bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of β-carotene intake on the risk of fracture: a Bayesian meta-analysis
Authors: Charkos Tesfaye Getachew , Liu Yawen , Oumer Kemal Sherefa , Vuong Ann M. , Yang Shuman 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
Epidemiological studies examining the association between β-carotene intake and risk of fracture have reported inconsistent findings. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between β-carotene intake and risk of fracture.

Methods
We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases for relevant articles that were published until December 2019. We also identified studies from reference lists of articles identified from the clinical databases. The frequentist and Bayesian random-effects model was used to synthesize data.

Results
Nine studies with a total of 190,545 men and women, with an average age of 59.8 years, were included in this meta-analysis. For β-carotene intake (1.76–14.30 mg/day), the pooled risk ratio (RR) of any fracture was 0.67 (95% Credible Interval (CrI): 0.51–0.82; heterogeneity: P = 0.66, I2 = 0.00%) and 0.63 (95%CrI: 0.44–0. 82) for hip fracture. By study design, the pooled RRs were 0.55 (95% CrI: 0.14–0.96) for case-control studies and 0.82 (95% CrI: 0.58–0.99) for cohort studies. By geographic region, the pooled RRs were 0.58 (95% CrI: 0.28–0.89), 0.86 (95% CrI: 0.35–0.1.37), and 0.91(95% CrI: 0.75–1.00) for studies conducted in China, the United States, and Europe, respectively. By sex, the pooled RRs were 0.88 (95% CrI: 0.73–0.99) for males and 0.76 (95% CrI, 0.44–1.07) for females. There was a 95% probability that β-carotene intake reduces risk of hip fracture and any type of fracture by more than 20%.

Conclusions
The present meta-analysis suggests that β-carotene intake was inversely associated with fracture risk, which was consistently observed for case-control and cohort studies. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm this relationship.
Successful laparoscopic surgery combined with selective arterial embolization for bleeding due to jejunal angiodysplasia: a case report
Authors: Hara Hitoshi , Ozawa Soji , Nabeshima Kazuhito , Koizumi Jun 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
Angiodysplasia of the gastrointestinal tract is a rare vascular pathology that sometimes causes massive hemorrhage. Angiodysplasias are particularly difficult to find in the small intestine for anatomical reasons, often impeding their diagnosis and treatment. Lesion localization is a major challenge in cases of small bowel bleeding requiring surgical intervention.

Case presentation
The present case was a 52-year-old woman who was urgently hospitalized with repeated tarry stools. Surgical intervention was chosen after conservative treatment failed to improve her condition. The source of bleeding was suspected to be a vascular lesion discovered in the small intestine during a past double-balloon endoscopy. Abdominal contrast computed tomography revealed a jejunal hemorrhage. We chose selective arterial embolization to stabilize her hemodynamics followed by surgical intervention as her treatment plan. Several embolic and contrast agents (cyanoacrylate, indigo carmine, and Lipiodol) were combined to help identify the location of the lesion during surgery. This multi-pronged approach allowed us to localize the lesion under laparoscopic guidance with high confidence and accuracy, and to excise a 6-cm segment of the small intestine. The lesion was histologically diagnosed as angiodysplasia. No re-bleeding has been observed since the operation.

Conclusion
We report our experience with a case of jejunal angiodysplasia, which was localized with selective arterial embolization using an array of embolic and contrast agents, and then excised laparoscopically. Selective arterial embolization with indigo carmine dye to treat small bowel bleeding preoperatively not only makes the surgery safer by stabilizing the patient’s hemodynamics, but is also very useful for localizing the lesion intraoperatively.
Dental care for drug users in Norway: dental professionals’ attitudes to treatment and experiences with interprofessional collaboration
Authors: Hovden Ewa S. , Ansteinsson Vibeke E. , Klepaker Ingrid Volden , Widström Eeva , Skudutyte-Rysstad Rasa 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
The present study aimed to assess dental professionals’ attitudes and experiences related to the dental treatment of drug users and to interprofessional collaboration with the rehabilitation institutions (RIs).

