bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An indirect comparison of automated indirect immunofluorescence vs automated solid‐phase immunoassays for antinuclear antibody detection: A meta‐analysis and adjusted indirect comparison of diagnostic test accuracy
Authors: Zhang Minjie , Zhang Xiaoyan 
Published: June 2022

AbstractObjectiveThe primary aim of this study was to conduct a meta‐analysis to compare the diagnostic accuracy of automated indirect immunofluorescence (automated‐IIF) and fully automated solid‐phase immunoassays (solid‐phase assays), compared with gold standard conventional manual indirect immunofluorescence (manual‐IIF) for antinuclear antibody (ANA) detection.MethodsIndirect meta‐comparison was performed using prospective studies reporting comparative data between automated‐IIF and fully automated solid‐phase assays individually to conventional manual‐IIF. Diagnostic tests regarding different automated solid‐phase assays and automated‐IIF for ANA detection were retrieved from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese Biological Medicine Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WANFANG electronic databases from their inception to January 2022. Assessment of the quality of the studies was undertaken using a second version of the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS‐2) tool. The investigated diagnostic indices including pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, pooled positive likelihood ratio (PLR), pooled negative likelihood ratio (NLR), pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (AUC) of automated‐IIF and solid‐phase assays, respectively. Relative diagnostic odds ratio (RDOR) was calculated to indirectly compare the diagnostic accuracy of automated‐IIF and solid‐phase assays. To visualize results, we provide forest plots showing the RDOR with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the 2 methods against the “gold standard” manual‐IIF by R software. Deeks' funnel was used to investigate the publication bias.ResultsA total of 16 studies involving 6111 subjects were included in the analysis. The pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, pooled PLR, pooled NLR, pooled DOR and the AUC were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.84‐0.86), 0.82 (95% CI 0.81‐0.84), 14.22 (95% CI 8.55‐23.65), 0.06 (95% CI 0.03‐0.12), 287.0 (95% CI 124.30‐662.68) and 0.983 for automated‐IIF respectively, and as for solid‐phase assays those were 0.73 (95% CI 0.70‐0.75), 0.87 (95% CI 0.85‐0.89), 5.66 (95% CI 3.33‐9.62), 0.30 (95% CI 0.20‐0.47), 19.14 (95% CI 8.00‐45.79) and 0.894. The results of indirect comparison indicated that automated‐IIF had statistically significant higher accuracy for the detection of ANA.ConclusionThis meta‐analysis and indirect comparison suggest that automated‐IIF should be recommended as an alternative assay for ANA screening under the condition of increased demand for ANA testing in clinical immunology laboratories.
The impact of different WHO reference criteria for semen analysis in clinical practice: Who will benefit from the new 2021 thresholds for normal semen parameters?
Authors: Boeri Luca , Fallara Giuseppe , Pozzi Edoardo , Belladelli Federico , Corsini Christian , Raffo Massimiliano , Schifano Nicolò , Capogrosso Paolo , d'Arma Alessia , Montorsi Francesco , Salonia Andrea 
Published: June 2022

