bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Misinformation about medication during the COVID– 19 pandemic: A perspective of medical staff
Authors: Coman Claudiu , Bularca Maria Cristina , Repanovici Angela , Rogozea Liliana 
Published: October 2022

Background
Healthcare professionals had to face numerous challenges during the pandemic, their professional activity being influenced not only by the virus, but also by the spread of medical misinformation. In this regard, we aimed to analyze, from the perspective of medical staff, the way medical and non—medical information about the virus was communicated during the pandemic to encourage the development of future research or interventions in order to raise awareness about the way misinformation affected medical staff.

Methods and findings
The study was conducted on Romanian healthcare professionals. They were asked to answer to a questionnaire and the sample of the research includes 536 respondents. The findings revealed that most respondents stated that information about alternative treatments against the virus affected the credibility of health professionals, and that younger professionals believed to a greater extent that trust in doctors was affected. The research also showed that respondents were well informed about the drugs used in clinical trials in order to treat the virus.

Conclusions
Healthcare professionals declared that the spread of misinformation regarding alternative treatments, affected their credibility and the relationship with their patients. Healthcare professionals had knowledge about the drugs used in clinical trials, and they acknowledged the role of social media in spreading medical misinformation. However, younger professionals also believed that social media could be used to share official information about the virus.
Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography in adults with suspected acute appendicitis at the emergency department in a private tertiary hospital in Tanzania
Authors: Nyamuryekung’e Masawa K. , Patel Miten R. , Jusabani Ahmed , Zehri Ali A. , Ali Athar 
Published: October 2022

Introduction
The increasing incidence of acute appendicitis in sub-Saharan Africa emphasizes the need for accurate and reliable diagnostic tools. However, the variability in the diagnostic performance of computed tomography for suspected acute appendicitis coupled with comparatively higher negative appendectomy rates in this setting highlight a possible concern regarding the diagnostic accuracy.
This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of a computed tomography scan for suspected acute appendicitis at the emergency department in Tanzania.

Methods
A retrospective diagnostic accuracy study was conducted from July to October 2020. All patients above 14 years of age who presented at the emergency department with right iliac fossa abdominal pain of fewer than ten days and underwent computed tomography for suspected acute appendicitis were evaluated, and the Alvarado score was computed. Histological diagnosis and clinical follow-up of 14 days were considered the reference standard. Ethical clearance was sought from the Aga Khan University Ethical review committee.

Results
176 patients were included in this study. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 100% (95% CI 91.8–100), 96.9% (95% CI 92.2–99.1), and 96.9% (95% CI 93.1–98.3), respectively. The mean Alvarado score in those without acute appendicitis was 4 (95% CI 3.7–4.3) compared to a mean score of 6.6 (95% CI 6.0–7.2) amongst those with acute appendicitis. The area under the receiver operator characteristics curve of computed tomography was 98.4%, and that of the Alvarado score was 84.1%.

Conclusions
The diagnostic performance of computed tomography in this study is similar to that established elsewhere. However, the Alvarado score is not routinely used for the initial screening of suspected acute appendicitis patients. A threshold of Alvarado score of 4 as a guide to conduct computed tomography for suspected acute appendicitis would have decreased computed tomography use by 50%, and missed 4 cases. Implementation studies that address Alvarado score use should be conducted.
Polypharmacy and medical intensive care unit (MICU) admission and 10-year all-cause mortality risk among hospitalized patients with and without HIV
Authors: Gordon Kirsha S. , Crothers Kristina , Butt Adeel A. , Edelman E. Jennifer , Gibert Cynthia , Pisani Margaret M. , Rodriguez-Barradas Maria , Wyatt Christina , Justice Amy C. , Akgün Kathleen M. 
Published: October 2022

Objective
Medical intensive care unit (MICU) admissions have been declining in people with HIV infection (PWH), but frequency of outpatient polypharmacy (prescription of ≥5 chronic medications) has increased. Among those hospitalized, we examined whether outpatient polypharmacy is associated with subsequent 1-year MICU admission or 10-year all-cause mortality, and if the association varies by HIV status.

Design
Retrospective cohort study.

Methods
Using a national electronic health record cohort of Veterans in care, we ascertained outpatient polypharmacy during fiscal year (FY) 2009 and followed patients for 1-year MICU admission and 10-year mortality. We assessed associations of any polypharmacy (yes/no and categorized ≤4, 5–7, 8–9, and ≥10 medications) with 1-year MICU admission and 10-year mortality using logistic and Cox regressions, respectively, adjusted for demographics, HIV status, substance use, and severity of illness.

