bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Women’s Empowerment and HIV Testing Uptake: A Meta-analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys from 33 Sub-Saharan African Countries
Authors: Yaya Sanni , Shibre Gebretsadik , Idriss-Wheeler Dina , Uthman Olalekan A 
Published: July 2020

Background: There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that women’s empowerment can help achieve better health behaviours and outcomes. However, few have looked at the impact of women’s empowerment on HIV testing in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study investigated the association between women’s empowerment and HIV testing among women in 33 countries across SSA.
Methods: Cross-sectional data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (2005-2018) of 33 countries in SSA were used. Confounder adjusted logistic regression analysis was completed separately for each of the 33 DHS datasets to produce the adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) for the association between women empowerment and HIV testing. The regression analysis strictly accounted for the three design elements (weight, cluster and strata) to produce an estimate representative of the respective countries. Finally, an Individual Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis approach was used to statistically pool the effect of women empowerment on HIV testing.
Results: There was a wide variation in the percentage of women who were empowered among the countries studied, with only a few countries such as South Africa, Angola and Ghana having a high prevalence of negative attitudes toward wife beating. HIV testing was higher in Angola, Lesotho, Uganda and South Africa. While participation in one or two of the three decisions had been marginally associated with lower odds of HIV testing across the SSA regions (0.89; 95%CI: 0.83, 0.97); the corresponding prediction interval crossed the null. Being involved in the three decisions (0.92; 95%CI: 0.84, 1.00) and disagreement to wife-beating (0.99; 95%CI: 0.94, 1.05) had no statistical relationship with HIV testing uptake.
Conclusion and Global Health Implications: The two indirect indicators of women empowerment could not predict HIV testing uptake. Further studies are recommended to establish the nature of the relationship between HIV testing and women’s empowerment that is measured through standard tools.
Key words: • HIV/AIDS prevention • Women • Empowerment • Gender equality • Global health • Sub-Saharan Africa

Copyright © 2020 Yaya et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in this journal, is properly cited.
Endocrine Tests and/or Testicular Volume Are Not Predictive of Successful Sperm Retrieval by Multiple Testicular Sperm Extraction in Non-Obstructive Azoospermia
Authors: Le Minh Tam , Nguyen Thanh Tam Thi , Nguyen Dac Nguyen , Tran Nhu Quynh Thi , Nguyen Quoc Huy Vu 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the role of pre-surgical markers in the prediction of sperm retrieval in infertile Vietnamese men with azoospermia. Patients and Methods:Retrospective descriptive analysis of 136 infertile men with azoospermia, examined from August 2014 to July 2018. Patients underwent stepwise surgical sperm retrieval via percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration, testicular sperm aspiration then multiple testicular sperm extraction in up to 3 locations until sperm were detected. Factorswere analyzed to determine the prediction of sperm retrieval.Results: The overall success rate of sperm retrieval was 49.3% including 88.3% and 18.4% in the OA and NOA group, respectively. The results of sperm retrieval were significantly associated only with the OA and NOA group, not with endocrine test or testicular volume. We found no significant difference in the endocrine test and testicular volume’s result between successful and unsuccessful sperm retrieval in either group.Conclusions: Neither an endocrine test nor testicular volume should be used for predicting the results of surgical sperm retrieval in infertile Vietnamese males with azoospermia.
