bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The association between diabetes mellitus and incident infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Abu-Ashour Waseem , Twells Laurie , Valcour James , Randell Amy , Donnan Jennifer , Howse Patricia , Gamble John-Michael
Published: May 2017

Objective

To quantify the association between diabetes and the risk of incident infections by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Research design and methods

Two reviewers independently screened articles identified from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, IPA, and Web of Science databases. Cohort studies (CS) or case–control studies (CCS) evaluating the incidence of infections in adults with diabetes were included. Infections were classified as: skin and soft tissue, respiratory, blood, genitourinary, head and neck, gastrointestinal, bone, viral, and non-specified infections. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Summary crude and adjusted OR with 95% CIs were calculated using random effects models, stratified by study design. Heterogeneity was measured using the I2statistic and explored using subgroup analyses.

Results

A total of 345 (243 CS and 102 CCS) studies were included. Combining adjusted results from all CS, diabetes was associated with an increased incidence of skin (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.78 to 2.12), respiratory (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.43), blood (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.48 to 2.00), genitourinary (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.82), head and neck (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.22), gastrointestinal (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.57), viral (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.46), and non-specified (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.66 to 2.04) infections. A stronger association was observed among CCS: skin (OR 2.64, 95% CI 2.20 to 3.17), respiratory (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.37 to 1.92), blood (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.68 to 3.42), genitourinary (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.60 to 4.17), gastrointestinal (OR 3.61, 95% CI 2.94 to 4.43), and non-specified (OR 3.53, 95% CI 2.62 to 4.75).

Conclusion

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of multiple types of infections. A high degree of heterogeneity was observed; however, subgroup analysis decreased the amount of heterogeneity within most groups. Results were generally consistent across types of infections.
Treatment patterns and clinical characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus according to body mass index: findings from an electronic medical records database
Authors: Weng Wayne , Tian Ye , Kimball Edward S. , Kong Sheldon X. , Bouchard Jonathan , Hobbs Todd M. , Sakurada Brian
Published: May 2017

Objective

This study evaluated relationships between glycaemic control, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities and pharmacological treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D).

Research design and methods

This was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of Quintiles electronic medical records research data (study period 1 October 2013–30 September 2014). Eligibility included age ≥18 years, T2D diagnosis, and at least one available BMI measurement.

Results

The study included 626 386 patients (mean age, 63.8 year; 51.3% female; 78.5% white; 62.6%, BMI ≥30 kg/m2). A1c data were available for 414 266 patients. The proportion of patients with good glycaemic control (A1c ≤6.5) decreased as BMI category increased, ranging from 40.1% of patients with BMI <30% to 30.1% of patients with BMI ≥40. The proportions of patients with poor glycaemic control (A1c >8% and A1c ≥9%) increased with increasing BMI category. Oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD) were the most frequently used (54.4% of patients with A1c values). Among patients using insulin-based therapy, 50% had an A1c ≥8% and 29% had an A1c ≥9% regardless of concomitant OAD or glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist use. Among patients using three or more OADs, 34.3% and 16.1% had A1c values ≥8% and ≥9%, respectively. There was no common trend observed for changes in the proportion of patients with T2D-related comorbidities according to BMI category. The most notable trend was a 7.6% net increase in the percentage of patients with hypertension from BMI <30 to BMI ≥40.

Conclusions

This large dataset provides evidence that roughly one out of four patients with T2D is not well controlled, and the prevalence of poor glycaemic control increases as BMI increases.
Association of diabetic retinopathy with both sarcopenia and muscle quality in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Fukuda Tatsuya , Bouchi Ryotaro , Takeuchi Takato , Nakano Yujiro , Murakami Masanori , Minami Isao , Izumiyama Hajime , Hashimoto Koshi , Yoshimoto Takanobu , Ogawa Yoshihiro
Published: May 2017

Objective

To examine whether the existence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) could be associated with the prevalent sarcopenia and muscle quality in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Research design and methods

This is a cross-sectional study of 316 patients with type 2 diabetes (mean age 65±12 years; 38% female). Body compositions were measured by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Patients were divided into three groups: patients without DR (NDR), with non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and proliferative DR (PDR). Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the criteria for Asians, using both skeletal muscle index (SMI) and grip strength (kg). Muscle quality was also determined by the grip strength divided by SMI. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to assess the cross-sectional association of the severity of DR with sarcopenia. In addition, linear regression analyses were performed to determine the associations between DR and muscle quality. Selection of covariates in the multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses was done by a stepwise procedure.

Results

Among the patients examined, NDR, NPDR and PDR were diagnosed in 261, 38 and 17 patients, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia significantly increased along with the progression of DR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PDR is significantly associated with sarcopenia (OR 7.78, 95% CI 1.52 to 39.81, p=0.014) and low muscle strength (OR 6.25, 95% CI 1.15 to 33.96, p=0.034). Multivariate linear regression analysis additionally showed that the existence of DR was significantly associated with the muscle quality (standardized β −0.136, p=0.005 for NPDR, standardized β −0.146, p=0.003 for PDR).

