bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health-related quality of life measured using the EQ-5D–5 L: population norms for the capital of Iran
Authors: Emrani Zahra , Akbari Sari Ali , Zeraati Hojjat , Olyaeemanesh Alireza , Daroudi Rajabali
Published: April 2020

Objectives

EQ-5D is the most commonly used generic preference-based health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measure. The current study aimed at estimating the HRQoL index scores using EQ-5D-5 L measure in the capital of Iran; moreover, identifying some determinants of the HRQoL.

Methods

A sample of 3060 subjects was selected by a stratified random sampling method from the general adult population of Tehran. Face-to-face interview was conducted to fill out the questionnaire, in this cross-sectional survey. EQ-5D-5 L utility score were estimated using an interim value set, based on a crosswalk methodology. Additionally, the relationships between HRQoL and sociodemographic characteristics were tested by generalized linear model, using STATA version 13.

Results

The mean ± standard deviation utility and EQ-VAS scores were 0.79 ± 0.17 and 71.72 ± 19.37. The utility scores ranged 0.61 ± 0.19 in > 69 year-old females to 0.88 ± 0.12 in < 30 year-old males. In mobility, self-care, and usual activity dimensions, most of the respondents reported “no problems” (70.47, 90.62, and 76.34%, respectively). However, in anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort dimensions, most of the respondents had problems (53.23 and 54.03%, respectively). Females had lower utility score than males; the utility score reduced with age increase; the educational level lead to higher utility scores; and the utility scores of individuals without spouse (divorced or widowed) were lower than those of the married individuals and never married ones.

Conclusions

The current study reported HRQoL norm data for the general adult population in the capital of Iran; these data could be very useful for policy making and economic evaluations. A significant percentage of people in Tehran reported anxiety/ depression, which highlights the risk of psychological problems. Effective interventions are needed to increase their HRQoL, especially for the vulnerable groups of the community.
Sleep quality of nurses in the emergency department of public hospitals in China and its influencing factors: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Dong Hongyun , Zhang Qiong , Zhu Chunji , Lv Qian
Published: April 2020

Background

Studies have shown that poor sleep could result in many unpleasant consequences and is prevalent in nurses. Considering the fact of high stress, overwhelming workload and many night shifts in the emergency department in China, this study aimed to evaluate the current status of emergency nurses’ sleep quality in public hospitals in Shandong, China and explored its influencing factors.

Methods

A self-administered questionnaire incorporating the Job Content Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was conducted among 4856 emergency nurses in five randomly selected city emergency command systems in Shandong, China. The association of potential influencing factors, including occupational, psychosocial and individual factors, with poor sleep (PSQI> 5) was quantified by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

The average PSQI score of 4730 emergency nurses in public hospitals was 8.2 ± 3.9, including 3114 (65.8%) subjects with PSQI > 5 and 2905 (61.4%) > 8; these figures were found highest for 337 emergency nurses in 14 tertiary hospitals with 11.8 ± 4.3, 257 (76.3%) and 232 (68.8%), followed by 1044 emergency nurses in 43 secondary hospitals with 9.5 ± 3.9, 725 (69.4%) and 675 (64.7%) and 3349 emergency nurses in 167 primary hospitals with 7.4 ± 3.5, 2132 (63.7%) and 1998 (59.7%). The following factors were associated with poor sleep: hospital level (tertiary vs. primary, secondary vs. primary), female sex, less of exercise, long work hours per week, many patients in the charge of at night, high monthly night shift frequency (4–6 vs. never, ≥7 vs. never) and high occupational stress.

Conclusions

The sleep quality of emergency nurses in public hospitals in China was poor, especially in tertiary hospitals. Many factors as listed above, especially occupational stress, night shift taking and workload at night, should be considered when improving emergency nurses’ sleep quality.
Role of RNA-binding proteins during the late stages of Flavivirus replication cycle
Authors: Diosa-Toro Mayra , Prasanth K. Reddisiva , Bradrick Shelton S. , Garcia Blanco Mariano A.
Published: April 2020

The genus Flavivirus encompasses several worldwide-distributed arthropod-borne viruses including, dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus, and tick-borne encephalitis virus. Infection with these viruses manifest with symptoms ranging from febrile illness to life- threatening hypotensive shock and encephalitis. Therefore, flaviviruses pose a great risk to public health. Currently, preventive measures are falling short to control epidemics and there are no antivirals against any Flavivirus.

Flaviviruses carry a single stranded positive-sense RNA genome that plays multiple roles in infected cells: it is translated into viral proteins, used as template for genome replication, it is the precursor of the subgenomic flaviviral RNA and it is assembled into new virions. Furthermore, viral RNA genomes are also packaged into extracellular vesicles, e.g. exosomes, which represent an alternate mode of virus dissemination.

