bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical outcomes of early closure versus conservative strategy after diagnosis with atrial septal defect: a nationwide population-based cohort study
Authors: Min Sun-Yang , Lee Ji Sung , Park Duk-Woo , Song Jong-Min 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The long-term clinical benefits of atrial septal defect (ASD) closure remain controversial. We aimed to compare long-term clinical outcomes between patients who underwent early surgical closure after ASD diagnosis and those who did not.

METHODS
Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we identified patients with isolated ASDs diagnosed between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2006. The ASD patients who underwent closure surgery within 6 months after diagnosis were allocated to the early-closure group and the rest were allocated to the conservative-strategy group. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were atrial flutter/fibrillation (AFF) and ischaemic stroke.

RESULTS
Among patients without a history of AFF or stroke, 1644 patients in the early-closure group were propensity score matched to 1644 patients in the conservative-strategy group and their median follow-up durations were 12.9 and 12.8 years, respectively. The early closure was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.55 [95% confidence interval, 0.43–0.70]). In an age-stratified analysis, significant mortality reductions in the early-closure group were found in patients aged 40 years or older. The risk of AFF was significantly higher in the early-closure group, which might be mainly ascribed to postoperative transient AFF, while there was no difference in ischaemic stroke between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that timely ASD closure without delay is necessary for ASD patients without previous history of clinical events, especially in patients aged 40 years or older.
Impact of myocardial injury after coronary artery bypass grafting on long-term prognosis
Authors: Pölzl L , Thielmann M , Cymorek S , Nägele F , Hirsch J , Graber M , Sappler N , Eder J , Staggl S , Theurl F , Abfalterer H , Reinstadler S J , Holfeld J , Griesmacher A , Ulmer H , Grimm M , Bauer A , Ruttmann-Ulmer E , Ruhparwar A , Bonaros N , Gollmann-Tepeköylü C 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Aims
The most appropriate definition of perioperative myocardial infarction (pMI) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and its impact on clinically relevant long-term events is controversial. We aimed to (i) analyse the incidence of pMI depending on various current definitions in a ‘real-life’ setting of CABG surgery and (ii) determine the long-term prognosis of patients with pMI depending on current definitions.

Methods and results
A consecutive cohort of 2829 coronary artery disease patients undergoing CABG from two tertiary university centres with the presence of serial perioperative cardiac biomarker measurements (cardiac troponin and creatine kinase-myocardial band) were retrospectively analysed. The incidence and prognostic impact of pMI were assessed according to (i) the 4th Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (4UD), (ii) the definition of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), and (iii) the Academic Research Consortium (ARC). The primary endpoint of this study was a composite of myocardial infarction, all-cause death, and repeat revascularization; secondary endpoints were mortality at 30 days and during 5-year follow-up. There was a significant difference in the occurrence of pMI (49.5% SCAI vs. 2.9% 4UD vs. 2.6% ARC). The 4th Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction and ARC criteria remained strong independent predictors of all-cause mortality at 30 days [4UD: odds ratio (OR) 12.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.00–29.67; P &lt; 0.001; ARC: OR 13.16; 95% CI 5.41–32.00; P &lt; 0.001] and 5 years [4UD: hazard ratio (HR) 2.13; 95% CI 1.19–3.81; P = 0.011; ARC: HR 2.23; 95% CI 1.21–4.09; P = 0.010]. Moreover, the occurrence of new perioperative electrocardiographic changes was prognostic of both primary and secondary endpoints.