Results
Among 9898 patients (1811 PWH) hospitalized in FY2010, prior outpatient polypharmacy was common (51%). Within 1 year, 1532 (15%) had a MICU admission and within 10 years, 4585 (46%) died. Polypharmacy was associated with increased odds of 1-year MICU admission, in both unadjusted (odds ratio (OR) 1.36 95% CI: (1.22, 1.52)) and adjusted models, aOR (95% CI) = 1.28 (1.14, 1.43) and with 10-year mortality in unadjusted, hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) = 1.40 (1.32, 1.48), and adjusted models, HR (95% CI) = 1.26 (1.19, 1.34). Increasing levels of polypharmacy demonstrated a dose-response with both outcomes and by HIV status, with a stronger association among PWH.

Conclusions
Among hospitalized patients, prior outpatient polypharmacy was associated with 1-year MICU admission and 10-year all-cause mortality after adjusting for severity of illness in PWH and PWoH.
Is Ethiopian community-based health insurance affordable? Willingness to pay analysis among households in South Central, Ethiopia
Authors: Kaso Abdene Weya , Haji Abdane , Hareru Habtamu Endashaw , Hailu Alemayehu 
Published: October 2022

Background
Community-based Health Insurance (CBHI) is a voluntary prepayment mechanism that guarantees the provision of basic healthcare services without financial barriers to underserved segments of the population in developing countries. The Government of Ethiopia launched the CBHI program to protect the community from high out-of-pocket health expenditure and improve health service utilization a decade ago. However, to improve the quality of healthcare services delivery in health facilities and cover the changing costs of healthcare, the government should revise the contribution of the CBHI scheme. Therefore, we determined the willingness to pay for a CBHI scheme and associated factors among rural households of Lemu and Bilbilo district, South Central Ethiopia.

Methods
We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study design to assess willingness to pay for the CBHI scheme and its associated factors among households in Lemu and Bilbilo districts, South Central Ethiopia. We used a double bounded contingent valuation method to elicit households’ willingness to pay for the CBHI scheme. Data were coded, cleaned, entered into Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25, and exported to STATA 16 for analysis. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the presence of statistically significant associations between the willingness to pay for the CBHI scheme and independent variables at a p-value <0.05 and Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) values with 95% CI. Finally, we checked the fitness of the model using Hosmer and Lemeshow’s goodness-of-fit test.

Results
Of the 476 study participants, 82.9% (95% CI: 79.2%, 86.01%) were willing to pay for the CBHI scheme and only 62% of them can afford the average amount of 358.32ETB ($7.68) per household per annum. Primary education (AOR = 3.17; 95% CI: 1.74–5.80), secondary and above education (AOR = 4.13; 95% CI: 1.86–9.18), large family size (AOR = 2.75; 95% CI: 1.26–5.97), monthly income of 500-1000ETB (AOR = 3.75; 95% CI: 1.97–7.13) and distance to public health facilities (AOR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.04–4.39 were significantly associated with willingness to pay for the CBHI scheme.

Conclusion
In this study, around 83% of respondents were willing to pay for the CBHI and meet the government expectation for 2020. The study also revealed that educational status, family size, monthly income, and distance from the health facilities were significant factors associated with WTP for the CBHI scheme. In addition, we found that a large number of the respondents couldn’t afford the average amount of money that the participants were willing to pay for the CBHI scheme. So, the government should consider the economic status of the communities while revising the CBHI scheme premium not to miss those who cannot afford the contribution.
Medical student wellness assessment beyond anxiety and depression: A scoping review
Authors: Haykal Kay-Anne , Pereira Lara , Power Aidan , Fournier Karine 
Published: October 2022

Background
A significant increase in distress and mental health illnesses has been identified in medical students during their training. As a result, medical schools have attempted to understand factors linked to well-being. Wellness questionnaires present a useful approach to identifying students with risk factors for mental health to provide appropriate resources for support and referrals. This study aims to identify validated questionnaires in the literature that measure medical student wellness.

Methods
A scoping review methodology was selected and an exhaustive search of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, EPIC, and Education Source, was performed from 1999 to May 27, 2021. A compilation of validated wellness evaluation tools, surveys and questionnaires assessing wellness beyond depression and anxiety was reviewed. All validated methods of wellness assessment for medical students were included.

Results
5,001 studies were identified once duplicate records were removed. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23 articles were included in a qualitative synthesis and explored in detail. The following six validated questionnaires measuring the wellness of medical school students are reported and discussed: the Medical Student Stress Profile (MSSP), the Medical Student Stress Questionnaire (MSSQ), the Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI), the Perceived Medical School Stress (PMSS), the Perceived Stress Scale for Medical Students (PSSMS), and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory—Medical Student Version (OLBI-MS). These validated questionnaires provide various aspects to the assessment of wellbeing.