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that PDR is significantly associated with sarcopenia, and the existence of DR increases the risk for low muscle quality in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Conflict in Somalia: impact on child undernutrition
Authors: Kinyoki Damaris K , Moloney Grainne M , Uthman Olalekan A , Kandala Ngianga-Bakwin , Odundo Elijah O , Noor Abdisalan M , Berkley James A
Published: May 2017

Introduction

In Somalia, protracted conflict and drought have caused population displacement and livelihood destruction. There is also widespread childhood undernutrition. We aimed to determine the independent effects of conflict on wasting and stunting among children aged 6–59 months nationwide in Somalia.

Methods

Data were from household surveys during 2007–2010, including 73 778 children in 1066 clusters, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project database and remote sensing. We used Bayesian hierarchical spatial-temporal regression to examine the effects of conflict on wasting and stunting. Models included individual, household and environmental covariates and recent (<3 months) or longer term (3–12 months) conflict events.

Results

15 355 (21%) and 22 739 (31%) observations were from wasted and stunted children, respectively. The conflict was associated with undernutrition independently of the individual, household and environmental factors, and its inclusion improved model performance. Recent conflict was associated with wasting (OR 1.37, 95% credible interval (CrI): (1.33, 1.42) and attributable fraction (AF) 7.6%)) and stunting (OR 1.21, 95% CrI (1.15, 1.28), AF 6.9%). Longer term conflict had greater effects on wasting (OR 1.76, 95% CrI (1.71, 1.81), AF 6.0%) and stunting (OR 1.88, 95% CrI = (1.83, 1.94), AF 7.4%). After controlling for conflict, the harmful effect of internal displacement and protective effects of rainfall and vegetation cover on undernutrition were enhanced.

Conclusion

Conflict and internal displacement have large effects on undernutrition in ways not fully captured by simply measuring individual, household and environmental factors or drought.
Supportive text messages for patients with alcohol use disorder and a comorbid depression: a protocol for a single-blind randomised controlled aftercare trial
Authors: Hartnett Dan , Murphy Edel , Kehoe Elizabeth , Agyapong Vincent , McLoughlin Declan M , Farren Conor
Published: May 2017

Introduction

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and mood disorders commonly co-occur, and are associated with a range of negative outcomes for patients. Mobile phone technology has the potential to provide personalised support for such patients and potentially improve outcomes in this difficult-to-treat cohort. The aim of this study is to examine whether receiving supporting SMS text messages, following discharge from an inpatient dual diagnosis treatment programme, has a positive impact on mood and alcohol abstinence in patients with an AUD and a comorbid mood disorder.

Methods and analysis

The present study is a single-blind randomised controlled trial. Patients aged 18–70 years who meet the criteria for both alcohol dependency syndrome/alcohol abuse and either major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder according to the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV Axis I will be randomised to receive twice-daily supportive SMS text messages for 6 months plus treatment as usual, or treatment as usual alone, and will be followed-up at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months postdischarge. Primary outcome measures will include changes from baseline in cumulative abstinence duration, which will be expressed as the proportion of days abstinent from alcohol in the preceding 90 days, and changes from baseline in Beck Depression Inventory scores.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial has received full ethical approval from the St. Patrick’s Hospital Research Ethics Committee (protocol 13/14). Results of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal articles and at academic conferences.

Trial registration number

NCT02404662; Pre-results.
Navigating high-risk surgery: protocol for a multisite, stepped wedge, cluster-randomised trial of a question prompt list intervention to empower older adults to ask questions that inform treatment decisions
Authors: Taylor Lauren J , Rathouz Paul J , Berlin Ana , Brasel Karen J , Mosenthal Anne C , Finlayson Emily , Cooper Zara , Steffens Nicole M , Jacobson Nora , Buffington Anne , Tucholka Jennifer L , Zhao Qianqian , Schwarze Margaret L
Published: May 2017

Introduction

Older patients frequently undergo operations that carry high risk for postoperative complications and death. Poor preoperative communication between patients and surgeons can lead to uninformed decisions and result in unexpected outcomes, conflict between surgeons and patients, and treatment inconsistent with patient preferences. This article describes the protocol for a multisite, cluster-randomised trial that uses a stepped wedge design to test a patient-driven question prompt list (QPL) intervention aimed to improve preoperative decision making and inform postoperative expectations.

