bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting 7-year mortality for use with evidence-based guidelines for Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing: findings from a large prospective study of 123 697 Australian men
Authors: Joshy Grace , Banks Emily , Lowe Anthony , Wolfe Rory , Tickle Leonie , Armstrong Bruce , Clements Mark
Published: December 2018

Objectives

To develop and validate a prediction model for short-term mortality in Australian men aged ≥45years, using age and self-reported health variables, for use when implementing the Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Testing and Early Management of Test-Detected Prostate Cancer. Implementation of one of the Guideline recommendations requires an estimate of 7-year mortality.

Design

Prospective cohort study using questionnaire data linked to mortality data.

Setting

Men aged ≥45years randomly sampled from the general population of New South Wales, Australia, participating in the 45 and Up Study.

Participants

123 697 men who completed the baseline postal questionnaire (distributed from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2008) and gave informed consent for follow-up through linkage of their data to population health databases.

Primary outcome measures

The primary outcome was all-cause mortality.

Results

12 160 died during follow-up (median=5.9 years). Following age-adjustment, self-reported health was the strongest predictor of all-cause mortality (C-index: 0.827; 95% CI 0.824 to 0.831). Three prediction models for all-cause mortality were validated, with predictors: Model-1: age group and self-rated health; Model-2: variables common to the 45 and Up Study and the Australian Health Survey and subselected using stepwise regression and Model-3: all variables selected using stepwise regression. Final predictions calibrated well with observed all-cause mortality rates. The 90th percentile for the 7-year mortality risks ranged from 1.92% to 83.94% for ages 45–85 years.

Conclusions

We developed prediction scores for short-term mortality using age and self-reported health measures and validated the scores against national mortality rates. Along with age, simple measures such as self-rated health, which can be easily obtained without physical examination, were strong predictors of all-cause mortality in the 45 and Up Study. Seven-year mortality risk estimates from Model-3 suggest that the impact of the mortality risk prediction tool on men’s decision making would be small in the recommended age (50–69 years) for PSA testing, but it may discourage testing at older ages.
Disability and morbidity among older patients in the emergency department: a Danish population-based cohort study
Authors: Tanderup Anette , Lassen Annmarie Touborg , Rosholm Jens-Ulrik , Ryg Jesper
Published: December 2018

Objectives

The objective was to describe the prevalence of geriatric conditions among older medical patients in the emergency department (ED) and the association with admission, mortality, reattendance and loss of independency.

Design

Population-based prospective cohort study.

Setting

ED of a large university hospital.

Participants

All medical patients ≥65 years of age from a single municipality with a first attendance to the ED during a 1-year period (November 2013 to November 2014).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Based on information from healthcare registers, we defined geriatric conditions as disability, recently increased disability, polypharmacy and comorbidity. Outcomes were admission, length of admission, 30 days postdischarge mortality, 30 days hospital reattendance and home care dependency 0–360 days following ED contact.

Results

Totally, 3775 patients (55% women) were included, age 78 (71–85) years (median (IQR)). No patients were lost to follow-up. The prevalence of 0–4 geriatric conditions was 14.9%, 27.3%, 25.2%, 22.3% and 10.3%, respectively. The number of conditions was significantly associated with hospital admission, length of admission, 30 days postdischarge mortality and 30 days hospital reattendance. Among patients with no geriatric conditions, 70% lived independent all 360 days after discharge, whereas all patients with ≥3 conditions had some dependency or were dead within 360 days following discharge.

Conclusion

Among older medical patients in the ED, 50% had two or more geriatric conditions which were associated with poor health outcomes. This highlights the need for studies of the effect of geriatric awareness and competences in the ED.
Survival and new-onset morbidity after critical care admission for acute pancreatitis in Scotland: a national electronic healthcare record linkage cohort study
Authors: Ventre Chiara , Nowell Sian , Graham Catriona , Kidd Doug , Skouras Christos , Mole Damian J
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Severe acute pancreatitis (AP) requiring critical care admission (ccAP) impacts negatively on long-term survival.

Objective

To document organ-specific new morbidity and identify risk factors associated with premature mortality after an episode of ccAP.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

Electronic healthcare registries in Scotland.

Participants

The ccAP cohort included 1471 patients admitted to critical care with AP between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010 followed up until 31 December 2014. The population cohort included 3450 individuals from the general population of Scotland frequency-matched for age, sex and social deprivation.

Methods

Record linkage of routinely collected electronic health data with population matching.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Patient demographics, comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index), acute physiology, organ support and other critical care data were linked to records of mortality (death certificate data) and new-onset morbidity. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with mortality.

Results

310 patients with AP died during the index admission. Outcomes were not ascertained for five patients, and the deprivation quintile was not known for six patients. 340 of 1150 patients in the resulting postdischarge ccAP cohort died during the follow-up period. Greater comorbidity measured by the Charlson score, prior to ccAP, negatively influenced survival in the hospital and after discharge. The odds of developing new-onset diabetes mellitus after ccAP compared with the general population were 10.70 (95% CI 5.74 to 19.94). A new diagnosis of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, liver disease, peptic ulcer, renal failure, cancer, peripheral vascular disease and lung disease was more frequent in the ccAP cohort than in the general population.

