bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Disease prevalence and number of health care visits among members of a nationwide sports organization compared to matched controls
Authors: Lindblom Hanna , Lowén Mats , Faresjö Tomas , Hedman Kristofer , Sandström Per 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Physical activity has positive effects on several diseases and may reduce the risk of morbidity and the mortality rate. Whether the prevalence of disease and health care consumption differ between the members of sports organizations and the general population has not been established. Hence, this pilot study aimed to compare the prevalence of diseases known to be associated with physical inactivity and health care consumption in members of a large non-profit sports organization and an age-, sex- and geographically matched random sample from the general population.

Methods
Subjects in two Swedish cities who exercised at least once a week and had been members for at least two years in the non-profit sports organization Friskis&Svettis were invited. A randomized age-, sex- and geographically matched sample was drawn from the general population. Data on disease prevalence (by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes) and health care consumption were retrieved using the members’ personal identification numbers through a regional health care database. Between-group differences in the prevalence of disease were compared using chi2-tests and logistic regression between members and controls. Health care consumption was defined as the number of visits, stratified by primary and hospital care, and was compared using chi2-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests.

Results
In total, 3015 subjects were included in each group (response rate 11%). Controls had higher prevalence rates of musculoskeletal diseases (13.3% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.047), metabolic disease (10.4% vs. 5.4%, p < 0.001), hypertension (16.6% vs. 11.7%, p < 0.001), psychiatric diseases (8.9% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.012) and lung cancer (0.4% vs. 0%, p = 0.001) than the members. The total number of health care contacts was 22% higher in the controls than in the members, whereas the proportion of subjects with at least one health care visit was larger in the members (89% vs. 79%, p < 0.001).

Conclusions
The prevalence rates of lifestyle diseases related to musculoskeletal, metabolic and psychiatric diseases, hypertension and lung cancer, and the overall health care consumption, were lower among members of a sports organization than among controls. However, longitudinal studies are needed to establish a cause-effect relationship between membership and disease development.
Socioeconomic determinants of unmet need for outpatient healthcare services in Iran: a national cross-sectional study
Authors: Vahedi Sajad , Torabipour Amin , Takian Amirhossein , Mohammadpur Saeed , Olyaeemanesh Alireza , Kiani Mohammad Mehdi , Mohamadi Efat 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Unmet need is a critical indicator of access to healthcare services. Despite concrete evidence about unmet need in Iran’s health system, no recent evidence of this negative outcome is available. This study aimed to measure the subjective unmet need (SUN), the factors associated with it and various reasons behind it in Iran.

Methods
We used the data of 13,005 respondents over the age of 15 from the Iranian Utilization of Healthcare Services Survey in 2016. SUN was defined as citizens whose needs were not sought through formal healthcare services, while they did not show a history of self-medication. The reasons for SUN were categorized into availability, accessibility, responsibility and acceptability of the health system. The multivariable logistic regression was used to determine significant predictors of SUN and associated major reasons.

Results
About 17% of the respondents (N = 2217) had unmet need for outpatient services. Nearly 40% of the respondents chose only accessibility, 4% selected only availability, 78% chose only responsibility, and 13% selected only acceptability as the main reasons for their unmet need. Higher outpatient needs was the only factor that significantly increased SUN, responsibility-related SUN and acceptability-related SUN. Low education was associated with higher SUN and responsibility-related SUN, while it could also reduce acceptability-related SUN. While SUN and responsibility-related SUN were prevalent among lower economic quintiles, having a complementary insurance was associated with decreased SUN and responsibility-related SUN. The people with basic insurance had lower chances to face with responsibility-related SUN, while employed individuals were at risk to experience SUN. Although the middle-aged group had higher odds to experience SUN, the responsibility-related SUN were prevalent among elderly, while higher age groups had significant chance to be exposed to acceptability-related SUN.

Conclusion
It seems that Iran is still suffering from unmet need for outpatient services, most of which emerges from its health system performance. The majority of the unmet health needs could be addressed through improving financial as well as organizational policies. Special attention is needed to address the unmet need among individuals with poor health status.
Knowledge and attitudes of U.S. medical students regarding the care of Asian American patients: a cross-sectional survey study
Authors: Pang Sharon , Vongsachang Hursuong , Le Thomas K. , Zhang George Q. , Li Taibo , Lee Jason T. C. , Lawson Shari M. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Asian Americans (AsAm) are a rapidly growing population in the U.S. With this growing population, U.S. healthcare providers must be equipped to provide culturally competent care for AsAm patients. This project surveyed U.S. medical students on their knowledge of and attitudes towards AsAm to assess predictors of readiness to care for AsAm patients.

