bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Asiatic Society of Bengal
Authors: Freeman Kathryn S.
Published: October 2018

Composed of British scholars known as the Orientalists, the Asiatic Society of Bengal introduced England to India’s Sanskrit philosophy and literature during the turn of the 18th into the 19th century. The Asiatic Society was short-lived, a phenomenon of only fifty years; it was founded in 1784 by Sir William Jones and replaced by a movement called Anglicism in 1835, when Thomas Macaulay declared that there would be no more Sanskrit education. Nevertheless, through their renderings of Sanskrit and Persian as well as their original poetry and essays, the Orientalists influenced not only English literature, particularly informing the poetics of the English Romantic movement, but European literature and philosophy as well as American Transcendentalism. The Orientalists influenced generations of writers, philosophers, linguists, and theologians. Besides Jones, the principal scholars and translators of the Asiatic Society included Henry Colebrooke, John Gilchrist, William Hunter, Nathaniel Halhed, William Hunter, and Charles Wilkins. Many factors complicated the translations of the Orientalists, making it important for those studying their writings today to contextualize them historically. From a theological standpoint, their renderings of Hindu texts were often distorted by the deism that colored their translations. Eager to find commonality between ancient India and their English readers, the Orientalists asserted that, because the Sanskrit texts of the ancient Hindus were monotheistic, ancient India was therefore closer to the Judaeo-Christian tradition than previously thought by westerners who regarded the country’s principal religion as pantheistic. In claiming this, however, the Orientalists mistook deism’s dualistic separation of deity from nature for the Vedas’ nondualism in which deity is an all-pervading consciousness. Furthermore, the Asiatic Society’s scholarship was complicated politically by the members’ involvement with the East India Company, thereby blurring the lines between government, commerce, and scholarship. Warren Hastings, Governor-General of Bengal and patron of the Asiatic Society, was accused of corruption regarding the East India Company’s abuses in India. Though he was impeached in 1787, Hastings was acquitted in 1795 because of a growing consensus that Edmund Burke, who managed Hastings’s trial, had scapegoated Hastings for abuses largely committed under his predecessor, Robert Clive. The intellectual pursuits of the Asiatic Society thus became enmeshed with the religio-philosophical beliefs of its members, their commercial interests, and their role in the transitional British empire.
Mesoamerican Archaeology
Authors: Woodfill Brent
Published: October 2018

Mesoamerica, a region located in modern-day Mexico and northern Central America, is one of the cradles of early civilization in the New World. It is home to myriad culture groups, from the well-known Maya, Aztecs, Olmecs, and Toltecs to more obscure but equally fascinating peoples. The culture area is defined by multiple traits shared by these different groups, including hieroglyphic writing, science and astronomy, a highly stratified society, and shared ritual and architectural programs. Within Mesoamerica there are two primary cultural “nodes” where most of the investigations have taken place—highland Mexico and the Maya region (southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and western El Salvador and Honduras), often referred to, respectively, as Western and Eastern Mesoamerica. Areas of secondary research interest are the borderlands between these two regions (especially the Olmec heartland in the southern Gulf Coast) and the peripheral areas in northern Mexico, eastern Honduras, Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica. The first scientific investigations in Mesoamerica date to the late 19th century; these scholars leaned heavily on early Spanish accounts and wore their colonialist biases on their sleeves. The indigenous groups were often seen as cyphers for the underlying beliefs of the time—they were viewed as naturally inferior to the European conquerors, justifying their continued oppression. At the same time, they were typically privileged over North American victims of American westward expansion, and Mesoamericans were at times thought to be colonizing forces presaging the European entrada. As Western science has advanced, we have gotten a better understanding of these civilizations on their own terms, and our interpretations have gotten more detailed and refined. The articles, books, journals, and book chapters in this annotated bibliography are distilled from tens of thousands of possible texts. The Maya, the Aztecs, and their neighbors have been a major subject of Western scholarly writing since the arrival of the first Spaniards, and archaeological investigation of the region has grown exponentially over the past century. Since it is a prolific and living field, while curating these readings an attempt has been made to skew toward newer texts to sidestep some of the outdated ideas of the past. Unless the text is particularly important, this bibliography skews toward easily accessible (both in terms of publication and writing style) works in English.
Life Writing
Authors: Sanders Valerie
Published: October 2018