A Five-Year Trend Analysis of Malaria Surveillance Data in Selected Zones of Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Lankir Damtie , Solomn Samrawit , Gize Addisu 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Trend analysis of malaria surveillance data is essential to inform stakeholders on progress towards malaria control. From the total 387,096 cases of malaria reported in Amhara region in 2017, 167,079 (43.2%) cases were in Central, North and West Gondar zones. From this total figure of zones, 15,445 (9.2%) were ≤5 years which contributes 4 % of cases in the region. So, the purpose of this study was to analyze trends of malaria parasite in Selected Zones of Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia Methods: A Retrospective study was conducted on purposely selected Central, North and West Gondar zones from July 1- 30/ 2018. Data were collected, entered, cleaned, analyzed and interpreted using Microsoft Excel-2010. Different tables, figures and maps were used to present results. Result: A total of 2,827,722 cases have been received a diagnostic test of; Microscopy 1,712,193(60.56%) and Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) 1,115,529(39.44%). Trends of total patients treated as confirmed and clinical malaria cases in July 2017- June 2018 were decreased to 139297 (14%) as compared from July 2015- June 2016, 249571(25%). From total cases received diagnostic tests only 1,003,391 (36%) were confirmed and clinical cases treated with antimalaria. Of these Plasmodium falciparum and vivax malaria cases were confirmed to be 1,002,946 (99.96%) and clinical malaria cases were 445(0.04%), respectively. Conclusion: Risk of infection and diagnostic effort were high in West Gondar Zone. The Amhara public health institute including health Bureau, stakeholders and all responsible bodies should give special standing to highest malaria districts of West Gondar zone.
The current status of gender equity in medicine in Korea: An online survey
Authors: Shin Hyun-Young , Lee Hang Aie 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Although the number of women doctors has increased in South Korea, and efforts to improve gender awareness have gained importance in recent years, the issue of gender equity in the medical field has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the current status of gender equity in the medical profession in Korea. Methods: An online survey on gender discrimination was conducted for two months, with both men and women doctors participating. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 1,170 doctors responded to the survey (9.2% response rate). The survey found that 47.3% of the women respondents and 18.2% of the men had experienced gender discrimination in the resident selection process (p value<0.001); 17.2% of the women and 8.7% of the men had experienced discrimination during the fellowship application process (p value<0.001); and 36.2% of the women and 8.0% of the men had experienced discrimination during the professorship application process (p value<0.001). Both men and women cited the issue of childbirth and parenting as the number one cause of gender discrimination against women doctors.Conclusions: This study revealed the presence of perceived gender discrimination in the Korean medical society. To address discrimination, a basic approach is necessary to change the working environment so that it is flexible for women doctors, and to change the current culture where the burden of family care, including pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, is the primary responsibility of women.
Protocol registration issues of systematic review and meta-analysis studies: a survey of global researchers
Authors: Tawfik Gehad Mohamed , Giang Hoang Thi Nam , Ghozy Sherief , Altibi Ahmed M. , Kandil Hend , Le Huu-Hoai , Eid Peter Samuel , Radwan Ibrahim , Makram Omar Mohamed , Hien Tong Thi Thu , Sherif Mahmoud , Hossain As-Saba , Thang Tai Luu Lam , Puljak Livia , Salem Hosni , Numair Tarek , Moji Kazuhiko , Huy Nguyen Tien 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Although protocol registration of systematic reviews/meta-analysis (SR/MA) is still not mandatory, authors are strongly suggested to publish their SR/MA protocols prior to submitting their manuscripts for publication as recommended by the Cochrane guidelines for conducting SR/MAs. We aimed to assess awareness, obstacles, and opinions of SR/MA authors about the protocol registration process. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study included all authors who published SR/MAs during the period from 2010 to 2016 were contacted for participation in our survey study. They were identified through the literature search of SR/MAs in Scopus database. Upon receiving their approval to join our study, an online questionnaire was sent via e-mail to each participant. We received 275 responses from 6650 successfully sent emails. Results: A total of 270 authors' responses were complete and were included in the final analysis. Our results showed that PROSPERO was the most commonly used database for protocol registration (71.3%). The registration-to-acceptance interval in PROSPERO was less than one month (99.1%). Almost half of the authors (44.2%) did not register their protocols prior to publishing their SR/MAs and their opinion that lack of knowledge of its importance and mandance to be registered was the most commonly reported reason (44.9%). A significant proportion of respondents (37.4%) believed that people would steal their ideas from protocol databases, while only 5.3% reported that their SR/MA had been stolen. However, the majority (72.9%) of participants agreed that protocol registries have a role in preventing unnecessary duplication of reviews. Finally, 37.4% of participants agreed that SR/MA protocol registration should be mandatory. Conclusion: About half of the participants seemed that the primary reason for not registering such protocols, that was not knowing that protocols must or should be mandatory. Therefore, tools should be available to mandate protocol registration of any SRs beforehand and increasing awareness about the benefits of protocol registration among researchers.
