bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic Variations in Cytochrome P450 1A1 and 1B1 Genes in a Cohort of Patients from Iraq Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Authors: Ibrahem Salih Q , Ahmed Hussien Q , Amin Khalida M
Published: October 2021

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant neoplasm in females. Genetic variations in the xenobiotic metabolising cytochrome enzymes; Family 1 Subfamily A Member 1 (CYP1A1) and Family 1 Subfamily B Member 1 (CYP1B1) might play a role in the individual susceptibility to breast cancer and its prognosis. The goal of this study is to estimate the incidence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP1A1 (rs1048943, Ile462VaI, and rs4646903/MSP1) and in CYP1B1 (rs1056836, Leu432Val) genes in patients with breast cancer. This case-control study included 180 female patients with breast cancer and 180 healthy control subjects from Kirkuk/Iraq. Genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood samples and tested for SNPs by the direct DNA sequencing technique. A statistical analysis was done to identify if there is any association between SNPs and the increasing odd of breast cancer and its stage, grade and molecular subtype at diagnosis. The common (reference) genotype of CYP1A1 gene rs1048943 is AA. The AG and GG variant genotypes were significantly more common in the breast cancer patients and conferred an increased odd of breast cancer and its later stages (stages III and IV) and poor differentiation ( P < .01) but not with the molecular subtypes. The common genotype of CYP1A1 rs4646903 is TT. The variant genotypes TC and CC are not associated either with increased risk of breast cancer ( P > .05) or with its stage, grade or molecular subtypes ( P > .05). The GG genotype of CYP1B1 rs1056836 was the common genotype. The CG and CC variant genotypes were not associated with the increased risks of breast cancer ( P > .05) or its stage, grade or molecular subtypes ( P > .05). In conclusion, variants genotypes of CYP1A1 rs1048943 might play a role in breast cancer pathogenesis and prognosis and can have a place in cancer screening and tailored medicine in the future in the Iraqi population. Future larger scale studies including other genes might help to better understand the role of the SNP in breast risk and its prognosis.
Concurrent Comparison of the Prognostic Values of Tumor Budding, Tumor Stroma Ratio, Tumor Infiltrating Pattern and Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio in Colorectal Cancer Patients
Authors: Zhang Yingcheng , Liu You , Qiu Xiaomei , Yan Bing
Published: October 2021

Objectives: Tumor budding (TB), tumor stroma ratio (TSR), tumor infiltrating pattern (TIP), and preoperative lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were previously reported to be useful prognostic factors in colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the correlation among these markers and their individual prognostic potency have not been extensively studied. Methods: A cohort of 147 stage I-IV CRC patients was obtained retrospectively, and the patients were divided into subgroups based on low or high TB/TSR/LMR, TIPa (expansile + intermediate) and TIPb (infiltrative) values. The differences in relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) intervals among these subgroups were determined by Kaplan–Meier analysis followed by log-rank tests. The Cox proportional hazard model was applied for the univariate and multivariate analysis of RFS and OS rates. Results:TB, TIP, and LMR, but not TSR, are useful markers for predicting patient survival. Patients with a poor histological grade and large tumor diameter were more likely to present with high TB, TIPb, and low LMR values; in addition, those with advanced T, N, and TNM stages and elevated preoperative CA199 levels had high TB and TIPb levels. TB, TIP, and LMR were significant prognostic factors for the RFS (TB: HR [hazard ratio] = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.30-4.00, P < .01; TIP: HR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.46-4.60, P < .01; LMR: HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.65-0.96, P = .02) and OS (TB: HR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.32-4.48, P < .01; TIP: HR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.34-4.63, P < .01; LMR: HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.64-0.98, P = .03) intervals. In addition, TB and LMR were independent prognostic factors for the RFS interval (TB: HR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.01-3.19, P = .05; LMR: HR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.67-0.96, P = .01), but only LMR was an independent factor for OS rates (HR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.65-0.98, P = .03). Conclusion: Although TB, TIP, and LMR are useful prognostic markers for CRC, the LMR is likely to be the only independent prognostic factor for both RFS and OS outcomes in practice.
Nanoparticle Albumin Bound Paclitaxel in the Third-Line Treatment of Recurrent Small Cell Lung Cancer in Real-World Practice: A Single Center Experience
Authors: Wang Yuchao , Li Li , Xu Chunhua
Published: October 2021

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a type of highly malignant tumor. It is easy to relapse and high resistant to second-line chemotherapy. There is not a standard plan for third-line and subsequent-line treatment, hence the current study aimed to explore the performance of nanoparticle albumin bound paclitaxel (Nab-P) in the third-line treatment of recurrent SCLC. Methods: A retrospective analysis of pathologically confirmed third-line SCLC patients was conducted to observe the efficacy and adverse reactions of Nab-P treatment. Results: Among the 37 SCLC patients included in the study, objective response rate was 24.32%, and disease control rate was 81.08%. The main adverse reactions were gastrointestinal reactions, bone marrow suppression, muscle and joint aches and fatigue. Adverse reactions ≥ level 3 included leukopenia & neutropenia (24.32%), thrombocytopenia (5.41%) and anemia (2.70%). Conclusions: As a single-agent third-line treatment for patients with relapsed SCLC, Nab-P was effective and safe.
Study on the influence of elbow with different curvature radii on pipeline leak location
Authors: Lin Peifeng , Lei Donghui , Liao Jiang
Published: October 2021

