bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical characteristics, treatment status and complications in women with tube ovarian abscess and endometriosis: a retrospective study
Authors: Li Hui , Zhao Yan , Chang Xiao-hong , Wang Yue , Zhu Hong-lan 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: The aim of our present study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment status and complications in women with endometriosis (EM) and tube ovarian abscess (TOA) to determine the possible association between TOA and EM.Methods: Medical records were used to analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment and complications. Twenty women who were diagnosed with TOA with EM were compared with 93 women diagnosed as having TOA without EM between January, 2008 and December, 2018. Results: In this study, TOA patients with EM were significantly more likely to have a lower age range (20–39years) than the non-EM group (11/20 (55.0%) vs 27/93 (29.0%)). In addition, TOA patients with EM were associated with a significantly lower rate of parity (11/20 (55.0%) vs 75/93 (80.6%),), higher rates of infertility (8/20(40%) vs 0/93(0%),) and a significantly lower incidence of elevated blood platelet counts (5/20 (25%) vs 43/93 (53.8%)). Furthermore, women with EM had greater blood loss (347±445.77 vs 204.67±289.46) and an increased complication rate (3/20(15%) vs 0/93(0%)). Among the 3 patients who had complications in the EM group, 2 patients had septic shock and 1 patient had intestinal obstruction. And 1 case who had septic shock followed by IVF treatment. There was no significance difference on other factors.Conclusions: The present study indicated that EM did not increase the difficulty and time of treatment in patients with TOA, but increased bleeding during surgery and serious complications. It is suggested that doctors should pay more attention to postoperative treatment and nursing in women with TOA and EM, especially those who have a history of recent infertility treatment and related procedures.
Short- and long-term outcomes after colonic self-expandable metal stent placement for malignant large-bowel obstruction as a bridge to surgery focus on the feasibility of the laparoscopic approach: a retrospective, single center study
Authors: Tajima Jesse Yu , Matsuhashi Nobuhisa , Takahashi Takao , Mizutani Chika , Iwata Yoshinori , Kiyama Shigeru , Kubota Masaya , Ibuka Takashi , Araki Hiroshi , Shimizu Masahito , Doi Kiyoshi , Yoshida Kazuhiro 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Purpose Malignant large-bowel obstruction (MLBO) is a highly urgent condition in colorectal cancer with high complication rates. Self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement in MLBO is a new decompression treatment in Japan. Preoperative stent placement (bridge to surgery: BTS) avoids emergency surgery, but oncological influences of stent placement and post-BTS surgical approach remain unclear. We examined short- and long-term results of surgery for MLBO after SEMS placement in our hospital.Methods We retrospectively reviewed 75 patients with MLBO who underwent resection after SEMS placement at our hospital from June 2013 to December 2018. Postoperative morbidity and mortality were evaluated by comparison with the surgical approach.Results Tumor location was significantly higher in the left-side colon and rectum (n=59, 78.7%) than right-side colon (n=16, 21.3%). Technical and clinical success rates for SEMS placement were 97.3% and 96.0%, respectively. Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 54 patients (69.0%), and one-stage anastomosis was performed in 73 (97.3%). Postoperative complications were similar in the open surgery (Open) group (n=5, 23.8%) and laparoscopic surgery (Lap) group (n=7, 13.0%), with no severe complications requiring reoperation. Three-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were not significantly different in the Lap vs Open group (67.5% vs 66.4%; 82.2% vs 62.5%).Conclusion Preoperative stent treatment avoids stoma construction but allows anastomosis. One-time surgery was performed safely contributing to minimally invasive treatment and acceptable short- and long-term results.