“Life writing” is a broad term encompassing many varieties of personal narrative, including autobiography, biography, memoir, diary, travel writing, autobiographical fiction, letters, collective biography, poetry, case history, personal testimony, illness narrative, obituary, essay, and reminiscences—testimony to its flexible and vibrant format, with an outward-facing as well as introspective purpose. From the beginning, life writing acknowledged the possibility of a reader, while conveying a sense of intimacy. It applied to poetry as well as prose, with some of the greatest 19th-century examples being Wordsworth’s Prelude (1850) and Tennyson’s In Memoriam (1850), but it equally applies to brief autobiographical statements, such as George Eliot’s “How I Came to Write Fiction” (1857) or summaries of domestic life in the Brontë sisters’ diary papers. Life writing is also multidisciplinary. In no sense should it be seen as confined to historians, literature specialists, and creative writers. Nor has it traditionally been the preserve of any one social class, as testified by the flourishing of working-class autobiography. The origins of the term can be traced back as far as the seventeenth century, but as a critical term it came to be more widely used from the 1970s onward. Virginia Woolf was using it in the 1930s, including in “A Sketch of the Past” (1939), where she stressed the importance of recording all the “invisible presences” in a person’s life, otherwise “how futile life-writing becomes.” In the nineteenth century, any one publication was likely to combine more than one form of life writing, the monumental “life and letters” being a prime example of the inseparability of the biographical narrative from the embedded correspondence and journals of the subject that allowed their “voice” to be heard from within the biographer’s controlling framework. Margaretta Jolly rightly argues, of life writing, that the “hope of describing fully a subject of such celebrated ambiguity and disciplinary iconoclasm is certainly vain” (The Encyclopaedia of Life Writing: Autobiographical and Biographical Forms, ed. Margaretta Jolly, vol. 1 [London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001], p. ix; see Reference Works). For the purposes of this article, the primary formats have been selected; namely, autobiography, biography, prosopography, diary, letter, and fictional life writing, with their accompanying critical literature on life writing issues. A brief section on French and German life writing and criticism closes the resource. See also the separate Oxford Bibliographies articles “Travel Writing” and “Autobiography,” with which there is some overlap here.
Rhetoric or Reality? RN to BSN Graduates Returning to the Bedside
Authors: Borgos Jill
Published: October 2018

This article reports on a study designed to illuminate the motivation and future goals of RN to BSN degree completion students, specifically to identify whether RNs returning to an online completion program were doing so with the intention of continuing to practice at the bedside. The findings indicate that students are seeking further education for five reasons: 1) to gain entry into a nurse practitioner program, 2) to complete a master's degree program in general, 3) to find opportunities in management, 4) to assume a position as a nurse educator, or 5) to take on a leadership position in general.
Minnesota Alliance for Nursing Education (MANE): A Unique Multi-institutional Approach to Preparing Nurses for the Future
Authors: Graziano Judith A. , Uppman Faye , Anderson Katherine , Johnson Lynn , Frosch-Erickson Susan , Hill Doris , Eccles Jennifer , Beasley Laura , Kohler Sandra
Published: October 2018

AIM

The purpose of this article is to inform nurse educators of an innovative and transformative approach to advancing nursing education through the creation of the Minnesota Alliance for Nursing Education (MANE).

BACKGROUND

MANE was formed to answer national appeals to transform nursing education and demands by health care organizations for a more highly educated nursing workforce.

METHOD

An action plan was developed with the Minnesota Action Coalition to create a dual admission community college and university eight-semester baccalaureate curriculum that students could complete seamlessly in four years.

RESULTS

Admissions to the program have been robust, matriculation rates to upper division course work have exceeded initial goals, and diversity of students is increasing.

CONCLUSION

Measures to date show that MANE is a viable and successful program that is surpassing its initial goals.
Supporting Doctoral Students and Faculty: The Development of an Annual Doctoral Symposium
Authors: Wheeler Rebecca M.
Published: October 2018

AIM

The aim of the study was to develop a sustainable annual symposium to support doctoral students in nursing across the state of Georgia.

BACKGROUND

A goal of the nursing profession, highlighted in the Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing report of 2011, is to increase the number of nurses with doctorates. They are needed to fill faculty positions as professors retire and to step into leadership positions as health care systems become more complex.

METHOD

The Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition developed a Doctoral Symposium in 2014 that has been repeated annually.

RESULTS

The Doctoral Symposium gives doctoral students and faculty the opportunity to network, discuss current issues, advance their skills, and (for students) share their work. Approximately 100 people attend each year; costs and attendance fees have been kept low. Lessons learned are provided.

CONCLUSION

The Doctoral Symposium is a sustainable, valuable activity for supporting doctoral students and faculty.
Maryland Action Coalition: Academic Progression Takes Several Pathways
Authors: Wiseman Rebecca , Trocky Nina M. , Travis Patricia T. , Kirschling Jane Marie
Published: October 2018

AIM

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the Maryland Action Coalition academic progression activities.

BACKGROUND

Maryland is predicted to be one of four states that will experience a shortage of 10,000 or more registered nurses in 2025. The Maryland Action Coalition has committed to the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing recommendation that 80 percent of nurses be educated at the baccalaureate (or higher) level.

METHOD

Various approaches to seamless academic progression are described. The Maryland articulation model was revised to reflect new academic models.

RESULTS

More BS and BSN degrees have been awarded, and more employers have advertised a preference for RNs who have completed a baccalaureate degree.

CONCLUSION

Maryland is developing a solid foundation to ensure that the state has a well-educated nursing workforce to meet the complex health needs of all residents.
Innovation in Academic Progression: Progress of the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium Model
Authors: Landen Jenny , Evans-Prior Diane , Dakin Becky , Liesveld Judy
Published: October 2018

AIM

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) challenged nursing education programs to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing to 80 percent by 2020.

