bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crime and Punishment in Colonial Latin America
Authors: Lentz Mark
Published: October 2020

Spanish and Portuguese claims to American territories led to the passage of many early laws and the establishment of courts overseas. For the first decade after contact, few regulations restricted the behavior of the earliest Europeans abroad, and no laws governed their treatment of the indigenous inhabitants or, later, enslaved Africans. Questions over the reach and application of laws passed in Spain, specifically Castile, led to thousands of royal laws and decrees guiding jurists in the application of laws in the Americas. This body of law is known as derecho indiano. To bring order to the unruly conquistadors and resistant indigenous inhabitants of the Americas, Spain imposed laws governing relations between Spaniards and indigenous Americans. Abundant documentation on indigenous-Spanish interactions in courts has led to an outpouring of research on the intersection between crime and punishment and indigenous society in colonial Latin America. Compared to France and its territories’ Code Noir, however, no overarching legal code addressed Spanish and Portuguese colonists’ dealings with slaves. Determinations regarding slaves drew from medieval and early modern precedents, such as the Siete partidas. The three American tribunals of the Inquisition intervened into the lives of enslaved people as well. Except for a few studies on enslaved people’s interactions—usually unwilling—with the Inquisition, there are fewer studies of slavery and crime than those covering indigenous, European, and mixed-descent subjects. One key characteristic of the legal regime in Latin America is the tenuous division between ecclesiastical jurisdictions and secular law enforcement. The Inquisition, with seats established in Mexico City, Lima, and Cartagena de Indias, combined elements of both secular and ecclesiastical courts. Its jurisdiction over “sin crimes” has received more coverage than other judicial institutions in the colonial Americas. Studies of civil and ecclesiastical law enforcement skew toward the 18th century, due in part to the abundance of documentation for the later colonial period. In the early 21st century, however, scholars have turned their attention to the second half of the 17th century, beginning to fill a historiographical void. Mid- and late-20th-century scholars worked to reconstruct a comprehensive institutional and philosophical framework of the Iberian law in the Americas, which included both regional studies and empire-wide surveys. Overall, research on crime and punishment in Latin America has shifted away from institutional histories toward social histories of crime that delve more deeply into topics of race and gender, typically more narrow in geographic scope.
French Revolution, 1789–1799
Authors: Ritchie Nigel
Published: October 2020

Birthed from national bankruptcy, the French Revolution was a painful political and social transformation that delivered some liberty and fraternity, if less equality, to its participants. While most would agree that our modern political world originated here, there is less consensus in understanding the causes or evolution of what political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville described as “a virus of a new and unknown kind.” The complexity of events, and subsequent layers of interpretation, make studying the French Revolution a daunting prospect for any historian; and its role as a key reference point for those either inspired or horrified by its outcomes continues to make it a focus of controversy and debate. A broad consensus concerning its nature—one of class-based conflict—most clearly expressed by French (Marxist) historians, briefly appeared toward the middle of the 20th century; however, this agreement has now been fatally undermined by an onslaught of diversified research findings that dissent from the old orthodoxies, most notably in emphasizing political over social or economic factors. What can be agreed is that the French Revolution was a transformative event. After the fall of the Bastille in July 1789, French revolutionaries suppressed feudal obligations, abolished the nobility (including titles), reorganized the Catholic Church, introduced (limited franchise) elections and a republican government, executed the king, and possibly most significantly, started a war that would draw in most of Europe and reach as far as the Caribbean. Over a quarter of a million people died in civil wars fought within France, hundreds of thousands more in wars with foreign powers, and 40,000 were executed for political crimes as alleged counterrevolutionaries. By 1799, France had tried out four different constitutions at home, imposed new ones on conquered territories in Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and appeared set on revolutionizing most of Europe, with some countries proudly proclaiming their emancipation by adopting the tricolor flag of republican France. After a decade of revolutionary upheaval, fifteen years of rule by France’s new leader, the military dictator and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte restored a degree of stability (and authoritarianism) to France while continuing to impose revolutionary reforms on the rest of Europe.
The causal effect of interleukin-17 on the risk of psoriatic arthritis: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Wu Dongze , Wong Priscilla , Lam Steven H M , Li Edmund K , Qin Ling , Tam Lai-Shan , Gu Jieruo
Published: October 2020

Objective

To determine causal associations between genetically predicted TNF-α, IL-12p70 and IL-17 levels and risk of PsA.

Methods

The publicly available summary-level findings from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) was used to identify loci influencing normal physiological concentrations of TNF-α, IL-12p70 and IL-17 (n = 8293) among healthy individuals as exposure and a GWAS for PsA from the UK Biobank (PsA = 900, control = 462 033) as the outcome. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median and MR–Egger regression methods. Sensitivity analysis and MR–Egger regression analysis were performed to evaluate the heterogeneity and pleiotropic effects of each variant.