Because RNA molecules are at the center of Flavivirus replication cycle, viral and host RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are critical determinants of infection. Numerous studies have revealed the function of RBPs during Flavivirus infection, particularly at the level of RNA translation and replication. These proteins, however, are also critical participants at the late stages of the replication cycle. Here we revise the function of host RBPs and the viral proteins capsid, NS2A and NS3, during the packaging of viral RNA and the assembly of new virus particles. Furthermore, we go through the evidence pointing towards the importance of host RBPs in mediating cellular RNA export with the idea that the biogenesis of exosomes harboring Flavivirus RNA would follow an analogous pathway.
The Balanced Opioid Initiative: protocol for a clustered, sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial to construct an adaptive implementation strategy to improve guideline-concordant opioid prescribing in primary care
Authors: Quanbeck Andrew , Almirall Daniel , Jacobson Nora , Brown Randall T. , Landeck Jillian K. , Madden Lynn , Cohen Andrew , Deyo Brienna M. F. , Robinson James , Johnson Roberta A. , Schumacher Nicholas
Published: April 2020

Background

Rates of opioid prescribing tripled in the USA between 1999 and 2015 and were associated with significant increases in opioid misuse and overdose death. Roughly half of all opioids are prescribed in primary care. Although clinical guidelines describe recommended opioid prescribing practices, implementing these guidelines in a way that balances safety and effectiveness vs. risk remains a challenge. The literature offers little help about which implementation strategies work best in different clinical settings or how strategies could be tailored to optimize their effectiveness in different contexts. Systems consultation consists of (1) educational/engagement meetings with audit and feedback reports, (2) practice facilitation, and (3) prescriber peer consulting. The study is designed to discover the most cost-effective sequence and combination of strategies for improving opioid prescribing practices in diverse primary care clinics.

Methods/design

The study is a hybrid type 3 clustered, sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial (SMART) that randomizes clinics from two health systems at two points, months 3 and 9, of a 21-month intervention. Clinics are provided one of four sequences of implementation strategies: a condition consisting of educational/engagement meetings and audit and feedback alone (EM/AF), EM/AF plus practice facilitation (PF), EM/AF + prescriber peer consulting (PPC), and EM/AF + PF + PPC. The study’s primary outcome is morphine-milligram equivalent (MME) dose by prescribing clinicians within clinics. The study’s primary aim is the comparison of EM/AF + PF + PPC versus EM/AF alone on change in MME from month 3 to month 21. The secondary aim is to derive cost estimates for each of the four sequences and compare them. The exploratory aim is to examine four tailoring variables that can be used to construct an adaptive implementation strategy to meet the needs of different primary care clinics.

Discussion

Systems consultation is a practical blend of implementation strategies used in this case to improve opioid prescribing practices in primary care. The blend offers a range of strategies in sequences from minimally to substantially intensive. The results of this study promise to help us understand how to cost effectively improve the implementation of evidence-based practices.

Trial registration

NCT 04044521 (ClinicalTrials.gov). Registered 05 August 2019.
The relationship between patellar lateralization diagnostic imaging markers and non-contact internal knee derangements
Authors: Stumetz Kyle S. , Gothard M. D. , Walser Ronald F. , Greenwald Alan G. , Justice Wade W.
Published: April 2020

Background

To investigate differences in the tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) and patellar tendon-posterior cruciate ligament (PT-PCL) distances in symptomatic patients with non-contact internal knee derangements (IKD) and symptomatic patients with internally intact knees (control).

Methods

A retrospective review of MRI studies was completed by comparing 78 patients with meniscal and ligamentous derangements of the knee to 63 internally intact knees (age range, 13 to 50 years). MRI findings were reviewed independently by two board-certified radiologists to assess for agreement. TT-TG and PT-PCL distances were measured on proton density-weighted axial images by two independent observers blinded to the MRI and arthroscopic findings. Independentttests were used to determine differences in TT-TG distance between the internal derangement and control groups. Chi-square tests were used to compare categorical variables for distributional equality between study groups.

Results

The mean TT-TG distance averaged across the two raters in the IKD group was 11.5 mm (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.6–12.4), compared to 8.3 mm (95% CI, 7.6–9.0) in the control group (p< 0.001). The mean PT-PCL distance similarly averaged across both raters was 20.6 mm (95% CI, 19.7–21.5) for the IKD group compared to 18.2 mm (95% CI, 17.2–19.2) for the control group (p< 0.001). Among the IKD group, there were 51 meniscal tears, 12 cruciate ligament tears, and 15 tears with a combination of meniscal and cruciate findings. IKD was significantly correlated with greater TT-TG distance (p< 0.001) and greater PT-PCL distance (p< 0.003) when compared with control.

Conclusions

Increased TT-TG distances and PT-PCL distances are associated with both cartilaginous and ligamentous internal knee injuries in the present study, with TT-TG distances greater than the 12 mm representing a new threshold for concern.
Autophagy-dependent cell cycle arrest in esophageal cancer cells exposed to dihydroartemisinin
Authors: Ma Qiang , Liao Hebin , Xu Lei , Li Qingrong , Zou Jiang , Sun Ru , Xiao Dan , Liu Chang , Pu Wenjie , Cheng Jibing , Zhou Xi , Huang Guangcheng , Yao Lihua , Zhong Xiaowu , Guo Xiaolan
Published: April 2020

Background

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a derivate of artemisinin, is an effective antimalarial agent. DHA has been shown to exert anticancer activities to numerous cancer cells in the past few years, while the exact molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated, especially in esophageal cancer.

