bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of Health Checkups with Health-Related Quality of Life Among Public Servants: A Nationwide Survey in Taiwan
Authors: Shih Dann-Pyng , Kuo Hsien-Wen , Liang Wen-Miin , Lin Ping-Yi , Tseng Pochang , Wang Jong-Yi 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Preventive health checkups have gained in importance over the last decade. The association of health checkups and the number of diseases with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including physical and mental health, remains unclear. We sought to investigate the aforementioned association among Taiwanese public servants.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using randomized and multistage stratified cluster sampling based on proportional probabilistic sampling. The questionnaires addressed demographics, job characteristics, health behaviors, health status, 3 types of health checkups during the preceding 3 years (government-paid health checkup [GPHC], self-paid health checkup [SPHC], and no health checkup [NOHC]), and physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the Short-Form Health Survey. In total 11,454 middle-aged public servants were analyzed. A multivariate general linear model (GLM) was used to estimate PCS and MCS scores by using least square means.Results: Health checkup types were associated with a significant difference in PCS scores among the public servants. Scores of PCS and MCS were both significantly higher in the GPHC group than in the NOHC group for those with no chronic diseases (51.20 vs. 50.66 [P = 0.0078] and 46.23 vs. 45.58 [P = 0.0192], respectively). Compared with the NOHC group, both scores of GPHC and SPHC groups were significantly associated with higher PCS scores for public servants with ≥2 chronic diseases (46.93 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.0023] and 46.52 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.0094], respectively).Conclusion: In Taiwan, public servants undergoing GPHCs are more likely to report higher PCS scores than are those undergoing SPHCs. It is crucial that encourage periodically using the health checkup to improve health status and HRQoL.
The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised (MQOL-R). Psychometric Properties and Validation of a Brazilian Version on Palliative Care Patients: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Serrano Paul Vicuña , Serrano Gerardo Beltran , Torres Iraci Lucena da Silva , Graudner Roberta Rossi , Caumo Wolne , Caumo W 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: To assess the psychometric properties, including internal consistency, construct validity, criterion validity, criterion-group validity, and responsiveness, the Reviewed McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL-R), into Brazilian Portuguese-(BrP). Also, to analyze the relationship of the BrP-MQOL-R with the scores on the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) and on the Numerical Pain Scale (NPS 0-10).Methods: The BrP-MQOL-R was administered to a sample of 146 adults (men = 78). A team of experts translated the MQOL-R according to international guidelines. Convergent validity and Conﬁrmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed. Results: The BrP-MQOL-R Cronbach´s alfa was 0.85. CFA supported the original four-factor structure, with the following revised model fit-indices: PCLOSE = 0.131, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) rho2= 0.918, incremental fit index (IFI) delta 2 = 0.936. The convergence validity is supported by a significant correlation between BrP-MQOL-R total scores and their subscales with KPS and with the single item related to the quality of life. And by a converse correlation with the pain scores in the NPS (0-10). Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis showed subjects with KPS equal to or lower than 30% could be discriminated from those with scores on KPS higher 30% by an area under the curve (AUC) = 0.71, sensitivity = 97% and specificity = 92%). Conclusion: The BrP-MQOL-R proves to be a reliable instrument for assessing the quality of life (QOL) in palliative care (PC), with primary evidence of validity. BrP-MQOL-R presented adequate discriminate properties to identify distinct conditions that impact the QOL in PC.
