bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mid-term Surgical Outcome of Posterior Decompression With Instrumented Fusion in Patients With K-line (−) Type Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament With a 5-Year Minimum Follow-up
Authors: Furuya Takeo , Maki Satoshi , Miyamoto Takuya , Okimatsu Sho , Shiga Yasuhiro , Inage Kazuhide , Orita Sumihisa , Eguchi Yawara , Koda Masao , Yamazaki Masashi , Ohtori Seiji 
Published: October 2020

Study Design:
A retrospective case-control study.

Objective:
The objective of this study was to assess mid-term surgical outcomes after posterior decompression with instrumented fusion (PDF) in patients with K-line (−) type cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

Summary of Background Data:
The poor surgical outcome for K-line (−) type cervical OPLL can result from posterior decompression alone.

Materials and Methods:
We reviewed cases of K-line (−) type cervical OPLL in 24 patients who underwent PDF in our institute from 2002 to 2014. As a control, we used K-line (−) type cervical OPLL in 9 patients who underwent laminoplasty before 2002 (LMP group). The neurological status and radiographic findings were evaluated retrospectively.

Results:
The preoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association score was 7.9±2.4 points in the PDF group and 7.4±2.3 points in the LMP group (P=0.584). The postoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association score was 11.7±2.6 points in the PDF group and 9.2±2.0 points in the LMP group at a 5-year follow-up (P=0.008). The recovery rate on average was 39.0% in the PDF group and 14.9% in the LMP group at a 5-year follow-up (P=0.037). The range of motion postoperatively at the maximal spinal cord compression level decreased significantly in the PDF group. The C2–C7 angle was 2.7 degrees of kyphosis in the PDF group, whereas 5.5 degrees of kyphosis was found in the LMP group at a 5-year follow-up (P=0.303). The center of gravity of the head-C7 sagittal vertical axis was 40 mm in the PDF group and 43 mm in the LMP group (P=0.936).

Conclusions:
The relatively good surgical outcome could be obtained by PDF for patients with K-line (−)-type cervical OPLL. The addition of posterior instrumented fusion eliminated the dynamic factor at the level of maximal spinal cord compression.

Level of Evidence:
Level IV.
USING MICROPERIMETRY AND LOW-LUMINANCE VISUAL ACUITY TO DETECT THE ONSET OF LATE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION
Authors: Wu Zhichao , Luu Chi D. , Hodgson Lauren A. B. , Caruso Emily , Chen Fred K. , Chakravarthy Usha , Arnold Jennifer J. , Heriot Wilson J. , Runciman Jim , Guymer Robyn H. ,   for the LEAD Study Group
Published: October 2020

Purpose:
To evaluate the performance of microperimetry and low-luminance visual acuity for detecting late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) onset.

Methods:
Two hundred ninety-two individuals with bilateral large drusen in the Laser Intervention in the Early Stages of AMD study underwent best-corrected visual acuity, low-luminance visual acuity, and microperimetry testing as well as multimodal imaging to detect late (neovascular or atrophic) AMD onset. The performance of the change in the measurement from baseline of each of visual function test for detecting late AMD onset was compared.

Results:
The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for detecting neovascular and atrophic AMD onset was not significantly different for low-luminance visual acuity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.71 and 0.56, respectively) and microperimetry (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.82 and 0.62, respectively) compared with best-corrected visual acuity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.57 and 0.56, respectively; P ≥ 0.126 for all). There was also only a fair degree of agreement between the three visual function measures for detecting the onset of neovascular and atrophic AMD (κ ≥ 0.24).

Conclusion:
Microperimetry, low-luminance visual acuity, and best-corrected visual acuity demonstrate limited performance for detecting the earliest onset of late AMD. It remains to be established whether they perform better than current methods designed to enable self-detection of neovascular AMD onset, such as Amsler grid testing.
Amlodipine/valsartan fixed-dose combination treatment in the management of hypertension: A double-blind, randomized trial
Authors: Wang Kang-Ling , Yu Wen-Chung , Lu Tse-Min , Chen Lung-Ching , Leu Hsin-Bang , Chiang Chern-En 
Published: October 2020

Background:
To compare the fixed-dose combination (FDC) of amlodipine/valsartan 5/80 mg with valsartan 160 mg monotherapy for efficacy and safety in hypertensive patients.

