bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Play Sports for a Quieter Brain: Evidence From Division I Collegiate Athletes
Authors: Krizman Jennifer , Lindley Tory , Bonacina Silvia , Colegrove Danielle , White-Schwoch Travis , Kraus Nina
Published: December 2019

Background:

Playing sports has many benefits, including boosting physical, cardiovascular, and mental fitness. We tested whether athletic benefits extend to sensory processing—specifically auditory processing—as measured by the frequency-following response (FFR), a scalp-recorded electrophysiological potential that captures neural activity predominately from the auditory midbrain to complex sounds.

Hypothesis:

Given that FFR amplitude is sensitive to experience, with enrichment enhancing FFRs and injury reducing them, we hypothesized that playing sports is a form of enrichment that results in greater FFR amplitude.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Methods:

We measured FFRs to the speech syllable “da” in 495 student-athletes across 19 Division I teams and 493 age- and sex-matched controls and compared them on 3 measures of FFR amplitude: amplitude of the response, amplitude of the background noise, and the ratio of these 2 measures.

Results:

Athletes have larger responses to sound than nonathletes, driven by a reduction in their level of background neural noise.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that playing sports increases the gain of an auditory signal by turning down the background noise. This mode of enhancement may be tied to the overall fitness level of athletes and/or the heightened need of an athlete to engage with and respond to auditory stimuli during competition.

Clinical Relevance:

These results motivate athletics overall and engagement in athletic interventions for populations that struggle with sensory processing, such as individuals with language disorders. Also, because head injuries can disrupt these same auditory processes, it is important to consider how auditory processing enhancements may offset injury.
Determining the perception of a lung cancer screening programme among high-risk patients in a tertiary referral centre, Kuala Lumpur
Authors: Kok Wei Hao , Ban Yu-Lin Andrea , Azhar Shah Shamsul , Abdul Hamid Faisal
Published: December 2019

Background:

Lung cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death and the third most common cancer in Malaysia. The rising prevalence of lung cancer suggests the need to consider disease screening for early detection, especially in the high-risk population, as it offers the best chance of cure.

Objectives:

The study aims to determine the willingness of high-risk respondents to participate in a lung cancer screening programme if made available to them, and to determine their attitude towards lung cancer screening and explore factors that might affect participation in a screening programme.

Method:

This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study over 6 months conducted in adult patients attending medical clinics in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) using face-to-face administered questionnaires.

Results:

In total 180 respondents were analysed. There were 177 (98.3%) males. Mean age was 59.8 ± 9.1 years. Of the respondents, 138 (76.7%) had poor knowledge about cancer screening. Former smokers comprised 119 (66.1%) of the participants, and 61 (33.9%) were current smokers. In total, 141 (78.3%) respondents indicated willingness to participate in a lung cancer screening programme. Out of this group, 68 (48.2%) respondents were unwilling to pay for the procedure. Only 18 (12.8%) were unwilling to undergo lung cancer treatment if detected early.

Conclusions:

Awareness about general cancer screening is low. Our study showed that when informed of their high-risk status, respondents were willing to participate in lung cancer screening. There should be more health programmes to promote and raise awareness about lung cancer.
Is multiple sclerosis progression associated with the HLA-DR15 haplotype?
Authors: Stürner Klarissa Hanja , Siembab Inessa , Schön Gerhard , Stellmann Jan-Patrick , Heidari Nika , Fehse Boris , Heesen Christoph , Eiermann Thomas H , Martin Roland , Binder Thomas MC
Published: December 2019

Background

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis is associated with the major histocompatibility complex class II DR15 haplotype HLA-DRB1*15:01∼HLA-DRB5*01:01.

Objective

To assess whether multiple sclerosis progression is associated with the main susceptibility haplotype HLA-DRB1*15:01∼HLA-DRB5*01:01.

Methods

Patients ( n = 1230) and healthy controls ( n = 2110) were genotyped for HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DRB5. The baseline Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was determined and patients were followed for at least 3 years.

Results

After follow-up of the consecutive cohort 349 patients were classified as having clinical isolated syndrome and 881 patients as having multiple sclerosis. The susceptibility allele HLA-DRB1*15:01 was more frequent in clinical isolated syndrome (odds ratio 1.56) and multiple sclerosis (odds ratio 3.17) compared to controls. HLA- DRB1*15:01 was the only enriched HLA-DRB1 allele in multiple sclerosis patients. Comparison of clinical characteristics between HLA-DRB1*15:01∼HLA-DRB5*01:01 negative and positive patients with multiple sclerosis showed that baseline EDSS score, disease duration and frequency of the category secondary progressive multiple sclerosis with relapse were increased in the HLA-DRB1*15:01∼HLA-DRB5*01:01 positive group.