Association of 45-bp ins/del polymorphism of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver and type 2 diabetes mellitus in North-west of Iran
Authors: Rezapour Salehe , Khosroshahi Shiva Ahdi , Farajnia Hadi , Mohseni Fatemeh , Khoshbaten Manouchehr , Farajnia Safar 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Objective: Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a regulator of insulin secretion, free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations, and lipid metabolism that plays crucial roles in energy homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate the association of 45-bp ins/del polymorphism of UCP2 and susceptibility to NAFLD and T2DM. DNA was extracted from the white blood cells of the subjects and the gene polymorphism was determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In this study, 72 patients with NAFLD, 71 healthy individuals as control, 80 patients with T2DM, and 77 age/race matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study.Results: A higher prevalence of insertion/insertion genotype has been observed in T2DM patients compared with the control group (p value˂ 0.05). But, there was no difference in genotype distribution between NAFLD patients and control groups (p value> 0.05). NAFLD patients with D/D, D/I genotype had higher triglyceride, ALT and AST levels, and lower HDL level than healthy controls. Patients with T2DM with D/D or D/I genotype also had significantly higher fasting serum glucose (FSG) level. While we found an association between the 45bp I/D polymorphism in 3ʹUTR of UCP2 and T2DM, no any correlation between this polymorphism and NAFLD was identified.
Shortened red blood cell age in patients with end-stage renal disease who were receiving haemodialysis: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Matsumura Koichiro , Okumiya Toshika , Sugiura Tetsuro , Takahashi Nobuyuki , Yamamoto Yoshihiro , Kikuchi Sanae , Fujii Kenichi , Otagaki Munemitsu , Shiojima Ichiro 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: The causes of anaemia in patients with end-stage renal disease include a relative deficiency in erythropoietin production and complex clinical conditions. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of anaemia in patients with end-stage renal disease who were undergoing maintenance dialysis by measuring erythrocyte creatine levels.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we evaluated 69 patients with end-stage renal disease who were receiving haemodialysis (n = 55) or peritoneal dialysis (n = 14). Erythrocyte creatine level, a quantitative marker of mean red blood cell (RBC) age, was measured.Results: The mean RBC age was significantly shorter in the haemodialysis group than in the peritoneal dialysis group (47.7 days vs. 59.8 days, p<0.0001), although the haemoglobin levels were comparable between the groups. A Spearman correlation coefficient analysis revealed that shortened RBC age positively correlated with transferrin saturation (r = 0.54), ferritin level (r= 0.47), and haptoglobin level (r = 0.39) but inversely related with reticulocyte (r = −0.36), weekly doses of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs; r = −0.62), erythropoietin resistance index (r = −0.64), and intradialytic ultrafiltration rate (r = −0.32).Conclusions: Shortened RBC age was observed in patients who were receiving maintenance haemodialysis and was associated with iron deficiency, greater haptoglobin consumption, higher ESA requirements, and poor erythropoietin responsiveness, as well as with greater intradialytic fluid extraction.
A latent class analysis of dietary behaviours associated with metabolic syndrome: a retrospective observational cross-sectional study
Authors: Park Jung Ha , Kim Ju Young , Kim So Hye , Kim Jung Hyun , Park Young Mi , Yeom Hye Seon 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Obesity defined solely by the Body Mass Index (BMI) may not reflect the true heterogeneity of the obese population. This study aimed to classify the dietary behaviours of overweight and obese individuals and to explore the relationship between patterns of dietary behaviour and cardiometabolic risk factors.Methods: A total of 259 patients who visited an outpatient weight management clinic at a tertiary hospital and underwent a dietary behaviour assessment between January 2014 and February 2019 were enrolled in the study. Dietary behaviours were assessed in three domains with nine categories, including choice of food (frequently eating out and consumption of instant/fast/takeaway food), eating behaviour (irregular meals; frequent snacking, including eating at night; emotional eating; and overeating/binge eating), and nutrient intake (high-fat/high-calorie foods, salty food, and poorly balanced diet). Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to classify the subjects according to these categories. Associations between latent class and metabolic syndrome were assessed by logistic regression.Results: The subjects were classified into three LCA-driven classes, including a referent class of healthy but unbalanced eaters (n=118), a class of emotional eaters (n=53), and a class of irregular unhealthy eaters (n=88). Compared with the referent class, emotional eaters had a significantly higher BMI (beta=3.40, P<0.001) accompanied by metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 2.88, 95% confidence interval 1.16–7.13).Conclusions: Our three LCA-driven obesity phenotypes could be useful for assessment and management of obesity and metabolic syndrome. The association between emotional eaters and higher BMI and metabolic syndrome was stronger than that with other eaters. Thus, emotional regulation strategies might have benefit for emotional eater’s diet.
The Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment among Children in Kenya – The Kenya Eye Study
Authors: Muma Shadrack , Obonyo Stephen 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Visual impairment is the partial or complete loss of vision in which the presenting visual acuity lie between 6/18-no perceptions of light. In Kenya, little attention has been directed towards children vision and causes of visual impairment. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the prevalence and causes of visual impairment in the children population of Kenya.Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study included 3400 (1800, 52.9% female) randomly selected children with a mean age of 12 ± 2 years (range 5–16 years). Visual acuity was taken using Snellens chart at 6 meters. Anterior and posterior segment was assessed using slit lamp and indirect ophthalmoscope. The World Health Organization definition formed the baseline for calculating the mean prevalence of visual impairment.Results: Visual acuity measurements were available for 3240 (95.3%) participants. The mean prevalence of visual impairment based on pin-hole value was 1.7 ± 0.3% using World Health Organization definition. The prevalence of visual impairment based on presenting visual acuity value was 2.4 ± 0.7% using the World Health Organization definition. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the presence of visual impairment on pin-hole increased significantly with increasing age (odds ratio 1.230, P=.021) and uncorrected refractive error (odds ratio 0.834, P = .032) according to World Health Organization definition. Cases of uncorrected refractive error remained the major cause for presenting visual impairment. Causes of visual impairment due to presenting visual acuity were nystagmus (14%), amblyopia (24%) and uncorrected refractive error (62%).Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment in Kenya is associated with age. Uncorrected refractive error remains the major causes of visual impairment.
Challenges and management of laparoscopic treatment of pyonephrosis caused by calculi
Authors: Liu Jun , Chen Liang , An Lizhe , Ma Kai , Ye Xiongjun , Xu Qingquan , Huang Xiaobo , Xiong Liulin 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Calculous pyonephrosis is a disease characterized by infectious hydronephrosis associated with pyogenic destruction of the renal parenchyma, with complete or almost complete loss of renal function.Methods: The clinical data of laparoscopic nephrolithotomy performed at Peking University People’s Hospital from May 2017 to June 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Eight patients (2 men; 6 women) aged 27 to 65 years (average age, 45.8 years) were included. Among them, 7 patients were treated with retroperitoneal approach and 1 patient by transperitoneal approach. All patients had received more than one endoscopic lithotripsy before nephrectomy. Renal dynamic imaging and computed tomography revealed the absence of function in pyonephrosis before nephrectomy. General clinical data and perioperative data were recorded. All nephrectomies were performed by the same physician.Results: Laparoscopic surgery was successfully performed in 7 patients; however, 1 patient underwent open surgery because of bleeding. The operation time, average operation time, and blood loss were 1.5–4.5 hours, 3.4 hours, and 100–1000 ml (average, 300 ml), respectively. The postoperative pathology showed inflammatory renal disease in 6 patients, xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in 1 patient, and high-grade urothelial cancer in 1 patient. The average postoperative hospital stay was 4.4 days. None of the patients experienced severe complications and poor healing of endoscopic wounds.Conclusion: For patients with complicated calculous pyonephrosis, renal inflammation could not be effectively controlled, and renal function was seriously damaged. Thus, kidneys should be immediately resected. With laparoscopy, patients may recover quickly, but surgeons require enough experience when performing laparoscopy to achieve safety.