Experimental and numerical methods are used to locate the pipeline leakage in the present work. The weak compressibility of the fluid is taken into account when simulating the propagation of negative pressure wave (NPW) in the pipeline. The NPW attenuation coefficient is used to describe the influences of curvature radius on location accuracy. The results indicate that when the curvature radius is small, the location accuracy of pipeline leakage is low. When the radius of curvature increases or the inlet pressure increases, the accuracy of pipeline leak location is improved. Besides, with the change of inlet pressure, pressure, and velocity distributions in the elbow with different curvature radii are investigated. When the curvature radius of the elbow is three to four times of pipe diameter, the measurement accuracy of leakage location is the best. When the inlet pressure of the pipeline is 0.7 MPa, the sensitivity of the pipeline detection is the highest. The cavitation corrosion at the elbow is the most obvious. Therefore, the elbow is the area where pipeline leakage occurs most frequently.
Big data and Belmont: On the ethics and research implications of consumer-based datasets
Authors: Stewart Remy
Published: October 2021

Consumer-based datasets are the products of data brokerage firms that agglomerate millions of personal records on the adult US population. This big data commodity is purchased by both companies and individual clients for purposes such as marketing, risk prevention, and identity searches. The sheer magnitude and population coverage of available consumer-based datasets and the opacity of the business practices that create these datasets pose emergent ethical challenges within the computational social sciences that have begun to incorporate consumer-based datasets into empirical research. To directly engage with the core ethical debates around the use of consumer-based datasets within social science research, I first consider two case study applications of consumer-based dataset-based scholarship. I then focus on three primary ethical dilemmas within consumer-based datasets regarding human subject research, participant privacy, and informed consent in conversation with the principles of the seminal Belmont Report.
Subcapital phalangeal fractures in children: A retrospective review
Authors: Maddox Grady , Levek Claire , Caldwell Ryan , Villalobos Uriel , Madry William , Scott Frank
Published: October 2021

Introduction: Phalangeal neck fractures represent a subset of pediatric hand injuries which pose challenges to the treating physician. The aim of this study was to understand which radiographic or clinical variables were associated with the need for closed reduction and percutaneous pinning or were associated with the need for open reduction internal fixation. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on pediatric patients treated for subcapital phalangeal neck fracture of the middle or proximal phalanx between 2009 and 2014. Non-operative and operative groups (open reduction internal fixation, closed reduction percutaneous pinning) compared displacement and angulation of the distal fragment at the time of initial injury, displacement, and angulation of the distal fragment at the time of final follow-up, mechanism of injury, delays in treatment, time to union, and rate of complications. Results: One hundred seventy seven patients met eligibility criteria for the review. Average age was 9.1 years for the surgical group and 8.5 years for the non-surgical group. Time to union was significantly higher for the surgery group (53 vs 30 days, p < 0.001). The degree of sagittal plane translation and sagittal angulation were predictive factors for surgical treatment. Sagittal plane angulation was higher in the surgical group (26.5° vs 9°, p < 0.001). A delay in treatment with subsequent surgery was not predictive of a need for open reduction internal fixation over closed reduction percutaneous pinning ( p = 0.19). Final sagittal angulation was corrected to a median of zero, an eight degree difference from the non-surgical group ( p = 0.002). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a strong correlation between initial sagittal plane angulation and a need for surgery. A longer time to union and decreased range of motion may be expected in patient's requiring operative intervention. Delay in treatment was not associated with open reduction over closed reduction percutaneous pinning within the surgical group.
Lengthening and deformity correction in vascularized fibular autograft for a patient with Ewing sarcoma
Authors: Kwon Ki Bum , Chung Chin Youb , Park Moon Seok , Lee Kyoung Min , Sung Ki Hyuk
Published: October 2021

We report the case of a pediatric patient with Ewing’s sarcoma of the tibia treated with vascularized fibular autograft where the resulting limb deformity and leg length discrepancy (LLD) were corrected using Ilizarov external fixator. A 14-year-old girl presented to our outpatient clinic with a deformity of the right proximal and distal tibia and an 11.7 cm of LLD after tumor reconstruction surgery. Deformity correction and limb lengthening were simultaneously performed using double corticotomy on the right proximal and distal tibia. One year postoperatively, the union of the right proximal tibia had progressed, but nonunion was observed at the right distal corticotomy site. To address this, osteosynthesis with tricortical iliac bone allograft was performed after the removal of the Ilizarov external fixator. After 6 months, the union of the distal tibia was confirmed, and the varus deformity of proximal and distal tibia improved. The LLD was also decreased, but the left lower limb was still longer by 3 cm. This report shows that vascularized fibular autografts can potentially be used for the gradual correction of LLD and deformities. However, for the treatment of multiple deformities in bones previously reconstructed with vascularized fibular graft, the possibility of impaired bone forming potential of the fibular graft should be considered.
Case Series: Hypercalcemia From Granulomatous Silicosis Developing After COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Bray Ashley , Reyes Jonathan Vincent M. , Tarlin Nancy , Stern Aaron
Published: October 2021