Methods

Crystal violet assay was conducted to determine the cell viability of human esophageal cancer cell line Eca109 treated with DHA. Tumor-bearing nude mice were employed to evaluate the anticancer effect of DHA in vivo. Soft agar and crystal violet assays were used to measure the tumorigenicity of Eca109 cells. Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate ROS or cell cycle distribution. GFP-LC3 plasmids were delivered into Eca109 cells to visualize autophagy induced by DHA under a fluorescence microscope. The mRNA and protein levels of each gene were tested by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively.

Results

Our results proved that DHA significantly reduced the viability of Eca109 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further investigation showed that DHA evidently induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in Eca109 cells. Mechanistically, DHA induced intracellular ROS generation and autophagy in Eca109 cells, while blocking ROS by an antioxidant NAC obviously inhibited autophagy. Furthermore, we found that telomere shelterin component TRF2 was down-regulated in Eca109 cells exposed to DHA through autophagy-dependent degradation, which could be rescued after autophagy was blocked by ROS inhibition. Moreover, the DNA damage response (DDR) was induced obviously in DHA treated cells. To further explore whether ROS or autophagy played a vital role in DHA induced cell cycle arrest, the cell cycle distribution of Eca109 cells was evaluated after ROS or autophagy blocking, and the results showed that autophagy, but not ROS, was essential for cell cycle arrest in DHA treated cells.

Conclusion

Taken together, DHA showed anticancer effect on esophageal cancer cells through autophagy-dependent cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, which unveiled a novel mechanism of DHA as a chemotherapeutic agent, and the degradation of TRF2 followed by DDR might be responsible for this cell phenotype.
Treatment outcomes following continuous miglustat therapy in patients with Niemann-Pick disease Type C: a final report of the NPC Registry
Authors: Patterson Marc C. , Mengel Eugen , Vanier Marie T. , Moneuse Patrick , Rosenberg Daniel , Pineda Mercedes
Published: April 2020

Background

Niemann-Pick disease Type C (NP-C) is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and premature death. We report data at closure of the NPC Registry that describes the natural history, disease course and treatment experience of NP-C patients in a real-world setting.

Methods

The NPC Registry was a prospective observational cohort study that ran between September 2009 and October 2017. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of NP-C were enrolled regardless of treatment status. All patients underwent clinical assessments and medical care as determined by their physicians; data were collected through a secure internet-based portal.

Results

At closure on October 19, 2017, 472 patients from 22 countries were enrolled in the NPC Registry. Mean (standard deviation) age at enrollment was 21.2 (15.0) years, and 51.9% of patients were male. First neurological symptom onset occurred during the early-infantile (< 2 years), late-infantile (2 to < 6 years), juvenile (6 to < 15 years), or adolescent/adult (≥ 15 years) periods in 13.5, 25.6, 31.8, and 29.1% of cases, respectively. The most frequent neurological manifestations prior to enrollment included ataxia (67.9%), vertical supranuclear gaze palsy (67.4%), dysarthria (64.7%), cognitive impairment (62.7%), dysphagia (49.1%), and dystonia (40.2%). During infancy, splenomegaly and hepatomegaly were frequent (n = 199/398 [50%] and n = 147/397 [37.0%], respectively) and persisted in most affected patients. Of the 472 enrolled patients, 241 were continuously treated with miglustat during the NPC Registry observation period, of whom 172 of these 241 patients were treated continuously for ≥12 months. A composite disability score that assesses impairment of ambulation, manipulation, language, and swallowing was highest in the early-infantile population and lowest in the adolescent/adult population. Among the continuous miglustat therapy population, 70.5% of patients had improved or had stable disease (at least 3 of the 4 domains having a decreased or unchanged score between enrollment and last follow-up). The NPC Registry did not identify any new safety signals associated with miglustat therapy.

Conclusions

The profiles of clinical manifestations in the final NPC Registry dataset agreed with previous clinical descriptions. Miglustat therapy was associated with a stabilization of neurological manifestations in most patients. The safety and tolerability of miglustat therapy was consistent with previous reports.
Validity and reliability of the Australian Therapy Outcome Measures – Physiotherapy, for podiatry (AusTOMs‐PT for use in podiatry)
Authors: Williams Cylie M. , Davies Nina , Kolic Jessica , Caserta Antoni , James Alicia M. , Unsworth Carolyn
Published: April 2020

Background

Valid and reliable outcome measure enable measurement of health care service impact. There are limited valid and reliable outcome measures for use in podiatry practice to measure the impact of treatment. This research aimed to test the face validity of the AusTOMs for Physiotherapy (AusTOMs‐PT), it's adaptability to podiatry clinical practice and the reliability of its use with podiatrists.

Methods

Stage 1 used a nominal group technique with podiatrists who worked in public and/or private settings. All podiatrists underwent self‐directed training in the AusTOMs framework and measures prior to interviews or focus group discussion. Discussion was centred about transferability of the core scales of the AusTOMs‐PT and an adjunct measure, AusTOMs for Occupational Therapy (AusTOMs‐OT) to podiatry practice.

Stage 2 used 10 case studies representative of people who had foot or ankle concerns. Podiatrists were recruited and trained in the use of the relevant AusTOMs‐PT scales. Podiatrists individually scored the cases at two timepoints (1 month apart) using the six scales from the AusTOMs‐PT deemed by stage 1 as relevant to podiatry. Intra and inter‐rater reliability of scales were determined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).