Results

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at genome-wide significance from GWASs on TNF-α, IL-12p70 and IL-17 were identified as the instrumental variables. The IVW method indicated a causal association between increased IL-17 level and risk of PsA (β = −0.00186 per allele, s.e. = 0.00043, P = 0.002). Results were consistent in the weighted median method (β = −0.00145 per allele, s.e. = 0.00059, P = 0.014) although the MR–Egger method suggested a non-significant association (β = −0.00133 per allele, s.e. = 0.00087; P = 0.087). Single SNP MR results revealed that the C allele of rs117556572 was robustly associated with risk of PsA (β = 0.00210, s.e. = 0.00069, P = 0.002). However, no evidence for a causal effect was observed between TNF-α, IL-12p70, decreased IL-17 levels and risk of PsA.

Conclusion

Our findings provide preliminary evidence that genetic variants predisposing to higher physiological IL-17 level are associated with decreased risk of PsA.
Using In Situ Simulations to Improve Pediatric Patient Safety in Emergency Departments
Authors: Lee Moon O. , Schertzer Kimberly , Khanna Kajal , Wang N. Ewen , Camargo Carlos A. , Sebok-Syer Stefanie S.
Published: October 2020

Problem

Given the complex interaction among patients, individual providers, health care teams, and the clinical environment, patient safety events with serious consequences are most likely to occur in intensive care units, operating rooms, and emergency departments (EDs). With low-frequency, high-risk events such as pediatric resuscitations, health care teams working in EDs may not have the clinical opportunity to identify deficiencies, review and reinforce knowledge and skills, and problem solve in authentic clinical conditions. Without creating opportunities to safely practice, hospitals run the risk of having health care teams and environments that are not prepared to provide optimal patient care.

Approach

Researchers employed a case series design and used a train-the-trainer model for in situ simulation. They trained health care professionals (instructors) in 3 general, nonacademic EDs in the San Francisco Bay area of California to perform pediatric resuscitation in situ simulations in 2018–2019. In situ simulations occur in the clinical work environment with simulation participants (teams) who are health care professionals taking care of actual patients.

Outcomes

Teams made up of physicians, nurses, and ED technicians were evaluated for clinical performance, teamwork, and communication during in situ simulations conducted by instructors at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Debriefing after the simulations identified multiple latent safety threats (i.e., unidentified potential safety hazards) that were previously unknown. Each ED’s pediatric readiness—its ability to provide emergency care for children—was evaluated at baseline and 12 months.

Next Steps

The authors will continue to monitor and examine the impact and sustainability of the pediatric in situ simulation program on pediatric readiness scores and its possible translation to other high-risk clinical settings, as well as explore the relationship between in situ simulations and patient outcomes.
A case report of lineage switch from T-cell acute leukemia to B-cell acute leukemia
Authors: Zhu Yejing , Liu Hui , Zhang Shuna , Liang Yanyan , Xiao Meng , Hao Yunliang , Guan Yun
Published: October 2020

Rationale:

ALL is the most common form of leukemia (75% to 80%), it is characterized by clonal expansion of the lymphoid blasts in bone marrow, blood, and other tissues, which can be divided into T lineage and B lineage. Although relapse of acute leukemia is common, a change of immunophenotype at relapse only occurs rarely. Some of these cases have been labeled “lineage switch”.

Patient concerns:

A 31-year-old man had multiple lymph nodes in the neck, and the lymph nodes on the right side adhered to the surrounding tissues. His lymphocytes ratio in blood was up to 86.3%. Flow cytometry of the bone marrow aspirate showed positive results for CD2, CD5, CD7, cCD3, TDT, CD4, CD8, and CD10, negative results for CD34, CD117, CD33, HLA-DR, CD19, and CD20. Twenty six months later, the patient felt pain in the neck and shoulder after touching. His lymphocytes of blood were 109.9×109 /L. 43 fusion genes and positive BCR/ABL was detected. Flow cytometry of the bone marrow aspirate showed pro B lymphocytes accounted for 85.54%, and positive expression of CD38, CD10, CD34, CD33, TDT, CD9, and HLA-DR. Moreover, the RT-PCR data showed the patient expressed high level of T cell and B cell development transcription factors.

Diagnoses:

Upon examination, the patient was initially diagnosed with T-lineage pro cell ALL. BM morphologic analysis presented complete remission (CR) after systemic chemotherapy. Twenty six months later, we discovered the patient was diagnosed with B-lineage acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Interventions:

Systemic chemotherapy is first given when a patient was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After the patient happened linage switch, we adjusted the treatment plan, and the patient was complete remission after 1 course of treatment.

Outcomes:

Our case provides information of lineage switch from T-ALL to B-ALL in this report, which is never seen in our knowledge.