Methods
The study population comprised 141 dentists and dental hygienists (response rate 73%) working in the Public Dental Service (PDS) in three counties in Norway. All of the participants completed an electronically distributed questionnaire on existing practices and experiences regarding dental treatment for drug users and interprofessional collaboration with RIs. The Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD) approved the study.

Results
Thirty-five percent of the dentists and 10% of the dental hygienists had treated five or more drug users per month (p <  0.05). The majority of dentists and dental hygienists used more time for examination and treatment of drug users compared to other patient groups. Over 70% of dental clinicians considered drug users as demanding patients due to fear, missing appointments, and poor compliance with oral hygiene advice. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that attitudes and experiences with dental treatment of drug users were significantly associated with background characteristics of professionals. The overall perception was that drug users often had higher expectations of dental treatment than what could be defined as necessary care and provided by the PDS. One-third of dental professionals reported that they were satisfied with the collaboration they had with RIs. Most of the respondents agreed that personnel from RIs could positively influence interprofessional collaboration by having sufficient knowledge of drug users statutory rights to free of charge dental treatment, as well as by close follow-up and motivation of patients before dental treatment.

Conclusions
Dental professionals perceived the management of drug users as demanding due to dental fear, difficulties in coping with appointments, poor compliance to preventive measures, and disagreement between dental treatment defined as necessary and drug users’ expectations. Attitudes and experiences related to dental treatment of drug users were significantly associated with background characteristics of clinicians. Organizational barriers regarding leadership, accessibility, and collaborative routines, as well as lack of interprofessional communication, suggest current models of health care delivery to drug users need reviewing.
Comparison of oral Nano-Curcumin with oral prednisolone on oral lichen planus: a randomized double-blinded clinical trial
Authors: Kia Seyed Javad , Basirat Maryam , Mortezaie Tahereh , Moosavi Mahdieh-Sadat 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a mucocutaneous autoimmune disease with T-cell mediation. Corticosteroids are considered as a first choice in OLP and should be used for a long period with a subsequent increase in dose since the disease has a chronic and recalcitrant nature. There have been efforts to use alternative therapies due to the Corticosteroid’s side effects. Curcumin is a non-toxic natural product with different effects on various oral diseases. It demonstrates antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic activities. It seems that Curcumin can be used as a proper alternative for Corticosteroid treatments. To overcome limitations in the bioavailability of Curcumin, the therapeutic effect of oral Nano-Curcumin was evaluated for the first time.

Methods
Sixty OLP patients were included in this double-blinded randomized clinical trial. The patients were randomly divided into two groups and received either ‘Nano-Curcumin 80 mg’ or ‘Prednisolone 10 mg’ treatments for 1 month. The patients should take one capsule after having their breakfast. The VAS scale was used to analyze pain severity and burning sensation. To assess lesion size the Thongprasom scale was employed. Repeated measures and independent t-tests, as well as LSD paired-test, were used to analyze the data.

Results
Data from 57 patients were analyzed. The level of pain, burning sensation, and OLP lesions decreased in both groups of Curcumin and Prednisolone and no statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups.

Conclusion
Despite many studies conducted to find an effective approach for managing OLP, the results have often been unsatisfactory. In comparison with previous studies, current results clarify the importance of Nano-Curcumin bioavailability in therapeutic effects. Pain VAS and lesion size were decreased with oral Curcumin. The results have shown that oral Curcumin can be used as an alternative therapy for OLP in patients with the contraindicated Corticosteroids or should be used with caution. Oral Curcumin can be used in preventing the recurrence of OLP lesions after the treatment and initial control. Moreover, the amount of Curcumin dose is more important than its use duration in improving OLP.

