bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Utility of FDG PET/CT for Assessment of Lung Nodules Identified During Low Dose Computed Tomography Screening
Authors: Hadique Sarah , Jain Pranav , Hadi Yousaf , Baig Aneeqah , Parker John E 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Many clinical guidelines recommend FDG PET/CT for the evaluation of pulmonary nodules ≥ 8mm detected during low dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening. However, its added value in this setting requires confirmation. We evaluated the clinical utility of FDG PET/CT, including incidental findings, during the evaluation of lung nodules detected on LDCT screening. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed among 75 patients who completed FDG PET/CT between January 2010 and December 2017, after lung nodules > 8mm had been detected on LDCT lung cancer screening. We report demographic variables, characteristics of the initial nodules on LDCT and FDG PET/CT, incidental findings on FDG PET/CT, as well as further work up performed and the influence of FDG PET/CT findings on management.Results: Nodules were reported to be benign on FDG PET/CT in 38/75 (50.6%) patients. Physicians chose either radiological follow-up or no further work up in all 38. FDG PET/CT was indeterminate or suggested malignancy in 37 (49.3%) patients. Biopsy was performed in 32 (86%) of these patients. Incidental findings on FDG PET/CT were reported in 37/75 (49%) patients. Further work-up of incidental findings was performed in 21/75 (28%) of patients. Conclusions: In this study, for majority of individuals with lung nodules identified during LDCT lung cancer screening, FDG PET/CT results were able to guide physicians in choosing between routine follow up or invasive biopsies. Conversely, 28% of these patients required additional investigations to address incidental findings.
Metabolic and Clinical responses to Bunium Persicum (Black Caraway) supplementation in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial
Authors: Jafari-Maskouni Saber , Shahraki Mansour , Daneshi-Maskooni Milad , Dashipour Alireza , Shamsi-Goushki Ali , Mortazavi Zinat 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder worldwide. We aimed to determine the effects of Bunium Persicum (BP) on serum glucose indices, lipid profile, and nesfatin-1 levels in overweight or obese T2DM patients.Methods: Participant recruitment took place in the diabetic clinic of Bu-Ali hospital in Zahedan. Based on the eligibility criteria, 60 participants were randomly divided into two groups, namely BP (n=30) and placebo (n=30). The supplementation was one 1000 mg capsule 2 times /day BP with meals (lunch and dinner) for 8 weeks. Bodyweight, waist circumference, serum nesfatin-1, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and insulin (FBI), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. Quantitative insulin sensitivity checks index (QUICKI), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and Body Mass Index (BMI) were also calculated.Results: In comparison with placebo, BP significantly decreased FBS, HOMA-IR, and BMI (P<0.05). The differences in the FBI, QUICKI, TG, TC, LDL, HDL, WC, and Nesfatin-1 were not significant (P>0.05).Conclusion: BP supplement improved serum glucose indices and decreased BMI among overweight or obese T2DM patients; though, further trials are suggested to confirm results.Trial Registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), IRCT20181207041876N1, Registered 18/01/2019, https://irct.ir/trial/35752
Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Anxiety and Depression in Chinese Patients With Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Treated by Endovascular Intervention
Authors: Zhai Xiao-Dong , Yu Jia-Xing , Ma Yong-Jie , Xiang Si-Shi , Li Gui-Lin , He Chuan , Hu Peng , Zhang Hong-Qi 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Studies on anxiety and depression in unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) patients after treatment via endovascular intervention are rare and controversial. We aimed to explore the prevalence of anxiety and depression among Chinese patients with UIAs treated by endovascular intervention and to identify which factors contribute to the development of these symptoms.Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on anxiety and depression in patients who underwent endovascular treatment for UIAs using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The demographic, clinical and radiological data for all patients were retrospectively collected from the aneurysm database and medical records. Moreover, we utilized data from a large sample of 200 UIA patients and multivariate logistic regression analysis to investigate the risk factors for anxiety and depression in these patients. Candidate variables with P values less than 0.20 in univariate analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: Two hundred patients returned completed questionnaires in this study. Of these 200 patients, 34 (17.0%) suffered from anxiety and 31 (15.5%) suffered from depression 30.67±8.6 months after being discharged. The multivariate analysis results indicated that treatment costs exceeding the annual household income was significantly associated with anxiety (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.08~5.41, P= 0.03). Shorter sleep times were significantly associated with anxiety (AOR= 1.51, 95% CI: 1.06~2.14, P= 0.02) and depression (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.14~2.29, P= 0.007).Conclusion: The prevalences of anxiety and depression in UIA patients treated by endovascular intervention were 17.0% and 15.5%, respectively. Treatment costs exceeding the annual household income was significantly associated with anxiety. Shorter sleep times were significantly associated with anxiety and depression. Our findings provide valuable evidence for the clinical and psychological management of these patients.