Lessons:

This lineage switch from T-ALL to B-ALL is never reported beforemoreover, the RT-PCR data showed the patient expressed high level of T cell and B cell development transcription factors. Its early recognition can let doctor provides appropriate therapy to patient.
Local infiltration vs epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control after total knee or hip arthroplasty
Authors: Liu Xian , Zhang Haijing , Zhang Huan , Guo Mengzhuo , Gao Yuanchao , Du Chunyan
Published: October 2020

Background:

Inconsistent results have been obtained regarding postoperative pain control using local infiltration and epidural analgesia for patients after total knee or hip arthroplasty (TKA and THA). We therefore conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the efficacy and safety of local infiltration vs epidural analgesia for TKA and THA.

Methods:

Electronic searches were conducted on PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane library to identify eligible RCTs conducted up to February 2020. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and relative risk with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were applied to calculate pooled effect estimates between local infiltration and epidural analgesia using the random-effects model.

Results:

Seven RCTs including a total of 412 TKA patients, and three RCTs including a total of 200 THA patients were selected for this meta-analysis. We noted that local infiltration was associated with lower visual analog scale (VAS) scores at rest after 48 hours (WMD: −1.31; 95%CI: −2.44 to −0.18; P = .024) and 72 hours (WMD: −0.95; 95%CI: −1.39 to −0.52; P < .001) for patients with TKA, while local infiltration significantly reduced VAS scores at rest after 12 hours for patients with THA (WMD: −1.00; 95%CI: −1.49 to −0.51; P < .001). Moreover, local infiltration was associated with lower VAS scores during movement after 48 hours in TKA patients (WMD: −1.08; 95%CI: −1.86 to −0.29; P = .007), while there were higher VAS scores during movement after 24 hours for patients with THA (WMD: 1.06; 95%CI: 0.67 to 1.45; P < .001). Furthermore, we noted that local infiltration was associated with higher flexion angles compared with epidural analgesia after 24 hours (WMD: 7.11; 95%CI: 2.30–11.93; P = .004), 48 hours (WMD: 6.69; 95%CI: 3.78 to 9.59; P < .001), and 72 hours (WMD: 5.19; 95%CI: 0.95–9.44; P = .016). There were no significant differences between local infiltration and epidural analgesia for the length of hospital stay, nausea, or wound infection.

Conclusions:

Local infiltration is superior to epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control after TKA, whereas for THA patients inconsistent results were obtained at various times.
Clinical effects of transforaminal approach vs interlaminar approach in treating lumbar disc herniation
Authors: Chen Wei , Zheng Yong , Liang Guiqing , Chen Guangfu , Hu Yabin
Published: October 2020

Background:

Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) has routinely performed in recent years for lumbar disc herniation because of the advances in technology of minimally invasive spine surgery. Two common operating routes for PELD have been introduced in the literature: transforaminal approach (TA) and interlaminar approach (IA). The purpose of our current retrospective clinical trial was to study whether the effect of IA-PELD is better than TA-PELD in the incidence of complications and clinical prognosis scores in the patients with L5-S1 lumbar disc herniation.

Methods:

Our present research was approved by the institutional review board in the Second Hospital of Nanjing. All the patients offered the informed consent. All the procedures containing human participants were conducted on the basis of the Helsinki Declaration. A retrospective analysis was implemented on 126 patients with L5-S1 disc herniated radiculopathy from March 2016 to March 2018, who were treated with the PELD utilizing the IA technique or the TA technique. Relevant data, such as the patients demographics, surgical duration, length of hospital stay, hospitalization expenses, complications were recorded. In our work, the outcomes of patients were determined at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after treatment. The measure of primary outcome was Oswestry Disability Index score. The other outcomes measured were Numeric Rating Scale pain scale, surgical duration, length of hospital stay, and complications. The software of SPSS Version 22.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY) was applied for the analysis of all the statistical data. When P value <.05, it was considered to be significant in statistics.

Results:

This protocol will provide a solid theoretical basis for exploring which PELD approach is better in treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

Trial registration:

This study protocol was registered in Research Registry (researchregistry5988).
Management of a “suspected ward” in a COVID-19 designated hospital in Wuhan
Authors: Kuang Meng , Zheng Lanrong , Li Chun , Sheng Liuqing , Qi Min , Deng Huiping , Jiang Chiqiu
Published: October 2020

During December 2019, an outbreak of unexplained pneumonia occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The disease was subsequently named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the causative virus as severe acute respiratory syndrome conronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Based on experience, it is vital to exclude or diagnose suspected patients as soon as possible to prevent disease spread. Our hospital is a COVID-19 designated hospital in Wuhan. During the epidemic period, there was a reconstruction of the medical facilities to accommodate patients with different disease status. We document the development of “suspected ward,” a ward that cared for patients with suspected COVID-19, in a large designated hospital during the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan City, China, and explain the suspected ward spatial layout, organization structure, diagnosis, and treatment flow chart of suspected cases. The key characteristics of our “suspected ward” is isolation, triage, fast diagnosis, and rapid referral. Our description of this suspected ward provides a reference for further improvements in the care of patients with suspected disease in emergency medical institutions.
Repeated balloon dilatation with long-term biliary drainage for treatment of benign biliary-enteric anastomosis strictures
Authors: Li Teng-Fei , Fu Pei-Ji , Han Xin-Wei , Ma Ji , Zhu Ming , Li Zhen , Ren Jian-Zhuang
Published: October 2020

Percutaneous balloon dilatation for benign biliary-enteric anastomosis stricture has been the most widely used alternative to endoscopic treatment. However, patency results from the precedent literature are inconsistent.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of repeated balloon dilatation with long-term biliary drainage for the treatment of benign biliary-enteric anastomosis strictures.