Trial registration
IRCT, IRCT20100101002950N5. Registered 9 February 2019, https://www.irct.ir/trial/36704.
Can virtual reality improve traditional anatomy education programmes? A mixed-methods study on the use of a 3D skull model
Authors: Chen Shi , Zhu Jiawei , Cheng Cheng , Pan Zhouxian , Liu Lingshan , Du Jianhua , Shen Xinhua , Shen Zhen , Zhu Huijuan , Liu Jihai , Yang Hua , Ma Chao , Pan Hui 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundRealistic, portable, and scalable lectures, cadaveric models, 2D atlases and computer simulations are being combined more frequently for teaching anatomy, which result in major increases in user satisfaction. However, although digital simulations may be more portable, interesting, or motivating than traditional teaching tools, whether they are superior in terms of student learning remain unclear. This paper presents a study in which the educational effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) skull model is compared with that of cadaveric skulls and atlases. The aim of this study was to compare the results of teaching with VR to results of teaching with traditional teaching methods by administering objective questionnaires and perception surveys.MethodsA mixed-methods study with 73 medical students was conducted with three different groups, namely, the VR group (N = 25), cadaver group (N = 25) and atlas group (N = 23). Anatomical structures were taught through an introductory lecture and model-based learning. All students completed the pre- and post-intervention tests, which comprised a theory test and an identification test. The theory test consisted of 18 multiple-choice questions, and the identification test consisted of 25 fill-in-the-blank questions.ResultsThe participants in all three groups had significantly higher total scores on the post-intervention test than on the pre-intervention test; the post-intervention test score in the VR group was not statistically significantly higher than the post-intervention test score of the other groups (VR: 30 [IQR: 22–33.5], cadaver: 26 [IQR: 20–31.5], atlas: 28[IQR: 20–33];p > 0.05). The participants in the VR and cadaver groups provided more positive feedback on their learning models than the atlas group (VR: 26 [IQR: 19–30], cadaver: 25 [IQR: 19.5–29.5], atlas: 12 [IQR: 9–20];p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe skull virtual learning resource (VLR) was equally efficient as the cadaver skull and atlas in teaching anatomy structures. Such a model can aid individuals in understanding complex anatomical structures with a higher level of motivation and tolerable adverse effects.
Just say “no”: Can dentists refuse care on the basis of finances? A survey using an ethical vignette in an Iranian Dental School
Authors: Kazemian Ali , Fayyazi Mahsa , Shafiee Shahrzad 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
Decision making when patients ask a dentist for fee reduction is a real ethical dilemma at dental settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate how dental students and tutors think about their position for, or against fee reduction at dental offices.

Method
It was a questionnaire-based survey, which examined the ethical attitudes of students and tutors of an Iranian Dental School. The questionnaire included a vignette about an ethical dilemma at a dental office. Different ethical approaches, i.e. duty-based, virtue-oriented and consequentialist arguments, for or against fee reduction at dental office were suggested. Respondents were asked to rank those ethical options.
Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS 16.0.

Result
121 dental students and thirty-six faculty members (dental specialists) participated in this study. It revealed that a majority of dental students and tutors (68%) are in favor of charging patients less, when facing an imagined request at dental office, using either virtue-oriented (54%) or consequentialist (14%) argument for fee reduction. The difference between rankings of four options was statistically significant, while no statistically significant difference exists neither between male and female respondents, nor students and tutors.