Conclusions

The persistent deleterious impact of severe AP on long-term outcome and survival is multifactorial in origin, influenced by pre-existing patient characteristics and acute episode features. Further mechanistic and epidemiological investigation is warranted.
Informed shared decision-making programme for patients with type 2 diabetes in primary care: cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors: Buhse Susanne , Kuniss Nadine , Liethmann Kathrin , Müller Ulrich Alfons , Lehmann Thomas , Mühlhauser Ingrid
Published: December 2018

Objective

To translate an informed shared decision-making programme (ISDM-P) for patients with type 2 diabetes from a specialised diabetes centre to the primary care setting.

Design

Patient-blinded, two-arm multicentre, cluster randomised controlled trial of 6 months follow-up; concealed randomisation of practices after patient recruitment and acquisition of baseline data.

Setting

22 general practices providing care according to the German Disease Management Programme (DMP) for type 2 diabetes.

Participants

279 of 363 eligible patients without myocardial infarction or stroke.

Interventions

The ISDM-P comprises a patient decision aid, a corresponding group teaching session provided by medical assistants and a structured patient–physician encounter.

Control group received standard DMP care.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Primary endpoint was patient adherence to antihypertensive or statin drug therapy by comparing prescriptions and patient-reported uptake after 6 months. Secondary endpoints included informed choice, risk knowledge (score 0–11 from 11 questions) and prioritised treatment goals of patients and doctors.

Results

ISDM-P: 11 practices with 151 patients; standard care: 11 practices with 128 patients; attrition rate: 3.9%. There was no difference between groups regarding the primary endpoint. Mean drug adherence rates were high for both groups (80% for antihypertensive and 91% for statin treatment). More ISDM-P patients made informed choices regarding statin intake, 34% vs 3%, OR 16.6 (95% CI 4.4 to 63.0), blood pressure control, 39% vs 3%, OR 22.2 (95% CI 5.3 to 93.3) and glycated haemoglobin, 43% vs 3%, OR 26.0 (95% CI 6.5 to 104.8). ISDM-P patients achieved higher levels of risk knowledge, with a mean score of 6.96 vs 2.86, difference 4.06 (95% CI 2.96 to 5.17). In the ISDM-P group, agreement on prioritised treatment goals between patients and doctors was higher, with 88.5% vs 57%.

Conclusions

The ISDM-P was successfully implemented in general practices. Adherence to medication was very high making improvements hardly detectable.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN77300204; Results.
Risk factors for opioid-induced respiratory depression in surgical patients: a systematic review and meta-analyses
Authors: Gupta Kapil , Nagappa Mahesh , Prasad Arun , Abrahamyan Lusine , Wong Jean , Weingarten Toby N , Chung Frances
Published: December 2018

Objective

This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the risk factors associated with postoperative opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources

PubMed-MEDLINE, MEDLINE in-process, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov (January 1946 to November 2017).

Eligibility criteria

The inclusion criteria were: (1) adult patients 18 years or older who were administered opioids after surgery and developed postoperative OIRD (OIRD group); (2) all studies which reported both OIRD events and associated risk factors; (3) all studies with reported data for each risk factor on patients with no OIRD (control group) and (4) published articles in English language.

Data analysis

We used a random effects inverse variance analysis to evaluate the existing evidence of risk factors associated with OIRD. Newcastle-Ottawa scale scoring system was used to assess quality of study.

Results

Twelve observational studies were included from 8690 citations. The incidence of postoperative OIRD was 5.0 cases per 1000 anaesthetics administered (95% CI: 4.8 to 5.1; total patients: 841 424; OIRD: 4194). Eighty-five per cent of OIRD occurred within the first 24 hours postoperatively. Increased risk for OIRD was associated with pre-existing cardiac disease (OIRD vs control: 42.8% vs 29.6%; OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2 to 2.5; I2: 0%; p<0.002), pulmonary disease (OIRD vs control: 17.8% vs 10.3%; OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.3 to 3.6; I2: 0%; p<0.001) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OIRD vs control: 17.9% vs 16.5%; OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2 to 1.7; I2: 31%; p=0.0003). The morphine equivalent daily dose of the postoperative opioids was higher in the OIRD group than in the control; (24.7±14 mg vs 18.9±13.0 mg; mean difference: 2.8; 95% CI: 0.4 to 5.3; I2: 98%; p=0.02). There was no significant association between OIRD and age, gender, body mass index or American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status.

Conclusion

Patients with cardiac, respiratory disease and/or obstructive sleep apnoea were at increased risk for OIRD. Patients with postoperative OIRD received higher doses of morphine equivalent daily dose.
Vascular and cognitive effects of cocoa-rich chocolate in postmenopausal women: a study protocol for a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Garcia-Yu Irene A , Garcia-Ortiz Luis , Gómez-Marcos Manuel A , Alonso-Dominguez Rosario , Gonzalez-Sanchez Jesus , Mora-Simon Sara , González-Manzano Susana , Rodriguez-Sanchez Emiliano , Maderuelo-Fernandez Jose A , Recio-Rodriguez Jose I
Published: December 2018

Introduction

The intake of polyphenols has certain health benefits. This study will aim to assess the effect of adding a daily amount of chocolate high in cocoa content and polyphenols to the normal diet on blood pressure, vascular function, cognitive performance, quality of life and body composition in postmenopausal women.