Computation offloading through mobile vehicles in IoT-edge-cloud network
Authors: Long Jun , Luo Yueyi , Zhu Xiaoyu , Luo Entao , Huang Mingfeng 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
With the developing of Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile edge computing (MEC), more and more sensing devices are widely deployed in the smart city. These sensing devices generate various kinds of tasks, which need to be sent to cloud to process. Usually, the sensing devices do not equip with wireless modules, because it is neither economical nor energy saving. Thus, it is a challenging problem to find a way to offload tasks for sensing devices. However, many vehicles are moving around the city, which can communicate with sensing devices in an effective and low-cost way. In this paper, we propose a computation offloading scheme through mobile vehicles in IoT-edge-cloud network. The sensing devices generate tasks and transmit the tasks to vehicles, then the vehicles decide to compute the tasks in the local vehicle, MEC server or cloud center. The computation offloading decision is made based on the utility function of the energy consumption and transmission delay, and the deep reinforcement learning technique is adopted to make decisions. Our proposed method can make full use of the existing infrastructures to implement the task offloading of sensing devices, the experimental results show that our proposed solution can achieve the maximum reward and decrease delay.
Time trends in the regional distribution of physicians, nurses and midwives in Europe
Authors: Winkelmann Juliane , Muench Ulrike , Maier Claudia B. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background. Country-level data suggest large differences in the supply of health professionals among European countries. However, little is know about the regional supply of health professionals taking a cross-country comparative perspective. The aim of the study was to analyse the regional distribution of physicians, nurses and midwives in the highest and lowest density regions in Europe and examine time trends.Methods. We used Eurostat data and descriptive statistics to assess the density of physicians, nurses and midwives at national and regional levels (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 2 regions) for 2017 and time trends (2005-2017). To ensure cross-country comparability we applied a set of criteria (working status, availability over time, geographic availability, source). This resulted in 14 European Union (EU) countries and Switzerland being available for the physician analysis and eight countries for the nurses and midwives analysis. Density rates per population were analysed at national and NUTS 2 level, of which regions with the highest and lowest density of physicians, nurses and midwives were identified. We examined changes over time in regional distributions, using percentage change and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).Results. There was a 2.4-fold difference in the physician density between the highest and lowest density countries (Austria national average: 513, Poland 241.6 per 100,000) and a 3.5-fold difference among nurses (Denmark: 1702.5, Bulgaria: 483.0). Differences by regions across Europe were higher than cross-country variations and varied up to 5.5-fold for physicians and 4.4-fold for nurses/midwives and did not improve over time. Capitals and/or major cities in all countries showed a markedly higher supply of physicians than more sparsely populated regions while the density of nurses and midwives tended to be higher in more sparsely populated areas. Over time, physician rates increased faster than density levels of nurses and midwives.Conclusions. The study shows for the first time the large variation in health workforce supply at regional levels and time trends by professions across the European region. This highlights the importance for countries to routinely collect data in sub-national geographic areas to develop integrated health workforce policies for health professionals at regional levels.
