THE PUTREFACTION OF DIGITAL SCHOLARSHIP: HOW LINK ROT IMPACTS THE INTEGRITY OF SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING

Research sits at the core of scholarship. The integrity of that research allows fields of study to grow and build upon one another to form the foundation for and extension of human knowledge. In the last 10 years, a new phenomenon has occurred as digital scholarship has become more prolific. This phenomenon is called link rot. Link rot occurs when over time, digital resources become inaccessible because their originally cited location has been relocated or become permanently unavailable. This study examined the extent to which link rot has affected scholarly research and how it might affect the future of digital scholarship. Historical archived data were compiled and analyzed using a self-created tool to evaluate the extent to which a publication has been affected by the phenomenon of link rot. Study data were accessed through content analysis of 2,500 published, peer-reviewed scholarly articles, representing a span of 10 years (2013– 2022) of data collection. Five specific academic domains in the scholarly literature were identified for study purposes: (a) arts and humanities; (b) business; (c) health and medicine; (d) science, math, and technologies; and (e) social sciences. The study showed that 36% of all links were broken, and 37% of digital object identifiers were broken. The study also showed a significant difference in the percentage of broken links between academic disciplines, as well as the percentage of broken digital object identifier links

HIV/HCV/STI cases

Objectives: Discuss approach to Syphilis testing and management in persons infected with HIV and HIV negative patients Review strategies to improve ART adherence Review ART options and considerations for initiating and modifying ART and clinically relevant Rx-Rx interactions Assess patients for HCV treatment and review simplified treatment strategies for patients with chronic HCV infectio

STI & PrEP Updates

Learning Objectives Apply key findings from the DISCOVER trial to PrEP clinical decision-making Understand the gaps in PrEP research for cisgender women and adolescents Understand the use of on-demand pre-exposure prophylaxis Review Current treatment recs and emerging data on Gonococcal and Chlamydial infection Discuss diagnostic and management options for non-gonococcal urethriti

Adolescent HIV Pre Exposure Prophylaxis Prescribing Practices Among Family Medicine Physicians: Limited Immediate Uptake

This study aims to: Examine the adolescent PrEP prescribing practices and knowledge of family medicine physicians. Begin to identify areas that might be key targets for interventions which may lead to increased adolescent PrEP prescribing uptake.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/fmposters/1005/thumbnail.jp

Adolescent HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Prescribing Practices Among Family Medicine Physicians: Limited Immediate Uptake

Introduction: In the United States, individuals aged 13-24 made up 21% of new HIV infections in 2016. In 2018, the FDA approved tenofovir/emtricitabine as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for adolescents aged 15-17. In 2019, we examined adolescent PrEP prescribing practices among family medicine physicians at an academic family medicine practice. Methods: Physicians were invited to complete an online questionnaire assessing PrEP knowledge, attitudes, and prescribing practices. Differences in PrEP knowledge and attitudes among providers who prescribe PrEP to adolescents versus those who do not were examined using independent samples t-tests. Results: 50 out of 99 surveys were completed. Respondents were 90% White, 84% heterosexual, 50% attendings, 50% residents/fellows, and 2% HIV specialists. All respondents had heard of PrEP before the survey, 76% had prescribed PrEP and 70% reported being aware of the FDA approval of PrEP for adolescents. While 86% reported treating patients aged 15-17, only 6% reported having prescribed PrEP to this demographic. Physicians who reported prescribing PrEP to adolescents reported greater comfort assessing for indications for PrEP, t(48)= -2.23, p \u3c 0.05, greater PrEP knowledge, t(47)= -3.34, p \u3c 0.005, and felt PrEP was safer, t(48)= -2.09, p \u3c 0.05, compared to physicians who had not. Conclusion: Despite universal awareness of PrEP, high rates of prescribing to adults, and awareness of FDA approval of PrEP for adolescents, PrEP prescribing to adolescents in our sample remains limited. Differences between providers who have and have not prescribed PrEP to adolescents suggest targeted training may boost prescribing to this demographic

Arab Countries between Winter and Spring: Where Democracy Shock Goes Next!

