, sleep duration progressively decreased, particularly in evening-type and younger people. Participants reported substantial earlier bedtime and get-up time. Stress levels increased during December 2020 and then stabilised. This effect was stronger in the population groups apparently more resilient during the first lockdown (older people, men, and morning-types).Our results describe a promising scenario two years after the pandemic onset. However, the improvements were relatively small, the perceived stress increased, and the re-establishment of pre-existing social/working dynamics led to general sleep curtailment. Further long-term monitoring is required to claim the end of the COVID-19 emergency on Italians’ sleep and mental health.
Learning phenotypic patterns in genetic diseases by symptom interaction modeling
Authors: Yauy Kevin , Duforet-Frebourg Nicolas , Testard Quentin , Beaumeunier Sacha , Audoux Jerome , Simard Benoit , Larue Dimitri , Blum Michael G. B. , Bernard Virginie , Genevieve David , Bertrand Denis ,   PhenoGenius consortium, Philippe Nicolas , Thevenon Julien 
Published: July 2022

AbstractObserving phenotyping practices from an international cohort of 1,686 cases revealed heterogeneity of phenotype reporting among clinicians. Heterogeneity limited their exploitation for diagnosis as only 43% of symptom-gene associations in the cohort were available in public databases. We developed a symptom interaction model that summarized 16,600 terms into 390 groups of interacting symptoms and detected 3,222,053 novel symptom-gene associations. By learning phenotypic patterns in genetic diseases, symptom interaction modeling handled heterogeneity in phenotyping, to the extent of covering 98% of our cohort’s symptom-gene associations. Using these symptom interactions improved the diagnostic performance in gene prioritization by 42% (median rank 80 to 41) compared to the best algorithms. Symptom interaction modeling will provide new discoveries in precision medicine by standardizing clinical descriptions.One sentence summaryLearning phenotypic patterns in genetic disease by symptom interaction modeling addresses physicians’ heterogeneous phenotype reporting.
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health in Low and Middle Income Countries
Authors: Aksunger Nursena , Vernot Corey , Littman Rebecca , Voors Maarten , Meriggi Niccolo , Abajobir Amanuel , Beber Bernd , Dai Katherine , Egger Dennis , Islam Asad , Kelley Jocelyn , Kharel Arjun , Matabaro Amani , Moya Andrés , Mwachofi Pheliciah , Nekesa Carolyn , Ochieng Eric , Rahman Tabassum , Scacco Alexandra , van Dalen Yvonne , Walker Michael , Janssens Wendy , Mobarak Ahmed Mushfiq 
Published: July 2022

AbstractWe track the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in eight Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa, and South America utilizing repeated surveys of 21,162 individuals. Many respondents were interviewed over multiple rounds pre- and post-pandemic, allowing us to control for time trends and within-year seasonal variation in mental health. We demonstrate how mental health fluctuates with agricultural crop cycles, deteriorating during pre-harvest “lean” periods. Ignoring this seasonal variation leads to unreliable inferences about the effects of the pandemic. Controlling for seasonality, we document a large, significant, negative impact of the pandemic on mental health, especially during the early months of lockdown. In a random effects aggregation across samples, depression symptoms increased by around 0.3 standard deviations in the four months following the onset of the pandemic. The pandemic could leave a lasting legacy of depression. Absent policy interventions, this could have adverse long-term consequences, particularly in settings with limited mental health support services, which is characteristic of many LMICs.
Pregnancy-related complications and associated factors among women attending antenatal care at a specialised maternal and child health national referral hospital, in Uganda
Authors: Tamale Bridget Nagawa , Bulafu Douglas , Isunju John Bosco , Jamu Atuko Vicky , Baguma James Natweta , Tigaiza Arnold , Nalugya Aisha , Musitwa Rogers , Mugambe Richard K. , Ssekamatte Tonny , Lubogo David 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBackgroundAlthough pregnancy and child birth-related complications remain a global public health concern, little is known about their prevalence and associated factors. Our study assessed pregnancy-related complications and associated factors among women attending antenatal care at a specialized maternal and child health national referral hospital in Uganda.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted among 285 pregnant women. Data were collected using the KoboCollect mobile application, and analysed using STATA 14. A modified poisson regression model was used for inferential statistics.FindingsOut of the 285 women, 27.4% (78/285) had pregnancy-related complications. The most reported complications were anaemia, 10.9% (31/285); eclampsia, 8.1% (23/285); and still births, 4.9% (14/285). Having a higher gravidity of 4-6 (APR= 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17-0.57) and of more than 7 (APR= 0.32, 95% CI: 0.14-0.73) was negatively associated with pregnancy-related complications. Factors positively associated with pregnancy-related complications included; late first ANC (APR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.17-2.92), parity of ≥ 3 (APR= 3.69, 95% CI: 1.50-9.08) and induced abortion prior to current pregnancy (APR= 1.64, 95% CI: (1.08-2.47).ConclusionThe prevalence of pregnancy-related complications was very high. Anaemia, eclampsia and still births were the most prevalent. A late first ANC, gravidity higher than 4, parity higher than 3, and history of an induced abortion prior to the current pregnancy were associated with having pregnancy-related complications. Interventions aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality should aim at promoting early ANC attendance, and increasing access to safe abortion and family planning services.
SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence surveys in blood donors before the vaccination campaign, France 2020-2021
Authors: Gallian Pierre , Hozé Nathanaël , Brisbarre Nadège , Saba Villarroel Paola Mariela , Nurtop Elif , Isnard Christine , Pastorino Boris , Richard Pascale , Morel Pascal , Cauchemez Simon , de Lamballerie Xavier 
Published: July 2022

SUMMARYWe conducted a cross-sectional study for SARS-CoV-2 anti-S1 IgG prevalence in French blood donors (n=32605), from May-2020 to January-2021. A mathematical model combined seroprevalence with daily number of hospital admissions to estimate the probability of hospitalization upon infection and determine the number of infections while correcting for antibody decay. There was an overall seroprevalence increase over the study period and we estimate that ∼15% of the French population had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 by January-2021. The infection/hospitalization ratio increased with age, from 0.56% (18-30yo) to 6.75% (61-70yo). Half of the IgG-S1 positive individuals had no detectable antibodies 4 to 5 months after infection. The seroprevalence in group O donors (7.43%) was lower (p=0.003) than in A, B and AB donors (8.90%). We conclude, based on seroprevalence data and mathematical modelling, that the overall immunity in the French population before the vaccination campaign started was too low to achieve herd immunity.
Has the pandemic enhanced and sustained digital health-seeking behaviour? A big data interrupted time-series analysis of Google Trends
Authors: van Kessel Robin , Kyriopoulos Ilias , Wong Brian Li Han , Mossialos Elias 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBackgroundDue to the emergency responses early in the pandemic, the use of digital health in healthcare increased abruptly, yet it remains unclear whether this introduction was sustainable on the long term. We explore trends in digital health-seeking behaviour as proxy for readiness to adopt digital health as a mainstream form of healthcare.MethodsWe use weekly Google Trends data from February 2019 to August 2021 in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland. We used five keywords to monitor online search interests in Google Trends: online doctor, telehealth, online health, telemedicine, and health app. Data are analysed using an interrupted time-series analysis with break-points on 11 March 2020 and 20 December 2020.ResultsDigital health searches immediately increased in all countries after the pandemic announcement. There was some variance in what keywords were used per country. However, searches declined after this immediate spike, sometimes towards pre-pandemic levels. The exception is the search volume of health app, which showed to either remain stable or gradually increase during the pandemic.InterpretationOur findings suggest that digital health-seeking behavioural patterns associated with the pandemic are currently not sustainable. Further building of digital health capacity and development of robust digital governance and literacy frameworks remain crucial to more structurally facilitate digital health transformation across countries.FundingNot applicable.
Results of the basic-VRS trial: clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of basic low vision rehabilitation in Portugal
Authors: Hernández-Moreno Laura , Senra Hugo , Marques Ana Patricia , Perdomo Natacha Moreno , Macedo Antonio Filipe 
Published: July 2022

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was twofold: i) to investigate and characterize the clinical impact of vision rehabilitation in patients with vision impairment, and ii) to investigate the cost-effectiveness of a basic vision rehabilitation service in Portugal.MethodsPatients diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy and visual acuity in the range 0.4 to 1.0 logMAR in the better-seeing eye were recruited. Participants were randomised to one of the study arms consisting of immediate intervention and delayed intervention. The intervention included: new refractive correction, optical reading aids, in-office training and advice about modifications at home. Visual ability, health-related quality-of-life and costs of the intervention were measured. Economic analysis was performed to evaluated if the intervention was cost-effective. The trial compared the outcomes 12-weeks after the start in both arms.ResultsOf the 46 participants, 34(74%) were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, 25(54%) were female and the mean age was 70.08 yrs (SD=8.74). In the immediate intervention arm visual ability was 0.28 logits (SD=1.14) at baseline and it increased to 0.91logits (SD=1.24) after the intervention (p<0.001). Changes in the delayed intervention arm were not statistically significant (mean improvement = 0.10 logits, SE=0.11, p=0.95). Acuity in the better seeing eye, near acuity and critical print size also improved during the study. The mean cost of the intervention was €118.79 (SD=24.37). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio using the EQ-5D-5L index value was €3322/QALY and €1235/QALY when using near acuity.ConclusionsThe current study gives evidence of positive clinical impact of a basic vision rehabilitation intervention and that a basic vision rehabilitation service is cost-effective. These findings are important to clinical and rehabilitation practices and for planning vision rehabilitation services.