Metapristone (RU486 derivative) inhibits endometrial cancer cell progress through regulating miR-492/Klf5/Nrf1 axis
Authors: Chang Yue , Hao Min , Jia Ru , Zhao Yihui , Cai Yixuan , Liu Yun 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women's health. The pathogenesis of endometrial cancer involves many signaling pathways which are related with transcription factors or microRNAs. Recent studies have reported that endometrial cancer is also related with the sexual-mediated hormones. The purpose of this research is to treat the endometrial cancer with the hormone-related drugs, and find out the specific molecular mechanism. Methods: In this study, RL95-2 cells and Ishikawa cells were used as the endometrial cancer cell models. miR-492 was transfected into RL95-2 cells and Ishikawa cells. The miRNA expression was measured by qRT-PCR. The protein expression was measured by western blot. Cell proliferation was monitored using the MTT assay and cell colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis was monitored using EdU assay. Results: Firstly, the results indicated that metapristone as a kind of hormone-related drugs could significantly inhibit the endometrial cancer cell growth through regulating cell apoptosis-related gene expression. Meanwhile, miR-492 was detected to be highly expressed in the endometrial cancer cell lines. Overexpression of miR-492 could promote the cell proliferation and inhibit the cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the downstream target genes of miR-492 were Klf5 and Nrf1, which were inhibited by metapristone. At the animal level, metapristone also inhibited the endometrial cancer cell growth through down-regulating the expression of miR-492 and decreasing the protein level of Klf5 and Nrf1. Conclusion: Taken together, this study indicated that metapristone inhibited the endometrial cancer cell growth through regulating the cell apoptosis related signaling pathway and the expression of miR-492 and its downstream target genes (Klf5 and Nrf1), which provided the theoretical basis of endometrial cancer in clinical treatment.
Association between long-term exposure to air pollutants and cardiopulmonary mortality rates in South Korea
Authors: Hwang Jeongeun , Kwon Jinhee , Yi Hahn , Bae Hyun-Jin , Jang Miso , Kim Namkug 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: The association between long-term exposure to air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and particulate matter 10 μm or less in diameter (PM10), and mortality by ischemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), pneumonia (PN), and chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) is unclear. We investigated whether living in an administrative district with heavy air pollution is associated with an increased risk of mortality by the diseases through an ecological study using South Korean administrative data over 19 years. Methods: A total of 249 Si-Gun-Gus, unit of administrative districts in South Korea were studied. In each district, the daily concentrations of CO, SO2, NO2, O3, and PM10 were averaged over 19 years (2001–2018). Age-adjusted mortality rates by IHD, CVD, PN and CLRD for each district were averaged for the same study period. Multivariate beta-regression analysis was performed to estimate the associations between air pollutant concentrations and mortality rates, after adjusting for confounding factors including altitude, population density, higher education rate, smoking rate, obesity rate, and gross regional domestic product per capita. Associations were also estimated for two subgrouping schema: Capital and non-Capital areas (77:172 districts) and urban and rural areas (168:81 districts). Results: For IHD, higher SO2 concentrations were significantly associated with a higher mortality rate, whereas other air pollutants had null associations. For CVD, SO2 and PM10 concentrations were significantly associated with a higher mortality rate. For PN, O3 concentrations had significant positive associations with a higher mortality rate, while SO2, NO2, and PM10 concentrations had significant negative associations. For CLRD, O3 concentrations were associated with an increased mortality rate, while CO, NO2, and PM10 concentrations had negative associations. In the subgroup analysis, positive associations between SO2 concentrations and IHD mortality were consistently observed in all subgroups, while other pollutant-disease pairs showed null, or mixed associations.Conclusion: Long-term exposure to high SO2 concentration was significantly and consistently associated with a high mortality rate nationwide and in Capital and non-Capital areas, and in urban and rural areas. Associations between other air pollutants and disease-related mortalities need to be investigated in further studies.