Genetic diagnostic features after failure of initial treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors among non-small-cell lung cancer patients harboring EGFR mutations
Authors: Takeda Yuichiro , Naka Go , Yamaguchi Yoh , Hashimoto Masao , Suzuki Manabu , Izumi Shinyu , Sugiyama Haruhito 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Osimertinib, a third - generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), can be used as second-line treatment for lung cancer patients harboring the T790M substitution. Although osimertinib is more effective than the first-generation EGFR-TKIs used for first-line treatment, its efficacy with respect to long-term patient survival remains unclear even upon the administration of a complete sequence of EGFR-TKI therapy, and limited information is available regrading genetic diagnostic approaches after EGFR-TKI naïve treatment. This study investigated the characteristics of EGFR-mutated lung cancer patients harboring the T790M substitution resistant to EGFR-TKIs and the advantages of rebiopsy and liquid biopsy for these patients. Methods: The medical records of patients screened for EGFR mutations were reviewed. Upon failure of naïve treatment with EGFR-TKIs, except for osimertinib, single plexus cobas version 2 was repeatedly used to detect the T790M substitution in EGFR via tissue or liquid biopsy. Results: From April 2016 through May 2019, 113 patients were determined to harbor EGFR mutations. Sixty patients were treated with EGFR-TKIs, among which 46 underwent tissue or liquid biopsy. Twenty-nine of these 46 (63%) patients harbored the T790M substitution. In total, 141 rebiopsies were performed. The T790M substitution was detected in 24 of 43 tissue and 11 of 98 liquid biopsies. If patients displayed an EGFR exon 19 deletion, had a new lesion, and were administered gefitinib as first-line therapy, patients harboring an EGFR mutation were suspected to harbor the T790M substitution. Furthermore, the T790M substitution was detected through rebiopsy in patients with co-existing original mutations, brain metastases, tumor enlargement by ≥ 12 mm, or metastases at minor sites. Conclusion: Repeated biopsy can help maximize the detection rate of the T790M substitution. Furthermore, the advantages of repeated tissue or liquid biopsy should be considered among patients with positive T790M factors , and these biopsies can be repeated numerous times .
Beneficial effects of walnut (Juglans regia L.) oil-derived polyunsaturated fatty acid prevents hyperlipidemia and oxidant status in pregnant rats with diabetes
Authors: Sun Bingmei , Yan Hua , Li Chao , Yin Linlin , Li Fei , Zhou Lianxiang , Han Xiuqing 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus has a long-term effect on pregnant women. Walnut (Juglans regia L.) oil-derived polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) possesses multifarious pharmacological activities. This study investigated the beneficial effects of PUFA on the gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and to study the underlying mechanism in pregnant rats with diabetes.Methods: The GDM rat model was generated by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg) on gestational day (GD) 6, GD7 and GD8. The differences between groups were estimated using one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey’s multiple comparison test for post-hoc analysis.Results: The results indicated that PUFA could mitigate GDM in pregnant diabetic rats, as embodied by the decrease of fasting blood glucose and the increase of plasma insulin and hepatic glycogen levels. Also, PUFA could suppress oxidative stress in pregnant diabetic rats, as reflected by the decrease of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, an increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and gutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. PUFA could also mitigate the abnormal changes of lipid profiles in plasma and hepatic tissue. Moreover, the relative mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1 (SREBP-1), stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), was suppressed by PUFA in pregnant diabetic rats.Conclusions: These results suggested that PUFA supplementation during the pregnancy might be beneficial in preventing diabetic complications in the mother.