Methods:
We designed this double-blind, randomized, and noninferiority trial in which patients with elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were randomly assigned to receive amlodipine/valsartan 5/80 mg FDC or valsartan 160 mg monotherapy for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was changes in office SBP and DBP from baseline to 8 weeks. Twenty-four-hour blood pressure (BP) and the incidence of adverse events were recorded.

Results:
A total of 42 patients underwent randomization. At 8 weeks, office SBP changes were –16.5 ± 15.5 mmHg (p < 0.001) with amlodipine/valsartan 5/80 mg FDC and –6.9 ± 11.4 mmHg (p = 0.012) with valsartan 160 mg monotherapy while corresponding changes in office DBP were –9.8 ± 7.7 mmHg (p < 0.001) and –2.5 ± 6.6 mmHg (p = 0.095), respectively. The between-group differences were –9.6 mmHg (95% CI, -18.1 to -1.1; p = 0.028) for SBP and –7.3 mmHg (95% CI, -11.8 to -2.8; p = 0.002) for DBP. Furthermore, reductions in both 24-hour SBP (–9.2 mmHg; 95% CI, -16.4 to -2.1; p = 0.013) and DBP (–4.6 mmHg; 95% CI, -9.2 to -0.1; p = 0.048) were consistently greater with amlodipine/valsartan 5/80 mg FDC than with valsartan 160 mg. Overall, 27 and 23 adverse events occurred in the amlodipine/valsartan 5/80 mg FDC group and in the valsartan 160 mg monotherapy group, respectively. The majority were mild and were not related to study medications. There were no significant differences in safety between two treatments.

Conclusion:
Efficacy of amlodipine/valsartan 5/80 mg FDC was superior to that of valsartan 160 mg monotherapy while both treatments were well-tolerated.
Examining Mother-Reported Poor Sleep and Blood Pressure in Black/African American Mother-Child Dyads
Authors: Robbins Rebecca , DiClemente Ralph J. , Ejikeme Chidera , Crusto Cindy A. , Taylor Jacquelyn Y. 
Published: October 2020

Background
Poor sleep is a confirmed risk factor for hypertension (HTN), and Black/African American (AA) women have among the highest rates of HTN in the United States.

Objective
We examined the relationship between sleep and blood pressure (BP) among Black/AA mother-child dyads using data from the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure study.

Methods
Data for this study were derived from 250 Black/AA mother-child dyads from low-income neighborhoods, collected via 4 home visits over 2 years. Mothers reported poor sleep, including reports of sleeping worse than usual and nighttime awakenings. Recordings of BP were obtained for mother and child. Mother BP was scored as normal (<120/<80 mm Hg), elevated (120–129/<80 mm Hg), stage 1 HTN (130–139/80–89 mm Hg), or stage 2 HTN (systolic ≥140 or diastolic ≥90 mm Hg). Generalized linear models examined the relationships between mother-reported poor sleep variables and both mother and child BP. Adjusted models examining mother BP controlled for the mother's age, education, marital status, smoking, body mass index, and depression symptoms.

Results
In adjusted models, nighttime awakenings were associated with stage 2 HTN (b = 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54–4.86, P < .05). Compared with children whose mother who had normal BP, children whose mother had elevated BP had higher diastolic BP (b = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.19–0.54; P < .001). Mother elevated BP was associated with both child systolic BP (b = 2.49; 95% CI, 0.44–4.53; P < .05) and diastolic BP (b = 2.07; 95% CI, 0.39–3.76; P < .05). Mother stage 1 HTN was associated with both child systolic BP (b = 2.16; 95% CI, 0.29–4.03; P < .05) and diastolic BP (b = 3.91; 95% CI, 2.40–5.42; P < .001). We detected a significant interaction between mother stage 2 HTN and mother nighttime awakenings in predicting higher child diastolic BP (b = 8.16; 95% CI, 0.65–15.68; P < .05).