Data from patients with benign biliary-enteric anastomosis strictures who underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), repeated balloon dilatation with long-term biliary drainage (repeated-dilatation group; n = 23), or PTC and single balloon dilatation with long-term biliary drainage (single-dilatation group; n = 26) were reviewed. Postoperative complications, jaundice remission, and sustained anastomosis patency were compared between the groups.

All procedures were successful. No severe intraoperative complications, such as biliary bleeding and perforation, were observed. The jaundice remission rate in the first week was similar in the 2 groups. During the 26-month follow-up period, 3 patients in the repeated-dilatation group had recurrences (mean time to recurrence: 22.84 ± 0.67 months, range: 18–26 months). In the single-dilatation group, 15 patients had recurrences (mean time to recurrence = 15.28 ± 1.63 months, range: 3–18 months). The duration of patency after dilatation was significantly better in the repeated-dilatation group (P = .01). All patients with recurrence underwent repeat PTC followed by balloon dilatation and biliary drainage.

Repeated balloon dilatation and biliary drainage is an effective, minimally invasive, and safe procedure for treating benign biliary-enteric anastomosis strictures, and provides significantly higher patency rates than single dilatation.
Erythropoietin combined with traditional Chinese medicine for chemotherapy-induced anemias
Authors: Wang Long-Feng , Song Shu-Zheng , Huang Jin , Dou Chuan-Hui
Published: October 2020

Background:

As far as we know, several systematic review and meta-analysis have assessed the safety and efficacy of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in the patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA). But no study assesses the safety and efficacy of ESAs combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The aim of our study is to assess the efficacy and safety of ESAs combination with TCM for patients with CIA and will provide a higher level of evidence for clinical applications.

Methods:

This protocol adheres to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis protocol statement. The source of literature will be a structured search of the following 7 electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Wanfang Database. Records will be independently evaluated by 2 reviewers. Disagreements will be resolved through consensus or third-party adjudication. Review Manager 5.3 software (Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen Denmark) will be used to perform meta-analysis. For dichotomous variables, odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals will be obtained by the Mantel–Haenszel method. For continuous data, mean difference with 95% confidence intervals will be used. P < 0.05 will be considered to be statistically significant.

Results:

This study will be performed to test the efficacy and safety of ESAs combined with TCM for CIA in patients with cancer.

Conclusions:

The result of this study will be promoted mainly in 2 ways: publish in peer-reviewed journals in the fastest way; and promotion in domestic and foreign conferences.

INPLASY registration number:

INPLASY202080041.
Traditional Chinese medicine for restless legs syndrome
Authors: Liu Liting , Xie Rongfang , Wang Ruiqi , Huang Chunhua
Published: October 2020

Background:

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensory motor disorder. It mainly manifests as indescribable pain in the lower limbs at night or at rest, and the symptoms are reduced after activity or beating, which seriously affects the patients sleep. Nowadays, a large number of randomized controlled clinical studies have shown that Chinese medicine has the advantages of good curative effect and high safety in the treatment of RLS. However, due to the various treatment methods of Chinese medicine, its relative effectiveness and safety have not been verified. Therefore, this study will use a network meta-analysis method to verify the effectiveness and safety of different types of TCM therapies in the treatment of RLS.

Methods:

Computer retrieval was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, SinoMed, CNKI, WanFang-database, VIP. The retrieval period was until September 9, 2020, and all randomized controlled trials of TCM treatment of RLS were collected. To avoid omissions, we will manually search relevant references and conference papers. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we conduct quality assessment and risk assessment of all retrieved documents. Methodological quality assessment and risk of bias will be assessed using Cochrane bias risk tool. All data analysis will use Revman5.3, WinBUGS 1.4.3, and Stata14.2 software.

Results:

This study will directly or indirectly compare the effectiveness of different interventions on RLS outcome indicators, and rank the effectiveness. The main outcome indicators include total effective rate (total effective rate = rocovery + obvious effective + effective/total number of cases × 100%), International Restless Legs Syndrome Score Scale, secondary outcome indicators include visual analog scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality indicators and adverse events.

