Explore the vast range of titles available.

BackgroundTranscatheter tricuspid valve repair (TTVR) is a promising technique for the treatment of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Data comparing the performance of novel edge-to-edge devices (PASCAL and MitraClip-XTR) are scarce.MethodsWe identified 80 consecutive patients who underwent TTVR using either the PASCAL or MitraClip-XTR system to treat symptomatic TR from July 2018 to June 2020. To adjust for baseline imbalances, we performed a propensity score (PS) 1:1 matching. The primary endpoint was a reduction in TR severity by at least one grade at 30 days.ResultsThe PS-matched cohort (n = 44) was at high-surgical risk (EuroSCORE II: 7.5% [interquartile range (IQR) 4.8–12.1%]) with a mean TR grade of 4.3 ± 0.8 and median coaptation gap of 6.2 mm [IQR 3.2–9.1 mm]. The primary endpoint was similarly observed in both groups (PASCAL: 91% vs. MitraClip-XTR: 96%). Multiple device implantation was the most common form (59% vs. 82%, p = 0.19), and the occurrence of SLDA was comparable between the PASCAL and MitraClip-XTR system (5.7% [2 of 35 implanted devices] vs. 4.4% [2 of 45 implanted devices], p = 0.99). No periprocedural death or conversions to surgery occurred, and 30-day mortality (5.0% vs. 5.0%, log-rank p = 0.99) and 3-month mortality (10.0% vs. 5.0%, log-rank p = 0.56) were similar between both groups. During follow-up, functional NYHA class, 6-min walking distance, and health status improved in both groups.ConclusionsBoth TTVR devices, PASCAL and MitraClip-XTR, appeared feasible and comparable for an effective TR reduction. Randomized head-to-head comparisons will help to further define the appropriate scope of application of each system.

The sharing of patient-level data necessary for covariate-adjusted survival analysis between medical institutions is difficult due to privacy protection restrictions. We propose a privacy-preserving framework that estimates balanced Kaplan–Meier curves from distributed observational data without exchanging raw data. Each institution sends only the low-dimensional representation obtained through dimensionality reduction of the covariate matrix. Analysts reconstruct the aggregated dataset, perform propensity score matching, and estimate survival curves. Experiments using simulation datasets and five publicly available medical datasets showed that the proposed method consistently outperformed single-site analyses. This method can handle both horizontal and vertical data distribution scenarios and enables the collaborative acquisition of reliable survival curves with minimal communication and no disclosure of raw data.

Background Previous studies have shown that Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with underlying comorbidities can have worse outcomes. However, the effect of hypertension on outcomes of COVID-19 patients remains unclear. Research question The aim of this study was to explore the effect of hypertension on the outcomes of patients with COVID-19 by using propensity score–matching (PSM) analysis. Study design and methods Participants enrolled in this study were patients with COVID-19 who had been hospitalized at the Central Hospital of Wuhan, China. Chronic comorbidities and laboratory and radiological data were reviewed; patient outcomes and lengths of stay were obtained from discharge records. We used the Cox proportional-hazard model (CPHM) to analyze the effect of hypertension on these patients’ outcomes and PSM analysis to further validate the abovementioned effect. Results A total of 226 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled in this study, of whom 176 survived and 50 died. The proportion of patients with hypertension among non-survivors was higher than that among survivors (26.70% vs. 74.00%; P  < 0.001). Results obtained via CPHM showed that hypertension could increase risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients (hazard ratio 3.317; 95% CI [1.709–6.440]; P  < 0.001). Increased D-dimer levels and higher ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes (N/L) were also found to increase these patients’ mortality risk. After matching on propensity score, we still came to similar conclusions. After we applied the same method in critically ill patients, we found that hypertension also increased risk of death in patients with severe COVID-19. Conclusion Hypertension, increased D-dimer and the ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte increased mortality in patients with COVID-19, with hypertension in particular.

