bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Meta-analysis of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture and chiropractic on cervical spondylosis radiculopathy
Authors: Wang Ping , Zuo Guang , Du Shuang-qing , Gao Tian-ci , Liu Rui-jia , Hou Xiao-zhou , Ji Xu , Yin Jing , Li Kai-ming , Zhang Qing 
Published: January 2020

Abstract

Background:
The pathogenesis of cervical spondylotic is degenerative changes of the cervical intervertebral disc, or bone hyperplasia of the posterior and hook joints, and instability of the joints of the cervical vertebrae. It causes the nerve roots to be stimulated and oppressed. The clinical manifestations are the sensation, movement, and reflex disorder of the cervical spinal nerve roots that are stimulated and oppressed, especially the numbness and pain of the neck, shoulders, upper limbs, and fingers. In this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and chiropractic in the treatment of cervical spondylotic.

Methods and analysis:
We will search for PubMed, Cochrane Library, AMED, Embase, WorldSciNet; Nature, Science online and China Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature CD-ROM Database (CBM), and related randomized controlled trials included in the China Resources Database. The time is limited from the construction of the library to September 2019. We will use the criteria provided by Cochrane 5.1.0 for quality assessment and risk assessment of the included studies, and use the RevMan 5.3 and Stata 13.0 software for meta-analysis of the effectiveness, recurrence rate, and symptom scores of cervical spondylotic.

Ethics and dissemination:
This systematic review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and chiropractic for cervical spondylotic. Because all of the data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis have been published, this review does not require ethical approval. Furthermore, all data will be analyzed anonymously during the review process trial.
Recurrent Horner's syndrome following epidural analgesia for labor
Authors: Turbelin Caroline , Mallat Jihad 
Published: January 2020

Abstract

Introduction:
Horner's syndrome is an unusual side effect of epidural analgesia. We report an unusual symptom after epineural axis analgesia for labor, which happened three times in the same patient. Horner's syndrome occurrence following epidural catheterization should lead the anesthetic team to search for a subdural position of the catheter because of its potentially threatening complications.

Patient's concern:
Our patient, a 38 years old pregnant woman, was managed by the anesthetic team for the analgesia of her second labor. Anesthetic consultation pointed out that she had a history of Horner's syndrome after epidural analgesia attempt during her first pregnancy.
During our anesthetic management of her second labor, she presented, on the left side of the body, with the same symptom as she had during her first labor a few years ago, associated with high unilateral sensory block after epidural catheterization. After the total regression of neurological signs, a second catheterization attempt was followed by a contralateral isolated Horner's syndrome with no sensory block.

Diagnosis:
A few minutes after the induction of analgesia, our patient presented left ptosis, meiosis, and enophthalmos associated with a high homolateral sensory block. The subdural catheter position was suspected, and the catheter was removed.

Intervention:
Because of this repeated unusual complication and because we would not have used the catheter for an emergency C section, we chose to remove it definitively.

Outcome:
Our patient had a total regression of the symptoms 1 h after the catheter withdrawal. Delivery was rapid, with no complications, and she was discharged from the hospital 3 days after.