Methods and analysis

Here we plan a randomised clinical trial with two parallel groups involving a total of 140 women between 50 and 64 years in the postmenopausal period, defined by amenorrhoea of ​​at least 12 consecutive months. The main variable will be the change in blood pressure. Secondary variables will be changes in vascular function, quality of life, cognitive performance and body composition. The intervention group will be given chocolate containing 99% cocoa, with instructions to add 10 g daily to their normal diet for 6 months. The daily nutritional contribution of this amount of chocolate is 59 kcal and 65.4 mg of polyphenols. There will be no intervention in the control group. All variables will be measured at the baseline visit and 3 and 6 months after randomisation, except cognitive performance and quality of life, which will only be assessed at baseline and at 6 months. Recruitment is scheduled to begin on 1 June 2018, and the study will continue until 31 May 2019.

Ethics and dissemination

This study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Health Area of Salamanca, Spain (‘CREC of Health Area of Salamanca’), in February 2018. A SPIRIT checklist is available for this protocol. The clinical trial has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov provided by the US National Library of Medicine, numberNCT03492983. The results will be disseminated through open access peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, broadcast media and a presentation to stakeholders.
Prognostic value of Modified Early Warning Score generated in a Chinese emergency department: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Xie Xiaohua , Huang Wenlong , Liu Qiongling , Tan Wei , Pan Lu , Wang Lei , Zhang Jian , Wang Yunyun , Zeng Yingchun
Published: December 2018

Objectives

This study aimed to validate the performance of the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) in a Chinese emergency department and to determine the best cut-off value for in-hospital mortality prediction.

Design

A prospective, single-centred observational cohort study.

Setting

This study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in South China.

Participants

A total of 383 patients aged 18 years or older who presented to the emergency department from 17 May 2017 through 27 September 2017, triaged as category 1, 2 or 3, were enrolled.

Outcomes

The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital mortality and admission to the intensive care unit. The secondary outcome was using MEWS to predict hospitalised and discharged patients.

Results

A total of 383 patients were included in this study. In-hospital mortality was 13.6% (52/383), and transfer to the intensive care unit was 21.7% (83/383). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of MEWS for in-hospital mortality prediction was 0.83 (95% CI 0.786 to 0.881). When predicting in-hospital mortality with the cut-off point defined as 3.5, 158 patients had MEWS >3.5, with a specificity of 66%, a sensitivity of 87%, an accuracy of 69%, a positive predictive value of 28% and a negative predictive value of 97%, respectively.

Conclusion

Our findings support the use of MEWS for in-hospital mortality prediction in patients who were triaged category 1, 2 or 3 in a Chinese emergency department. The cut-off value for in-hospital mortality prediction defined in this study was different from that seen in many other studies.
Supported self-management for people with type 2 diabetes: a meta-review of quantitative systematic reviews
Authors: Captieux Mireille , Pearce Gemma , Parke Hannah L , Epiphaniou Eleni , Wild Sarah , Taylor Stephanie J C , Pinnock Hilary
Published: December 2018

Objectives

Self-management support aims to give people with chronic disease confidence to actively manage their disease, in partnership with their healthcare provider. A meta-review can inform policy-makers and healthcare managers about the effectiveness of self-management support strategies for people with type 2 diabetes, and which interventions work best and for whom.

Design

A meta-review of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was performed adapting Cochrane methodology.

Setting and participants

Eight databases were searched for systematic reviews of RCTs from January 1993 to October 2016, with a pre-publication update in April 2017. Forward citation was performed on included reviews in Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Proceedings. We extracted data and assessed quality with the Revised-Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (R-AMSTAR).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Glycaemic control as measured by glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was the primary outcome. Body mass Index, lipid profiles, blood pressure and quality of life scoring were secondary outcomes. Meta-analyses reporting HbA1c were summarised in meta-forest plots; other outcomes were synthesised narratively.

Results

41 systematic reviews incorporating data from 459 unique RCTs in diverse socio-economic and ethnic communities across 33 countries were included. R-AMSTAR quality score ranged from 20 to 42 (maximum 44). Apart from one outlier, the majority of reviews found an HbA1c improvement between 0.2% and 0.6% (2.2–6.5 mmol/mol) at 6 months post-intervention, but attenuated at 12 and 24 months. Impact on secondary outcomes was inconsistent and generally non-significant. Diverse self-management support strategies were employed; no single approach appeared optimally effective (or ineffective). Effective programmes tended to be multi-component and provide adequate contact time (>10 hours). Technology-facilitated self-management support showed a similar impact as traditional approaches (HbA1c MD −0.21% to −0.6%).