Method
This cross-sectional study surveyed medical students who had completed at least one clinical rotation. The survey was distributed online to nine medical schools throughout the U.S. The survey measured self-rated knowledge of, comfort with, cultural competency (CC) towards, and explicit biases towards AsAm patients. The first three domains were analyzed in a multivariate regression model including sociodemographic characteristics and past clinical, curricular, and social experiences with AsAm. Explicit bias questions were reported descriptively.

Results
There were 688 respondents. Asian race, AsAm-prevalent hometown, AsAm-related extracurricular activities, Asian language knowledge, and having taken a population health course predicted increased AsAm knowledge. Social interactions with AsAm increased comfort with AsAm patients. Increasing year in medical school, more frequent exposure to AsAm patients on rotations, and prior travel to an Asian country were predictors of increased CC toward AsAm. Importantly, having completed a CC course was a significant predictor in all domains. In terms of explicit bias, students felt that AsAm patients were more compliant than Caucasian patients. Students also believed that Caucasian patients were generally more likely to receive self-perceived “preferred” versus “acceptable” care, but that in their own clinical experiences neither group received preferred care.

Conclusion
Experience with and exposure to AsAm prior to and during medical school and CC courses may increase medical student knowledge, comfort, and CC with AsAm patients. Standardized and longitudinal CC training, increased simulations with AsAm patients, diverse student recruitment, and support for students to engage in AsAm-related activities and interact with AsAm may improve CC of future physicians towards AsAm patients and possibly other minority populations.
Human neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles mitigate hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Apodaca Lauren A. , Baddour Al Anoud D. , Garcia Camilo , Alikhani Leila , Giedzinski Erich , Ru Ning , Agrawal Anshu , Acharya Munjal M. , Baulch Janet E. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Regenerative therapies to mitigate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) neuropathology have shown very limited success. In the recent era, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from multipotent and pluripotent stem cells have shown considerable promise for the treatment of dementia and many neurodegenerative conditions.

Methods
Using the 5xFAD accelerated transgenic mouse model of AD, we now show the regenerative potential of human neural stem cell (hNSC)-derived EVs on the neurocognitive and neuropathologic hallmarks in the AD brain. Two- or 6-month-old 5xFAD mice received single or two intra-venous (retro-orbital vein, RO) injections of hNSC-derived EVs, respectively.

Results
RO treatment using hNSC-derived EVs restored fear extinction memory consolidation and reduced anxiety-related behaviors 4–6 weeks post-injection. EV treatment also significantly reduced dense core amyloid-beta plaque accumulation and microglial activation in both age groups. These results correlated with partial restoration of homeostatic levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines in the AD mice. Importantly, EV treatment protected against synaptic loss in the AD brain that paralleled improved cognition. MiRNA analysis of the EV cargo revealed promising candidates targeting neuroinflammation and synaptic function.

Conclusions
Collectively, these data demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of systemic administration of stem cell-derived EVs for remediation of behavioral and molecular AD neuropathologies.
Using light-level geolocations to monitor incubation behaviour of a cavity-nesting bird Apus apus pekinensis
Authors: Huang Xiao , Zhao Yanyan , Liu Yang 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe Beijing Swift (Apus apus pekinensis) is a typical cavity-nesting bird that often nests inside holes and crevices in old architectures. Direct observation of their breeding behaviour is challenging and their breeding ecology is thus poorly studied. In this study, we analysed light-level geolocation data collected from six Beijing Swifts for the first time. Our results showed that geolocators can make comprehensive inference of their incubation period and behaviour. As a cost-effective and non-invasive method, geolocators can not only facilitate discovering migration routes, but also can be widely applied in the study of avian reproductive behaviour, especially in cavity-nesting bird species. We further discussed the characteristics and merits of this method and compared with other conventional nest-monitoring methods in recording birds.
Cosmetic outcome of femtosecond laser-assisted pterygium surgery
Authors: Ting Darren Shu Jeng , Liu Yu-Chi , Lee Yi Fang , Ji Angel Jung Se , Tan Tien-En , Htoon Hla M. , Mehta Jodhbir S. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
To examine the cosmetic outcome of femtosecond laser-assisted pterygium surgery (FLAPS) with conjunctival autograft (CAG) and its potential predictive factors.

Methods
This was a prospective interventional case series (NCT02866968). We included 29 patients (29 eyes) with primary pterygium who underwent FLAPS. Cosmetic outcome was graded by two graders (an ophthalmology resident and an experienced ophthalmologist) using Hirst classification system (1–4 = excellent–poor). Weighted Cohen’s kappa analysis was performed to examine the intra- and inter-rater reliability. The relationship between cosmetic outcome and various factors were determined by Spearman’s correlation coefficients (r).