BACKGROUND

All 18 state-funded prelicensure nursing programs in New Mexico joined forces to create the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium (NMNEC).

METHOD

NMNEC is a model of collaboration with a statewide common curriculum that provides seamless transferability for students between schools while offering the BSN on community college campuses.

RESULTS

Over three years, university partnerships with community colleges increased prelicensure BSN seats by 77 percent.

CONCLUSION

This article describes the NMNEC model, challenges and opportunities associated with implementation, current program outcomes, and factors that have contributed to NMNEC’s success. Also discussed are future steps for sustainability and growth as NMNEC continues in its commitment to meeting the IOM challenge.
From Start-up to Sustainability: A Decade of Collaboration to Shape the Future of Nursing
Authors: Gubrud Paula , Spencer Angela G. , Wagner Linda
Published: October 2018

AIM

This article describes progress the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education has made toward addressing the academic progression goals provided by the 2011 Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report.

BACKGROUND

The history of the consortium's development is described, emphasizing the creation of an efficient and sustainable organization infrastructure that supports a shared curriculum provided through a community college/university partnership.

METHOD

Data and analysis describing progress and challenges related to supporting a shared curriculum and increasing access and affordability for nursing education across the state are presented.

RESULTS

We identified four crucial attributes of maintaining collaborative community that have been cultivated to assure the consortium continues to make progress toward reaching the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing goals.

CONCLUSION

Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education provides important lessons learned for other statewide consortiums to consider when developing plans for sustainability.
Assessing Individuals’ Exposure to Environmental Conditions Using Residence-based Measures, Activity Location–based Measures, and Activity Path–based Measures
Authors: Morrison Christopher N. , Byrnes Hilary F. , Miller Brenda A. , Kaner Emily , Wiehe Sarah E. , Ponicki William R. , Wiebe Douglas J.
Published: October 2018

Background:

Many approaches are available to researchers who wish to measure individuals’ exposure to environmental conditions. Different approaches may yield different estimates of associations with health outcomes. Taking adolescents’ exposure to alcohol outlets as an example, we aimed to (1) compare exposure measures and (2) assess whether exposure measures were differentially associated with alcohol consumption.

Methods:

We tracked 231 adolescents 14–16 years of age from the San Francisco Bay Area for 4 weeks in 2015/2016 using global positioning systems (GPS). Participants were texted ecologic momentary assessment surveys six times per week, including assessment of alcohol consumption. We used GPS data to calculate exposure to alcohol outlets using three approach types: residence-based (e.g., within the home census tract), activity location–based (e.g., within buffer distances of frequently attended places), and activity path–based (e.g., average outlets per hour within buffer distances of GPS route lines). Spearman correlations compared exposure measures, and separate Tobit models assessed associations with the proportion of ecologic momentary assessment responses positive for alcohol consumption.

Results:

Measures were mostly strongly correlated within approach types (ρ ≥ 0.7), but weakly (ρ < 0.3) to moderately (0.3 ≤ ρ < 0.7) correlated between approach types. Associations with alcohol consumption were mostly inconsistent within and between approach types. Some of the residence-based measures (e.g., census tract: β = 8.3, 95% CI = 2.8, 13.8), none of the activity location–based approaches, and most of the activity path–based approaches (e.g., outlet–hours per hour, 100 m buffer: β = 8.3, 95% CI = 3.3, 13.3) were associated with alcohol consumption.

Conclusions:

Methodologic decisions regarding measurement of exposure to environmental conditions may affect study results.
Continuation of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy: comparison of cyclic versus continuous combined schedules
Authors: Ettinger Bruce , Li De-Kun , Klein Raymond
Published: October 2018

Discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is much more common than what is reported in randomized, double-blind clinical trials. Our purpose in this retrospective study, using a prescription database, was to compare the continuation rate among women who took cyclic combination therapy adding progesterone to estrogen (CYC-PERT) or continuous combined estrogen progestin therapy (CC-PERT). The study subjects were 1,532 women, ≥45 years old, who initially filled index prescriptions for 0.625 mg conjugated estrogens. They were divided into two groups (CYC-PERT = 644, CC-PERT = 888) on the basis of coprescribed medroxyprogesterone. We found that for all women initiating therapy, 35-40% did not return for a refill and 76-81% stopped therapy within 3 years. Those prescribed CC-PERT initially were more likely to stop than those prescribed CYC-PERT (rate ratio [RR] = 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.35). Adjustments for age, year of starting medication, cost of medication, and prescriber specialty did not affect the difference in discontinuation between the two regimens (RR 1.18, 95% CI = 1.04-1.34). We conclude that the likelihood of women continuing HRT beyond 3 years of initiation is low. Furthermore, compared with CYC-PERT users, those receiving CC-PERT have a slightly higher probability of discontinuation. Efforts should be made to understand why three quarters of women beginning HRT will stop it long before it can provide major long-term benefit.
Breast cancer risk among women under 55 years of age by joint effects of usage of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy
Authors: Brinton Louise A. , Brogan Donna R. , Coates Ralph J. , Swanson Christine A. , Potischman Nancy , Stanford Janet L.
Published: October 2018

Objective:

To assess effects on breast cancer risk of exposure to both oral contraceptives and menopausal hormones, an increasingly common exposure.