We examine the role of democracy shocks in the cross-country economic growth processes over a period of five decades since 1960. The recent uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world form the main context of our investigation. We study if (i) a shock to democracy in one country triggers institutional reforms and growth upsurge in the neighbouring countries, and (ii) the magnitude and direction of response to democracy shocks are contingent upon income pathways of countries. To estimate the spillover effects of democracy shocks, we model and estimate growth interdependence among individual countries with similar democratic characteristics. To study the nature of responses of democracy shocks on cross-country growth processes, we build and estimate a Global Vector Autoregression (GVAR) model where we allow countries to be interdependent with regard to bilateral migration and geographical proximity. Using the GVAR model, we also stimulate a positive shock to democracy in Egypt - the most populous Arabic country - and study its impacts on institutional reforms and economic growth in the rest of the Arab World. We find that high and upper-middle income countries are immune to democracy shocks in Egypt, whereas the lower middle and low income countries are susceptible to another revolutionary wave

Clinical Correlates of Alzheimer's Disease with and without Silent Radiographic Abnormalities

Objective: To determine whether patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) who do not have historical or clinical evidence of stroke but who do have computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging evidence of noncortical lesions smaller than 2 cm or periventricular "caps" differ from other patients with AD. Methods: The computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging scans of 158 patients meeting criteria of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke—Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association for probable AD were reviewed by one neuroradiologist. Two measures of disease severity—the Modified Mini-Mental State examination and the Blessed Dementia Rating Scale (Part I)—were subjected to two-way analysis of variance with scan type (computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) and lesion number as between-group factors and age and disease duration as covariates. Results: No relationship was seen between lesion number or periventricular caps and disease severity. Conclusion: In this cross-sectional analysis using these clinical measures, patients with AD who have well-defined radiographic abnormalities cannot be differentiated from patients with AD who do not have them

Assessing Patient Dependence in Alzheimer's Disease

Background. While cognitive and functional deficits are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), loss of social function (and the dependence this implies) is also critical, especially in early stages of disease. Little attention has been directed to this facet of dementing disease. We describe a scale for assessing dependency in AD and present a baseline profile of dependency in a cohort of AD patients. Methods. In a study of the predictors of the course of AD, 233 patients in early stages of disease (modified MMS ≥ 30) were assessed. Psychometric properties of the dependence scale were established. To validate the scale, dependence scores at baseline were correlated with a series of measures assessing cognition and function. The course of dependency over 18 months of follow-up was also analyzed. Results. The scale shows adequate reliability (test-retest, intraclass correlation). Dependence stage was related to other measures of disease severity. Scalogram analysis shows that the dependence scale is consistent with the course of functional loss established for dementing disease. Prospective data indicate sensitivity of the scale to disease progression. Conclusion. Dependency is a distinct, measurable component of dementing disease and should be considered an important outcome in studies of AD

Multicenter Study of Predictors of Disease Course in Alzheimer Disease (the "Predictors Study"). I. Study Design, Cohort Description, and Intersite Comparisons

Clinicians should be able to provide the patient with Alzheimer disease (AD) and the family with an accurate prediction of what to expect, but the variability in the rate of disease progression precludes this. In several previous studies, specific clinical signs such as muscular rigidity, myoclonus, and hallucinations or delusions were associated with rapid progression to a more severe stage of dementia or death. The 'Predictors Study,' a longitudinal study at three independent sites, was designed to develop a predictor model of the natural history of Alzheimer disease. The study was conducted at three study sites, New York, Baltimore, and Boston in a cohort of 224 patients with early probable AD. This article describes the design and implementation of the Predictors Study, and compares features of the study cohort at baseline across sites. Patients were all at the mild stage of disease at entry and were relatively comparable across sites. Extrapyramidal signs and delusions were common, but myoclonus was rarely observed