AbstractBackgroundIn 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided the latest update on processing and evaluating semen analysis.ObjectivesTo assess (i) the rate of discordance in semen parameters categorization across three different WHO reference values (namely WHO21, 2010 and 1999) and (ii) the clinical differences among discordant semen analyses from a cohort of primary infertile men.Materials and methodsData from 788 infertile men were analyzed. Semen parameters were interpreted based on WHO21, WHO10, and WHO99 reference criteria. Pregnancy outcomes with assisted reproductive techniques (ART) were available for 110 (14%) patients. Descriptive statistics was applied to describe potential differences among the three consecutive WHO references criteria.ResultsSemen parameters categorizations were highly different across the three groups (p < 0.001). Of all, 271 (42.2%) patients had normal semen parameters according to WHO10 but were pathologic when considered with WHO21 reference criteria (namely, men with increased semen abnormalities). Infertile men with increased semen abnormalities had lower testicular volume (p < 0.001) but higher FSH (p < 0.01) and LH (p < 0.001) values than those who had no change in terms of semen parameters categorization. Negative ART outcomes were more frequently reported in men with worsening semen parameters compared with those with confirmed semen parameters at WHO21 versus WHO10 (26.8% vs. 49%, p = 0.03). Conversely, infertile men with worsening semen parameters at WHO21 versus WHO99 were similar in terms of clinical and hormonal characteristics compared with those with the same rate of semen abnormalities.ConclusionsOne out of three infertile men showed worsened semen categorization according to WHO21 versus WHO10. Infertile men with worsening of semen parameters had worse clinical and hormonal characteristics than those with confirmed numbers of semen abnormalities. Moreover, live birth rates were lower in men with worsening semen abnormalities as for WHO21.
Interesting electrophysiological phenomenon during positioning of the lead deep inside the septum
Authors: Shen Jiabo , Jiang Longfu , Wu Hao , Pan Lifang 
Published: June 2022

AbstractLeft bundle branch pacing (LBBP) is a developing physiological pacing technique. Wu et al. proposed that direct LBB capture could be confirmed by recording retrograde His potential (PoReHis) and mapping of the left conduction system potential. The transventricular‐septal electrophysiological phenomena deserve further study. Here, we used a continuous uninterrupted pacing technique to confirm the LBB capture by dynamically observing changes in PoReHis and stimulus to left ventricular activation time.
Virtual arthroplasty clinic: a single centre experience: commentary on progress, cost savings and patient retention
Authors: Lim Reuben , Du John , Calligeros Kosta 
Published: June 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID pandemic highlights utility of remote patient follow‐up. We observe a Virtual Clinic (VC) follow‐up model for arthroplasty used at a metropolitan hospital. Patients aged <70 that exhibit no issues in face‐to‐face review (F2F) progress to VC. We aimed to review VC's cost‐effectiveness, and identify potential improvements to patient allocation and retention.MethodA retrospective database was collated of all hip and knee joint arthroplasties performed at Frankston Hospital over a 12‐month period in 2017–2018. Patient encounters were followed from operation to discharge from F2F and, if appropriate, VC (involving imaging and a paper‐based qualitative questionnaire). VC attendance was compared to that of the year in which it was introduced (2014). The Clinical Costings Department provided average hospital spending for each of these modes of follow‐up.ResultsOf 516 joint arthroplasties performed, 500 attended outpatient clinic (OPC). There were 884 F2F appointments (average 1.7 per person, range 0–12). One‐hundred‐and‐fifty‐four arthroplasties were correctly assigned to subsequent VC as per protocol (30%). Completed VC responses were received for 86 arthroplasties (56% response rate). In the period studied, VC attendance increased significantly compared to the year following introduction (36–56%, p < 0.05), with the questionnaire revealing a high‐level of patient satisfaction for this method of follow‐up. Over the period studied, we estimate VC has saved $250 000 and 300 review hours from OPC.ConclusionImplementing VC for follow‐up of arthroplasty may demonstrate a method of saving hospital resources. Appropriate early enrolment of patients to reduce F2F burden, and VC retention, should be encouraged.
“Bringing Your Full Self to Work”: Fashioning LGBTQ Bankers on Wall Street
Authors: Kaplan Spencer 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThis paper examines the project of US corporate diversity and inclusion as it is experienced by LGBTQ‐identified employees on Wall Street. It draws on ethnographic research among junior bankers who participate in Wall Street’s LGBTQ recruitment events and employee networks. Attending to their claims that queer difference affords them valuable workplace skills, this paper situates these claims within the gendered ideals of Wall Street, models of entrepreneurial selfhood, and ethical projects of self‐fashioning. It argues that diversity and inclusion is not simply a novel means for corporations to extract value from workers. On Wall Street, LGBTQ bankers use diversity and inclusion to, as they say, “bring their full selves to work” and fashion themselves as queer and financial subjects. Starting from their first experiences at the banks’ recruitment events, they are incited to pursue this project of self‐fashioning by exemplary senior LGBTQ leaders. They learn that by managing queer difference as human capital today, they can achieve professional success in the future. In pursuit of this payoff, they engage with queer difference as an object of speculation.
Glut: Affective Labor and the Burden of Abundance in Secondhand Economies
Authors: Berry Brieanne 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThis paper explores the interlinkages between the abundance of stuff moving through community‐based reuse organizations and the labor needed to manage this material. The glut of donations is due to the sheer volume of materials moving through a wasteful linear economic system, as well as the practice of donation dumping, where unusable used goods move through reuse economies, washing their previous owners free of guilt while entangling laborers in messy relationships with objects. I draw on theories of gendered, social reproductive labor to explore how the work of localized reuse, disproportionately borne by unpaid women, reproduces communities. Following calls for work that explores the social dimensions of circular economies, this research uses a qualitative approach that draws on two main methods: participant observation in reuse establishments and in‐depth interviews with reuse participants. This qualitative data provides a picture of reuse activities at a local scale and helps us understand the complex relationships formed and perpetuated through reuse. I find that the labor of volunteers is often unseen and undervalued and suggest that policies designed to address material surplus do so with these laborers in mind.
The Ambivalence of Autonomy: Skills, Trust, Tactics, and Status on a Construction Site in Belize
Authors: Troccoli Giuseppe 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThis article focuses on the autonomy of construction workers informally employed in Belize City, Belize, as emerging from the labor processes and material conditions that characterize construction work in this ethnographic setting. I argue that the notion of ambivalence can be fruitfully applied in order to understand how autonomy acts in contradictory ways in reproducing the relationships amongst workers, and between them and their contractors. In a context characterized by personal relationships, minimized managerial control, and flexible employment, the article employs an ethnography of the workplace which focuses on the role of trust, status and tactics used by builders to their own advantage, in order to show the relevance of their autonomy for how they meaningfully engage with their work, with each other and their employers. The article asks how workers differentially positioned within the skills‐based hierarchy of the workplace act ambivalently, simultaneously reinforcing and negating their unequal place within it while striving to make their conditions less precarious.
Initiation of antihypertensive drugs to patients with confirmed COVID‐19—A population‐based cohort study in Sweden
Authors: Mousa Salar Issa , Nyberg Fredrik , Hajiebrahimi Mohammadhossein , Bertilsson Rebecka , Nåtman Jonatan , Santosa Ailiana , Wettermark Björn 
Published: June 2022