Design:

A case-control study of breast cancer among women under the age of 55 years in Atlanta, GA involving 1,031 cases and 919 population controls was conducted.

Results:

Ever use of oral contraceptives was associated with a relative risk of 1.1 (95% 0.9-1.4), whereas the relative risk for hormone replacement therapy was 0.9 (95% CI 0.7-1.2). Seventeen percent of the cases versus 19% of the population controls reported exposure to both agents, resulting in a relative risk of 1.0 (95% CI 0.7-1.4) relative to those unexposed to either preparation. Although there was little variation in risk associated with joint effects by either age or race, there were statistically nonsignificant elevations in risk for this exposure among women who had experienced a natural menopause (relative risk = 2.0, 95% CI 0.7-5.6), were relatively thin (relative risk = 1.5, 0.8-3.0), or who had a first degree relative with breast cancer (relative risk = 2.0, 0.6-7.0). When joint effects of longer term use of both agents were considered, subjects who reported use of oral contraceptives for 10 or more years and hormone replacement for 3 or more years had a relative risk of 3.2 (95% CI 1.4-7.4) compared with nonusers of either preparation.

Conclusions:

Although our results must be cautiously interpreted given small numbers within subgroups, they raise concern and emphasize the need for further evaluation on breast cancer risk of the increasingly common exposure to both oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy.
The Utian Quality of Life (UQOL) Scale: development and validation of an instrument to quantify quality of life through and beyond menopause
Authors: Utian Wulf H. , Janata Jeffrey W. , Kingsberg Sheryl A. , Schluchter Mark , Hamilton James C.
Published: October 2018

Objective:

Quality of life (QOL) is an outcome variable requiring measurement in clinical care or pivotal regulatory trial research. Current menopause QOL measures are mostly life phase or disease symptom inventories or scores. Believing that QOL should refer more to “sense of well-being,” we have developed the Utian QOL scale (UQOL) that is strongly based on perception of sense of well-being as distinct from menopausal symptoms.

Design:

A pool of items sampling various aspects of well-being was developed. Peri- and postmenopausal women (n = 327) responded to the items, and their responses were subjected to a factor analysis. Four factors emerged, each representing a QOL domain. The resulting 23-item instrument was validated in a geographically and socioeconomically diverse sample of peri- and postmenopausal women using the Short Form-36, an established, frequently used QOL inventory. QOL domains were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses, formal item analysis was completed, and the measure was assessed for reliability and validity, including a second sample of women (n = 270).

Results:

Women (n = 597; mean age, 52.9 years) from 12 communities across the United States completed the measure. The UQOL seems to reflect four components of QOL: occupational QOL, health QOL, emotional QOL, and sexual QOL. The questionnaire and scoring system are presented.

Conclusion:

We are reporting on the process of validating an instrument for quantifying sense of well-being in a perimenopausal population. Substantial reliability and validity estimates for the scale and its subscales support the UQOL as a valuable new tool for use in clinical research and practice.
Predictors of decreased libido in women during the late reproductive years
Authors: Gracia Clarisa R. , Sammel Mary D. , Freeman Ellen W. , Liu Li , Hollander Lori , Nelson Deborah B.
Published: October 2018

Objective:

To identify risk factors for decreased libido among women in the late reproductive years.

Design:

Prospective cohort. Women aged 35 to 47 years identified through random digit dialing were prospectively followed for 4 years with serial hormone assays and standardized questionnaires. Mean hormone values, hormone trends over 4 years, and fluctuation in hormone levels were compared among women with and without a decrease in libido at the last assessment period. Total testosterone, dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, body mass index, psychosocial, and socioeconomic variables were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression.

Results:

Of 326 women, 87 (27%) reported a decreased libido, whereas 239 (73%) did not. Participant-specific means for all hormone levels over the study period were similar among both groups. However, total testosterone fluctuation over the study was significantly different between groups. Women whose testosterone levels fluctuated from 3.8 to 21.5 ng/dL around a mean value of 9 ng/dL were four times more likely to report decreased libido compared with women with little fluctuation in testosterone [odds ratio (OR) 4.0; 95% CI, 1.6-10.0]. Depression (OR 3.4; 95%CI, 1.9-6.1), vaginal dryness (OR 3.5; 95%CI, 1.8-6.6), and children living at home (OR 1.4; 95%CI, 1.1-1.7) were also independently associated with decreased libido.