Results

Thirteen podiatrists participated in individual or focus group interviews in Stage 1. Consensus was gained on six of the nine core scales adopted from the AusTOMs‐PT. These were 1. Balance and Postural Control, 3. Musculoskeletal Movement Related Functions, 4. Neurological Movement Related Functions, 5. Pain, 7. Sensory Functions, 8. Skin Functions. Each core scale rated the functional domains of Impairment, Activity Limitation, Participation Restriction and Wellbeing/Distress relating to that presentation of goals of the person in the case study.

There were 22 podiatrists complete training and scored two rounds of case studies using the six scales in Stage 2. There were 91%(n = 20) participants with an intra‐rater ICC > 0.5 (moderate or greater). Each domain had an inter‐rater reliability of > 0.9 (excellent) during the first round.

Conclusions

The AusTOMs‐PT for use in podiatry may be implemented to record change in impairment, function, participation and wellbeing of people receiving podiatry treatment. Podiatry specific training and mentoring, together with repeated use could be expected to improve intra‐reliability.
Ovarian endometrioma infiltrating neutrophils orchestrate immunosuppressive microenvironment
Authors: Xu Hua , Zhao Jing , Lu Jiaqi , Sun Xiaoxi
Published: April 2020

Background

Ovarian endometrioma (EM) lesions not only have overwhelmed the amount of infiltrating immune cells but also display immunosuppressive phenotype. The close relationship between neutrophils and the pathogenesis of endometriosis has been demonstrated. The present study aims to elucidate whether or not neutrophils are involved in the regulation of immunosuppressive microenvironment in ovarian endometrioma.

Methods

Immunochemistry (IHC) and flow cytometry analysis (FACS) were conducted to measure CD66b expression in ovarian endometrioma samples from EM patients. The correlation between percentage of CD66b and PD1 + CD8+, TIM3 + CD8+, CTLA4 + CD8+, IFN-γ + CD8+ of CD45+ cells were analyzed. Neutrophil survival and PD-L1 expression were determined under the stimulations of ovarian endometrioma conditional supernatants (OECS). Finally, CD8+ T cell’s proliferation and IFN-γ expression were detected under co-cultured with OECS cultured neutrophils stimulated with the α-CD3/α-CD28 antibody.

Results

IHC and FACS results revealed correlation between the counts of neutrophils and the severity of ovarian endometrioma. The percentage of CD66b + cells was positively correlated with PD1 + CD8+, TIM3 + CD8+ and CTLA4 + CD8+ of CD45+ cells in ovarian endometrioma. OECS promoted neutrophils’ survival and enhanced PD-L1 expression. OECS cultured neutrophils inhibited proliferation and activity of autologous T cells.

Conclusions

Neutrophils play a crucial role in the progression of ovarian endometrioma by orchestrated the immunosuppressive microenvironment under the PD-1/PD-L1 axis.
Comparison of the predictive performance of risk of malignancy indexes 1–4, HE4 and risk of malignancy algorithm in the triage of adnexal masses
Authors: Hada Abha , Han Li-ping , Chen Yanyan , Hu Qing-hong , Yuan Yidan , Liu Liya
Published: April 2020

Objectives

For patients presenting with adnexal mass, it is important to correctly distinguish whether the mass is benign or malignant for the purpose of precise and timely referral and implication of correct line of management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of Risk of malignancy Indexes (RMI) 1–4, Human Epididymis Protein 4 (HE4) and Risk of Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) in differentiating the adnexal mass into benign and malignant.

Methods

A retrospective study using 155 patients diagnosed with adnexal mass between January 2014 to December 2014 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University was conducted. The patient records were assessed for age, menopausal status, serum CA125 and HE4 levels, ultrasound characteristics of the pelvic mass and the final pathological diagnosis of the mass. RMI1, RMI2, RMI3, RMI4, ROMA were calculated for each patient and the sensitivity, specificity and the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were determined for each test to evaluate their performance.

Results

Among 155 patients with adnexal masses meeting inclusion criteria, 120 (77.4%) were benign, 8 (5.2%) borderline and 27 (17.4%) were malignant. RMI2 and RMI4 had the highest sensitivity (66.7%) while HE4 had the highest specificity (96.9%).Although ROMA had the highest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.886 it was not found to be statistically superior to the other tests. For epithelial ovarian cancers, ROMA (80%), HE4 (96.9%) and RMI 4 (0.868) had the highest sensitivity, specificity and AUC respectively however, the AUC characteristics were not statistically significant between any groups. Compared to the postmenopausal group (sensitivity 72.2–77.8%) all the tests showed lower sensitivity (42.9%) for the premenopausal group of patients.