AbstractPurposeHypertension is an important risk factor for severe outcomes in patients with COVID‐19, and antihypertensive drugs may have a protective effect. However, the pandemic may have negatively impacted health care services for chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to assess initiations of antihypertensive medicines in patients infected by COVID‐19.MethodsA cohort study including all Swedish residents 20–80 years old with a COVID‐19 positive test compared with an unexposed group without COVID‐19 matched for age, sex, and index date (date of confirmed COVID‐19). Data were collected within SCIFI‐PEARL, a study including linked data on COVID tests, hospital diagnoses, dispensed prescriptions, and socioeconomic data from Swedish national registers. Initiations of different antihypertensive drugs were studied from March 2020 until October 2020. Associations between COVID‐19 and initiation of antihypertensives were assessed by a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsA total of 224 582 patients (exposed and unexposed) were included. After adjusting for cardiovascular comorbidities and education level, ACEi was the most commonly initiated antihypertensive agent to patients with COVID‐19. Hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for initiation of drug therapy was 1.83 [1.53–2.19] for ACEi, followed by beta‐blockers 1.74 [1.55–1.95], calcium channel blockers 1.61 [1.41–1.83], angiotensin receptor blockers 1.61 [1.40–1.86], and diuretics 1.53 [1.32–1.77].ConclusionAll antihypertensive medicines were initiated more frequently in COVID‐19 patients. This can either be associated with hypertension caused by the COVID‐19 infection, more frequent diagnosis of hypertension among people with COVID‐19 since they consult health care, or residual confounding factors not adjusted for in the study.
New biomarker paves the way for a clinical trial for neurodegeneration in Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Shioda Yoko , Sakamoto Kenichi , Morimoto Akira 
Published: June 2022