Methods and analysis

This Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded trial will be conducted at five academic medical centres in the USA. Study participants include surgeons who routinely perform vascular or oncological surgery, their patients and families. We aim to enrol 40 surgeons and 480 patients over 24 months. Patients age 65 or older who see a study-enrolled surgeon to discuss a vascular or oncological problem that could be treated with high-risk surgery will be enrolled at their clinic visit. Together with stakeholders, we developed a QPL intervention addressing preoperative communication needs of patients considering major surgery. Guided by the theories of self-determination and relational autonomy, this intervention is designed to increase patient activation. Patients will receive the QPL brochure and a letter from their surgeon encouraging its use. Using audio recordings of the outpatient surgical consultation, patient and family member questionnaires administered at three time points and retrospective chart review, we will compare the effectiveness of the QPL intervention to usual care with respect to the following primary outcomes: patient engagement in decision making, psychological well-being and post-treatment regret for patients and families, and interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict relating to treatment decisions and treatments received.

Ethics and dissemination

Approvals have been granted by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Wisconsin and at each participating site, and a Certificate of Confidentiality has been obtained. Results will be reported in peer-reviewed publications and presented at national meetings.

Trial registration number

NCT02623335.
Speech and communication in Parkinson’s disease: a cross-sectional exploratory study in the UK
Authors: Barnish Maxwell S , Horton Simon M C , Butterfint Zoe R , Clark Allan B , Atkinson Rachel A , Deane Katherine H O
Published: May 2017

Objective

To assess associations between cognitive status, intelligibility, acoustics and functional communication in PD.

Design

Cross-sectional exploratory study of functional communication, including a within-participants experimental design for listener assessment.

Setting

A major academic medical centre in the East of England, UK.

Participants

Questionnaire data were assessed for 45 people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), who had self-reported speech or communication difficulties and did not have clinical dementia. Acoustic and listener analyses were conducted on read and conversational speech for 20 people with PD and 20 familiar conversation partner controls without speech, language or cognitive difficulties.

Main outcome measures

Functional communication assessed by the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) and Communicative Effectiveness Survey (CES).

Results

People with PD had lower intelligibility than controls for both the read (mean difference 13.7%, p=0.009) and conversational (mean difference 16.2%, p=0.04) sentences. Intensity and pause were statistically significant predictors of intelligibility in read sentences. Listeners were less accurate identifying the intended emotion in the speech of people with PD (14.8% point difference across conditions, p=0.02) and this was associated with worse speaker cognitive status (16.7% point difference, p=0.04). Cognitive status was a significant predictor of functional communication using CPIB (F=8.99, p=0.005, η2= 0.15) but not CES. Intelligibility in conversation sentences was a statistically significant predictor of CPIB (F=4.96, p=0.04, η2= 0.19) and CES (F=13.65, p=0.002, η2= 0.43). Read sentence intelligibility was not a significant predictor of either outcome.

Conclusions

Cognitive status was an important predictor of functional communication—the role of intelligibility was modest and limited to conversational and not read speech. Our results highlight the importance of focusing on functional communication as well as physical speech impairment in speech and language therapy (SLT) for PD. Our results could inform future trials of SLT techniques for PD.
Physical activity, immune function and inflammation in kidney patients (the PINK study): a feasibility trial protocol
Authors: Highton Patrick James , Neale Jill , Wilkinson Thomas J , Bishop Nicolette C , Smith Alice C
Published: May 2017

Introduction

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) display increased infection-related mortality and elevated cardiovascular risk only partly attributed to traditional risk factors. Patients with CKD also exhibit a pro-inflammatory environment and impaired immune function. Aerobic exercise has the potential to positively impact these detriments, but is under-researched in this patient population. This feasibility study will investigate the effects of acute aerobic exercise on inflammation and immune function in patients with CKD to inform the design of larger studies intended to ultimately influence current exercise recommendations.

Methods and analysis

Patients with CKD, including renal transplant recipients, will visit the laboratory on two occasions, both preceded by appropriate exercise, alcohol and caffeine restrictions. On visit 1, baseline assessments will be completed, comprising anthropometrics, body composition, cardiovascular function and fatigue and leisure time exercise questionnaires. Participants will then undertake an incremental shuttle walk test to estimate predicted peak O2consumption (VO2peak). On visit 2, participants will complete a 20 min shuttle walk at a constant speed to achieve 85% estimated VO2peak. Blood and saliva samples will be taken before, immediately after and 1 hour after this exercise bout. Muscle O2saturation will be monitored throughout exercise and recovery. Age and sex-matched non-CKD ‘healthy control’ participants will complete an identical protocol. Blood and saliva samples will be analysed for markers of inflammation and immune function, using cytometric bead array and flow cytometry techniques. Appropriate statistical tests will be used to analyse the data.

Ethics and dissemination

A favourable opinion was granted by the East Midlands-Derby Research Ethics Committee on 18 September 2015 (ref 15/EM/0391), and the study was approved and sponsored by University Hospitals of Leicester Research and Innovation (ref 11444). The study was registered with ISRCTN (ref 38935454). The results will be presented at relevant conferences, and it is anticipated that the reports will be published in appropriate journals in 2018.
The association between human herpesvirus infections and stroke: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Forbes Harriet J , Benjamin Laura , Breuer Judy , Brown Martin M , Langan Sinéad M , Minassian Caroline , Smeeth Liam , Thomas Sara L , Warren-Gash Charlotte
Published: May 2017

Introduction

After primary infection, human herpesviruses establish latency and persist lifelong. Periodic virus reactivation can lead to serious inflammatory complications. Recent research suggests that herpesvirus reactivation may also be linked to acute stroke. An improved understanding of this relationship is vital to inform public health prevention strategies. We will review the evidence regarding the role of human herpesviruses in triggering stroke.