Hypercalcemia is one of the most commonly encountered laboratory abnormalities in clinical medicine. Various causes have been well established. However, it is likely that the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may be a newly found cause of this frequent finding, especially amongst those with a history of cosmetic surgery, specifically by means of silicone injection. In this case series, we describe 2 patients presenting with symptomatic hypercalcemia likely from their prior silicone injections. Interestingly, each patient only developed symptoms of hypercalcemia following infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Shared-decision-making Behavior in Hospitalized Patients: Investigating the Impact of Patient's Trust in Physicians, Emotional Support, Informational Support, and Tendency to Excuse Using a Structural Equation Modeling Approach
Authors: Chegini Zahra , Islam Sheikh Mohammed Shariful
Published: October 2021

Patient participation in care decisions is facilitated by shared-decision-making (SDM). This study, therefore, aims to explore the impact of patient's trust in physicians, emotional support, informational support, and tendency to excuse on SDM. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the medical–surgical wards of 6 similar-sized public hospitals in Tabriz, northwest Iran, using a self-administered questionnaire, with 321 cases collected from October to December 2019. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to test the hypothetical model. Using the SEM approach, the findings fully confirmed the study hypothesis, and patients’ trust in physician (Beta = −0.44), emotional support (Beta = 0.29), tendency to excuse (Beta = 0.18), and informational support (Beta = 0.58) predicted the inpatient's SDM behavior ( R2 = 0.65, goodness-of-fit index = 0.902). To improve patient outcomes, physicians might advise incorporating techniques such as improving patient trust, informational and emotional supports to improve SDM. Improving the psychosocial skills of physicians also seems to be essential to help patients express their concerns.
Deep semi-supervised learning ensemble framework for classifying co-mentions of human proteins and phenotypes
Authors: Pourreza Shahri Morteza , Kahanda Indika
Published: October 2021

Background

Identifying human protein-phenotype relationships has attracted researchers in bioinformatics and biomedical natural language processing due to its importance in uncovering rare and complex diseases. Since experimental validation of protein-phenotype associations is prohibitive, automated tools capable of accurately extracting these associations from the biomedical text are in high demand. However, while the manual annotation of protein-phenotype co-mentions required for training such models is highly resource-consuming, extracting millions of unlabeled co-mentions is straightforward.

Results

In this study, we propose a novel deep semi-supervised ensemble framework that combines deep neural networks, semi-supervised, and ensemble learning for classifying human protein-phenotype co-mentions with the help of unlabeled data. This framework allows the ability to incorporate an extensive collection of unlabeled sentence-level co-mentions of human proteins and phenotypes with a small labeled dataset to enhance overall performance. We develop PPPredSS, a prototype of our proposed semi-supervised framework that combines sophisticated language models, convolutional networks, and recurrent networks. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides a new state-of-the-art performance in classifying human protein-phenotype co-mentions by outperforming other supervised and semi-supervised counterparts. Furthermore, we highlight the utility of PPPredSS in powering a curation assistant system through case studies involving a group of biologists.

Conclusions

This article presents a novel approach for human protein-phenotype co-mention classification based on deep, semi-supervised, and ensemble learning. The insights and findings from this work have implications for biomedical researchers, biocurators, and the text mining community working on biomedical relationship extraction.
ClineHelpR: an R package for genomic cline outlier detection and visualization
Authors: Martin Bradley T. , Chafin Tyler K. , Douglas Marlis R. , Douglas Michael E.
Published: October 2021

Background

Patterns of multi-locus differentiation (i.e., genomic clines) often extend broadly across hybrid zones and their quantification can help diagnose how species boundaries are shaped by adaptive processes, both intrinsic and extrinsic. In this sense, the transitioning of loci across admixed individuals can be contrasted as a function of the genome-wide trend, in turn allowing an expansion of clinal theory across a much wider array of biodiversity. However, computational tools that serve to interpret and consequently visualize ‘genomic clines’ are limited, and users must often write custom, relatively complex code to do so.

Results

Here, we introduce the ClineHelpR R-package for visualizing genomic clines and detecting outlier loci using output generated by two popular software packages, bgc and Introgress. ClineHelpR bundles both input generation (i.e., filtering datasets and creating specialized file formats) and output processing (e.g., MCMC thinning and burn-in) with functions that directly facilitate interpretation and hypothesis testing. Tools are also provided for post-hoc analyses that interface with external packages such as ENMeval and RIdeogram.

