bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Achieving postprandial glucose control with lixisenatide improves glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes on basal insulin: a post-hoc analysis of pooled data
Authors: Davidson Jaime A. , Stager William , Paranjape Sachin , Berria Rachele , Leiter Lawrence A. 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
To examine the impact on glycemic control of achieving postprandial glucose (PPG) target with lixisenatide, a once-daily glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist approved in the US, in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D) on basal insulin, an agent that primarily targets fasting plasma glucose.

Methods
A post hoc pooled analysis was conducted using clinical trial data extracted from the intent-to-treat subpopulation of patients with T2D who participated in the 24-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-arm parallel-group, multicenter GetGoal-L (NCT00715624), GetGoal-Duo 1 (NCT00975286) and GetGoal-L Asia trials (NCT00866658).

Results
Data from 587 lixisenatide-treated patients and 484 placebo-treated patients were included. Patients on lixisenatide were more likely to achieve a PPG target of < 10 mmol/L (< 180 mg/dL) than placebo-treated patients (P < 0.001), regardless of baseline fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels. More importantly, those who reached the PPG target experienced a significantly greater reduction in mean HbA1c, were more likely to achieve HbA1c target of < 53 mmol/mol (< 7.0%), and experienced weight loss. Those outcomes were achieved with no significant differences in the risk of symptomatic hypoglycemia compared with placebo.

Conclusion
Compared with placebo, addition of lixisenatide to basal insulin improved HbA1c and reduced PPG, without increasing hypoglycemia risk. These findings highlight the importance of PPG control in the management of T2D, and provide evidence that adding an agent to basal insulin therapy that also impacts PPG has therapeutic value for patients who are not meeting glycemic targets.

Trial registration
NCT00715624. Registered 15 July 2008, NCT00975286. Registered 11 September 2009, NCT00866658. Registered 20 March 2009.
What does women’s empowerment have to do with malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from demographic and health surveys from 30 countries
Authors: Yaya Sanni , Odusina Emmanuel Kolawole , Uthman Olalekan A. , Bishwajit Ghose 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
The reduction of childhood malnutrition has been identified as a priority for health and development in sub Saharan African countries. The association between women’s empowerment and children’s nutritional status is of policy interest due to its effect on human development, labour supply, productivity, economic growth and development. This study aimed to determine the association between women’s empowerment and childhood nutritional status in sub Saharan African countries.

Methods
The study utilized secondary datasets of women in their child bearing age (15–49 years) from the latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2011–2017 across 30 sub Saharan Africa countries. The outcome variable of the study was childhood nutritional status while the exposure variable was women’s empowerment indicators such as decision making and attitude towards violence. Analyses were performed at bivariate level with the use of chi square to determine association between outcome and exposure variables and at multivariate level with the use of regression models to examine the effect of women’s empowerment on childhood nutritional status.

Results
Women’s socio-demographic and other selected characteristics were statistically significantly associated with childhood nutritional status (stunted and underweight) at p < 0.001. These characteristics were also statistically significantly associated with empowerment status of women (Decision-making, Violence attitudes and Experience of violence) at p < 0.001 except for child age and sex. The association between childhood nutritional statuses and women’s empowerment (all three empowerment measures) was significant after controlling for other covariates that could also influence childhood nutrition statuses at p < 001. Two of the empowerment measures (attitudes towards violence and experience of violence) showed positive association with childhood nutritional statuses while the third (decision-making) showed negative association.

Conclusion
There is an independent relationship between childhood nutrition status and women’s empowerment in sub Saharan African countries. Women’s empowerment was found to be related to childhood nutritional status. Policies and programmes aiming at reducing childhood malnutrition should include interventions designed to empower women in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Gender difference in health issues and cognitive functions among an Egyptian normal elderly population
Authors: Alsayyad Enas , Helmy Azza Abbas , Kishk Nirmeen A. , Farghaly Marwa , Ragab Amany H. , El-Jaafary Shaimaa Ibrahim 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
Aging is associated with changes in cognitive functions. However, many other factors may affect cognitive functions and this interaction needs further assessment.

Objectives
To detect gender differences in sleep quality, nutritional status, and health-related quality of life and their impact on performance in verbal fluency tasks among apparently healthy elderly.

Subjects and methods
The study was conducted on 102 normal aged subjects, 51 males and 51 females. Subjects were divided according to age into group ≥ 60 years and group < 60 years as a control. They were subjected to clinical assessment, Medical outcome study Short-Form 36-item Health Survey, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, mini nutritional assessment and Category Verbal fluency for animals and girls’ names.