SummaryNeurodegeneration in Langerhans cell histiocytosis (ND‐LCH) is a major clinical issue requiring urgent resolution. Sveijer et al. showed that plasma neurofilament light protein is a promising biomarker for screening patients with ND‐LCH and determining the therapeutic effect of a mitogen‐activated protein kinase inhibitor. Therefore, this can be a powerful tool for conducting clinical trials for ND‐LCH.Commentary on: Sveijer M, von Bahr Greenwood T, Jädersten M, Kvedaraite E, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, et al. Screening for neurodegeneration in Langerhans cell histiocytosis with neurofilament light in plasma. Br J Haematol. 2022;198:722–729
Impact of centralization of prostate cancer services on the choice of radical treatment
Authors: Aggarwal Ajay , Han Lu , Tree Alison , Lewis Daniel , Roques Tom , Sangar Vijay , van der Meulen Jan 
Published: June 2022

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of centralization of prostate cancer surgery and radiotherapy services on the choice of prostate cancer treatment.Patients and MethodsThis national population‐based study used linked cancer registry data and administrative hospital‐level data for all 16 621 patients who were diagnosed between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018 with intermediate‐risk prostate cancer and who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) or radical radiation therapy (RT) in the English National Health Service (NHS). Travel times by car to treating centres were estimated using a geographic information system. We used logistic regression to assess the impact of the relative proximity of alternative treatment options on the type of treatment received, with adjustment for patient characteristics.ResultsOf the 78 NHS hospitals that provide RT or RP for prostate cancer, 41% provide both, 36% provide RT and 23% provide RP. Compared to patients who had both treatment options available at their nearest centre where overall 57% of patients received RT and 43% RP, patients were less likely to receive RT if their nearest centre offered RP only and the extra travel time to a hospital providing RT was >15 min (52% of patients received RT and 48% RP%, odds ratio [OR] 0.70 (0.58–0.85); P < 0.001). Conversely, patients were more likely to receive RT if their nearest centre offered RT and the extra travel time to a hospital providing RP was >15 min (63% of patients received RT and 37% RP, OR 1.23 (1.08–1.40); P < 0.001). There was a negligible impact on the type of treatment received if centres providing alternative treatment options were ≤15‐min travel time from each other.ConclusionThe relative proximity of prostate cancer treatment options to a patient's residence is an independent predictor for the type of radical treatment received. Centralization policies for prostate cancer should not focus on one treatment modality but should consider all treatments to avoid a negative impact on treatment choice.
Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the burnout rates of graduating Canadian Urology residents
Authors: Johnstone Jeannette , Gabara Adam , Hopman Wilma M. , Touma Naji J. 
Published: June 2022

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on burnout rates in Canadian Urology trainees.Subjects and MethodsA total of 37 chief residents representing all 12 Canadian Urology residency programmes attended a preparatory examination in December 2019 pre‐pandemic and 39 chief residents attended virtually in November 2020 during the pandemic. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for medical professionals’ questionnaire was administered anonymously to both groups. The MBI covers emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal accomplishment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.ResultsThere was a 100% response rate in the convenience sample (n = 37) in 2019 and 64.1% response rate (n = 25) in 2020. Overall, 70% of chief residents in Canadian Urology programmes showed evidence of burnout in 2019 compared to 88% in 2020 (P = 0.101). There was a statistically significant difference between the two cohorts in emotional exhaustion (mean [sd] 16.2 [5.6] in 2019 and 20.2 [6.2] in 2020, P = 0.011) and personal accomplishment scores (mean [sd] 32.2 [4.5] in 2019 and 30.6 [3.6] in 2020, P = 0.039).ConclusionsThis study is the first to examine the impact of the pandemic on burnout rates in Urology trainees. Burnout rates are high in trainees at baseline, and the pandemic appears to have exacerbated emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment, but not overall burnout rates. Vigilance and proactive steps need to be implemented to alleviate this crisis.
Limonin stabilises sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) by activating ubiquitin specific peptidase 10 (USP10) in cardiac hypertrophy
Authors: Liu Li‐Bo , Huang Si‐Hui , Qiu Hong‐Liang , Cen Xian‐Feng , Guo Ying‐Ying , Li Dan , Ma Yu‐Lan , Xu Man , Tang Qi‐Zhu 
Published: June 2022