Conclusion

The study confirmed HLA-DRB1*15:01 and HLA-DRB5*01:01 as the main susceptibility alleles and showed weak indirect evidence for a role in progression of the disease.
No Bull: A Case of Alpha-Gal Syndrome Associated With Buffalo Meat Sensitivity
Authors: Rowane Marija , Valencia Reimus , Stewart-Bates Benjamin , Casselman Jason , Hostoffer Robert
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Alpha (⍺)-gal syndrome (AGS) is an immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody response against the glycoprotein carbohydrate galactose-⍺-1,3-galactose-β-1-(3)4-N-acetylglucosamine-R (Gal⍺-1,3Galβ1-(3)4GlcNAc-R or ⍺-gal) that is present in Ixodida (tick) saliva and noncatarrhine mammals as well as cetuximab, antivenom, and the zoster vaccine. The most frequently observed anaphylactic reactions in AGS are observed after beef, pork, lamb, and deer meat consumption. We present the first case of anaphylaxis to buffalo meat.

Case Report

A 55-year-old man presented with a history of recurrent urticaria that only developed approximately 7 hours after buffalo consumption. The patient denied history of Ixodidae bites but admitted to frequent hiking outdoors. Anti-⍺-1,3-gal IgE was positive (30.80 kU/L). The patient was advised to strictly avoid red meat.

Discussion

The prevalence of AGS has been increased in all continents in the past decade, and several Ixodidae species have been associated with this hypersensitivity. The list of IgE-mediated reactions to various types of meat has expanded to kangaroo, whale, seal, and crocodile, although these have not been associated with AGS. van Nunen only cautioned against consumption of exotic meats, such as buffalo, but no published case report describes AGS associated with anaphylaxis to this type of meat.

Conclusion

AGS is a mammalian meat allergy that has been increasingly prevalent worldwide, especially in Ixodidae endemic regions of Australia and the United States. Multiple AGS case reports published in the past decade demonstrate rapidly increasing understanding of underlying mechanisms provoking ongoing sensitization to help devise management strategies and dietary information. We offer the first case report of delayed anaphylaxis to buffalo meat.
Evidence for Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease (PsAID12) as Core Instrument to Measure Health-Related Quality of Life in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties
Authors: Holland Richard , Højgaard Pil , Tillett William , Gossec Laure , de Wit Maarten , Christensen Robin , McHugh Neil , Gladman Dafna D. , Mease Philip , FitzGerald Oliver , Shea Beverly , Tugwell Peter , Beaton Dorcas , Orbai Ana-Maria ,   GRAPPA-OMERACT PsA Working Group
Published: December 2019

Objective:

To evaluate and update the evidence for the measurement properties of the Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease (PsAID12) questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods:

The PsAID12 psychometric evidence was gathered in a systematic literature review in PsA (registration number: CRD42016032546). The study quality was appraised using the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments–Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (COSMIN-OMERACT) good methods check-list. Content validity, test–retest reliability, construct validity, longitudinal construct validity, discrimination, and thresholds of meaning were appraised. Additional analyses for construct validity, responsiveness, and sensitivity to change were conducted in available observational data sets after prespecified hypotheses were formulated.

Results:

Eight publications (129-474 patients) were analyzed. The PsAID12 fulfilled OMERACT criteria for content validity (patients and physicians endorsed content match with PsA HRQoL domain), feasibility (endorsed by patients and physicians), and test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.91-0.95). A priori construct validity hypotheses were mostly met: Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease had high correlation with generic ( r = 0.76-0.87) and PsA-specific HRQol measures (0.8), and with measures of physical function (0.66-0.72), work productivity (0.69-0.75), pain (0.83), and fatigue (0.84). Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease had moderate-high correlation with measures of patient global (0.49-0.84) and dermatologic HRQoL (0.36-0.53). Correlations were higher with generic HRQoL measured by short form-36 physical component score (0.47-0.73) versus short form-36 mental component score (0.22-0.60). Three studies confirmed known group validity of PsAID12 according to PsA disease activity. Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease discriminated between change groups in 2 longitudinal studies (standardized response mean: 0.74-0.91, 53 and 105 patients). The minimal clinically important improvement was 3 and 1.4 points.

Conclusion:

Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease had evidence for good content and construct validity, reliability, and longitudinal construct validity and is ready to evaluate in clinical trials.
Maternal adverse childhood experiences, current cumulative risk, and behavioral dysregulation among child welfare involved children
Authors: Greenfield Brett , Williams-Butler Abigail , Fay Kathleen Pirozzolo , Duron Jacquelynn F. , Bosk Emily Adlin , Stepleton Kate , Mackenzie Michael J.
Published: December 2019

The intergenerational influence of adverse childhood experiences on individual outcomes demonstrates a need for research that considers both personal and environmental contributors to risk. As such, the current study explored how maternal cumulative risks influence the relationship between maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their children’s behavioral dysregulation among families involved with the child welfare system ( N = 314). The importance of child age is also considered. The sample was stratified by age groups of children (1.5–5 years and 6–18 years), and the relationship between maternal ACEs, cumulative risk, and child behavior was assessed using OLS regressions. For younger children, maternal ACEs were only associated with externalizing behaviors when not controlling for cumulative risk, but cumulative risks were independently and significantly associated with both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. For older children, ACEs were independently associated with both types of behavior, but controlling for cumulative risk attenuated the strength of this relationship. Cumulative risks were also independently associated with older children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Findings suggest the need to consider both individual and environmental risks for parents and children involved in the child welfare system, and the developmental timing and stability of that risk, in order to adequately support parent-child relationships as well as caregiving environments.
Assessment of mental health problems in children following early maltreatment: What will the new diagnosis of complex PTSD add?
Authors: DeJong Margaret , Wilkinson Simon
Published: December 2019