Conclusions
Wellbeing evaluations are reliable in identifying medical students who are at risk for mental health illnesses but must be chosen carefully based on contexts, academic environment and student population. A direct comparison between validated questionnaires for student wellbeing is not possible and individual medical schools must determine the appropriateness and validity of such tools based on population-specific characteristics and demands.
Human cardiomyocytes are more susceptible to irreversible electroporation by pulsed electric field than human esophageal cells
Authors: Casciola Maura , Keck Devin , Feaster Tromondae K. , Blinova Ksenia 
Published: October 2022

AbstractPulse electric field‐based (PEF) ablation is a technique whereby short high‐intensity electric fields inducing irreversible electroporation (IRE) are applied to various tissues. Here, we implemented a standardized in vitro model to compare the effects of biphasic symmetrical pulses (100 pulses, 1–10 μs phase duration (d), 10–1000 Hz pulse repetition rate (f)) using two different human cellular models: human‐induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC‐CMs) and human esophageal smooth muscle cells (hESMCs) cultured in monolayer format. We report the PEF‐induced irreversibly electroporated cell monolayer areas and the corresponding electric field thresholds (EFTs) for both cardiac and esophageal cultures. Our results suggest marked cell type specificity with EFT estimated to be 2–2.5 times lower in hiPSC‐CMs than in hESMCs when subjected to identical PEF treatments (e.g., 0.90 vs 1.85 kV/cm for the treatment of 100 pulses with d = 5 μs, f = 10 Hz, and 0.65 vs 1.67 kV/cm for the treatment of 100 pulses with d = 10 μs, f = 10 Hz). PEF treatment can result in increased temperature around the stimulating electrodes and lead to unanticipated thermal tissue damage that is proportional to the peak temperature rise and to the duration of the PEF‐induced elevated temperatures. In our study, temperature increases ranged from less than 1°C to as high as 30°C, however, all temperature changes were transient and quickly returned to baseline and the highest observed ∆T returned to 50% of its maximum recorded temperature in tens of seconds.
ARTER: a walking excavator robot for autonomous and remote operations
Authors: Babu Ajish , Danter Leon Cedric , Willenbrock Pierre , Natarajan Sankaranarayanan , Kuehn Daniel , Kirchner Frank 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
The Autonomous Rough Terrain Excavator Robot (ARTER) is a retrofitted walking excavator developed for remote and autonomous operations in environments hostile to humans. This work highlights the key developments related to this robot: system design, terrain adaption controller, and high-level process controller. The original walking excavator is retrofitted with sensors, hydraulic valves, computation devices, etc., to automate it. The terrain adaption controller, which adapts the wheels automatically to the underlying uneven terrain, is implemented using deep reinforcement learning. The tasks for the robot are complex and require switching between autonomy and remote operations. Hence, a custom high-level process controller, based on behavior trees, which helps the operator control complex tasks for the robot, is developed. The remote control and autonomous behaviors of the robot are evaluated for realistic scenarios performed in a test environment.
Humanoid robotic system for grasping and manipulation in decontamination tasks
Authors: Pohl Christoph , Hegemann Patrick , An Byungchul , Grotz Markus , Asfour Tamim 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe disposal of nuclear waste poses a long-standing problem, which has been conventionally handled by human workers. This includes carrying heavy objects, exposure to radiation, and decontamination in full-body protective suits. To improve the working conditions and safety of the workers, robot systems can contribute to tackling some of these problems. So far, most robots in use are manually teleoperated and lack autonomy. To this end, we propose a fully autonomous decontamination setup with the humanoid robot ARMAR-6 [T. Asfour, M. Wächter, L. Kaul, et al., “ARMAR-6: a high-performance humanoid for human-robot collaboration in real world scenarios,”IEEE Robot. Autom. Mag.,vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 108–121, 2019] that can manipulate unknown objects as a first important step of decontamination without the need for human intervention.
ROBDEKON – competence center for decontamination robotics
Authors: Woock Philipp , Petereit Janko , Frey Christian , Beyerer Jürgen 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
There are still many hazardous tasks that humans perform in their daily work. This is of great concern for the remediation of contaminated sites, for the dismantling of nuclear power plants, or for the handling of hazardous materials. The competence center ROBDEKON was founded to concentrate expertise and coordinate research activities regarding decontamination robotics in Germany. It serves as a national technology hub for the decontamination needs of various stakeholders. A major scientific goal of ROBDEKON is the development of (semi-)autonomous robotic systems to remove humans from work environments that are potentially hazardous to health.
Emerging technology: a definition for laboratory medicine
Authors: Greaves Ronda F. , Kricka Larry , Gruson Damien , Martin Helen , Ferrari Maurizio , Bernardini Sergio 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