The effects of family, society and national policy support on treatment adherence among newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Chen Xu , Du Liang , Wu Ruiheng , Xu Jia , Ji Haoqiang , Zhang Yu , Zhu Xuexue , Zhou Ling 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background: Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment is the most important cause of poor TB outcomes, and improving support for TB patients is a primary priority for governments, but there has been little research on the effects of family, social and national policy support factors on TB treatment adherence. The current study evaluated treatment adherence among newly diagnosed TB patients in Dalian, north-eastern China, and determined the effects of family, society, and national policy support factors on treatment adherence.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among newly diagnosed TB patients treated at the outpatient department of Dalian Tuberculosis Hospital from September 2019 to January 2020. Data were collected using a questionnaire that measured medication adherence, family support, social support, and national policy support and so on. Differences between groups were assessed using Chi-square tests and Fisher’s exact tests. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of adherence.Results: A total of 481 newly diagnosed TB patients were recruited, of whom 45.7% had good adherence, and 27.4% and 26.8% had moderate and low adherence, respectively. Patients who had family members who frequently supervised medication (OR:0.34, 95% CI:0.16-0.70), family members who often provided spiritual encouragement (OR:0.13, 95% CI:0.02-0.72), a good doctor-patient relationship (OR:0.61, 95% CI:0.40-0.93), more TB-related knowledge (OR:0.49, 95% CI:0.33-0.72) and a high need for TB treatment policy support (OR:0.38, 95% CI:0.22-0.66) had satisfactory medication adherence. However, patients who had a college degree or higher (OR:1.69, 95% CI:1.04-2.74) and who suffered adverse drug reactions (OR:1.45, 95% CI:1.00-2.11) were more likely to have lower adherence.Conclusions: Our findings suggested that non-adherence was high in newly diagnosed TB patients. Patients who had family members who frequently supervised medication and provided spiritual encouragement and a good doctor-patient relationship and TB-related knowledge and a high need for policy support contributed to high adherence. It is recommended to strengthen medical staff training and patient and family health education and to increase financial support for improving adherence.
Single-blinded Study Highlighting the Differences between the Small Intestines of Neonatal and Weaned Piglets
Authors: Yuan Chen , Jin Yuxin , Shah Abid Ullah , Zhang En , Zhang penghao , Yang Qian 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background: The gut is the body’s major immune structure, and the gut mucosa, which contains intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and subepithelial natural immune cells, is considered the primary site for eliciting local immune responses to foreign antigens. Pigs are susceptible to intestinal infections at all life stages; however, neonates tend to be the most susceptible. This study compared the small intestine of neonatal and weaned piglets to provide a theoretical basis for preventing intestinal infectious diseases in neonatal piglets. Results: Histological analyses of weaned piglet intestines showed increased crypt depth, higher IEL count, and larger ileal Peyer’s patches compared with those of neonates. Additionally, the ileal villi of weaned piglets were longer than those of neonatal piglets. The expression of claudin-3 and occludin protein was remarkably higher in weaned piglets than in neonatal piglets. The numbers of CD3 + T cells, goblet cells, and secretory cells were also higher in the small intestine of weaned piglets than in those of neonates. The number of secretory IgA-positive cells in the jejunum was not significantly different between neonatal and weaned piglets. The gene expression of 12 pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as TLR1–10, MDA5, and RIG-I in the small intestines of both neonatal and weaned piglets was also examined. The mRNA expression of most pattern recognition receptors genes in the duodenum and jejunum was higher in weaners than in neonates; however, the inverse was true in the ileum. Compared with that in weaned piglets, there were significantly fewer CD3 + , CD4 + , and CD8 + T cells from peripheral blood-mononuclear cells in neonatal piglets. Conclusions: In this study, the physical and immunological components of small intestines of neonatal and weaned piglets were investigated. Our results provide preliminary data on differences in the immune mechanisms between the small intestines of 0- and 21-day-old piglets. Future studies could focus on additional developmental stages of pigs and how the differences in their small intestines affect the animal’s response to pathogens
Choice of and Equity in First-Contact Care in China’s Zhejiang and Qinghai Province: A Comparative Study
Authors: Sun Xueshan , Zhang Hao , Zhen Xuemei , Hu Xiaoqian , Gu Shuyan , Gu Yuxuan , Huang Minzhuo , Wei Jingming , Dong Hengjin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background

The imbalance between health needs and healthcare resources has become more serious in China. The hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system has played an important role in solving the problem, one goal of which was to increase the use of basic-level medical facilities. This study aimed to compare the choice of and equity in first-contact care among residents in Zhejiang and Qinghai provinces, China.