Conclusions

Our package increases the reproducibility and accessibility of genomic cline methods, thus allowing an expanded user base and promoting these methods as mechanisms to address diverse evolutionary questions in both model and non-model organisms. Furthermore, the ClineHelpR extended functionality can evaluate genomic clines in the context of spatial and environmental features, allowing users to explore underlying processes potentially contributing to the observed patterns and helping facilitate effective conservation management strategies.
RNAlign2D: a rapid method for combined RNA structure and sequence-based alignment using a pseudo-amino acid substitution matrix
Authors: Woźniak Tomasz , Sajek Małgorzata , Jaruzelska Jadwiga , Sajek Marcin Piotr
Published: October 2021

Background

The functions of RNA molecules are mainly determined by their secondary structures. These functions can also be predicted using bioinformatic tools that enable the alignment of multiple RNAs to determine functional domains and/or classify RNA molecules into RNA families. However, the existing multiple RNA alignment tools, which use structural information, are slow in aligning long molecules and/or a large number of molecules. Therefore, a more rapid tool for multiple RNA alignment may improve the classification of known RNAs and help to reveal the functions of newly discovered RNAs.

Results

Here, we introduce an extremely fast Python-based tool called RNAlign2D. It converts RNA sequences to pseudo-amino acid sequences, which incorporate structural information, and uses a customizable scoring matrix to align these RNA molecules via the multiple protein sequence alignment tool MUSCLE.

Conclusions

RNAlign2D produces accurate RNA alignments in a very short time. The pseudo-amino acid substitution matrix approach utilized in RNAlign2D is applicable for virtually all protein aligners.
Role of biliary stent and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the pancreatic tumor microbiome
Authors: Nalluri Harika , Jensen Eric , Staley Christopher
Published: October 2021

Background

Intra-tumor microbiota have been implicated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) development, treatment response and post-treatment survivorship. Moreover, therapeutic interventions targeting microbiota may improve the response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy, further emphasizing the critical need to understand the origins of and growth of bacteria within the pancreatic tumor microenvironment. Here, we studied the role of several clinical factors on the bacterial colonization of PDAC.

Results

We obtained matched tumor and normal pancreatic tissue specimens from 27 patients who had undergone surgical resection for PDAC between 2011 and 2015 from the University of Minnesota Biological Materials Procurement Network (BioNet). We found that 26 (48%) out of 54 pancreatic tissue samples harbored detectable bacterial communities using real-time PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial colonization was detected significantly more frequently in samples from patients who had pancreatic head tumors, underwent Whipple procedure, or had preoperative biliary stent placement. There was also a significantly greater relative abundance of microbiota from the family Enterobacteriaceae among samples from patients who underwent biliary stent placement or neoadjuvant treatment with a combination of Gemcitabine and Paclitaxel.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that biliary stent placement and neoadjuvant chemotherapy are associated with specific alterations that promote the infiltration and growth of intra-tumor bacteria in the setting of PDAC. Further studies exploring whether specific bacterial communities could contribute to increased chemoresistance will be essential for optimizing medical therapies in the future.
Selection strategy of dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute or chronic colitis mouse models based on gut microbial profile
Authors: Xu Hao-Ming , Huang Hong-Li , Liu Yan-Di , Zhu Jia-Qi , Zhou You-Lian , Chen Hui-Ting , Xu Jing , Zhao Hai-Lan , Guo Xue , Shi Wei , Nie Yu-Qiang , Zhou Yong-Jian
Published: October 2021

Background

Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) replicates ulcerative colitis (UC)-like colitis in murine models. However, the microbial characteristics of DSS-triggered colitis require further clarification. To analyze the changes in gut microbiota associated with DSS-induced acute and chronic colitis.

Methods

Acute colitis was induced in mice by administering 3% DSS for 1 week in the drinking water, and chronic colitis was induced by supplementing drinking water with 2.5% DSS every other week for 5 weeks. Control groups received the same drinking water without DSS supplementation. The histopathological score and length of the colons, and disease activity index (DAI) were evaluated to confirm the presence of experimental colitis. Intestinal microbiota was profiled by 16S rDNA sequencing of cecal content.

Results

Mice with both acute and chronic DSS-triggered colitis had significantly higher DAI and colon histopathological scores in contrast to the control groups (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001), and the colon was remarkably shortened (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001). The gut microbiota α-diversity was partly downregulated in both acute and chronic colitis groups in contrast to their respective control groups (Pielou index P = 0.0022, P = 0.0649; Shannon index P = 0.0022, P = 0.0931). The reduction in the Pielou and Shannon indices were more obvious in mice with acute colitis (P = 0.0022, P = 0.0043). The relative abundance of Bacteroides and Turicibacter was increased (all P < 0.05), while that of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Ruminiclostridium, Rikenella, Alistipes, Alloprevotella, and Butyricicoccus was significantly decreased after acute DSS induction (all P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Bacteroides, Akkermansia, Helicobacter, Parabacteroides, Erysipelatoclostridium, Turicibacter and Romboutsia was also markedly increased (all P < 0.05), and that of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Alistipes, Enterorhabdus, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, Butyricicoccus, Ruminiclostridium_6, Muribaculum, Ruminococcaceae_NK4A214_group, Family_XIII_UCG-001 and Flavonifractor was significantly decreased after chronic DSS induction (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion

DSS-induced acute and chronic colitis demonstrated similar symptoms and histopathological changes. The changes in the gut microbiota of the acute colitis model were closer to that observed in UC. The acute colitis model had greater abundance of SCFAs-producing bacteria and lower α-diversity compared to the chronic colitis model.
Bacteriological and molecular characterization of Mycobacterium bovis isolates from tuberculous lesions collected among slaughtered cattle, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Ejo Mebrat , Haile Belete , Tariku Tsegaye , Nigatu Seleshe , Kebede Elias , Bitew Abebe Belete , Demessie Yitayew , Getaneh Gashaw , Alebie Atnaf , Girma Musse , Ota Fusao , Nuru Anwar
Published: October 2021

Background

In Ethiopia, the distribution of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) has long been known and documented as a major problem of animal health. However, the burden of circulating M. bovis strains is poorly understood in the country. Therefore; this study aimed to identify and characterize the mycobacterial isolates responsible for BTB in Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on tuberculous lesions that had been collected from slaughtered cattle between September 2018 to June 2019. Collected lesions were cultured and tested for tuberculous bacilli. The MPT64 assay and Genotype line probe assay (LPA) were used for identification of mycobacterial isolates, and region of deletion 4 (RD4) typing and spoligotyping were used to characterize the M. bovis strains.

Results

Of the total 1458 examined slaughtered cattle, only 62 (4.3, 95%CI; 0.0328–0.0542) had tuberculous lesions. The highest number of gross tuberculous lesions were observed from the lymph nodes of the thoracic cavity; at the mediastinal (40.3%, 25/62) and bronchial (22.6%, 14/62) lymph nodes. Of the 62 collected tuberculous lesions; 18 (29.0%) were culture positive for mycobacterium isolates, and only five isolates were confirmed for M. tuberculosis complex (MTBc) by the MPT64 assay and LPA. All the five MTBc isolates were positive for RD4 typing of M. bovis with a PCR product size of 446 bp, and no isolate was noticed to have M. tuberculosis. The detected M. bovis strains displayed five spoligotypes; with the common SB1176 and SB0133 M. bovis strains, although the two spoligotypes had not been previously reported.

Conclusion

The present study shows that BTB in North Gondar, Ethiopia, is caused by M. bovis strains SB1176 and SB0033, with low frequency. Thus, the finding highlights the importance of continuous surveillance for mycobacterial strains in cattle populations.
Clinical outcomes of an ultrathin-strut sirolimus-eluting stent in all-comers population: Thailand Orsiro registry
Authors: Suwannasom Pannipa , Athiksakul Siriporn , Thonghong Tasalak , Lertsuwunseri Vorarit , Chaipromprasit Jarkarpun , Srimahachota Suphot , Udayachalerm Wasan , Kuanprasert Srun , Buddhari Wacin
Published: October 2021

Background

Despite numerous studies supporting the outperformance of ultrathin-strut bioresorbable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (Orsiro SES, Biotronik AG), the generalizability of the study results remains unclear in the Asian population. We sought to evaluate the clinical outcomes of the Orsiro SES in unselected Thai population.

Methods

The Thailand Orsiro registry was a prospective, open-label clinical study evaluating all patients with obstructive coronary artery disease implanted with Orsiro SES. The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF) at 12 months. TLF is defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TVMI), emergent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR). Patients with diabetes, small vessels (≤ 2.75 mm), chronic total occlusions (CTOs), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were pre-specified subgroups for statistical analysis.

Result

A total of 150 patients with 235 lesions were included in the analysis. Half of the patients (53.3%) presented with AMI, and 24% had diabetes. Among 235 lesions, 93(39.4%) were small vessels, and 24(10.2%) were chronic total occlusions. The primary endpoint, TLF at 12 months, occurred in eight patients (5.3%), predominately caused by cardiac death. By contrast, the incidences of TVMI and CD-TLR were null. The outcomes in pre-specified subgroup were not different from the overall population (all p > 0.05). One definite late stent thrombosis(0.7%) was incidentally observed during primary percutaneous coronary intervention to the non-target vessel.

Conclusion

The safety and efficacy of the ultrathin strut sirolimus-eluting stent in unselected cases are confirmed in the Thailand Orsiro registry. Despite the high proportion of pre-specified high-risk subgroups, the excellent stent performance was consistent with the overall population.