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a new diagnosis which has been developed for the forthcoming International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision criteria. This is in recognition of the impact of repeated, interpersonal trauma and an emerging evidence base supporting a distinction between PTSD and CPTSD, with its disturbances in self-organization in addition to the core features of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hypervigilance. The new diagnosis is discussed in the context of assessing children who have experienced maltreatment, many of whom will have affect dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, and negative thoughts about themselves. However, not all maltreated children will have the core features of PTSD, and they may be affected in various other ways, which are discussed in the experience of a specialist clinic taking referrals for children who have been abused or neglected. The assessments recognize that maltreated children are typically exposed to multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. Traumatic symptoms are seen an adaptation to chronic threat, and close attention is also paid to systemic factors such as family relationships. Young children with PTSD will require developmentally sensitive assessment. Maltreated children are at high risk of mental health and neurodevelopmental problems but may present with symptoms in various domains which cumulatively are very impairing without always meeting diagnostic thresholds. Children may frequently be referred with possible autistic traits or symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which need to be assessed in the light of their traumatic backgrounds. Assessing the role attachment in the development of children who have been abused or neglected is also considered.
LokSuvidha, Converting Non-customers to Customers: The Saga of Organizational Growth Through Technology
Authors: Bhattacharyya Som Sekhar
Published: December 2019

Emerging economies like India has been characterized with a substantial ‘bottom of the pyramid’ (BOP) population. BOP has also been one of the most promising market segments for business growth. Firms serving specifically the BOP customer segment was thus engaged in serving a social cause as well because BOP consumers (a weaker segment of society) got benefited because of their consumption of products or services offered by the business firm. In India, a large section of BOP customers who were economically progressing and becoming the new middle class used two-wheeler automobile to commute for personal as well as business needs. Two-wheeler automobile was lifeline for millions of rural and urban Indians. Two-wheelers were used for both consumptions as well as asset building purposes by Indian consumers. Affordability of two-wheeler had been a big challenge for this section of society. Borrowing from Indian credit institutions has been a very potent method towards owning two-wheelers for this segment. There was a section of BOP customers who were beyond the umbrella of the traditional Indian banking and financial sector. Since the decade of mid-2010s, the Government of India had been working hard to include this part of society into the banking system and had floated multiple social schemes to achieve banking inclusion. LokSuvidha, an Indian financial services start-up was founded by Mr Nimish Laddhad and Mr Kamlesh Laddhad. LokSuvidha developed an unique business model for providing credit to this part of society. LokSuvidha had also deployed cutting-edge technology solutions to build a scalable, profitable working model. However, the founders of LokSuvidha were in a dilemma regarding whether to expand LokSuvidha further in scale or scope or to concentrate only in the extant market base of its operations. This decision was paramount for the founders to be answered to shape the future of LokSuvidha in terms of both market reach and organizational span.
Restorative Justice: A Contrivance of Compensatory Jurisprudence for the Victims of Rape in India
Authors: Amani S. Z. , Dewani Nisha Dhanraj
Published: December 2019

Victims in rape cases are invariably the forgotten part in India’s criminal adversarial system. While the accused, more often than not, is protected with all the resources available at the expenditure of the State, the victim is left to fend for herself with little or no support from the State machinery. She is merely transformed to a witness to watch the entire play being organized by the accused and the State as the protagonists. The violations of victim’s rights, the invasion of her dignity, the actual losses incurred to her do not constitute matter of concern of any one. India, at present, is faced with the situations where respect for criminal law has reduced to minimum; one of the crucial reasons being the hapless condition of the victims. Perhaps, the most dismal condition is witnessed in the rape case. The present article seeks to highlight the plight of victims in Indian Criminal Justice System with special reference to victims of rape and also highlights the attempts of the judiciary to fill all the gaps through restorative justice to repair the harm caused by criminals.
Victims, the Forgotten Party in the Criminal Justices System: The Perception and Experiences of Crime Victims in Kumasi Metropolis in Ghana
Authors: Ofori-Dua Kwadwo , Onzaberigu Nachinaab John , Nimako Richard Kofi
Published: December 2019