Conclusions:

Decreased libido in the late reproductive years is associated with a pronounced fluctuation in total testosterone over time. Other independent risk factors for decreased libido include vaginal dryness, depression, and living with children. Sexual dysfunction is a complex disorder, related to physiological and psychosocial factors, requiring further investigation.
Correlates of sexual function among multi-ethnic middle-aged women: results from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
Authors: Avis Nancy E. , Zhao Xinhua , Johannes Catherine B. , Ory Marcia , Brockwell Sarah , Greendale Gail A.
Published: October 2018

Objective:

To examine sexual function in a cohort of Baby Boomer women of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds; to compare differences between pre-and early perimenopausal women; and to identify sociodemographic, health-related, and psychosocial (including psychological, behavioral, and relationship) factors related to sexual function.

Design:

Six domains of sexual function were studied in 3,167 women in the baseline cohort of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Participants were 42 to 52 years old, pre-or early perimenopausal, and not using hormones. The study sample included non-Hispanic white, African American, Hispanic, Chinese, and Japanese women.

Results:

Early perimenopausal women reported greater pain with intercourse than premenopausal women (P = 0.01), but the two groups did not differ in frequency of sexual intercourse, desire, arousal, or physical or emotional satisfaction. Variables having the greatest association across all outcomes were relationship factors, the perceived importance of sex, attitudes toward aging, and vaginal dryness. Despite controlling for a wide range of variables, we still found ethnic differences for arousal (P < 0.0001), pain (P = 0.03), desire (P < 0.0001), and frequency of sexual intercourse (P = 0.0003). African American women reported higher frequency of sexual intercourse than white women; Hispanic women reported lower physical pleasure and arousal. Chinese women reported more pain and less desire and arousal than the white women, as did the Japanese women, although the only significant difference was for arousal.

Conclusions:

Relationship variables, attitudes toward sex and aging, vaginal dryness, and cultural background have a greater impact on most aspects of sexual function than the transition to early perimenopause.
Estrogen alone and joint symptoms in the Women's Health Initiative randomized trial
Authors: Chlebowski Rowan T. , Cirillo Dominic J. , Eaton Charles B. , Stefanick Marcia L. , Pettinger Mary , Carbone Laura D. , Johnson Karen C. , Simon Michael S. , Woods Nancy F. , Wactawski-Wende Jean
Published: October 2018

Objective:

Although joint symptoms are commonly reported after menopause, observational studies examining exogenous estrogen's influence on joint symptoms provide mixed results. Against this background, estrogen-alone effects on joint symptoms were examined in post hoc analyses in the Women's Health Initiative randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial.

Methods:

A total of 10,739 postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy were randomized to receive daily oral conjugated equine estrogens (0.625 mg/d) or a matching placebo. The frequency and severity of joint pain and joint swelling were assessed by questionnaire in all participants at entry and on year 1, and in a 9.9% random subsample (n = 1,062) after years 3 and 6. Logistic regression models were used to compare the frequency and severity of symptoms by randomization group. Sensitivity analyses evaluated adherence influence on symptoms.

Results:

At baseline, joint pain and joint swelling were closely comparable in the randomization groups (about 77% with joint pain and 40% with joint swelling). After 1 year, joint pain frequency was significantly lower in the estrogen-alone group compared with the placebo group (76.3% vs 79.2%, P = 0.001), as was joint pain severity, and the difference in pain between randomization groups persisted through year 3. However, joint swelling frequency was higher in the estrogen-alone group (42.1% vs 39.7%, P = 0.02). Adherence-adjusted analyses strengthen estrogen's association with reduced joint pain but attenuate estrogen's association with increased joint swelling.

Conclusions:

The current findings suggest that estrogen-alone use in postmenopausal women results in a modest but sustained reduction in the frequency of joint pain.
Comparison of Home and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurements in Association With Preclinical Hypertensive Cardiovascular Damage
Authors: Lin Ting-Tse , Juang Jimmy Jyh-Ming , Lee Jen-Kuang , Tsai Chia-Ti , Chen Chen-Huan , Yu Wen-Chung , Cheng Hao-min , Wu Yen-Wen , Chiu Yu-Wei , Kuo Chi-Tai , Chen Jin-Jer , Chen Zhih-Cherng , Chang Wei-Ting , Liu Ping-Yen , Chen Po-wei , Yen Hsueh-Wei , Chen Ying-Chih , Tseng Wei-Kung , Chiang Fu-Tien , Wu Cho-Kai
Published: October 2018

Objective:

To evaluate whether home or ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring was associated with preclinical hypertensive cardiovascular target organ damage (TOD).

Methods:

We enrolled participants with prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension from 11 medical centers within the Taiwan hypertension-associated cardiac disease consortium. Recordings of clinical BP measurement, ambulatory BP monitoring for 24 hours, and home BP monitoring during morning and evening were made. The measured parameters of target organ damage included left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left atrial volume index (LAVI), and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV).