Conclusion:
Our observations suggest the possibility of a potential anatomical particularity of the dural canal in this patient and question the safety of performing an epidural catheterization for further procedures.
Nuclear factor κB -inducing kinase is a diagnostic marker of gastric cancer
Authors: Teng Hairong , Xue Liang , Wang Yuexia , Ding Xian , Li Jiaxin 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Nuclear factor-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) is a new regulator of nuclear factor-κB signaling, which plays an important role in tumorigenesis. This study aimed to examine the expression of NIK in gastric cancer and investigate its clinical significance.
Tumor issues were collected from 80 gastric cancer patients who received surgery and the diagnosis was confirmed by postoperative pathological analysis. The expression of NIK in gastric cancer tissues and adjacent normal mucosa was detected by immunohistochemical analysis. The associations between NIK expression and clinicopathological features of the patients were further analyzed.
NIK expression was significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues (P < .05). Furthermore, NIK expression showed significant association with UICC stage, T status, and differentiation, but not with age and gender of gastric cancer patients.
NIK is overexpressed in gastric cancer and is a potential diagnostic marker of gastric cancer.
Increased risk of perforated appendicitis in patients with schizophrenia and dementia
Authors: Lin Huang Ren , Wang Hsiang Chi , Wang Jen Hung , Lu Hsin Han 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that patients with psychotic or mental disorders are relatively pain insensitive, resulting in difficulties in the diagnosis of acute intra-abdominal diseases requiring emergency surgeries. We aimed to evaluate whether central nervous system (CNS) or mental disorders are associated with perforated appendicitis in patients with acute appendicitis.
We conducted a population-based case-control study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research database. Patients aged >18 years who had been hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis between 2000 and 2013 were identified. After 1:1 matching for age and sex, 2792 patients with perforated appendicitis (case group) and 2792 patients with nonperforated appendicitis (control group) were included. CNS disorders, mental disorders, pain control medication, and several comorbidities were analyzed for the odds of appendiceal perforation with 95% confidence interval (CI) using the multivariable logistic regression model.
Schizophrenia and dementia were associated with a high risk of appendiceal rupture in patients with acute appendicitis, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.01 for dementia (95% CI: 1.19–3.39, P = .009) and 4.8 for schizophrenia (95% CI: 1.62–14.19, P = .005). Other factors, such as other CNS disorders, comorbidities, and pain control medication, were not associated with the risk of perforated appendicitis.
Dementia and schizophrenia are associated with perforated appendicitis in patients with acute appendicitis. This might be owing to altered pain perception, difficult symptom expression, and delayed hospitalization. Further studies are still needed to determine the underlying mechanism and confirm the causality.
Ethanol-based fixation is superior to conventional brush cytology in the evaluation of indeterminate biliary strictures by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography
Authors: Bürger Martin , Besser Antje , Petersen Iver , Stallmach Andreas , Schmidt Carsten 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic yield of conventional cytology (CC) with ethanol-based fixation, a cytological analysis using an ethanol based fixative system including a cell block procedure (EBF) to evaluate indeterminate biliary strictures (IBStr). We also compared additionally taken fluorescence-guided forceps biopsies (FB) with EBF concerning a potential additive diagnostic benefit.
Early detection and accurate diagnosis are crucial for patients with suspected carcinoma within the biliary tree to preserve curative treatment options but diagnostics and patient care in the evaluation of IBStr are still challenging. ERC-guided brush cytology is the gold standard of nonsurgical evaluation of IBStr. However, accuracy is generally low. New specimen processing's are needed to higher the diagnostic yield in the evaluation of IBStr.
We performed a retrospective evaluation in 404 patients referred for further diagnosis of IBStr. Gold standard was defined as surgically obtained histology or patient follow-up of at least 1 year to diagnose or exclude malignancy.
Three hundred thirty-four patients were included into the final analysis. One hundred seventy-two strictures were malignant, 162 strictures benign. One hundred seventeen specimens were evaluated by CC, 217 processed by EBF. EBF performed significantly better in terms of sensitivity (24.6% vs 60%, P < .001) and accuracy (59.0% vs 75.1%, P = .006). Fifty-eight FB were additionally taken and showed a numerically improved sensitivity compared to EBF alone (80% vs 62.9%, P = .19).
EBF is a simple and inexpensive technique that substantially improved sensitivity and accuracy in the evaluation of IBStr. FB specimen did not significantly improve diagnostic yield.
The ability of an improved qSOFA score to predict acute sepsis severity and prognosis among adult patients
Authors: Xia Yiqin , Zou LiQun , Li Dongze , Qin Qin , Hu Hai , Zhou Yiwu , Cao Yu 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis study analyzed independent risk factors that could improve the qSOFA scoring system among sepsis patients.This retrospective study evaluated 821 patients (2015–2016) who fulfilled the 2001 International Sepsis Definitions Conference diagnostic criteria. Patients were classified based on their survival outcomes after 28 days, and the predictive values of various predictive scores at admission were compared.The independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were fibrinogen, plasma lactic acid, albumin, oxygenation index, and procalcitonin level >0.5 ng/mL (allP < .05). The “PqSOFA” score combined the qSOFA score with procalcitonin, which provided an area under the curve value of 0.751 (95% CI: 0.712–0.790) for predicting 28-day mortality. A cut-off score of 2 points provided sensitivity of 83.2%, specificity of 54.9%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 33.03%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 92.47%, positive-likelihood ratio (PLR) of 1.85, and negative-likelihood ratio (NLR) of 0.31. The area under the curve for predicting 28-day mortality was significantly greater for the PqSOFA score than for the qSOFA score (Z = 7.019,P < .0001). The PqSOFA score was comparable to the SOFA and APACHE II scores.The PqSOFA score independently predicted poor short-term outcomes among high-risk sepsis patients.
Feasibility and effectiveness of thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer: Retraction
Authors: Ma Mingsheng , He Fan , Lv Xiangyang , Wang Xiaoyan , Dong Sizeng , Liu Chao , Zhou Cuiping 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
The outcomes of minimally invasive thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) still need to be defined. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy in patients with early peripheral NSCLC.
This was a retrospective study of patients with early peripheral NSCLC admitted between January 2013 and January 2017. Patients were divided into the segmentectomy and lobectomy groups (40/group), according to the surgery they underwent. Blood loss, operation time, removal of drainage tube time, inflammatory response after operation, postoperative complications, postoperative lung function, local recurrence, and survival were compared.
Blood loss and removal of drainage tube time were not significantly different between the 2 groups (all P > .05). Operation time in the segmentectomy group was longer than in the lobectomy group (P < .001). The postoperative interleukin-6, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein changes in the segmentectomy group were significantly lower than in the lobectomy group (all P < .001). The pulmonary function at 2 weeks was significantly reduced in the 2 groups (all P < .001), but it was better in the segmentectomy group than in the lobectomy group (all P < .05). The 1- and 3-year local recurrence disease-free, and overall survival rates were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P > .05). The multivariable analysis could not identify any factor associated with local recurrence or survival (all P > .05).
Thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy and lobectomy are both acceptable for the treatment of early peripheral NSCLC, but segmentectomy was associated with lower postoperative inflammation and better postoperative pulmonary function than lobectomy.
Acupoint herbal patching during Sanfu Days on reducing frequency of acute asthma attack in children
Authors: Wei Chunlei , Zhang Xin , Li Pengfei , Li Wei 
Published: January 2020