Conclusions

RMI 1–4, ROMA and HE4 were all found to be useful for differentiating benign/borderline adnexal masses from malignant ones for deciding optimal therapy, however no test was found to be significantly better than the other. None were able to differentiate between benign and borderline tumors. All of the tests demonstrated increased sensitivity when borderline tumors were considered low-risk, and when only epithelial ovarian cancers were considered.
Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in newborns and infants: what we know so far
Authors:   The Study Group of Neonatal Infectious Diseases of The Italian Society of Neonatology (SIN), De Rose Domenico Umberto , Piersigilli Fiammetta , Ronchetti Maria Paola , Santisi Alessandra , Bersani Iliana , Dotta Andrea , Danhaive Olivier , Auriti Cinzia
Published: April 2020

Recently, an outbreak of viral pneumonitis in Wuhan, Hubei, China successively spread as a global pandemia, led to the identification of a novel betacoronavirus species, the 2019 novel coronavirus, successively designated 2019-nCoV then SARS-CoV-2). The SARS-CoV-2 causes a clinical syndrome designated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) with a spectrum of manifestations ranging from mild upper respiratory tract infection to severe pneumonitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death. Few cases have been observed in children and adolescents who seem to have a more favorable clinical course than other age groups, and even fewer in newborn babies. This review provides an overview of the knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology, transmission, the associated clinical presentation and outcomes in newborns and infants up to 6 months of life.
CEOP/IVE/GDP alternating regimen compared with CEOP as the first-line therapy for newly diagnosed patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma: results from a phase 2, multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial
Authors: Cai Ming-Ci , Cheng Shu , Wang Xin , Hu Jian-Da , Song Yong-Ping , Huang Yao-Hui , Yan Zi-Xun , Jiang Yu-Jie , Fang Xiao-Sheng , Zheng Xiao-Yun , Dong Li-Hua , Ji Meng-Meng , Wang Li , Xu Peng-Peng , Zhao Wei-Li
Published: April 2020

Background

Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP)/CHOP-like chemotherapy is widely used in peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). Here we conducted a phase 2, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial, comparing the efficacy and safety of CEOP/IVE/GDP alternating regimen with CEOP in newly diagnosed PTCL.

Methods

PTCL patients, except for anaplastic large cell lymphoma-anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive, were 1:1 randomly assigned to receive CEOP/IVE/GDP (CEOP, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, epirubicin 70 mg/m2, vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 [maximum 2 mg] on day 1, and prednisone 60 mg/m2 [maximum 100 mg] on days 1–5 every 21 days, at the first and fourth cycle; IVE, ifosfamide 2000 mg/m2 on days 1–3, epirubicin 70 mg/m2 on day 1, and etoposide 100 mg/m2 on days 1–3 every 21 days, at the second and fifth cycle; and GDP, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, cisplatin 25 mg/m2 on days 1–3, and dexamethasone 40 mg on days 1–4 every 21 days, at the third and sixth cycle) and CEOP (every 21 days for 6 cycles). Analysis of efficacy and safety was of the intent-to-treatment population. The primary endpoint was a complete response rate at the end of treatment. Meanwhile, whole exome sequencing and targeted sequencing were performed in 62 patients with available tumor samples to explore prognostic biomarkers in this cohort as an exploratory post hoc analysis.

Results

Among 106 patients, 53 each were enrolled to CEOP/IVE/GDP and CEOP. With 51 evaluable patients each in two groups, a complete response rate of the CEOP/IVE/GDP group was similar to that of the CEOP group (37.3% vs. 31.4%, p = 0.532). There was no difference in median progression-free survival (PFS; 15.4 months vs. 9.2 months, p = 0.122) or overall survival (OS; 24.3 months vs. 21.9 months, p = 0.178). Grade 3–4 hematological and non-hematological adverse events were comparable. Histone modification genes were most frequently mutated (25/62, 40.3%), namely KMT2D, KMT2A, SETD2, EP300, and CREBBP. Multivariate analysis indicated that CREBBP and IDH2 mutations were independent factors predicting poor PFS and OS (all p < 0.001), while KMT2D predicting poor PFS (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

CEOP/IVE/GDP alternating regimen showed no remission or survival advantage to standard chemotherapy. Future clinical trials should aim to develop alternative regimen targeting disease biology as demonstrated by recurrent mutations in epigenetic factors.

Trial registration

The study was registered on ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT02533700) on August 27, 2015.
Obstructive sleep apnea and the risk of gout: a population-based case-control study
Authors: van Durme Caroline , Spaetgens Bart , Driessen Johanna , Nielen Johannes , Sastry Manuel , Boonen Annelies , de Vries Frank
Published: April 2020

Background

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) might be at risk of gout because of pathophysiological mechanisms that can lead to hyperuricemia and eventually gout or because of shared risk factors between both diseases. The objective of the present study was to investigate the risk of gout in patients with OSA.

Methods

A population-based case-control study using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink GOLD including all patients aged 40 years and older with a first diagnosis of gout between 1987 and 2014. Gout cases were matched by year of birth, sex, and practice to non-gout controls. Conditional logistic regression estimated the risk of gout with an earlier diagnosis of OSA. Analyses were adjusted for lifestyle factors, comorbidities, and recent drug use.

Results

One hundred eleven thousand five hundred nine cases were matched with 210,241 controls. Patients with OSA were at increased risk of gout (OR 1.86; 95%CI (1.71–2.02). However, this association disappeared (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.96–1.16) after adjustment for smoking status, body mass index (BMI), alcohol use, a history of heart failure, diabetes mellitus, renal function, and recent use of diuretics and other medications. Among females with OSA and patients with OSA associated with heart failure, renal impairment, or higher BMI, the risk of gout was however still increased when compared to the total control population.