Methods and analysis

A systematic literature review of published and grey literature studies with a human herpesvirus (infection or reactivation) as an exposure and stroke as an outcome will be carried out. Randomised controlled trials, cohort, case–control, case crossover and self-controlled case series designs will be eligible; no restrictions will be placed on publication status, language and geographical or healthcare setting. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Global Health, Medline, Scopus and Web of Science will be searched from dates of inception to January 2017. A prespecified search strategy of medical subject headings and free text terms (in the title and abstract) for human herpesviruses AND stroke will be used. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts for eligible studies, followed by full-text screening. The reviewers will then extract data from the eligible studies using standardised, pilot-tested tables and assess risk of bias in individual studies, in line with the Cochrane Collaboration approach. The data will be synthesised in a narrative format, and meta-analyses considered where there are sufficient data. Quality of evidence will be assessed in line with theGrading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Ethics and dissemination

As this is a systematic review, ethical approval is not required. The results will be submitted for peer-review publication and presented at national conferences. A lay and short summary will be disseminated on appropriate webpages.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42017054502
Atrial fibrillation is associated with anterior predominant white matter lesions in patients presenting with embolic stroke
Authors: Mayasi Yunis , Helenius Johanna , McManus David D , Goddeau Richard P , Jun-O’Connell Adalia H , Moonis Majaz , Henninger Nils
Published: May 2017

Objective

High white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden is commonly found on brain MRI among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, whether the link between AF and WMH extends beyond a common vascular risk factor profile is uncertain. We sought to determine whether AF relates to a distinct WMH lesion pattern which may suggest specific underlying pathophysiological relationships.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed a cohort of consecutive patients presenting with embolic stroke at an academic hospital and tertiary referral centre between March 2010 and March 2014. In total, 234 patients (53% female, 74% anterior circulation infarction) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the analyses. WMH lesion distribution was classified according to previously defined categories. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine variables associated with AF within 90 days of index hospital discharge.

Results

Among included patients, 114 had AF (49%). After adjustment for the CHA2DS2-VASc score (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years (doubled), diabetes mellitus, prior stroke/TIA (doubled), vascular disease, age 65–74 years, sex category (female)) score, WMH lesion burden as assessed on the Fazekas scale, embolic stroke pattern, infarct distribution and pertinent interaction terms, AF was significantly associated with presence of anterior subcortical WMH patches (OR 3.647, 95% CI 1.681 to 7.911, p=0.001).

Conclusions

AF is associated with specific WMH lesion pattern among patients with embolic stroke aetiology. This suggests that the link between AF and brain injury extends beyond thromboembolic complications to include a cardiovasculopathy that affects the brain and can be detected and characterised by WMH.
Migraine and stroke
Authors: Zhang Yonghua , Parikh Aasheeta , Qian Shuo
Published: May 2017

Migraines are generally considered a relatively benign neurological condition. However, research has shown an association between migraines and stroke, and especially between migraine with aura and ischaemic stroke. Patients can also suffer from migrainous infarction, a subset of ischaemic stroke that often occurs in the posterior circulation of younger women. The exact pathogenesis of migrainous infarct is not known, but it is theorised that the duration and local neuronal energy level from cortical spreading depression may be a key factor. Other factors contributing to migrainous infarct may include vascular, inflammatory, endothelial structure, patent foramen ovale, gender, oral contraceptive pill use and smoking. Vasoconstrictors such as the triptan and ergot class are commonly used to treat migraines and may also play a role. Migraine is also shown to be correlated to haemorrhagic stroke, although studies do not demonstrate causation versus association, and further studies are warranted. There are also some rare genetic diseases such as cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy, retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukodystrophy and others, which can cause both migraines and infarcts. On imaging, many migraineurs are found to have white matter changes similar to those seen in patients with stroke. These may be caused in part by alterations in resting cerebral blood flow and vasoconstrictor use. In treating patients with migraines, it is important to identify and modify any vascular risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, oral contraceptive pill use and lifestyle factors. Further studies will determine if more aggressive treatment of migraines can ultimately lead to fewer strokes in this population.
The effect of exercise intensity and excess postexercise oxygen consumption on postprandial blood lipids in physically inactive men
Authors: Littlefield Laurel A. , Papadakis Zacharias , Rogers Katie M. , Moncada-Jiménez José , Taylor J. Kyle , Grandjean Peter W.
Published: May 2017