Conclusion
This case study provides a basis for fruitful discussions in ethics courses for dental students. Our study suggests that financial issues should be considered as a part of ethical training within the dental student's curriculum.
The detection of lung cancer using massive artificial neural network based on soft tissue technique
Authors: Rajagopalan Kishore , Babu Suresh 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundA proposed computer aided detection (CAD) scheme faces major issues during subtle nodule recognition. However, radiologists have not noticed subtle nodules in beginning stage of lung cancer while a proposed CAD scheme recognizes non subtle nodules using x-ray images.MethodSuch an issue has been resolved by creating MANN (Massive Artificial Neural Network) based soft tissue technique from the lung segmented x-ray image. A soft tissue image recognizes nodule candidate for feature extortion and classification. X-ray images are downloaded using Japanese society of radiological technology (JSRT) image set. This image set includes 233 images (140 nodule x-ray images and 93 normal x-ray images). A mean size for a nodule is 17.8 mm and it is validated with computed tomography (CT) image. Thirty percent (42/140) abnormal represents subtle nodules and it is split into five stages (tremendously subtle, very subtle, subtle, observable, relatively observable) by radiologists.ResultA proposed CAD scheme without soft tissue technique attained 66.42% (93/140) sensitivity and 66.76% accuracy having 2.5 false positives per image. Utilizing soft tissue technique, many nodules superimposed by ribs as well as clavicles have identified (sensitivity is 72.85% (102/140) and accuracy is 72.96% at one false positive rate).ConclusionIn particular, a proposed CAD system determine sensitivity and accuracy in support of subtle nodules (sensitivity is 14/42 = 33.33% and accuracy is 33.66%) is statistically higher than CAD (sensitivity is 13/42 = 30.95% and accuracy is 30.97%) scheme without soft tissue technique. A proposed CAD scheme attained tremendously minimum false positive rate and it is a promising technique in support of cancerous recognition due to improved sensitivity and specificity.
Geriatric nutritional risk index as a predictor of complications and long-term outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal malignancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Xie Hailun , Tang Shuangyi , Wei Lishuang , Gan Jialiang 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
The effect of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) on the prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal malignancy remains unclear. The aim of our study was to systematically explore the value of the GNRI in evaluating postoperative complications and long-term outcomes in gastrointestinal malignancy.

Methods
A systematic literature search was conducted using electronic databases to report the impact of the GNRI on postoperative complications and long-term outcomes of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies as of August 2020. The hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the impact of the GNRI on long-term outcomes. The risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI was used to assess the impact of the GNRI on postoperative complications.

Result
A total of nine studies with 2,153 patients were enrolled in our meta-analysis. The results suggested that a low GNRI was correlated with poor overall survival of patients with gastrointestinal malignancy (HR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.65–2.28, p < 0.001). Patients with a low GNRI had a higher risk of complications than patients with a high GNRI (OR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.57–3.05, p < 0.001). In addition, patients with a low GNRI had shorter relapse-free survival (HR = 2.45, 95% CI 1.50–4.00, p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (HR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.23–2.76, p = 0.003) than those with a high GNRI. However, the GNRI was not an independent factor affecting cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.60, 95% CI 0.91–2.82, p = 0.101).