Improvement of stem cell-derived exosome release efficiency by surface modified nanoparticles
Authors: Park Dong Jun , Yun Wan Su , Kim Woo Cheol , Park Jeong-Eun , Lee Su Hoon , Ha Sunmok , Choi Jin Sil , Key Jaehong , Seo YoungJoon 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pluripotent stromal cells that release extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs contain various growth factors and antioxidants that can positively affect the surrounding cells. Nanoscale MSC-derived EVs, such as exosomes, have been developed as bio-stable nano-type materials. However, some issues such as low yield and difficulty in quantification limit their use. We hypothesized that enhancing exosome production using nanoparticles would stimulate intracellular molecules. Results: Our aim in this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of exosome generation by comparing the internalization of surface-modified, positively charged nanoparticles and exosome generation from MSCs. We determined that Rab7, which is located in the multiple vesicle body and autolysosomal membrane, was increased upon exosome expression and was associated with autophagosome formation. Conclusions: Nanoparticles may migrate to lysosomes during treatment. Simultaneously, intracellular exosome-forming factors can be stimulated during endosomal maturation. MSC-derived exosomes using nanoparticles may increase exosome yield and enable the discovery of nanoparticle-induced genetic factors.
Determining whether age retirement for NBA players is associated with injuries and illnesses: A retrospective study
Authors: Chou Po-Hsin , Yeh Yu-Tsen , WEI CHIEN TSAI , Su Shih-Bin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: The careers of professional sport players are usually influenced by injuries and skills. The careers of all-star MBA and regular players depend on their health and how rapidly their skills diminish with age, respectively. Whether the above phenomena are considered and supported in the National Basketball Association (NBA) requires verification.Methods: We downloaded injury data from the NBA website in 2010–2018 and extracted all injury events (=9,783) involving 779 NBA players. Among these players, 705 were retired, 236 possessed all-star titles (60 injured and 170 non-injured), and 466 were regular players (408 injured and 58 non-injured) from 2010 to 2018. Both samples of retired all-star (n = 236) and regular players (n = 466) were compared to verify the effect of injury and illness on the retirement age using the bootstrapping method to estimate 95% confidence intervals in medians. We hypothesized that injuries and illnesses are associated with the retirement age of all-star players and irrelative to that of regular NBA players. Social network analysis(SNA) was performed to highlight the top three injuries with the highest degree centralities in their respective clusters.Results: We observed that the top three degree centralities include (1) sprained a left ankle, (2) sprained a right ankle, and (3) illness. The top two most injured NBA teams in 2010-2018, as obtained by the metrics for measurement, were Timberwolves (x-index = 32.86) and Hornets (x-index = 31.42). Most of the careers of NBA all-star players were affected by injuries/illnesses. The NBA careers of regular players were terminated mostly according to their skill.Conclusion: Although a number of things can be debated with regard to NBA, everyone can agree on one thing: Injuries are the worst. We confirmed that injuries and illnesses exhibit significant associations with the retirement age of all-star players and are irrelative to that of regular NBA players. Sports medicine is urgently needed to help players in preventing possible injuries while in the court in the discernible future.
Changes in plastid biogenesis leading to the formation of albino regenerants in barley microspore culture
Authors: Gajecka Monika , Marzec Marek , Chmielewska Beata , Jelonek Janusz , Zbieszczyk Justyna , Szarejko Iwona 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Microspore embryogenesis is potentially the most effective method of obtaining doubled haploids (DH), which are utilized in breeding programs to accelerate production of new cultivars. However, the regeneration of albino plants significantly limits the exploitation of androgenesis for DH production in cereals. Despite many efforts, the precise mechanisms leading to development of albino regenerants have not yet been elucidated. The objective of this study was to reveal the genotype-dependent molecular differences in chloroplast differentiation that lead to the formation of green and albino regenerants in microspore culture of barley.Results: We performed a detailed analysis of plastid differentiation at successive stages of androgenesis in two barley cultivars, ‘Jersey’ and ‘Mercada’ that differed in their ability to produce green regenerants. We demonstrated the lack of transition from the NEP-dependent to PEP-dependent transcription in plastids of ‘Mercada’ that produced mostly albino regenerants in microspore culture. The failed NEP-to-PEP transition was associated with the lack of activity of Sig2 gene encoding a sigma factor necessary for transcription of plastid rRNA genes. The impaired PEP activity caused a very low level of 16S and 23S rRNA transcripts, lack of plastid translation machinery and inhibition of photomorphogenesis in regenerating embryos and albino regenerants. Furthermore, the plastids present in differentiating ‘Mercada’ embryos contained a low number of plastome copies whose replication was not always completed. Contrary to ‘Mercada’, ‘Jersey’ that produced 90% green regenerants, showed the high activity of PEP, the highly increased expression of Sig2, plastid rRNA and tRNAGlu transcripts, which indicated the NEP inhibition. The increased expression of GLKs genes encoding transcription factors required for induction of photomorphogenesis was also observed in ‘Jersey’ regenerants. Conclusions: Proplastids present in microspore-derived embryos of albino-producing genotypes did not pass the early checkpoint of their development that are required for induction of further light-dependent differentiation of chloroplasts. The failed activation of plastid-encoded RNA polymerase during differentiation of embryos was the main cause of the genotype-dependent inability to regenerate green plants in barley microspore culture. The better understanding of molecular mechanism underlying formation of albino regenerants may be helpful in overcoming the problem of albinism in cereal androgenesis.