Conclusion:

Provide a basis for evidence-based medicine, and provide a basis for clinical researchers to choose more effective Chinese medicine treatment of RLS.
Guominjian for allergic rhinitis
Authors: Xiong Yimin , Li Haoran , Zhang Shu-Nan
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory disease of nasal mucosa caused by IgE mediated inflammatory mediators and various immune active cells and cytokines after exposure of specific individuals to allergens. In recent years, its prevalence rate has increased gradually. Therefore, we must pay attention to carry out early intervention. However, there are still some side effects in the current drug therapy of AR, and the recurrence of AR cannot be well controlled. Some Chinese herbs have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and have a better effect on the nasal symptoms of perennial and persistent rhinitis. The curative effect of allergic decoction on AR has been confirmed clinically. However, due to the lack of reliable evaluation means for its safety and effectiveness, it is necessary to carry out a systematic evaluation of allergic decoction in the treatment of AR, so as to lay a foundation for further research in the future.

Methods and analysis:

The following databases will be searched from their inception to August 2020: Electronic database includes PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Nature, Science online, Chinese Biomedical Database WanFang, VIP medicine information, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Primary outcomes: nasal symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, nasal itching, and nasal congestion) and ocular symptoms (eye itching, foreign body sensation, red eyes, tearing). It can be measured by any appropriate scales or other forms of tools, such as the Total Nasal Symptom Score. Data will be extracted by 2 researchers independently, risk of bias of the meta-analysis will be evaluated based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. All data analysis will be conducted by data statistics software Review Manager V.5.3. and Stata V.12.0.

Results:

The results of this study will systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Guominjian for patients with AR.

Conclusion:

Through the systematic review of this study, the evidence of the treatment of AR by Guominjian has been summarized so far, so as to provide guidance for further promoting the application of Guominjian in patients with AR.

Ethics and dissemination:

This study is a systematic review, the outcomes are based on the published evidence, so examination and agreement by the ethics committee are not required in this study. We intend to publish the study results in a journal or conference presentations.

Open Science Fra mework (OSF) registration number:

September 12, 2020.osf.io/24w8n.(https://osf.io/24w8n).
Prognostic role of high TET1 expression in patients with solid tumors
Authors: Ke Qiwei , Wang Kai , Fan Min , Li Mengchao , Luo Guanghua , Wang Daming
Published: October 2020

Background:

Recently, increased expression of TET1 has been shown to inhibit tumor development in many studies. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the prognostic role of TET1 in solid tumors.

Methods:

PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science (last updated on June 13, 2019) were searched and 16 eligible studies involving 3100 patients were eventually taken forward into the meta-analysis.

Results:

Pooled results indicated that higher TET1 expression in cancer tissues was associated with improved overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.736, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.542–0.998, P = .049]. In the subgroup analysis, higher TET1 expression in respiratory tumors (HR = 0.778, 95% CI = 0.639–0.946, P = .012) and breast cancer in Asian patients (HR = 0.326, 95% CI = 0.199–0.533, P < .001) were significantly associated with better OS. In addition, the association between high TET1 expression and prolonged OS was also statistically significant in the following subgroups; data source from samples (HR = 0.561, 95% CI = 0.384–0.819, P = .003), reported in text (HR = 0.539, 95% CI = 0.312–0.931, P = .027), TET1 protein (HR = 0.635, 95% CI = 0.409–0.984, P = .042), Asians (HR = 0.563, 95% CI = 0.376–0.844, P = .005).

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis displays that high expression levels of TET1 in tissues is significantly associated with better survival in patients with solid tumors. This finding can be used as evidence to the tone that TET1 may be a useful target for the treatment of patients with solid tumors in the future.
T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3 is associated with disease activity and progressive joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients
Authors: Matsumoto Haruki , Fujita Yuya , Asano Tomoyuki , Matsuoka Naoki , Temmoku Jumpei , Sato Shuzo , Yashiro-Furuya Makiko , Watanabe Hiroshi , Migita Kiyoshi
Published: October 2020

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3 (TIM-3) is a surface molecule expressed on immune cells which play a role in immune regulation. The aims of the present study were to determine whether circulating soluble T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin-3 (sTIM-3) are elevated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and investigate the relationships between sTIM-3 and clinical features of RA.

The study included 116 patients with established RA and 27 healthy control subjects. Serum levels of sTIM-3 were measured via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Correlations between serum sTIM-3 and a range of parameters including anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) titer, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) were assessed.

Serum sTIM-3 was significantly elevated in RA patients compared with those in healthy subjects, and it was positively correlated with ACPA titer (r = 0.27 P = .005), ESR (r = 0.27, P = .004) and MMP-3 (r = 0.35, P < .001). In RA patients with high ACPA titers (≥200 U/mL), sTIM-3 was not correlated with ESR or MMP-3. Whereas, sTIM-3 was significantly correlated with ESR and MMP-3 in RA patients with low ACPA titers (<200 U/mL).