Trial Registration TCTR20190325001.
Postpartum opportunistic advice in primary care for women who have had gestational diabetes: a qualitative study of health care professionals’ views
Authors: Evans Josie M. M. , Ireland Aileen V. , Cameron Dawn M. , Clarke Kate M. , Eades Claire E.
Published: October 2021

Background

Women who have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy are at very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, but their understanding of the risks is often limited. In this study we explored the views of health care professionals regarding offering brief opportunistic advice to women after their pregnancy, during unrelated consultations in primary care, relating to reducing diabetes risk.

Methods

The study took place in three Health Boards in Scotland. We conducted semi-structured one-to-one interviews (either face-to-face or telephone) with two health visitors, three practice nurses, two GPs, two diabetes consultants and two obstetricians. A focus group with five health visitors was also held. A topic guide was followed, covering the feasibility and acceptability of delivering brief opportunistic advice during a routine consultation, the optimal way to identify and recall women with previous gestational diabetes, and the possible content and timing of any such intervention. A thematic approach was used to analyse the qualitative data generated.

Results

The interviews/discussion lasted from 15 to 51 min. There was widespread support from all participants for offering opportunistic advice, and general consensus that health visitors would be best placed to do this as part of the Universal Health Visiting Pathway in Scotland. Thematic analysis generated three significant points of discussion: implications for training of health visitors, the need for a systematic approach to identifying women with gestational diabetes, and the optimal timing of delivery. Despite an already demanding schedule of providing advice and education to women, health visitors were confident that they could offer educational advice, provided that they received appropriate training to do so. However, there would need to be a watertight system for identifying women in their care who had had gestational diabetes. In terms of timing, later visits around 6–8 months after delivery were considered most suitable.

Conclusions

There is support from health care professionals, and most pertinently from health visitors, that the frequency of routine visits with women during the Universal Health Visiting Pathway programme in Scotland provides potential opportunities for education around future diabetes risk to women who have had gestational diabetes.
Association between risk of brucellosis and genetic variations in MicroRNA-146a
Authors: Kazemi Sima , Afshar Saeid , Karami Manoochehr , Saidijam Massoud , Keramat Fariba , Hashemi Seyed Hamid , Alikhani Mohammad Yousef
Published: October 2021

Background

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common types of DNA changes in the human genome that leading to phenotypic differences in humans. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are usually affected by various bacterial infections, and they are involved in controlling the immune responses. MicroRNA-146a (miR-146a) plays an essential role in the development of infectious and inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between risk of brucellosis and genetic variations in miR-146a.

Methods

This case–control study was conducted on 108 Brucellosis patients and 108 healthy controls. We genotyped two SNPs (rs2910164 and rs57095329) of the miR-146a using tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) methods.

Results

The rs2910164 SNP was significantly associated with brucellosis in co-dominant [OR = 4.27, 95% CI = (2.35–7.79,P = 0.001] and dominant [OR = 3.52, 95% CI = (1.97–6.30,P = 0.001] models. Co-dominant (P = 0.047) and recessive (P = 0.018) models were significant at position rs57095329 between the two groups of patient and healthy. The A C haplotype (rs2910164 and rs57095329) was associated with brucellosis in the assessed population [OR (95% CI) = 1.98 (1.22–3.20),P = 0.0059].

Conclusions

Consequently, our study demonstrated significant differences in genotype and haplotype frequencies of miR-146a variants between brucellosis patients and controls. Further studies on the larger sample sizes are required to verify the observed associations.
Patient, family and productivity costs of end-stage renal disease in the Netherlands; exposing non-healthcare related costs
Authors: de Vries Eline F. , Los Jeanine , de Wit G. Ardine , Hakkaart - van Roijen Leona
Published: October 2021

Background

Healthcare costs related to ESRD are well-described, but broader societal costs of ESRD are less known. This study aimed to estimate patient and family costs, including informal care costs and out-of-pocket costs, and costs due to productivity loss related to ESRD, for patients receiving dialysis and living with a kidney transplant, using a bottom-up approach.

Methods

A total of 655 patients were asked to complete a digital questionnaire consisting of two standardised instruments (iMCQ and iPCQ) from November 2016 through January 2017. We applied a retrospective bottom-up cost estimation by combining data from the questionnaire with unit prices from the Dutch costing manual.

Results

Our study sample consisted of 230 patients, of which 165 were kidney transplant recipients and 65 received dialysis. The total annual non-healthcare related costs were estimated at €8284 (SD: €14,266) for transplant recipients and €23,488 (SD: €39,434) for dialysis patients. Costs due to productivity loss contributed most to the total non-healthcare costs (66% for transplant recipients and 65% for dialysis patients), followed by informal care costs (26% resp. 29%) and out-of-pocket costs, such as medication and travel expenses (8% resp. 6%).