Crime victims are an integral part of the criminal justice system. There has been recurrent consensus of opinion that without crime victims there can be no effective prosecution. Nevertheless, most studies have been crime-offender-centred. This research explored the experiences of the crime victim in the criminal justice system. Methodologically, this study employed a qualitative technique, face-to-face interviews to collect data. Purposive, snowball, expert sampling techniques were used to select respondents. The study revealed that although most crime victims were satisfied at the reporting stage, they were dissatisfied getting to the end of the criminal justice system process. Victims of offences as robbery and defrauding wanted their monies back after the imprisonment of offender whilst victims of violent crimes like rape, assault and murder want compensation to foot medical bills and other losses they incurred. Victims generally perceive that prosecution and conviction given to perpetrators were not deterring enough. The findings showed that crime victims felt re-victimised by CJS officials; especially because they were not treated with human dignity and the victims had many interesting conceptions of ‘being treated with dignity’ and ‘not being treated with dignity. The study concluded that the CJS should administer justice expeditiously and should be more inclusive.
What’s new in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Branch D. Ware
Published: December 2019

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease, the obstetric features of which include recurrent early miscarriage, fetal death at or beyond 10 weeks of gestation, and early delivery for severe preeclampsia or placental insufficiency. Controversies regarding the specificity of these obstetric clinical features, as well as the laboratory diagnostic criteria, are the subject of current debate and reanalysis. Clinical and laboratory features can be used to stratify women with APS in terms of risk of adverse second and third trimester pregnancy outcomes. Numerous “treatments” have been used in high-risk and refractory patients, but rigorously designed clinical trials are needed. APS is a rare disease that requires innovative investigative approaches to provide credible results.
CAR T-cell therapy: is it prime time in myeloma?
Authors: Sidana Surbhi , Shah Nina
Published: December 2019

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have shown promising activity in hematological malignancies and are being studied for the treatment of multiple myeloma, as well. B-cell maturation antigen, which is widely and almost exclusively expressed on plasma cells and B cells, is a promising target. Other targets being evaluated include CD19, CD38, CD138, signaling lymphocyte activation molecule or CS1, light chain, GPRC5D, and NKG2D. Early clinical studies have shown promising response rates in heavily pretreated patients, but relapses have occurred. Cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity have been observed in the majority of patients but are mostly grades 1 and 2. Relapse may be mediated by antigen escape and the limited persistence of CAR T cells. CAR T-cell constructs that target multiple antigens/epitopes or constructs with longer persistence due to a higher proportion of memory phenotype T cells may decrease the rates of relapse. Allogeneic CAR T cells that offer “off-the-shelf” options are also being developed. The challenges in integrating CAR T cells in myeloma therapy include disease relapse, adverse effects, cost, and identifying the right patient population. Longer-term data on efficacy and toxicity are needed before CAR T cells are ready for prime time in myeloma.
Alterations of individual thalamic nuclei volumes in patients with migraine
Authors: Shin Kyong Jin , Lee Ho-Joon , Park Kang Min
Published: December 2019

Background

The aim of this study is to investigate the alterations of thalamic nuclei volumes and the intrinsic thalamic network in patients with migraine.

Methods

We enrolled 35 patients with migraine without aura and 40 healthy controls. All subjects underwent three-dimensional T1-weighted imaging. The thalamic nuclei were segmented using the FreeSurfer program. We investigated volume changes of individual thalamic nuclei and analyzed the alterations of the intrinsic thalamic network based on volumes in the patients with migraine.

Results

Right and left thalamic volumes as a whole were not different between the patients with migraine and healthy controls. However, we found that right anteroventral and right and left medial geniculate nuclei volumes were significantly increased (0.00985% vs. 0.00864%, p = 0.0002; 0.00929% vs. 0.00823%, p = 0.0005; 0.00939% vs. 0.00769%, p < 0.0001; respectively) whereas right and left parafascicular nuclei volumes were decreased in the patients with migraine (0.00359% vs. 0.00435%, p < 0.0001; 0.00360% vs. 0.00438%, p < 0.0001; respectively) compared with healthy controls. The network measures of the intrinsic thalamic network were not different between the groups.

Conclusions

We found significant alterations of thalamic nuclei volumes in patients with migraine compared with healthy controls. These findings might contribute to the underlying pathogenesis of the migraine.

Trial registration

None.
Effect of Machining-Induced Subsurface Defects on Dislocation Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Materials via Nano-indentation
Authors: Wang Quanlong , Wu Meiping , Zhang Chaofeng , Lv Yanming , Ji Xiaogang
Published: December 2019

Subsurface defects have a significant impact on the precision and performance of nano-structures. In this paper, molecular dynamics simulation of nano-indentation is performed to investigate the effect of machining-induced subsurface defects on dislocation evolution and mechanical properties of materials, in which the specimen model with subsurface defects is constructed by nano-cutting conforming to reality. The formation mechanism of subsurface defects and the interaction mechanism between machine-induced defects and dislocation evolution are discussed. The hardness and Young’s elastic modulus of single crystal copper specimens are calculated. The simulation results indicate that there exist stable defect structure residues in the subsurface of workpiece, such as atomic clusters, stacking fault tetrahedral, and stair-rod dislocations. Secondary processing of nano-indentation can restore internal defects of the workpiece, but the subsurface damage in the secondary processing area is aggravated. The nano-indentation hardness of specimens increases with the introduction of subsurface defects, which results in the formation of work-hardening effect. The existence of subsurface defects can weaken the ability of material to resist elastic deformation, in which the mutual evolution between dislocations and subsurface defects plays an important role.
Relationships between risk of causing a motorway crash in Austria and attributes of drivers
Authors: Berger Wolfgang J. , Hössinger Reinhard
Published: December 2019

Objective

The emphasis of the study presented in this paper was to identify the attributes of drivers who are prone to cause a motorway crash. It was induced byambitions to enhance the effectiveness of traffic safety campaigns by identifying subgroups of drivers more precisely.