Conclusion
Based on existing evidence, the GNRI was a valuable predictor of complications and long-term outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal malignancy.
State-of-the-art polymeric nanoparticles as promising therapeutic tools against human bacterial infections
Authors: Cano Amanda , Ettcheto Miren , Espina Marta , López-Machado Ana , Cajal Yolanda , Rabanal Francesc , Sánchez-López Elena , Camins Antonio , García Maria Luisa , Souto Eliana B. 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Infectious diseases kill over 17 million people a year, among which bacterial infections stand out. From all the bacterial infections, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, meningitis, pneumonia, sexual transmission diseases and nosocomial infections are the most severe bacterial infections, which affect millions of people worldwide. Moreover, the indiscriminate use of antibiotic drugs in the last decades has triggered an increasing multiple resistance towards these drugs, which represent a serious global socioeconomic and public health risk. It is estimated that 33,000 and 35,000 people die yearly in Europe and the United States, respectively, as a direct result of antimicrobial resistance. For all these reasons, there is an emerging need to find novel alternatives to overcome these issues and reduced the morbidity and mortality associated to bacterial infectious diseases. In that sense, nanotechnological approaches, especially smart polymeric nanoparticles, has wrought a revolution in this field, providing an innovative therapeutic alternative able to improve the limitations encountered in available treatments and capable to be effective by theirselves. In this review, we examine the current status of most dangerous human infections, together with an in-depth discussion of the role of nanomedicine to overcome the current disadvantages, and specifically the most recent and innovative studies involving polymeric nanoparticles against most common bacterial infections of the human body.
Exosomal LncRNA–NEAT1 derived from MIF-treated mesenchymal stem cells protected against doxorubicin-induced cardiac senescence through sponging miR-221-3p
Authors: Zhuang Lei , Xia Wenzheng , Chen Didi , Ye Yijia , Hu Tingting , Li Shiting , Hou Meng 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (Dox) is widely used for treating a variety of cancers. However, its high cardiotoxicity hampered its clinical use. Exosomes derived from stem cells showed a therapeutic effect against Dox-induced cardiomyopathy (DIC). Previous studies reported that exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) pretreated with macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) (exosomeMIF) showed a cardioprotective effect through modulating long noncoding RNAs/microRNAs (lncRNAs/miRs). This study aimed to investigate the role of exosomeMIFin the treatment of DIC.ResultsExosomes were isolated from control MSCs (exosome) and MIF-pretreated MSCs (exosomeMIF). Regulatory lncRNAs activated by MIF pretreatment were explored using genomics approaches. Fluorescence-labeled exosomes were tracked in vitro by fluorescence imaging. In vivo and in vitro, miR-221-3p mimic transfection enforced miR-221-3p overexpression, and senescence-associated β-galactosidase assay was applied to test cellular senescence. Exosomal delivering LncRNA-NEAT1 induced therapeutic effect in vivo was confirmed by echocardiography. It demonstrated that exosomesMIFrecovered the cardiac function and exerted the anti-senescent effect through LncRNA–NEAT1 transfer against Dox. TargetScan and luciferase assay showed that miR-221-3p targeted the Sirt2 3′-untranslated region. Silencing LncRNA–NEAT1 in MSCs, miR-221-3p overexpression or Sirt2 silencing in cardiomyocytes decreased the exosomeMIF-induced anti-senescent effect against Dox.ConclusionsThe results indicated exosomeMIFserving as a promising anti-senescent effector against Dox-induced cardiotoxicity through LncRNA–NEAT1 transfer, thus inhibiting miR-221-3p and leading to Sirt2 activation. The study proposed that exosomeMIFmight have the potential to serve as a cardioprotective therapeutic agent during cancer chemotherapy.
A novel quantification platform for point-of-care testing of circulating MicroRNAs based on allosteric spherical nanoprobe
Authors: Tian Huiyan , Yuan Changjing , Liu Yu , Li Zhi , Xia Ke , Li Mengya , Xie Fengxin , Chen Qinghai , Chen Ming , Fu Weiling , Zhang Yang 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
MiRNA-150, a gene regulator that has been revealed to be abnormal expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), can be regarded as a serum indicator for diagnosis and monitoring of NSCLC. Herein, a new sort of nanoprobe, termed allosteric spherical nanoprobe, was first developed to sense miRNA-150. Compared with conventional hairpin, this new nanoprobe possesses more enrichment capacity and reaction cross section. Structurally, it consists of magnetic nanoparticles and dual-hairpin. In the absence of miRNA-150, the spherical nanoprobes form hairpin structure through DNA self-assembly, which could promote the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) of fluorophore (FAM) and quencher (BHQ1) nearby. However, in the presence of target, the target-probe hybridization can open the hairpin and form the active “Y” structure which separated fluorophore and quencher to yield “signal on” fluorescence. In the manner of multipoint fluorescence detection, the target-bound allosteric spherical nanoprobe could provide high detection sensitivity with a linear range of 100 fM to 10 nM and a detection limit of 38 fM. More importantly, the proposed method can distinguish the expression of serum miRNA-150 among NSCLC patients and healthy people. Finally, we hoped that the potential bioanalytical application of this nanoprobe strategy will pave the way for point-of-care testing (POCT).