Conclusion

By exposing patient, family and productivity costs, our study revealed that dialysis and transplantation are not only costly within the healthcare system, but also incur high non-healthcare costs (18–23% resp. 35% of the total societal costs). It is important to reveal these types of non-healthcare costs in order to understand the full burden of ESRD for society and the potential impact of new therapies.
Vault changes and pupillary responses to light in myopic and toric implantable collamer lens
Authors: Xiong Ying , Mao Yingyan , Li Jing , Wan Xiuhua , Li Meng , Zhang Jingshang , Wang Jinda , Sun Xiuli
Published: October 2021

Background

Achieving an appropriate vault is the main concern after the implantation of Implantable Collamer Lens (ICLs) for surgical correction of high myopia. The vault will vary with time and optical parameters, such as accommodation and pupil size. This research is to evaluate the vault change in Myopic and Toric ICLs under different lighting conditions; and to analyze the relationship between vault changes and pupillary responses to light.

Methods

We enrolled and analyzed 68 eyes from 68 patients who were implanted with Myopic EVO ICLs; we also included 60 eyes from 60 patients who were implanted with Toric EVO ICLs. The anterior chamber depth, pupil size and the post-operative vault were evaluated, 1 week after the operation, using a Visante Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) under different lighting conditions. For each eye that was assessed, we calculated the vault change, which is defined as the difference between vault under mesopic condition and photopic condition; and the rate of vault change, which is defined as the vault change divided by mesopic vault.

Results

No significant difference was noted with the anterior chamber depth between mesopic and photopic conditions in either group. A significant decrease in vault and pupil size was detected under photopic condition in both groups. We found no difference in vault change between Myopic and Toric EVO ICLs under different lighting conditions. Moreover, the rate of vault change had a significant decrease with increased mesopic vault (baseline value).

Conclusions

Too low a mesopic vault has a big rate of vault change, which may cause the contact of ICL with crystalline lens in photopic state; Too high a mesopic vault would constrict the posterior movement of pupil. The findings of the study suggest that, for patients with high or low vault, we should be more careful and must perform checks in different lighting conditions.
Diabetes severity measured by treatment control status and number of anti-diabetic drugs affects presenteeism among workers with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Mori Takahiro , Nagata Tomohisa , Nagata Masako , Fujimoto Kenji , Fujino Yoshihisa , Mori Koji
Published: October 2021

Background

The number of people with diabetes is increasing and resulting in major economic losses. Presenteeism accounts for the majority of economic losses, so measures against presenteeism are important. This study investigated the relationship between severity of type 2 diabetes and presenteeism.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among workers over 40 years of age. Participants were classified as normal group or diabetic treatment group using their medical examination results and health insurance claims data. Diabetic treatment groups were described by degree of treatment control: Good (HbA1c < 7%), Intermediate (7% ≤ HbA1c < 8%), and Poor (8% ≤ HbA1c). Therapy type was also divided into monotherapy and combination therapy. Logistic regression analysis was performed to predict presenteeism loss using the Quantity and Quality method.

Results

Data on 13,271 workers were analyzed. Presenteeism loss was significantly higher in all treatment control groups compared with the normal group, particularly for the intermediate and poor control groups. The monotherapy group did not differ from the normal group, but presenteeism loss was significantly higher in the combination therapy group than the normal group.

Conclusions

Presenteeism loss in workers with diabetes may be affected by diabetes severity, and even if treatment control were good, presenteeism loss could occur when the number of anti-diabetic drugs was high. Therefore, it is important to provide early intervention and continuous support as a preventive measure against not only diabetes and diabetes-related complications but also presenteeism.
Associations between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being: is there a buffering role of boys’ and girls’ relationships with their mothers and fathers?
Authors: Luijten Chantie Charissa , van de Bongardt Daphne , Jongerling Joran , Nieboer Anna Petra
Published: October 2021

Background

Internalizing mental health problems (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) are known to be related negatively to adolescents’ well-being. However, whether this negative association manifests equally in boys and girls, and the potential buffering role of high-quality relationships with mothers and fathers, remain unknown. Thus, the present study was conducted to 1) investigate associations among adolescents’ internalizing problems and mother– and father–adolescent relationship quality, on the one hand, and adolescents’ well-being, on the other hand, 2) explore the buffering role of high-quality mother– and father–adolescent relationships in the association between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being, and 3) examine gender differences in these main and buffering effects.

Methods

The analysis sample consisted of 1064 adolescents (53.7% girls; aged 11–17 years) from three secondary schools in the Netherlands. Participants filled out an online questionnaire incorporating the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form to measure well-being, the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 to measure internalizing problems, and the Network of Relationships Inventory to measure mother– and father–adolescent relationship quality. The cross-sectional data were analyzed using path models in R, controlling for age, ethnocultural background, and education level. Multigroup analyses were performed to identify gender differences.

Results

Adolescents with fewer internalizing problems (β = − 0.40,p < 0.001) and adolescents with higher-quality relationships with their mothers and fathers reported higher concurrent levels of well-being (β = 0.10 to 0.18, allp < 0.01). The quality of mother-adolescent relationships had a significantly larger association with adolescents’ well-being than that of father-adolescent relationship quality. However, relationships with mothers and fathers did not significantly buffer the association between adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being. Multigroup analyses revealed no difference between boys and girls.