Time Taken to Resume Driving Following Hip Arthroscopy Surgery
Authors: Jo Suenghwan , Lee Sang Hong , Jang Se Woong , Choi Hyun Bai , Kim Ba Rom , Jeong Jae Han , Kim Soo Ah 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Resuming driving is a common concern among patients undergoing hip arthroscopy. The goals of the current study were 1) to assess whether patients who have undergone right hip arthroscopy have poorer driving performance than patients with normal hips and 2) to analyse the time required to regain preoperative driving performance with respect to different types of operations.Methods: Forty-seven patients who had undergone right hip arthroscopy and who consented to our test protocol were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups based on the type of operation that they underwent, namely, the femoroacetabular impingement surgery (FAI) group and the simple hip arthroscopy (SA) group. Using an immersive driving simulator, the patients were tested for brake reaction time (BRT), total brake time (TBT), and brake pedal depression pressure (BPD). Following the surgery, the first assessments were conducted when the patient could comfortably sit on the driving seat, and follow-up assessments were conducted for 6 consecutive weeks at weekly intervals. For the control group, 20 healthy volunteers were put through driving assessments thrice at weekly intervals. Braking parameters were compared between preoperative and postoperative measurements and between studied and controlled subjects.Results: The preoperative braking parameters of the patients who underwent arthroscopy showed no significant difference compared with normal controls (p values 0. 373, 0.763, and 0.447 for BRT, TBT, and BPD, respectively). All braking parameters returned to normal in 2 weeks in the FAI group and in 1 week in the SA group.Conclusion: Our study indicates that the driving performance of the patients undergoing right hip arthroscopy have comparable driving performance as compare to the normal hips and that the braking reaction returns to the preoperative state 1 week after SA and 2 weeks after FAI surgery.
Do Cognitive Performance and Physical Function Differ between Individuals with Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome and those with Mild Cognitive Impairment?
Authors: Cheng Fang-Yu , Chang Yuanmay , Cheng Shih-Jung , Shaw Jin-Siang , Lee Chuo-Yu , Chen Pei-Hao 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) is defined by slow gait speed combined with subjective cognitive complaint. MCR is a predementia syndrome, similar to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, there is currently no study comparing the differences in cognitive performance and physical function between these two types of cognitive impairment. Thus, the aim of this study is to compare cognitive performance and physical function in individuals with MCR versus MCI.
Methods
A total of 77 participants, free of dementia, were recruited from the neurological outpatient clinic of a medical center in Taiwan. Participants were separated into two groups, MCR (n = 33) and MCI (n = 44) groups, based on definition criteria from previous studies. Cognitive performance, including executive function, attention, working memory, episode memory, visuospatial function, and language, were measured. Physical functions such as activities in daily living, the Tinetti Assessment Scale, and the Timed Up and Go test were also measured.
Results
Executive function, attention, working memory, episodic memory and language were all significantly lower in the MCR group than the MCI group. Abilities related to physical function, including those measured by the Tinetti Assessment Scale and the Timed Up and Go test, were significantly lower in the MCR group than the MCI group.