Conclusions

Self-management interventions using a range of approaches improve short-term glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes including culturally diverse populations. These findings can inform researchers, policy-makers and healthcare professionals re-evaluating the provision of self-management support in routine care. Further research should consider implementation and sustainability.
Comparison of the validity of checklist assessment in cardiac arrest simulations with an app in an academic hospital in Taiwan: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Huang Ming-Yuan , Kung Lu-Chih , Hou Sheng-Wen , Lee Yi-Kung , Su Yung-Cheng
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Robust assessment is a crucial component in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training to determine whether participants have achieved learning objectives with little or no variation in their overall outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate resuscitation performance by real-time logs. We hypothesised that instructors may not be able to evaluate time-sensitive parameters, namely, chest compression fraction, time to initiating chest compression and time to initiating defibrillation accurately in a subjective manner.

Methods

Video records and formal checklist-based test results of Megacode scenarios for the ACLS certification examination at several hospitals in Taipei were examined. For the study interest, three time-sensitive parameters were measured via video review assisted by a mobile phone application, and were used for evaluation. We evaluated if the pass/fail results made by instructors via checklists were correlated with these parameters.

Results

A total of 185 Megacode scenarios were eligible for the final analysis. Among the three parameters, good chest compression fraction was statistically significant with a higher OR of passing (OR=3.65; 95% CI 1.36 to 9.91; p=0.01). In 112 participants with one parameter that did not meet the criteria, 25 were graded as fail, making the specificity 22.3% (95% CI 15.0% to 31.2%).

Conclusions

Visual observation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance is not accurate when evaluating time-sensitive parameters. Objective results should be offered for training outcome evaluation, and also for feedback to participants.
Safety and efficacy of cangrelor in acute stenting for the treatment of cerebrovascular pathology: preliminary experience in a single-center pilot study
Authors: Aguilar-Salinas Pedro , Agnoletto Guilherme Jose , Brasiliense Leonardo B C , Santos Roberta , Granja Manuel F , Gonsales Douglas , Aghaebrahim Amin , Sauvageau Eric , Hanel Ricardo A
Published: December 2018

Background

Treatment of acute cerebrovascular pathology, such as acute ischemic stroke or intracranial aneurysms, presents a challenge if an extracranial or intracranial stent is required; immediate platelet inhibition is vital. To date, there is no standardized approach for antiplatelet inhibition in an acute setting.

Objective

To report our preliminary experience and lessons learnt using cangrelor in acute neurointervention.

Methods

A single-arm pilot study was performed to assess the safety and efficacy of cangrelor plus aspirin for platelet inhibition in patients who require acute stenting in the setting of neuroendovascular treatment.

Results

Eight patients were enrolled between October 2017 and August 2018. Median age was 71 years (53–86). Seven patients were treated in an acute setting according to the stroke protocol at our institution, while one patient was treated for a symptomatic, unruptured aneurysm with flow diversion and coiling. At admission, the median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score for the patients with stroke was 12.5 (range 2–22.3). Cangrelor was infused and all patients achieved adequate platelet inhibition (<200 PRU (P2Y12 reaction units)). Six of seven patients with ischemic stroke had a carotid stent placed and one had an intracranial stent deployed in the middle cerebral artery. None of the patients experienced intraprocedural thromboembolic complications, intraprocedural in-stent thrombosis, hemorrhagic complications, or stroke within 24 hours after the intervention. The majority of patients (6/8) had a good clinical outcome at discharge (modified Rankin Scale score 0–2).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that cangrelor is a promising alternative in acute stenting for the treatment of cerebrovascular pathology. However, further studies with larger samples are required to accurately elucidate its safety and effectiveness in neuroendovascular procedures.
An optimal algorithm to find minimum k-hop dominating set of interval graphs
Authors: Barman Sambhu Charan , Pal Madhumangal , Mondal Sukumar
Published: December 2018

For a fixed positive integer [Formula: see text], a [Formula: see text]-hop dominating set [Formula: see text] of a graph [Formula: see text] is a subset of [Formula: see text] such that every vertex [Formula: see text] is within [Formula: see text]-steps from at least one vertex [Formula: see text], i.e., [Formula: see text]. A [Formula: see text]-hop dominating set [Formula: see text] is said to be minimal if there does not exist any [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] is a [Formula: see text]-hop dominating set of G. A dominating set [Formula: see text] is said to be minimum [Formula: see text]-hop dominating set, if it is minimal as well as it is [Formula: see text]-hop dominating set. In this paper, we present an optimal algorithm to find a minimum [Formula: see text]-hop dominating set of interval graphs with [Formula: see text] vertices which runs in [Formula: see text] time.
Diacritic-Based Matching of Arabic Words
Authors: Jarrar Mustafa , Zaraket Fadi , Asia Rami , Amayreh Hamzeh
Published: December 2018