Conclusion

This study showed that the observed association between OSA and gout disappeared after adjustment.
The effect of a sand surface on physical performance responses of junior male handball players to plyometric training
Authors: Hammami Mehrez , Bragazzi Nicola Luigi , Hermassi Souhail , Gaamouri Nawel , Aouadi Ridha , Shephard Roy J. , Chelly Mohamed Souhaiel
Published: April 2020

Background

The effects of 7 weeks plyometric training on a stable surface and on sand were compared in junior male handball players.

Methods

A team of experienced players was divided randomly between three groups, undertaking a standard in-season regimen (C, n = 10), or supplementing this regimen by plyometric training on sand (PS, n = 11) or a stable surface (P, n = 10) for 7 weeks. Assessments included 20 m sprint times, change of direction tests (Modified change-of-direction T-test and Modified Illinois test), a repeated sprint T-test, jumping ability (squat, countermovement and five jump tests), and static and dynamic balance.

Results

After the intervention, PS showed significant increases of sprint speed relative to P and C. Change of direction scores were also improved for PS relative to P and C. Both PS and P increased vertical jump performance (squat jump, p = 0.005; ES = 0.170; counter-movement jump p < 0.001; ES = 0.247). Repeated sprint T-test scores improved in PS and P relative to C, with best times of PS > P (p < 0.05). Both plyometric groups improved their dynamic balance (p < 0.05), with three parameters of PS and only one of P being significantly greater than C. Static balance was also enhanced in both experimental groups (PS > P).

Conclusions

We conclude that for reasons that remain to be clarified, several performance measures in adolescent male handball players were increased more by 7 weeks of PS than by P.
Prevalence of trypanosomes associated with drug resistance in Shimba Hills, Kwale County, Kenya
Authors: Kulohoma Benard W. , Wamwenje Sarah A. O. , Wangwe Ibrahim I. , Masila Nicodemus , Mirieri Caroline K. , Wambua Lillian
Published: April 2020

Objective

Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is a life-threatening vector-borne disease, caused by trypanosome parasites, which are principally transmitted by tsetse flies. In Kenya, the prevalence of drug-resistant trypanosomes in endemic regions remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to establish AAT point prevalence, drug susceptibility of associated trypanosomes, and measure infectivity by multiple AAT mammalian hosts to tsetse flies in Shimba hills, a resource-poor region with high bovine trypanosomiasis prevalence and morbidity rates at the coast of Kenya. We collected tsetse flies using traps (1 Ngu and 2 biconical), and then sorted them on sex and species. Trypanosomes present in tsetse flies were detected by first extracting all genomic DNA, and then performing PCR reactions with established primers of the internal transcribed spacer regions. Polymorphisms associated with trypanocide resistance in the TbAT1 gene were also detected by performing PCR reactions with established primers.

Results

Our findings suggest low trypanosome prevalence (3.7%), low trypanocide resistance, and low infectivity by multiple mammalian hosts to tsetse flies in Shimba hills. We conclude that enhanced surveillance is crucial for informing disease management practices that help prevent the spread of drug-resistant trypanosomiasis.
Inattention and hyperactive/impulsive component scores do not differentiate between autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a clinical sample
Authors: Krakowski Aneta D. , Cost Katherine Tombeau , Anagnostou Evdokia , Lai Meng-Chuan , Crosbie Jennifer , Schachar Russell , Georgiades Stelios , Duku Eric , Szatmari Peter
Published: April 2020

Background

Although there is high co-occurrence between ASD and ADHD, the nature of this co-occurrence remains unclear. Our study aimed to examine the underlying relationship between ASD and ADHD symptoms in a combined sample of children with a primary clinical diagnosis of ASD or ADHD.

Methods

Participants included children and youth (aged 3-20 years) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (n = 303) or ADHD (n = 319) for a total of 622 participants. Parents of these children completed the social communication questionnaire (SCQ), a measure of autism symptoms, and the strengths and weaknesses of ADHD and normal behavior (SWAN) questionnaire, a measure of ADHD symptoms. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on combined SCQ and SWAN items, followed by a profile analysis comparing normalized component scores between diagnostic groups and gender.

Results

PCA revealed a four-component solution (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, social-communication, and restricted, repetitive, behaviors, and interests (RRBI)), with no overlap between SCQ and SWAN items in the components. Children with ASD had higher component scores in social-communication and RRBI than children with ADHD, while there was no difference in inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive scores between diagnostic groups. Males had higher scores than females in social-communication, RRBI, and hyperactivity/impulsivity components in each diagnostic group.

Limitations

We did not formally assess children with ASD for ADHD using our research-criteria for ADHD, and vice versa. High rates of co-occurring ADHD in ASD, for example, may have inflated component scores in inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. A disadvantage with using single informant-based reports (i.e., parent-rated questionnaires) is that ASD and ADHD symptoms may be difficult to distinguish by parents, and may be interpreted differently between parents and clinicians.

Conclusions

ASD and ADHD items loaded on separate components in our sample, suggesting that the measurement structure cannot explain the covariation between the two disorders in clinical samples. High levels of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were seen in both ASD and ADHD in our clinical sample. This supports the need for a dimensional framework that examines neurodevelopmental domains across traditional diagnostic boundaries. Females also had lower component scores across social-communication, RRBI, and hyperactivity/impulsivity than males, suggesting that there may be gender-specific phenotypes related to the two conditions.
Artificial intelligence abstracts from the European Congress of Radiology: analysis of topics and compliance with the STARD for abstracts checklist
Authors: Dratsch Thomas , Caldeira Liliana , Maintz David , dos Santos Daniel Pinto
Published: April 2020

Objectives

To analyze all artificial intelligence abstracts presented at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2019 with regard to their topics and their adherence to the Standards for Reporting Diagnostic accuracy studies (STARD) checklist.