Conclusion
Incidence and prognosis of pMI differ markedly depending on the underlying definition of myocardial infarction for patients undergoing CABG. Isolated biomarker release-based definitions (such as troponin) were not associated with pMI relevant to prognosis. Additional signs of ischaemia detected by new electrocardiographic abnormalities, regional wall motion abnormalities, or coronary angiography should result in rapid action in everyday clinical practice.
Self-reported changes in alcohol and tobacco use during COVID-19: findings from the eastern part of WHO European Region
Authors: Kilian Carolin , Neufeld Maria , Manthey Jakob , Alavidze Sophiko , Bobrova Anastacia , Baron-Epel Orna , Berisha Merita , Bilici Rabia , Davletov Kairat , Isajeva Laura , Kantaş Yılmaz Fatma , Karatkevich Tatsiana , Mereke Alibek , Musić Milanović Sanja , Galstyan Kristine , Muslić Ljiljana , Okoliyski Michail , Shabani Zana , Štelemėkas Mindaugas , Sturua Lela , Sznitman Sharon R , Ünübol Başak , Ferreira-Borges Carina , Rehm Jürgen 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic might impact substance use behaviours around the globe. In this study, we investigate changes in alcohol and tobacco use in the second half of 2020 in countries of the eastern part of the WHO European Region.MethodsSelf-reported changes in alcohol and tobacco use among 11 295 adults from 18 countries in the eastern part of the WHO European Region were collected between August 2020 and January 2021. The non-probabilistic sample was weighted for age, gender and education. For each country, proportions of respondents reporting a decrease, no change or increase in substance use over the past 3 months were examined, and multinomial regression models were used to test associations with age, gender and past-year alcohol use.ResultsIn most countries, about half of the respondents indicating past-year alcohol or tobacco use reported no change in their substance use. Of those alcohol users who reported changes in their alcohol use, a larger proportion reported a decrease than an increase in most countries. The opposite was true for tobacco use. Women, young adults and past-year harmful alcohol users were identified as being more likely to change their substance use behaviour.ConclusionWe found diverging overall trends for alcohol and tobacco use in the second half of 2020. The patterns of change vary according to age, gender and past-year substance use. Individuals at risk to increase their substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic require most policy considerations.
Arginine induces the resistance of postharvest jujube fruit against Alternaria rot
Authors: Chang Lulu , Yu Youwei , Zhang Lele , Wang Xiaojia , Zhang Shaoying 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
In order to explore the effects of arginine (Arg) treatment on postharvest rot of jujube caused by Alternaria alternata (A. alternata), winter jujube was treated with different concentrations of Arg (0, 20, 200, and 1000 μmol/L). Results showed that Arg treatment substantially inhibited the expansion of lesion diameter, and jujubes treated with 200 μmol/L Arg had the smallest lesion diameter. In vitro experiments demonstrated that Arg could not inhibit spore germination and mycelial growth of A. alternata. Further experimental results showed that Arg treatment reduced the production rate of O2–. and H2O2 content and improved the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase in comparison with the control; Arg treatment enhanced the activities of chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase. Furthermore, Arg treatment significantly increased the activity of phenylalamine ammonia lyase and the contents of flavonoids, phenolics, and lignin. Results indicated that, although Arg could not directly inhibit the growth of pathogenic fungi as a fungicide, it can induce resistance to Alternaria rot by maintaining the balance of reactive oxygen species, increasing the activities of pathogenesis-related protein, and promoting the phenylpropane metabolism in jujube fruit tissue. Therefore, Arg treatment can be a novel measure for inducing the resistance of jujube to postharvest Alternaria rot.
Physical Function, An Adjunct to Brain Health Score for Phenotyping Cognitive Function Trajectories in Older Age: Findings From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
Authors: De Looze Céline , Williamson Wilby , Demnitz Naiara , O’Connor Deirdre , Hernández Belinda , Kenny Rose Anne 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundEvidence is limited regarding the cumulative effect of risk factors on cognitive decline and the added value of physical function for cognitive function trajectory stratification. We operationalize 13 modifiable dementia risk factors in a scoring system and investigate the relationship between this brain health score, combined with simple measures of physical function, and risk of cognitive decline.MethodsPopulation-based cohort study of persons aged 50 and older from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing without a history of dementia at baseline who underwent repeated neuropsychological tests (8.08 ± 0.3-year follow-up) were included in the analyses. Exposures were the number of brain health metrics (defined by the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care report) at recommended optimal levels. Physical function exposures included Timed Up and Go, dual-task walking speed, and grip strength. Each health metric and physical function measure at the recommended level was assigned a value of 1 and combined to generate brain health scores. Relationship with group-based trajectories of global cognitive function (multidomains composite score), estimated using K-means for longitudinal data, was assessed via ordinal logistic regressions.ResultsAmong 2 327 participants (mean age, 61 years; 54% women), each additional optimal metric on the brain health score (odds 0.67 [0.62, 0.73]) was associated with reduced odds of cognitive decline. Adding Timed Up and Go (odds 0.71 [0.59, 0.84]) and dual-task walking speed (odds 0.74 [0.63, 0.89]) further improved model fit (ΔAIC = 14.8).ConclusionThese findings support the promotion and maintenance of physical function in addition to brain health strategies to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Progress Over Time: Significant Changes in the Hungarian Patent Act and the Consequences Thereof
Authors: Cserny András , Geyer-Hirt Dora 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
The Hungarian Parliament recently adopted an amendment to the Hungarian Patent Act (HPA),1 introducing significant changes to the Hungarian patent system from 18 November 2021 and 1 January 2022. These changes affect the bifurcation system, the Bolar exemption and interim injunctions.
Dietary Patterns and Their Association With Symptoms Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Authors: Limketkai Berkeley N , Hamideh Mohamed , Shah Rishabh , Sauk Jenny S , Jaffe Nancee 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Background
Existing studies on diet and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have largely focused on evaluating the effects of single nutrients or whole predesigned diets but not on evaluating the effects of diverse dietary patterns. This study applied unsupervised methods to identify dietary patterns of individuals with IBD and evaluated their association with symptoms activity.