Words in Arabic consist of letters and short vowel symbols called diacritics inscribed atop regular letters. Changing diacritics may change the syntax and semantics of a word; turning it into another. This results in difficulties when comparing words based solely on string matching. Typically, Arabic NLP applications resort to morphological analysis to battle ambiguity originating from this and other challenges. In this article, we introduce three alternative algorithms to compare two words with possibly different diacritics. We propose the
Subsume
knowledge-based algorithm, the
Imply
rule-based algorithm, and the
Alike
machine-learning-based algorithm. We evaluated the soundness, completeness, and accuracy of the algorithms against a large dataset of 86,886 word pairs. Our evaluation shows that the accuracy of Subsume (100%), Imply (99.32%), and Alike (99.53%). Although accurate, Subsume was able to judge only 75% of the data. Both Subsume and Imply are sound, while Alike is not. We demonstrate the utility of the algorithms using a real-life use case -- in lemma disambiguation and in linking hundreds of Arabic dictionaries.
Pause-Based Phrase Extraction and Effective OOV Handling for Low-Resource Machine Translation Systems
Authors: Mrinalini K. , Nagarajan T. , Vijayalakshmi P.
Published: December 2018

Machine translation is the core problem for several natural language processing research across the globe. However, building a translation system involving low-resource languages remains a challenge with respect to statistical machine translation (SMT). This work proposes and studies the effect of a phrase-induced hybrid machine translation system for translation from English to Tamil, under a low-resource setting. Unlike conventional hybrid MT systems, the free-word ordering feature of the target language Tamil is exploited to form a re-ordered target language model and to extend the parallel text corpus for training the SMT. In the current work, a novel rule-based phrase-extraction method, implemented using parts-of-speech (POS) and place-of-pause in both languages is proposed, which is used to pre-process the training corpus for developing the back-off phrase-induced SMT. Further, out-of-vocabulary (OOV) words are handled using speech-based transliteration and two-level thesaurus intersection techniques based on the POS tag of the OOV word. To ensure that the input with OOV words does not skip phrase-level translation in the hierarchical model, a phrase-level example-based machine translation approach is adopted to find the closest matching phrase and perform translation followed by OOV replacement. The proposed system results in a bilingual evaluation understudy score of 84.78 and a translation edit rate of 19.12. The performance of the system is compared in terms of adequacy and fluency, with existing translation systems for this specific language pair, and it is observed that the proposed system outperforms its counterparts.
The Remarkable Underlying Ground States of Cuprate Superconductors
Authors: Proust Cyril , Taillefer Louis
Published: December 2018

Cuprates exhibit exceptionally strong superconductivity. To understand why, it is essential to elucidate the nature of the electronic interactions that cause pairing. Superconductivity occurs on the backdrop of several underlying electronic phases, including a doped Mott insulator at low doping, a strange metal at high doping, and an enigmatic pseudogap phase in between—inside which a phase of charge-density wave order appears. In this article, we shed light on the nature of these remarkable phases by focusing on the limit as [Formula: see text], where experimental signatures and theoretical statements become sharper. We therefore survey the ground-state properties of cuprates once superconductivity has been removed by the application of a magnetic field and distill their key universal features.
Destruction of the North China Craton in the Mesozoic
Authors: Wu Fu-Yuan , Yang Jin-Hui , Xu Yi-Gang , Wilde Simon A. , Walker Richard J.
Published: December 2018

The North China Craton (NCC) was originally formed by the amalgamation of the eastern and western blocks along an orogenic belt at ∼1.9 Ga. After cratonization, the NCC was essentially stable until the Mesozoic, when intense felsic magmatism and related mineralization, deformation, pull-apart basins, and exhumation of the deep crust widely occurred, indicative of destruction or decratonization. Accompanying this destruction was significant removal of the cratonic keel and lithospheric transformation, whereby the thick (∼200 km) and refractory Archean lithosphere mantle was replaced by a thin (<80 km) juvenile one. The decratonization of the NCC was driven by flat slab subduction, followed by a rollback of the paleo-Pacific plate during the late Mesozoic. A global synthesis indicates that cratons are mainly destroyed by oceanic subduction, although mantle plumes might also trigger lithospheric thinning through thermal erosion. Widespread crust-derived felsic magmatism and large-scale ductile deformation can be regarded as petrological and structural indicators of craton destruction. ▪ A craton, a kind of ancient continental block on Earth, was formed mostly in the early Precambrian (>1.8 Ga). ▪ A craton is characterized by a rigid lithospheric root, which provides longevity and stability during its evolutionary history. ▪ Some cratons, such as the North China Craton, can be destroyed by losing their stability, manifested by magmatism, deformation, earthquake, etc.
Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Small Rectal Neuroendocrine Tumors Treated Using Endoscopic Submucosal Resection with a Ligation Device
Authors: Takita Maiko , Sakai Eiji , Nakao Tomomi , Kimoto Yoshiaki , Ishii Rindo , Konishi Takafumi , Ueno Sakaya , Kanda Keisuke , Negishi Ryoju , Muramoto Takashi , Hashimoto Hirotsugu , Morikawa Teppei , Matsuhashi Nobuyuki , Ohata Ken
Published: December 2018