Results:

Data were collected from 561 study participants (mean age, 65.0 ± 10.8 years; men, 61.3%). Morning and evening home BP values were slightly higher than the daytime and nighttime ABP values (difference for systolic morning-daytime/evening-nighttime, 7.3 ± 14.2/11.3 ± 18.5 mm Hg, P < .001; for diastolic, 5.4 ± 9.4/7.3 ± 12.1, P < .001). Daytime ambulatory (r = 0.114), nighttime ambulatory (r = 0.130), morning home (r = 0.310), and evening home (r = 0.220) systolic BPs (SBPs) were all associated with LVMI (all P < .05). The correlation coefficient was significantly greater for the relationship between daytime home SBP and LVMI than for the relationship between ambulatory SBP and LVMI (P < .01). The goodness of fit of the association between SBP and LVMI improved by adding home daytime SBP to the other SBPs (P < .001). Similar findings were observed for LAVI, but not for PWV.

Conclusion:

These findings indicate that morning SBP assessed by home monitoring appears to be a better predictor than other BP measures to determine preclinical hypertensive cardiovascular damage in patients with early-stage hypertension.
Readmission of High-Risk Discharged Patients at a Tertiary Hospital in Korea
Authors: Kim Young Man , Lee Taehee , Lee Hyun Joo , Yang You Lee , Oh Eui Geum
Published: October 2018

This study aims to investigate the readmission rates of major disease groups as stated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and to identify risk factors related to readmission in Korea. We studied 2,973 patients discharged from a 2,200-bed tertiary referral hospital in South Korea, from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017. Using electronic medical records, we calculated the 30-day readmission rates of seven diseases: acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), pneumonia, stroke, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and total hip arthroplasty/total knee arthroplasty. We used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to identify risk factors affecting readmission in this retrospective, observational study. For 2,973 consecutively discharged patients, the 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 10.3%. The readmission rate of HF (19.0%) was the highest, followed by pneumonia (13.7%), CABG (12.0%), and COPD (10.5%). Factors associated with readmission were polypharmacy (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.60–2.64), hospitalization history in the previous 6 months (HR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.41–2.32), and comorbidity (HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.11–1.23). Therefore, the discharge intervention program for high-risk discharge patients with polypharmacy, admission history, and comorbidity should include medication reconciliation.
Where Are the Dads? A Pilot Study of a Dads-Only Session in Group Prenatal Care
Authors: Deibel Megan , Zielinski Ruth E. , Shindler Rising Sharon , Kane-Low Lisa
Published: October 2018

Despite suggestions that paternal engagement is one potential strategy to impact the multifaceted problem of infant mortality, fathers' involvement in prenatal care has received little attention or study. While there is evidence that fathers want information about assisting partners and caring for newborns, the best mechanism for providing this information is unknown. A pilot study was conducted using a father-only session designed to provide information in an informal, interactive setting within a model of group prenatal care. All 5 of the fathers approached agreed to participate. The fathers participating in this session indicated that the session was beneficial and found it to be a valuable addition to the group care model. Implications for health providers include identifying opportunities that allow fathers to share concerns and anxieties regarding care for partners and newborns. Implementing fathering activities into group prenatal care or developing other opportunities for fathers to be involved prenatally needs further investigation.
Correlation of tumor uptake on breast-specific gamma imaging and fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT with molecular subtypes of breast cancer
Authors: Lee Soo Jin , Chung Min Sung , Shin Su-Jin , Choi Yun Young
Published: October 2018

Mechanisms of technetium-99m sesta-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (sestamibi) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake by tumor are different. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the tumor uptake of these 2 tracers in invasive ductal carcinoma and to examine thecorrelation of uptake of each tracer with prognostic factors and tumor molecular subtypes.

A total of 96 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma who underwent preoperative breast-specific gamma imaging and FDG positron-emission tomography/computed tomography were retrospectively enrolled. Tumor-to-background ratio (TBR) of sestamibi and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of FDG were correlated with each other. Each of them was then compared with prognostic factors and molecular subtypes.

In all tumors, there was a moderate positive correlation between TBR and SUVmax (r = 0.520, P < .001). Both TBR and SUVmax were significantly correlated with tumor size, incidence of axillary lymph node metastasis, histologic grade, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor status, and Ki-67.

There is a moderate degree of association between TBR of sestamibi and SUVmax of FDG in the invasive breast cancer. Two imaging indexes showed the similar tendency related with prognostic factors and molecular subtypes. While both TBR and SUVmax were significantly different between luminal A and nonluminal A tumors, neither of them had high enough sensitivity or specificity to obviate pathologic and molecular diagnosis.
Efficacy and safety of empagliflozin for type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zhang Yun-Jing , Han Shi-Liang , Sun Xi-Feng , Wang Shu-Xiang , Wang Hong-Yun , Liu Xiao , Chen Li , Xia Ling
Published: October 2018

Background:

This study was designed to evaluate the efficiency and tolerability of empagliflozin (EMPA) as monotherapy or add-on to existing therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods:

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing efficacy and safety of EMPA vs placebo or EMPA plus other antidiabetes drugs vs placebo plus other oral antidiabetes drugs (OADs) in T2DM were recruited from electronic database Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), supplemented by a hand search of the reference lists of selected articles. Main effect sizes were change from baseline on glycemia control, body weight, blood pressure, and complications (i.e., incidence of urinary and genital tract infections, and morbidity of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia). Random-effects model was used to account for clinical or methodologic heterogeneity across studies.