Retinal Vein Occlusion at the University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Centre, North-West Ethiopia
Authors: Tilahun Matias , Tsegaw Asamere 
Published: July 2022

AbstractObjectiveRetinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the second most common retinal vascular diseases after diabetic retinopathy. Delay in detection and treatment can result in irreversible visual impairment and blindness. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude and clinical pattern of patients with RVO presentedd to the retina clinic at University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training CentreMethodsA hospital based Cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2017 – March 2018 and patients of all ages with RVO seen at our retina clinic during the study period were reviewed. Pertinent ophthalmic history, ophthalmic clinical examination and laboratory tests were done including detailed funducopy for each patient. Data were collected with structured questionnaire, entered to SPSS version 20 and analysed.ResultA total of 38 eyes of 36 new patients with RVOs were seen during the six month study period and reviewed. Twenty four (66%) study patients were males and the mean age was 58 ± 10.87 years. Thirty four (94.4%) patients had unilateral disease. Nineteen (52.78%) had Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), 13 (36.11%) had branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and 4 (11.11%) had hemispheric retinal vein occlusion (HRVO). Glaucoma was the commonest risk factor seen in 17 (47.22%) patients followed by systemic hypertension 10 (27.78%) and diabetes mellitus 8 (22%). The commonest complications encountered were macular edema, retinal or optic disc neovascularization and neovascular glaucoma seen in 15 (41.67%), 11 (30.5%) and 4 (11.11%) patients respectively. Over a third of patients 15 (41.67%) presented to our retina clinic after 6 months of onset of the illness and 15 (39.47%) eyes were blind at presentation.ConclusionGlaucoma, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the most common risk factors identified among study patients. A majority of patients had potentially blinding complications. There was also delay in presentation. Diagnostic and therapeutic facilities of the center should be improved to prevent vision loss from complications. People should be educated to seek health care immediately after the onset of visual symptoms.
HIV care preferences among young people living with HIV in Lesotho: A secondary data analysis of the PEBRA cluster randomized trial
Authors: Seiler Olivia , Kopo Mathebe , Kao Mpho , Lejone Thabo Ishmael , Tschumi Nadine , Glass Tracy Renée , Brown Jennifer Anne , Labhardt Niklaus Daniel , Amstutz Alain 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSub-Saharan Africa is home to 89% of all young people living with HIV, a key population with specific challenges and needs. In-depth knowledge of service demands is needed to tailor and differentiate service delivery for this group. We evaluated HIV care preferences among young people living with HIV who were part of the PEBRA (Peer Educator Based Refill of ART) cluster-randomized trial.The PEBRA trial evaluated a novel model of care at 20 health facilities in Lesotho, Southern Africa. In the PEBRA model, a peer educator regularly assessed participant preferences regarding antiretroviral therapy (ART) refill location, SMS notifications (for adherence, drug refill, viral load) and general care support options, and delivered services accordingly over a 12-month period. We present these preferences, their changes over time and how often it was not feasible to deliver them.At enrolment, 41 of 123 (33.3%) chose ART refill outside the health facility, compared to 8 of 123 (6.5%) after 12 months. Among those selecting clinic-based ART refill, many collected ART during the peer educator led Saturday clinic club, 45 of 123 (36.5%) at the beginning and 55 of 123 (44.7%) at the end. SMS reminder for adherence and/or ART refill was chosen by 51 of 123 (41.5%) at enrolment and 54 of 123 (44.7%) at the last assessment. Support by the peer educator was popular at the beginning (110 of 123 (89.4%)) and lower but still high at the end (85 of 123 (69.1%)). 13 of 123 (10.6%) participants chose support by the nurse only at the first and 21 of 123 (17.1%) at the last assessment. The overarching trial was prospectively registered onClinicalTrials.gov(NCT03969030).Our longitudinal preference assessment among young people living with HIV showed a sustained interest in SMS notifications for adherence and refill visits as well as in additional support by a peer educator. ART refill outside the health facility was not as popular as expected; instead, medication pick-up at the facility, especially during Saturday clinic clubs, was favoured.
Use of Machine Learning Techniques for Predicting Heart Disease Risk from Phone Enquiries Data
Authors: Martín-Rodríguez Fernando , Pájaro-Lorenzo Javier , Isasi-de-Vicente Fernando , Fernández-Barciela Mónica 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThis paper is about the application of known machine learning (ML) techniques for the prediction of heart disease risk. A public database is used to train and test the ML models. Results are evaluated using standard measures like precision, recall and F-score. ML models selected are well known techniques and they are based on different approaches. Chosen methods are: MLP (Multi-Layer Perceptron), SVM (Support Vector Machine) and Bagged Tree (Bootstrap Aggregated Trees). After evaluating techniques alone on their own, a new “triple voting method” (TVM) is tested applying the three individual methods and “adding” their results to improve accuracy.