Conclusions

The current study contributes to the understanding of internalizing problems as an important risk factor for adolescents’ well-being, regardless of the quality of relationships with mothers and fathers. The quality of adolescents’ relationships with their parents is associated positively with their well-being, even in the presence of internalizing problems. These findings underline the importance of mothers’ and fathers’ roles in adolescent boys’ and girls’ well-being.
Are informal family caregivers stigmatized differently based on their gender or employment status?: a German study on public stigma towards informal long-term caregivers of older individuals
Authors: Zwar Larissa , Angermeyer Matthias C. , Matschinger Herbert , Riedel-Heller Steffi G. , König Hans-Helmut , Hajek André
Published: October 2021

Background

Stigma and informal caregiving are determinants for health and wellbeing, but few studies have examined stigma towards informal caregiving. Public stigma may be expressed differently towards caregivers depending on their gender and employment status due to societal norms. Therefore, this study analyzes if there is a difference in public stigma shown by the general population toward informal caregivers of care recipients aged 65 years or older based on the observed caregiver’s gender or working status.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Germany. Data from 1038 adult participants from the general population in Germany were assessed with an Online-Survey. They were recruited with a quota-system based on the German micro census. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 16 vignettes describing a caregiving situation, which varied in the caregiver’s gender and working status, and care recipient’s gender and type of impairment. After reading the vignette, they were asked to provide sociodemographic information and complete three questionnaires on public stigma assessing their emotional (Emotional Reactions), behavioral (Social Distance) and cognitive reaction (Statements on informal caregivers) to the caregiver described in the vignette. Regression analyses, adjusted for sociodemographic data of the participants, were conducted.

Results

Findings indicated an association between reading about male caregivers and increased social distance, compared with reading about female caregivers. Reading about working caregivers was associated with decreased social distance and increased appreciative statements, compared to reading about non-working caregivers. Analyses after stratifying by gender of the caregiver in the vignette indicated an association between reading about female working caregivers and increased appreciative statements, compared to reading about female non-working caregivers. When stratifying by working status, an association was found between reading about male working caregivers and increased social distance, when compared to reading about female working caregivers.

Conclusions

This study’s findings indicate that gender and working status of the perceived informal caregivers are of relevance to the public stigma directed towards these caregivers. Male and non-working informal caregivers were shown more public stigma than female and working informal caregivers. Thus, interventions to reduce public stigma, in particular towards male and non-working caregivers, are recommended.
Shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy for pulmonary nodules: initial multicenter experience using the Ion™ Endoluminal System
Authors: Simoff Michael J. , Pritchett Michael A. , Reisenauer Janani S. , Ost David E. , Majid Adnan , Keyes Colleen , Casal Roberto F. , Parikh Mihir S. , Diaz-Mendoza Javier , Fernandez-Bussy Sebastian , Folch Erik E.
Published: October 2021

Background

Traditional bronchoscopy provides limited approach to peripheral nodules. Shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (SSRAB, Ion™ Endoluminal System) is a new tool for minimally invasive peripheral nodule biopsy. We sought to answer the research question: Does SSRAB facilitate sampling of pulmonary nodules during bronchoscopists’ initial experience?

Methods

The lead-in stage of a multicenter, single-arm, prospective evaluation of the Ion Endoluminal System (PRECIsE) is described. Enrolled subjects ≥ 18 years old had recent computed tomography evidence of one or more solid or semi-solid pulmonary nodules ≥ 1.0 to ≤ 3.5 cm in greatest dimension and in any part of the lung. Subjects were followed at 10- and 30-days post-procedure. This stage provided investigators and staff their first human experience with the SSRAB system; safety and procedure outcomes were analyzed descriptively. Neither diagnostic yield nor sensitivity for malignancy were assessed in this stage. Categorical variables are summarized by percentage; continuous variables are summarized by median/interquartile range (IQR).

Results

Sixty subjects were enrolled across 6 hospitals; 67 nodules were targeted for biopsy. Median axial, coronal and sagittal diameters were < 18 mm with a largest cardinal diameter of 20.0 mm. Most nodules were extraluminal and distance from the outer edge of the nodule to the pleura or nearest fissure was 4.0 mm (IQR: 0.0, 15.0). Median bronchial generation count to the target location was 7.0 (IQR: 6.0, 8.0). Procedure duration (catheter-in to catheter-out) was 66.5 min (IQR: 50.0, 85.5). Distance from the catheter tip to the closest edge of the virtual nodule was 7.0 mm (IQR: 2.0, 12.0). Biopsy completion was 97.0%. No pneumothorax or airway bleeding of any grade was reported.

Conclusions

Bronchoscopists leveraged the Ion SSRAB’s functionality to drive the catheter safely in close proximity of the virtual target and to obtain biopsies. This initial, multicenter experience is encouraging, suggesting that SSRAB may play a role in the management of pulmonary nodules.

Clinical Trial Registration identifier and dateNCT03893539; 28/03/2019.