Conclusions
We noted that cognitive performance and physical function were lower in MCR individuals than MCI individuals. The significant differences between those two groups may provide insight that MCR might lead to more severe overall functional deterioration in older adults than MCI patients.
Assessing Socio-Demographic Factors of Cesarean Delivery in India: Insights From National Family Health Survey-4
Authors: Roy Avijit , Paul Pintu , Saha Jay , Rahaman Margubur , Kapasia Nanigopal , Barman Bikash , Chouhan Pradip 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: The rate of cesarean delivery has considerably increased in the world during the last few decades. This paper aims to investigate the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of cesarean delivery in India with a focus on Bihar and Tamil Nadu, accounting for the lower and higher proportion of cesarean birth.Methods: The study is based on secondary data, collected from the latest National Family Health Survey in 2015-16 (NFHS-4). The present study is based on 190,898 most recent births during the five years preceding the survey. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify the factors associated with cesarean delivery.Results: The highest rate of cesarean delivery was observed in Telengana (60%) and followed by Andhra Pradesh (42%), Tamil Nadu (36%). C-section found to be negligible in low-income states, namely Bihar (7%), Madhya Pradesh (10%) and Jharkhand (11%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of cesarean delivery was substantially higher among women who married at higher age, with first birth-order, women in the ‘obese’ category with higher education, those from upper quintile of household wealth. Similarly the incidence of cesarean birth was remarkably higher in private hospitals both in the Indian sample (OR 3.9, 95% CI: 3.77-4.03) and in the selected states, Bihar (12.86, 95% CI: 10.92-15.15) and Tamil Nadu (OR 2.74, 95% CI: 2.40-3.13), compared to the public hospitals. Conclusion: Our study revealed that there are a high proportion of women delivering babies through cesarean section in South India. Thus, medical justifications need to be taken to deal with this concern. On the other hand, Women should also be driven towards regular ANC check-ups for the well-being of maternal and newborn health that can also help to increase the cesarean delivery for women who need C-section delivery especially in low-income states.
An “Expressionistic” Look at Serrated Precancerous Colorectal Lesions
Authors: Marra Giancarlo 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Approximately 60% of colorectal cancer (CRC) precursor lesions are the genuinely-dysplastic conventional adenomas (cADNs). The others include hyperplastic polyps (HPs), sessile serrated adenoma/polyps (SSA/Ps), and traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs), subtypes of a class of lesions collectively referred to as “serrated.” Endoscopic and histologic differentiation between cADNs and serrated lesions, and between serrated lesion subtypes can be difficult. Methods: We used in situ hybridization to verify the expression patterns in CRC precursors of 21 RNA molecules that appear to be promising differentiation markers on the basis of previous RNA sequencing studies.Results: SSA/Ps could be clearly differentiated from cADNs by the expression patterns of 9 of the 12 RNAs tested for this purpose (VSIG1, ANXA10, ACHE, SEMG1, AQP5, LINC00520, ZIC5/2, FOXD1, NKD1). Expression patterns of all 9 in HPs were similar to those in SSA/Ps. Nine putatively HP-specific RNAs were also investigated, but none could be confirmed as such: most (e.g., HOXD13 and HOXB13), proved instead to be markers of the normal mucosa in the distal colon and rectum, where most HPs arise. TSAs displayed mixed staining patterns reflecting the presence of serrated and dysplastic glands in the same lesion. Conclusions: Using a robust in situ hybridization protocol, we identified promising tissue-staining markers that, if validated in larger series of lesions, could facilitate more precise histologic classification of CRC precursors and, consequently, more tailored clinical follow-up of their carriers. Our findings should also fuel functional studies on the pathogenic significance of specific gene expression alterations in the initiation and evolution of CRC precursor subtypes.