Methods
This retrospective study of adults with IBD collected current clinical data and typical diet recalled from the time when in clinical remission. Discrete dietary structures were defined by k-means clustering. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated the relationship between diet clusters and the presence of active symptoms, while adjusting for age, sex, disease duration, disease behavior, and medication use.

Results
Of 691 participants, 36% had Crohn’s disease (CD) and 64% had ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD-unclassified. Five major dietary clusters were identified: 2 resembled a Western diet (WD) (WD1, WD2), 1 resembled a balanced diet, and 2 resembled a plant-based diet (PB) (PB1, PB2). Compared with WD1, PB2 was associated with lower odds of active symptoms for CD (odds ratio [OR], 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12-0.83) and UC (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15-0.62). PB1 was associated with lower odds of active symptoms for participants with UC (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.23-0.90) but not for participants with CD (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.36-2.51).

Conclusions
Diets with increased intake of fruits and vegetables, reduction of processed meats and refined carbohydrates, and preference of water for hydration were associated with lower risk of active symptoms with IBD, although increased intake of fruits and vegetables alone did not reduce risk of symptoms with CD.
Timing of maternal supplementation of dried distillers grains during late gestation influences postnatal growth, immunocompetence, and carcass characteristics ofBos indicus-influenced beef calves
Authors: Palmer Elizabeth A , Vedovatto Marcelo , Oliveira Rhaiza A , Ranches Juliana , Vendramini Joao M B , Poore Matthew H , Martins Thiago , Binelli Mario , Arthington John D , Moriel Philipe 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThis 2-yr study investigated the timing of dried distillers grains (DDG) supplementation during the third trimester of gestation of Bos indicus-influenced beef cows and its impact on their offspring performance. On day 0 of each year (84 d before calving), Brangus cows (n = 84/yr; cow age = 8 ± 3 yr) were stratified by initial body weight (BW; 482 ± 75 kg) and body condition score (BCS; 5.3 ± 0.8) and assigned randomly to one of six bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) pastures (experimental units; 14 cows/pasture). Treatments were assigned randomly to pasture (2 pastures/treatment/yr) and consisted of no prepartum supplementation (CON), 2 kg/d of DDG from day 0 to 42 (LATE42), or 1 kg/d of DDG from day 0 to 84 (LATE84). Following calving (day 84), cow–calf pairs remained in their respective pastures, and cows were offered sugarcane molasses + urea (1.82 kg of dry matter/cow/d) from day 85 until the end of the breeding season (day 224). On day 347, steer calves (n = 38/yr; 11 to 15 steers/treatment/yr) were weaned and transported to the feedlot (1,193 km). Steers were penned according to cow prepartum pasture and managed similarly until the time of harvest. BCS at calving was greater (P &lt; 0.01) for LATE42 and LATE84 vs. CON cows but did not differ (P = 0.16) between LATE42 and LATE84 cows. Calving date, calving percentage, and birth BW of the first offspring did not differ (P ≥ 0.22) among treatments. However, LATE42 cows calved their second offspring 8 d earlier (P = 0.04) compared with CON and LATE84 cows. At weaning (first offspring), LATE84 calves were the heaviest (P ≤ 0.05), CON calves were the lightest, and LATE42 calves had intermediate BW (P ≤ 0.05). Steer plasma