Reductions in postprandial lipemia have been observed following aerobic exercise of sufficient energy expenditure. Increased excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) has been documented when comparing high- versus low-intensity exercise. The contribution of EPOC energy expenditure to alterations in postprandial lipemia has not been determined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of low- and high-intensity exercise on postprandial lipemia in healthy, sedentary, overweight and obese men (age, 43 ± 10 years; peak oxygen consumption, 31.1 ± 7.5 mL·kg−1·min−1; body mass index, 31.8 ± 4.5 kg/m2) and to determine the contribution of EPOC to reductions in postprandial lipemia. Participants completed 4 conditions: nonexercise control, low-intensity exercise at 40%–50% oxygen uptake reserve (LI), high-intensity exercise at 70%–80% oxygen uptake reserve (HI), and HI plus EPOC re-feeding (HI+EERM), where the difference in EPOC energy expenditure between LI and HI was re-fed in the form of a sports nutrition bar (Premier Nutrition Corp., Emeryville, Calif., USA). Two hours following exercise participants ingested a high-fat (1010 kcals, 99 g sat fat) test meal. Blood samples were obtained before exercise, before the test meal, and at 2, 4, and 6 h postprandially. Triglyceride incremental area under the curve was significantly reduced following LI, HI, and HI+EERM when compared with nonexercise control (p < 0.05) with no differences between the exercise conditions (p > 0.05). In conclusions, prior LI and HI exercise equally attenuated postprandial triglyceride responses to the test meal. The extra energy expended during EPOC does not contribute significantly to exercise energy expenditure or to reductions in postprandial lipemia in overweight men.
The golden chanterelles of Newfoundland and Labrador: a new species, a new record for North America, and a lost species rediscovered
Authors: Thorn R. Greg , Kim Jee In , Lebeuf Renée , Voitk Andrus
Published: May 2017

Three species of golden chanterelles were found in Newfoundland and Labrador and were compared with other Cantharellus species by macromorphology, microscopy, and multilocus phylogenetic studies. The commonest species is a member of the C. cibarius group, usually found with Picea, and is differentiated from European C. cibarius by its pinkish-orange rather than yellow hymenium, and from both C. cibarius and C. roseocanus of the Pacific Northwest by its ITS and TEF1 sequences. We describe it as a new species, Cantharellus enelensis; published sequences extend its range to Michigan and Illinois. An uncommon species with reduced, merulioid hymenophore, found growing only with Betula, has rDNA and TEF1 sequences nearly identical to C. amethysteus, but only occasionally shows the amethyst scales on its cap characterizing that species in Europe. Ours is the first report of this species from North America. A third species was recognized by its sequences as C. camphoratus, but our collections, found with Abies balsamea, lack the odour of camphor for which this species was named and have longer and more slender spores than in the original description. This species has not been reported since its description from a single collection in Nova Scotia. All three species are edible.
The quantum second virial coefficient of 3He at low density in the temperature range 0.005–10 K
Authors: Al-Obeidat O.T. , Sandouqa A.S. , Joudeh B.R. , Ghassib H.B. , Hawamdeh M.M.
Published: May 2017

The quantum second virial coefficient Bq for 3He is calculated from first principles at low density in the temperature range 0.005–10 K. By “first principles”, it is meant that the many-body phase shifts are first determined within the Galitskii–Migdal–Feynman formalism; they are then plugged into the Beth–Uhlenbeck formula for Bq. A positive Bq corresponds to an overall repulsive interaction; a negative Bq represents an overall attractive interaction. The s-wave scattering length a0 is calculated quite accurately as a function of the temperature T. The effect of the (low-density) medium on Bq is studied. Bq is then used to determine the volume of 3He at the saturation curve. The compressibility is evaluated as a measure of the non-ideality of the system.
Jeremy Bernstein’s monologue
Authors: Yang C. N.
Published: May 2017

There appeared recently on the web a monologue a by Jeremy Bernstein (1929– ) about how he had written his famous New Yorker article in 1962. The following is a transcription of the monologue: Since the recording on the web was not of good quality, the transcription probably contains mistakes.

a Web of Stories, https://www.webofstories.com/play/jeremy.bernstein/1 .
Shape dynamical loop gravity from a conformal Immirzi parameter
Authors: Wong Patrick J.
Published: May 2017

The Immirzi parameter of loop quantum gravity is a one-parameter ambiguity of the theory whose precise interpretation is not universally agreed upon. It is an inherent characteristic of the quantum theory as it appears in the spectra of geometric operators, despite being irrelevant at the classical level. The parameter’s appearance in the area and volume spectra to the same power as the Planck area suggest that it plays a role in determining the fundamental length scale of space. In fact, a consistent interpretation is that it represents a constant rescaling of the kinematical spatial geometry. An interesting realization is that promoting the Immirzi parameter to be a general conformal transformation leads to a system which can be identified as analogous to the linking theory of shape dynamics. A three-dimensional gravitational gauge connection is then constructed within the linking theory in a manner analogous to loop quantum gravity, thereby facilitating the application of the established procedure of loop quantization.
Property difference between the neutron star PSR J0348+0432 and its proto neutron star
Authors: Zhao Xian-Feng
Published: May 2017