Results:

Fifteen RCTs with a total number of 7891 individuals (5374 in EMPA group and 2517 in control group) were suitable for this meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that significant improvements in glycemia control, body weight, and blood pressure were associated with EMPA application (i.e., monotherapy and add-on therapy) in patient with T2DM when compared with placebo. Meanwhile, EMPA 10 and 20 mg improved glycemia, body weight, and blood pressure control for patients with T2DM. There was no significant difference in incidence of hypoglycemia and urinary tract infections across EMPA and placebo group. Significant reduced risk of hyperglycemia was revealed in EMPA group vs placebo (risk ratio: 0.34, 95%confidence interval: 0.23–0.49, P < .00001), except in patients on background insulin therapy. However, increased risk of genital infection was noted across EMPA vs placebo (risk ratio: 2.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.80–3.71, P < .00001).

Conclusion:

Our evidence supports the application of EMPA in treatment of patients with T2DM who are obesity or at risk of weight gain.
The value of magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose pathological complete response of rectal cancer after therapy
Authors: Zhang Mei , Li Jipin , Ma Xueni , Wang Bo , Wu Jiarui , Gao Ya , Tian Jinhui , Wang Jiancheng
Published: October 2018

Background:

Although the trends of colorectal incidence rate and mortality have decreased during the past 20 years, however, they are still high. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is recommended as the standard treatment strategy of local advanced rectal cancer followed by surgery and adjuvant therapy. Predicting pathological complete response (pCR) accurately is relative to the next treatment strategy to avoid extensive therapy. And there are more and more physicians who would like to choose pelvic MRI imaging to evaluate the state of rectal cancer. Therefore, our analysis will aim to assess the value of MRI to predict pCR of rectal cancer after therapy and distinguish which sequence and magnetic strength is the best one to diagnose pCR.

Methods:

Comprehensive computer-based search will be performed using the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CBM database (last updated in April 2018), 2 reviewers will extract the related information respectively. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and the area under the hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristic curves will be calculated to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of different sequences and intensities of magnetic resonance imaging. Methodological quality will be assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool.

Results:

The results of this analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

Conclusion:

The ability of different MRI sequences and magnetic intensities to identify pCR will be evaluated and the best one to diagnose pCR of rectal cancer after therapy will be recommended.

Ethics and dissemination:

Ethics approval and patient consent are not required, as this study is a meta-analysis based on published studies.

PROSPERO registration number:

CRD42018105672.
Relationship between the IADPSG-criteria-defined abnormal glucose values and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women having gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Ding Ting-ting , Xiang Jie , Luo Bi-ru , Hu Juan
Published: October 2018

To explore the influence of the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on pregnancy outcomes and to determine the risk factors for adverse outcomes among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

This retrospective cohort study was conducted among women who had GDM and were treated between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017. The diagnostic criteria for GDM were proposed by the International Diabetes and Pregnancy Research Organization (IADPSG) in 2010. Women with GDM were stratified according to the number of abnormal OGTT values or the presence/absence of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Maternal characteristics, OGTT values, pregnancy outcomes, and the relationship between the latter 2 were analyzed.

In total, 3221 pregnant women with GDM were included. The incidence of adverse outcomes was affected by maternal age (28–37 years, in particular; odds ratio [OR], 1.403; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.037–1.899;P = .028), days of pregnancy (OR, 0.904; 95% CI, 0.894–0.914;P < .001), gestational weight gain (OR, 1.018; 95% CI, 1.000–1.036;,P = .048), and age of menarche (OR, 0.925; 95% CI, 0.863–0.992;P = .029). Both fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h OGTT were positively correlated with adverse outcomes, of which FPG was more predictive (FPG: OR, 1.143; 95% CI, 1.007–1.297;P = .038; 2-h OGTT: OR, 1.074; 95% CI, 1.018–1.133;P = .009). Meanwhile, higher abnormal OGTT values were associated with significantly increased risks of antenatal insulin treatment, cesarean delivery, premature delivery, gestational hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, preeclampsia, macrosomia, neonatal asphyxia, and full term low weight infants.

OGTT values and the number of abnormal glucose are associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes. Stratified management is recommended for pregnant women with GDM, especially those with fasting hyperglycemia and/or 3 abnormal OGTT values.
Urinary β2-microglobulin as an early marker of infantile enterovirus and human parechovirus infections
Authors: Azuma Junji , Yamamoto Takehisa , Sakurai Mihoko , Amou Ryuko , Yamada Chieko , Hashimoto Kazuhisa , Kajita Satomi , Yamamoto Kyoko , Kijima Eri , Mizoguchi Yoshimi , Nakata Keiko , Shimotsuji Tunesuke , Ozono Keiichi
Published: October 2018

Enterovirus and human parechovirus (HPeV) are RNA viruses belonging to the family Picornaviridae that frequently infect infants. These infections show a wide variety of clinical manifestations, from mild to severe. However, there are no known early clinical markers for diagnosis and prediction of disease severity. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical utility of urinary beta 2-microglobulin (β2MG) for the early detection and prognosis of infantile enterovirus and HPeV infections.