Background/Aims: The therapeutic strategies for small rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) have not been standardized. We examined the efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal resection with a ligation device (ESMR-L) and the long-term outcomes after endoscopic treatment. Methods: A total of 181 patients with rectal NETs <10 mm who were treated between May 2002 and May 2017 were retrospectively enrolled. All the lesions had been resected using ESMR-L, and the follow-up strategies were determined according to the pathological examinations. The long-term outcomes after a 53-month follow-up period were also evaluated. Results: R0 resection was achieved in 180 cases (99.4%). Lymphovascular invasion was confirmed in 67 cases (37.0%), while a curative resection was achieved in 114 cases (63.0%). One perforation (0.6%) and 11 cases with delayed bleeding (6.1%) were observed. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a tumor size > 5 mm (OR 2.06; 95% CI 1.04–4.08, p = 0.04) was a significant independent predictor of the presence of lymphovascular invasion. Of the 67 patients with non-curative resections, 11 patients underwent additional surgery; lymph node metastasis was confirmed in 2 cases (18.2%). No local or distant metastases were observed during the follow-up period in 77 patients with a curative resection, 9 patients who received additional surgery, and 50 patients with non-curative resections. Conclusion: ESMR-L is an easy, safe and effective treatment for rectal NETs <10 mm in diameter, and the prognosis of patients seems to be good, despite a relatively high rate of lymphovascular invasion.
Isolated Ascites in a Monochorionic Twin after Fetoscopic Laser Ablation Is Not Necessarily Secondary to Recurrence or Anaemia: Bowel Complications in Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome after Fetoscopic Laser Ablation
Authors: Tan Lee Na , Cheung Ka Wang , Philip Isaac , Ong Stephen , Kilby Mark David
Published: December 2018

Background/Purpose: We report a case study of jejunal atresia and the results of a systematic literature review of all reported cases of bowel complications occurring after fetoscopic laser ablation (FLA) for the treatment of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Methods: A systematic literature review was performed of bowel complications after FLA for TTTS according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: There are 11 published cases of small bowel atresia, 5 cases of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), and 2 cases with foetal bowel perforations. Recipient twins were more likely to be affected by small bowel atresia (7 recipient and 4 donor cases) and NEC (3 recipient and 2 donor twins). Prenatal ultrasonographic abnormalities were demonstrated in 7 out of 9 cases with bowel atresia and in both cases of bowel perforation. The overall survival rate for neonates with bowel complications after FLA is 72%, but is much lower for co-twins at 22%. The survival rates for jejunoileal atresia and NEC are 91 and 40%, respectively. Conclusions: It is uncertain as to whether these bowel anomalies are due to bowel ischaemia associated with TTTS, the treatment with FLA, or a combination of both. Cases with prenatal abdominal ultrasonographic abnormalities after FLA should have close prenatal and postnatal assessment to detect bowel complications.
Making the Best of Available Options for Optimal Sarcoma Treatment
Authors: Le Cesne Axel
Published: December 2018

For 35 years options for treating advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) were limited to doxorubicin, dacarbazine and ifosfamide. In 2007, trabectedin was approved. Since then, several other agents have become available and many more are in development, ushering in a new era in disease management. Considerable scope exists for improving outcomes of advanced STS through better trial design and improved patient care in everyday practice. After anthracycline failure, there are a range of treatment options and, increasingly, the choice of therapy is histology driven. Introduction of newer agents and optimising use of established agents such as trabectedin has led to an increase in overall survival of advanced STS patients. Optimising treatment with trabectedin is being achieved through more extensive experience in drug management, mainly associated with use in earlier lines and uninterrupted use until disease progression. Identification by next-generation sequencing of a significant proportion of cases of actionable mutations among patients with advanced STS suggests a move towards matched therapy in future. As the armamentarium of active agents in advanced sarcoma increases, so too will the challenge of selecting the right drug for the right patient at the right time, in accordance with the patient’s lifestyle and wishes.
Interação entre magmas graníticos e a origem de epissienitos potássicos estaníferos do granito Madeira, mina Pitinga, Amazonas
Authors: Borges Régis Munhoz Krás , Gaia Sulsiene Machado de Souza , Costi Hilton Tulio , Lamarão Claudio Nery , Marques Gisele Tavares
Published: December 2018

O estudo petrográfico de amostras da zona de contato entre as fácies albita-granito de borda e feldspato alcalino-granito hipersolvus porfirítico, na borda oeste do plúton Madeira, identificou rochas com características texturais e composicionais herdadas das duas fácies. Tal feição é interpretada como um processo de interação entre os dois magmas graníticos, colocados e cristalizados contemporaneamente. Em condições subsolidus, fluidos hidrotermais causaram alteração potássica pervasiva, ou epissienitização, caracterizada pela dissolução de quartzo das fácies graníticas, gerando cavidades e aumentando a permeabilidade das rochas alteradas. Paralelamente, a albita da fácies de borda do albita-granito foi desestabilizada e substituída por microclínio hidrotermal e, nos estágios mais tardios, as cavidades foram preenchidas por quartzo, microclínio, fluorita, hematita, cassiterita, fengita, clorita, pirita, esfalerita, galena e calcopirita. Os epissienitos potássicos são rochas de coloração vermelha escura a marrom, granulação fina a média, ricas em microclínio hidrotermal, apresentando-se ora porosas, ora com cavidades preenchidas por quartzo e sulfetos. A cassiterita das rochas epissienitizadas é mais pura e relativamente mais pobre em Nb do que aquela presente no albita-granito magmático. Os fluidos que desencadearam a epissienitização devem ter sido oxidados, ricos em K, alcalinos e subsaturados em sílica. Propõem-se duas hipóteses para a sua origem: 1) por separação de uma fase fluida a partir do líquido magmático formador do granito hipersolvus; 2) pela ação do mesmo fluido que desencadeou o processo de autometassomatismo do albita-granito de núcleo, gerando sua fácies de borda.
Orbiculoidea baini and Orbiculoidea excentrica (Brachiopoda, Discinidae) from the Middle Devonian (Alto Garças Sub-basin, Paraná Basin) of Caiapônia, Goiás (Brazil)
Authors: Carbonaro Fábio Augusto , Comniskey Jeanninny Carla , Corral Heloísa Stok , Ghilardi Renato Pirani
Published: December 2018