The property difference between the neutron star PSR J0348[Formula: see text]0432 and its proto neutron star is studied in the framework of the relativistic mean field theory considering neutrino trapping. We see that the central baryon number density of the proto neutron star PSR J0348+0432 is in the range [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]fm[Formula: see text], which is smaller than that of the neutron star PSR J0348[Formula: see text]0432 [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]fm[Formula: see text]. Inside the neutron star PSR J0348[Formula: see text]0432, only the neutrons, protons, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] produce, whereas the hyperons [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] all do not appear. But in the proto neutron star PSR J0348[Formula: see text]0432, hyperons [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] all will produce, though their relative particle number density is still very small, no more than 2%. This shows that higher temperature will be advantageous to the hyperon production.
THE BRITISH ASSET-OR-NOTHING PUT OPTION
Authors: GAO MIN
Published: May 2017

Following the economic rationale of Peskir & Samee [The British put option, Applied Mathematical Finance 18 (6), 537–563 (2011); The British call option, Quantitative Finance 13 (1), 95–109 (2013)], we present a new class of asset-or-nothing put option where the holder enjoys the early exercise feature of American asset-or-nothing put option whereupon his payoff is the ‘best prediction’ of the European asset-or-nothing put option payoff under the hypothesis that the true drift equals a contract drift. Based on the observed price movements, the option holder finds that if the true drift of the stock price is unfavorable, then he can substitute it with the contract drift and minimize his losses. The key to the British asset-or-nothing put option is the protection feature as not only can the option holder exercise at or above the strike price to a substantial reimbursement of the original option price (covering the ability to sell in a liquid option market completely endogenously) but also when the stock price movements are favorable he will generally receive high returns. We derive a closed form expression for the arbitrage-free price in terms of the rational exercise boundary and show that the rational exercise boundary itself can be characterized as the unique solution to a nonlinear integral equation. We also analyze the financial meaning of the British asset-or-nothing put option using the results above and show that with the contract drift properly selected, the British asset-or-nothing put option becomes a very attractive alternative to the classic European/American asset-or-nothing put option.
Aspiration of Aluminum Beverage Can Tab: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Elghouche Alhasan N. , Lobo Brian C. , Ting Jonathan Y.
Published: May 2017

We describe the case of a 16-year-old male who aspirated a beverage can tab resulting in significant functional impairment. Since the introduction of beverage can opening tabs (“pop-tops” or “pull-tabs”) nearly 50 years ago, five cases of their aspiration have been reported in the literature and this is the first case to report tracheal lodgment. We describe the clinical course for this patient including the inadequacy of radiographic evaluation and a significant delay in diagnosis. We highlight unique features of small aluminum foreign bodies that require consideration and mention a potential change in epidemiology associated with evolving product design. Our primary objective is increased awareness among otolaryngologists that radiography is unreliable for diagnosis or localization of small aluminum foreign bodies. The patient history must therefore be incorporated with other imaging modalities and/or endoscopic evaluation. Also, given the marked prevalence of aluminum beverage cans, we suspect that the inadvertent aspiration of can tabs is more common than indicated by the paucity of published reports.
SCPR: Secure Crowdsourcing-Based Parking Reservation System
Authors: Wan Changsheng , Zhang Juan , Huang Daoli
Published: May 2017

The crowdsourcing-based parking reservation system is a new computing paradigm, where private owners can rent their parking spots out. Security is the main concern for parking reservation systems. However, current schemes cannot provide user privacy protection for drivers and have no key agreement functions, resulting in a lot of security problems. Moreover, current schemes are typically based on the time-consuming bilinear pairing and not suitable for real-time applications. To solve these security and efficiency problems, we present a novel security protocol with user privacy called SCPR. Similar to protocols of this field, SCPR can authenticate drivers involved in the parking reservation system. However, different from other well-known approaches, SCPR uses pseudonyms instead of real identities for providing user privacy protection for drivers and designs a novel pseudonym-based key agreement protocol. Finally, to reduce the time cost, SCPR designs several novel cryptographic algorithms based on the algebraic signature technique. By doing so, SCPR can satisfy a number of security requirements and enjoy high efficiency. Experimental results show SCPR is feasible for real world applications.
A Study of Patients with Primary Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumors Treated Using Multimodal Therapy
Authors: Tanaka Yutaro , Okamura Takehiko , Nagai Takashi , Kobayashi Daichi , Kobayashi Takahiro , Akita Hidetoshi , Moritoki Yoshinobu , Yasui Takahiro
Published: May 2017