Method

For this purpose we conducted an accident data analysis of all injury crashes 2012–2014 on Austrian motorways. Since 2012 it is possible for the police to label the “mainly responsible person” for the crash in the Austrian electronic accident recording system. It turned out that the quality of the data had some limitations, which required considerable pre-processing. The analysis by comparing the proportions of “mainly responsible” and “not responsible” drivers was done using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. The binary characteristic, if a person was, according to the police, mainly responsible for the crash served as response variable. It was regressed on various personal and vehicle characteristics in order to identify their influence on the probability of causing a crash.

Results/Conclusions

The results yield apparent tendencies, some of which support well-known pattern, e.g., the disproportionally high risk of motorcyclists and - to a lesser extent - young and elderly car drivers to cause an accident. Other results were less expected, e.g., the higher risk of foreign car drivers (compared to Austrian drivers) as well as drivers of light trucks, whereas drivers of heavy trucks revealed a below-average risk of causing a crash. The differences between male and female car drivers were small from young to middle age and fully disappeared in the high age group. There is some evidence that the frequency and experience of driving on a motorway have more influence on the risk of causing a crash than the driver’s gender. From this we conclude that motorway safety campaigns should on the one hand focus on the abovementioned groups of high risk drivers and on the other hand, in terms of car drivers, equally address both male and female drivers.
An analysis of mutational signatures of synonymous mutations across 15 cancer types
Authors: Bin Yannan , Wang Xiaojuan , Zhao Le , Wen Pengbo , Xia Junfeng
Published: December 2019

Background

Synonymous mutations have been identified to play important roles in cancer development, although they do not modify the protein sequences. However, relatively little research has specifically delineated the functionality of synonymous mutations in cancer.

Results

We investigated the nucleotide-based and amino acid-based features of synonymous mutations across 15 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and revealed novel driver candidates by identifying hotspot mutations. Firstly, synonymous mutations were analyzed between TCGA and 1000 Genomes Project at nucleotide and amino acid levels. We found that C:G → T:A transitions were the most frequent single-base substitutions, and leucine underwent the largest number of synonymous mutations in TCGA due to prevalent C → T transition, which induced the transformation between optimal and non-optimal codons. Next, 97 synonymous hotspot mutations in 86 genes were nominated as candidate drivers with potential cancer risk by considering the mutational rates across different sequence contexts. We observed that non-CpG-island GC transition sequence context was positively selected across most of cancer types, and different sequence contexts under which hotspot mutations occur could be significance for genetic differences and functional features. We also found that the hotspots were more conserved than neutral mutations of hotspot-mutation-containing-genes and frequently happened at leucine. In addition, we mapped hotspots, neutral and non-hotspot mutations of hotspot-mutation-containing-genes to their respective protein domains and found ion transport domain was the most frequent one, which could mediate the cell interaction and had relevant implication for tumor therapy. And the signatures of synonymous hotspots were qualitatively similar with those of harmful missense variants.

Conclusions

We illustrated the preferences of cancer associated synonymous mutations, especially hotspots, and laid the groundwork for understanding the synonymous mutations act as drivers in cancer.
TORCH screening used appropriately in China?─three years results from a teaching hospital in northwest China
Authors: Wang Lin-Chuan , Yan Fang , Ruan Jing-Xiong , Xiao Yao , Yu Yan
Published: December 2019

Objectives

TORCH infections caused by Toxoplasma gondii (TOX), rubella virus (RV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus 1,2 (HSV-1,2) are associated with congenital anomalies. The study aimed to analyze the characteristics of TORCH screening in reproductive age women.

Methods

A total of 18,104 women (2015–2017) from a teaching hospital in Xi’an, China, were enrolled in the study. The characteristics of TORCH screening, i.e., the application of TORCH test, the seroprevalence, the impact of age, periods of gestation and woman with bad obstetric history (BOH) on the serological data were investigated.

Results

In the study, 319 women (1.76%) performed dynamic TORCH test. 51.66, 20.44 and 3.83% of the population did the test in the pre-gestation period, the first and third trimester, respectively. Quite a few pre-gestation women (29.74%) ignored screening of IgG antibodies. The overall IgG/IgM seropositvity of TOX, RV, CMV, HSV-1 and HSV-2 was 4.35%/0.35, 90%/0.63, 96.79%/0.97, 81.11%/0.14 and 6.1%/0.19%, respectively. The age-specific distributions and periods of gestation had no significant effect on the seroprevalence of TORCH agents, p>0.05. However, BOH was significantly associated with higher seropositvity of IgM (RV, CMV, HSV-1 and HSV-2) and IgG (CMV and HSV-1) antibodies, p < 0.05.