concentrations of cortisol and haptoglobin and serum bovine viral diarrhea virus type-1 titers did not differ (P ≥ 0.21) between treatments. Steer serum parainfluenza-3 titers were greater (P = 0.03) for LATE42 vs. CON steers, tended to be greater (P = 0.10) for LATE84 compared with CON steers, and did not differ (P = 0.38) between LATE42 and LATE84 steers. Steer feedlot BW, average daily gain, dry matter intake, and hot carcass weight did not differ (P ≥ 0.36) between treatments. Marbling and the percentage of steers grading choice were greater (P ≤ 0.04) for LATE42 vs. CON steers, whereas LATE84 steers were intermediate. In summary, different timing of DDG supplementation during the third trimester of gestation could be explored to optimize cow BCS and offspring preweaning growth and carcass quality.
Productivity and the Welfare of Nations
Authors: Basu Susanto , Pascali Luigi , Schiantarelli Fabio , Serven Luis 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
We show that the welfare of a country’s infinitely lived representative consumer is summarized, to a first order, by total factor productivity (TFP), appropriately defined, and by the capital stock per capita. The result holds for both closed and open economies, regardless of the type of production technology and the degree of product market competition. Welfare-relevant TFP needs to be constructed with prices and quantities as perceived by consumers, not firms. Thus, factor shares need to be calculated using after-tax wages and rental rates. We use these results to calculate welfare gaps and growth rates in a sample of developed countries with high-quality data on output, hours worked, and capital. We also present evidence for a broader sample that includes both developed and developing countries.
Entity alignment via summary and attribute embeddings
Authors: Munne Rumana Ferdous , Ichise Ryutaro 
Published: January 2022

AbstractEntity alignment is the task of integrating heterogeneous knowledge among different knowledge graphs (KGs). KG is a popular way of storing facts about real-world entities. Unfortunately, a very limited number of the entities stored in different KGs are aligned. This paper presents an embedding-based entity alignment method that finds entity alignment by measuring the similarities between entity embeddings. Existing methods mainly focus on the relational structures and attributes information for the alignment process. Such methods fail while the entities have a fewer number of attributes or when the relational structure could not capture the meaningful representation of the entities. To address this problem, we propose EASAE, an entity alignment method using summary and attribute embeddings. We exploit the entity summary information available in KGs for entities’ summary embedding. To learn the semantics of the entity summary, we employ bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT). Our model learns the representations of entities by using relational triples, attribute triples and summary as well. We perform experiments on real-world datasets, and the results indicate that the proposed approach outperformed the state-of-the-art models for entity alignment.
Current State of Funded National Cancer Institute Grants That Include Economic Analyses
Authors: Halpern Michael T , McCarthy Sharon , Tuovinen Priyanga 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Background
Health economics research is an integral part of the transdisciplinary research supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). To better understand NCI activities in this area, we conducted a portfolio analysis of funded NCI grants including health economics research.