The Devonian brachiopods from Goiás (Alto Garças Sub-basin, Paraná Basin) present records in the cities of Caiapônia, Amorinópolis, and Doverlândia. However, most of the papers only mention the presence of these fossils in these areas, without any taxonomic description. Thus, our aim was to describe the discinoids Orbiculoidea baini, Orbiculoidea excentrica, and Orbiculoidea sp. found in Caiapônia city. These discinoids were preserved in assemblage, instigating a simplified taphonomic approach. The fossils were found parallel to bedding planes in a poorly package assemblage. Most of them are entire and unarticulated. Although in smaller numbers, several fragmented individuals were also found (some quite fragmented). Therefore, the material was transported configuring a parautochthonous to allochthonous taphocenosis. Another interesting aspect is the decreased size of the brachiopods, which were preserved in sandstone lens on the top of a siltstone layer that overlap black shales of the Early Givetian age. These features can be related to the Lilliput Effect, due to the preserved discinoids present both in adult and juvenile forms. The Lilliput Effect resulted from a biotic crisis (KAČÁK Event) that occurred in the Eifelian-Givetian. This is the first piece of evidence of this effect in the Devonian of Goiás (Alto Garças Sub-basin, Paraná Basin).
Caracterização química de vegetal holocênico mineralizado procedente de Camocim, Ceará
Authors: Xavier Sérgio Augusto Santos , Viana Maria Somália Sales , Souza Elnatan Bezerra de
Published: December 2018

Este estudo teve como foco a análise e a identificação da composição química de restos vegetais mineralizados por soterramento, presentes em eolianitos, oriundos da zona litorânea de Camocim, a fim de determinar de maneira qualitativa e quantitativa a identidade mineral na qual esses materiais foram preservados. As análises foram feitas a partir da técnica de espectometria por dispersão de energia de raios X em microscópio eletrônico, sendo considerado um método qualitativo e semiquantitativo para a identificação elemental de materiais. Cinco amostras foram preparadas de acordo com as normas de utilização da Central Analítica do curso de Física da Universidade Federal do Ceará, onde as análises foram realizadas; as amostras foram fragmentadas ao máximo de 1 cm e, em seguida, metalizadas com ouro, posteriormente observadas em microscópio eletrônico varredura modelo Inspect S50, da marca FEI, que conta com um espectrômetro por energia dispersiva de raios X. Os resultados mostraram que as cinco amostras não apresentaram variações significativas entre suas composições químicas, sendo essencialmente formadas por carbonato de cálcio (CaCO3), que constitui mais de 90% da composição de cada uma, proveniente dos bioclastos marinhos abundantes no conteúdo sedimentar da zona costeira de Camocim. Elementos traço como magnésio, silício, alumínio, ferro e cloro também foram identificados. A presença desses elementos pode estar relacionada à diversa origem diagenética composicional dos sedimentos depositados no litoral da região.
Thyroid Dysfunction in Heart Failure and Cardiovascular Outcomes
Authors: Kannan Lakshmi , Shaw Pamela A. , Morley Michael P. , Brandimarto Jeffrey , Fang James C. , Sweitzer Nancy K. , Cappola Thomas P. , Cappola Anne R.
Published: December 2018

Background:

The effects of thyroid dysfunction in patients with preexisting heart failure have not been adequately studied. We examined the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and associations with cardiovascular outcomes in a large, prospective cohort of outpatients with preexisting heart failure.