Results
Among the older group, females had significantly poorer physical and mental health, sleep quality and nutritional status than males (p value 0.001, 0.003, 0.012, and 0.014, respectively). Older females had significantly lower performance in verbal fluency (girls’ names) compared to younger females (p value 0.013), but no significant gender difference was found among the older group. Verbal fluency tasks are correlated to the level of education in both males and females (r 0.392 and 0.42, p value 0.029 and 0.019, respectively), However, in older males, it is also correlated to sleep latency (r 0.41 and p value 0.021).

Conclusion
Older females had poorer sleep quality, lower health-related quality of life and lower nutritional status. No gender difference was found in verbal fluency tasks. Although no single variable could independently affect verbal fluency, education remains the main player in the difference in performance.
Recanalisation of an axillary vein occlusion jailed by a migrated cephalic arch stent-graft using the TruePath chronic total occlusion drilling device
Authors: Patel Ankur , Chan Shaun Xavier Ju Min , Zhuang Kun Da 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
Stent placement in the cephalic arch is being used with increasing frequency. Late complications of bare metal and stent grafts in dialysis access, in particular stent migration, are often under-reported and can lead to compromise of future dialysis circuits.

Case presentation
A 52-year-old man developed acute arm swelling 2 days after creation of a left arm brachio-basilic arteriovenous graft. The axillary vein was found to be jailed by a previously deployed cephalic arch stent graft which had migrated into the subclavian vein. There was failure to cross through the fabric of the stent graft using conventional chronic total occlusion wires and techniques. A TruePath device was used successfully to cross through the fabric of migrated cephalic arch stent graft and recanalise the short subclavian-axillary vein occlusion.

Conclusion
The adapted use of a drilling chronic total occlusion device to drill through the fabric of migrated stent graft was performed successfully to allow complete recanalisation of the occluded axillary vein.
Indigenous communities and their food systems: a contribution to the current debate
Authors: Lugo-Morin Diosey Ramon 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe present study contributes to the debate on the need to develop unconventional strategies for mitigating food insecurity in the world. Ancient peoples’ knowledge and experience may help to deepen the debate and establish a line of work based on the case study herein presented. The study proposes the promotion of indigenous food systems through the institutional resilience approach. There is a need to attack a global problem that affects the entire planet, including countries that have agricultural systems sensitive to the problem of climate change. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the population suffering from hunger has been growing in the last 3 years, which is similar to the famine levels recorded in the previous decade. This would contribute to the development of new strategies of action that allow not only the strengthening of today’s localized agrifood systems but also the revaluation of food systems forgotten or guarded by the indigenous populations that remain present.
The role of 18FDG PET/CT imaging of aortic atherosclerosis: prospective study and technique optimization
Authors: Elfattah Hassan Gadalla Amr A. , Elsayed Nahla Dessoki 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Background
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the inner wall of large and medium-sized arteries. The progress of atherosclerosis based on a lot of factors, including systemic involvement of disease, the precise vascular arterial affection, and the degree of flow obstruction. We aim in this study to estimate the FDG uptake of the aortic wall in the early and delayed imaging and to correlate this with the morphologic changes detected by CT.

Results
This is a prospective study that was performed through 1 year. The study included 50 patients [30 males (60%) and 20 females (40%)] with male to female mean ratio 1.5:1 and their mean age 58.3 ± 15.7 years. Each patient underwent dual time-point 18F-FDG PET CT imaging at ~ 60 min (Early images) and 180 min (delayed images) after the administration of 18F-FDG. For each patient, the global 18F-FDG uptake in the aorta was determined by manually drawing regions of interest (ROIs) around the outer part of the arterial wall on every slice of the attenuation-corrected transverse PET CT images. Per-patient, per-time-point, per-vessel, and per-ROI radiotracer decay-corrected and body weight-corrected SUVs were calculated, resulting in a single mean value of maximum SUV for the aorta. The aortic wall FDG uptake was measured in both early and delayed images and expressed in terms of SUVmax. Then Retention index percentage of the aorta was measured. The retention index percentage was calculated by subtracting the SUVmax in early images from the SUVmax in delayed images and dividing by SUVmax in early images.