Acute Phase Proteins and Total Antioxidant Capacity in Free-Roaming Cats Infected by Pathogenic Leptospires
Authors: Picco Andrea Murillo , Cuenca Rafaela , Serrano Emmanuel , Tvarijonaviciute Asta , Cerón José , Marga Goris , Ahmed Ahmed , Pastor Josep 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Leptospirosis is a neglected but widespread zoonotic disease throughout the world. The vast majority of mammals are hosts of Leptospira spp., including domestic cats. Though clinical signs of active leptospirosis are generally mild in cats, chronic infections might result in renal injury. However, there is no consensus either on the clinical presentation nor on the disease diagnosis in cats. The study of acute-phase proteins (APPs) and biomarkers of oxidative status would contribute to knowledge about the development ofthe disease in cats. In this report, we evaluated four APPs: Serum amyloid A-SAA, Haptoglobin–Hp, albumin and Paraoxonase 1-PON1 and the antioxidant response through Total Antioxidant Capacity-TAC, in 13 free-roaming cats naturally infected by pathogenic leptospires and 19 leptospires-free cats, through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results: DNA positive cats showed higher serum SAA and Hp concentrations than seropositive cats and their leptospires-free counterparts. DNA positive individuals, however, had lower serum PON1 activity and albumin concentrations than seropositive and leptospires-free cats. On the other hand, the increase in TAC serum concentrations was positively associated with anti-leptospiral antibodies titre. The PCA retained two principal components (PC1 and PC2), explaining 60.1% of the observed variability of the inflammatory proteins and the antioxidant TAC. PC1 was mainly associated with an inflammatory process, whereas PC2 correlated with the antioxidant status. The most contributing variables in PC1 where albumin (27.46%), SAA (24.71%), Hp (21.56%) and PON1 (20.69%). Variables with significant contribution to the PC2 were the antibody titre against Leptospira spp. (48.41%) and TAC (35.04%). Overall the PCA revealed differences in inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers in cats naturally infected with leptospires compared to leptospires-free cats.Conclusions: Increases in Serum SAA, Hp, and decreases in serum albumin concentrations and PON1 activity indicate an acute phase response in infected, DNA positive cats. Moreover, we found an increase in TAC serum concentrations indicating an antioxidant response in this infection, which is proportional to the antibody titre and not to the presence of bacterial DNA.
The relationship between tectonism and desertification inferred from the provenance and lithofacies changes of the Cenozoic terrestrial sequence of the southwestern Tarim basin
Authors: Sakuma Aki , Tada Ryuji , Yoshida Tomohiro , Hasegawa Hitoshi , Sugiura Naomi , Karasuda Akinori , Wang Ke , Zheng Hongbo 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
The Tarim basin is one of the most arid areas in the world and its major part is occupied by the Taklimakan desert. Although unraveling the history of aridification of Taklimakan desert is important to understand the global climate change during the Cenozoic, the timing and the mechanism of its formation are still controversial. One of the hypotheses is that the uplift of the Pamir locating to the west of the Tarim basin blocked the intrusion of the moist air and induced the aridification in the Tarim basin. In this study, we explored the linkage between the uplift of the Pamir and the desertification in the Tarim basin during the period from the late Eocene to the middle Miocene. Provenance changes of the fluvial deposits along the Aertashi section, which is located in the southwestern edge of the Tarim basin and offers the longest record with the reliable age model, was examined using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) signal intensity and crystallinity index (CI) of quartz in the sand fraction of fluvial sandstone and the thin section observation to identify the timings of tectonic events in the Pamir from which clastic materials were supplied by rivers. Our results suggest that major provenance changes in the drainage of the river delivering the clasts to the Aertashi section occurred at ca. 26 Ma, 20 Ma, and 15 Ma. These timings are mostly consistent with the timings observed in the previous provenance studies in the Aertashi section and probably reflect tectonic events in the Pamir. On the other hand, the Tarim basin was under the relatively arid condition after ca. 34 Ma based on the first occurrence of sand dune deposit. Hence, our result does not support the hypothesis that the onset of the aridification in the Tarim basin was caused by the uplift of the Pamir and consequent shut down of the moisture supply from the Paratethys Sea although the afterward intensification of tectonic events in the Pamir might be related to the phased uplift.