Methods

A total of 184 abstracts were analyzed with regard to adherence to the STARD criteria for abstracts as well as the reported modality, body region, pathology, and use cases.

Results

Major topics of artificial intelligence abstracts were classification tasks in the abdomen, chest, and brain with CT being the most commonly used modality. Out of the 10 STARD for abstract criteria analyzed in the present study, on average, 5.32 (SD = 1.38) were reported by the 184 abstracts. Specifically, the highest adherence with STARD for abstracts was found for general interpretation of results of abstracts (100.0%, 184 of 184), clear study objectives (99.5%, 183 of 184), and estimates of diagnostic accuracy (96.2%, 177 of 184). The lowest STARD adherence was found for eligibility criteria for participants (9.2%, 17 of 184), type of study series (13.6%, 25 of 184), and implications for practice (20.7%, 44 of 184). There was no significant difference in the number of reported STARD criteria between abstracts accepted for oral presentation (M = 5.35, SD = 1.31) and abstracts accepted for the electronic poster session (M = 5.39, SD = 1.45) (p = .86).

Conclusions

The adherence with STARD for abstract was low, indicating that providing authors with the related checklist may increase the quality of abstracts.
Toxicity of a combined therapy using the mTOR-inhibitor everolimus and PRRT with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE in Lewis rats
Authors: Zellmer Johannes , Yen Hsi-Yu , Kaiser Lena , Mille Erik , Gildehaus Franz Josef , Böning Guido , Steiger Katja , Hacker Marcus , Bartenstein Peter , Todica Andrei , Haug Alexander R. , Ilhan Harun
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA0,TYR3-octreotate ([177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE) and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor everolimus are both approved for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours (NET). However, tumour progression is still frequent, and treatment strategies need further improvement. One possible approach could be to combine different therapy options. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of a combined treatment with everolimus and [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE in female Lewis rats.

Methods

Animals received 200 MBq of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE once and/or 5 mg/kg body weight everolimus or placebo weekly for 16 weeks and were divided into four groups (group 1, placebo; group 2, everolimus; group 3, placebo + [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE; group 4, everolimus + [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE). Blood levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were assessed weekly to monitor nephrotoxicity, and a full blood count was performed at the time of euthanasia to monitor myelotoxicity. Additionally, renal function was analysed by sequential [99mTc]Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine ([99mTc]Tc-MAG3) scintigraphies. Histopathological examination was performed in all the kidneys using a standardized renal damage score (RDS).

Results

Rats receiving everolimus showed a significantly lower increase in creatinine levels than those receiving placebo. Everolimus therapy reduced white blood count significantly, which was not observed for [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE. Functional renal scintigraphies using [99mTc]Tc-MAG3 showed a compromised initial tracer uptake after PRRT and slower but still preserved excretion after everolimus. Histology showed no significant RDS differences between groups.

Conclusion

Renal scintigraphy is a highly sensitive tool for the detection of renal function impairment after a combination of everolimus and PRRT. Additional treatment with everolimus does not increase renal and haematological toxicity of PRRT with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE.
A novel approach to extracting useful information from noisy TFDs using 2D local entropy measures
Authors: Vranković Ana , Lerga Jonatan , Saulig Nicoletta
Published: April 2020