Serum sTIM-3 was increased in RA patients, and it was associated with proinflammatory markers and disease activity in RA patients under a particular ACPA status. Our data suggest that circulating sTIM-3 may be a useful biomarker for the determination of disease activity in RA patients.
Higher risk of tuberculosis in combination therapy for inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Choi Seong Ji , Kim Min Sun , Kim Eun Sun , Lee Juneyoung , Lee Jae Min , Choi Hyuk Soon , Keum Bora , Jeen Yoon Tae , Lee Hong Sik , Chun Hoon Jai , Kim Chang Duck
Published: October 2020

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Asia has become increasingly prevalent. As a treatment of IBD, many immunomodulators and biological agents were introduced and shown to be effective in inducing and maintaining remission. However, many cases with treatment failure were reported. To overcome the failure, combination therapy of immunomodulatory and biologics have emerged, showing better outcomes by optimizing biologic pharmacokinetics and minimizing immunogenicity. Adversely, rates of tuberculosis (TB) have been increased as a result. The aim of this study is to compare the risk of TB according to the therapy using large population data.

We used data from the South Korean Health Insurance and Review Agency over the period 2008–2016 and calculated the hazard ratio (HR) for TB in IBD. We compared the risk of TB according to the medication: infliximab only, azathioprine only (AZA), combination of azathioprine and infliximab (CAI), azathioprine monotherapy and infliximab monotherapy (AIM), and azathioprine and infliximab whether simultaneously or separately (AISS).

In IBD patients, a total of 249 patients were identified as active TB. After one-to-one matching with age, sex and disease duration, the risks of TB were significantly higher in AZA group (HR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.35–3.12, P < .001), AIM group (HR, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.18–9.05, P = .02), AISS group (HR, 3.50; 95% CI, 1.92–6.37, P < .001), and CAI group (HR, 5.67; 95% CI, 2.42–10.21, P < .001), and the HR increased gradually in this order. In UC patients, the results were in similar pattern, but this pattern was not observed in CD patients in our study.

Our study shows that Korean IBD patients are at risk of TB, and the risk increases with usage of IBD medication; moreover, the risk is the highest if combination therapy is used. These results highlight the importance of screening for TB in IBD patients, especially in combination therapy.
Small but protective social capital against suicide ideation in poor communities
Authors: Choi Minjae , Ki Myung , Yip Paul S.F. , Park Jungyoun , Song Areum , Lee Weon Young , Paik Jong-Woo , Lim Jiseun
Published: October 2020

Coupled with the lowest level of social connectedness, South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. A possible link between community and suicide is social capital imprinted in social connectedness. This study explores whether social capital is protective against suicide ideation in relation to the poverty level of communities, and whether the associations are specific to certain elements of social capital.

A total of 908 participants were included to assess cross-sectional association of social capital at individual level with suicide ideation by comparing between poor (government-leased apartments) and non-poor communities (nongovernment-leased apartments). Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine various social capital dimensions in relation to suicide ideation.

Suicide ideation was far higher among those living in the poor communities (poor communities 12%; non poor communities 6.3%) and the level of social capital was lower in the poor communities. Nevertheless, the protective effect of social capital, in particular, the cognitive dimension against suicide ideation was demonstrated only in the poor communities (eg, odds ratio = 0.27, 95% confidence interval: 0.12–0.58 for trust in the poor communities). Low income was significantly associated with suicide ideation only in the poor communities, but depression and resilience were associated with suicide ideation both in the poor and non-poor communities.

To increase the reliability of the results, established measures based on relevant literature were utilized, but measures on bridging social capital and social network might have relatively low reliability.

As to protection against suicide ideation, the extent of reliance on social capital was higher in poor communities than in non-poor communities, in particular, the cognitive dimension was likely to activate in this regard.
Plastic wrap combined with alcohol wiping is an effective method of preventing bacterial colonization on mobile phones
Authors: Wu Yen-Hung , Chen Chao-Ju , Wu Hsiu-Yueh , Chen I , Chang Yi-Hsuan , Yang Pei-Hsuan , Wang Tzu-Yi , Chen Li-Chin , Liu Kuan-Ting , Yeh I-Jeng , Wu Deng-Chyang , Hou Ming-Feng , Liu Hsin-Liang , Su Wen-Hui
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Using mobile phones for communication in emergency departments is a common practice; however, several studies have demonstrated that they may act as vectors for bacteria and viruses. This study evaluated the effectiveness of plastic wrapping in decreasing bacterial contamination on mobile phone surfaces.

Method:

We used culture dishes and a luminometer to detect bacterial colonies and contamination on the phone surfaces.

Result:

Our experiment showed that bacterial colonies exist on mobile phones before and after work. We found that wiping with 75% alcohol sanitizers effectively reduces the number of colonies on either a mobile phone or a temporary plastic covering. In addition, we found that bacterial colonies do not contaminate or adhere to plastic wrap any easier than to mobile phones.