Permeability of the windows of the brain: Feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the circumventricular organs
Authors: Verheggen Inge C.M. , de Jong Joost J.A. , Boxtel Martin P.J. van , Postma Alida A. , Verhey Frans R.J. , Jansen Jacobus F.A. , Backes Walter H. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background Circumventricular organs (CVOs) are small structures without a blood-brain barrier surrounding the brain ventricles that serve homeostasic functions and facilitate communication between the blood, cerebrospinal fluid and brain. Secretory CVOs release peptides and sensory CVOs regulate signal transmission. However, pathogens may enter the brain through the CVOs and trigger neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. We investigated the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI to assess the CVO permeability characteristics in vivo, and expected significant contrast uptake in these regions, due to blood-brain barrier absence.Methods Twenty healthy, middle-aged to older males underwent brain DCE MRI. Pharmacokinetic modeling was applied to contrast concentration time-courses of CVOs, and in reference to white and gray matter. We investigated whether a significant and positive transfer from blood to brain could be measured in the CVOs, and whether this differed between secretory and sensory CVOs or from normal-appearing brain matter.Results In both the secretory and sensory CVOs, the transfer constants were significantly positive, and all secretory CVOs had significantly higher transfer than each sensory CVO. The transfer constants in both the secretory and sensory CVOs were higher than in the white and gray matter.Conclusions Current measurements confirm the often-held assumption of highly permeable CVOs, of which the secretory types have the strongest blood-to-brain transfer. The current study suggests that DCE MRI could be a promising technique to further assess the function of the CVOs and how pathogens can potentially enter the brain via these structures.Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register number: NL6358, date of registration: 2017-03-24
The dual HDAC-PI3K inhibitor CUDC-907 displays single-agent activity and synergizes with PARP inhibitor olaparib in small cell lung cancer
Authors: Ma Liying , Bian Xing , Lin wenchu 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a deadly neuroendocrine tumor with limited therapeutic options. Recent data suggest that histone deacetylases (HDACs) and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway play essential roles in SCLC cell proliferation and survival. Methods: The inhibition of the PI3K signaling and HDAC activity by CUDC-907 was analysized by western bloting. The effect of CUDC-907 on olaprib-induced DNA damage response was assessed by western blotting and Immunofluorescence staining. The cytotoxcity of CUDC-907 alone or in combination with olaparib in a panel of SCLC cell lines were evaluated by the CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability Assay and flow cytometry. The in vivo effects of CUDC-907 and olaparib alone or in combination were examined using a patient-derived xenografts (PDX) model of SCLC. Results: CUDC-907 treatment downregulated MYC paralogs and FoxM1, induced G1 cell-cycle arrest, and impaired DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair capacity in SCLC cells, which produced a potent antiproliferative effect. Furthermore, we showed that CUDC-907 treatment enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of PARP inhibitor olaparib in SCLC cellular models and a PDX model. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that CUDC-907 synergized with olaparib through the blockade of DSB repair pathways and downregulation of MYC paralogs and FoxM1. Conclusions: Our study uncovers that dual PI3K and HDAC inhibition by CUDC-907 exerts significant single-agent activity and strong synergistic effects with PARP inhibitor olaparib in SCLC, which thus provides a rational combination treatment strategy for SCLC clinical investigation.
Are weight status and weight perception associated with academic performance among youth?
Authors: Livermore Maram , Duncan Markus J , Leatherdale Scott T. , Patte Karen Allison 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background: Emerging evidence suggests perceptions of being overweight account for many of the psychosocial consequences commonly associated with obesity. Previous research suggests an obesity achievement gap, yet limited research has explored weight perception in association with academic performance. Moreover, underweight perceptions have typically been excluded from research. The current study examined how BMI classification and weight perception relate to academic performance in a large cohort of youth.Methods: We used cross-sectional survey data from 61,866 grade 9-12 students attending the 122 Canadian schools that participated in Year 6 (2017/2018) of the COMPASS study. Mixed effect regression models were used to examine associations between students’ BMI classification and weight perceptions and their math and English/French course grades. All models were stratified by sex and adjusted for sociodemographic covariates and school clustering. Results: For English/French grades, males and females with overweight or underweight perceptions were less likely to achieve higher grades than their peers with perceptions of being at “about the right weight”, controlling for BMI and covariates. For math grades, females with overweight perceptions, and all students with underweight perceptions, were less likely to achieve higher grades than their peers with “about the right weight” perceptions. All students with BMIs in the obesity range were less likely to report grades of 60% or higher than their peers with “normal-weight” BMIs, controlling for weight perception and covariates. Overweight BMIs were predictive of lower achievement in females for English/French grades, and in males for math grades, relative to “normal-weight” BMIs. Results for students that did not respond to the weight and weight perception items resembled those for obesity BMI and overweight/underweight perceptions, respectively.Conclusions: Overall, this study demonstrates that an obesity achievement gap remains when controlling for students’ perceptions of their weight, and that both underweight and overweight perceptions predict lower academic performance, regardless of BMI classification. Results suggest barriers to academic success exist among youth with larger body sizes, and those with perceptions of deviating from “about the right weight”.