Validation of a SPANISH version of the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) measure for Chronic Otitis Media (COMQ-12)
Authors: Otoya-Tono Ana M. , Pérez-Herrera Lucía C. , Peñaranda Daniel , Moreno-López Sergio , Sánchez-Pedraza Ricardo , García Juan Manuel , Phillips John S. , Peñaranda Augusto 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Evaluation of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered an important aspect of clinical assessment and health research. Chronic Otitis Media (COM) is related to the quality of life deterioration subsequent to COM symptoms, social communication impairments, and lower work performance. However, there is no reliable information regarding the impact of this disease on health and quality of life in many resource-poor countries. Therefore, we translated into Spanish and culturally adapted the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) for the evaluation of HRQoL of Chronic Otitis Media (COM) in adult patients. Also, we assessed the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the questionnaire. Methods: Two otology referral centers in Bogotá, Colombia were included. The Spanish version of COMQ-12 was applied twice to 200 adult patients with confirmed COM diagnosis and 31 healthy controls to perform the validation process and assess the internal consistency of this questionnaire. Psychometric characteristics (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity) of the COMQ-12 were assessed. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted via structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the questionnaire’s structure. Results: The Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha: 0.852, McDonald’s Omega: 0.890). Coefficients corresponding to Lin’s Concordance test and test-retest reliability were 0.945 and 0.825 respectively. Correlation between the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the COMQ-12 was 0.676 (95% CI: 0.593; 0.745) . Factor analysis of the Spanish version of the COMQ-12 indicated a questionnaire structure with three domains: smelly discharge related symptoms; hearing loss related symptoms; and impact on work, lifestyle, and health services . Conclusion: This Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed high reliability and high internal consistency. This questionnaire can be used as an objective clinical tool to assess the HRQoL of patients who have a COM diagnosis. Trial registration Not applicable. Key Words: Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media, Health-Related Quality of Life, COMQ-12, validity.
Comparing Clinical Outcomes of Piperacillin-Tazobactam Administration and Dosage Strategies in Critically Ill Adult Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Fawaz Sarah , Barton Stephen , Nabhani-Gebara Shereen 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Recently, continuous administration of piperacillin-tazobactam has been proposed as a valuable alternative to traditional intermittent administration especially in critically ill patients. However, antibiotic dosing remains a challenge for clinicians as antibiotic dosing regimens are usually determined in non-critically ill hospitalized adult patients. The aim was to conduct a systematic review to identify and highlight studies comparing clinical outcomes of piperacillin tazobactam dosing regimens, continuous/prolonged infusion vs intermittent infusion in critically ill patients. Meta-analyses were performed to assess the overall effect of dosing regimen on clinical efficacy. Methods: Studies were identified systematically through searches of PubMed and Science Direct, in compliance with PRISMA guidelines. Following the systematic literature review, meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager. Results: Twenty-three studies were included in the analysis involving 3828 critically ill adult participants in total (continuous/prolonged infusion = 2197 and intermittent infusion = 1631) from geographically diverse regions. Continuous/prolonged resulted in significantly: higher clinical cure rates (Odds Ratio 1.56, 95% Confidence Interval 1.28-1.90, P = 0 .0001), lower mortality rates (Odds Ratio 0.68, 95% Confidence Interval 0.55-0.84, P = 0 .0003), higher microbiological success rates (Odds Ratio 1.52, 95% Confidence Interval 1.10-2.11, P = 0.01) and decreasing the length of hospital stay (Mean Difference -1.27, 95% Confidence Interval -2.45—0.08, P = 0.04) in critically ill patients.Conclusion: Results from this study show that there is a significant level of evidence that clinical outcome in critically ill patients is improved in patients receiving piperacillin-tazobactam via continuous/prolonged infusion. However, more rigorous scientific studies in critically ill patients are warranted to reach a sufficient level of evidence and promote further implementation of C/PI as a dosing strategy.
Development and validation of functional markers from Dw1 and Dw2 loci to accurately predict apple rootstock dwarfing ability
Authors: Yang Feng , Shen Fei , Liu Zhi , He Mingli , Wang Yi , Wu Ting , Xu Xuefeng , Li Wei , Qiu Changpeng , Zhang Xinzhong , Han Zhenhai 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: ‘M9’ is a widely used apple dwarfing rootstock due to the outstanding effects on both precocity and vigorous control. Two quantitative trait loci (QTLs), Dw1 and Dw2 , for the dwarfing effect were previously mapped on ‘M9’, but the genetic variations that underpin the dwarfing ability have not been elucidated to date. Result: By using ‘Red Fuji’ trees grafted on 1123 hybrids from ‘ M alus baccata ’ × ‘M9’, the intervals of Dw1 and Dw2 were narrowed down. MdLBD3 and MdARF6 were predicted as potential candidate genes from Dw1 , while MdG3OX3 was a possible candidate gene from Dw2 . An 11 bp deletion at -339 bp upstream of the transcription start site (TSS) of MdLBD3 generated a new cis-element binding site with MdWRKY2 and caused increased expression of MdLBD3 . Coincidently, a ten bp deletion at -278 bp upstream of the TSS of MdG3OX3 created an additional binding site of MdABI5 , leading to higher expression of MdG3OX3 . At -954 bp of the MdARF6 promoter, a 14 bp insertion destroyed the binding ability by MdABI5 and reduced MdARF6 expression. The genotype effects of these insertion and deletions as diagnostic markers on dwarfing traits (tree height, trunk diameter, and canopy width) were estimated in 108 F1 hybrids. The genomic predicted genetic values (GEGV) were calculated by adding up the genotype effects of the three markers and the population mean phenotype. The GEGV of the dwarfing traits exhibited high correlation coefficients of 0.93, 0.94, and 0.93 in terms of tree height, trunk diameter, and canopy width for the observed phenotype values, respectively. The predictability of GEGV was validated in 64 Malus accessions. Conclusion : The development of the three functional markers, Ld/Li, Ad/Ai, and Gd/Gi, ensures the accurate genomic assisted prediction of dwarfing ability in apple rootstock breeding. The data also suggested that ABA, auxin, GA, and zeatin signals may be involved in the regulation of apple rootstock dwarfing mechanism.