Objectives. Primary mediastinal germ cell tumors (PMGCTs) are rare, which often makes them difficult to treat. Herein, we examined patients with PMGCTs who underwent multimodal treatment.Methods. We examined 6 patients (median age: 25 years, range: 19–27 years) with PMGCTs who underwent multimodal treatment between April 2001 and March 2015. Three patients had seminomas, 2 patients had yolk sac tumors, and 1 patient had choriocarcinoma. The median observation period was 32.5 months (range: 8–84 months).Results. Three of the 6 patients received initial operation followed by 3-4 courses of chemotherapy (bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) or etoposide and cisplatin (EP)). One patient developed multiple lung metastases 17 months after surgery; received salvage chemotherapy with vinblastine, ifosfamide, and cisplatin; and achieved complete remission. The remaining 3 patients received initial BEP and EP chemotherapy. Multiple lung metastases and supraclavicular lymph node metastases were detected in 2 of these patients at the initial diagnosis. The patients underwent resections to remove residual tumor after treatment, and no viable tumor cells were found.Conclusions. Reliable diagnosis and immediate multimodal treatments are necessary for patients with PMGCTs. The 6 patients treated in our hospital have never experienced recurrence after the multimodal treatment.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Infective Endocarditis Presented with Unusual Intracardiac Mass
Authors: Sadeghpour Tabaei Ali , Koochakzadeh Leili , Khorgami Mohammadrafie , Sadeghpour Tabaei Sepehr
Published: May 2017

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a systemic disease that is presented with different symptoms and signs. Cardiac manifestation is rare in ALL, but it is very important and needs appropriate management. It usually presents as leukemic myocardial infiltration and in the presence of cardiac mass comprehensive evaluation for other etiologies is mandatory. We reported on a 6-year-old boy in remission phase of ALL and large cardiac mass in the right atrium with obscure early symptoms and signs, in whom infective endocarditis (IE) was diagnosed and appropriate medical treatment was performed. Because the mass was sustained, surgical resection was considered for the patient.
Sortilin-Related Receptor Expression in Human Neural Stem Cells Derived from Alzheimer’s Disease Patients Carrying the APOE Epsilon 4 Allele
Authors: Zollo Alen , Allen Zoe , Rasmussen Helle F. , Iannuzzi Filomena , Shi Yichen , Larsen Agnete , Maier Thorsten J. , Matrone Carmela
Published: May 2017

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly; important risk factors are old age and inheritance of the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) allele. Changes in amyloid precursor protein (APP) binding, trafficking, and sorting may be important AD causative factors. Secretase-mediated APP cleavage produces neurotoxic amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, which form lethal deposits in the brain. In vivo and in vitro studies have implicated sortilin-related receptor (SORL1) as an important factor in APP trafficking and processing. Recent in vitro evidence has associated the APOE4 allele and alterations in the SORL1 pathway with AD development and progression. Here, we analyzed SORL1 expression in neural stem cells (NSCs) from AD patients carrying null, one, or two copies of the APOE4 allele. We show reduced SORL1 expression only in NSCs of a patient carrying two copies of APOE4 allele with increased Aβ/SORL1 localization along the degenerated neurites. Interestingly, SORL1 binding to APP was largely compromised; this could be almost completely reversed by γ-secretase (but not β-secretase) inhibitor treatment. These findings may yield new insights into the complex interplay of SORL1 and AD pathology and point to NSCs as a valuable tool to address unsolved AD-related questions in vitro.
A Qualitative Study of Quality of Life Concerns following a Melanoma Diagnosis
Authors: Vogel Rachel I. , Strayer Lori G. , Ahmed Rehana L. , Blaes Anne , Lazovich DeAnn
Published: May 2017

The goal of this study was to identify a relevant and inclusive list of quality of life issues among long-term survivors of melanoma. Individuals diagnosed with stage I-III cutaneous melanoma and had survived 1-5 years, ages 18-65 years at diagnosis, were recruited. Five focus groups were conducted with 33 participants in total. Discussions centered on participants’ experiences at diagnosis, as well as ongoing physical, emotional, and social concerns, and behavioral changes since diagnosis. The majority of participants reported shock, fear, and feeling overwhelmed at the time of diagnosis. Some reported lingering physical concerns, including pain, numbness, and lymphedema, while a few reported no lasting issues. Emotional concerns were common, with most reporting anxiety. Several also noted feeling lonely and isolated. Social concerns included alteration of activities to avoid sun exposure, issues with family communication, and frustration with the lack of appreciation of the seriousness of melanoma by others. Finally, while many participants reported changes to their sun exposure and UV-protection behaviors, some reported little to no change. The shared experiences among participants in this study confirm the unique nature of melanoma and the need for interventions designed to improve the health and quality of life of melanoma survivors.
Automated Image Analysis of HER2 Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization to Refine Definitions of Genetic Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer Tissue
Authors: Radziuviene Gedmante , Rasmusson Allan , Augulis Renaldas , Lesciute-Krilaviciene Daiva , Laurinaviciene Aida , Clim Eduard , Laurinavicius Arvydas
Published: May 2017