Methods

First-hand data were obtained through a cross-sectional survey of residents of Zhejiang and Qinghai. We first compared the proportion of residents who select primary healthcare institutions as the setting for first-contact care. Then we compared horizontal equity using the concentration index decomposition method. An urban-rural subgroup analysis was carried out for both provinces.
Results

A total of 4899 residents were enrolled, 2872 from Zhejiang and 2027 from Qinghai. The proportion of residents selecting a PHI as their first-contact care provider was 82.5% in Qinghai, and 54.4% in Zhejiang. The horizontal inequity index of selecting a PHI as first-contact care was − 0.180 and 0.007 in Zhejiang and Qinghai, respectively. The HI was − 0.088, -0.160, 0.069, and − 0.058 in rural Zhejiang, urban Zhejiang, rural Qinghai, and urban Qinghai, respectively.
Conclusions

The proportion of residents selecting a PHI as their first-contact care provider in Zhejiang was lower and the extents of horizontal inequity were more serious compared with Qinghai’s. We suggest that medical reform should be implemented based on socioeconomic development, because of China’s geographic vastness and the considerable amount of difference in development among geographic areas. Larger gaps in the medical insurance reimbursement ratio between different levels of medical institutions might aid in increasing the equitable utilization of PHIs.
Mitochondrial perturbation drives tau oligomers pathology in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: DU Fang , Yu Qing , Chen Doris , Yan Shi Fang , Yan Shirley 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Tau oligomers, prior to neurofibrillary tangle formation, are toxic species responsible for tau pathology, mitochondrial and synaptic damage, and memory impairment. The underlying mechanisms of abnormal tau accumulation and strategies to eliminate them remain largely unknown. The present study addresses whether mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) are major contributing factors for tau oligomer formation and, if so, whether eliminating mitochondrial ROS reduces accumulation of tau oligomers and improves mitochondrial and cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). First, we determined whether increased oxidative stress correlates with aggregation of tau oligomers in human AD-affected brains, Aβ/tau overexpressed mouse models, human trans-mitochondrial “cybrid” (cytoplasmic hybrid) neuronal cells containing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD-derived mitochondria, and Aβ/tau expressing neuronal cells. In P301S tau and AD mice, upregulation of tau oligomers correlates with ROS accumulation. Elevated tau oligomer levels are also correlated with elevated ROS levels in the AD patient hippocampus. Importantly, human cybrid cells, whose mitochondria are derived from platelets of patients with sporadic AD or MCI, displayed aggregated tau oligomers, which also correlated with upregulated ROS levels. Application of mito-Tempo, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, to inhibit the generation of mitochondrial and intracellular ROS in tau and AD neurons, as well as in MCI and AD cybrids ex vivo, leads to a striking decrease in tau oligomers. Finally, in AD mice, mito-Tempo inhibited tau oligomer accumulation and improved behavioral deficiency. Our work adds to the growing body of evidence that oxidative stress contributes to tau oligomer formation and that inhibition of oxidative stress ameliorates tauopathy in AD.