Conclusion:

These results demonstrated the effectiveness of plastic wrap for protecting mobile phone surfaces against bacterial colonization. In addition, applying a layer of plastic wrap protects the phone from potential damage due to the alcohol.
Intravenous analgesia with ultra-high-dose morphine for the treatment of headache and successful withdrawal of morphine
Authors: Zhang Xiaoling , Zhang Jialei , Du Yunyi , Wang Mei , Gao Yangjun , Zhou Lurong , Lu Jing , Zhao Jun
Published: October 2020

Rationale:

Pain is the fifth vital sign of human beings. Morphine is the first choice for relieving moderate to severe cancer pain. Most of the previous studies merely focused on the analgesic effect of high-dose or ultra-high-dose morphine in patients with advanced cancers but did not report any cases related to successful morphine withdrawal.

Patient concerns:

A 42-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital in March 2019.

Diagnosis:

She was diagnosed with progressive aggravation of headache for 1 month, which was meningeal metastasis of lung cancer.

Interventions:

Symptomatic treatments like dehydration, hormone, intrathecal injection chemotherapy and an increased dose of osimertinib to 160 mg/day were applied but showed poor curative effects. The patient refused whole-brain radiotherapy. Pain intensity level was re-evaluated and the patient scored 9 based on numerical rating scale, which suggested that the patient suffered from severer cancerous pain. Thus, the patient started to receive morphine for treating headache.

Outcomes:

The patient's headache was alleviated after receiving high-dose morphine treatment, and she continued to undergo anti-cancer treatment. After tumor remission, the patient's morphine dose gradually decreased and eventually stopped, without any withdrawal symptoms. In addition, the quality of life of the patient was greatly improved with performance status scored 2 and limb muscle strength increased from Grade 2 to Grade 5.

Lessons:

For patients with advanced cancers, the application of ultra-high-dose morphine may significantly relieve cancerous pain, improve survival and quality of life, and overcome their fear for death and desperation, which contributes to the establishment of a basis for subsequent anticancer treatments. Thus, timely effective pain management and routine anticancer treatments are the key to addressing the cancer pain problem.
Evaluation of competence training for the minimally trained health worker in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Gudlavalleti Anirudh Gaurang , Babu Giridhara R. , van Schayck Onno C.P. , Schaper Nicolaas C. , Lewis Melissa Glenda , Murthy G.V.S.
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is responsible for high mortality and morbidity globally and in India. India has high prevalence of the condition and the burden is set to increase exponentially in the next decade. Indians traditionally reside in rural or semi-urban areas with limited access to healthcare facilities. To overcome this, the government has introduced a cadre of health workers called Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) for such areas. These workers were initially trained to provide maternal & infant care but now need improved competence training to improve type 2 diabetes screening & management in these locations. The objective of the study is to assess the competence training provided to ASHA workers at the chosen study sites.

Methodology:

A cluster randomized control trial has been designed. It will be conducted across 8 centers in Hyderabad & Rangareddy districts of Telangana, India. The training will be provided to ASHA workers. The tool used for training will be developed from existing sources with an emphasis on topics which require training. The training will be delivered across 6 months at each center as a classroom training. Each participant's baseline competence will be recorded using a questionnaire tool and a practical evaluation by trained public health experts. The same experts will use the same tools to assess the training post the intervention.

Discussion:

This trial will evaluate the use of health worker training as a tool for improving the clinical competence in relation to type 2 diabetes mellitus. We anticipate that the module will provide a greater understanding of type 2 diabetes mellitus, the importance of screening of both disease and complications and improved skills for the same. The study has received the ethical approval form the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Indian Institute of Public Health Hyderabad. The registration number is: IIPHH/TRCIEC/218/2020. The trial has also been registered under the Clinical trial registry of India (CTRI) on 27thJuly 2020. The registration number of the trial is: CTRI/2020/07/026828. The URL of the registry trial is: http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/showallp.php?mid1=45342&EncHid=&userName=CTRI/2020/07/026828.
Continuous epileptic negative myoclonus as the first seizure type in atypical benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes
Authors: Yang Li , Su Quanping , Xu Na , Xu Liyun , Zhao Juan , Fan Chao , Li Yufen , Li Baomin
Published: October 2020

To figure out which diagnosis is more suitable and which antiepileptic drugs are more sensitive to epileptic negative myoclonus (ENM) as the first seizure type in atypical benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.

We reviewed the electroencephalogram (EEG) database of Linyi People's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University and medical records of patients with ENM onset. The characteristics of epileptic seizures, onset age, treatment process, growth and development history, past disease history, family history, degree of mental deterioration, cranial imaging, and video-EEG were studied retrospectively and followed up.

There were 4 cases with ENM onset and 1 with continuous ENM, 3 males and 1 female. The onset age was from 2 years 3 months to 8 years 7 months. The cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and developmental quotient, as well as the family, personal, and past disease history, were normal. Frequent falls and drops were the main clinical manifestations. Five months after the onset of ENM, case 1 had focal seizures in sleep. ENM was the first and only manifestation in all the other 3 children. Discharges of interictal EEG were in bilateral rolandic areas, especially in midline areas (Cz, Pz), electrical status epilepticus in sleep was found in 3 cases. One child was sensitive to levetiracetam, the other 3 were sensitive to clonazepam.