Conclusion
Aortic wall FDG uptake can be used as an additional parameter as well as a biomarker on evaluation of the arterial atherosclerotic activity. Delayed post 3 h FDG imaging is more accurate than the routine early post 1 h imaging in evaluating the atherosclerotic activity.
Transgenerational effects of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda: A post-traumatic stress disorder symptom domain analysis
Authors: Rudahindwa Susan , Mutesa Leon , Rutembesa Eugene , Mutabaruka Jean , Qu Annie , Wildman Derek E. , Jansen Stefan , Uddin Monica 
Published: January 2020

Background: A number of studies have investigated transgenerational effects of parental post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its repercussions for offspring. Few studies however, have looked at this issue in the African context. Methods: The present study addresses this gap by utilizing a Pearson correlation matrix to investigate symptom severity within the three Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) PTSD symptom domains in mothers exposed to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda (n=25) and offspring (n=25), and an ethnically matched set of controls (n=50) who were outside of Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. All mothers were pregnant with the offspring included in the study during the time of the genocide. Results: Total PTS score was significantly (p<0.01) correlated with each of the three symptom domains at various strengths in both cases and controls. No significant differences in association of total PTS score and PTSD symptom domains were observed between exposed mothers and offspring, suggesting that each symptom domain contributed equivalently to both exposed mothers and offspring distress. In contrast, the re-experiencing symptom domain showed a significant difference in correlation to overall PTS score in non-exposed mothers compared to their offspring (p<0.05), with mothers showing a significantly higher correlation. Furthermore, the correlation between avoidance/numbing symptoms to overall PTS was significantly different (p≤0.01) across exposed and non-exposed mothers. As a secondary analysis, we explored the relationship between DNA methylation in the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) locus, an important stress modulating gene, and PTSD symptom domains, finding an association between DNA methylation and re-experiencing among genocide-exposed mothers that exceeded any other observed associations by approximately two-fold. Conclusions: This is the first report, to our knowledge, of a symptom-based analysis of transgenerational transmission of PTSD in sub-Saharan Africa. These findings can be leveraged to inform further mechanistic and treatment research for PTSD.
Management of incontinence-associated dermatitis patients using a skin protectant in acute care: a case series
Authors: Acton Claire , Ivins Nicola , Bainbridge Paul , Browning Paul 
Published: January 2020

Objective: Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is a common type of irritant contact dermatitis. It is categorised by persistent erythema and can be associated with denudation and/or colonisation and infection. IAD is challenging to treat and affects 3.4–50% of patients. This case series evaluates a novel, elastomeric, advanced skin protectant (3M Cavilon Advanced Skin Protectant) in a UK acute health-care setting, for the management of IAD in patients suffering from moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) in the sacral/genital area. Method: The patient's skin was assessed by clinicians using the GLOBIAD classification tool at the point of recruitment and to monitor progress throughout the study period. The product was applied as a single layer in accordance with the instructions for use. Patients, when able, were asked to assess their own pain level using the Wong-Baker FACES pain scale. Photographs were taken as part of the ongoing assessment. Results: The skin protectant was used on average every 2.28 days. Of the 18 IAD patients recruited, 79% (n=11) were classified as IAD-free, based on the GLOBIAD categorisation tool, by the end of the evaluation period. Skin deterioration during the evaluation period was seen in one patient (6%), and of the patients able to complete pain assessments, 55% (n=6) reported a reduction in pain. Conclusion: These results suggest that the elastomeric skin protectant, applied every three days, plays a role in the improvement of IAD. The skin protectant adheres to wet and weeping partial-thickness wounds and may aid IAD management. Reducing application to every third day supports a change in practice which may offer benefits to patients and caregivers.
Preparing the surgical area for non-shaved ear surgery: a clinical assessment
Authors: Lee Dong-Hee , Kim Doyeon 
Published: January 2020

Objective: To review the clinical experience for non-shaved middle ear/mastoid surgery and evaluate the proper method of preparing the postauricular surgical field. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed medical records of cases where the non-shaved surgical procedure was carried out for middle ear/mastoid diseases. In all cases, middle ear and mastoid surgery was performed by one otologic surgeon without hair shaving to treat chronic perforation of tympanic membrane, as well as chronic suppurative otitis media, with or without mastoiditis during two years. The prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI) and bacterial culture of the surgical field was assessed just before the skin incision. Results: In this review of 106 cases, the SSI rate was 1.6% for the non-shaved ear surgery. Bacterial colonisation was found on the prepared surgical field in 8.5% of cases and these bacteria was different from true pathogens. SSI of the skin incision occurred in two cases, although no bacterial colonisation of the non-shaved surgical field was found. The surgical exposure of postauricular area was enough to do tympanoplasty or tympanomastoidectomy, even though in cases where a hairline was close to postauricular sulcus. Conclusion: This study showed that when preparing the non-shaved ear surgery, the surgeons should not have to worry about skin contamination by hair. We suggest that the non-shaved ear surgery would appear to be preferable for the postauricular approach.
Phase-sensitive amplification of a QPSK signal using a dispersion engineered silicon-graphene oxide hybrid waveguide
Authors: Chen Zhihua , Liu Hongjun , Wang Zhaolu , Huang Nan 
Published: January 2020