Results
The preoperative severity of pterygium (Tan grading system) was mild/atrophic (7%), moderate/intermediate (62%), and severe/fleshy (31%). An ultrathin CAG (mean thickness of 74.5 ± 9.8 μm) was fashioned intraoperatively. An excellent cosmetic outcome of FLAPS (median ± IQR) was observed at 3 months (1.0 ± 1.0) and remained similar at 6 months (1.0 ± 0.0) and 12 months (1.0 ± 0.0) postoperatively. At final follow-up, 27 (93%) patients achieved good-to-excellent cosmetic outcome, with 1 (3%) patient having a poor outcome due to incomplete pterygium removal. Weighted kappa analysis of Hirst grading system showed excellent intra-rater (κ = 0.86–0.95) and inter-rater reliability (κ = 0.84–0.88). There was a weak and borderline significant correlation between good cosmetic outcome and reduced postoperative CAG thickness (r = 0.38, P = 0.06) but not with age, gender, preoperative pterygium severity, or intraoperative CAG thickness.

Conclusions
FLAPS can result in an excellent cosmetic outcome, which may be attributed to the beneficial effect of an ultrathin CAG.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02866968. Registered in July 2016,
Study on clinical application of susceptibility weighted imaging ombined with diffusion weighted imaging in patients with Liver Cirrhosis complicated with small Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Hou Zhi-bo , Zhao Fei , Zhang Bin , Zhang Chun-zhu 
Published: March 2021

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical value of susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) combined with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with small hepatocellular carcinoma (SHCC).
Methods: A total of 40 patients with liver cirrhosis and 44 nodules were treated with conventional nuclear magnetic scanning (T1WI, T2WI) and SWI combined with DWI; the results were judged by two senior physicians; the t test, χ2 test, rank sum test, and other methods were used for contrastive analysis of the pathological results of different scanning methods after operation or puncture.
Results: Contrast analysis of the different MRI scanning methods and pathological results showed that among the 32 nodules of small hepatocellular carcinoma, 24 cases were diagnosed by conventional MRI, with the coincidence rate being 75%, 30 cases were diagnosed by SWI DWI, with the coincidence rate being 96%; significant difference was found between the two groups (p=0. 04). Significant differences were found in the specificity, sensitivity and accuracy of different scanning methods in the diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma (specificity, accuracy, p=0.04; sensitivity p=0.01). The SWI of small hepatocellular carcinoma nodules showed hyperintensity, and the degree of iron deposition was low. Significant difference was found between small hepatocellular carcinoma nodules and other nodules (comparison of SWI signal degree, p=0.01; comparison of iron deposition degree, p=0.00).
Conclusion: The SWI of small hepatocellular carcinoma nodules showed hyperintensity, and the degree of iron deposition was low. The coincidence rate of SWI+DWI scanning is higher than that of conventional scanning methods in the diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma, and the difference in specificity, sensitivity and accuracy has obvious advantages. SWI+DWI scanning can improve the detection rate of liver cirrhosis complicated with small hepatocellular carcinoma.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.3822
How to cite this:Hou ZB, Zhao F, Zhang B, Zhang CZ. Study on clinical application of susceptibility weighted imaging combined with diffusion weighted imaging in patients with Liver Cirrhosis complicated with small Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(3):800-804. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.3822
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of 3D Printing technology assisted surgery combined with early postoperative comprehensive rehabilitation in the treatment of Senile Intertrochanteric Fractures
Authors: Zhao Ye , Liu Yong-hui , Mao Shu-ge , Zhang Xin-xin 
Published: March 2021

Objectives: To observe the clinical value of 3D printing technology assisted surgery combined with early postoperative comprehensive rehabilitation in elderly patients with intertrochanteric fractures.
Methods: Sixty elderly patients with intertrochanteric fractures of the femur who were treated in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were selected and randomly divided into two groups. In the experimental group, 3D printing technology assisted surgery combined with early postoperative comprehensive rehabilitation was used for treatment. While in the control group, traditional open reduction and dynamic hip screw internal fixation combined with postoperative conventional treatment was utilized. The duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, weight bearing time, fracture healing time and other surgical indicators were recorded respectively, and hip joint function recovery was evaluated prior to and 2 weeks after surgery. All patients were followed up for six months to observe the occurrence of complications within half a year, including deep vein thrombosis, incision infection, avascular necrosis of femoral head, hip joint stiffness, delayed fracture healing, etc. Subsequently, the differences in postoperative complications between the two groups were compared and analyzed.
Results: The operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, weight bearing time and fracture healing time of the experimental group were better than those of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). After treatment, the hip joint function of the experimental group was significantly improved compared with the control group, with a statistically significant difference(p=0.03). The incidence of operative complications in the experimental group was 10% (3/30) within six months postoperatively, significantly lower than the 33% (10/30) in the control group, with statistical significance (p=0.03).
Conclusion: 3D printing with early rehab proved to be effective treatment in our study. Such a combined treatment has the advantages of precise operative reduction, fast postoperative recovery, and certain safety and effectiveness.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.3988
How to cite this:Zhao Y, Liu YH, Mao SG, Zhang XX. Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of 3D Printing technology assisted surgery combined with early postoperative comprehensive rehabilitation in the treatment of Senile Intertrochanteric Fractures. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(3):740-745. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.3.3988
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Offenheit in der IT: Herausforderung und Chance zu Veränderungen
Authors: Knoll Matthias 
Published: March 2021