Methods
We examined all competitive grants funded by NCI from fiscal years 2015 to 2020 that included economic analyses or outcomes. Grant titles, abstracts, and specific aims were independently reviewed by 2 study team members; content of included grants was then coded for analysis.

Results
A total 212 grants were identified from searches; 146 of these included economic analyses and were included in the portfolio analysis. These 146 grants represent approximately 0.9% of all NCI competitively funded grants awarded 2015-2020. Of these grants, 100 were R01 awards, representing approximately 2.4% of all NCI R01 grants funded 2015-2020. The most common study type was interventional randomized controlled-trial, followed by simulation or model. Screening and prevention were the most frequent grant cancer continuum topic; survivorship was included in only 16 grants (11.0%). Cost-effectiveness analysis was the most frequently listed economic outcome (97 grants, 66.4%), whereas policy impact (20 grants, 13.7%) and financial hardship (15 grants, 10.3%) were less-frequently included economic outcomes. However, economic outcomes differed by cancer control continuum topic, with financial hardship being included in a greater proportion of treatment and survivorship grants.

Conclusions
Although relatively small, the NCI portfolio of funded grants including economic analyses is diverse, covering a range of cancer types, methods, and economic outcomes, and increasing over time.
Civil Society Networks and Malaysian Government Reform: Considering Issue Homophily in Interorganizational Relationships
Authors: Sommerfeldt Erich J , Saffer Adam J , Luoma-aho Vilma 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
While communication research on interorganizational homophily has grown, little is known about how issue homophily—defined here as the propensity to form ties based on shared issue priorities—influences interorganizational relationships in civil society. Our theoretical framework brings together homophily research and issue niche theory to explore the potential influence issues have on interorganizational network tie formation. Our empirical case is the network of civil society organizations focused on government reform in Malaysia. Using data gathered from a survey with organizational leaders (n = 90), exponential random graph models with binary and valued data explored how two types of homophily are associated with tie formation and cooperation in interorganizational relationships. Key findings from the study include that more important issues appear to drive tie formation and levels of cooperation in the network, only specific issues lead to homophilous ties, and issue homophily does not lead to greater levels of cooperation among civil society organizations.
Three cases of retroperitoneal sarcoma in which bioabsorbable spacers (bioabsorbable polyglycolic acid spacers) were inserted prior to carbon ion radiotherapy
Authors: Serizawa Itsuko , Kusano Yohsuke , Kano Kio , Shima Satoshi , Tsuchida Keisuke , Takakusagi Yosuke , Mizoguchi Nobutaka , Kamada Tadashi , Yoshida Daisaku , Katoh Hiroyuki 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
From August 2019 to August 2020, we inserted polyglycolic acid (PGA) spacers and administered carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) to three cases of retroperitoneal sarcoma at our hospital. We aimed to investigate its utility and safety for retroperitoneal sarcoma. We analyzed changes in PGA spacer volume and corresponding computed tomography (CT) values in addition to the dose distribution using in-room CT images that were obtained during treatment. We assessed adverse events and investigated the suitability, safety and effectivity of PGA spacer insertion. During treatment, changes in PGA spacer volumes and CT values were confirmed. Volumes increased in patients with a folded PGA spacer, and it increased 1.6-fold by the end of irradiation compared with planning CT. The CT values decreased by 20–50 Hounsfield units at the end of irradiation compared to the planning CT. Dose distribution evaluation showed that the dose to the gastrointestinal tract adjacent to the tumor was maintained below the tolerable dose, and a sufficient dose was delivered to the target by PGA spacer insertion. One case of subileus caused during abdominal surgery for PGA spacer insertion occurred. No other adverse events, such as digestive disorders, were observed. CIRT with PGA spacer insertion for retroperitoneal sarcomas is safe and effective. For cases in which there is no option but to perform irradiation using a PGA spacer, precautionary measures such as verification of dose distributions using CT images are necessary.