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene- (HER2-) targeted therapy for breast cancer relies primarily on HER2 overexpression established by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with borderline cases being further tested for amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Manual interpretation of HER2 FISH is based on a limited number of cells and rather complex definitions of equivocal, polysomic, and genetically heterogeneous (GH) cases. Image analysis (IA) can extract high-capacity data and potentially improve HER2 testing in borderline cases. We investigated statistically derived indicators of HER2 heterogeneity in HER2 FISH data obtained by automated IA of 50 IHC borderline (2+) cases of invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Overall, IA significantly underestimated the conventional HER2, CEP17 counts, and HER2/CEP17 ratio; however, it collected more amplified cells in some cases below the lower limit of GH definition by manual procedure. Indicators for amplification, polysomy, and bimodality were extracted by factor analysis and allowed clustering of the tumors into amplified, nonamplified, and equivocal/polysomy categories. The bimodality indicator provided independent cell diversity characteristics for all clusters. Tumors classified as bimodal only partially coincided with the conventional GH heterogeneity category. We conclude that automated high-capacity nonselective tumor cell assay can generate evidence-based HER2 intratumor heterogeneity indicators to refine GH definitions.
High Plasma Glucagon Levels Correlate with Waist-to-Hip Ratio, Suprailiac Skinfold Thickness, and Deep Subcutaneous Abdominal and Intraperitoneal Adipose Tissue Depots in Nonobese Asian Indian Males with Type 2 Diabetes in North India
Authors: Anoop Shajith , Misra Anoop , Bhatt Surya Prakash , Gulati Seema , Mahajan Harsh , Prabakaran Gokulraj
Published: May 2017

We aimed to correlate plasma glucagon levels with anthropometric measures and abdominal adipose tissue depots. Nonobese males (n=81; BMI < 25 kg/m2) with T2DM of less than one-year duration and nonobese males without diabetes (n=30) were evaluated for the following: anthropometry (BMI, waist circumference, W-HR, and truncal skinfolds), whole-body DEXA (for body fat and fat-free mass), and MRI scan (for volumes of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SCAT) including superficial and deep, intra-abdominal visceral adipose tissue (including intraperitoneal adipose tissue (IPAT), retroperitoneal adipose tissue, liver span and fatty liver, and pancreatic volume)). Plasma glucose and glucagon, serum insulin, hepatic transaminases, and lipid profile were measured. Significantly higher levels of fasting and postprandial glucagon (p<0.001) and fasting and postprandial insulin (p<0.001) were seen in patients with T2DM. The mean values of fasting and postprandial plasma glucagon levels were higher in T2DM patients with NAFLD (n=37) as compared to T2DM patients without NAFLD (n=44). Four independent predictors were derived for fasting glucagon levels in patients with T2DM, namely, W-HR, suprailiac skinfold thickness, IPAT, and deep SCAT (p<0.05; r2=0.84). These observations in Asian Indians may have significance for diabetes therapies which impact glucagon levels.
Computational Methods for Solving Linear Fuzzy Volterra Integral Equation
Authors: Hamaydi Jihan , Qatanani Naji
Published: May 2017

Two numerical schemes, namely, the Taylor expansion and the variational iteration methods, have been implemented to give an approximate solution of the fuzzy linear Volterra integral equation of the second kind. To display the validity and applicability of the numerical methods, one illustrative example with known exact solution is presented. Numerical results show that the convergence and accuracy of these methods were in a good agreement with the exact solution. However, according to comparison of these methods, we conclude that the variational iteration method provides more accurate results.
Sirtuin-2 Protects Neural Cells from Oxidative Stress and Is Elevated in Neurodegeneration
Authors: Singh Preeti , Hanson Peter S. , Morris Christopher M.
Published: May 2017

Sirtuins are highly conserved lysine deacetylases involved in ageing, energy production, and lifespan extension. The mammalian SIRT2 has been implicated in Parkinson’s disease (PD) where studies suggest SIRT2 promotes neurodegeneration. We therefore evaluated the effects of SIRT2 manipulation in toxin treated SH-SY5Y cells and determined the expression and activity of SIRT2 in postmortem brain tissue from patients with PD. SH-SY5Y viability in response to oxidative stress induced by diquat or rotenone was measured following SIRT2 overexpression or inhibition of deacetylase activity, along withα-synuclein aggregation. SIRT2 in human tissues was evaluated using Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and fluorometric activity assays. In SH-SY5Y cells, elevated SIRT2 protected cells from rotenone or diquat induced cell death and enzymatic inhibition of SIRT2 enhanced cell death. SIRT2 protection was mediated, in part, through elevated SOD2 expression. SIRT2 reduced the formation ofα-synuclein aggregates but showed minimal colocalisation withα-synuclein. In postmortem PD brain tissue, SIRT2 activity was elevated compared to controls but also elevated in other neurodegenerative disorders. Results from both in vitro work and brain tissue suggest that SIRT2 is necessary for protection against oxidative stress and higher SIRT2 activity in PD brain may be a compensatory mechanism to combat neuronal stress.