The term “emerging technology” (ET) is used extensively, and there are numerous definitions offered, but to our knowledge, none specifically encompass the field of laboratory medicine. An ET definition that incorporates the overarching IFCC aim of “Advancing excellence in laboratory medicine to support healthcare worldwide” would clarify discussions. We discuss key aspects of the term “emerging technology(ies)” as it applies to laboratory medicine with a view to laying the foundations for a practical definition for the profession and propose the definition of an ET as “An analytical method or device that by virtue of its stage of development, translation into broad routine clinical practice, or geographical adoption and implementation has the potential to add value to clinical diagnostics”.
The influence of ionic liquid pretreatment on the physicomechanical properties of polymer biocomposites: A mini-review
Authors: Shamsuri Ahmad Adlie , Jamil Siti Nurul Ain Md. , Abdan Khalina 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Increasing concern for the environment has led researchers to pay more attention to the fabrication of polymer biocomposites for many different applications. Polymer biocomposites have generally been fabricated utilizing synthetic or natural polymers with natural fillers. Recently, ionic liquids have been used for the pretreatment of natural fillers prior to the fabrication of polymer biocomposites. In this mini-review, four types of ionic liquids used for the pretreatment of natural filler are classified, specifically chloride-, diethyl phosphate-, acetate-, and bistriflimide-based ionic liquids. In addition, the pretreatment processes of natural fillers with ionic liquids are described in this review. Furthermore, the influence of ionic liquid pretreatment on the physicomechanical properties of polymer biocomposites is succinctly reviewed. Besides, the information presented in this review contributes to a clearer understanding of the process of ionic liquid pretreatment and the vital physicomechanical properties of polymer biocomposites. In summary, most ionic liquid pretreatments can improve almost all physicomechanical properties of polymer biocomposites.
Miniaturized wideband implantable slotted loop antenna for biotelemetry applications
Authors: Selvakumaran Palanivel Rajan , Mohanraj Paranthaman 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Small size of the implantable antenna is the major concern in Implantable Medical Devices. A compact implantable wideband radiator working at the ISM band is proposed for biotelemetry applications. The overall dimension of the proposed radiator is 10 mm ⁎ 15 mm ⁎ 0.8 mm and the thickness includes substrate and superstrate thickness. The Coaxial feeding method is employed here. The inner and outer diameter of the coaxial feed is 1 and 1.5 mm respectively. The design process starts with a creation of rectangular patch of size 10 mm ⁎ 15 mm and the coaxial feed is located at (2.5, 7). Then slot like loops are introduced on a rectangular patch. This compact size is achieved by introducing small loops on a rectangular patch along with triangular cuts at the bottom right and top-left of the patch. The antenna is simulated with a tissue model (Skin, Fat, Muscle, Bone) and measured with a Body Equivalent Fluid (phantom). The −10 dB bandwidth is obtained over 1340 MHz (1.66–3 GHz) and the fractional bandwidth of 54.7% at the ISM band. The simulated gain and radiation efficiency of the radiator are −13.5 dBi and 3.15% respectively. The measured return loss of the proposed antenna is −30.53 dB and the SAR value averaged over 1 g tissue is 302.6 W/kg with 1 W input power. When compared to the previous works mentioned in the literature the proposed antenna displays wider bandwidth, high gain, low SAR and high radiation efficiency.
Simulation of drift-diffusion process at high Péclet numbers by the random walk on spheres method
Authors: Sabelfeld Karl K. , Aksyuk Ivan 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
In this paper, we address the problem of flow simulation at high Péclet numbers by the random walk on spheres (RWS) method.
Conventional deterministic methods here face difficulties related to high solution gradients near the boundary in the region known as the boundary layer.
In the finite-difference methods, this leads to introduction of very fine meshes which in turn causes problems of stability and high dimensions.
The RWS algorithm is mesh free, but the high Péclet number flows should probably also affect the efficiency of simulations.
However, it turns out that the RWS algorithm can be well adapted to this case.
We present an analysis of the RWS algorithm for different examples of flows with high Péclet number.
Simulations are carried out for different boundary conditions and for two-layered material with different diffusion coefficients of exciton’s mobility.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Role of dentist in early diagnosis
Authors: Di Cosola Michele , Spirito Francesca , Zhurakivska Khrystyna , Nocini Riccardo , Lovero Roberto , Sembronio Salvatore , Santacroce Luigi , Brauner Edoardo , Storto Giovanni , Lo Muzio Lorenzo , Cazzolla Angela Pia 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic disorder characterized by an impairment of steroid synthesis due to an altered production of 21-hydroxylase enzyme. Corticoid hormones are involved in the development and functioning of many organs. The aim of the present study was to review the international literature to collect data regarding oral manifestations of CAH. A review of the literature describing oral features of patients affected by CAH was performed using electronic databases (PubMed and Scopus). The data about number of patients, form of CAH, and oral findings were extracted and analyzed. Seven studies were included in the final analysis. The principal findings reported regarded an advanced dental development observed in patients with CAH. One paper reported amelogenesis imperfecta and periodontal issues. The dentist could be the first specialist involved in the CAH syndrome diagnosis, identifying the characteristic features described above, especially for the classical simple virilizing and non-classical form.