Conclusion

In Xi’an region, more attentions should be paid to TOX, CMV, HSV-2 and the women with BOH for TORCH screening. Meanwhile, a greater emphasis needs to be placed on TORCH test used inappropriately in China.
Association of hormone replacement therapy with mortality in colorectal cancer survivor: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jang Yeu-Chai , Huang Hsi-Lan , Leung Chi Yan
Published: December 2019

Background

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use has shown to be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, however, its impact on survival among women with colorectal cancer remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to systematically assess the survival benefit of HRT use in patients with colorectal cancer.

Methods

PRISMA guidelines for the reporting of meta-analyses were followed. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Scopus, and PsycINFO from inception to 12 January 2019, with no language restrictions, for randomized controlled trials and cohort studies reporting the association between hormone replacement therapy and risk of colorectal cancer mortality or all-cause mortality in colorectal cancer survivors. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. We summarized the association as hazard ratio (HR; 95% CI) using random-effects meta-analysis. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017071914).

Results

Of 1648 articles identified, five cohorts including 10,013 colorectal cancer survivors were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with women with no prior use of HRT, those reporting current use of HRT had lower risks of colorectal cancer-specific mortality (HR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.62–0.80], I2 = 0%) and overall mortality (HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.67–0.81], I2 = 0%). Low between-study variance was also suggested by the narrow prediction interval for colorectal cancer-specific mortality (0.58–0.86) and overall mortality (0.63–0.87), which indicated that a future study will show survival benefits in women with current HRT use compared with those with no HRT exposure. Inverse associations with colorectal cancer-specific (HR, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.82–1.28], I2 = 0%) and overall mortality (HR, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.90–1.27], I2 = 0%) were not observed for former users of HRT. Sensitivity analyses revealed no differences in the risk estimates between two groups.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that the current use of HRT is associated with lower risks of colorectal cancer-specific and overall mortality in patients with colorectal cancer. Further investigations to elucidate the underlying mechanism are warranted.
Does high-grade dysplasia/carcinoma in situ of the biliary duct margin affect the prognosis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma? A meta-analysis
Authors: Ke Qiao , Wang Bin , Lin Nanping , Wang Lei , Liu Jingfeng
Published: December 2019

Background

High-grade dysplasia/carcinoma in situ (HGD/CIS) of the biliary duct margin was found to not affect the prognosis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma by recent studies, but it has not yet reached a conclusion.

Methods

Eligible studies were searched by PubMed, PMC, MedLine, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, from Jan. 1, 2000 to Jun. 30, 2019, investigating the influences of surgical margin status of biliary duct on the prognosis of patients with resectable extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Overall survival (OS) and local recurrence were evaluated by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

A total of 11 studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis, including 1734 patients in the R0 group, 194 patients in the HGD/CIS group, and 229 patients in the invasive carcinoma (INV) group. The pooled OR for the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rate between HGD/CIS group and R0 group was 0.98 (95% CI 0.65~1.50), 1.01 (95% CI 0.73~1.41), and 0.98 (95% CI 0.72~1.34), respectively. The pooled OR for the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rate between HGD/CIS group and INV group was 1.83 (95% CI 1.09~3.06), 4.52 (95% CI 2.20~9.26), and 3.74 (95% CI 2.34~5.96), respectively. Subgroup analysis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma at early stage showed that the pooled OR for the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rate between HGD/CIS group and R0 group was 0.54 (95% CI 0.21~1.36), 0.75 (95% CI 0.35~1.58), and 0.74 (95% CI 0.40~1.37), respectively, and the pooled OR for the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rate between HGD/CIS group and INV group was 3.47 (95% CI 1.09~11.02), 9.12 (95% CI 2.98~27.93), and 9.17 (95% CI 2.95~28.55), respectively. However, the pooled OR for the incidence of local recurrence between HGD/CIS group and R0 group was 3.54 (95% CI 1.66~7.53), and the pooled OR for the incidence of local recurrence between HGD/CIS group and INV group was 0.93 (95% CI 0.50~1.74).

Conclusion

With the current data, we concluded that HGD/CIS would increase the risk of local recurrence compared with R0, although it did not affect the prognosis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma regardless of TNM stage. However, the conclusion needs to be furtherly confirmed.
Survival analysis of local excision vs total mesorectal excision for middle and low rectal cancer in pT1/pT2 stage and intermediate pathological risk
Authors: Lai I-Li , You Jeng-Fu , Chern Yih-Jong , Tsai Wen-Sy , Chiang Jy-Ming , Hsieh Pao-Shiu , Hung Hsin-Yuan , Yeh Chien-Yuh , Chiang Sum-Fu , Lai Cheng-Chou , Tang Rei-Ping , Chen Jinn-Shiun , Hsu Yu-Jen
Published: December 2019

Background

Local excision (LE) is a feasible treatment approach for rectal cancers in stage pT1 and presents low pathological risk, whereas total mesorectal excision (TME) is a reasonable treatment for more advanced cancers. On the basis of the pathology findings, surgeons may suggest TME for patients receiving LE. This study compared the survival outcomes between LE with/without chemoradiation and TME in mid and low rectal cancer patients in stage pT1/pT2, with highly selective intermediate pathological risk.