The paper proposes a novel approach for extraction of useful information and blind source separation of signal components from noisy data in the time-frequency domain. The method is based on the local Rényi entropy calculated inside adaptive, data-driven 2D regions, the sizes of which are calculated utilizing the improved, relative intersection of confidence intervals (RICI) algorithm. One of the advantages of the proposed technique is that it does not require any prior knowledge on the signal, its components, or noise, but rather the processing is performed on the noisy signal mixtures. Also, it is shown that the method is robust to the selection of time-frequency distributions (TFDs). It has been tested for different signal-to-noise-ratios (SNRs), both for synthetic and real-life data. When compared to fixed TFD thresholding, adaptive TFD thresholding based on RICI rule and the 1D entropy-based approach, the proposed adaptive method significantly increases classification accuracy (by up to 11.53%) and F1 score (by up to 7.91%). Hence, this adaptive, data-driven, entropy-based technique is an efficient tool for extracting useful information from noisy data in the time-frequency domain.
Learning deep networks with crowdsourcing for relevance evaluation
Authors: Wu Ming , Yin Xiaochun , Li Qianmu , Zhang Jing , Feng Xinqi , Cao Qi , Shen Haiyuan
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we propose a novel relevance evaluation method using labels collected from crowdsourcing. The proposed method not only predicts the relevance between query texts and responses in information retrieval systems but also performs the label aggregation tasks simultaneously. It first merges two kinds of heterogeneous data (i.e., image and query text) and constructs a CNN-like deep neural network. Then, on the top of its softmax layer, an additional layer was built to model the crowd workers. Finally, classification models for relevance prediction and aggregated labels for training examples can be simultaneously learned from noisy labels. Experimental results show that the proposed method significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art methods on a real-world dataset.
Optimal bounds for Toader mean in terms of general means
Authors: Zhang Qian , Xu Bing , Han Maoan
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we present the best possible parameters$\alpha (r)$α(r),$\beta (r)$β(r)such that the double inequality$$\begin{aligned} {}[\alpha (r)M^{r}(a,b)+(1-\alpha (r))N^{r}(a,b)] ^{1/r} < &\operatorname{TD}\bigl[M(a,b),N(a,b)\bigr] \\ < &\bigl[\beta (r)M^{r}(a,b)+\bigl(1-\beta (r)\bigr)N^{r}(a,b) \bigr]^{1/r}, \end{aligned}$$[α(r)Mr(a,b)+(1−α(r))Nr(a,b)]1/r<TD[M(a,b),N(a,b)]<[β(r)Mr(a,b)+(1−β(r))Nr(a,b)]1/r,holds for all$r\leq 1$r≤1and$a,b>0$a,b>0with$a\neq b$a≠b, where$$ \operatorname{TD}(a,b):= \int ^{\pi /2}_{0}\sqrt{a^{2}\cos ^{2}\theta +b^{2}\sin ^{2} \theta }\,d\theta $$TD(a,b):=∫0π/2a2cos2θ+b2sin2θdθis the Toader mean, andM,Nare means. As applications, we attain the optimal bounds for the Toader mean in terms of arithmetic, contraharmonic, centroidal and quadratic means, and then we provide some new bounds for the complete elliptic integral of the second kind.
Numerical simulations for stochastic meme epidemic model
Authors: Raza Ali , Rafiq Muhammad , Baleanu Dumitru , Arif Muhammad Shoaib
Published: April 2020

The primary purpose of this study is to perform the comparison of deterministic and stochastic modeling. The effect of threshold number is also observed in this model. For numerical simulations, we have developed some stochastic explicit approaches, but they are dependent on time step size. The implicitly driven explicit approach has been developed for a stochastic meme model. The proposed approach is always independent of time step size. Also, we have presented theorems in support of convergence of the proposed approach for the stochastic meme model.
Study on Krasnoselskii’s fixed point theorem for Caputo–Fabrizio fractional differential equations
Authors: Eiman  , Shah K. , Sarwar M. , Baleanu D.
Published: April 2020

This note is concerned with establishing existence theory of solutions to a class of implicit fractional differential equations (FODEs) involving nonsingular derivative. By using usual classical fixed point theorems of Banach and Krasnoselskii, we develop sufficient conditions for the existence of at least one solution and its uniqueness. Further, some results about Ulam–Hyers stability and its generalization are also discussed. Two suitable examples are given to demonstrate the results.
The impact of terrestrial protected areas on vegetation extent and condition: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Sharma Roshan , Eklund Johanna , Barnes Megan , Geldmann Jonas , Schleicher Judith , Pressey Robert L. , Gutierrez Marco , Jones Simon , Gordon Ascelin
Published: April 2020

Background

Establishing protected areas is a key approach to protecting nature. However, protected areas are often biased towards remote and less productive lands. It is important to evaluate the impacts protected areas have had, or in other words, what changes in outcomes of interest are attributable to protected areas. Studies that evaluate the impact of protected areas on vegetation—the state and processes that support biodiversity—are scarce and published in a range of disciplines. This systematic review will scope, identify, and synthesize studies that quantitatively measure the impact of protected areas on vegetation extent and condition. The findings will be useful for researchers and policy makers and provide important knowledge for setting post 2020 targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This review will also identify research gaps in the current evidence base and provide direction for future research.

Methods

This review follows the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence guidelines for evidence synthesis and complies with the ROSES (RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Synthesis) reporting framework. We will use a comprehensive search strategy developed through several rounds of scoping review to cover databases; Web of Science, Scopus and CAB Abstracts, 16 organizational websites, google scholar and existing review documents. Our search terms and strategies aim to find impact evaluation studies (both peer-reviewed and grey literature) in English from protected areas globally. The search results will be screened at title, abstract, and then full text by two independent reviewers. A quality appraisal of evidence will be conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) risk of bias tool. Review results will be presented in the form of narrative synthesis, as well as in meta-analysis form, where data quality and amount allow.
Correction to: Investigation of Thermal Behaviour of a Hybrid Precasted Concrete Floor using Embedded Sensors
Authors: Newell Shane , Goggins Jamie
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
In memoriam Ching-I Peng (1950–2018)—an outstanding scientist and mentor with a remarkable legacy
Authors: Chung Kuo-Fang
Published: April 2020

Ching-I Peng, the most prolific and internationally recognized Taiwanese plant taxonomist of his generation, passed away on May 1, 2018. Dr. Peng was an eminent worker on the taxonomy of East Asian plants and the genus Ludwigia, and the foremost expert on Asian Begonia. He served as associate editor, co-editor in chief, and editor-in-chief of Botanical Studies and its predecessor Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica during the period 1992–2016. He gathered over 25,000 plant specimens, name 121 plant taxa, and has left a remarkable legacy of literature, collaborations and collections. This article summarizes Dr. Peng’s academic career and commemorates his enduring contribution.