Learning Attention for Object Tracking with Adversarial Learning Network
Authors: Cheng Xu , Song Chen , Gu Yongxiang , Chen Beijing 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Artificial intelligence has been widely studied on solving intelligent surveillance analysis and security problems in recent years. Although many multimedia security approaches have been proposed by using deep learning network model, there are still some challenges on their performances which deserve in-depth research. On one hand, high computational complexity of current deep learning methods makes it hard to be applied to real-time scenario. On the other hand, it is difficult to obtain the specific features of a video by fine-tuning the network online with the object state of the first frame, which fails to capture rich appearance variations of the object. To solve above two issues, in this paper, an effective object tracking method with learning attention is proposed to achieve the object localization and reduce the training time in adversarial learning framework. First, a prediction network is designed to track the object in video sequences. The object positions of the first ten frames are employed to fine-tune prediction network, which can fully mine a specific features of an object. Second, the prediction network is integrated into the generative adversarial network framework, which randomly generates masks to capture object appearance variations via adaptively dropout input features. Third, we present a spatial attention mechanism to improve the tracking performance. The proposed network can identify the mask that maintains the most robust features of the objects over a long temporal span. Extensive experiments on two large-scale benchmarks demonstrate that the proposed algorithm performs favorably against state-of-the-art methods.
Effectiveness of Attachment-Based Family Therapy compared to Treatment as Usual for Depressed Adolescents in Community Mental Health Clinics
Authors: Waraan Luxsiya , Rognli Erling W. , Czajkowski Nikolai Olavi , Aalberg Marianne , Mehlum Lars 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a disabling mood disorder, profoundly affecting a large number of adolescent’s quality of life. To date, no obvious treatment of choice for MDD in adolescents is available and progress in the treatment of depressed adolescents will have important public health implications. Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT), as the only empirically supported family therapy model designed to treat adolescent depression, aims to repair interpersonal ruptures and rebuild an emotionally protective parent-child relationship.Objective: To study the effectiveness of ABFT compared with Treatment as Usual (TAU) delivered within child- and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adolescents with MDD.Method: Sixty adolescents (86.7% girls), aged 13-18 years (M = 14.9), with MDD referred to two CAMHS were randomized to receive 16 weeks of ABFT or TAU. ABFT consisted of weekly therapy sessions (family/individual or both) according to the treatment manual. TAU was not monitored. Primary outcomes were clinician-rated (Hamilton Depression Scale, HAMD) and self-reported (Beck Depression Inventory-II, BDI-II) depressive symptoms assessed at baseline and post-treatment by blinded evaluators for HAMD and at baseline, and after 4, 6, 8, 10,12, 14, and 16 weeks for BDI-II. Analyses were performed according to intent-to-treat principles.Results: At post-treatment, clinician-rated remission rates on the HAMD (5 % in ABFT and 3.33% in TAU, p =1, OR=1.54, Fisher’s exact test) and self-reported symptoms of depression on the BDI-II did not differ significantly between groups (X2[2, N = 60] =0.06 , p = 0.97). In both treatment groups participants reported significantly reduced depressive symptoms, but the majority(63.3 %) of adolescents were still in the clinical range after 16 weeks of treatment.Conclusion: ABFT was not associated with more favorable outcomes than TAU Remission and response rates were low in both groups, suggesting none of the treatments were effective in treating MDD in adolescents. These findings call for continued efforts to improve treatment for MDD in outpatient clinics. Policies on implementation of evidence based treatments already available are essential. Future research may focus on moderators of and mechanisms for individual differences to treatment response.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01830088https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01830088?term=Villab%C3%B8&draw=2&rank=1 Date of registration: April 12, 2013