Methods

This retrospective study included 134 patients who received TME and 39 patients who underwent LE for the treatment of intermediate risk (pT1 with poor differentiation, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, relatively large tumor, or small-sized pT2 tumor) rectal cancer between 1998 and 2016.

Results

Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and cumulative recurrence rate (CRR) were similar between the LE (3-year DFS 92%) and TME (3-year DFS 91%) groups. Following subgrouping into an LE with adjuvant therapy group and a TME without adjuvant therapy group, the compared survival outcomes (OS, DFS, and CRR) were found not to be statistically different. The temporary and permanent ostomy rates were higher in the TME group than in the LE group (p < 0.001). Rates of early and late morbidity following surgery were higher in the TME group (p = 0.005), and LE had similar survival compared with TME.

Conclusion

For patients who had mid and low rectal cancer in stage pT1/pT2 and intermediate pathological risk, LE with chemoradiation presents an alternative treatment option for selected patients.
URB597 protects against NLRP3 inflammasome activation by inhibiting autophagy dysfunction in a rat model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion
Authors: Su Shao-Hua , Wu Yi-Fang , Lin Qi , Wang Da-Peng , Hai Jian
Published: December 2019

Background

Previous studies reported that URB597 (URB) had therapeutic potential for treating chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH)-induced neuroinflammation and autophagy dysfunction. However, the interaction mechanisms underlying the CCH-induced abnormal excessive autophagy and neuroinflammation remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the roles of impaired autophagy in nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing (NLRP) 3 inflammasome activation in the rat hippocampus and the underlying mechanisms under the condition of induced CCH as well as the effect of URB treatment.

Methods

The CCH rat model was established by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAo), and rats were randomly divided into 11 groups as follows: (1) sham-operated, (2) BCCAo; (3) BCCAo+autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA), (4) BCCAo+lysosome inhibitor chloroquine (CQ), (5) BCCAo+microglial activation inhibitor minocycline, (6) BCCAo+ROS scavengerN-acetylcysteine (NAC), (7) BCCAo+URB, (8) BCCAo+URB+3-MA, (9) BCCAo+URB+CQ, (10) BCCAo+URB+minocycline, (11) BCCAo+URB+NAC. The cell localizations of LC3, p62, LAMP1, TOM20 and NLRP3 were assessed by immunofluorescence staining. The levels of autophagy-related proteins (LC3, p62, LAMP1, BNIP3 and parkin), NLRP3 inflammasome-related proteins (NLRP3, CASP1 and IL-1β), microglial marker (OX-42) and proinflammatory cytokines (iNOS and COX-2) were evaluated by western blotting, and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-a) were determined by ELISA. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed by dihydroethidium staining. The mitochondrial ultrastructural changes were examined by electron microscopy.

Results

CCH induced microglial overactivation and ROS accumulation, promoting the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the release of IL-1β. Blocked autophagy and mitophagy flux enhanced the activation of the NLRP3-CASP1 inflammasome pathway. However, URB alleviated impaired autophagy and mitophagy by decreasing mitochondrial ROS and microglial overactivation as well as restoring lysosomal function, which would further inhibit the activation of the NLRP3-CASP1 inflammasome pathway.

Conclusion

These findings extended previous studies indicating the function of URB in the mitigation of chronic ischemic injury of the brain.
Dosimetric factors associated with long-term patient-reported outcomes after definitive radiotherapy of patients with head and neck cancer
Authors: Hayakawa Toyokazu , Kawakami Shogo , Soda Itaru , Kainuma Takuro , Nozawa Marika , Sekiguchi Akane , Miyamoto Shunsuke , Yamashita Taku , Ishiyama Hiromichi
Published: December 2019

Background

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between dosimetric parameters of organs at risk and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) after radiotherapy of patients with head and neck cancer.

Methods

PRO data of 53 patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy were prospectively collected. These data concerned health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and were collected using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and head and neck cancer module (QLQ-H&N35). Patients were divided into “severe-deterioration” and “mild-deterioration” groups on the basis of degree of deterioration HRQOL > 6 months after completing treatment. The relationships between HRQOL deteriorations and patient-related or dosimetry-related factors were evaluated. P < 0.0013 according to Bonferroni correction was considered to denote statistical significance.