Conclusions
We found evidence for an association between mothers' nighttime awakenings and very high BP. Our study also illuminated a strong relationship between high mother BP and high child BP. Finally, our study found preliminary support for the potentially mediating role of mothers' nighttime awakenings in predicting the relationship between mother stage 2 HTN and child BP.
The Role of Social Capital and Welfare in Absenteeism Across 26 OECD Countries
Authors: Kwon Min Jung 
Published: October 2020

Objectives:
This study attempted to investigate social contextual effect on the occurrence of workers’ absenteeism.

Methods:
Survey data on 30,913 wage workers in 26 countries were linked to the indicators for social capital and welfare from the national database. Multi-level logistic regression was used for analyses.

Results:
Employment contract, atypical work, physical and psycho-social working conditions (effort and reward), social capital and welfare significantly explained the differences in occurrence of absenteeism across countries. Analysis of cross-level interactions revealed that macro indicators related to social capital, and public social and health expenditure had moderating effects on the relation between individual-level factors and absenteeism.

Conclusion:
High level of public spending on welfare policies and social bonding decrease the risk of absenteeism caused by vulnerable working environments, but it also worsen gaps in coping capabilities of workers in non-permanent contract and atypical work pattern.
Predicting Recidivism for Acquired Cholesteatoma: Evaluation of a Current Staging System
Authors: Angeli Simon , Shahal David , Brown Clifford Scott , Herman Bjorn 
Published: October 2020

Objective:
Assess the utility and prognostic capabilities of the European Academy of Otology and Neurotology (EAONO) and Japanese Otological Society (JOS) cholesteatoma classification system, specifically for retraction pocket cholesteatoma.

Study Design:
Retrospective.

Setting:
Tertiary referral hospital.

Patients:
Adults and children with retraction pocket cholesteatoma.

Interventions:
Primary and planned second-look tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy.

Main Outcome Measures:
Incidence of recurrent or residual cholesteatoma at planned second-look surgery. Independent variables of age, gender, size of canal defect, and mucosa status were assessed. Additionally, the cholesteatoma classification, stage, and extent according to the EAONO/JOS system were recorded during the primary surgery.

Results:
A total of 125 cases were included. Twelve (9.6%) cases had recidivism over an average time of 7.5 months: the recurrence rate was 4% (n = 5), residual rate was 5% (n = 6), and one patient had both recurrent and residual disease (0.8%). Residual cholesteatoma occurred more frequently in children (p = 0.04, RR = 7.9 [1.0, 63.6]). Supratubal recess (S1) disease was associated with both recurrent cholesteatoma (p = 0.04, RR = 5.9 [1.3, 27.2]) and recidivism (p = 0.01, RR = 4.2 [1.5, 11.9]). Larger canal defects also showed an association with residual disease (p = 0.017).

Conclusion:
Younger patients and those with large ear canal defects tend to have residual disease at second-look surgery. Supratubal recess disease is also associated with recurrence. Despite the utility of the EAONO/JOS classification and staging system for cholesteatoma description and type, the prognostic value remains uncertain.
A brief discussion of the benefit and mechanism of vitamin D supplementation on coronavirus disease 2019
Authors: Cereda Emanuele , Bogliolo Laura , de Stefano Ludovico , Caccialanza Riccardo 
Published: October 2020

Purpose of review
Vitamin D exerts extraskeletal functions, including immunomodulatory activity, protection against respiratory tract infections and pleiotropic effects on the cardiovascular system. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several articles have suggested the potential involvement of vitamin D in reducing the risk and severity of the disease.

Recent findings
Epidemiological and observational studies support the hypothesis of a protective role of vitamin D but most studies are retrospective or based on small samples. However, the pandemic progression and the increased knowledge on the pathogenesis of COVID-19 have challenged the first evidence, suggesting also potential negative consequences derived by adequate vitamin D status. A cautious interpretation of the significance of low vitamin D25OH levels is advisable. The balance between over-activation of innate immunity and the exhaustibility of the adaptive immune response still needs to be clarified. In addition, the modulation of endothelial function, the down-regulation of renin, angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin genes and the up-regulation of ACE2 expression is still an area of research.