Agricultural scale operations and industrialization promote the transfer of the rural labor force to the industry sector, and the non-farm employment of farmers plays a great role in increasing their income and reducing poverty. It is of great significance to explore the non-farm employment of farmers for the governance of relative poverty and the achievement of common prosperity. The propensity score matching (PSM) and generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) were used to analyze the impact of rural land transfer on farm households’ non-farm employment. According to the PSM estimation, compared to the farmers’ land not transferred, the rural land transfer significantly increased the proportion of non-farm employment personnel in farm households and the months of per year non-farm employment per person. The total land transfer, paddy land transfer and dry land transfer could significantly increase the proportion of non-farm employment personnel in farm households by 0.074, 0.029 and 0.085 units, respectively, and could significantly increase the months of per year non-farm employment per person by 0.604, 0.394 and 0.617 units, respectively. According to the GPSM estimation, different types of rural land transfer areas have significant positive effects on the proportion of non-farm workers and the months of per year non-farm employment per person, and show an obvious increasing trend of returns to scale, that is, the proportion of non-farm workers and the months of per year non-farm employment per person of farmers are higher than the increase in rural land transfer area. Additionally, the return to scale effect of dry land transfer area is more obvious. In order to raise the income of farm households and narrow the gap between urban and rural areas, the land transfer system can be further improved, urbanization with the county town as an important carrier can be vigorously promoted, the participation of farm households in non-farm employment in the local area can be promoted and the support policy system for non-farm employment of rural labor force can be improved.

This study evaluates the causal impact of innovation on firm productivity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where economic structures and institutional frameworks differ from those in advanced economies. Drawing on World Bank Enterprise Survey data from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia, the analysis employs the propensity score matching (PSM) method to estimate the productivity effects of innovation while minimizing selection bias. The findings reveal that innovation significantly improves firm productivity in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco, with average treatment effects ranging from 28% to 44%. In Tunisia, the effect is positive but statistically insignificant, reflecting structural constraints such as limited access to finance, weak research-industry linkages, and rigid institutions. Further analysis shows that the productivity impact of innovation is heterogeneous across contexts: small firms in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon benefit the most, while medium-sized firms in Morocco and Tunisia record the strongest gains. Large firms display positive but generally insignificant effects, suggesting that innovation-driven productivity advantages are not evenly distributed across firm categories. These results underscore the need for context-specific innovation policies in the MENA region. Strengthening financial access, fostering collaboration between firms and research institutions, and tailoring strategies to firm characteristics are crucial for maximizing the productivity benefits of innovation. By focusing on emerging economies, this study contributes to the literature by providing new empirical evidence on the innovation-productivity nexus and highlights innovation as a key lever for competitiveness and sustainable growth in the region.

Background Moyamoya disease (MMD) and moyamoya syndrome (MMS) are rare cerebrovascular conditions with unclear distinctions in clinical presentation and prognosis. Aim This study assessed potential differences between MMD and MMS patients using real‐world data on clinical manifestations, surgical outcomes, and stroke risk factors. Methods This multicenter, retrospective cohort study examined patients with MMD or MMS treated at three tertiary academic hospitals in China, with a mean follow‐up of 11.2 ± 3.1 years. Clinical differences were compared between MMD and MMS, and postoperative cerebrovascular events were compared between patients who underwent surgery and those with conservative management. Primary outcomes were postoperative ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Risk factors were evaluated via multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results Of the 2565 patients, 2349 had MMD and 216 had MMS. After 1:1 propensity‐score matching, no significant differences were observed between these two cohorts. Surgical patients had fewer cerebrovascular events than those who received conservative treatment (HR, 0.487; 95% CI, 0.334–0.711; p < 0.001). Preadmission modified Rankin scale scores > 2 (HR, 3.139; 95% CI, 1.254–7.857; p = 0.015) and periprocedural complications (HR, 8.666; 95% CI, 3.476–21.604; p < 0.001) were independent stroke risk factors in patients with MMD. Periprocedural complications (HR, 31.807; 95% CI, 10.916–92.684; p < 0.001) increased stroke risk in patients with MMS. Conclusions This real‐world study revealed substantial clinical overlap between MMD and MMS. Both groups derived significant benefits from surgical revascularization, suggesting distinction may not be necessary to guide surgical management decisions. Optimizing preoperative status and preventing periprocedural complications may improve outcomes in these rare cerebrovascular conditions. Trial Registration This study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical trial registry (registration number: ChiCTR2200064160) This real‐world study revealed substantial clinical overlap between MMD and MMS. Both groups derived significant benefits from surgical revascularization, suggesting distinction may not be necessary to guide surgical management decisions. Optimizing preoperative status and preventing periprocedural complications may improve outcomes in these rare cerebrovascular conditions.