Results

Regarding “trouble with social eating (HNSO)” and “coughing (HNCO),” there were significant differences between the severe-deterioration and mild-deterioration groups in mean dosages to the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle (SPC) (HNSO: 62.5 Gy vs 54.2 Gy; p = 0.00029, and HNCO: 61.5 Gy vs 54.1 Gy; p = 0.0012) and parotid gland (HNSO: 24.1 Gy vs 20.5 Gy; p = 0.000056, and HNCO: 24.2 Gy vs 20.3 Gy; p = 0.00043). Regarding “nausea and vomiting,” there was a significant difference between the two groups in the mean dosage to the middle pharyngeal constrictor muscle (MPC: 61.9 Gy vs. 58.4Gy; P = 0.00059).

Conclusions

We found that dosages to the SPC and parotid gland were associated with severe deterioration in HRQOL attributable to difficulty in HNSO and HNCO, whereas dosage to the MPC was associated with severe deterioration attributable to nausea and vomiting.
Surface mineralized biphasic calcium phosphate ceramics loaded with urine-derived stem cells are effective in bone regeneration
Authors: Xing Fei , Li Lang , Sun Jiachen , Liu Guoming , Duan Xin , Chen Jialei , Liu Ming , Long Ye , Xiang Zhou
Published: December 2019

Background

Segmental bone defects caused by trauma, tumors, or infection are a serious challenge for orthopedists in the world. Recent developments in tissue engineering have provided a new treatment for segmental bone defects. Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) can be obtained noninvasively and might be a new kind of seed cells used in bone tissue regeneration. Therefore, the first aim of the present study was to investigate the biological characteristics of USCs. The second aim of the present study was to study the osteogenic effect of surface mineralized biphasic calcium phosphate ceramics (BCPs) loaded with USCs in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

We isolated USCs from the urine of healthy adult donors and evaluated the biological characteristics of USCs in vitro. We mineralized the surface of BCPs by simulated body fluid (SBF). Cell adhesion and proliferation of USCs on the surface mineralized BCPs were evaluated. Osteogenic proteins and genes of USCs on the surface mineralized BCPs were texted by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Critical-sized segmental bone defects model in New Zealand white rabbits were established and randomly divided into 4 groups (surface mineralized BCPs loaded with USCs, BCPs loaded with USCs, surface mineralized BCPs, and BCPs) based on the implant they received. The therapeutic efficacy of the scaffolds in a large bone defect at post-implantation was evaluated by imaging and histological examination.

Results

USCs isolated in our study expressed stem cell-specific phenotypes and had a stable proliferative capacity and multipotential differentiation capability. Surface mineralized BCPs promoted osteogenic proteins and genes expression of USCs without affecting the proliferation of USCs. After 10 weeks, the amount of new bone formation was the highest in the group of surface mineralized BCPs loaded with USCs.

Conclusion

USCs, from non-invasive sources, have good application prospects in the field of bone tissue engineering. Surface mineralized BCPs can significantly enhance osteogenic potential of USCs without changing biological characteristics of BCPs. Surface mineralized BCPs loaded with USCs are effective in repairing of critical-sized segmental bone defects in rabbits.
Iron treatment of pregnant sows in a Danish herd without iron deficiency anemia did not improve sow and piglet hematology or stillbirth rate
Authors: Bhattarai Sheeva , Framstad Tore , Nielsen Jens Peter
Published: December 2019

Background

Anemia characterized by low hemoglobin concentration (HbC) is common in indoor housed pregnant sows. Iron is essential for hemoglobin synthesis and a number of metabolic processes including DNA synthesis and regulation of enzyme systems. In sows, anemia has been linked to lower HbC in piglets and increased occurrence of stillbirths. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of iron injection on hematology of pregnant sows and their offspring. Other objectives were to evaluate the effect of this injection on the probability of stillbirths and to study the tolerability of injected iron.

Results

A sow herd with bi-weekly batch farrowing was selected for the study and 100 sows at mid-gestation were randomly assigned to either a treatment (FeT) or a control (FeC) group. At the time of recruitment to the study (baseline), 46% of the sows in the herd were anemic with a HbC less than 103 g/L. However, none of the anemic sows had iron deficiency anemia on erythrocyte characterization. HbC decreased numerically during gestation in both the FeT (− 2.48 g/L) and FeC (− 2.99 g/L) groups but the decrease was insignificant between the groups (P = 0.79). Likewise, the change from baseline to farrowing and from baseline to post-farrowing in other hematologic variables was similar for both groups. The percentage of transferrin saturation was not statistically different between groups (P = 0.14). There was a batch effect (week of breeding) in most of the hematologic variables. The probability of stillbirth in the two groups did not differ (P = 0.94). None of the hematologic variables in piglets was significantly different between the two groups. The sows tolerated the iron injection well.

Conclusions

Intramuscular injection of two doses of 2500 mg iron 2 weeks apart at mid-gestation did neither change hematologic variables in sows nor in the piglets at farrowing. Similarly, iron treatment did not reduce the probability of stillbirths among the offspring. The sows recruited in this study tolerated the iron injections well. Further characterization of erythrocytes did not support that sows had iron deficiency anemia at baseline. Therefore, further studies on animals with well-defined anemia and with focus on the iron regulating hormone hepcidin are recommended.