Abstract

Objective:
Acupoint herbal patching (AHP) is an external therapy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to evaluate whether AHP during Sanfu Days has additional benefits in children with asthma.

Methods:
A comprehensively electronic literature search was performed in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang databases from their inception to March 2019. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated the AHP during Sanfu Days treatment for pediatric asthma were included. The main outcome measures were frequency of acute asthma attack, relapse of asthma, and pulmonary function.

Results:
Eleven trials involving 882 children with asthma were identified. White mustard seed, rhizoma corydalis, and radix kansui were the most frequently used herbs. Adjunctive treatment with AHP significantly reduced the frequency of acute asthma attack (mean difference [MD] −1.62 times/year; 95% confidence intervals [CI] −2.13 to –1.11). Moreover, AHP improved the peak expiratory flow (standardized mean differences [SMD] 0.61; 95% CI 0.39–0.82) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (SMD 0.48; 95% CI 0.31–0.66).

Conclusions:
Application of AHP during Sanfu Days has additional benefits in reducing the frequency of acute attack and improving pulmonary function in children with asthma. However, the current findings should be interpreted with caution owing to the methodological flaws of the analyzed trials.
Global research productions pertaining to atrial fibrillation from 2004 to 2018
Authors: Shi Shuqing , Shi Jingjing , Shi Shuai , Jia Qiulei , Yuan Guozhen , Wei Yi , Wang Dandan , Hu Yuanhui 
Published: January 2020

Abstract

Background:
We analyzed the scientific outputs of global atrial fibrillation (AF) researches, developed a model to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the AF research productions from 2004 to 2018.

Methods:
The data was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) on June 15, 2019. Bibliometrics tools—CiteSpace V (Drexel university, Chaomei Chen) and VOSviewer (Leiden University, van Eck NJ) --were used for bibliometric analyzing published outputs and finding research hotspots.

Results:
There were a total of 21,839 research articles on AF, and the annual publication rate increased over time from 2004 to 2018. The Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology published the greatest number of articles, and the leading country was the United States. The leading institution was the Mayo Clinic, and the most productive researchers were: LIP GYH, Natale A, Chen SA, DI Biase L, and Kuck KH. The keywords analysis showed that catheter ablation, risk, heart failure, stroke, and management were research hotspots.

Conclusion:
Bibliometric analysis of the literature shows that research on AF continues to be a hot spot, and the clinical treatment of AF is an important research frontier. However, further research and collaboration are needed worldwide. Our findings aim to provide valuable information for the editors of journals that publish research on arrhythmia, and to help researchers identify new perspectives for future researches.
Impacts of government supervision on hospitalization costs for inpatients with COPD
Authors: Li Peiyi , Duan Zhanqi , Zhang Ziwu , He Yunzhen , Li Weimin , Jin Wen  
Published: January 2020