The study investigates the academic resilience of Swedish students, focusing on how school-level factors contribute to achievement differences between resilient and non-resilient students. Using data from PISA cycles from 2000 to 2015, the study employs propensity score matching and hierarchical linear modeling to examine the impact of individual, teacher, and school-level factors on student achievement in science, mathematics, and reading. The findings highlight the importance of school resources, teacher-student relationships, and school climate in fostering resilience among students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The study also addresses limitations like reduced sample size and variability in data across PISA cycles, suggesting future research to enhance statistical power and cross-cycle comparisons.

The aim of poverty alleviation relocation is to break the vicious cycle of poverty and ecological degradation. The improvement of human capital, specifically women’s human capital, is important to realize the poverty alleviation and sustainable development of relocated peasant households. Based on the survey data of 902 peasant households in southern Shaanxi in 2020, using the PSM model and the mediation effect test model, this paper explores the impact of participation in relocation on human capital from the perspective of gender differences, and the mediation effect of fuelwood consumption in the effect of participation in relocation on the human capital of peasants with different genders. The results show that firstly, in general, participation in relocation effectively improves the human capital of peasants. Secondly, there are gender differences in the improvement of the human capital of relocated peasants. Compared with male peasants, the health level of female peasants is significantly improved. Finally, fuelwood consumption plays an important mediation role in the impact of participation in relocation on human capital and the mediation role is more significant in improving the human capital of relocated female peasants.

It remains unclear whether hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients can be suppressed by the elimination of the virus using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) after radical HCC treatment. We evaluated the sustained inhibitory effect of DAAs on HCC recurrence after curative treatment. This multicenter retrospective study included 190 HCV-positive patients after radical treatment for early-stage HCC. Patients were classified into the DAA treatment group (n = 70) and the non-DAA treatment group (n = 120) after HCC treatment. After propensity score matching (PSM), 112 patients were assessed for first and second recurrences using the Kaplan–Meier method and analyzed using a log-rank test. The first recurrence rates at 1 and 3 years were 3.6% and 42.1% in the DAA treatment group and 21.7% and 61.9% in the non-DAA treatment group, respectively (p = 0.0026). Among 85 patients who received radical treatment, the second recurrence rate at 3 years was 2.2% in the DAA treatment group and 33.9% in the non-DAA treatment group (p = 0.0128). In HCV-positive patients with early-stage HCC, the first and second recurrences were suppressed by DAA therapy after radical treatment, suggesting that the inhibitory effect of DAA therapy on HCC recurrence was sustained.

Rice farmers in Vietnam face many difficulties achieving technical efficiency (TE), which can be measured by the distance to the production frontier, in rice production due to non-optimal combinations of inputs and the influence of household socioeconomic characteristics. This study investigates the TE of rice production by applying stochastic frontier analysis to raw data obtained from the Vietnamese Households Living Standards Survey 2016 (VHLSS 2016) database. In addition, organic fertilizers now demand much attention worldwide because of their environmentally friendly characteristics. Therefore, this study identifies the effects of organic fertilizer choices on the TE of rice production. The results show that farmers in Vietnam achieved 87.6 percent TE and that most factors tested had significant effects on rice production. Instead of rice monoculture, the four main factors with strong and positive effects on TE levels were intensive labor, irrigation, mixing crops instead of rice monoculture, and education. Moreover, this study also revealed that organic fertilizer plays a vital role in growing rice by applying propensity score matching (PSM) between farmers who use or do not use irrigation facilities in rice production. While in the process of building a system, the government should focus on rice producers to strive for maximum efficiency with regard to labor productivity and mixed-crop farming, and to take proper measures to improve rice productivity and quality through the use of organic fertilizers. As a result, this study revealed that the use of organic fertilizers for rice production in Vietnam does not always benefit households’ TE.