ENM can affect the upper or lower extremities. ENM as the first or only symptom was a special phenomenon in benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) variants. Ignorance of midline spikes mainly in Cz or Pz in BECTS might lead to missed diagnosis of ENM. Whether benzodiazepines are viable as a choice of BECTS variants with electrical status epilepticus in sleep when ENM is the first symptom still needs a large sample evidence-based observation.
Relationship of alignment in the lower extremity with early degeneration of articular cartilage after resection of the medial meniscus
Authors: Nakagawa Shuji , Arai Yuji , Inoue Hiroaki , Fujii Yuta , Kaihara Kenta , Mikami Yasuo
Published: October 2020

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cartilage degeneration early after partial medial meniscectomy and abnormal alignment in the lower extremity.

The subjects were 34 patients (37 knees) with medial meniscal tear who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. MRI was performed before and 6 months after surgery. T2 mapping images in sagittal sections of medial femoral condyle were produced and 10 regions of interest were set at intervals of 10° in the articular cartilage in the femur. Subjects with an increase in T2 of ≥6% at a flexion angle of 30° were assigned to the degeneration group. Patient background, hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle, and total resection of meniscal segments were compared between this group and the other patients to identify factors involved in degeneration of articular cartilage.

T2 values 6 months after surgery in 3 ROIs at flexion angles of 30° to 50° were significantly longer than those before surgery. The preoperative HKA angle was significantly higher in the degeneration group. T2 values in articular cartilage of the femoral condyle increased earlier after meniscectomy with abnormal alignment in the lower extremity.

Meniscectomy in cases with abnormal alignment may have a risk of early onset of osteoarthritis.

Level of evidence: Level IV
Chinese herbal medicines for the treatment of cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Xiao Siyao , Yu Yang , Xiong Yimin , Sun Fang , Liu Xiaoyu , Yan Jiaxin , Zhang Shunan
Published: October 2020

Background:

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive disease with unknown etiology and hidden onset, which causes major health problems worldwide. Cough is a typical manifestation of IPF, which is usually characterized by cough without phlegm, and seriously affects the quality of life (QOL) of patients. At present, the treatment of IPF is mainly focused on prolonging survival time and improving lung function, such as pirfenidone, nintedanib, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), but lack of effective measures to improve the QOL. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) is widely used in the clinical treatment of IPF. The adjuvant treatment of CHMs can effectively reduce the clinical symptoms of patients. Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate the role of CHMs in the treatment of cough in IPF.

Method:

This systematic review and meta-analysis will extract all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to the treatment of IPF from the following electronic database without date or language restrictions: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, CNKI, VIP, CBM, and Wanfang database. The primary outcomes will be cough frequency and QOL, while secondary outcomes will include safety events. The methodologic quality of RCTs will be assessed using the Cochrane risk assessment tool. The I2 test will be used to identify the extent of heterogeneity, and funnel plot analysis will be used to test the publication deviation (the number of studies included >10). We will use RevMan5.3 software for data synthesis and analysis.

Result:

This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of CHMs in combination therapy on cough frequency, the quality of life, adverse reactions and safety incidents in patients with IPF.

Conclusion:

This study protocol will be used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CHMs in combination with conventional therapy in treatment of cough in IPF.

OSF Registration DOI:

10.17605/OSF.IO/JKQYV.
Ju Re Ba Du therapy for Postherpetic neuralgia
Authors: Huang Shijie , Pan Zhengqi , Li Zimeng , Zhu Xinyun , Ma Tingting , Wu Jie
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of the most common types of chronic neuropathic pain, which seriously affects quality of the life because of pain severity and poor response to the currently available treatments. Ju Re Ba Du therapy as a form of acupuncture therapy which is proved to be effective in RCTs and very suitable for patients, has been used in Postherpetic neuralgia in patients for a long time, therefore a systematic review is necessary to provide available evidence for further study.

Methods and analysis:

The following databases will be searched from their inception to October 2020: Electronic database includes PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Nature, Science online, VIP medicine information, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure). Primary outcome: pain intensity assessed on a visual analogue scale (VAS); Additional outcomes:

Data will be extracted by two researchers independently, risk of bias of the meta-analysis will be evaluated based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. All data analysis will be conducted by data statistics software Review Manager V.5.3. and Stata V.12.0.

Results:

The results of this study will systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Ju Re Ba Du therapy intervention for people with Postherpetic neuralgia.

Conclusion:

The systematic review of this study will summarize the current published evidence of Ju Re Ba Du therapy for the treatment of Postherpetic neuralgia, which can further guide the promotion and application of it.

Ethics and dissemination:

This study is a systematic review, the outcomes are based on the published evidence, so examination and agreement by the ethics committee are not required in this study. We intend to publish the study results in a journal or conference presentations.

OSF registration number:

September 29, 2020 osf.io/r6y9b. (https://osf.io/r6y9b)