ZusammenfassungWer offene Lösungen einsetzen möchte, sieht sich einer Reihe von Fragen und Herausforderungen gegenüber. Nicht nur technische Aspekte, sondern vor allem zwischenmenschliche Faktoren und passende Regelungen sind dabei zu berücksichtigen. Das richtige „Mindset“ spielt eine zentrale Rolle. Mit ihm einher geht eine lebendige Umsetzung des Community-Gedankens. Er ermöglicht, die Idee der Offenheit über Open Source und Open Hardware hinaus auch auf Fragen des Identity Managements, der Entwicklung von Innovationen oder die Nutzung von Open Data auszudehnen. Hierzu bedarf es neben technischem Verständnis vor allem auch Akzeptanzkriterien und einem Bewusstsein für Risiken. Der Beitrag verfolgt daher das Ziel, einen Überblick über die Themen und Fragestellungen zu geben und eine Empfehlung für den Umgang mit Offenheit in der IT zu formulieren.
Semen quality indicators associated with reduced body weight in young infertile men with pathozoospermia, postpubertal visceral obesity and normal andrological history
Authors: Bobkov D. N. , Rozhivanov R. V. , Savelyeva L. V. 
Published: March 2021

Background: Considering the negative impact of visceral obesity on fertility, it is important to study semen quality indicators associated with reduced body weight.Aims: Evaluation of semen quality indicators associated with reduced body weight in patients with infertility, postpubertal visceral obesity and normal andrological history.Materials and methods: 33 infertile men under 30 years with post-pubertal and alimentary visceral obesity were included into retrospective case-control study. All patients have been followed through a six month weight loss program (hypocaloric diet, daily aerobic physical activity). The waist circumference, blood lipid levels, seminal antioxidant capacity and scanning electron microscopy analysis were determined before and after weight loss program. At the end of the study, patients were divided into two groups according to weight loss. The first group reduced their body weight by 5% or more (n=16), second group didn’t achieve the goal (n=17).Results: Statistically significant differences were identified in the ejaculate parameters between patients of two groups. Though at the time of initiation of medical intervention two groups were comparable except for body mass, after six months in the first group the number of sperm in 1 ml ejaculate, morphologically normal forms and the total antioxidant capacity of ejaculate increased while the number of sperm DNA integrity decreased.Conclusion: In young men with postpubertal visceral obesity and normal andrological history clinically significant body weight reduction is associated with improved semen quality indicators.
Microwave Irradiation Assisted Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Bio-Oils from Chlorella Vulgaris Microalgae
Authors: N. Ibrahim S. , A. Radzun K. , Ismail K. 
Published: March 2021

Chlorella vulgaris is one of the promising microalgae strains that can produce high yield of bio-oils. The C. vulgaris was pretreated with microwave irradiation prior to extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis showed microwave irradiation pretreatment does not affect the material composition of C. vulgaris. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the microwave irradiation pretreated microalgae showed an agglomeration of the cells with the cells shape became distorted due to rupturing of the cell walls. Optimization of the SCCO2 process parameters (pressure, temperature and CO2 flow rate) was performed by using response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD). Two factors significantly affecting the extraction yield were temperature and pressure. The model equation also predicted the optimum condition for the SCCO2 (without microwave pretreatment) at 70 , 5676 psi and 7 sL/ min while optimum condition for SCCO2 (microwave irradiation pretreatment) at 63 , 5948 psi and 10 sL/ min. High amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), -linolenic acid and palmitoleic acid were found in the extracted oil with microwave irradiation pre-treatment sample. In addition, the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content in the microwave irradiation pretreated oil was considerably low and is desirable for biodiesel production.
Multivariate Matrix for Fuzzy Linear Regression Model to Analyse The Taxation in Malaysia
Authors: Hidayah Mohamed Isa Noor , Othman Mahmod , Ariffin Abdul Karim Samsul 
Published: March 2021

A multivariate matrix is proposed to find the best factor for fuzzy linear regression (FLR) with symmetric triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs). The goal of this paper is to select the best factor influence tax revenue among four variables. Eighteen years’ data of the variables from IndexMundi and World Bank Data. It is found that the model is successfully explained between independent variables and response variable. It is notices that sixty-six percent of the variance of tax revenue is explained by Gross Domestic Product, Inflation, Unemployment and Merchandise Trade. The introduction of multivariate matrix for fuzzy linear regression in taxation is a first attempt to analyses the relationship the tax revenue with the independent variables.