Summary
Speculative hypotheses and observational data have suggested a protective role of vitamin D in COVID-19. However, many unanswered questions remain, aberrant detrimental effects of adequate vitamin D25OH levels cannot be excluded and whether its adequacy may prevent the infection or improve clinical outcomes needs to be assessed by adequately sized and designed population-based studies and intervention trials.
Preexposure Prophylaxis Outcomes in an Urban Community in North Carolina: Discontinuation of Care and Sexually Transmitted Infections
Authors: Clement Meredith Edwards , Nicchitta Mira , Sun Ying , Ellis Alicia , Chakraborty Hrishikesh , McGee Kara , Eagle Cedar , Frye Justin , Taylor Destry , Okeke Nwora Lance , Johnston Barbara , Seña Arlene C. , McKellar Mehri 
Published: October 2020

Background
Few studies have examined long-term outcomes among persons who initiate preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the South, including PrEP discontinuation and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates.

Methods
Care discontinuation (>6 months without a PrEP appointment) and incident STIs were evaluated for patients at 2 PrEP clinics in Durham, NC. We tested for predictors of discontinuation as a binary variable using logistic regression. Model covariates included age, race/ethnicity, sex, known HIV-positive partner, commercial sex work, men who have sex with men (MSM) versus not MSM, type of insurance, and clinic site. A similar analysis was completed for STI incidence, controlling for days in the study.

Results
Among 271 patients, mean age was 33.2 years, 46.9% were Black and 11.1% were Latino, 81.2% were MSM, and 32% were uninsured. Preexposure prophylaxis was discontinued in 47%, and another 11% had intermittent care. Sexually transmitted infection incidence was 45.4/100 person-years, and 5 patients were diagnosed with HIV at baseline or in follow-up. Men who have sex with men were less likely to discontinue PrEP relative to non-MSM (odds ratio [OR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10–0.64). Baseline STI was associated with a higher likelihood of incident STI (OR, 8.19; 95% CI, 3.69–19.21), whereas care discontinuation was associated with a lower likelihood of STI (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.11–0.65).

Conclusions
Preexposure prophylaxis programs in the Southern United States are reaching uninsured and predominantly Black and Latino MSM, but discontinuation rates are high despite elevated rates of incident STI and HIV. Further work is required to elucidate causes of PrEP discontinuation and encourage persistence in care.
Which Device Is Favorable for Intubation Attempts of Pediatric Residents on Four Different Pediatric Airway Simulations?
Authors: Er Anıl , Çağlar Aykut , Çitlenbik Hale , Akgül Fatma , Ulusoy Emel , Ören Hale , Yιlmaz Durgül , Duman Murat 
Published: October 2020

Objectives
Endotracheal intubation is an essential skill for the pediatric airway management. Although direct laryngoscopy (DL) is the standard method, several videolaryngoscopes (VLs) have been recently enhanced as an alternative especially for difficult intubations. We aimed to compare McGrath MAC (McG) and Storz C-MAC PM (ST) VLs with DL in terms of intubation success rate, time to intubation (TTI), and duration of obtaining glottis view of intubation attempts performed by pediatric residents on different pediatric airway manikins.

Methods
The pediatric residents with no experience in videolaryngoscopy were included. After a brief demonstration, intubation attempts with 3 randomly handled different devices with 6 different blades were performed on a child manikin, an infant manikin, a Pierre-Robin sequence infant manikin, and a child manikin with cervical immobilization sequentially.

Results
Fifty pediatric residents were enrolled. The attempts of DL on child manikin and attempts of all devices on child with cervical immobilization simulation were completely successful. For the attempts on both infant manikin and Pierre-Robin sequence infant manikin, the success rate of McG was significantly lower than ST and DL (P = 0.011 and P = 0.001). In the child manikin, McG and ST had prolonged TTI compared with DL (P = 0.016 and P = 0.001). For the child with cervical immobilization simulation, TTI of DL was significantly shorter than McG and ST (P = 0.011 and P = 0.001). Time to intubation of McG was significantly longer than DL and ST for the attempts on both 2 infant manikins. The rate of Cormack-Lehane grade I glottis view was similar for the attempts on both 2 child airway simulations. For infant manikin and Pierre-Robin sequence infant simulation, the rate of Cormack-Lehane grade I of ST was higher than attempts of DL and McG.