Abstract
To address the remaining medical misconducts after the zero-makeup drug policy (ZMDP), e.g., over-examinations, China has given the priority to government supervision on medical institutions. This study evaluated the effect of government supervision on medical costs among inpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Sichuan province, the first province in China where the medical supervision was conducted.
A linear interrupted time series (ITS) model was employed to analyze data about 72,113 inpatients from 32 hospitals. Monthly average medicine costs, diagnostic costs, and medical services costs, nursing costs from January 2015 to June 2018 were analyzed, respectively.
The average hospitalization costs fell with a monthly trend of 42.90Yuan before the implementation of supervision (P < .001), and the declining trend remained with the more dramatic rate (−158.70Yuan, P < .001) after the government audit carried out. For western medicine costs, the monthly decreasing trend remained after the implementation of supervision (−66.44Yuan, P < .001); meanwhile, the monthly upward trend was changed into a downtrend trend for traditional Chinese medicine costs (−11.80Yuan, P
= .009). Additionally, the increasing monthly trend in average diagnostics costs disappeared after government supervision, and was inversed to an insignificant decreasing trend at the rate of 26.18Yuan per month. Moreover, the previous upward trends were changed into downward trends for both medical service costs and nursing costs (P = .056, −44.71Yuan; P = .007, −11.17Yuan, respectively) after the supervision carried out.
Our findings reveal that government supervision in Sichuan province was applicable to curb the growth of medical costs for inpatients with COPD, which may reflect its role in restraining physicians’ compensating behaviors after the ZMDP. The government medical supervision holds promise to dismiss medical misconducts in Sichuan province, the experience of which may offer implications for other regions of China as well as other low- and middle-income countries.
Long-term survival of a patient with an inoperable thymic neuroendocrine tumor stage IIIa under sole treatment with Viscum album extract
Authors: Reynel María , Villegas Yván , Werthmann Paul G. , Kiene Helmut , Kienle Gunver S. 
Published: January 2020

Abstract

Rationale
Thymic neuroendocrine tumor (TNET) is very rare and characterized by a tendency to invade adjacent structures, frequent metastasis, resistance to therapy, and a poor prognosis. Viscum album extracts (VAE) have shown immunological, apoptogenic, and cytotoxic properties.

Patient concerns
A 54-year-old Peruvian man was suffering from constant fatigue, cough, dyspnea, and fever for a couple of months.

Diagnoses
He was diagnosed with TNET (12.8 cm × 10 cm × 7 cm) stage IIIa, G1. Due to the size and extensive invasiveness (vena cava superior, also obstructing 85% of its lumen, pericardium, and pleura), the TNET was inoperable.

Interventions
We report the case of this patient who declined chemotherapy and was treated instead with sole subcutaneous VAE 3 times per week for 85 months. No other tumor-specific intervention was applied.

Outcomes
Quality of life (QoL) improved substantially. The patient returned to work, and the tumor remained stable for 71 months. Thereafter, the tumor progressed, and the patient died 90 months after initial diagnosis. Besides self-limited local skin reactions around the application site, no side effects occurred.

Lessons
This is an exceptionally good course of disease of an inoperable, large, obstructing, and invasive TNET with a reduced baseline condition (Karnofsky index: 50–60) due to pronounced symptoms. Given the considerable reduction of symptoms and improved QoL following the onset of VAE therapy and other reports describing long disease stability and improvement of the QoL using VAE in different cancer types, we presume that the VAE treatment was supportive in this case. As TNETs are rare and few trials are available, future treatments of TNETs using VAE should be carefully documented and published to help determine whether further investigation of the use of VAE in TNET treatment is worthwhile.
Predictors of long-term smoking cessation among smokers enrolled in a university smoking cessation program
Authors: Joo Hyundeok , Cho Mi Hee , Cho Yongjung , Joh Hee-Kyung , Kim Ji Won 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Many lifelong smokers establish smoking habits during young adulthood. A university can be an effective setting for early smoking cessation. We evaluated long-term predictors of smoking cessation among smokers in a university setting.
We longitudinally followed a cohort of smokers enrolled in a university smoking cessation program in Seoul, South Korea. Sociodemographic factors, smoking-related variables, and changes in smoking habits were assessed during 6-week visit sessions and follow-up telephone interviews conducted 1 year or more later.
A total of 205 participants were followed up (mean follow-up duration: 27.1 months). Cessation rates were 47.3% at the end of the visit sessions and 28.8% at follow-up. The long-term persistent smoking rate was significantly higher among individuals with peers who smoked (odds ratio [OR] = 8.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.75, 42.80), with family members who smoked (OR = 3.28; 95% CI = 1.20, 9.00), and who smoked 10 to 19 cigarettes/day (OR = 4.83; 95% CI = 1.49, 15.69). Conversely, persistent smoking was less likely among those who attended the program regularly (OR = 0.84 per visit; 95% CI = 0.72, 0.99) and attempted quitting more frequently (OR = 0.93 per attempt; 95% CI = 0.87, 0.99). Use of smoking cessation medications (varenicline or bupropion) was not significantly associated with long-term quitting (OR = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.26, 1.93).
Peer influences were the strongest predictors of failure in long-term cessation among smokers who attempted to quit. Similarly, the existence of smokers in the family was negatively associated with successful quitting. Regular attendance at a smoking cessation program and a high number of attempts to quit were positively associated with successful quitting. Targeting peer and family smoking groups together rather than targeting individual smokers alone, implementing active cessation programs encouraging regular attendance, and providing comprehensive antismoking environments might be effective strategies in a university setting.