Methods and Results:

We examined associations between thyroid dysfunction and New York Heart Association class, atrial fibrillation, and a composite end point of ventricular assist device placement, heart transplantation, or death in 1365 participants with heart failure enrolled in the Penn Heart Failure Study. Mean age was 57 years, 35% were women, and the majority had New York Heart Association class II (45%) or III (32%) symptoms. More severe heart failure was associated with higher thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), higher free thyroxine (FT4), and lower total triiodothyronine (TT3) concentrations (
P
<0.001 all models). Atrial fibrillation was positively associated with higher levels of FT4 alone (
P
≤0.01 all models). There were 462 composite end points over a median 4.2 years of follow-up. In adjusted models, compared with euthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH 4.51–19.99 mIU/L with normal FT4) was associated with an increased risk of the composite end point overall (hazard ratio, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.27–2.61;
P
=0.001) and in the subgroup with TSH ≥7.00 mIU/L (hazard ratio, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.96–5.39;
P
<0.001), but not in the subgroup with TSH 4.51–6.99 mIU/L (hazard ratio, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.78–2.06;
P
=0.34). Isolated low T3 was also associated with the composite end point (hazard ratio, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.65–2.72;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions:

In patients with preexisting heart failure, subclinical hypothyroidism with TSH ≥7 mIU/L and isolated low T3 levels are associated with poor prognosis. Clinical trials are needed to explore therapeutic effects of T4 and T3 administration in heart failure.
“Virtual Archaeology” in Light of a New Document on the Topkapı Palace’s Waterworks and Earliest Buildings, circa 1509
Authors: Necipoğlu Gülru
Published: December 2018

This article introduces an unpublished document concerning the water distribution network of the Topkapı Palace. Preserved in the Topkapı Palace Museum Archive, the undated document sheds light on not only the palace’s waterworks but also the locations and names of its earliest buildings. Clues suggest that it was written immediately after the 1509 earthquake. Its heading reads: “Description of the fountains and water jet fountains, some of which have been flowing since olden times and some of which were added later.” This oldest written source on the hydraulic landscape of the Topkapı Palace elucidates the original layout of the palace complex. It refers to the two architects responsible for this project as ʿAcem Miʿmar and Miʿmar Hamza, who are identified in this article as the chief architect who preceded Mimar Sinan, namely, Miʿmar ʿAlaʾüddin, nicknamed ʿAcem ʿAli (Persian ʿAli), and his son Hamza. The document is significant for understanding the water distribution networks and layout of the palace before a rebuilding campaign in the 1520s under this first chief architect of Sultan Süleyman.
On Mì ‘Honey’ (說 “蜜”)
Authors: Xu (許全勝) Quansheng
Published: December 2018

It has been known for nearly 100 years (since Polivanov 1916) that the Chinese word for ‘honey’ is most likely to be of Indo-European origin (probably via Tocharian B):

Chin. mì 【蜜】 ‘honey’ < mc
mjit < oc *mit (Baxter and Sagart 2014)

Toch. B mit ‘honey’ < PToch. *m’ət- < pie *medhu-.

The Chinese word can also be compared with Skt. madhu, Gr. μεθυ (methu)/μεθη (methē), ocs. medŭ, Lith. midùs/medùs, oe. meodu, ohg. metu, Ger. met, and Eng. mead. The present article will focus on mi ‘honey’ and fēng 蠭 ‘bee’ in ancient Chinese books and unearthed texts. It is deduced that honey was probably introduced into China before the 1st millennium b.c.

“蜜”[mì ‘honey’< mc
mjit < oc *mit] （Baxter and Sagart 2014）是極少數有確切證據源于印歐語的漢語外來詞，它可能即源自吐火羅語B（即龜茲語）的mit。一個世紀以前，俄國語言學家Polivanov（1916）已撰文證明“蜜”可追溯到原始印歐語*medhu。這個詞還可與梵語madhu（蜜，蜂蜜酒）、希臘語μεθυ（methu，葡萄酒）/μεθη（methē，烈性酒）、古教堂斯拉夫語medŭ（蜜）、立陶宛語midùs/medùs（蜜）、古英語meodu（蜂蜜酒）、古高地德語metu（蜂蜜酒）、德語met（蜂蜜酒）、英語mead（蜂蜜酒）比較。
1
 本文重新檢討古典文獻及出土文獻中所見的“蜜”字和“蠭”字，推測蜂蜜很可能在西元前一千年之前已傳入中國。(This article is in Chinese.)
Tone Sandhi Features of Diminutives in Jiashan Dialect
Authors: Xu Yue
Published: December 2018

Diminutive forms in Jiashan dialect have a high level tone 55. Although the tone of the diminutives always falls over one or two syllables, it cannot appear alone. It must occur as a sandhi tone when forming fixed diminutive forms in conjunction with other syllables. These diminutives now only express an emphatic or relaxed sense, while the basic and original meanings have been bleached. These qualities make the diminutives difficult to recognize.
Cytospora piceae sp. nov. associated with canker disease of Picea crassifolia in China
Authors: PAN MENG , ZHU HAI-YAN , TIAN CHENG-MING , ALVAREZ LOURDES V. , FAN XIN-LEI
Published: December 2018

Cytospora species are common pathogens associated with stem canker diseases of woody plants, with a worldwide distribution and broad host range. The criteria of species level identification are difficult due to insufficient ex-type cultures with molecular data and phylogenetic understanding. Two fungal specimens were collected from Picea crassifolia associated with symptomatic canker and dieback disease in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. They were identified as novel species based on morphology plus support from multilocus phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU, ACT, RPB2 and TEF1-α gene regions. Cytospora piceae is characterized by its ostiolated pycnidia with vesicularly arranged locules, and hyaline, eguttulate, aseptate, allantoid conidia, which differs from similar species in its host association and multilocus phylogeny.