Conclusions
The attempts of pediatric residents on infant normal airway and Pierre-Robin sequence infant airway simulations resulted with enhanced glottis view by the utilization of Storz C-MAC PM, but both 2 VLs did not provide the improvement of intubation success rate and TTI compared with DL on these 4 different pediatric manikins. Further clinical studies of different VLs in different clinical courses are required for a reliable utilization in children.
Sarcopenia Aneurysm Scoring System Predicts Early and Midterm Mortality After Endovascular Repair for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Ito Eisaku , Ohki Takao , Toya Naoki , Fukushima Soichiro , Murakami Yuri , Nakagawa Hikaru , Nishie Ryosuke , Misawa Takeyuki 
Published: October 2020

Objective:
The objective of the study was to develop a better model of prediction after EVAR using the psoas muscle index (PMI).

Summary Background Data:
The Glasgow Aneurysm Score (GAS), the modified Leiden Score (mLS), the Comorbidity Severity Score (CSS), and the Euro Score (ES) are known prognostic scoring after EVAR. Similarly, sarcopenia measured by PMI has been reported to be an important predictor. This study investigated a new scoring system using PMI predicting short and midterm overall mortality after EVAR.

Methods:
Three hundred ten patients were retrospectively evaluated. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. One hundred three patients were assigned to the derivation cohort and 207 patients to the validation cohort.

Results:
The all-cause mortality rates were 8.8% at 1 year, 23.5% at 3 years, and 32.8% at 5 years. In a multivariate analysis, age, aneurysm diameter, eGFR, and PMI were associated with all-cause mortality in the derivation cohort. The SAS system was defined as the sum of the following factors: elderly (75 years), large aneurysm (65 mm), low eGFR (30 mL/min/1.73m2), and low PMI (males: 48.2 cm2/m2, females: 36.8 cm2/m2). We compared the SAS with the other prognostic scoring for 5-year mortality evaluating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves in the validation cohort (GAS: 0.731, mLS: 0. 718, CSS: 0. 646, ES: 0.661, and SAS: 0.785, P = 0.013).

Conclusion:
We developed the SAS to predict all-cause mortality after elective EVAR and this scoring showed excellent predictive performance.
exRNA Signatures in Extracellular Vesicles and their Tumor-Lineage from Prostate Cancer
Authors: Dogra Navneet , Ahsen Mehmet E. , Kozlova Edgar EG , Chen Tzu-yi , Allette Kimaada , Olsen Reena , Han Dan , Kim Sung-Cheol , Gifford Stacey M. , Smith Joshua T. , Wunsch Benjamin H. , Weil Rachel , Bhatt Kamala , Yadav Kamlesh K. , Vlachos Konstantinos , Nair Sujit , Gordon Ronald E. , Smith Melissa , Sebra Robert P. , Margolin Adam , Sahoo Susmita , Tewari Ashutosh K. , Cordon-Cardo Carlos , Losic Bojan , Stolovitzky Gustavo 
Published: October 2020

AbstractCirculating extracellular vesicles (EVs) present in the bodily fluids of patients with cancer may provide non-invasive access to the tumor tissue. Yet, the transcriptomic lineage of tumor-derived EVs before and after tumor-resection remains poorly understood. Here, we established 60 total small RNA-sequencing profiles from 17 aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) patient’s tumor and adjacent normal tissue, and EVs isolated from urine, serum, and cancer cell culture media. We interrogated the key satellite alteration in tumor-derived EVs and found that resection of tumor prostate tissue leads to differential expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS), P53 pathways, inflammatory/cytokines, oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes in the EV nanosatellites. Furthermore, we provide a set of novel EV-specific RNA signature, which are present in cancer but are nonexistent in post-resection patients with undetectable cancer. Finally, using a de novo RNAseq assembly followed by characterization of the small RNA landscape, we found novel small RNA clusters (smRCs) in the EVs, which reside in the unannotated regions. Novel smRCs were orthogonally validated for their differential expression in the ‘biomarker discovery’ cohort using RT-qPCR. We demonstrate that circulating tumor EVs provide a glimpse of the tumor tissue biology, resolving a major bottleneck in the current liquid biopsy efforts. Secretory vesicles appear to be playing a key role in non-canonical Wnt signaling and miRNA pathways, similar to the circulating tumor cells (CTCs), hence, we propose that such vesicles be called circulating tumor extracellular vesicles (CTEVs).