Plasma protein profiling of multiple sclerosis using proximity extension assays
Authors: Huang Jesse , Khademi Mohsen , Piehl Fredrik , Olsson Tomas , Kockum Ingrid 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease characterized by demyelination and neuro-axonal degeneration in the central nervous system. Except for neurofilament light protein, identification of biomarkers has been difficult to assess in the blood, presumably due partly to sensitivity. To detect traces of disease activities in the periphery and identify low-abundance protein biomarkers, this study conducts an exploratory examination of the plasma proteome of MS using proximity extension technology, a high-sensitivity multiplex PCR-based immunoassay.MethodsA case-control cohort consisting of 52 MS cases (relapsing-remitting=30, progressive=22) and 17 healthy controls were enrolled at the Karolinska University Hospital. EDTA plasma was analyzed for 1157 unique protein targets across thirteen proximity extension assays. Protein associations to disease outcomes and related clinical measures were assessed using a multivariable linear regression model corrected for sex and age at sampling.ResultsAHCY and CHR levels were higher among MS cases than controls, while FABP2 was lower among those with relapsing-remitting disease than controls (Pdiscovery<0.05, Preplication<0.05), although not significant after multiple test corrections. Furthermore, PTN and CYR61 levels were higher in progressive MS than in relapsing-remitting disease (P<0.0002, PFDR<0.05), and CRNN and CXCL13 were associated with more severe disability at sampling (P<0.0001, PFDR<0.05), independent of disease course. CTSF was positively correlated with disease duration (P=4.1×10−5, PFDR=0.044), while RRM2B level correlated with intrathecal immunoglobulin production (IgG Index) in relapsing-remitting MS (P=1.7×10−5, PFDR=0.018).ConclusionWe provide several candidates for characterizing MS, particularly progressive disease, which may help monitor disease progression and treatment response in a clinical setting.
Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in New England Seals
Authors: Puryear Wendy , Sawatzki Kaitlin , Hill Nichola , Foss Alexa , Stone Jonathon J. , Doughty Lynda , Walk Dominique , Gilbert Katie , Murray Maureen , Cox Elena , Patel Priya , Mertz Zak , Ellis Stephanie , Taylor Jennifer , Fauquier Deborah , Smith Ainsley , DiGiovanni Robert A. , van de Guchte Adriana , Gonzalez-Reiche Ana Silvia , Khalil Zain , van Bakel Harm , Torchetti Mia K. , Lenoch Julianna B. , Lantz Kristina , Runstadler Jonathan 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe recent incursion of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) virus into North America and subsequent dissemination of virus across the continent, has had significant adverse impacts on domestic poultry, and has led to widespread mortality in many wild bird species. Here we report the recent spillover of H5N1 into marine mammals in the northeastern United States, with associated mortality on a regional scale. This spillover is coincident with a second wave of H5N1 in sympatric wild birds also experiencing regional mortality events. Viral sequences derived from both seal and avian hosts reveal distinct viral genetic differences between the two waves of infection. Spillover into seals was closely related to virus from the second wave, and one of eight seal-derived sequences had the mammalian adaptation PB2 E627K.One-Sentence SummaryAn outbreak of H5N1 in New England seals is the first known population-scale mammalian mortality event associated with the emerging highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b.
Ena/VASP proteins at the crossroads of actin nucleation pathways in dendritic cell migration
Authors: Visweshwaran Sai Prasanna , Nayab Hafiza , Hoffmann Lennart , Gil Marine , Liu Fan , Kühne Ronald , Maritzen Tanja 
Published: July 2022

AbstractAs sentinels of our immune system dendritic cells (DCs) rely on efficient cell migration for patrolling peripheral tissues and delivering sampled antigens to secondary lymphoid organs for the activation of T-cells. Dynamic actin polymerization is key to their macropinocytic and migratory properties. Both major actin nucleation machineries, formins and the Arp2/3 complex, are critical for different aspects of DC functionality, by driving the generation of linear respectively branched actin filaments. However, the importance of a third group of actin nucleators, the Ena/VASP family, has not been addressed yet. Here, we show that the two family members Evl and VASP are expressed in murine DCs and that their loss negatively affects DC macropinocytosis, spreading, and migration. Our interactome analysis reveals Ena/VASP proteins to be ideally positioned for orchestrating the different actin nucleation pathways by binding to the formin mDia1 as well as to the WAVE regulatory complex, a stimulator of Arp2/3. In fact, Evl/VASP deficient murine DCs are more vulnerable to inhibition of Arp2/3 demonstrating that Ena/VASP proteins contribute to the robustness and efficiency of DC migration.