We numerically investigate phase-sensitive amplification of a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) signal in a 35 µm dispersion engineered silicon-graphene oxide hybrid waveguide. The four-wave mixing efficiency is effectively enhanced by exploiting the ultrahigh Kerr nonlinearity and low loss of graphene oxide in the ultrawide wavelength range. A new structure of dispersion flat silicon-graphene oxide hybrid waveguide is proposed and used to achieve the phase regeneration of a QPSK signal using a dual-conjugated-pump degenerate scheme. The phase-dependent gain and phase-to-phase transfer functions are calculated to analyze the properties of a phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA). The constellation diagrams of the QPSK signal and the error vector magnitude are used to assess the regeneration capacity. The simulation results show that the proposed PSA with a good phase noise squeezing capability has potential applications in all-optical signal processing.
Luminance calculation method accounting for mesopic vision and fog penetration ability
Authors: Qin Li , Shi Xuhua , Leon Arturo S. 
Published: January 2020

A new luminance calculation method that accounts for mesopic vision and fog penetration ability is presented. This method aims to select a suitable light source for street lighting and is obtained using the mesopic luminance calculation and transmittance calculation methods at each individual wavelength. Additionally, the new method was evaluated using six LED light sources between 3500 and 6000 K. Overall, the calculation results indicate that suitable LEDs’ CCT decreases with an increase of luminance for low transmittance rates. However, for high transmittance rates, high CCT LED lamps are the most suitable for street lighting. The recommended CCT of LED light sources for street lighting under different visibility and luminance conditions is presented.
Uniform focusing with an extended depth range and increased working distance for optical coherence tomography by an ultrathin monolith fiber probe
Authors: Qiu Jianrong , Han Tao , Liu Zhiyi , Meng Jia , Ding Zhihua 
Published: January 2020

It is difficult to maintain high transverse resolution over an increased depth range using miniature probes for optical coherence tomography (OCT) due to the rapid divergence of light and the space limitation. To solve this problem, we introduce a fiber-based filter in the proposed probe to manipulate its output beam. Significant mode interference (MI) is exploited to enhance the depth of focus (DOF), and the mode phase difference is tuned to achieve a uniform axial intensity within the DOF. The magnified MI field instead of the diffracted one is adopted as the final pupil filter in the probe to increase its working distance (WD). The probe is fabricated with a diameter of 125 µm and a total length of 2.6 mm for its distal fiber optics. Compared to the conventional probe with similar minimal lateral resolution of better than 4.4 µm, the proposed probe achieves two times that of the DOF gain and 1.7 times that of the WD. Improvements in performance of the probe are demonstrated by OCT imaging using a fresh lemon and human skin. With merits of enhanced imaging quality and easy fabrication, the proposed probe poses great potential for important applications, especially for endoscopic imaging of human internal organs in vivo.
The Effectivity Of Empathic Love Therapy To Increase Subjective Well-Being And Teacher Readiness In Inclusive School
Authors: Rosada Admila 
Published: January 2020

Inclusive education has been done in Indonesia since Law on the National Education System Number 20 the year 2003 is declared. Implementation evaluation of this inclusive education shows that teacher’s readiness in conducting inclusive classroom is still in a low level, whereas the teacher is one of the four pillars in education. The teacher feels hard to facilitate special educational needs children, so influence his/her subjective wellbeing. The education ministry has organized some technical training about inclusive education. Some research shows that the training is only focused on the theory, regulation, and technical implementation, so no session facilitates the teacher’s affection domain. Empathic Love Therapy is a therapy series with a transpersonal approach to recognize self. This research aims to know the effectiveness of Empathic Love Therapy in increasing teacher subjective wellbeing and readiness in inclusive school settings. Research instrument to collecting data uses subjective wellbeing scale and teacher readiness scale. The subjects in this research are ten shadow teachers from Yogyakarta Inclusive School Forum. The result of this research shows that Empathic Love Therapy is useful in increasing teacher subjective wellbeing, but it is not sufficient to increase teacher’s readiness to conduct inclusive classrooms. The description of this result is explained in the discussion chapter.