This retrospective study included 108 full-term infants younger than 60 days of age, including 15 with enterovirus or HPeV-3 (enterovirus/HPeV-3), 22 with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and 24 with bacterial infections. Laboratory data and clinical characteristics were compared among these 3 groups. Of the 15 patients with enterovirus/HPeV-3, 6 were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG subgroup) because of severe clinical conditions.

Urinary β2MG to creatinine ratio (β2MG/Cr) was significantly higher in the enterovirus/HPeV-3 group compared to bacterial and RSV infection groups (both P < .001). In the enterovirus/HPeV-3 group, mean peak urinary β2MG/Cr was observed on day 1 or 2. Urinary β2MG/Cr values were significantly higher in the IVIG subgroup than the non-IVIG subgroup (P < .001).

Increased urinary β2MG/Cr in early-stage infection may be a useful clinical marker for the detection and prediction of infantile enterovirus and HPeV infection severity.
Periclitoral accessory breast tissue in a lactating woman
Authors: Song Yanlin , Zhang Jing , Liu Zhiyong , Fan Yimeng , Luo Min , Wei Yuquan , Zhang Yange , Xu Xuewen
Published: October 2018

Rationale:

The accessory breast is residual mammal tissue which does not regress during the embryonic development. The accessory breast is so rare that it is easily ignored in diagnosis of disease.

Patient concerns:

We report a 29-year-old lactating woman presented with complaints of periclitoral lesions without any pain or discomfort.

Diagnoses:

Periclitoral accessory breast tissue.

Interventions:

We performed wide local resection of the lesions. Pathologic examination confirmed the lesions were ectopic breast tissues with secretory changes. The patient was followed up for 3 months and she was totally recovered.

Lessons:

Accessory breast tissue should be considered as a diagnosis when a mass grow fast on the milk line, especially the masses changes obviously with sex hormones according to the clinical findings.
Solitary thin-walled cystic lung cancer with extensive extrapulmonary metastasis
Authors: Wang Xiang , Tao Yun-Xia , Zhang Miao , Wu Wen-Bin , Yang Dun-Peng , Wang Min
Published: October 2018

Rationale:

Asymptomatic, isolated, and thin-walled cystic lung cancer with extensive extrapulmonary metastasis is rare, and the risk of pulmonary cyst developing into lung cancer is poorly understood. The efficacy of apatinib for end-stage pulmonary adenosquamous carcinoma has not been clarified yet.

Patient concerns:

We herein report a rare case of primary lung cancer that appeared as an isolated thin-walled cystic lesion on computed tomography (CT) image, who was initially misdiagnosed as having pulmonary cyst empirically.

Diagnoses:

Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography and CT-guided liver biopsy of the patient revealed extra-pulmonary metastasis of lung cancer.

Interventions:

Eight cycles of cisplatin-based chemotherapy were administered, followed by oral apatinib for 6 months. Thereafter, best supportive care was given for this patient.

Outcomes:

The pulmonary cystic lesion indicated stable disease through the therapy, but the hepatic tumors were progressed gradually after anticancer treatment. The patient died 16 months after the correct diagnosis.

Lessons:

Solitary thin-walled cystic lung cancer should be kept in mind during the differential diagnosis of pulmonary cavitary lesions. Chest CT alone is insufficient for surveillance of these cystic diseases. Timely biopsy and resection are essential to avoid delayed management. Besides, apatinib may play a role in the treatment of end-stage pulmonary adenosquamous carcinoma.
Prognostic value of osteopontin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Sun Tingting , Li Peng , Sun Diwen , Bu Qingao , Li Guoqiang
Published: October 2018

Purpose:

The prognostic value of tissue and serum osteopontin (OPN) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain controversial. The aim of present meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic value of OPN in patients with HCC.

Methods:

Eligible studies were systematically searched by PubMed, EMBASE, and Google scholar. A meta-analysis of 12 studies included 2117 cases was performed to estimate the association between OPN level and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) in HCC patients. Subgroup analyses were also performed in the meta-analysis.

Results:

The pooled data of studies showed that high OPN level was significantly associated with poor OS (hazard ratios [HR] 1.84; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.54–2.20; P 
= .000) and DFS (HR 1.67; 95% CI 1.40–1.98; P 
= .000) in HCC. Furthermore, in subgroup analysis, high tissue based OPN by immunohistochemistry detection and serum-based OPN by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection were both significantly associated with OS (tissue: HR 1.88; 95% CI 1.53–2.31; P < .0001; serum: HR 2.38; 95% CI 1.58–3.59; P < .0001). Simultaneously, we also found that OPN expression was positively associated with stage (odds ratios [OR] 5.68; 95% CI 3.443–7.758), tumor size (Size≤5 cm vs >5 cm; OR 2.001; 95% CI1.036–3.867).

Conclusion:

The current evidence indicates that OPN could serve as a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for HCC.