Background and PurposeLimonin, a naturally occurring tetracyclic triterpenoid, has extensive pharmacological effects. Its role in cardiac hypertrophy remains to be elucidated. We investigated its effects on cardiac hypertrophy along with the potential mechanisms involved.Experimental ApproachThe effects of limonin on cardiac hypertrophy in C57/BL6 mice caused by aortic banding, plus neonatal rat cardiac myocytes (NRCMs) stimulated with phenylephrine to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro were investigated.Key ResultsLimonin markedly improved the cardiac function and heart weight in aortic banded mice. Limonin‐treated mice and NRCMs also produced fewer cardiac hypertrophy markers than those treated with the vehicle in the hypertrophic groups. Sustained aortic banding‐ or phenylephrine‐stimulation impaired cardiac sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) protein levels, which were partially reversed by limonin associated with enhanced activity of PPARα. Sirt6 siRNA inhibited the anti‐hypertrophic effects of limonin in vitro. Interestingly, limonin did not influence Sirt6 mRNA levels, but regulated ubiquitin levels. Thus, the protein biosynthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide and proteasome inhibitor, MG‐132, were used to determine SIRT6 protein expression levels. Under phenylephrine stimulation, limonin increased SIRT6 protein levels in the presence of cycloheximide, but it did not influence SIRT6 expression in the presence of MG‐132, suggesting that limonin promotes SIRT6 levels by inhibiting its ubiquitination degradation. Furthermore, limonin inhibited the degradation of SIRT6 by activating ubiquitin‐specific peptidase 10 (USP10), while Usp10 siRNA prevented the beneficial effects of limonin.Conclusion and ImplicationsLimonin mediates the ubiquitination and degradation of SIRT6 by activating USP10, providing an attractive therapeutic target for cardiac hypertrophy.
The effect of the use of proton pump inhibitors, serotonin uptake inhibitors, antihypertensive, and anti‐inflammatory drugs on clinical outcomes of functional dental implants: A retrospective study
Authors: Corbella Stefano , Morandi Paolo , Alberti Alice , Morandi Benedetta , Francetti Luca 
Published: June 2022

AbstractObjectiveThe present retrospective study investigated the effect of chronic intake of proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, anti‐inflammatory, and antihypertensive drugs on the survival of dental implants and on the occurrence of peri‐implantitis.Materials and methodsSurvival analyses for implant failure and peri‐implantitis were performed patient level for each drug subcategory and for risk factors. The HR for each drug was calculated with adjusted models as compared with a control group made of subjects not assuming the specific drug. Multilevel logistic regression was used to explore the influence of implant‐level and patient‐level variables on the outcomes.ResultsA total of 270 subjects receiving 1118 dental implants were included, with a mean follow‐up time of 5.19 ± 4.22 years. After 10 years, the survival rate was 86.9% (patient level), and according to survival analysis, 61.3% of subjects were free from peri‐implantitis. The use of anti‐inflammatory medicines produced a significant effect (p = .04) on peri‐implantitis as compared to subjects not using the drug, with a 2.7‐year drop in the mean survival time. The HR was slightly above the level of significance in a semiadjusted model (p = .058). The multilevel analysis found a significant effect on the entire sample and not when considering only subjects with implants with more than 1‐year follow‐up.ConclusionsWe found a possible relationship between anti‐inflammatory drug use and the occurrence of peri‐implantitis in the examined cohort of patients, and no correlation for the other drugs.